The ultimate master in the city

Zhang Shisan nodded, put away the compass, and said, "That's right, it's inside."

Monk Yuanzhi casually took the prayer beads off his neck. "Let's do it!"

Zhou Fengchen thought for a moment and said, "No! We don't know what this beast is. Judging from the shop owner's expression, he probably hasn't noticed anything. What kind of business would it be if we rashly killed someone's family? It's dangerous! What if it takes advantage of the commotion outside and sheds its skin to escape?"

"That makes sense," Zhang Shisan said. "Why don't we take advantage of the shop owner when he's out and start with him?"

Monk Yuanzhi's eyes darted around. "No problem, I'll handle it in a bit!"

The three bought cigarettes, beer, chicken legs, and bread from a nearby shop, squatted in the alley opposite the supermarket, each found a brick to sit on, and started eating.

While eating, I kept a close eye on the shop owner in the small supermarket, not believing that the shop owner wouldn't go out.

Monk Yuanzhi then asked in confusion, "Let's not talk about what kind of creature this is. Just tell me, what is this thing afraid of? Everything in the world has its counter."

Zhang Shisan thought for a moment and said, "If you like wearing human skin, then the stuff inside must be afraid of salt, right? Imagine sprinkling a whole bag of salt on it and inhaling! Just thinking about it is disgusting."

"That's a good idea! We can keep it as a backup plan, use it for fun, and vent our anger!"

Zhou Fengchen threw away the chicken bones in his hand, ran outside and bought six bags of salt, dividing them into two bags for each person, and then continued to keep an eye on the small supermarket.

……

I stared at it for two hours, until it got dark and my eyes were sore, but I didn't see the shop owner make any move to come out, and that sneaky guy didn't leave the small door inside the supermarket either.

Monk Yuanzhi grew anxious. "Why don't I call the shop owner out?"

As they were talking, the shop owner called out a little girl of about ten years old from a small door in the supermarket, told her to watch the counter, and took some change and went out.

"Huh? My chance has come!" Zhou Fengchen pulled a yellow paper talisman from his pocket and handed it to Monk Yuanzhi. "You know how to use this. Go for it!"

"This humble monk is off!" Monk Yuanzhi took the paper talisman, patted his bottom, and ran out of the alley.

Zhang Shisan was taken aback and asked, "He's wearing a sweater and doesn't look like a monk, how can he fool people?"

Zhou Fengchen chuckled, "His mouth is still pretty good, keep up!"

Monk Yuanzhi led the way, followed by the two men, who caught up with the shop owner.

The shop owner, who seemed to have been out doing something, was swaying back and forth with a cigarette in his mouth. He greeted acquaintances with a grin. Then, they reached a secluded spot. Monk Yuanzhi glanced around, then, with his large feet and swaggering belly, quickly circled behind a house, stopped the shop owner, calmed his breathing, and clasped his hands together, saying, "Amitabha!"

The shop owner was taken aback and tried to walk around it, but Monk Yuanzhi stopped him again, "Amitabha! Where are you going, benefactor?"

The shop owner flicked his cigarette ash and asked curiously, "Buying groceries and cooking, huh? What for?"

Monk Yuanzhi narrowed his eyes slightly. "You still have the leisure to buy groceries, benefactor?"

The shop owner looked him up and down. "What do you do for a living?"

Monk Yuanzhi clasped his hands together and said, "This humble monk is a monk who has left home."

The shop owner scoffed, "Just because you're bald doesn't mean you're a monk?"

Monk Yuanzhi nodded. "The Buddha resides in the heart; the monk's robe is but a shell. Even if I were naked, I would still be a monk."

The shop owner said impatiently, "Stop talking nonsense, you just want your money, right?"

Monk Yuanzhi shook his head, "This humble monk doesn't want a single penny; I've only come to offer guidance to you!"

The shop owner was puzzled. "I don't have any clues."

Monk Yuanzhi raised his head, his face now contorted with malice. "You're in deep trouble, and you still won't wake up?"

The shop owner was stunned. "W-what happened?"

Monk Yuanzhi stepped forward and said, "Your complexion is gloomy and your aura is somber, like dark clouds hanging over your head. This indicates that a family member has died tragically, and that a demon is at work."

