This Liao Zhai is not right

When these words were spoken, everyone in the pavilion's faces changed in shock.

"I have also heard about Xu Hongru, but the rumor spread by others was that Xu Hongru was the reincarnation of Maitreya. I just thought that Xu Hongru was crazy, but I never thought that he had such ability. The art of smelling incense expanded to several provinces in the north in just a few months."

"Nominate a leader... Could it be that you want to nominate Xu Hongru, the leader of the Wenxiang Dao altar, as the new leader?"

"If what Madam Du said is true, this is probably the case."

"Xu Hongru is ambitious. Before he became the leader, he spread rumors that he was the emperor of the new dynasty and the reincarnation of Maitreya. In my opinion, electing him as the leader is a disaster rather than a blessing."

"All of us brothers and sisters in the sect are thorns in the eyes and flesh of the dog emperor. If Xu Hongru is really capable of leading the sect members to attack Shuntian Prefecture, let alone the emperor of the new dynasty or the coming of Maitreya, even if Xu Hongru is still alive, what's the harm?"

Chapter 178 Wutong Temple

"The wordless heavenly book? Maitreya's coming to the world?"

Listening to the voices of the White Lotus sect members in the pavilion, Su Su was not too surprised. She also got the Taiping Essential Technique that led directly to the Heavenly Immortal by chance in Tan Jinxuan's old house. It was normal that Xu Hongru got the wordless heavenly book that could control ghosts and gods from somewhere.

When good luck comes, heaven and earth are on your side; when bad luck comes, heroes cannot be free. Whenever a hero emerges who stirs up the times, the process is bound to be full of accidental yet inevitable adventures.

After all, it is not uncommon for people to encounter good fortune and embark on the path to immortality, but there are only a handful of people like Xu Hongru who, after obtaining the wordless heavenly book, passed on the magic spells recorded in it to his followers.

It’s a pity that Xu Hongru hasn’t even taken the position of the leader of the White Lotus Sect yet, and it’s ridiculous to think that he would raise an army and sweep across the world. Yet, he can’t wait to spread the word that he is the incarnation of Maitreya, destined to ascend the throne and become the emperor of the new dynasty in the future, and those who support him will surely become high-ranking officials in the future.

Something that was not even a clue was publicized in a very detailed way.

You haven't even started a rebellion yet, but you're already raising the tone so high.

It is no wonder that the large number of members of the Scent of Fragrance Taoism, who learned some rudimentary magic from Xu Hongru, committed crimes with impunity. They would use evil magic to harm others at the slightest dissatisfaction, making such a big fuss that people who did not know the truth actually believed that the Scent of Fragrance Taoism had swept through several northern provinces and that the government was helpless against it, and that it seemed that once they started an uprising, they would be able to quickly take over half of the country.

In the end, the number of White Lotus sect members you can use is only about 1,800 people.

"Xu Hongru has created such a huge momentum that he should be elected as the leader of the White Lotus Sect with no doubts. However, it is still unknown whether this so-called leader can integrate the scattered White Lotus Sect. At least most of the White Lotus Sect members hiding in Suzhou do not believe in his tricks."

Su Su's evaluation of Xu Hongru suddenly took a downturn. He whispered, "He is still dreaming of becoming an emperor before the situation is right. Even if Xu Hongru is elected as the leader and integrates the White Lotus followers in several northern provinces, he is so impatient to make a fuss and has no sense of secrecy. As long as he prepares to raise an army and start a rebellion, he will suffer the consequences if he does not act in a secretive manner. As long as someone informs the government, Xu Hongru's dream of becoming an emperor will be over."

The White Lotus Sect had more than a dozen independent factions on the surface, and there were countless others who spread its doctrines in secret and deceived the people into forming private associations. Some of them worshipped the Mother of the Unborn, some worshipped the Jade Emperor, some worshipped Maitreya Buddha, and even some worshipped the King of Hell. The degree of mixing of good and bad was appalling. Although they all carried the banner of the White Lotus Sect, the scriptures and doctrines compiled by the various factions could not be said to be very different, but rather to be completely unrelated.

