Ita Era

Chapter 181 Cui Fu
Ding Shi went to the vicinity of the village entrance, climbed a tree to look at Tianmen Village, and well, he saw nothing but emptiness. The entire village was shrouded in darkness, not a single house had a light on. The distance was too great, and the dark clouds obscured the moon; he could see and hear nothing.

Just as Ding Shi was about to leave, about 300 meters from the village entrance, near Liu Niang's house, a white light appeared, much like Xiao Ni's dispelling energy. The bright light flashed, a testament to Xiao Ni's divine protection technique.

Five seconds later, another dispel spell appeared, seemingly moving about ten meters in the direction of the village entrance.

Next, a golden Bagua array appeared, which must be the Taoist nun's skill. Although it looks impressive, its actual effectiveness remains to be seen.

The white and golden light continued to move towards the village entrance. When they were about a hundred meters away from the village entrance, they could vaguely see four people surrounding the Taoist nun and the young nun. Every time they attacked, they were repelled by the Taoist nun and the young nun, but the Taoist nun and the young nun could not advance any further.

Seeing this, a monk who had also come to watch the battle at the village entrance was about to cross the village line when Ding Shi, who was 15 meters away from the monk, shouted, "Monk, don't go!"

The monk turned around and saw only a patch of black trees: "Amitabha, I cannot stand by and watch someone die."

Ding Shi jumped down from the tree, walked to the monk's side, and said, "She's fishing."

The monk asked, "Fishing?"

Ding Shi said, "Even a fool would know that there are more than 50 Violent Demons, but only four are surrounding them. My guess is that the Violent Demons are joining the battle one by one until they can be trapped. The fish we're trying to catch is a man, you, me, and one of the Foolish Daggers."

Ding Shi said, "I assure you, once you go in, you won't be able to walk to Xiao Ni's side alive."

Monk: "Shall we go together?"

Ding Shi was speechless: "Double hooks catching fish? This isn't our home turf. We have no advantage in terms of timing, location, or even ghosts. The only one who can save Xiao Ni and the others now is the ghostly figure of Sha Bi. But Sha Bi is definitely not around here, and I can't find him anywhere."

The monk said, "Thank you for your concern, Ding Shi, but even if it's difficult, I'd like to give it a try."

Ding Shi was somewhat impatient and said, "You know what? Sometimes I really hate people like you. Maybe you think what you're doing is right, and you're willing to pay for it with your life, and you call it faith. It sounds so noble, but think about the specifics. Once you go in, you'll have the body to resurrect Cui's father. Huang You won't have to play along with Xiao Ni anymore. She'll kill one person and then plunder another."

Ding Shiyue became increasingly agitated, saying, "The worst thing happened. Huang You achieved what she wanted. Tianmen Village was destroyed, and our mission failed completely. Why? Because you fucking insisted on your beliefs, which ruined all of us."

Ding Shi said, "Since we've come this far, please go ahead." Compared to the monk, Ding Shi preferred to cooperate with Sha Bi, at least the two could reach a common interest through compromise.

The monk hesitated, unsure of what to do. Just then, the little nun let out a scream, followed by a cry of pain; she was clearly injured.

The monk said, "If I don't go in, Huang You will continue to torment them."

Ding Shi: "Whatever." He took a few steps back.

Different road non-phase plan.

The light of Xiao Ni's divine blessing gradually weakened. The monk took a deep breath and said, "I'm here. Hold on." After saying that, he rushed across the village entrance without looking back and entered the village area.

The monk in white robes was quite conspicuous, but he was intercepted before he could run 20 meters. A black aura, like a rope, bound the monk's body. The monk chanted a Buddhist prayer, and the black aura broke and disappeared. But the next second, a new black aura wrapped around him again.

At this moment, the monk also saw his opponent, a ghost mother hiding in the funeral shop.

After breaking free twice, the monk was backfired for using a skill during its cooldown period. Black energy bound the monk, and the Ghost Mother drifted closer and closer, her dragon claws reaching for the monk's head.

