Chapter 243: Master Fan of the Juxian Mansion "Huh? There's a ship?" "who?" "Didn't they say that no one dares to walk on water during this period? Could it be a monster?" "Go ask Master Fan!" There were obviously a lot of people on the boat, and there was a lot of noise. A man dressed as an official came up to the middle-aged Taoist priest at the bow and bowed to him respectfully. The moment the official arrived, the middle-aged Taoist put away the sad expression on his face, replaced it with a calm expression, and turned to look at him. "Report to Master Fan, there is a ship nearby!" "I saw it." "May I ask, Master Tian, should we go and take a look?"
"Um……" The middle-aged Taoist dragged out his voice, still facing forward, but quickly looked around with his peripheral vision. Seeing that there was only this one boat on the river and no one around, he pondered for a moment before speaking: "Have we reached the place where the demon king is causing chaos?" "Reporting to Heavenly Master, several places suffered disasters and boats capsized some time ago, but even the most recent ones are still a little ahead." The official replied respectfully. "Where is the widest part of the river?" "It will take half a day to go downstream." "Um……" The middle-aged Taoist still dragged out his voice, neither saying that it might be a monster nor that it was not a monster, but just said: "In that case, go and take a look." "Ah I?" The officials were shocked! During this period, no ship dared to sail on the water. Not to mention the lack of covered boats, even the merchant ships and cargo ships that traveled back and forth had stopped, and the fishermen on both sides of the river did not dare to go into the water to fish. Even if they were walking on the shore, they did not dare to cross the river. At this time, there was only a thin ray of light left in the sky, but there was still a boat floating quietly on the water with lights on. Could this be an ordinary boat? It even sounded like a scene from some monster stories that I had heard since childhood. "Ok?" However, Master Fan glanced over sideways. "I..." The official shuddered all over, but compared to that, he was more afraid of monsters and ghosts, so he lowered his head quickly, "I am stupid and can't distinguish monsters and ghosts." "If you don't even have this much courage, how can you maintain your integrity in this chaotic world?" Master Fan's voice became a little harsh. "How can you plead for the people?" "I am an incompetent person..."
The official kept his head down, looking as if he was unwilling to go and check no matter what. The middle-aged Taoist named Fan Tianshi pondered for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll go and see for myself." "call……" The officials were immediately relieved. "But you have to be with me." "That's fine!" The official realized that he had shown his cowardice a little too obviously, so he quickly added, "With Master Fan here, I have no fear at all, even if it's those demon kings in the north, or the corpse tiger king in Huizhou!" "General Zeng!" "The general is here!" A burly warrior behind him answered. "Hold the sword for me!" Tianshi Fan warned again, "Don't act rashly without my order!" "As you command! I will put on my armor first!" "Go quickly!" Not long after, a small melon-shaped boat was lowered from the dragon boat, and three figures rode on the boat, slowly approaching the covered boat and the lights. "Wow..." A Taoist priest with an immortal look stood at the bow, a general in black and gold armor stood behind him with a sword in his arms, and the officials were responsible for rowing. The water was really calm, with only the sound of the rowing boat. When they got closer, the lights on the boat suddenly went out. They were startled, but the next moment, the lights came back on, illuminating a little fox lying on the bow, tilting its head and staring at them with a pair of ignorant and curious eyes. The uneasy river surface, the lonely boat at night, and an unusual little white fox suddenly startled the three of them. The officials and generals quickly came to their senses and turned to look at the middle-aged Taoist priest. Seeing that the Taoist priest still looked calm, they continued to row the boat over. A little closer. There were two young Taoists, a man and a woman, in the boat. There were many cloth bags and four bamboo baskets in the cabin. They were boiling water and making tea and roasting a big fish in the boat. A fragrant smell wafted out. "Heavenly Master..." The official turned around and looked at Master Fan. "No rush! Say hello!" The middle-aged Taoist saw that the two people in the boat were also looking at him, so he stood up, saluted and said loudly: "I am a Taoist priest registered in Juxian Mansion. My surname is Fan, and my common name is Yuchen. People call me Tianshi Fan. When I passed by this place, I saw that the river was empty except for a boat of a Taoist friend. Out of curiosity, I came here to take a look and say a few words of comfort." The fox and the two men looked at them. "I'm a poor Taoist, Lin Fangjue." "I am Liu Fangyao."
