With virtue

Zhao Yunshu frowned slightly upon hearing the words "Plum Blossom Fairy".

Mei Xian? Mei San Niang? The one next to the ghost general back then.

How did things come full circle?

As for the woman, after she finished speaking, she could no longer hold back and started crying.

Zhao Yunshu nodded, memorizing the place names, and said, "That's enough. Go and hide. I'll make a guide for you. After dark, the underworld officials will guide you to where you are. Don't look back on your way to reincarnation, and don't be attached to the human world. Find a good family in your next life."

"I should have performed a ritual to help you pass on to the afterlife, but your souls were already damaged, and my cultivation is not enough. You should follow the underworld officials to the City God Temple, where they can handle all kinds of difficult and complicated illnesses."

Upon hearing this, the woman knelt down and kowtowed three more times before turning into a wisp of smoke and disappearing into the shade of an old tree by the roadside.

After the woman's soul disappeared into the shade of the tree, Zhao Yunshu stood there for a moment, and then began to write the travel permit.

Under the tree, he wrote on the yellow paper and cinnabar given to him by the previous head of the Sun family: "I, Zhao Yunshu, embody the virtue of the Supreme Lord who cherishes life, and extend my compassion. Relying on my Taoist power, I will issue travel permits to help all souls. If you encounter any checkpoints or barriers on your way to the underworld, I will let you pass. I will express my gratitude to the underworld officials and repay their kindness with incense offerings."

After writing it, I pasted it on the tree and waited for nightfall.

This is a guide for the underworld, which is very different from direct deliverance. If it is direct deliverance, the soul does not need to go through the underworld and can go directly to the underworld. However, the corresponding karmic consequences must be borne by the Taoist priest himself. Therefore, many rituals for deliverance are very troublesome and require a high level of cultivation. The junior Taoist priest is not familiar with the business. If these spirits choose to be delivered, an altar must be used to handle it. The junior Taoist priest should not leave today.

However, a travel permit is not necessary; all that is needed is to guide the ghost messengers to arrive, allowing the soul to reach the underworld more smoothly.

As he wrote down the travel guide, the young Taoist priest also mentally reviewed the names he had just heard.

Nine Beauties, Plum Blossom Fairy, Monk Who Fulfills Dreams, Ghost General...

These clues are like scattered beads, seemingly unrelated at first glance, but with a little thought, one can see that there is a thread connecting these ghosts and spirits in the dark.

Actually, his original plan was very simple.

During his trip to Ding Kiln, he fortuitously acquired the arts of water and fire, and also saved up some travel money. It was time to find a stable place to cultivate himself properly and solidify his foundation.

The old Taoist priest taught him a whole set of skills, but he still had to figure things out on his own for the rest of his life, build his own fortune, and raise himself to the same age as his master.

At seventy years old, he enjoyed his later years in peace and died a natural death.

This was the young Taoist's only ambition.

Of course, it would be even better if one could live forever.

But before that, there was always a thorn in his heart.

That night on the mountain, my master's grave was dug up by a ghost.

He was furious and immediately caused the ghost general's soul to be scattered, but the female ghost beside the ghost general managed to escape in the chaos.

Mei San Niang ran away, and besides, her master's grave was empty, with only an old cotton quilt and a few strands of gray hair.

Where did Master's remains go?

He never mentioned these things, because there was no point in saying them anyway.

Then comes the fulfillment of dreams.

That wicked monk lingered in Dingyao for some time, using the resentment of the displaced people to refine serpents. Was he backed by Jiu Yan? Or did he have another mission or purpose?

So many people in Dingzhou City come from the same place, and the ghost general is after his master's belongings.

After going around in circles, all the threads point in the same direction: someone, or something, is playing a grand game behind the scenes.

Then there's Yuntai Temple. The ghost general mentioned this name outside the cave, saying that Zhao Yunshu was related to Yuntai Temple.

But he had never heard his master mention a place called "Yuntai Temple." Could it be that his master had abandoned him? What trouble should not be revealed?

Speaking of which, the lineage of my master and I is actually quite strange. We clearly have the true transmission of the Dharma, but we don't even have ordination certificates. We are just wild Taoists.

His master never told him about the origins of these things, and he never asked, thinking that he was just a wild Taoist priest and there was nothing to talk about.

Now that I think about it, what was Master thinking?

