On the Avenue.

Chapter 248 Qingzhou Bandit Leader
Qingzhou is located in the north of Xinxiang, separated by Xianzhou and Chongshanzhou.

There is a waterway connecting Xianzhou to Qingzhou, called Xianzhou River, which passes through the two provinces and can directly reach the provincial capital of Qingzhou.

Chen Shi rested for one night in the provincial capital of Xianzhou, and the next morning he came to the riverside pier, where there were many passenger and cargo ships traveling between provinces. Among the many ships, there was a pleasure boat moored at the shore, and the boat girl looked up at the shore.

Chen Shi is as important as the Qingtian Master, so the father and daughter divided the work, one guarding the Qingtian Master and the other guarding Chen Shi.

She is responsible for looking after Chen Shi.

For this trip to Qingzhou, water transportation was the most convenient, so she moved the pleasure boat to Xianzhou River early and waited for Chen Shi there.

After a while, Chen Shi really came into her sight.

The boat girl was delighted and walked back to the cabin, thinking, "When he sees my pleasure boat, he will definitely come over. I will tease him and pretend that we meet by chance."

As soon as she entered the pleasure boat, she heard a loud splash and heard many boatmen exclaiming and admiring in amazement.

She looked outside hastily and was stunned.

Chen Shi's wooden cart jumped into the Xianzhou River, and Chen Shi and the black dog jumped onto the cart.

The canopy on the wooden cart opened with a swish, the wheels turned, and it drove out of the dock.

The boatman stared blankly at the wooden cart going farther and farther away. Unexpectedly, under the canopy, a shadow of the God of Wind appeared. He was no bigger than three inches and was holding a palm-leaf fan. He fanned a strong wind and made the wooden cart move very fast in the water. Its speed was even faster than the speed of the speedboat in the river!

"I am... useless?"

It was two days later that Chen Shi arrived in Qingzhou Province.

He took out Li Tianqing's letter, turned to the back, compared it with the geographical map, and looked up at the mountains on both sides.

According to the geographical map drawn by Li Tianqing, the Temple of Guandijun is not in the provincial capital of Qingzhou, but at the foot of the mountain on the left bank.

He found a simple pier in the countryside. It was deserted and had a few dilapidated fishing boats docked there.

The wooden cart jumped onto the dock and shook off the water stains on the cart skillfully.

Chen Shi glanced at it and felt that the action was somewhat familiar.

There was a town not far away, and several yamen runners were posting notices outside the town.

A man carrying a hoe passed by and was grabbed by one of the yamen runners, with a steel knife pressed to his neck.

The man knelt on the ground in fear and begged for mercy. The bailiff pressed the knife on his neck while he went to read the notice.

"He is not a wanted criminal." The bailiff laughed and waved his hand, telling him to get out.

Chen Shi looked at the notice board. Most of the notices on it were wanted warrants for gangsters. Some had turned yellow, some had been torn so that the features could not be seen clearly, and some had warrants pasted on top of warrants. There were more than a dozen of them, forming a thick stack.

He took a quick look and thought there were probably three to five hundred wanted posters on the notice board.

One of the wanted posters was for a man named Wang Erniu, who stole a hoe from next door, committed a capital crime, and is now on the run.

Chen Shi read it twice and was shocked to see that Wang Erniu was indeed sentenced to death.

There was also a scholar named Fang Jin who threw stones at the county magistrate's sedan chair. He was sentenced to death and is now on the run.

The widow Yue Xiu'e did not want to be buried in a memorial archway and wanted to remarry. She was sentenced to death and is now on the run.

Xu Tiezhu stepped on more than ten seedlings in the field and was fined five cents of silver. He refused to accept the punishment and was sentenced to death. He is now on the run.

……

The yamen runners also noticed him. Seeing that he was wearing the robes of a juren, they politely asked, "Junren, which gangster do you recognize? If you can capture him, the yamen will offer a reward of 100 taels of silver."

Chen Shi said solemnly, "I am a scholar from Xinxiang Province. I abide by the law. If I encounter bandits, I will take them to the government office to collect the reward. Do you know how to get to Weidang Village?"

