UGB Chapter 50, 3 Demons Complain
Chapter 50, 3 Demons Complain
After hearing this, the Rakshasa woman's eyes flickered, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.
This plan was well thought out; the old woman was settled, and Wang Sheng no longer had any leverage over her.
Why doesn't he go himself, but insists that I go?
Do you trust me? Or do you want me to reconcile with the mountain god?
The thought made her ears burn and feel annoyed.
So she didn't respond, but tilted her head, looked at Zhong Xuan, and her tone carried a hint of deliberate provocation:
Why should I help you?
"There's no such thing as getting someone to do something for free in this world!"
"You want me to run errands, act as a go-between, and even pick out people for you..."
"Young Master Zhong, what will you offer in exchange?"
She rarely addressed the young man formally as "Young Master," but her demeanor was rather unserious.
As she spoke, she gently swung her hand behind her back, her eyes bright and clear, holding a starlight-like smile. The implication in her words was crystal clear.
The monkey squatted to the side, scratching its head in disbelief.
It couldn't understand how the woman had suddenly changed her expression. Just a moment ago she was as cold as a stone in the twelfth lunar month, but now she was smiling like a peach blossom in March.
Zhong Xuan chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Besides a token of my affection, there's really nothing else. I only did this because I took advantage of Yunniang's soft heart, knowing she would never refuse."
The Rakshasa woman snorted and turned her face away: "Who's the one with a soft heart? Don't give me that."
But the corners of her mouth were clearly turned up even higher.
Zhong Xuan continued, "As for money and manpower, I just remembered—those Taoist boys and servants detained by the officials in Qingyang Temple, as well as the silver in the storeroom, I'd like to trouble Yunniang to go back and pick out a few honest and law-abiding ones, along with some money, and send them all to Cuiyun Mountain."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the wooden fish in his sleeve began to tremble violently as if it had gone mad.
Zhang Chengming's spirit inside was cursing loudly, its voice as shrill as a knife scraping a porcelain bowl:
"You little beast! How dare you!"
"Qingyang Temple is the property of Longhu Mountain! The money and disciples in the temple are all the private property of the Celestial Master's Mansion! How dare you use them for your own purposes? Do you think I'm dead?!"
He cursed loudly, but Zhong Xuan just patted his sleeves, treating it as mere whispers in the wind.
The Rakshasa woman, however, perked up and deliberately raised her voice, speaking to the sleeve:
"After hearing you scold me like that, I'm really going to help you out, even without asking for payment!"
After speaking, he looked at Zhong Xuan and said seriously:
"But let me make this clear first—I don't get along with the mountain god of Cuiyun Mountain, so I'll just send you to the foot of the mountain. You can make yourselves mess around on the mountain."
Upon hearing this, the monkey jumped up and patted its chest, shouting:
"I'll take care of them! I'll escort them up the mountain! Anyone who dares to stop me, I'll take them all down with one blow!"
Zhong Xuan smiled and nodded: "Then thank you very much, Brother Monkey."
He turned to the Rakshasa woman: "Yunniang, there's no time to lose. Please go and return quickly with Brother Monkey. I'll wait for you here."
The Rakshasa woman nodded and turned to leave.
He took a few steps, then looked back again.
There was something hidden in that gaze, something like unease, something like reluctance, or something else entirely—it was hard to put into words.
Under the sunlight, the moment she turned her head, her clothes fluttering, she looked like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting.
Many people around were stunned. Looking at Zhong Xuan, they suddenly felt that the human and the demon were actually a perfect match.
With a light touch of her toes, the Rakshasa woman floated into the air, her robes fluttering in the wind, and vanished in the blink of an eye. The monkey picked up his iron cudgel, waved to Zhong Xuan, and dashed after her.
Wang Sheng was left standing there, stunned.
He watched helplessly as the Rakshasa woman and the monkey walked away, then looked at Zhong Xuan, who was still standing there, his face turning pale and then red.
Suddenly, he scrambled to his feet, rushed to Zhong Xuan's feet, grabbed his leg, and burst into tears, his face streaked with snot and tears.
"Immortal Master! Immortal Master! Please take me with you!"
"I was wrong! I shouldn't have said those awful things! I'll go back! I'll go back right now to serve my grandmother!"
"Please accept me as your disciple, let me follow you, I'll serve you like a slave! I only ask that you guide me a little, so that I too may share in your divine destiny!"
He hugged Zhong Xuan's leg tightly.
Where is that shameless, brazen attitude from just now?
The listeners around them also began to whisper among themselves:
"Cuiyun Mountain? Never heard of it..."
"Mountain God Temple? Which mountain god temple?"
"Is there a mountain called Cuiyun Mountain near our Jisa Kingdom?"
"It seems... if you go west, past Qingyang Temple, and walk for several dozen miles, there's a mountain called Cuiyun Mountain. I've heard there are many monsters inside, and no one dares to go in."
"Mountain god? There can be a mountain god in a place like that?"
"Who knows..."
As they were talking, there was a sudden commotion in several bamboo sheds used for preaching at the other end of the square.
