The Happy Farmer Wanderer-Chapter 431: Exorcising Demons and Defending the Dao_1
On this quite ordinary night, Li Qing once again greatly broadened his horizons.
Those toys, Qi Mengru actually never played with them either.
But for the most part, she had seen them and knew where they should be used.
In this way, two people who had never been in contact with such small toys had a lot of fun playing with them.
The next day, it was only natural that the two of them woke up late.
Fortunately, no one was there to hurry them.
After having breakfast at noon, the two of them set off to climb the mountain together.
The terrain of Jiuling Mountain was relatively complicated, and it took the two nearly two hours to finally arrive at Nine Truth Palace.
The majestic Nine Truth Palace, standing among the rugged mountains, had a grandeur and almost seemed to sit amidst the clouds.
"Where is that old Taoist priest?" Qi Mengru asked softly.
"I don’t know," Li Qing shook his head, "Right now we can only try our luck. The last time I saw him, he was telling fortunes. Let’s go inside and take a look."
Qi Mengru nodded, and with the air of a lady leaning on a dependable man, she followed Li Qing into Nine Truth Palace.
There was an endless stream of visitors, although it was slightly less crowded compared to when Li Qing had last visited.
The two of them followed the crowd to the place where fortunes were told last time.
But Li Qing did not see the old Taoist priest’s figure.
"I’ll ask someone," said Li Qing as he took Qi Mengru’s hand and squeezed through the crowd out of Lingguan Hall.
They walked a bit further, and at the entrance of Jade Emperor Hall, he finally saw two middle-aged Taoist priests.
Li Qing approached and with an informal gesture, bowed his hands and asked, "Excuse me, Taoist priest, I’m looking for an old Taoist who appears a bit unkempt, with a clear but thin face, a white beard that’s not very long, about down to his collarbone."
One of the two Taoist priests, who had particularly dense eyebrows that even drooped down at the corners of his eyes, sized up Li Qing and asked, "What business does the layman have?"
"I’d like to ask the priest to come down the mountain to resolve a big trouble," Li Qing admitted frankly, "I’ve met the old priest a few times; he even wanted to take me in as his disciple, but unfortunately, since my six roots are impure, I refused his generous offer."
The middle-aged Taoist looked at the other in surprise, then stared at Li Qing’s face for a moment, his left hand rapidly performing calculations, and suddenly laughed, "I see, no wonder, layman, you really are destined to cross paths with us."
"Please follow me!"
Li Qing truly envied the way they could simply calculate with their fingers and seemingly understand everything.
The feeling was truly as if with just a pinch of the fingers, they had the world in their strategy.
The two Taoist priests led Li Qing and Qi Mengru through corridors and halls, winding around a large circle.
When they reappeared, they had arrived at the back mountain of Nine Truth Palace.
Amidst the babbling clear springs stood an exquisite thatched hut with soaring eaves and upturned corners, beside which was a stone table.
"Please have a seat, layman," said the old Taoist with brows full of an immortal demeanor as he gestured with his hand.
Li Qing nodded in salute and sat down with Qi Mengru by the stone table.
This place gave him a strange feeling, as if it were very ethereal.
Even the air that he inhaled into his lungs felt refreshing, filling him with a buoyant and light sensation.
Li Qing looked around and saw numerous ancient pines and lush cypresses, along with vast expanses of bamboo forest.
Behind the bamboo forest, one could vaguely see the tips of roof eaves, as well as wafts of serene bell chimes carried over from afar.
Li Qing couldn’t recall any building complexes behind the Nine Truth Palace, yet the scale clearly seemed quite large.
"Master, what is this place?" Li Qing couldn’t help but ask curiously.
"This... naturally, is the Nine Truth Palace," Long Eyebrow chuckled as he stroked his beard. "Right, I am called Long Eyebrow."
Li Qing was startled for a moment—the eyebrows of Long Eyebrow... were indeed very long.
Do they choose their Daoist names based on their physical features?
"The senior monk you mentioned in the conversation, is my esteemed uncle, the former head of our Nine Truth Palace, Xuan Chen Zhenren."
Long Eyebrow crossed his hands in front of his abdomen and spoke calmly, "However, it’s unfortunate that you have come at an inopportune time. My uncle has descended the mountain to travel and has not yet returned. Even I do not know his current whereabouts."
Li Qing suddenly felt a bit disappointed.
He hadn’t expected that the senior monk had such a high status in the Nine Truth Palace, but now that he couldn’t find the man, it all seemed in vain.
As for the matter of the Underground Palace, he couldn’t care less if it fell out of his hands.
But he still wanted to seek advice from the senior monk regarding Black Arrow and Li Yuanxian.
Although both had brought him great benefits, Li Qing still worried there might be other hidden problems.
For instance, his temperament had already changed significantly.
This surely was the handiwork of Li Yuanxian.
Looking at Long Eyebrow sitting in front of him, Li Qing suddenly slapped his forehead and gave a wry smile.
Although he hadn’t found Xuan Chen Zhenren, wasn’t there a Long Eyebrow Zhenren sitting right before him?
"Xuan Chen Zhenren always said that I’m fated to meet him, but it seems this time our destiny isn’t strong," Li Qing said with a light chuckle, jokingly adding, "Master, here’s the thing, I have encountered a very fierce evil spirit."
Fearing that Long Eyebrow would refuse, Li Qing quickly recounted how he came upon Mengxian Terrace, met the ghost Li Yuanxian, and how the ghost then died mysteriously, after which he awoke to the sight of Black Arrow.
He also related how later Master Shishan mumbled something about a bunch of black mist, which ended up following him, and then as Li Yuanxian’s memories were replenished, his mood began to change, telling him everything.
Long Eyebrow looked straight at Li Qing, his corners of the mouth twitching slightly, "There’s no need to rush through it, layman."
Li Qing took a long breath, evening out his breathing.
That’s because I worried you wouldn’t listen.
"Does the layman have any doubts?" Long Eyebrow asked.
"More than just doubts; I have many, and great ones!" Li Qing said with a dejected expression, "In Li Yuanxian’s memories, there was not just one Underground Palace but two, and below there is another ghost, even more ferocious!"
"There’s a prominent family in our county that has been coveting that Underground Palace. I fear they will secretly open it and thereby harm everyone. I ask for Master’s help in resolving this."
"Also, this Black Arrow, and the black mist and all, won’t there be any after-effects? Did Li Yuanxian truly die or is it just a ruse? Now that he’s even affecting my temperament, surely I won’t turn into Li Yuanxian, will I?"
Long Eyebrow raised his hand to interrupt Li Qing, "Layman, let’s address each issue one by one."
"Regarding the matter of the Underground Palace, the poor Daoist will send people down the mountain to deal with it. Thank you for informing us, this is indeed a great service."
"Do you mean you’ve agreed?" Li Qing asked with delight.
He hadn’t expected the master to agree so easily.
Long Eyebrow nodded with a smile, "Driving out demons and defending the Dao is an inescapable duty for us cultivators!"
