Hou Du Town, Night, Li Mansion
The house was brightly lit. Servants were holding lanterns, and a dozen men were carrying weapons as they searched around the yard.
Hu Ban from the Holy Jail Sect rushed over and quickly found the coachman who was knocked unconscious in the stables. He counted the horses and found that one was missing. The door to the backyard was also open. He searched and found the tracks of a horse.
"This thief killed the man, stole the horse and escaped!" Hu Ban was furious as he whipped the unconscious coachman. The coachman screamed out in pain as he rolled on the ground, clutching his left cheek which was bleeding profusely. He then shouted, "Men, there's a robbery!"
"Idiot!" Hu Ban was enraged as he whipped the coachman. The coachman rolled on the ground in pain. After whipping him, Hu Ban said coldly, "Aren't you going to inform the monastery?"
"Yes!" It was almost dawn, and the dew had yet to dry. The sun had just risen a little when a servant ran towards the monastery.
The Li Mansion was very close to the monastery, and it only took a few minutes for them to arrive. A huge locust tree was planted in front of the monastery, and the path was paved with green stones. Grass grew from the gaps between the tree's branches.
The monastery's door was painted red, and there were two large lanterns hanging on the door. There was a golden plaque above the door, which read, "Golden Rooster Monastery". The servant rushed up and knocked on the door with the brass ring on it.
The brass ring on the door was used as a doorbell, and was made of copper. When someone knocked on it, the sound was very sharp, and could be heard from afar. A twelve or thirteen year old Daoist opened the door. His eyes were hazy, and his hair was a little messy. He yawned, "Who is it, knocking on the door so early in the morning?"
"Not good, I'm from the Li Mansion. Master was killed by a thief today."
"This has to be reported to the authorities, why are you here?" This young Daoist was only a servant, and didn't know much about such matters. However, he would occasionally see people from the Li Mansion, and knew that they were rich. They would often give out silver as gifts, and yet when something happened to the Li Mansion, they didn't report it to the authorities. Instead, they came to look for the monastery's Master. That was weird. However, he didn't care, and decided to inform the authorities. He then entered the monastery. The monastery was very neat. There was a Daoist Monarch in the main hall, and the walls were painted with colorful paintings.
The Daoist child entered the inner temple and knocked on the door. A male voice asked, "Why are you here so early in the morning? What's the matter?"
The little Daoist said, "Monastery Master, it's like this. Something has happened to the Li Mansion at the foot of the mountain. I heard that the Master of the Li Mansion was killed last night. He came to the monastery to ask you to take charge of the situation. Now he is at the door. Should I let him in?"
"What? Master Li has been killed? "The Taoist inside suddenly stood up.
The little Daoist thought for a while. There were no other Li residences in this town, only one. He heard that the owner of this house was called Li Wen Jing. He then said, "Monastery Head, there shouldn't be any other big families in this town."
"Go call your two Senior Brothers. Tell them that I must go to the Li Residence immediately!" As the Abbey Dean spoke to the little Daoist boy, a lady's voice was heard, "Xu Lang, be careful when you go."
It was said that the Daoist monastery was divided into the Children's Monastery and the Forest Monastery. The Children's Monastery was a Daoist monastery that was privately owned by the Daoist family. The Forest Monastery was a Daoist monastery that did not marry. This monastery was the Children's Monastery. Naturally, there would be marriages. The little Daoist boy could tell that it was the voice of his Master's wife. His Master had instructed him to turn around and leave. Without hesitation, he went to call his two Senior Brothers.
The Abbey Dean's face darkened as he looked up at the pitch black sky. This Daoist monastery was one of the Holy Jail Sect's Monasteries. Li Wen Jing was an outer sect disciple and did not live here. He had his own mansion in the town.
Although Zhang Jie Yu felt that since he had cultivated Dao Arts, the chances of him passing the High Scholar Exam were not high, it was not impossible. Hence, he decided to give it a try. Hence, he brought a few people with him to the prefecture. When he was free, Li Wen Jing returned to the Li Mansion in the county capital. He did not expect to be killed the moment he returned.
The little Daoist boy was still young and did not know about the Holy Jail Sect. Hence, the Abbey Dean did not bring him along. The three Daoists followed the servant with their weapons and a long sword.
When they entered the Li Mansion, the few Daoists entered the inner courtyard amidst the sounds of crying. A few young married women were dressed in white. They were crying, but their eyes were filled with seduction.
When the Daoist saw them, he felt his heart warm up. Li Wen Jing's house had a restrictive spell, and Li Wen Jing knew some Dao Arts. As long as there was danger, he would be able to send a message. He would not be killed so easily. Who would have thought that he would die so easily?
As he walked up to ask, a young married woman pointed at the bed. The Daoist looked at the person on the bed. The Daoist looked at his junior brother whom he had joked with the day before. His eyes were filled with fear and anger. His lips were slightly parted, as if he was still talking before he died. It was indeed Li Wen Jing.
The corpse was covered with a blanket. The Daoist's face darkened. He lifted the blanket to take a look. There was a sword wound that had pierced through his heart. After careful examination, there were no other wounds.
"He was killed by a highly skilled martial artist. A sword pierced through his heart." The sword wound was small and deep, clean and neat. The Abbey Dean's eyes were dark and gloomy. He spoke sternly, "Go and check if the restrictive spells in the lower courtyard have been broken. What's the situation?"
"Yes!" The three disciples acknowledged. The Daoist's face was cold and stern, as if a layer of frost had formed over it. He then asked his wife, "Wife, tell me what happened one more time."
The wife's face turned red as she picked out the details of the incident. The Daoist then understood, "So it turns out that my junior brother was having an open meeting, and had sent the guards and servants out of the outer courtyard. He was killed the moment he stepped out."