"You scared me to death!" the shop owner spat, turned and left. "That's utter nonsense!"

Monk Yuanzhi did not stop him, and said quietly, "This humble monk has divined that someone in your family will go to the small hill to the south to fetch spring water today."

The shop owner paused, turned around, and asked, "How did you know?"

Monk Yuanzhi snorted, "Tell me, has she done anything unusual since she returned?"

The shop owner scratched his head. "My wife went to fetch spring water at noon, but she didn't bring back any water and also lost her electric scooter. I scolded her for it. Does that count?"

"That's right!" Monk Yuanzhi turned around and said, "I won't hide it from you. There's a skinning demon on that mountain that absorbs the essence of the sun and moon. It has cultivated for over five hundred years and possesses profound magical power. I've been investigating it for a long time, but it suddenly disappeared. I've done some calculations, and this demon has actually impersonated your wife to hide! Your wife has already been eaten by it!"

The shop owner shuddered, finding it hard to believe; after all, this was too bizarre. "Master, you must be joking?"

Call me Master? Okay! Monk Yuanzhi took out the talisman Zhou Fengchen had given him. "Here's a talisman, a gift from Master Yuan Cong, the most accomplished Taoist master of Maoshan. Take it back, burn it, and mix the ashes into your food for your wife. You'll see the results after just one try!"

After saying that, he shoved the talisman into the shop owner's hand, turned around and left. He reached a small alley, where Zhou Fengchen and Zhang Shisan ran over, both giving him a thumbs-up: "Awesome!"

Monk Yuanzhi revealed his true colors, chuckling strangely, "Of course, who am I? But speaking of which, it's a good thing that demon can't ride a bike, otherwise, if he had brought back the electric bike and the spring water without leaving any clues, things would have been different."

Zhang Shisan clasped his hands in a fist and said, "No need for further words, I'm utterly impressed!"

Monk Yuanzhi returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute, saying, "You're too kind!"

The three of them slipped back to the alley opposite the supermarket and kept a close eye on it.

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Not long after, the shop owner returned with the vegetables, looking preoccupied. He didn't entirely believe what the monk had said, but firstly, his wife had indeed been acting strangely today, and secondly, the monk wasn't asking for money, so what was he after?

His mind went blank as he pondered these thoughts. He pushed open the door to the supermarket, which led to a small courtyard. He walked to the door of a room and looked through the window. There, on the bed lay a woman in her thirties, her eyes closed and her face pale.

He instinctively called out, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell today?"

The woman opened her eyes and said in a shrill voice, "I'm not feeling well, don't bother me!"

The shop owner's expression changed. The voice was indeed not like his wife's. His heart raced. He took the vegetables into the kitchen, cooked three side dishes, then gritted his teeth, burned the paper talisman the monk had given him, stirred a few eggs, and made a bowl of steamed eggs.

After the eggs were steamed, I locked the supermarket door and called my daughter and wife to have dinner together.

The woman was very impatient. After being urged several times by the shop owner, she finally managed to get up, walked to the dining table, glanced at it, and said, "My stomach is upset, I don't eat salt."

The shop owner nervously swallowed, thinking to himself, "What a coincidence!" He pointed to the steamed egg and said, "This one doesn't have any salt, you can eat it with sugar."

The woman then sat down and picked up a spoon, but when she looked at the egg, she frowned. "Why is it a little dark?"

The shop owner's heart skipped a beat. How could eggs not turn black after adding yellow paper ash? He quickly replied, "That's how free-range eggs are."

The woman nodded and began to eat heartily, saying as she ate, "It tastes good. I'll only eat this from now on. Remember to add some chicken blood."

The shop owner grunted in response, his body trembling. Steamed eggs with chicken blood? Is that even a thing? She's really acting strangely!

Just then, the woman suddenly froze, the spoon crashing to the ground. Her eyes turned bloodshot, and large beads of sweat dripped from her forehead. She looked up and said fiercely, "What did you feed me? No! This is a powerful magic! You…"

Upon seeing this, the shop owner grabbed his daughter's hand and ran outside, crying, "Master, help!"

I like the novel "The Strongest Master in the City".