A Scroll of Infinite Glory

The young Taoists ate quickly, finishing their porridge in just a few bites and then taking their steamed buns to play outside.

So when the carrier pigeon flew back, several tables in the Jixiang Courtyard where they ate were empty, with only Guan Luoyang and Qiu Di present.

After removing the yellow talisman from the pigeon's leg and seeing the words written on it, Qiu Di's expression changed drastically.

Qiu Shi is the eldest disciple of Daoist Jiu Ying.

When the two Taoist priests, Jiu Ying and Jiu He, came from Wudang in Quanzhou to Jiaozhi to preside over the Fengzhao Zhenwu Temple, Qiu Shi was already by their side.

Among the disciples of the Qiu generation, Qiu Shi is the most outstanding in magic, meticulous, steady and reliable. He has long been the unanimous successor of the Zhenwu Temple among his fellow disciples.

Four days ago, the old patriarch of the Liu family in Chengyin Prefecture was tormented by a little ghost and fell into a coma. In his dream, bruises shaped like an infant's hand appeared on his neck and ankles. The Liu family rushed over by horse and Qiu Shi went there in person.

The old man of the Liu family is already over seventy years old. Even the little devil couldn't kill him easily. After Qiu Shi goes there, he will definitely be captured easily. At most, he will stay for a couple more days to help the old man recuperate.

Master Jiuhe and Qiudi trusted Qiushi completely, but they never expected that he would use the most dangerous "Talisman Back Message Transmission" to ask the temple for help.

"The talisman is the spirit of heaven and earth. Seeking help on the back of the talisman means that it has lost its power and is trapped in a dangerous situation with ambushes on all sides. It is like walking on the edge of an abyss on a moonless night, on the verge of being crushed to pieces at any moment."

Qiu Di appeared calm on the surface, even having the leisure to explain the meaning of this method of seeking help to Guan Luoyang. However, when he stood up, he knocked over the stool he was sitting on.

"My master and uncle are not here. My skill in using paper cranes to send messages is not good enough to directly track their presence. Brother Guan, please go down the mountain to buy a horse and go after my master. I'll go to Brother Qiushi's place first."

Guan Luoyang put down his chopsticks, hooked his toe to lift the stool, shook his head and said, "Your master has been gone for half a day. There must be more than one way from here to that commander's mansion. I don't know anyone here, where am I supposed to chase after him? Why don't I go with you to help your senior brother?"

Qiu Di wanted to refuse, as it was unreasonable to let someone he had just met accompany him into danger. However, he also knew that Guan Luoyang was stronger than him, and if Guan Luoyang went with him, the chances of rescuing his senior brother would be greater.

"Senior brother..."

Qiu Di murmured softly, pondered for a long time, then resolutely clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Alright, then I'll shamelessly ask Brother Guan to come with me. But if it's a ghost or monster, I'm afraid Brother Guan won't be able to handle it with his fists and feet. Are you skilled with the magic sword?"

Guan Luoyang said, "I practice with a knife, but I can probably use a sword too."

"With a knife?" Qiu Di remembered something, hurriedly turned around and left, and soon returned to the courtyard with a long, sheathed knife in his hand.

The scabbard is made of green sharkskin, the guard is an oval brass handguard, and the handle is wrapped with hundreds of thin red ropes. The pommel is a copper ring, and the overall length of the knife is about four feet.

"This knife is said to be an ancient knife from the Tang Dynasty. When my master got it, the handle was completely rotten, but the blade seemed to have been cleansed by a master. After being splashed with holy wine, all the rust disappeared. It exudes a fierce aura and can ward off evil spirits and protect the house."

"My master replaced the hilt and scabbard for it and hung it in the Zhenxie Hall for ten years. In the last two years, every full moon night, just after midnight, you can hear the knife whistling softly in the hall."

Guan Luoyang took the knife and pulled it out halfway.

The hilt of the long sword is a pale gold color, connecting to the cold, sharp blade.

The blade is three fingers wide with a straight back. It should be made of silver-white refined steel, but inside the blade, there are faint, sparse cloud patterns of emerald color.

Qiu Di said, "This knife probably killed many sorcerers back then. Later, it was buried underground, and the resentment of the sorcerers and the earth's energy attracted each other, which is why it formed this dark green cloud pattern. If you are used to using it, with this knife in hand, you can treat those ghosts and monsters as if they were living people and cut them down."

Guan Luoyang sheathed his sword, his five fingers slightly loosening and closing at the hilt, and laughed, "Good!"

Qiu Di gave a few instructions to the young Taoist disciples, prepared the magical artifacts she needed, and then set off with Guan Luoyang.

Guan Luoyang had little experience riding horses, but with his current skills, he adapted to the situation before he had even run a hundred meters and was galloping wildly.

They traveled at breakneck speed for nearly an hour from dusk until they arrived at the southernmost county under the jurisdiction of Chengyin Prefecture.

There are naturally more than one family with the surname Liu in Chengyin Prefecture, but the Liu family, especially Old Master Liu's family, has something unique.

