The Demonic Taoist Priest Emerges from the Mountain

Go home.

My dad has already prepared a few side dishes.

He was wearing a scarf and wiping his oily hands.

Then, little by little, he set out the tableware on the table.

A man nearing forty was as reserved as a child at that moment.

He fiddled with the cutlery while muttering to himself.

"My dear wife, the child has grown up. He's not short, and his looks are quite outstanding. Over the years, Third Master has taken good care of him. You can go in peace now."

My father was so engrossed in his conversation that he didn't even notice when Ning Jinrou and I walked into the courtyard.

"Father, we're back."

I shouted.

My dad paused for a moment, then his face immediately lit up with a smile.

"Kid, you're back! Quick, go wash your hands."

After saying that, he added somewhat embarrassedly, "You haven't been around all these years, and I don't know what you like to eat. I'm just a rough guy, and my cooking isn't very good. Please bear with me and your friends."

My dad is very honest and kind.

I shook my head and said, "It's good enough to have a hot meal."

My father looked at me with satisfaction.

After Ning Jinrou and I washed our hands and came back, my dad had already served us the food.

He poured himself a glass of strong liquor and invited us to sit down.

To be honest, my dad's cooking skills are really not that great.

But I ate this meal with complete peace of mind.

This is perhaps the taste of home.

After finishing her meal, Ning Jinrou said she was a little tired and went to rest in a side room.

I know that she was actually giving my dad and me some time alone.

My father drank a full bowl of strong liquor, and a blush appeared on his dark face.

You could tell he was genuinely happy.

Taking advantage of this break, I took out one and a half packs of Liqun cigarettes from my bag and placed them on my father's table.

"Dad, we didn't know if you'd like to smoke this, so we just bought some. Please make do with it. If you like it, I'll bring you some more next time I come."

My dad was so moved by the carton and a half of cigarettes on the table that he was completely bewildered. But after hearing the second half of my sentence, he suddenly looked up.

Those somewhat hazy eyes regained some clarity.

"Are you leaving again?"

He asked.

I nodded.

"Old Deng left me a shop in the city, and I'm the head of the shop there now. I can't stay here forever."

I told him the truth, while those eyes looked intently at my father.

I was observing, observing every subtle expression on my father's face.

Sure enough, after I said that, my father's expression changed several times.

"Son, now that you're back, don't leave again. Let's give up the shop and stay in the village to keep your old man company, okay?"

It sounded like he was pleading with me.

But I saw a barely perceptible fear in his eyes.

"Father, I'm also reluctant to leave, but as you know, I've followed Master Qin since I was a child and learned all his skills. I can't let his legacy end, can I?"

I phrased that very skillfully.

This is a way of telling my father that I'm not a child anymore, that I'm capable, and that I can handle things in the village.

After hearing this, my father fell silent.

He picked up the large bowl, took a big gulp of strong liquor, and then stood up.

"Let's not talk about this for now."

My father became very serious, and suddenly his kind father demeanor vanished.

I immediately sensed something was wrong, so I stood up as well and looked directly at my father.

"Father, do you know something?"

Upon hearing this, my father's eyes widened, and he stepped forward, covering my mouth tightly.

"My child, please listen to your father, I'm begging you, okay?"

My dad's reaction surprised me.

I am now absolutely certain that my father knows something.

It's even possible that all the villagers in Liuweng Village know something!

They just don't dare to say it, or they're unwilling to say it.

I suddenly had an idea.

I nodded, pretending to be nonchalant.

Seeing this, my father seemed to breathe a huge sigh of relief.

He let go of her hand and smiled again.

"That girl who came back with you is very pretty. Son, tell your father, what's your relationship with her?"

I was completely stumped by my dad's question.

He scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed, and said, "We're just...just ordinary friends."

My dad laughed, pointed at me with his chopsticks, and said with a smile, "You little rascal, you're really not honest."

"If this girl were just a regular friend, would she have come all this way with you to this godforsaken place?"

"When I went to buy fish just now, Old Zhang and the others at the village entrance all told me that this girl is your girlfriend."

"Tsk tsk, my son has inherited my good taste, he's really good!"

My face turned red immediately when I heard those words.

But now, no matter what I say, my dad probably won't believe me.

Let him be.

After that, I chatted with my dad for a few more minutes.

As his intoxication intensified and he completely forgot what I had just said, I began to probe again, intentionally or unintentionally.

"Father, Jinrou and I just went for a walk and we found that our old threshing ground is gone!"

My father smiled when he heard this.

"The threshing ground disappeared eight years ago."

After I finished listening, I put down my chopsticks.

"Why? Wouldn't that land be perfect for drying grain?"

My dad looked up at me and shook his head.

"Things are different now than in previous years. In the past, everyone farmed and sold their grain to make money. Now, the grain can't be sold, and everyone is just farming for their own needs. Drying the grain in their yards is enough..."

At this point, my dad seemed to realize he might have said something wrong and quickly stopped the conversation.

But I've already heard what they said.

The grain can't be shipped out now.

In other words, my previous guess was correct.

Everyone in Liuweng Village knew about the village's strangeness.

But then I had a new question.

My dad said the threshing ground was gone eight years ago.

However, the incident in Liuweng Village occurred three years ago.

That's a full five years in between!

What exactly happened in the past five years that caused the dense fog to envelop the entire Liuweng Village three years ago, severing the connection between outsiders and villagers?

I know I definitely won't get any answers to this question right now.

Even if I ask, my dad won't tell me.

However, I have a vague feeling that the root of all the problems lies in that temple that made me feel somewhat uncomfortable!

Seeing that my father had stopped talking about the previous topic and brought the issue back to the temple, I realized that he was no longer interested in the previous topic.

"So you turned the threshing ground into a temple?"

My dad smiled and shook his head.

"We didn't build this temple."

Upon hearing this, I immediately frowned.

If the temple wasn't built by people from Liuweng Village, then who built it? Was it by that strange monk in the temple?