"Mmmmm~" "So it's you two Taoist friends." The middle-aged Taoist said calmly, but he was actually on guard. "Why are you two Taoist friends here alone so late at night?" "It's dark early when we get here, so we have no choice but to stop at this ferry and rest for the night." "Why did you bring another white fox?" "I raised him from childhood." Although Lin Jue answered truthfully, he also said to him, "Since you dare to come here by boat, why do you have to ask so many questions?" Hearing this, the middle-aged Taoist priest hadn't spoken yet, but the official beside him spoke first: "Be bold!" The official scolded and pointed at the middle-aged Taoist and said: "Do you know that this is the Heavenly Master Fan from the Juxian Mansion in the capital? If you were in the north of Qinzhou or in the capital, just mentioning the three words "Fan Tianshi" would scare away the demons! Just answer the questions, the Heavenly Master has his own profound meaning, so don't speculate!" "Don't be rude!" The middle-aged Taoist was shocked and quickly turned around to scold him, "How can people who practice Taoism talk to each other about such things?" "Yes Yes Yes……" The officials quickly admitted their mistake. At this time, the middle-aged Taoist priest also realized that the two men were probably not demons, so he said, "I wonder if you can let the three of us get on the boat for a while?" Lin Jue also exchanged a glance with his junior sister. I couldn't tell what this person's background was at first, I just felt that he was very grand, but no matter what, there was no reason to refuse. Meeting is fate. "Why not?" The melon-shaped boat then approached the pontoon boat. The first person to get on board was a fat and armored general. After he got on board, the melon-shaped boat floated up a bit. Then he turned around and pulled up the middle-aged Taoist and the official. Both of them seemed a little weak. "Fellow Taoist, be compassionate." "Fellow Taoist, be compassionate." The three Taoists greeted each other. But during this period, the middle-aged Taoist priest quickly looked around at the two people and one fox in the cabin. There were several cloth bags in the cabin, with unknown contents inside, and four bamboo baskets, with an unusual whisk and a long sword next to them. Both of them were wearing off-white Taoist robes, which were very simple, and even a little old and gray, but those who practice Taoism had their own demeanor, which was reflected in their faces, hair, eyebrows, skin color, every frown and smile, every move, and every detail. Even the look in the eyes of the fox next to him was unusual, as spiritual as that of a human, and even showed a thoughtful look. These two people and one fox are definitely extraordinary! Most of them did not come here accidentally, but they knew that there were monsters here, but they were not afraid. The middle-aged Taoist made a quick judgment. But his face remained calm and he laughed, "Where are you two from? Where are you going?"
"Coming from Huizhou, heading towards the capital." "Huizhou?" The middle-aged Taoist's eyes lit up, "Could it be the Taoist friend from Qiyun Mountain?" "Yishan." "Yishan? Fuqiu? Xianyuan?" "Fellow Daoist, you actually know Fuqiu?" Lin Jue was a little surprised. "Ah! Is it really a floating hill?" "That's right." Lin Jue smiled and poured them three cups of tea. "Not many people know about Yishan, and even fewer know about Fuqiu Peak." "I am one of them." "Fellow Daoist, you know a lot." Lin Jue complimented him casually, but then he looked at him and asked, "I heard that fellow Daoist is from Juxian Mansion?" "Exactly." "It sounds like you are very famous in Juxian Mansion?" "It's just a small reputation." "He is more than just famous!" The official beside the middle-aged Taoist couldn't help but speak again, "Master Fan is the most famous in the entire Juxian Prefecture. If the Taoist priest goes to the capital in the future, or goes north to Qinzhou, no matter what kind of monsters and demons he encounters, just report Master Fan's name, and the monsters will retreat!" "Oh?" Lin Jue remembered the monk he met in Langfeng County before, named Master Yunchan. In comparison, Master Yunchan's pomp was much worse than his. He only had one warrior who admired him and followed him as his protector. Obviously, he was not as famous as Master Fan in Juxian Mansion. However, Lin Jue did not ask him whether he knew Master Yun Chan. He just held the teacup and quietly looked at the middle-aged Taoist. "Sir, our conversation should be as simple as water, but you insist on saying these things!" The middle-aged man said to the official beside him unhappily. Then he took the opportunity to say to him, "It just so happens that I have some affinity with the two Taoists. I think your staying here will make our conversation unhappy. So please ask you and General Zeng to leave for a while and go a little further so that we can have some conversation between Taoists." "Heavenly Master!" The official immediately looked frightened, thinking that he had said something wrong and displeased the famous Master Fan. "Heavenly Master!" The general next to him shouted the same thing. There was some worry in his words. The general was a Zhonglang General from the capital, and he followed Master Fan to exorcise the demon, so he naturally knew about it. Although this Heavenly Master has the ability of a god, he can only use it to subdue demons and monsters, and it is ineffective against ordinary people. Therefore, even though the demons and monsters in the capital and the north of Qinzhou are afraid of him and are afraid of his name, if ordinary warriors have bad intentions towards him, he will still be in danger. Especially these two Taoists also carried a long sword. "It's okay. Although I am weak, I have good luck. How can I be in danger so easily? Moreover, I have the ability to judge people. I can naturally see that the two Taoist friends are interesting people whom I met by chance." Master Fan waved his hand, told them to leave, and reminded them again to stay away.