Just as the monk was about to be killed, a stone came hurtling towards him. The Ghost Mother's physical form turned into a wisp of black smoke. The stone passed through the black smoke, and the Ghost Mother reformed into a physical form.

As the physical form shifted, the black aura binding the monk vanished. The Demon Mother rebound the monk, and the stone struck again, interrupting her spellcasting once more.

After three times, the demon mother roared angrily toward the village entrance, a sharp and drawn-out sound that was very unpleasant to hear.

Ding Shi weighed the stone in his hand, sprinted, and threw it. The stone flew over the Taoist nun's head and hit a violent demon on the head. The demon staggered back six steps and landed on its backside. Its head was smashed open, but this serious injury didn't seem to cause it any pain. Instead of attacking the nun and the Taoist nun, it went off to play by itself.

Xiao Ni and the Taoist nun seized the opportunity to break through the encirclement and ran 30 meters towards the village entrance, where they were intercepted again 70 meters away.

The monk chanted a Buddhist prayer, and although the distance was quite far, he used all his strength, causing the violent demon that was intercepting the nun and the Taoist nun to fall into confusion for a moment.

The two girls continued running hand in hand, and the monk ran towards them. They met up about 50 meters from the village entrance. Fifteen monstrous demons then surrounded them.

In terms of strength, three raging demons could defeat the three monks, but Huang You needed a complete body and wouldn't attack with full force.

Ding Shi then understood why Huang You had developed the Sanskrit Soul Slave Talisman. It turned out that those who used the Sanskrit Soul Slave Talisman would be controlled by Huang You after the evil spirits went on a rampage.

At a distance of 50 meters, with 15 demons, Ding Shi's slingshot tactic is meaningless.

Huang You was originally fishing, and now that the fish have taken the bait, Huang You's next task is to play the fish until it gets tired, and then he can put both fish into his pocket.

The battlefield was ever-changing. The monk was separated from the raging demons and was pinned to the ground by four of them. The demon mother's dragon claws easily pressed down on his head, and the monk's eyes slowly changed from anger and resentment to lifelessness.

The demon mother and the violent demon released the monk, who slowly stood up and walked alone into the depths of the village.

The demon mother turned to the little nun and the Taoist nun who were surrounded by layers of people. She was making a choice, a choice between two options.

In terms of appearance, the Taoist nun was prettier and younger than the bald young nun. However, the young nun had a better figure.

A stone flew by and hit a violent ghost in the chest before landing. Faced with such a futile attack, the ghost mother was unconcerned and turned her gaze to the Taoist nun.

"Grab the rope," Ding Shi's voice came.

Xiao Ni instinctively reached out and grabbed a rope. Ding Shi pulled the rope tight and ran as fast as he could. Just as Xiao Ni was about to fly, a black flame landed on the rope, burning it in two. Ding Shi almost fell flat on his face.

Ding Shi threw down the rope in his hand, squatted inside the red line at the village entrance, and took out a handful of pumpkin seeds from his pocket. Now he really had no other choice.

Just now, taking advantage of the Ghost Mother's decision-making difficulties, Ding Shi risked sneaking into the funeral shop near the village entrance and found the hemp rope used to tie the coffin.

Perhaps Ding Shi's leisurely behavior angered the Ghost Mother. With a wave of her hand, the Ghost Mother sent black fire flying towards Ding Shi. Ding Shi couldn't see the ghost fire, but he could see its pair of scarlet eyes. He jumped outside the red line, and the black fire twisted its body in front of Ding Shi before flying back towards the Ghost Mother.

Ding Shi stepped across the red line, and the black flames flew towards him again. Ding Shi grabbed the black flames with his right hand: "Release them, or else..."

Forget it, the price isn't right, it's a waste of breath. Ding Shi rubbed his hands together, turning the black fire into ashes.

Under the murderous gaze of the Ghost Mother, Ding Shi once again took out the pumpkin seeds, sat down on the ground, and treated it as a show.