Under one of the sheds, a Taoist priest who had been sitting cross-legged slowly stood up.
The Taoist priest had a thin face, three long wisps of beard, and wore a gray-blue Taoist robe.
His entire body exuded a peaceful aura, and he looked no different from an ordinary Taoist priest, but his eyes gleamed with a faint green light, unlike those of an ordinary person.
As he stood up, two other Taoist priests also stood up under two bamboo sheds not far away.
He was a burly man with thick eyebrows and large eyes.
He was thin and short, with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks.
The three people, separated by the crowd, exchanged glances in mid-air.
They all saw what happened just now.
The boy cleaned up the corpse, and then the woman and the monkey demon left.
Now, the boy is all alone...
Whatever it is, it's worth exploring!
They started walking in unison towards Zhong Xuan.
The other people who were learning and preaching in the square dispersed and looked at the three of them respectfully.
Because these three people have the most disciples in this square.
Zhong Xuan remained standing in the same spot, looking down at Wang Sheng, who was hugging his legs and crying.
But out of the corner of his eye, he had already spotted the three figures slowly approaching.
Within the lake of the heart, three streams of energy were clearly reflected.
These three people were the same three demonic auras he had sensed earlier.
Zhong Xuan's hand, which was behind his back, had its five fingers slightly spread, then slowly closed.
Within the heart lake, three streams of energy drew ever closer.
One was as hot as burning coals, another as cold as a deep pool, and yet another was elusive, like mist drifting through the mountains.
But no matter which one it is, it doesn't feel human!
The wooden fish in Zhong Xuan's sleeve suddenly fell silent.
Zhang Chengming seemed to have sensed something as well, and stopped cursing. Instead, he secretly extended a wisp of Yin energy and peered out from the edge of his sleeve.
The three approached, but did not make a move as Zhong Xuan had expected.
The leader was a slender Taoist priest, whose three long wisps of beard fluttered slightly in the night breeze.
His eyes, glowing with an eerie green light, sized up the boy, and he cupped his hands in greeting:
"Fellow Daoist, I observed that your move just now was quite skillful."
I wonder who your teacher was, and on which famous mountain you practiced?
The long-bearded Taoist was being overly polite, which seemed rather unnatural.
Zhong Xuan gently shook his leg at Wang Sheng, who was still clinging to his leg and crying, thus shaking him away.
He then looked up at the three of them and said with a faint smile:
"A rogue cultivator, nameless and unaffiliated."
"Oh?" The burly Taoist raised a thick eyebrow and said in a deep voice, "A rogue cultivator could possess such skills?"
"Although the demonic cultivator who refines corpses is useless, he still has two hundred years of cultivation, yet he was forced to his knees by your four swords."
Fellow Daoist, please do not be modest. It is impossible for you to be nameless and without a sect. Could it be that you were born with innate knowledge?
His booming voice, like a bell, caused dust to fall from the roof of the bamboo shed next to him.
The third Taoist priest was the shortest, and as thin as a dried-up monkey.
His face, with its pointed chin and monkey-like features, wore a smile, but it looked uglier than crying.
He rubbed his hands together, took two steps closer, and said in a shrill voice, "Fellow Daoist, this is not the place to talk."
There's a small temple not far away, where the three of us are staying. Why don't we go there for a chat?
He pointed eastward and sure enough, several hundred paces away, a corner of a flying eaves could be faintly seen in the night.
Zhong Xuan looked at the three of them and suddenly smiled.
"Alright."
He took a step and left without even hesitating.
Wang Sheng was still kneeling on the ground, reaching out to grab the hem of his clothes, but only managed to grab a wisp of night wind.
Staring blankly at Zhong Xuan's retreating figure, then looking at the gradually dispersing crowd around him.
Wang Sheng suddenly felt that the world was so vast that there was nowhere to go.
.....
The Taoist temple was small, hidden behind several old locust trees.
The plaque above the door has long been blurred and indistinct, with only the character "清" (qing) vaguely discernible.
There were piles of incense, candles, paper horses, and several large vats in the courtyard.
The lotus flowers in the jar have mostly withered by now, with their remaining leaves floating on the water's surface, reflecting the sunlight and shimmering light.
The three dismissed the servants.
The so-called servants were just two or three young Taoist boys of thirteen or fourteen years old, all of whom were sallow-faced and thin.
Their eyes were vacant. After hearing the instructions, they lowered their heads and left, closing the door behind them.
The room darkened as soon as the door closed.
Only an oil lamp sat on the table, its flame flickering in the draft.
The shadows of the four people were projected onto the wall, sometimes large, sometimes small, like ghostly figures.
Zhong Xuan stopped and scanned the room with his gaze.
On the altar were statues of the Three Pure Ones, and in the incense burner, there were still wisps of incense burning, with wisps of smoke rising.
Several scrolls of scriptures were piled up in the corner, their covers curled up, looking quite old.
It seems that the lineage of the Three Pure Ones is indeed the rightful orthodoxy of this world.
He shook his head inwardly, about to speak, when he saw the three of them exchange glances.
thump!!!