Even if Xu Hongru was elected as the leader of the White Lotus Sect, he would not be able to effectively integrate the many factions under the White Lotus Sect in a short period of time.

Each group was fighting on their own internally, while the imperial court was encircling and suppressing them externally.

Not to mention that the evil monk Pudu Cihang also saw suppressing the White Lotus rebellion as an opportunity to steal more power from the imperial court.

He could not distinguish the relationship between the primary and the secondary, and was only dreaming of becoming the emperor.

Su Su was really worried about Xu Hongru.

If you keep doing this, how can you delay the time for that evil monk Pu Du Ci Hang to achieve great success?

It seems that I, Su, have to intervene.

As the White Lotus sect members in the pavilion rowed away one after another, Heng'e looked at Su Shu, who was once again showing disdain for Xu Hongru, and said, "Your analysis is very logical when it comes to talking about war on paper, but why don't you tell me what Xu Hongru should do to make it happen?"

"Troubled times are coming, and there will be no shortage of opportunities to accomplish things."

When she was out, Su Su was always careful with her words and actions, and she couldn't talk nonsense with the green-clothed maid beside her. She looked at the night sky and changed the subject, "It's almost time, why hasn't Xia Gu come back yet?"

"I've been here for a long time, but I couldn't show up in front of this group of people."

Just as Su Su opened his mouth to speak, he saw Xia Gu walking out from the Huangtiandang Lake, holding a net made of lake water in her hand, tightly binding a strange creature covered in damp hair, shaped like a goblin, but with two claws like human hands.

“Is this Manzo?”

Su Fu asked, raising an eyebrow.

The red flower ornament between the eyebrows emitted a blazing fire of karma that moved without wind. The strange creature trapped in the water net in Xia Gu's hand only needed one look to start the fire of karma igniting from its heart.

Accompanied by screams, in the blink of an eye it was burned by the flames of karma, leaving only a pair of human hands intact.

“Ahhhh…I’m Manzo…I’m Manzo…”

The fire of karma rolled, and a sound of extreme pain came from the man's hands.

"Zhao Hong, who was causing trouble outside Jinhua City, has been sent to the underworld and imprisoned. He has confessed that he was ordered by you to provide blood and food every few months. Why don't you tell us the truth about how you took over Wansheng's body?"

A majestic and solemn atmosphere was exuding, and the bank of Huangtian Dang seemed to have become a court where the underworld tried cases.

Wan San, who had only his hands intact, kowtowed and confessed the truth: "My four brothers were killed by Wan Sheng, and our bodies were cooked and eaten by Zhao Hong and Wan Sheng. However, our ghosts were still alive, so we took the opportunity to hide in various parts of Wan Sheng's limbs. I occupied Wan Sheng's hands and changed my name to Wan San, my eldest brother occupied Wan Sheng's head and changed his name to Wan Da, my second brother occupied Wan Sheng's feet and changed his name to Wan Er, and my fourth brother occupied Wan Sheng's torso and changed his name to Wan Si. Because our limbs were incomplete and our vitality was greatly damaged, we had to drive Zhao Hong's ghost to provide blood and food for my four brothers outside Jinhua City to replenish their vitality and repair their injuries."

His eyes swept across the hands in the water net that were not burned by the karma fire. Su Su did not expect that Wansheng's limbs would be divided up by the Five-Directional God.

Ten thousand...two thousand...three thousand...four thousand...

When you pull out a radish, you bring out the mud. The other four Five-Power Gods except Wan San came into Su Su's sight.

"Where are Wan Da, Wan Er, and Wan Si hiding now?"

Su Su asked again.