There was no reversal. After obtaining the bodies of the monk and the nun, the two violent demons killed the little nun, and the demon mother and more than a dozen violent demons disappeared into the night.

I'm quite frustrated and mentally exhausted, but what can I say?

If the monk doesn't go in, the most likely scenario is that the demon mother takes away a female body and uses another woman to fish, as the fisherman won't just throw away the bait.

This isn't the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that Cui's father is about to be resurrected, and Huang You will also be reborn in the body of a Daoist nun. Don't listen to Tie Zhu and Cui Hua saying how great their master and father are. Perhaps they are indeed great, but Huang You definitely knows Cui's father's character and must have made some preparations.

Ding Shi knew that the monk's behavior was very popular, while he himself was a typical sophisticated egoist.

"Idiot, come out."

Thirty meters away, the bushes stirred, and Sha Bi emerged from within, leisurely walking over to Ding Shi and sitting down beside him: "It's just the two of us left. This instance doesn't require completing any quests; we can just lie here until the morning of the eighth day."

"Take Xiao Ni's body out, lest she turn into a demon."

Sha Bi asked, "Does it make sense?" Ding Shi shrugged; he didn't know.

Ding Shi reached out, and Sha Bi pulled him up. Ding Shi headed towards the temporary camp.

The system suddenly issued a side quest: Rescue your companions. 8-hour countdown.

Ding Shi looked back at the dark village, sighed again, and continued walking towards the camp.

……

Seven o'clock in the morning on the sixth day.

After spending money on breakfast, Ding Shi still hadn't seen the village chief, so he had to go to Tianmen Village with Sha Bi. Accompanying them were two young men from the funeral shop, who brought a roll of straw mat.

Ding Shi entered the village, carried Xiao Ni's body to the village entrance, rolled it up in a straw mat, tied it with hemp rope, and the two young men carried Xiao Ni's body towards Sanlifen.

The air in the village was fresh, yet tinged with the stench of blood. Many villagers, unable to leave, were murdered in their homes last night. Their deaths released evil spirits from within them.

The two walked along the road into the village, and stopped after turning a corner.

A table stood on the road 20 meters away, on which were placed talismans, a peach wood sword, a Bagua mirror, and other items. Eight strips of yellow cloth hung down from the branches of a large tree overhead, forming a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) pattern.

The monk stood behind the desk, quietly watching the two of them.

Beside this simple altar was Shuanzi's house. The Taoist nun sat on the wall, kicking her legs back and forth, looking leisurely and innocent.

Upon seeing the two, the Taoist nun said in a slightly coquettish tone, "Senior brother, they bullied me."

"You're courting death." The monk placed one hand on the table, and a yellow talisman shot straight at Ding Shi's face.

The yellow talisman wasn't flying fast, but it had a guidance system, making it impossible to dodge. Ding Shi punched the yellow talisman, and the two collided, creating a gust of wind. Ding Shi took two steps back, and the yellow talisman shattered.

"You've got some skill." The monk slammed his hand on the table, and three yellow talismans shot out. He made a hand seal, directing the talismans to attack Ding Shi.

Ding Shi punched Huang Fu A, breaking Huang Fu A and staggering backward, but it did not hinder his punching. Ding Shi threw a left hook at Huang Fu B, which rushed upward with amazing acceleration, dodging Ding Shi's fist, and then fell down and touched Ding Shi's forehead.

Ding Shi saw the character "晕" (yùn, meaning dizzy or dazed) written on the yellow talisman.

Yellow talisman B took effect upon application, causing Ding Shi to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Yellow talisman C, inscribed with the character for "injury," floated towards the helpless Ding Shi.

Sha Bi was very dissatisfied with this, why wasn't it death, execution, or extermination?
The monk's left hand was instantly enveloped in black smoke created by ghostly power. He grabbed the yellow talisman C with his left hand and immediately corrupted it into ash, giving the monk no time to activate his power.