Their eldest son married the beloved daughter of the prefect of Chengyin, and was very famous in the county.

When Guan Luoyang and his group arrived at Liu's residence, they could still see several teams of yamen runners patrolling and guarding the area.

Upon hearing that someone from the Zhenwu Temple had come by imperial decree, the people of the Liu family immediately went out to greet them.

Master Liu wore a jade hairpin to tie his hair up, a silk round-necked robe, and a neatly trimmed, shiny beard. He was slightly plump but not bulky, and had a rather capable air about him.

But today, he and his sons behind him all had dark circles under their eyes and were slightly swollen, clearly indicating that they hadn't slept well for many days.

Eager to find out about his senior brother, Qiu Di skipped the formalities and asked a few questions at the door. The situation turned out to be worse than he had anticipated.

According to Mr. Liu, his family had an old house by the river, built more than 30 years ago. Ten years ago, the water level rose and the base of the walls was flooded, making it uninhabitable. So the whole family moved out. But Mr. Liu still missed the old house and would often go there to visit.

A while ago, Old Master Liu returned from there and fell into a deep sleep. Small blue and red handprints would appear on his body from time to time. He would cry out in pain in his sleep and be covered in cold sweat.

They sent someone to invite Qiu Shi over, and sure enough, he said that there was a little ghost causing trouble, and that they had to first disperse the little ghost in order to subdue the yin energy in Old Master Liu's body.

After Qiu Shi visited the old house, he said that there was more than one ghost dwelling there, which was quite troublesome. So he used paper cranes to send messages to several junior brothers who were doing business nearby, asking if any of them could come and help.

This morning, Qiu Mu and Qiu Hua arrived together.

After Qiu Shi met up with the two of them, he was full of confidence and went to the old house at noon. However, they went silent shortly after entering.

The servants sent by Master Liu waited until nightfall, but the three Taoist priests never came out. They didn't dare to go in, so they ran back to report the news.

Just as Master Liu and the others were worrying, Guan Luoyang and Qiu Di arrived.

Not right.

Guan Luoyang and Qiu Di exchanged a glance, both realizing that there was something very strange about the whole thing.

If an old house that has never had any problems for decades suddenly becomes haunted, it could be because after an earthquake, the energy is disordered, and evil spirits frequently appear.

However, it's already a bit strange that a haunted house, which even Old Master Liu couldn't kill directly, could be a problem for a Taoist priest like Qiu Shi, who is skilled in magic.

Instead of directly seeking help from the Zhenwu Temple, Qiu Shi summoned his fellow disciples. Given his steady character, he should have thoroughly investigated the haunted house and had a clear understanding of the situation before taking such action, without troubling his elders.

But after he went with his two junior brothers, they encountered unknown dangers and even had to resort to the most urgent means to call for help.

"No matter how you look at it, it seems like a trap specifically set for the people of the Zhenwu Temple. If that's the case, could the fact that Daoist Jiuying and the others are absent today also be part of this scheme?"

Thinking of this, Guan Luoyang asked, "Qiu Di, do you have some kind of deep-seated enemy?"

Qiu Di said, "The True Martial Demon-Slaying Sect, although it takes corpses, demons, and evil spirits as its enemies and protects the peace of the common people, has probably made countless evil sorcerers its enemies over the years."

Guan Luoyang said, "But there can't be many enemies who can get your three senior brothers involved so easily, and even seem to be trying to lure more people in. There aren't many who can do that, right?"

Qiu Di's anxiety and worry were almost overflowing. He frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "In my memory, none of those evil sorcerers could single-handedly prevent my three senior brothers from escaping. But if some people join forces, it's hard to say."

Guan Luoyang lowered his eyelids and shook his head slightly.

Asking is pointless.

The instructors could also provide the individual characteristics of the experts in the Imperial Household Department, but with Qiu Di, the enemies were like blind boxes.

Then we'll have to resort to the most drastic method.

Guan Luoyang lifted his eyelids and asked Master Liu, "Can you get your hands on gunpowder?"

………………

The night was deep, and the moonlight was dim.

Along the riverbank, hundreds of tall, gnarled willow trees stand in a row, stretching along the shore.

A grand old house, spanning a hundred paces, stands on the riverbank, its paint peeling and its tiles damp.

Two or three inches of murky water soaked the base of the wall, causing moss to grow on the bricks. The water washed over the roots of the flowers and plants in the yard, and rotten leaves rippled in the sunlight.

Wow!!!

The wind outside grew stronger, and the river surged faster, rushing in from the backyard. Several mangled corpses were tossed about by the current.

In a corner of the backyard, in the muddiest part of the land, Qiu Shi, pale-faced, held a lantern, his right hand holding a sword, its tip drooping limply into the muddy water.

At dusk in autumn, Qiu Hua sat back to back on the ground, within the range illuminated by lanterns.

"Senior Brother." Qiu Hua, who was missing his right arm, spoke in a hoarse voice, like sawdust rubbing against oiled paper, "Senior Brother Qiu Mu, your aura has weakened again."

Qiu Shi's eyes flickered, and he turned his head to look.

