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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Yan walked around the table twice, leaning down to look beneath it. There were one hundred and five jars, neither more nor less. Clerk checked the roster, and the names on the jars matched exactly with those of the residents of Changping Village.
Moreover, two jars had fallen to the ground; one bore the name Li Shang, and the other was labeled Changping Village Head.
"Confining Soul Technique!" someone shouted from the side.
Liu Fengling glanced at the jars, his brow furrowed, still complaining about Zhang Zhao's delays.
Xu Yan stepped forward with a smile and said, "Now that we are in this situation, brother Liu need not be troubled. To untie the bell, one must find the bell ringer. As long as we locate the one who cast the spell, the villagers of Changping will surely be saved..."
"Xu Xiong has always been skeptical of ghosts and gods; why would you say such things? Could it be..." Liu Fengling's words trailed off suddenly as he turned and ordered that all the jars be taken back to the village.
As everyone prepared to descend the mountain, they suddenly saw thick smoke rolling at the foot of the mountain. Upon reaching the cliff's edge and looking down, they saw flames shooting into the sky; Changping Village had already turned into a sea of fire!
Liu Fengling was taken aback by this sight. "Could it be that moving the jars disrupted the formation?" He quickly led a large group back along their original path.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw Zhang Zhao standing at the village entrance, directing soldiers to fetch water to extinguish the fire. Upon seeing Liu Fengling rush over, Zhang Zhao hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects.
Liu Fengling angrily reprimanded him, "I sent word several days ago; why have you only just arrived?"
Zhang Zhao defended himself, saying, " Your Humble General received your message and immediately gathered troops to head for Changping Village. However, due to heavy rains a few days ago, a flash flood destroyed the wooden bridge over Hun River, which has yet to be repaired! The waters of Hun River are swift and treacherous; we couldn't set up a temporary bridge. Your Humble General had no choice but to take a detour upstream to Wanjia Bridge in Baoxing County, which delayed us! Here is Records of the River from River Official; please verify it, my lord!"
Liu Fengling took Records of the River and examined it before handing it over to Xu Yan.
Xu Yan looked on and smiled slightly, saying, "Zhang Qianhu has worked hard on the journey; brother Liu need not blame him. Now that the army has arrived, it is crucial for us to capture the one who cast the spells!"
After the great fire, Changping Village lay in ruins, and those Paper Figurines had been burned to ashes.
Xu Yan inquired about the situation from Zhang Zhao, who sighed and replied, " Your Humble General led his men day and night, reaching the main road ten miles outside Changping Village. Suddenly, we saw thick smoke rising from the village. A scout reported that a fire had broken out in Changping Village, and villagers from neighboring areas claimed it was caused by the Paper Figurines, so they dared not approach to offer help! Your Humble General personally led several hundred cavalry to rush over, only to find over a hundred Paper Figurines standing at the entrance of Changping Village, each with hair sprouting from their heads! Fearing these abominations would disrupt the morale of the troops, he ordered all the Paper Figurines to be burned... As they were set ablaze, black smoke billowed forth! Even now, thinking back on it sends chills down my spine."
Zhang Zhao commanded the army to rest in place and accompanied Xu Yan and others to Xiawa Village. The villagers of Xiawa were all in a state of panic, with every household keeping their doors shut. Xu Yan instructed them to beat drums and announce that all the Paper Figurines from Changping Village had been destroyed and urged the Xiawa villagers not to be afraid.
After resting for a night, they set off early the next morning towards Baoxing County Town.
The Prefect arrived, and Baoxing County Magistrate Yang Yu came out ten miles to greet him.
In the back hall of the county office, Liu Fengling angrily asked at once, "Is there any immortal residing in your county?"
The Baoxing County Magistrate answered timidly, "There is indeed such a person... The Taoist is named Zhenren Hui Yi and currently resides in Tianyuan Temple on Danxia Mountain. It is said that he can summon wind and rain, create soldiers from beans, and even help mortals become immortals. Many common people have witnessed his miraculous powers and have gone to worship him and seek divination."
"Have you seen him with your own eyes?"
"Although I have not witnessed his powers myself, there are clear regulations from the court regarding monks and Taoists. I saw that he did not cause any disasters; he merely collected offerings and provided fortune-telling services. Therefore, I did not inquire further."
At this moment, Chen Maoliang interjected from the side, "Our county's common people are also spreading tales about this matter. Could it be that Zhenren Hui Yi is the culprit behind these spells?"
Liu Fengling immediately ordered the army to surround Danxia Mountain. Anyone attempting to flee should be captured without exception; if there was any resistance, they were to be killed on sight!
After noon, Xu Yan, along with Liu Fengling and Zhang Zhao, led hundreds of soldiers to the gates of Danxia Mountain. They knocked on the door but received no response. Zhang Zhao ordered the gates to be smashed and the mountain to be attacked!
In an instant, the gates of Danxia Mountain crashed down, and the troops surged in, their shouts echoing through the air.
Xu Yan and the others arrived outside Tianyuan Temple, only to find the main hall deserted.
Xu Yan touched the incense burner, feeling its residual warmth on the walls. He deduced that Zhenren Hui Yi had not gone far. Zhang Zhao was ordered to lead the troops into the mountain to search… As the sun dipped low in the sky, Xu Yan gazed thoughtfully at the Sanqing Statue in the hall when Chen Maoliang stepped forward and said, “In this assault on the mountain to capture thieves, why do we not see hero Mu?”
Xu Yan smiled and replied, “Mu Zuo has other important matters to attend to. If master Chen has anything to say, I would be happy to convey it.” Hearing this, Chen Maoliang smiled silently.
At that moment, a soldier came to report that Zhang Qianhu had found many commoners in a cave on the back mountain, and that Zhenren Hui Yi along with a group of bandits had been captured by soldiers lying in ambush below. They were currently being brought up to the hall…
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