Chapter 163 Retrieving objects from the air There had been trouble with monsters in Qiuru County, and the Taoist priests in this Taoist temple had previously colluded with the monsters, so naturally few people dared to come in. However, poverty is scarier than evil spirits, and there are always brave people in the world, so the pots, pans, tables, chairs and wooden benches in the temple were all gone. Fortunately, with the suppression of the government, the doors and windows were preserved and not all of them were removed for firewood, and many of the tiles on the roof were also left. "It's not bad to clean up this Taoist temple, but the previous owner left a bad reputation, so it will take more effort to run it! However, this place is the closest to Yishan Mountain and is in the city. Which junior brother wants to stay here?" The second brother swept the yard and asked. As soon as he finished speaking, a cold wind blew in the yard. But it is just a weak ghost, floating like a candle in the wind. It may scare the timid people, or bump into the weak people. But for the Taoist in the courtyard, he is not afraid of standing here and letting it play tricks on him. Even the fox was not startled at all. "It seems that there are still predecessors who have not left this Taoist temple. It is indeed a place where filth and dirt are hidden." The second brother turned his head and looked at a tree at the foot of the wall and the dark corner of the inner room, and said so. Then, when Lin Jue was still thinking about whether these two weak ghosts were the Taoist priests who had colluded with the demons, or the unwilling people who were murdered by them, and if they were Taoist priests, they were hiding in the dark, should he chant the Mantra of Revealing to find them and then kill them, the second senior brother had already made a judgment, and at the same time, he waved his sleeves -

Two spiritual fires burst out. One swept across the small tree at the foot of the wall, and the other rushed towards the inner room, both burning with a sharp and short scream, and then stopped in an instant, leaving only a slight fishy smell. The Taoist temple was immediately clean. That’s right—— Among the many brothers in the Taoist temple, the second brother's Taoism is second only to the eldest brother, and he specializes in practicing alchemy. Alchemy and spiritual fire have always gone hand in hand, which is the nemesis of ghosts and spirits. At this moment, Lin Jue even couldn't help but feel that it was a good idea to specialize in one magic like his second senior brother. No matter what kind of monsters and demons there were, a ray of spiritual fire would burn them all to ashes. It was simple and direct. But Lin Jue couldn't do it himself. There are advantages to specializing in one thing, and there are advantages to having a wide range of knowledge. But both have their drawbacks. The best thing is to find a balance between them. Moreover, although specializing in one subject sounds simple, it is actually not easy at all. You need to immerse yourself in the same thing all day long, which requires patience, personality, and preferences. It is difficult for Lin Jue to do so. In his opinion, magic has its own charm, and different magic has different charms. Now that there is an opportunity, it is hard not to see more. Then everyone continued with the original topic. Who wants to stay here? Many fellow disciples looked at the fifth and sixth brothers, and some looked at the younger sister. However, the junior sister was the most hardworking. She did not stop after clearing the weeds and small trees just now, and is still pulling out the weeds in the yard. It seemed that she did not hear what everyone said at all. "If no one is willing, then I will stay here." The Sixth Senior Brother said, knowing that this place is actually a good place to go, and then he said to them, "Thank you for your care, brothers." "Let's clean up this yard together first." The second brother couldn't bear to see the younger sister working alone, so he started to move as well. All the brothers worked together.