The two men, one civil and one military, had no choice but to get on the small boat, rowing farther away, and looking at the three people and the lights in the boat from afar. Only then did Master Fan look at Lin Jue and the others again. He didn't lie just now. He had indeed developed the ability to judge people since he was a child. After a brief conversation, although he did not ask anything about demons and ghosts and their abilities, he not only saw that the two were not demons or ghosts, but also saw that they should be true masters of Taoism. Besides, he had indeed heard of the name of Fuqiu Temple. It is recorded in the book of Juxian Mansion—— It is said that nearly a hundred years ago, a Taoist from a Taoist temple called Fuqiu Temple in a remote place called Yishan in Huizhou, like a god in the legend, waved his hand and summoned heavenly soldiers and generals to surround the Taoist temple on Yushan outside the capital for seven days and seven nights. The Taoist temple on Yushan is the most famous Taoist temple in Qinzhou that practices magic. It was a pity for the Taoist masters on Jade Mountain. They were originally cultivators for immortality, but they almost starved to death on the mountain. The two sides fought for several days before the Taoist monk Fuqiu retreated. But he really had something to hide at this time. Let me start from a few days ago. About ten days ago, news spread in the capital that a monster was causing chaos in this area and water transportation on the Weishui River had been cut off. People in the capital didn't know what kind of monster this was, but the Juxian Mansion had records that this kind of thing would happen here every ten years, and every time people from the Juxian Mansion would come to check it out. Every time they arrived here, the monster's chaos would disappear without a trace. Tell others that the monster has been eliminated. The county magistrate of Liushui was relieved that water transportation and freight would be restored, and even the people living nearby had to believe it. For the next ten years, the waters were calm. Apart from the young and ignorant age, how many decades do ordinary people have? Until ten years later, the monster appeared again. Anyone who is smart can see that the people from Juxian Mansion are clearly monsters. This is the monster's pattern: they make a big fuss and only happen during these few days every ten years. A few days ago, when he was drinking and having fun in Juxian Mansion, there was a group of people who flattered him, saying that Master Fan had supernatural powers, and at this time the demons and ghosts were causing chaos again. For a while, there was no one willing to go to the entire Juxian Mansion. Why didn't Master Fan go there and completely deal with the demons and ghosts? Being drunk, he agreed immediately. I thought he could also come and perform a ritual like his predecessors, use some scare tactics to say that the monster has been eliminated, and by the next ten years, he would have gone somewhere else to live a carefree life. Besides, the imperial court may not even last until ten years later. Who will remember this matter by then? Unexpectedly, in order to ensure his own safety, he brought a General of the Household and some imperial guards, saying that they were there to help protect him. However, the General of the Household really thought he had incredible powers. When he encountered a monster on the road in the middle of the night, he, who was usually very afraid of monsters, actually took advantage of his power and became bolder. He led his troops to capture the monster and interrogate it. The monster was also timid. When he heard about the Juxian Mansion and Master Fan, he immediately told everything. This is just great-- The Demon King also knew who he was and where his cave was. He also learned from the monster that this was the Demon King respected by all the monsters in the southeast corner of Qinzhou! The accompanying officers and officials were all very excited, thinking that they could make great achievements with the help of Master Fan's abilities. However, Master Fan himself was scared. Are you really going to go? Master Fan had been thinking about countermeasures all the way until he met these two Taoist friends from Yishan.
(End of this chapter)