Chapter 506: Taoist

Chapter 506: The Taoist Monk

Scholar Lu’s words instantly brought Top Scholar Lu back to his senses, "The sound of gongs? A wedding or a funeral? Quick, move!"

In their line of work, they were far too familiar with the sound of clanging gongs.

Following the narrow path through the village, the Lu Family Troupe hurried toward the sound, the faint, ephemeral clanging growing louder and louder.

When Top Scholar Lu saw that the noise was coming from a courtyard with high walls, the smile on his face could barely be contained.

Yet, as he squeezed through the surrounding crowd to see what was happening inside, the mirth on his face immediately drooped away.

There stood a Taoist priest with unibrow, clad in a yellow Taoist robe and wearing a black Taoist cap, currently raising an altar to perform a ritual.

At this moment, he held a bronze gong, striking it with force as he circled a man lying upon a wooden bedboard.

As the gongs clashed relentlessly, the corpse-pale man’s body trembled uncontrollably, as if something within him was trying to claw its way out.

"Father, let’s go. This priest is catching ghosts and driving away evil, nothing here concerns us." Scholar Lu was just about to turn away when his father grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait a moment, let’s watch and see. In case that man doesn’t pull through, then it will concern us."

Right beside Top Scholar Lu, Cultivated Talent Lu, who had just squeezed his way in, stared at the priest with an expression of utter astonishment—more precisely, he was staring at the copper coin sword on the priest’s back.

"How truly bizarre, the copper coin sword on this guy's back is identical to my master’s sword..." This muttered self-talk was overheard entirely by Gouwa standing behind him.

"Ha!" The man on the doorboard suddenly stood straight up, leaping three feet into the air.

Instantly, gasps and cries of terror erupted, and the scene sent the onlookers scrambling backward in a panic.

"Evil creature! In the very presence of this Celestial Master, you still dare to harm the innocent!"

The priest threw the bronze gong with great force, striking the man heavily in the abdomen, forcing him to double over.

"The Supreme Platform Stars, changing without cease. Exorcising evil and binding demons, protecting life and shielding the body. Wisdom bright and pure, the mind peaceful and serene. The three souls everlasting, the seven spirits never lost!"

The Taoist scooped up a handful of rice from the ritual altar, waved it over the flame of a red candle, and cast it directly onto the man's body.

"Ahhh!" Struck by the rice, black qi abruptly erupted from the man's body.

As a cloud of dark smoke billowed from his mouth and gradually dissipated under the glare of the sun, his body went limp, collapsing directly onto the ground.

A stout, wealthy man dressed in silk rushed over, and upon finding that the man was not dead and was even calling out for his father, he burst into tears of joy, leading his domestic servants to kneel on the ground and kowtow to the Taoist.

"Truly miraculous, a living immortal, saving a life in an instant."

"Indeed, indeed, if not for crossing paths with this master, the Zhang family’s only sprout would have lost his life here."

Hearing the excited discussions all around, Cultivated Talent Lu wore a look of utter disdain, "What's the big deal about this? If my master were here..."

Regardless of what Cultivated Talent Lu said, everyone around, including Top Scholar Lu, was drawn in by the news that the Zhang family would host a celebratory feast tonight.

"Look alive, everyone, there's food to be cleared! Pulling through means there's a show to play!" Top Scholar Lu walked toward the ecstatic master of the house.

With a few auspicious words, he easily persuaded Squire Zhang to hire the Lu Family Troupe to take the stage and perform.

After hastily scarfing down a few bites of food, the Lu Family Troupe began their labor; setting up the stage and putting on theatrical makeup left them tight on time.

That evening, Top Scholar Lu led his apprentices and his son, singing with all their might, leaving both the host and guests thoroughly entertained.

As the deep night fell, the guests, full of food and wine, departed in twos and threes, while Cultivated Talent Lu looked at the Taoist at the main table, his face clouded with hesitation.

"Take a closer look, is that sword really the one Senior Brother Li carried on his back?" Gouwa urged in a low voice beside him.

"It should be... it's too far, I can't see clearly. It would be best if I could hold it in my hands to know for sure."

Hearing this made Gouwa almost cough up blood, "Can you be any more unreliable?"

"Then how about we just go and ask? Since Master's sword is in his hands, perhaps he knows Master's whereabouts."

"How can we ask? What if this sword was stolen from Senior Brother Li? What if he had a grudge against Senior Brother Li before?"

While the two argued endlessly, they suddenly saw the priest whisper something into the host’s ear, after which he led the host toward the backyard with a solemn expression.

"He's leaving! Follow him!" Without hesitation, Cultivated Talent Lu crouched by the table legs and quietly slipped after them.

Leaving the outer courtyard and entering the inner courtyard, the surroundings grew quiet in an instant, and the conversation between the Taoist and the host drifted into Cultivated Talent Lu's ears.

"Celestial Master, does my family truly have more evil spirits that haven't been destroyed?"

"Yes, indeed. Your son's demonic possession is related to this evil spirit. If this spirit is not eliminated, your household will never know a day of peace."

"Then... then what should be done!"

"Do not panic, this Celestial Master is here. That evil spirit should be possessed within an object at this moment. As long as I find that thing, all will be resolved!"

The yellow-robed Taoist flipped his hand, and an old, pure bronze compass appeared in his palm. He began to search, forming hand seals while staring intently at the compass.

A hand slapped onto the shoulder of Cultivated Talent Lu, who was hiding behind a rockery, giving him a sudden jolt of fright.

When he turned his head and saw it was Gouwa, he glared at him fiercely.

Gouwa ignored him and pointed a finger toward a new commotion in the distance.

"Squire Zhang, watch out! This object is the very thing possessed by the evil spirit!"

"Celestial Master? This... how can this be! This is my Zhang family's ancestral heirloom!"

Gouwa stared into the brightly lit room in the distance, discovering that on the table before the Celestial Master sat a backward-facing clay Bodhisattva with melted facial features.

"Squire Zhang, watch out!" A plume of black smoke suddenly dropped from the ceiling, blanketing the squire directly.

The squire instantly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Under the dumbfounded gazes of Gouwa and Cultivated Talent Lu, that plume of black smoke quickly wriggled into a black greatcoat inside the room.

After a moment, that footless, headless black greatcoat actually stood up, swaying precariously.

With a wide sweep of his sleeve, the priest snatched the backward-facing clay Bodhisattva into his robe and began to harshly berate the black greatcoat.

"That evil spirit is raised by this Taoist!!" An utterly shocked Cultivated Talent Lu leaned into Gouwa’s ear, speaking in the faintest whisper.

Gouwa jerked his chin forcefully toward the direction they came from, and the two began to slowly retreat from this desolate backyard.

"What did you say? There are others in the courtyard! Why are you only mentioning such an important matter now!"

Hearing the low shout of the Taoist from behind, the hair on the heads of the two fleeing figures instantly went numb.

Just as they had dashed out a couple of steps, the black greatcoat descended from the sky, blocking their path directly.

Gouwa pulled out the decayed wooden ruyi and threw it with all his might at the black greatcoat. Seeing the greatcoat fall straight to the ground upon being struck, he dragged Cultivated Talent Lu and sprinted desperately toward the outside.

"Hahaha! It actually turns out to be the tongue of a Xinsu, a double blessing at the door!"

(End of Chapter)

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