"Weidang Village? If you walk along this road for about ten miles, there is a mountain road. If you walk along the road for about seven or eight miles, you will see a lake with reeds all around. Weidang Village is right next to it, facing Qingzhou City."

Chen Shi thanks you.

Several yamen runners watched him leave with the wooden cart and the black dog, then checked the arrest warrant on the notice, but did not find a face similar to Chen Shi, and sighed with regret.

Chen Shi walked forward. There were many wooden stakes on both sides of the road. The stakes were arranged in a cross shape. There were shirtless people hanging on each stake, both men and women. Some of them were still alive and wailing softly. They must be prisoners who had committed capital crimes.

The sun was scorching hot, and the prisoners were dehydrated. The dead bodies were pitch black. When Chen Shi passed by, he heard a buzzing sound, and swarms of black flies flew up from the bodies and circled around them.

As he passed by, the flies flew back and the body became pitch black again.

He also saw two yamen runners escorting a prisoner, with a rope around his neck, hanging the prisoner under a big tree.

The man hanging on the tree kicked his legs hard and died.

"What crime did he commit?" Chen Shi asked, stopping the car.

The two yamen runners saw that he was a scholar and said, "He was so hungry that he stole a bag of grain from the granary. He should be executed according to the law."

Chen Shi was puzzled: "Aren't the laws of Qingzhou the laws of the Ming Dynasty? Why are they so strict?"

The two yamen runners' faces suddenly changed. The young yamen runner pressed the hilt of his sword and shouted, "You have committed a serious crime by making irresponsible remarks about the laws of Qingzhou!"

The older bailiff quickly stopped him and said to Chen Shi with a smile, "He was drunk and didn't mean to arrest you. I'll apologize on his behalf."

The young yamen runner was puzzled, and the older yamen runner quietly pressed his hand, signaling him to stop talking.

Chen Shi drove away.

The older yamen runner complained, "Can't you see? He's wearing the clothes of a juren. His cultivation must be much higher than ours! If you attack him, we'll be the ones hanging on the tree!"

The young yamen runner said sternly, "Old Liu is indeed a very thoughtful person. But he is making a presumptuous comment on the laws of Qingzhou..."

"Just draw a wanted warrant and hang it up, and someone will bring him to justice."

After a while, Chen Shi's portrait was posted on the bulletin board, and the charge was that he had made irresponsible remarks about the laws of Qingzhou.

As Chen Shi walked along, he saw many such lonely big trees on the roadside, with one or two or three corpses hanging on them.

Some of the bodies were only left with skeletons, but they were still not removed.

When the wind blew, the bones in the skeletons hanging on the trees collided with each other, making a rustling sound, like ripe nuts on the tree.

There are many evil spirits roaming in the mountains and fields, and they make creepy roars from time to time. Evil spirits gather in ravines or ponds. Some are gray, some are green, and can be seen with the naked eye.

Similar evil spirits are everywhere, floating like clouds in the mountains.

Chen Shi looked up at the sky. There was only the sun in the sky; the moon had not yet come out, but the evil spirits in Qingzhou were already active everywhere.

He saw several babies lying lazily on the side of the road, with their baby-like heads hanging on the trees and taking a nap.

When Chen Shi and the wooden cart passed by, the hundreds of babies just opened their sleepy eyes, stared at them as they walked by, and then closed their eyes and fell asleep again.

They had no urge to hunt, which was very different from the evil spirits in other places.

Chen Shi thought to himself, "These evil spirits have eaten too many prisoners and have become lazy."

He walked for more than ten miles and found the mountain road. After walking six or seven miles, he saw a reed marsh. The reeds had grown long stems that looked like tails, like white fox tails with a light gray hue, and they grew in groups.

And Weidang Village is just opposite the reed marsh.

He took out the geographical map and checked the direction, and came to the place outside Weidang Village near the foot of the mountain. There were few people here, and only an ancient temple stood at the foot of the mountain.

