Divine Tang Era

early morning.

After Xu Dan finished his cultivation and ate breakfast, he opened the door and saw Dong Yeyu sitting on a donkey cart, idly watching the crowds entering and leaving the city gate.

"Why are you here so early? Have you finished grinding the salt?" Xu Dan asked in surprise.

"What's so difficult about this? I ground it yesterday afternoon. I thought you needed it urgently, so I brought it over early. I didn't expect your house wasn't open yet, so I waited outside for a while," Dongye Yu said, jumping off the donkey cart.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Move the car to the backyard, I'll light some incense and then go open the door for you."

"No rush."

Following Xu Dan's instructions, Dong Yeyu led the donkey cart to the backyard.

Xu Dan turned and went into the house, took out three sticks of incense from the sachet on the altar, lit them, walked to the door to bow to the Heavenly Emperor, then turned back to bow to the Black Tortoise True Lord before inserting the incense into the incense burner. The three sticks of incense rose gently, filling the room, calming the mind and purifying the spirit.

Since he placed the statue of the deity in his home to protect it, he has lit incense and prayed devoutly every morning and evening.

On the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, people will also follow the customs of their hometown to cook dishes and burn joss paper as offerings.

Many people only go to temples to burn incense and pray when they have something to do. But honestly, with so many people in the world, how would the gods know who you occasionally pray to? If they want to bless someone, they'll bless the devout believers first. In Shentang, this kind of thing is even more unacceptable.

The ability of a deity statue to ward off evil spirits depends on the divine power emanating from it.

Where does divine power come from? It comes from faith, from incense offerings. If you don't burn incense and pray, where does the divine power come from? And yet you come to ask for protection? Isn't that nonsense?

The little magpie also joined in the prayer, as did the black bear.

When Xu Dan wasn't around, it was always Yun Niang who lit incense and prayed to the gods. Little Que'er gradually learned this from her mother. One day, she heard her mother say that praying would make one smarter, prettier, and bring lots of food. From that moment on, she prayed with extraordinary devotion, sometimes even offering her favorite foods to the gods. Not only that, she also taught the black bear how to pray.

Sometimes, Xu Dan finds it funny to see a man and a Tibetan Mastiff standing in front of God and praying.

After finishing his prayers, he headed to the backyard, with the idle magpie following him eagerly. The black bear didn't go; instead, he lay down at the door to guard against anyone coming in.

"Have you been waiting long?" Xu Dan said to Dong Yeyu as he opened the courtyard gate.

"It's alright, it'll only be a little while. Where should I put the things?"

"Put it in that room over there," Xu Dan pointed to a corner of the yard.

Dongye Yu led the big black donkey to the side, looking around as they went. Seeing the wall that Xu Dan had knocked down the night before, he couldn't help but ask, "How did your wall collapse?"

"I accidentally messed it up yesterday, I'll get someone to fix it later."

"Then we need to fix it quickly. Recently, the city's protective talisman array malfunctioned, and some ghosts have gotten in. We need to be careful. If possible, it would be best to have someone draw runes around your house to prevent evil spirits from invading."

"No need! I've already put up talismans and have deities protecting the house."

"That's what all the wealthy families in the city do."

Dong Yeyu said solemnly, "You haven't been in Jingning long and don't know the situation here. Jingning is located in a remote border region, and outside the city is an ancient battlefield where countless people have died throughout history, giving rise to countless ghosts and spirits. Every night, hordes of ghosts roam the wilderness, so few people do anything outside the city at night. In July, when the yin energy is at its peak, these ghosts will form a ghost tide, attacking the city and devouring living beings."

It will be extremely dangerous at that time. Drawing runes around the house provides an extra layer of protection, reducing the danger—all for the safety of your home.

Xu Dan hadn't expected this to happen. Since that's the case, he really needed to find someone to draw it later. Nothing is more important than personal safety.

The ground salt powder was packed in bags, making it easy to carry. After the car was parked, Xu Dan and Dong Yeyu carried the salt powder into the house one by one. Xiao Que'er wanted to help, but Yun Niang pulled her aside to prevent her from making things worse. Xiao Que'er pouted, very unhappy; she thought, "I'm strong enough too, you know."

After unloading the goods, Xu Dan paid the bill.

Dongyeyu had other things to do, and without even having a sip of water, he hurriedly left with the big black donkey.

Xu Dan also went to Mingfeng Tower to tell his story. In order to finish as soon as possible, he cut the legendary story of Xue Dingshan and Fan Lihua to a minimum, only telling the most essential parts. As he slowly progressed to the end, he told the story of Xue Gang causing a ruckus at the Lantern Festival in the capital, beating up Zhang Bao, the son of the Prime Minister Zhang Tianzuo, in order to save a commoner, but accidentally entering the Imperial Lantern Pavilion, kicking the Crown Prince to death, causing the Emperor's death, making him a wanted criminal, and leading to the execution of more than 300 members of the Xue family.

In the past, when I watched plays, I only felt that good people were suffering, and my blood boiled with righteous indignation.

Looking back now, Xue Dingshan's death was actually destined from the moment he was crowned king.

Moreover, there was Xue Gang's rampage at the Lantern Festival, killing a eunuch, kicking the Crown Prince to death, and causing the Emperor's death from shock. Each of these offenses was a capital offense. No dynasty or era would tolerate the existence of people like Xue Gang and Xue Dingshan; even a wise ruler would be wary of them.

Not only was he wary of Xue Dingshan's status as the King of Liaodong, but he was also worried about whether his descendants could control such arrogant and fierce soldiers.