Burning with karmic fire, Wan San dared not hide anything: "My eldest brother, second brother and fourth brother are all in the temple of my fifth brother, which is located thirty miles southeast of Yangzhou City, in a cave behind five or six families. I have told you everything I know, Yama, please spare my life, Yama, please spare my life."

This temple of Wutongshen is hidden very well.

Withdrawing his gaze from the hands in the water net, Su Su raised the pitch-black Yama Seal and directly sent the Wutong God, who had taken over Wansheng's hands and changed his name to Wansan, down to the underworld.

His eyes then turned to Xia Gu, who threw away the water net in her hand with a look of disgust. Seeing her expression change, she said quickly: "In order to capture this filthy thing, I have used many connections to find out its whereabouts. If I leave for Yangzhou to deal with the brothers of this filthy thing, my father will peel off my skin."

Why didn’t I see you so scared when you sneaked out of the palace to meet your lover?

While Su Su took back the Yama Seal in his palm, he secretly complained in his heart with full of malice.

But since Xia Gu had captured Wan San, she nodded slightly and said, "Today's matter ends here. You can take your maid and leave."

Chapter 179: Ghosts and Gods Causing Trouble

Wan San has been captured, but he has four other brothers far away in Yangzhou.

Based on the principle that if you don't uproot the grass, it will grow again in the spring breeze, the remaining three Wutong gods who hid in Yangzhou after taking over Wansheng's body, as well as the fifth brother whose name was not revealed by Wansan, must be brought to justice.

The distance from Huangtiandang, six miles outside Fengmen in the east of Suzhou City, to Yangzhou is less than 400 miles. It is not difficult for Su Su to go to Yangzhou at his pace.

If you want to go to Taiyuan, Shanxi, you can go all the way north and pass through Yangzhou.

After leaving Suzhou city and passing through Wuxi and Changzhou, the sky became increasingly darker, and Su Su had already brought Chang'e to Zhenjiang, which is across the Yangtze River from Yangzhou.

The moon sets in the west and the night deepens.

After the hour of Chou, the bright moonlight disappeared without a trace, and the world was completely plunged into darkness. Su Su stopped and planned to take a short rest before crossing the Yangtze River to Yangzhou in one breath.

Looking from afar at the Zhenjiang City built on the south bank of the Yangtze River, you can vaguely see the Beigushan Mountain with its rugged cliffs and steep terrain, which lies across the river outside the city. Looking around, Jinshan Mountain and Jiaoshan Mountain, which are in a pincer position with Beigushan Mountain, come into view. The three mountains stand in a three-way confrontation, guarding the south bank with this natural barrier, making it a strategic pass for controlling Chu and resisting Wu.

But what caught Su Su's attention most at this moment was not the natural barrier of Beigushan Mountain on the south bank of the Yangtze River, but another city standing in the mist three or four miles west of Zhenjiang City.

There is a constant flow of people in the city, and it is as lively as a market day.

The night is darkest at dawn.

Ordinary people were already asleep at this time, but this place was extremely lively. Without thinking too much, they knew that this was definitely not a city for living people.

"It's really strange. There is a ghost market shaped like a city only four or five miles away from Zhenjiang City. Doesn't the City God of Zhenjiang City care about it?" Su Su said in surprise.

As a local deity, the City God has the responsibilities of punishing evil and promoting good and judging yin and yang, but the most important thing is to protect local stability.

In the past, Zhang Yuewu, the City God of Guangling Prefecture, was able to maintain the overall separation of yin and yang in Yangzhou, and the underworld and the world of the living did not interfere with each other. However, the City God of Zhenjiang Prefecture, which was only separated from Yangzhou by a river, actually watched the ghost market build a city several miles away from the prefecture, as if it was occupying land and settling in the world of the living.

The Zhenjiang city where living people live is adjacent to the ghost market where ghosts gather. Due to the imbalance of yin and yang, ordinary people are bound to encounter ghosts and evil spirits frequently, which is obviously contrary to the duty of the City God to protect local stability.

