Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 171 Asking for help
Chang Ping'an hesitated for a second, wondering whether to chase after the weasel demon or take care of Qu Zhiweng first.

But soon, he took out a bottle of medicine from his pocket bag and, with the thought of trying anything, pinched Qu Zhiweng's nose and forced the medicine down his throat.

This herbal soup is a special type of kudzu root soup packaged in porcelain bottles. However, it was originally a bowl that was divided into two bottles. This was because the bowl-sized kudzu root soup given by the master was inconvenient to carry. Murong Ruyan came up with this idea to package it into dozens of bottles and distribute them to the disciples who were sent out by the sect each time.

Although the weasel demon's farts are considered a supernatural power, they are still classified as "poison," so they should be effective.

Before long, Qu Zhiweng, who had been given two bottles of herbal medicine, gradually regained consciousness, but his limbs were numb and he could not move.

Chang Ping'an had no choice but to help him to the roadside to rest while he went to chase after the weasel demon.

After chasing for a while, Chang Ping'an frowned as he watched a plume of yellow smoke disappear into the county government office.

Although he had lived in the mountain village since childhood and rarely went out, and had been swindled out of money at Jinyang Post Station last time, that was just due to inexperience, not stupidity.

Since entering Pingding County, the whole county has been filled with strangeness.

"Hey! Hey, that kid!"

Just as he was hesitating whether to barge into the county government office or knock on the door normally, a window in a house not far behind him suddenly opened a crack, and voices came from inside—

"Young man, since you are unaffected by the Yellow-Robed Immortal's magic, you'd better leave quickly!"

Chang Pingan turned his head and saw a scholar-like man hiding behind the window, speaking to him in a low voice.

Chang Ping'an asked in confusion, "What you say is strange. Since I am not affected by it, I can naturally subdue it. Why would I want to run away instead?"

"Alas! Alas! Evil spirits are easy to exorcise, but the human heart is unpredictable. I advise you not to meddle in other people's business... If all else fails, just report it to your superiors!"

After saying that, the scholar slammed the window shut, clearly unwilling to say anything more.

"Little Immortal Chang!"

The scholar had just closed the window when he heard Qu Zhiweng's shouts from afar behind him.

Qu Zhiweng was seen hobbling over, leaning on his Taiyue sword.

“Chang Xiaoshenxian, the local people don’t seem particularly afraid. This matter of the ‘Yellow Robe Immortal’ is quite strange, and there may be other hidden stories.”

Qu Zhiweng looked regretful and explained in a low voice, "I have been wise all my life, yet I failed to guard against the monster's methods. I am sorry to have made you laugh at me, Little Immortal Chang. But that thing doesn't seem to be able to speak or be particularly ferocious. How could it have taken control of an entire county? Perhaps... we should retreat first. I have heard that General Heshilie of the Xiao Kingdom is currently stationed in Baozhou. Let's ask him to send troops. No matter how powerful that beast is, we will surely be able to capture it!"

As he spoke, he winked at Chang Ping'an and beckoned him to a quiet corner, clearly implying something was amiss.

Upon hearing Qu Zhiweng's words, Chang Ping'an's heart stirred, and he thought to himself, 'This Master Qu is indeed experienced; it seems he has also noticed something amiss in the county.'

The two stopped in a corner of the alley, and Chang Ping'an whispered, "Does Sect Leader Qu mean that someone is behind this weasel demon?"

Qu Zhiweng nodded slightly and continued, "That's right. A beast is still a beast. How can he steer a county? Besides, Little Immortal Chang, you may not know this, but the north is bitterly cold, and there are many local bandits. These bandits are none other than the local people. They farm during the busy season and rob passing merchants during the off-season. I've seen too many of these things!" Chang Ping'an's gaze sharpened as he looked towards the county government office. He saw yellow smoke swirling inside, but the entire office was perfectly quiet, without a trace of anything unusual.

At this point, the absence of anything unusual is the biggest unusual thing.

"So, according to Sect Leader Qu's opinion, what should we do now?"

Chang Ping'an asked again.

Qu Zhiweng stroked his beard, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "Two fists can't beat four hands. I know that Immortal Chang is powerful and has great supernatural abilities, but there are at least a dozen yamen runners in the city. I don't even know if Weize Pass knows about this matter or if they are colluding. If we tear off the mask, in the worst case scenario, we will probably have to deal with hundreds of people!"
"If it were just ordinary people, it would be fine, but the problem is that these black-clad officials, yamen runners, and the garrison of Weize Pass are skilled in martial arts and profound formations. In that case, even a third or fourth-rank Venerable would not be able to get away with it!"

"Even if we can defeat these people, what will happen to the people in the city? If it weren't for the old man in charge of the county government, I'm afraid this place with its fierce people would descend into chaos!"
"In that case, we should withdraw from the county town first and observe secretly. If I'm not mistaken, once we mention asking General Heshilie to send someone to 'capture the demon,' the person behind this will surely reveal their true colors very quickly—unless this county magistrate really doesn't want his official hat anymore!"

Chang Ping thought to himself that although he was not afraid of that martial arts formation, what Qu Zhiweng said was right. If it was really the county magistrate who was causing trouble behind the scenes, who would take over the county affairs after the county magistrate was dealt with?
If things go wrong, the county might really descend into chaos!

Thinking of this, Chang Ping'an nodded in agreement. The two immediately turned around, talking loudly as if they wanted to ask General He Shilie to send troops to "capture the demon," while hurrying out of the city.

Not long after they left the county town, they encountered several yamen runners blocking their way on the official road.

The leader said with a forced smile, "Please wait, gentlemen, my master invites you!"

Hearing the yamen runner speak so rudely, Chang Ping'an frowned and was about to lash out when Qu Zhiweng secretly pulled him back.

Qu Zhiweng sighed, took out a silver ingot from his pocket, and stuffed it into the yamen runner's hand: "We two still have to travel, please make an exception for us, young man."

The constable weighed the silver in his hand, his expression softening slightly, but he still shook his head and said, "It's not that I'm unwilling to make an exception, it's just that I can't disobey orders from above."

At this point, the constable lowered his voice and reminded them, "Please rest assured, gentlemen. My master invited you two without informing that Yellow-Robed Immortal, and the matter he was discussing was precisely about the Yellow-Robed Immortal!"

Chang Ping'an and Qu Zhiweng exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat hesitant.

If the two insisted on leaving, the two constables certainly wouldn't be able to stop them, but...

Qu Zhiweng stroked his beard and said, "I think it would be better to report this matter to General Heshilie!"

Chang Pingan shook his head slightly.

In short, all these disturbances caused by demonic creatures are related to the White Stone Immortal Sect. It would be best to avoid involving the Xiao Kingdom if possible.

So, he took out a somewhat hastily made paper bird from his pocket, whispered a few words to his lips, then infused it with some spiritual energy and tossed it into the sky—

The paper bird suddenly turned into a live little white bird with a bang; it was the Northern Long-tailed Tit paper puppet that Zhang Chengdao had made a few days ago!

The round little white bird circled twice above Chang Ping'an's head, chirped, and then flew away, leaving the two constables dumbfounded and speechless.

(End of this chapter)