The Daoist was somewhat suspicious and asked, "Wife, where was my junior brother killed?"
The young married woman then stood up and led the Daoist to a corridor. All they could see were spots of blood. As they walked forward, they saw a large pool of blood, which had coagulated into a bloody scab.
The Daoist checked the blood stains and called the servants over. He questioned them one by one, but none of them saw anything. Only the coachman saw a blurry shadow and called him over to question him.
The coachman's entire body was covered with whip marks. He knelt down on the ground, "Abbey Dean, it was very late at night. I heard a sound, and saw a blurry shadow. I don't know what flew over and knocked him out. One of the horses was taken away as well."
"He was knocked out, but his life wasn't in danger. Not only was he a highly skilled martial artist, he wasn't an evil person." The Daoist thought to himself. At this point, the person who had been sent out to check on the restrictive spells had returned to report, "Master, the restrictive spells in the courtyard were not damaged. It seems like someone who was proficient in Dao arts and sword techniques had infiltrated the courtyard and harmed Senior Uncle Li."
The Daoist paced back and forth, hesitating. It was possible that there were spies.
"Although junior brother Li was only an outer sect disciple, he had always been a strategist. He was always in charge of the affairs of the county. In fact, he was even more important than most of the inner sect disciples."
"Now that he's dead, the affairs of the county will be affected. Looks like the next time I go to the underworld, I shall investigate the whereabouts of junior brother Li's soul, and find out who killed him." The Daoist gritted his teeth and made a decision, "But the Yin and Yang are separated, and the City God is in charge of this place. I have to pay the price."
He then entered the room and ordered everyone, "All of you, retreat."
Once everyone had retreated, he looked at Li Wen Jing who was lying on the bed, "Junior brother Li, you and I entered the sect together. It's just that I was diligent in my cultivation of Dao arts. You were good at managing the affairs of the county, and had great intelligence. You supported Young Master Zhang, and had power and authority. However, you were rusty in your Dao arts, and failed to open the gates of heaven. Hence, you were killed by someone."
He then sighed, "If I don't open the gates of heaven, I won't be able to become a ghost. I'm just a mortal soul."
Hearing these words, the Daoist's two disciples who were standing behind the Daoist couldn't help but feel a little sad. The Daoist then stopped and said, "Stand guard for me. I'll make a trip to the Underworld and find out who killed your Senior Uncle Li."
"Yes!" The two young Daoists replied, as they wielded their swords and stood guard around him.
The Daoist then retrieved three incense sticks and lit them up. He then inserted them into an incense burner, causing smoke to rise up. The Daoist then placed the incense on Li Wen Jing's body before he closed his eyes and sat down.
Moments later, a bright light appeared above the Daoist's head, before disappearing without a trace.
"Master has left his body." The two young Daoists had looks of envy on their faces. This was a ghost immortal.
Heaven and Earth
The entire place looked grey and hazy, as countless amounts of grey and black smoke sank into the ground. At this point, a bright light appeared, as it protected the Daoist. Smoke surrounded the entire place.
"The Yin wind is here." As soon as he arrived, the Yin wind blew onto the Daoist's body. There was a Yin Mountain in the distance, and several human skeletons could be seen walking about. From time to time, monsters would appear and devour these skeletons. These monsters didn't dare to approach the Daoist, and only watched from afar, as if they were afraid of him.
On this piece of land, spiritual lights could be seen descending from the sky. These were spots of white light, and when they landed on the ground, a transformation would occur.
"The number of incense sticks descending, forming a small Paradise. These must be the Ancestral Temple in the Underworld."
However, these weren't the right places to go. He could see a faint scent of incense leading the way. It was the God Seeking Incense that he had just lit. It was leading the Daoist forward.
As he walked, he saw a city. He could see a white light rising up from the ground, and there were even bailiffs patrolling the area. The Daoist stopped in his tracks, "Ai, the souls of ordinary people are scattered all over the Underworld. Who knows, nobody would care about them. Looks like junior brother Li's soul has entered the city with the Emissary of Hell, and is now under the jurisdiction of the City God."
Ordinary people would think that when a person dies, he would enter the underworld. However, that wasn't the case. First, the person would be sent to the City God, who would then decide whether to keep or punish him. Either he would be sent to hell, or he would be sent back to his hometown to receive incense from the Ancestral Temple, or he would be arranged to live in the city.
This place was close to the county city, and since the God Seeking Incense was pointing towards the city, it must be him. He then turned into a ray of light and arrived at the city gates. Someone shouted, "Audacious Daoist, this is the jurisdiction of the City God. Do not trespass!"
Standing in front of the Daoist was a man dressed in the uniform of a bailiff. Behind him were two soldiers.
The Daoist bowed slightly and threw out a token. The bailiff received it and looked at it, "So you have the token to enter the city. Please enter!"
The Daoist then entered the city.
"All Daoist sects have relations with the Underworld. My Holy Jail Sect naturally has one as well." The Daoist didn't even look at the city. It wasn't that he was looking down on them, but rather, he was looking at them with respect.
In this world, the County City God Earl and the County City God Marquis were not to be underestimated.
The Daoist entered a residence. This residence was dark grey in color, and was rather spacious. There was a fire burning at the entrance, and it caused one's hair to stand on end. At this point, a man dressed in official robes walked out and smiled, "So it's a Daoist friend from Holy Jail Sect. Please come in. I love good food, and I love wine. Since you're here, why don't you drink a few cups?"
The official laughed as his body glowed with a white light. He led the way and saw a tea table in the middle of the hall. At this point, he waved his hand and a cup of wine appeared in front of him.
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