Autumn's wounds stretched from his abdomen to his neck, his robes were torn, and a dozen yellow talismans were pasted on the wounds, which could only close the skin and reduce the bleeding to a minimum, but could not completely stop the bleeding.

But the cuts that ripped through his flesh weren't the worst part. What was truly terrifying was the stench emanating from his lower body—his intestines had been severed.

Qiu Hua's lips turned black as she spoke again, "Senior Brother, we can't hold on any longer. You should conserve the lamps; perhaps we can still break out on our own."

"Shut up, calm your mind, and don't let your mind wander."

Qiu Shi took a deep breath and blew it into the lantern in his left hand.

The breath seemed to ignore the lantern's obstruction, directly igniting the candle inside, causing the flame to flicker and crackle, making the light even brighter.

He raised the lantern even higher, almost pressing it over Qiu Mu's head, to sustain his last breath and life cycle.

"All twenty-six of my paper cranes were shot down, but the carrier pigeon protected by the talisman flew out. Before sunset, that pigeon will fly back to Zhenwu Temple. My master and uncles will be here soon."

Qiu Hua forced a smile and said, "It was intentional..."

Inside these old houses were twelve sorcerers who had made a name for themselves in the evil ways; they were ambushed and killed.

Although they managed to kill seven of them, the other five were clearly a level above them in strength.

Master Luo, the White Paper Fan; Tang Zhi, the Monkey Official; Zhao Qianniu, the Butcher; Wa Qing, the Sugarcane Master; and Boss Wen.

Of these five people, the first three were remnants who had fought countless battles during the Five Prefectures Water Pirate War and escaped to the sea.

The latter two were also wanted criminals who had been wanted by the entire fifteen prefectures of Jiaozhi over the years. Waqing was rewarded with 5,000 taels of silver, and Boss Wen was rewarded with 7,000 taels of silver.

If these five people were willing to get injured, Qiu Hua and the others probably wouldn't have had a chance to fight the other seven at all.

Not to mention the ghouls and monsters hidden under the command of these five people.

"I know they did it on purpose, but they didn't know it."

Qiu Shi stared blankly at his lantern, swallowing the rest of his words.

They had no idea just how powerful their master and uncles were when they joined forces.

As long as Master and Uncle-Master are at Zhenwu Shrine, as long as they receive the message.

Qiu Shi's gaze slowly shifted, looking towards the rooftops in front of him.

In his eyes, the black roof was empty, with only tiles and moonlight.

But he knew very well that at this very moment, on that rooftop, pairs of mocking eyes were scrutinizing the three of them, his fellow disciples.

It's like watching an earthworm struggle after being hooked on a fishhook.

In fact, those five people are indeed standing on the rooftop waiting.

Boss Wen, dressed in an old gray scholar's robe, with gray hair, used two thin brushes as hairpins. He calmly tucked his hands into his sleeves and looked up at the moonlight.

"This old man's scheme has been going on since noon, and it's like the saying goes, 'Noon doesn't pass the midnight hour, and midnight doesn't pass the midnight hour.' By midnight, it will be difficult to continue. Master Luo, are you really going to wait any longer?"

"Wait a little longer."

Master Luo leaned on a short, four-sided cane. He was so old that his face was covered in wrinkles, and when he squinted, it was almost impossible to tell where his eyes were and where his wrinkles were.

"Don't worry, Boss Wen. Only juniors can come here. Even if you hold out until midnight to remove the illusion, the three of them alone are enough to wipe out this group of kids in one fell swoop."

Boss Wen snorted in response.

Zhao Qianniu brandished his steel knife: "I'd like to meet that Jiuhe. I heard he really made a name for himself in the battle against the Five Prefectures Water Bandits."

Master Luo just smiled and said, "We can't let you have that Taoist priest. If you're really interested, you might as well try that sword that the chief disciple of the Zhenwu Temple has been hiding. I think an hour ago, his sword might have seriously injured one of you, but now, at most he can only exchange his life for your minor injuries."

Zhao Qianniu was eager to try.

Boss Wen suddenly turned his head to look at the main gate of the old house: "Finally here, hehehe, let's see how far you can go in the old man's scheme."

As soon as he finished speaking, the light and shadow in every part of the old house began to flicker.

The water on the ground tilted subtly, changing angles, and every courtyard wall, house, hall, and backyard was transformed into a similar illusion.

The same scenery, but with its orientation and layout rearranged, means that even if a hundred people were to enter the house at the same time, they would see a hundred completely different houses.

Boss Wen, whose real name is unknown, was exposed fifteen years ago for using feng shui to create illusions and defile seventy-three households. One hundred and two people underwent drastic personality changes, ninety-three committed suicide, and thirty-seven became mentally impaired.

But what came in wasn't a person.

The large flatbed cart crashed into the main gate of the old house, sending hundreds of sparks flying into the front yard. The person pushing the cart lifted his arms, and the entire cart, along with its contents weighing over a thousand pounds, was thrown out and scattered wildly.

The next moment, the sound of explosions continued hundreds of times.

Fireworks lit up the sky, a dazzling display.