Chapter 138 Liu Taihou "It's on the way to the county town. Isn't there a place called Lingshan'ao? There was a hero there named Liu Tai. He was originally a local and later joined the army. It is said that he became a lieutenant general or a captain. Because he fought bravely, he was worshipped after his death. He was verbally given a title of marquis, Liu Taihou, and the temple is called Liu Taihou Temple." Uncle Shu said to him: "The incense of Liu Taihou was very popular for decades, but he was not a powerful god after all, so it didn't take long for the incense to gradually fade. Fortunately, the temple is on the road, and people occasionally go to worship. "At the end of last year, my son went home for the New Year. When he passed by Lingshan'ao, he met his classmate. They drank some wine and passed by Lingshan'ao again. Seeing that his incense was deserted, he went to pay his respects to him. He didn't say anything out of the ordinary. He just felt sorry for him and said a few words of pity. His classmates can also testify for him. But after returning, he was often possessed by Liu Taihou, who insisted that we go to offer him sacrifices. "If we didn't offer him offerings, he would slap himself, jump off the building, or even jump into the Jiyang River, just like a soldier. The elderly people in the family were very worried. "In the beginning, we indulged him and offered him offerings. We sent him pigs, dogs, and sheep. We also looked for some experts nearby, and even invited the old teacher from the academy. But not only did we fail to control him or satisfy him, we even made him worse." Lin Jue listened carefully and thought seriously. "Have you paid respects to the Third Aunt?" "We prayed to him. He would only calm down in the Sangu Temple. Once we go out, he would rage immediately." Uncle Shu said, "We asked the temple priest, and he said that Sangu could only protect the villagers from being harassed in the village, but not from being harassed outside. Besides, the other party had also received incense. He told us to think of other ways, or go to other gods or city gods to burn a petition and file a lawsuit." "Have you ever had a lawsuit?"
"I also went to burn the petition, but there was no response." "Then?" "Then, at the beginning of this month, the old teacher of the academy heard about it. He went there in person, pointed at the temple of Liu Taihou and cursed him for a long time, and even smashed his statue, which made him so angry that he almost died. But he didn't dare to deal with the old teacher, but he made my son suffer a lot." As Lin Jue listened, he seemed to be able to imagine the scene of the old man walking more than ten miles of mountain roads with a cane to ask the gods for accountability. Then he continued to ponder. Most of the Shu families in the village have done him favors, and he cannot ignore them, especially the head Shu family. Almost all the affairs of the village, big or small, were decided by the Shu family. In other words, whether it was allowing Lin Jue, a foreigner, to study in the academy or letting him cut grass and feed cows to give him some supplementary income, it was actually closely related to the Shu family. This is fine— Not only can I repay some kindness and feel more at ease, but it will also probably make life a little better for my uncle's family in the village. "Uncle Shu, don't worry. I will go back to the village with you guys and will definitely help you with all my strength." Lin Jue said, "But I don't encounter this kind of thing very often. I have to ask my master for advice first." "Good good..." Uncle Shu didn't want to delay at all. Lin Jue also stood up immediately and entered the inner courtyard. Taoist Yunhe was lying on a recliner, holding a cat in his arms, with his eyes squinted. He was not asleep, but he was not reading either. No one knew what he was thinking about. He only opened his eyes when Lin Jue came in. After listening to Lin Jue's story, he smiled: "Taoists of the Fulu School must worship gods, and the gods in the hearts of the people of the world are also whitewashed. But you are a Taoist of the Lingfa School. Don't you know what gods are like?" As he spoke, he couldn't help but reach out and stroke the cat in his arms: "The so-called Nine Heavenly Gods, apart from the ancient cultivators who ascended to heaven and the spirits who were recruited, the rest are just ghosts in office." Lin Jue was surprised by what he said. If you think about it carefully, it seems to be true.
"Then I..." "If you are worried about the word 'god', then you must know that what is worthy of respect for the so-called gods is always virtue, not the word 'god'. Only gods with virtue are worthy of worship." Taoist Yunhe's voice was like a dream. "If you are worried about the power of gods, then let me ask you, when the monsters were causing trouble, how many ordinary gods on earth dared to easily provoke them?" "understood." Lin Jue suddenly understood and felt much more at ease. The word "god" is still a bit intimidating. But as Master said, the reason why gods are worthy of respect is actually because of their virtues, not because they live in temples or in heaven. If they have no virtues and are just ordinary minor gods who think they are right, then what is there to worry about? Could it be that even Liu Gong from Yi County and the old scholar from Shu Village, two frail old men, dared to do something that he, a practitioner with great Taoism, would not dare to do? Since this magical power can eliminate demons, it can naturally also kill gods. "By the way, Master, the Silver Eater vomited nine elixirs last month. As you said before, I will give them to you later. How do you plan to tell the brothers?" "Did not say." "Did not say?" "Does the Master need to explain it to them?" "Alright." Lin Jue first took out the pills and gave them to his master, then went back to get the sword, darts and paper donkey, and took a few bottles of pills, plus a set of clothes to pack them up, called Fu Yao, and then walked to the outer courtyard. "Brother, do you want me to come with you?" "No need. My home is too far away. It will take at least half a month to go back and forth. You should stay in the mountains. Use the skills you stole from me when you were making fire, so as not to let the brothers starve to death." "What stolen craft?" The junior sister scratched her head and stared at him in confusion. Lin Jue didn't say much. He called Uncle Shu Er and Uncle Shu San and walked out. Both of them came on horseback, probably because they were in a hurry. The horses they used must be the horses used by the village caravan for business and carrying goods. They were not tall, but had great endurance. They also brought one for Lin Jue. Lin Jue was too lazy to use the paper donkey anymore. A donkey cannot walk fast, and it has no saddle, so it can only sit and walk leisurely. Since it is in a hurry, it is natural to ride a horse. Most of the Shu clan members knew how to ride horses when they were doing business, but he had to adapt first. Fortunately, he had learned the method of gathering beasts and taming birds, so he was naturally more friendly with animals and could communicate with them without relying on horsemanship, so riding a horse was naturally much easier. It was already spring, and the way down the mountain was easy to walk on. Two merchants and a Taoist priest were riding on horseback, but they mostly walked, occasionally trotting for a while. The fox followed them easily behind them, and often even ran ahead. The distance between Yishan and Shucun cannot be reached in a day or two even on horseback, so you need to rest. When Lin Jue was bored, he would take a string of bamboo rattan cloud bracelets and play with them casually. Gradually we left Yishan and passed Luosu County. The Qingdi Temple was still in ruins, with a Qingdi statue standing in the middle and some incense offerings in front. After leaving Luosu, we passed Danxun County.