Some people pulled out weeds, some cut down small trees, some transported the pulled out weeds and trees away, some kept away snakes, insects, rats and ants, some set fire to the dark and damp places, and some borrowed brooms and followed behind to clean up. The Taoist temple, which has been abandoned for two years, is now bustling with activity. There were ghosts just now, but now it is very popular. After working on it for quite some time, it's almost done. Although the Taoist temple was still empty, it was no longer messy and dilapidated, and was now habitable. Seeing this result, everyone felt a sense of accomplishment. Feeling so pleased with himself that he was too lazy to cook, he went to a restaurant in the city and ordered a few dishes for a big meal. We have to thank the bandits. They then spent the night in the house, and the next day they divided into several groups. Some went out to buy furniture and bedding, some went out to buy pots and pans, some went out to sell swords and longbows, and some went out to raise money. Lin Jue and his junior sister were called away by the seventh senior brother. There was no other thought but to work together and help Senior Brother Six settle down here without reservation. …… The spring sun is warm and the streets of Qiuru County are very busy in the morning. The buildings with pink walls and black tiles were crowded with people, the sounds of hawking were endless, and the heat and aroma of food were rising. Compared with the miserable conditions in other provinces, this place was quite prosperous. The newly appointed county magistrate was out on patrol when he saw this scene. He felt both relieved and worried. The two servants behind him both had long swords on their waists. Suddenly, I heard someone walking quickly behind me. One servant was staring at the steamed bun shop next to him, while the other servant became alert and immediately put down his knife and turned around. He was relieved when he saw that the person coming was a clerk from the county government. "Gao County! Gao County!" The clerk came over quickly, with a look of surprise and joy on his face, and said to the magistrate: "Good news! Very good news!" "What good news? Such panic!" "The bandits on Monkey Mountain between our county and Danxun County were eliminated the night before yesterday! Now the trade is peaceful!" "Hmm?" The magistrate turned around immediately. "Really?" "Seriously!" "Where did the news come from? Have you been to see it? Who killed him?" The magistrate couldn't believe it and asked several questions in succession. "They were eliminated last night. I have never been to see them, but those bandits not only robbed people, but also captured some people to be slaves in the mountains, to work for them and for their entertainment. The bandits were eliminated the day before yesterday, and those people all ran down the mountain. Some of them returned to the city last night, and the news was only passed on this morning. I have asked the county's police to bring fast horses to investigate the truth." The clerk said repeatedly, not daring to breathe: "Knowing that this is one of the major problems of Gao County, I dare not delay, so I came here specially to tell Gao County this good news, hoping that Gao County can breathe a sigh of relief." The county magistrate surnamed Gao ignored his flattery and immediately asked sternly: "Who killed them? How many people? Why didn't the county receive any news?" "It was dark that night, and I didn't see the person who came to report the news clearly, but I heard from them that..."

When the clerk said this, he looked even more surprised, and even his eyes sparkled: "They said they only heard shouting and killing outside, and saw many shadows that looked like heavenly soldiers and generals. After the fight was over, only one person came in to talk to them and let them go. He was a Taoist priest!" "One person? A Taoist priest?" "That's right!" the clerk said, not forgetting to add, "I'm afraid it's a god or immortal!" "how is this possible?" When he heard that the bandits on Monkey Mountain were eliminated overnight, he was still worried that some powerful martial arts sect had come to the vicinity, or that there was another more powerful group of green forest robbers on Monkey Mountain. But just as his worries subsided, he heard that it was a single man, a Taoist priest, and his heart was filled with surprise and disbelief again. "I am also shocked and I dare not believe it, but it is not impossible." The clerk explained to the magistrate: "You may not know, magistrate, but those strange monkeys on Monkey Mountain were killed by two people before. They even went to Danxun County to collect the reward. Around that time, there was a water monster in our county, and it was killed by an old immortal with great Taoist skills." "Are there really so many immortals?" The county magistrate was unconvinced. "When I was young, I also yearned for immortals and visited famous mountains. If there are really so many immortals, why haven't I found them?" "This this……" The clerk hesitated for a moment, guessing: "This should also be related to different places. We are very close to Qiyun Mountain. There is a remote Yishan Mountain more than 300 miles away. I have never been there, but I heard from the former county magistrate that the old immortal who eliminated the water monster came from Yishan Mountain. Since ancient times, there have been many stories and legends about the immortals in Yishan Mountain in various places here." "What old immortal, what Yishan, can it compare to Qiyun Mountain, one of the four famous mountains? It's not like our county hasn't visited the Taoist priests of Xuantian Temple in Qiyun Mountain before." The magistrate shook his head and said, "If they really had the ability to get rid of the bandits on Monkey Mountain, they would have done it long ago." “This…this…is also…” "Huh? What's going on up ahead?" "Front?" The clerks and the magistrate all looked forward. I saw a large group of people gathered in front, and exclamations were heard from time to time, as if someone was performing a magic trick. Again, butterflies were seen flying among the crowd. "Someone's playing tricks?" This is not a temple fair or a festival, yet there are people performing magic tricks here? The clerk was happy in his heart. Because magic performances are rare, in the past, it was an entertainment opportunity that only came once a year, especially in today's increasingly chaotic world, where you may not even see it once a year. People's lives are becoming more and more miserable every year, and the hard-earned opportunities to relax are becoming fewer and fewer, which is really not a good thing. However, knowing that the newly appointed county magistrate had been in a lot of trouble recently, he frowned and said, "I haven't heard of anyone coming to the city to report? Could it be that the world is in chaos and the rules are also messed up!?" "Go and see!" "okay!" This was exactly what the clerk wanted. So he pretended to be serious and followed the magistrate. Before he got close, he heard the enthusiastic cheers of the onlookers. Guessing that it might be someone with real talent, joy appeared in his eyes and he couldn't help but stand on tiptoe to look. In the middle of the crowd was a young Taoist priest, who looked to be in his twenties, with a handsome face, an upright posture and quite a demeanor. There was a long bench next to it, and there were two young Taoists, a man and a woman, sitting there. They looked a little younger than the other. Since ancient times, many Taoists like to perform magic in the streets. It not only shows their magic skills to others, but also allows them to easily earn some money. After all, Taoists also need food and clothing, and they cannot do things like cheating, murder or robbing, so that they can be supported by wealthy families. Maybe it is more worry-free and free than performing magic anywhere. Therefore, some Taoist masters also like to do this.