Three pairs of knees slammed into the ground simultaneously, making a dull thud on the blue brick floor.
Even the oil lamp on the table jumped.
The slender Taoist priest knelt at the front, while the burly Taoist priest and the skinny, monkey-like Taoist priest knelt on either side.
The three of them prostrated themselves, their foreheads pressed against the cold floor tiles, their posture as respectful as if they were seeing their own ancestor.
The wooden fish hidden in his sleeve suddenly trembled.
Zhang Chengming's spirit inside let out a low gasp of surprise, seemingly curious about the situation.
Zhong Xuan's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he didn't speak immediately.
He stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the three people kneeling on the ground.
"Great Immortal," the thin Taoist priest raised his head, a red mark imprinted on his forehead.
His eyes reddened as he pleaded, "Please save us!"
The other two also looked up.
Two tears actually rolled down the eyes of the burly Taoist priest, running down his rough cheeks and dripping onto the blue bricks with a soft patter.
Zhong Xuan remained silent for a moment, then pulled up a chair and sat down.
The chair leg scraped against the blue bricks with a piercing sound.
He leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands in front of his abdomen, and looked calmly at the three of them.
"What suffering have you endured that you must beg me for help? I am but a wandering monk; what ability do I possess to save you?"
The thin Taoist priest crawled two steps on his knees and said urgently:
"Great Immortal Rongbing. If you go west of the Kingdom of Jisa, about a hundred miles away, there is a large pool called Bibo Pool."
There was an old demon in the pool who called himself the Azure Wave Dragon King. He occupied an entire body of water, built a dragon palace, and raised countless aquatic soldiers.
Within a radius of hundreds of miles, whether they run on the mountains, swim in the water, or fly in the sky, anything with even a little bit of skill must obey his commands.
His voice trembled, and a genuine fear was revealed in his eerie green eyes.
"This old demon not only occupies the Azure Wave Pool, but also connects to the waterways of the Western Sea, and has dealings with the dragons and great demons in the ocean. Such power is far beyond what we little demons can compare to."
Upon hearing the words "Azure Wave Pool," Zhong Xuan's heart stirred slightly.
He naturally remembered the name.
The Azure Wave Dragon King and the Ten Thousand Saints Dragon King, branches of the Western Sea, colluded with the Nine-Headed Prince Consort to commit evil deeds, bringing down blood rain and stealing the Buddhist treasures of the Golden Light Temple in Jisa Kingdom.
But he showed no sign of it on his face, only saying calmly:
"And then what? What does this Azure Wave Dragon King have to do with you?"
The three looked at each other again, and this time the skinny monkey Taoist spoke first.
He forced a smile that was more like a grimace, a sharp, thin opening:
"Great Immortal, you are unaware of something."
"Our three brothers and I set up a preaching tent in the North Square of Jisa Kingdom, attracting believers and giving away all our wealth in offerings. But nine out of ten of that money has to be handed over to the Azure Wave Dragon King!"
Zhong Xuan gave an "oh" and his gaze swept across the three faces one by one.
The burly Taoist kowtowed heavily and said in a deep voice, "Great Immortal, please understand! Although we are demons, we have never taken a single life in the past hundred years in Jisa Kingdom."
"Of the money offered by the believers, the ten percent we kept for ourselves was only enough to buy incense, candles, ritual implements, and make a living. The majority of it was taken by that old demon."
"If you don't hand it over, you'll be punished with a beating at best, and worse..."
He didn't continue speaking, but simply rolled up his sleeves.
On his forearm, there were crisscrossing scars, some new and some old.
Some have already scabbed over, while others are still red.
These scars are not ordinary wounds; they retain a chilling, demonic aura.
The skin around the wound was slightly blackened, as if it had been corroded by something.
The other two also rolled up their sleeves, and their situations were much the same.
Zhong Xuan looked at the wounds and remained silent.
The wind outside picked up, making the window frames creak and groan.
The oil lamp flame flickered, casting the faces of the four people in and out of view.
Zhong Xuan spoke slowly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger, "You are here using all sorts of unorthodox methods to tempt people to squander their wealth on offerings. Is there a reason for this, or is it not your true intention?"
The three men kowtowed in unison, their foreheads striking the blue bricks with three resounding thuds.
"That's exactly what I meant!"
The gaunt Taoist priest, his voice trembling with sobs, cried out, "Great Immortal, we are truly at our wits' end! That old demon's magic is boundless; even the three of us tied together are no match for a single finger of his. But if we continue to live this life of daily extortion and monthly tributes, our Taoist resolve will be worn away!"
He raised his head, and two streams of turbid tears rolled down his dark green eyes:
"Though we are demons, we also yearn for the righteous path to immortality. When will this money-making scheme end?"
The three sorcerers then began to complain one after another.
The burly Taoist priest continued, "A few days ago, that old demon sent word again that next month's offerings would be increased by 30%. He said he'd recently befriended several powerful demons and needed to bribe them. But where are we lowly demons supposed to squeeze out 30%? If we keep squeezing, the people of Jisa Kingdom will have to sell their children!"