If that doesn't work, then the only option is to unleash a massive killing spree.

"Zhang Tianzuo, because Xue Gang had been kidnapped and his whereabouts were unknown, ordered the execution of Xue Dingshan's entire family at the fourth watch of the night to eliminate this great threat. Fearing that delay would leak the news and cause considerable harm, he went to request an imperial decree, which read: 'Order He Xian of the Ministry of Justice to swiftly execute the Xue family without fail.'"

He Xian followed the imperial decree to clean the execution ground, summon the executioners, and go to the prison to bind the Xue family, the two Liao kings, and take them to the execution ground.

The execution ground was illuminated by lanterns and torches, making it as bright as day. It was surrounded by soldiers on all sides, with the glint of swords and spears, their cold light chilling, waiting for the fourth watch to begin.

At this moment, another imperial edict was issued: "Wu Sansi and Zhang Tianzuo are ordered to oversee the execution."

Inside the imperial prison, Xue Yong saw the executioner and suddenly shouted, "Father, in my opinion, we should rebel and escape from prison, storm the palace, remove Empress Wu, and establish a new emperor. We cannot wait here to die!"

The Xue family is incredibly powerful; if they wanted to leave, no one could stop them.

Ding Shan flew into a rage upon hearing this: "You beast! Today, my father dies for loyalty, my mother for chastity, you for filial piety, and I for righteousness. Loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness are the virtues of my family, praised throughout the world. If you rebel, you will be despised by all. Enough talk! Executioners, tie me up!"

The Xue family, totaling over three hundred members, were all bound and wept as they left the prison and went to the execution ground.

Loyal and virtuous people suffer, heaven and earth grieve, the wind howls, and lightning flashes.

Fan Lihua secretly observed the sky, waiting for her opportunity. Now was the perfect moment, and she immediately made hand seals and chanted an incantation. Suddenly, the clouds darkened, the sky lowered, a fierce wind rose, sand and stones flew, ancient trees were uprooted, and people on the execution ground could not even stand steadily.

Suddenly, all the lights went out, plunging the execution ground into darkness, and a chilling wind howled. Wu Sansi and Zhang Tianzuo, thinking that a vengeful spirit was coming to claim their lives, were terrified.

With a flick of her finger, Fan Lihua released all the ropes binding the Xue family members. She moved slightly, and the next moment, she stood atop a white cloud. She glanced down, then prepared to cast a spell to save the Xue family.

On a whim, the Old Mother of Lishan did some quick calculations and realized something was amiss: "My disciple is going to save the Xue family, violating the Heavenly Laws."

He hurriedly rode a cloud to Chang'an, just in time to see Pear Blossom performing a ritual. He quickly cried out, "Disciple, today the Golden Boy is destined to return to his rightful place. If you save him, you will defy the imperial decree and will inevitably suffer the punishment of being slowly sliced ​​to death on the execution platform." Upon hearing this, Fan Pear Blossom burst into tears. She wanted to save him, but the will of Heaven was unpredictable; she didn't want to save him, but her heart was tormented. To save him or not to save him, she was caught in a dilemma.

Lishan's mother rushed forward to comfort her.

Fan Lihua ultimately dared not defy fate. Fortunately, the Xue family line had not ended, so she left the place of sorrow and returned to the mountain with her master to cultivate.

The Old Ancestor of Pengshan, from Lotus Cave on Mingfeng Mountain, passed by and saw a murderous aura soaring to the sky. Looking down, he saw that it was the Zhou Emperor who had slaughtered the Xue family. It was fate, but there was an orphan among them whose life was not meant to end. So he pointed and led them back to the mountain.

After a short while, the wind subsided, and Zhang Tianzuo counted the prisoners, but Fan Lihua and Xue Jiao were nowhere to be seen.

Fearing something might go wrong, he immediately ordered the execution of Xue Dingshan and the others, and sent a report back to the emperor.

Zhang Tianzuo then reported: "Xue Qiang's whereabouts are unknown, and Xue Gang has fled. There is a risk of future trouble. It would be better to issue an imperial edict throughout the land, ordering the arrest of both men, and to demolish the Marquis of Weining's mansion and turn it into an iron mound." The imperial edict was issued: "As you have suggested." Zhang Tianzuo accepted the edict, razed the mansion to the ground, buried the corpses of the Xue family beneath it, and cast a circular mound of iron on top, ensuring that his entire family would never be able to rise again.

Xu Dan's mouth was dry from talking, so he grabbed the cup on the table and drank it all in one gulp. Still feeling thirsty, he poured himself another cup.

"Try this."

With a wave of her hand, Li Zhu produced a fruit basket on the table, filled with all sorts of brightly colored spiritual fruits.

Xu Dan didn't stand on ceremony and picked up a spiritual fruit, taking a bite. A sweet sensation filled his lungs and instantly extinguished the heat within him. "This fruit is good," Xu Dan nodded affirmatively.

"Take it home and eat it if you like."

"Thank you." After eating two more and feeling less thirsty, Xu Dan said, "The legend of Xue Dingshan and Fan Lihua ends here."

"So, are we going to talk about Xue Dingshan's son, Xue Gang, next?" Li Zhu asked hurriedly.

"It won't be that quick. Let me go back and think about it, and sort things out before we talk about it."

"Then we need to hurry, we can't wait as long as last time."

"Don't worry! I'm a man of my word," Xu Dan said, patting his chest.

Seeing that he was young but tried so hard to act like an adult, Lizhu couldn't help but giggle.