So the two of them were not surprised, but just looked at it carefully. Then the older young Taoist was seen holding ears of wheat in his hands, as if he had picked them up from the roadside. Then, under the expectant gaze of the crowd, he crushed them casually, shouted, and threw them into the sky. The wheat ears in the sky suddenly turned into flying butterflies. It was a scene that covered the sky and the sun. There was an immediate burst of exclamations at the scene, and some girls' eyes lit up as if they had seen a god. "It's really amazing!" "God, come again!" Some people shouted, some people held up money. During the breaks in the performances, the older Taoists chatted and laughed with the audience, while the younger Taoist Kun, who was sitting on the bench, went forward with a bamboo basket to receive the money, thanked the master repeatedly, and after getting the money back, she and the Taoist next to her counted it and put it away. "He is a Taoist priest, and seems to be able to cast spells." The clerk beside him whispered to the magistrate. "I've seen this kind of trick a lot. It's probably a trick," the magistrate said calmly. "This is the season when butterflies and flying insects come out. They must have hidden them in the wheat ears in advance, and then used a trick to make people think that the wheat turned into butterflies. Otherwise, how can wheat turn into butterflies in the world?" "Gaoxian has good eyesight." The clerk beside him whispered. Unexpectedly, the Taoist had sharp ears and seemed to have heard what they said. He turned around and looked at them with a smile. "This reader has very high standards!" Brother Seven loves theatrics and doesn't want others to look down on it, so he said, "What the reader said is true. There is no such thing as wheat turning into butterflies, and butterflies in the world are definitely not transformed from wheat. This is just an illusion! However, based on my illusion skills, few people can match my skills among all the famous masters in the world. Isn't it acceptable to the reader?" The clerks around him didn't dare to say anything for a moment. However, the two servants behind him wanted to step forward and reprimand him, but were stopped by the magistrate. "This kind of magic is naturally wonderful and profound, but since the Taoist priest is wearing a Taoist robe, I think he is not an ordinary magician. Gao naturally wants to see whether the Taoist priest is really a Taoist and really knows magic, or is he just borrowing this Taoist robe so that he can more conveniently collect some money from the people." "Ha ha……" Seventh Senior Brother laughed when he heard this. In fact, he was not like some street magicians who designed some other tricks to enhance the viewing experience after performing magic tricks. However, when someone came to him on his own initiative and seemed to be of a prominent identity, he did not mind talking to him for a few words to attract more people. After all, his performance here could not only raise money, but also help spread the reputation of Sixth Senior Brother, making it easier for Sixth Senior Brother to run the Taoist temple in the future. So the seventh brother asked him: "Then how do you think I can prove that I have real Taoism and real magic?" "Does the Taoist have any other skills besides this trick?" "Of course!" The seventh senior brother laughed and asked him, "Let's see if the official is willing to cooperate." "How to cooperate?" "How far are you and I apart at this moment?"

The magistrate didn't know what he was going to do, so he answered calmly: "About two feet." "What did you take with you when you went out?" "One official seal, one personal seal, one sachet, and two taels of silver." "Where did you put them?" "Of course it's in my arms!" "Can I take it out and have a look?" "naturally……" The magistrate put his hand into his bosom and felt around, his face suddenly changing. He touched his waist again and his face changed again. The magistrate looked forward and saw the Taoist laughing and reaching his hand into his sleeve. When he took his hand out, he already had four things in his hand. (End of this chapter)