Su Su didn't think that the City God of Zhenjiang Prefecture had the ability to create a harmonious situation between humans and ghosts.

"It is indeed a bit strange. Logically, ghosts would avoid the bustling city, so why would they build a city here and stay for so long?"

Chang'e was also surprised by the ghost market in the city just four or five miles away from Zhenjiang Prefecture. After looking around for a few times, she continued, "There are ghost messengers walking around in the city. It seems that this city was intentionally created by the City God of Zhenjiang Prefecture."

On purpose?

Su Su followed Chang'e's line of sight and saw, sure enough, outside the city, two ghost officials in black clothes were tying the necks of four or five living souls with long ropes. While they were pulling them into the city gate with all their might, they were muttering something to themselves.

When I walked closer and listened, I heard that the two ghost messengers in black clothes were asking four or five living souls who were tied up with long ropes to appear in the dreams of their relatives in the world of the living, burning paper money and demanding bribes.

At this time, Su Su suddenly remembered that Zhenjiang was the burial place of Wu Qiuyue in the article "Wu Qiuyue".

The ghost messenger was haunting the living and demanding bribes. If they did not give money, his soul would be imprisoned in the underworld, with no way to go up to heaven or down to earth. Su Su had encountered this before in the underworld.

However, King Yama was blind at the time and had no control over the overall situation in the underworld, which gave him the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Now he is in the world of the living, in the jurisdiction of the City God of Zhenjiang Prefecture, where there are also cases where ghost officials have taken away the souls of living people, and he has no choice but to pay money to redeem his life.

This was indeed done intentionally. If it weren't for the intentional connivance of the City God of Zhenjiang Prefecture, these ghost officials would not have had such courage.

The hero Wang Ding in Wu Qiuyue's novel went to the underworld twice and killed many ghost officials. It seems that some of the ghost officials killed by Wang Ding were under the command of the City God of Zhenjiang Prefecture.

Just as I was about to go into the city to find out what was going on, I suddenly heard the sound of roosters crowing in the distance.

Two ghost messengers in black clothes hurriedly dragged the soul of the living person into the city gate. With a muffled sound, the large city gradually disappeared into the night, revealing a large area of barren mountains and wilderness on the outskirts of Zhenjiang. Through the dense forest and weeds, scattered tombs could be seen. It was unknown whether Wu Qiuyue's burial place was here.

Su Su looked at the ghost market that disappeared before his eyes. He could clearly feel that the city was right in front of him, but it would take a lot of effort to find the entrance.

This city is obviously a haunted place somewhere between reality and illusion, and it is not an illusion created by ghosts using sleight of hand.

As his thoughts drifted, Su Su sighed softly, "The City God who is supposed to protect the peace of the area allowed his ghost officials to arbitrarily arrest living souls and extort money. What is the difference between this and the evil spirits that bring disaster to the area? The City God of Zhenjiang Prefecture really needs to be punished according to the law."

"You, Fox/Meizi, don't look like you're going to Taiyuan to fulfill your marriage contract. You look like the King of Hell is coming to visit you incognito."

Chang'e rolled her eyes at Su Su and said sarcastically, "Since Your Majesty is going to Zhenjiang to deal with the Zhenjiang City God who neglected his duties, how dare I stop him?"

The City God of Guangling Prefecture on the north bank of the Yangtze River had just been demoted one level some time ago. He resigned from his position in disgrace, reincarnated and ran away. Now the City God of Zhenjiang Prefecture on the south bank of the Yangtze River has run into Su Su's hands, which makes Chang'e feel both amused and helpless.

The cock crowed three times, and the sky began to brighten.

Turning around and looking towards Zhenjiang City a few miles to the east, you don't have to go too close to see large amounts of green smoke coming out of Zhenjiang City in the morning from the burning of incense and paper money. The amount is so large that it almost turns into smoke that covers the entire city and curls up into the clouds.