Then we passed a familiar ancient road. "This place..." Lin Jue turned his head to look at both sides of the road, then turned his head again and stared at the endless layers of mountains beside the road. There is a temple in the mountain, with green smoke curling up. A slender white fox was standing on the tree next to him, looking like a bird and a cat. When it saw him looking at it, it turned its head and looked at the mountains behind it. "Hammer Mountain..." "Hey?" The fox couldn't help but wonder. "what happened?" Uncle Shu next to him also cast a glance over. "nothing." Lin Jue withdrew his gaze. Although he wanted to ask the mountain king whether he was the one who sent Fuyao, the matter of Shu Village was more urgent at the moment. Anyway, he would pass by here on his way back. A few days later, we arrived at Lingshan Valley. Uncle Shu took Lin Jue to find the small temple. It was just a small temple, about the same height as a human being, and only eight or nine feet long and wide. It was about the same size as the temporary house where people who were harvesting melons in the melon fields or collecting trees on the mountains lived. There was only one statue of a god inside. Lin Jue took a closer look—— He was indeed dressed like a soldier, but it was obvious that he had been embellished after being worshipped as a god. He was dressed like a general, wearing armor and a tunic, with a sword hanging from his waist and one hand holding the sword. It looks very majestic and colorful. "Didn't they say his statue was smashed by the old man? Why is it still here?" "We smashed it to pieces, but after that, he refused to let us go. He possessed my son and started making trouble. He almost hanged himself, so we had to build a new statue for him." Second Uncle Shu said. He was standing behind Lin Jue, farther away from the temple, and couldn't help but lower his voice. "The original statue was only two feet tall, and this one is a life-size statue, and we hired a very good craftsman." "The righteous god cannot possess the body! It must be an evil god!" After Lin Jue finished speaking, he simply took two steps forward, raised his sword, bent down, and walked into the temple. The light around him suddenly dimmed. Looking around, I could only smell some incense, but no trace of any divine energy. "Is Liu Taihou here?" Lin Jue asked directly. The two people behind him were startled and subconsciously wanted to run farther away, but as Confucian businessmen, the rules and etiquette they had instilled since childhood did not allow them to do so.
So he stood outside the temple and stared at Lin Jue in fear. "Liu Taihou is not here? "The world is vast, the heroes here listen to my command! The spiritual light is like a wash, illuminating the eternal darkness! Demons and ghosts are coming, do not hide from the light! Yin and Yang three realms, my curse will appear as soon as you appear!" A gentle breeze blew by, and the spiritual light rippled, but it illuminated nothing. "He's really not here..." Lin Jue muttered to himself, and then said to the statue: "If you can hear me, come to see me quickly and explain the reason. Otherwise, I will demolish your temple, smash your statue, report to Qiyun Mountain, and kill you!" As he began to speak, a white shadow flashed in front of him, and the fox jumped in front of him, moving closer to look at the statue, its eyes sparkling with curiosity, and it stretched out its claws to touch the statue's face. However, Lin Jue had already turned around and said to the two middle-aged men at the door: "This Liu Taihou is not here. I wonder if he is on the body of my second uncle's son now. Let's go check it out first." "it is good." The three of them mounted their horses again and headed back. "Did Second Uncle really go to the City God Temple to write a petition?" Lin Jue asked for details as he walked. "Of course it's true." "How is it written?" "It was also written by a Taoist priest, the one who is often invited to perform rituals for deceased people in the village. It is similar to the government's complaint, and then it is burned in the City God Temple." "I see." Lin Jue nodded. Since it was similar to the complaint filed by the government, he naturally explained the whole story clearly. "Is there any mistake in the whole story?" "How could we do such a thing?" Uncle Shu immediately glared at them. Lin Jue said "wrong writing", but how could they not understand what it meant? "Of course I believe in my second uncle." Lin Jue didn't suspect anything. Apart from the integrity of the merchants here, there is really no need to be suspicious - as long as this Liu Taihou really possessed the body of a young man in the village, it can be concluded that he is not a real god. It is not allowed for righteous gods to possess people. Even if the Taoists of the talisman school want to invite gods, they either have to call upon the power of the gods or ask the gods to come down to the mortal world in person. It is impossible for them to let the gods possess themselves. Since it was an evil god, Lin Jue had some guesses. The City God must have known that Liu Taihou was not a legitimate god, so the petition submitted would not have the effect of filing a complaint, because both parties were not in the same system. Even if the City God received the petition, it would only be regarded as a request from ordinary people to help him exorcise demons and exorcise evil spirits. The word "City God" means the square city and river, and the City God's magical powers are mostly in the city, not in the countryside. Besides, many city gods do not take care of things in the city. (End of this chapter)