Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 45 Afterwards
"My lord, the high priest asked me to tell you that he has returned first!"

Upon hearing Lin You's question, one of the sedan chair carriers stepped out of the procession somewhat timidly and whispered.

Just as he was feeling utterly devastated by his master's death, the young man dressed in the robes of a high priest suddenly leaned close to him and said, "I'm going back now. If Lin You asks anything, please pass on his message."

Then, in a flash, the young man in the green robe beside him flipped off the bridge and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.

Finally, I heard the other person mutter something like, "Terrible acting."

He didn't hear clearly and didn't know what the other person was referring to, so naturally he didn't dare to say anything.

Lin You was stunned for a moment after hearing this. This High Priest really didn't want to wait a moment longer to leave work. It seemed he would have to report this to the City God and the Martial God himself; the High Priest clearly wasn't very interested in this matter.

"Okay, I understand. Everyone, please disperse! Also, the evil spirit has been exorcised. Let's leave it at that. Do not spread this around, understand?"

As he finished speaking, Lin You became increasingly solemn!
Everyone's expression hardened, and they quickly bowed their heads in response, "Yes!"

Zhu Fang, who was standing to the side, looked much calmer. He got up and entered the sedan chair. The sedan chair bearers lifted the chair and drove off towards the east of the city.

At this moment, the sedan chair bearers from the Jia family, who had just replied, jogged over to Lin You's side.

"Your Excellency, the High Priest just asked you to issue a certificate for us."

Lin You asked, somewhat puzzled, "What proof?"

"The high priest said it's something that proves my master died at the hands of evil spirits."

"."

Lin You glanced at the wealthy man, who had been completely drained of his wealth. Wasn't this the best proof?
However, Lin You eventually gave it to them. He guessed that the high priest probably took pity on these sedan chair carriers and was afraid that they would lose their lives in the wrath of their master, so he wanted to protect them in the name of the City God Temple. So he gave them his waist token.

The sedan chair bearers happily accepted the body, thanked them profusely, and then carried the wealthy man's corpse away. The body also required special handling, but wealthy families usually had their own procedures for handling such corpses.

Seeing that the sedan chair carriers had regained hope, Lin You's mood improved somewhat.

It seems that this high priest, aside from being a bit lazy, is actually a decent person?
I checked the weather; it was almost time to clock in.

"Let's go back to the City God Temple and report this matter."

Feng Sishui, who had been waiting patiently to the side, quickly agreed. As a new priest, he had been feeling a bit arrogant lately, but he had finally calmed down! He realized that he had been too impetuous, and being a priest was not as easy and enjoyable as he had imagined.

Similar evil incidents will likely occur frequently in the future. If it weren't for High Priest Li Wushou's rescue today, I would have been dead long ago!

We really need to improve our skills!

Zhengcheng West Street
A group of sedan chair bearers carried a sedan chair and walked very quickly.

Tonight's events left them terrified, and they were still filled with lingering fear. If they hadn't happened to encounter the priests of the City God Temple, they would surely be dead.

Everyone was planning to go to the temple to offer incense to the City God after dawn.

Sitting in the sedan chair, Zhu Fang's expression was solemn, no longer showing the panic he had just displayed. However, his complexion was not so good, carrying a hint of gloom. He placed his hands in front of his abdomen, rubbing the copper bells together.

After passing through West Street and entering East Street, Zhu Fang called out to the sedan chair bearers:

"Let's go to the City Lord's Mansion first!"

"Yes!"

At dawn, around 5:00 AM.

The servants of the city lord's mansion had already gotten up and started preparing the meal.

When Zhu Fang arrived, Zhu Sihai had not yet gotten up. It was past dawn when Zhu Sihai summoned Zhu Fang into the council hall.

Upon seeing Zhu Sihai, Zhu Fang was equally uneasy; the events of the previous night had been quite disgraceful. However, facing Zhu Sihai, Zhu Fang dared not conceal anything, and thus recounted the events of the previous night in detail. Zhu Sihai sipped his tea, listening attentively without uttering a word.

Only after Zhu Fang finished speaking did he realize that he was soaked in sweat. Zhu Sihai put down his teacup, the rim of which tapped softly on the table.

Zhu Fang involuntarily shivered, his whole body trembling slightly.

"So, it seems that only Li Wushou, Lin You, and Feng Sishui came to the City God Temple last night?"

Zhu Sihai's face, etched with deep wrinkles, was expressionless. His voice was soft, yet clear.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Fang hurriedly replied, "Yes! After summoning Qiao Ji and Xi Nang, I kept holding the Sparrow Bell tightly, but it didn't ring. You said that if it didn't ring, it meant that the City God and the Martial God hadn't approached."

As if questioning or blaming, Zhu Sihai muttered to himself, "Faced with a newly promoted high priest, two half-baked junior priests, a stream girl who raises five fetuses, and a bewitching bridge princess, they can't even manage to evacuate?"

Zhu was startled and quickly knelt on the ground.

"Too fast! In just a quarter of an hour, I could no longer sense Qiao Ji and Xi Nang's presence. Zhu Fang has failed in his duties; please hold the city lord accountable!"

Zhu Sihai glanced at Zhu Fang, picked up his cup, and took a sip of tea.

After a long silence, he slowly said, "Can you tidy up the Jia family's grain shop in three days?"

"Yes! Yes!"

"I've already hooked up with Jia Xu's wife. Within three days—no! Within two days—I'll have him under my control!"

Zhu Sihai sipped his tea slowly, and after a while, he seemed to remember Zhu Fang kneeling there.

"Go down!"

"Yes!"

Zhu Fang kowtowed gratefully, this time with great force, his forehead already a deep red when he looked up.

After Zhu Fang left, Zhu Sihai sat alone in the main hall, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"Li Wushou, Lin You, and Feng Sishui are the three who survived the casting of the golden statue. In your opinion, who is more suspicious?"

There was no one in the lobby, but Zhu Sihai suddenly spoke, and even more surprisingly, a clear, cold female voice answered from somewhere:
Why ask again about things that have already been decided?

"That's true. According to the neighbors in the south city, Li Wushou seems like a madman. After he came to the main city, people have been saying that he raised two living souls, named Old Beggar and Chen Gou'er?"

“I went to check, and those two people weren’t there, nor were there any living souls around him.”

"Is that really a madman? A madman with this kind of strength? Even the Four-Eyed Monk of Blood Buddha Temple would have a hard time defeating five fetal abortions, right? Not to mention that there's also a Bridge Princess supporting him?"

"During the City God's assessment, he devoured nine souls. Perhaps he had devoured souls before, which is why his mind is in disarray. As for strength? Does it matter?"

Zhu Sihai was slightly taken aback. "Nine Paths of Soul Devouring? Soul Derangement?"

Then he slowly nodded: "Since it has devoured the soul and consumed the evil spirit, it is indeed nothing to worry about. No matter how high its talent, it will not be able to surpass the civil and military officials in a short time! The City God should go into slumber again, right?"

"It'll be soon! Let chaos break out outside the city. Don't worry about whether the City God notices; if he does, all the better. It would be best to send the Martial God Officer out of the city with you. As for you? Your time is running out!"

Zhu Sihai looked solemn and drank the tea in one gulp!
"I understand, daughter!"

"Call me Sparrow! If it happens again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Alas, the path of sealing spirits is indeed cruel. Now that you have achieved enlightenment, are you still unwilling to forgive me?"

Zhu Sihai sighed, looking somewhat helpless. If he had this talent, none of this trouble would have happened.
But this time, I didn't receive a reply for a long time!

(End of this chapter)