He collects incense and prayer power through kidnapping and extortion, and sits on the throne of the City God of a city, behaving like a robber. Such behavior is a way to seek death.

Retracting his gaze from the incense smoke rising from the city, Su Su said in a bad tone, "The incense smoke is more than ten times stronger than that in Yangzhou. If you didn't know, you would think that the City God of Zhenjiang Prefecture is very powerful. It's true that troubled times are coming. This kind of disaster can even sit firmly on the throne of the City God of a prefecture."

Zhenjiang borders Yangzhou to the north and Suzhou and Hangzhou to the south. It controls the strategic junction between the north and the south and has always been a battleground for military strategists.

Su Su had no idea what the imperial court was like in the world of the living, but judging from the corruption of the Shinto in Zhenjiang Prefecture, the situation there would probably not be much better than that in Yangzhou, where the White Lotus demon on the north bank of the Yangtze River was inciting refugees to revolt.

"We must strike hard and smash this harmful clay statue into pieces!"

Ask for another leave

I still have a slight fever and my head hurts so I'm writing very slowly. I don't think I'll be able to finish it today.

Give me some time, I should be able to make up for it with two updates tomorrow.

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Chapter 180: City God Vision

The city of Zhenjiang is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River, where the Yangtze River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal meet. It is blessed with abundant mountains and rivers, so there is abundant aquatic products and a constant flow of boats. Although it is not as prosperous as the long-famous cities of Yangzhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou that neighbor it to the north and south, it is also one of the most fertile places in the south of the Yangtze River.

However, as soon as Su Su entered the city, he was shocked to see a desolate scene that did not live up to its name in such a fertile place.

It was already dawn. Even in the remote Guobei County, there should be many people busy making a living at this time. However, in the streets of Zhenjiang City, there were only a few people.

Occasionally, pedestrians are seen, but they are hurrying along with their heads down, as if they dare not stay on the street for too long. The restaurants that should have been open for business a long time ago are still closed, and one can only vaguely see smoke rising from the roofs of the restaurants. Only when diners who have gotten up early come forward and knock on the door, looking around like thieves, will the waiter lift the wooden board that only allows people to pass sideways and let the diners in to eat.

The scene of legitimate restaurants having to close their doors to do business in broad daylight was something Su Su had never even heard of, let alone seen with his own eyes.

"Zhenjiang city really makes people feel weird."

Looking around, Su Su said to Chang'e, "We walked around the city for a long time and saw that most of the people living in the city hid in their homes. They would never go out unless it was necessary. The merchants who were open in the streets and alleys to do business were all doing business behind closed doors. Only the shops selling coffins and paper-made items opened at dawn. The business of living people is not doing well, but the business of dead people is booming."

"The imbalance of yin and yang will inevitably lead to disaster. The abnormality in Zhenjiang City is closely related to the ghost town outside the city."

Chang'e responded softly.

The abnormalities in Zhenjiang city are too obvious and the local people are used to it, which shows that this phenomenon has been going on for quite some time. For a city like Zhenjiang, which controls the strategic junction between the north and the south, ghosts and gods are so rampant and the government has no reaction at all, which is really puzzling.

"I should definitely ask the locals about the cause and reason of the strange situation in Zhenjiang. I have been traveling all the way here yesterday, so I can take this opportunity to find a place to rest for a while."

There were few pedestrians in Zhenjiang City at the moment, and broad daylight was not the time for ghosts and gods to appear. Su Su found an empty corner and revealed his figure, using the power of the Yang God to transform himself into the appearance of a young scholar.

Then he looked at Chang'e and blinked.

The opponent always disguised himself to conceal his appearance, and seldom demonstrated his abilities except for taking action against Heishan Jun. As a result, Su Su was unable to see through the gap between the two sides and suffered repeated failures.

It is beyond our ability to confront it head-on.