On the other hand, Jiu Yan and the Three Yin Elder were in cahoots. The Three Yin Elder is dead, and Jiu Yan will find out sooner or later…

As for Mei San Niang, she was injured by the thunder on the mountain and may not be able to run far. She might be hiding in some place with heavy yin energy to recuperate.

Rather than waiting for the other party to send someone to seek revenge, it's better to go to their door first.

The places with the heaviest yin energy around Dingzhou are nothing more than those abandoned villages and towns that have suffered from war.

Therefore, Jiu Yan's place is a good hiding place for Mei San Niang. If we are lucky, we might be able to follow Jiu Yan's trail and find Mei San Niang's whereabouts.

At that time, we might be able to find some clues about Master's remains and the affairs of Yuntai Temple.

Zhao Yunshu pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked up at the sky.

The sun was already setting in the west, and the evening glow painted the distant mountain peaks a golden-red hue.

He patted his bundle, determined the direction, and strode forward.

The west side of Dingzhou City is in the opposite direction from here, and it is still dozens of miles away, which would take at least a day to walk there.

Rushing there now would only be exhausting; it would be better to return to Dingzhou City and rest for a few days.

He needs to make good preparations in the next few days.

Previously at the kiln, Sun Shouxin had prepared a batch of high-quality cinnabar yellow paper for him, but he hadn't had time to draw the talisman yet.

Now is the perfect time to draw all the talismans you can. As for the kind of talismans that attract demons and ignite heavenly fire, Zhao Yunshu's cultivation level is not high enough to draw them for the time being.

However, it's always good to draw at least ten or eight other talismans for warding off evil spirits, just in case.

Buy some more talismans to ward off evil spirits, and once you've prepared everything you need, go and turn that place upside down!

----------

But time flies like a white horse, and years pass like a shuttle.

Two days later, Zhao Yunshu yawned, sat up from the bed in the inn, stretched, and his joints cracked all over before he felt refreshed.

A few days ago, he returned to Dingzhou. He did nothing else but find an inn and started his talisman-drawing business. He has been doing this for the past two days.

Today, naturally, nothing will change.

He put on the old Taoist robe. Although it had some holes, he had no choice. He couldn't wear that silk satin robe, could he? That would be too conspicuous. He'd just stick with this one.

After finishing, he quickly went downstairs.

Just a few steps from the inn's gate is the morning market. It's still early, but the streets are already bustling with people, and all sorts of stalls have been set up.

Zhao Yunshu carried the loose silver coins and bought things from each stall along the way.

I bought two large bowls of millet porridge at the porridge stall, four bowls of steaming hot mutton soup noodles at the soup noodle stall, picked up about ten meat-filled buns at the steamed bun shop, and then went to the fried dough stall to wrap four or five freshly fried sesame dough cakes.

They packed several bags of odds and ends, some in bowls, some wrapped in lotus leaves. They were heavy in the hands, enough to hold at least seven or eight people.

This shopping trip cost a hundred coins, equivalent to several days' earnings for a strong laborer. The old woman queuing to buy porridge nearby clicked her tongue in amazement, thinking to herself that monks were the ones who made money, having more money than they could spend without working.

Zhao Yunshu didn't care about the stares of others and carried the food back home.

It is a bit much, but the young Taoist priests of today are rich, so this amount of money is nothing.

He still has a piece of gold in his bag!

However, even if you have money, you can't waste it like this. These things are definitely not edible, so the little Taoist priest has other uses for them.

Back at the inn, a few guests were already scattered around the lobby.

In the usual spot by the window, sat a young woman in a blue cloth dress, holding an old pipa in her arms.

The woman's surname was Liu, and she was the seventh child in her family. Everyone in the inn called her Seventh Sister.

It is said that she was originally the daughter of an official family and had learned to play the pipa well since childhood. Later, her family fell into decline and she drifted to Dingzhou City, where she made a living by playing the pipa in inns and restaurants to earn some tips.

This is the purpose of Zhao Yunshu buying things.

"Seventh Sister, thank you for your help today as well," Zhao Yunshu said as she stepped forward.

Seventh Sister quickly stood up and curtsied, saying in a soft voice, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Daoist Master. How could I possibly accept such a favor? Please give me your instructions. I may not be good at much else, but I can certainly play a few tunes."

Yes, all this food is prepared just for her.

The other day, the young Taoist priest was tired from drawing talismans. He heard her play a tune in the hall. He felt that the sound of the pipa was clear and ethereal, and had the effect of cleansing the mind. It was just what he needed to concentrate and calm his mind when drawing talismans. He was delighted and paid her to help him.