Sha Bi pondered whether he should casually slap the unconscious Ding Shi to death, or give him ten big slaps.
Unfortunately, Ding woke up.

Dizziness charm, dizziness for three seconds.

Why are there words on the yellow talisman?
The first reason is that the yellow talisman itself has characters on it, and because of different functions, there are primary and secondary characters, with the largest character in the middle directly reflecting the function.

The second reason is to make it easier for everyone to identify. In Naruto, if someone throws out a talisman and it doesn't have the character for "explosion" on it, nobody knows what it's for. Without a clearly visible "explosion" character, even the most skilled ninjas wouldn't be able to tell at a glance what kind of talisman it is.

The Taoist nun clapped her hands and said, "Senior brother is amazing!"

The monk looked at the nun and smiled leisurely, saying, "Naughty."

The monk said loudly, "Although you two fellow Daoists have fallen into evil ways, you haven't committed any heinous crimes, which is why I've shown you mercy. Please leave Tianmen Village immediately, or don't blame me for being impolite."

Ding Shi turned his head and asked, "Do you think we can reason with him?"

Silly Bike said, "I think it's difficult." Love-struck, hopeless.

Ding Shi clasped his hands in greeting: "Master Huang, I am Cuihua's homeroom teacher. I came to the village this time because Cuihua skipped school without reason, beat up classmates, and smoked and drank alcohol."

Sha Bi looked at Ding Shi in confusion, and Ding Shi whispered, "Nonsense against nonsense."

Sure enough, this tactic worked. The monk was dumbfounded and asked, "What is a homeroom teacher?"

Ding Shi explained: "Sir, teacher."

The monk asked again, "Who is Cuihua?"

Ding Shi said, "Your daughter."

The monk shook his head: "I am fifteen years old this year, where would I get a daughter?"

Ding Shi looked at Sha Bi, who gave him an encouraging look: Go for it, aren't you good at talking nonsense?
Ding Shi deduced that the monk was Cui's father, and that Cui's father knew him from the age of 15, which was also the age when his relationship with Huang You, who had possessed the Daoist nun's body, was at its best. At that time, there were only his senior brother, master, and junior sister.
Ding Shi clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Daoist Master, why do you think I am a member of the heretical sect? Look at me, I am full of vigor and righteousness, and I am praised by the world as the light of the righteous path. People in the martial arts world call me Dezi."

Sha Bi asked, puzzled, "De Zi?"

Ding Shi explained in a low voice: "Laozi, Confucius, Dezi."

The idiot scoffed: "Laozi is not old, Confucius has no hole, and Dezi is the most immoral."

Cui's father sneered, "You associate with ghost cultivators, how dare you call yourself a righteous person?"

Ding Shi glanced coldly at Sha Bi; so that's where the problem lay.

Silly Bone was taken aback. How did your verbal sparring involve me?
Ding Shi said, "Daoist Master, you are wise. I have no common ground with this man. He has already suffered internal injuries from my true energy and will not live much longer. His only wish is to die at home. I was just doing him a favor and I am not on his side."

Cui's father said, "No matter how eloquently you speak, let me ask you this: did you come to Tianmen Village to search for treasure?"

Ding Shi's eyes darted around: "Daoist Master, we cultivators believe in fate; treasures are obtained by those who are destined to be."

Cui's father shook his head: "This treasure was born by absorbing the essence of Yin energy from Tianmen Village. Once it grows up, it will protect Tianmen Village. Furthermore, this treasure is not ownerless; its owner is Tianmen Village itself."

Ding Shi tilted his head: "What do you mean?"

Silly Bike guessed, "Could it be the Divine Tree?"

Ding Shi asked, "Master, are you referring to the divine tree?"

Cui's father nodded: "Of course."

Ding Shi asked, "Have you found it?" Ding Shi knew that the divine tree was at Feng Qiniang's house.

Cui's father said, "I will find it."

He's a genuine person, someone you can be friends with.

(End of this chapter)