In the fields outside the temple, several strange people with big ears were sitting or standing around the temple, listening attentively and writing and drawing with pens.

"The Heaven Listener is monitoring this temple of the God of Wealth?"

Chen Shi was quite surprised. After checking the geographical map, he found that this was indeed the place.

But why would the Heaven Listener monitor the Temple of the God of Wealth?
Some time ago, there were eavesdroppers who monitored Chen Shi. However, after Chen Shi arrived at Danan Lake, the eavesdroppers seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth and could no longer be found.

"What did Tianqing do? Why are there so many Tianting listeners?"

Just as he thought of this, he saw Li Tianqing pushing open the temple door.

Li Tianqing was surprised and delighted to see him. He quickly walked up to him and said with a smile, "Xiao Shi, I finally waited for you!"

Chen Shi jumped off the wooden cart and said with a smile: "I have been delayed in Qianyang Mountain for several days and have been worried about your safety. I am glad that you are okay!"

Li Tianqing raised the letter in his hand and said with a smile: "I was going to go to Qingzhou Prefecture today to send a letter to tell you that I am fine now and you don't need to come. I never thought you would be here!"

In the distance, the listeners pricked up their ears and quickly recorded the conversation with their pens.

Li Tianqing looked at them warily, invited Chen Shi into the temple, and closed the temple door.

Chen Shi looked around the temple of the God of Wealth and saw that it had been cleaned by Li Tianqing, the doors, windows and roof had been repaired, and the yard was well maintained. There were spiritual fields on both sides, with some spiritual herbs growing very well.

There is also a well in the yard, which has been cleaned.

There is also a pond for releasing animals. The pond has been cleaned and the water in it is crystal clear.

However, on the walls on both sides, there were crisscrossing bloodstains, as if someone's head had been chopped off by a very fast knife, and the flying blood was splashed on the wall!

He felt an inexplicable pressure coming over him and couldn't help but look towards the hall.

That is where the extraordinary power is most concentrated.

He walked forward, the feeling of oppression became stronger and stronger, as if a mountain of swords and a sea of ​​fire appeared before his eyes, and a towering god and devil was sitting in the middle of the mountain of swords and the sea of ​​fire, dozing off. His body was extremely tall and majestic, and when he woke up and opened his eyes, he would kill his evil head with a thud!
The closer Chen Shi got to the hall, the stronger the sense of oppression became, making him tremble with fear.

There were also many knife marks and shocking bloodstains on the walls of the hall.

"Tianqing, are you sure this is the Temple of the God of Wealth, not the Temple of the God of War?" Chen Shi asked.

Li Tianqing dragged the plaque over and said with a smile, "Look."

Chen Shi looked over and saw that it was indeed the Temple of the God of Wealth. He became more and more puzzled: "Is the oppression of the God of Wealth so strong?"

He had seen many gods from China, but the one who gave him the most oppressive feeling was Guandi. It was as if there was a big knife on his neck, which could chop down at any time!
However, there was no evil spirit here. The main hall should be where Li Tianqing practiced. Sunlight was pouring down from another world. Some children in yellow clothes and black hats were basking in the sun in the hall.

Chen Shi sensed carefully and detected no evil aura. On the contrary, the positive energy of the three lights here was very strong, and the positive energy of heaven and earth was full, not inferior to the small temple behind his head.

Although the extraordinary power of the shrine in the temple is gathering, it is still a long way from condensing into a divine appearance.

He looked around and found that this temple was different from other ancient temples he had seen before. Most of those ancient temples were located in remote places, but the Temple of the God of Wealth was at the foot of the mountain, with its gate facing Qingzhou City.

"Maybe this place is more attractive to evil spirits."

Li Tianqing said, "Some time ago, there were evil spirits here at night, and they even ran into the temple, but they were suddenly hacked to death. I was safe and sound. I guess the God of Wealth blessed me because I repaired the temple. In the past two days, I have slept very soundly, and no evil spirits have broken into the temple."

Chen Shi was also relieved and suggested: "Since you are fine, why don't we just move this temple of the God of Wealth away."

Li Tianqing was stunned: "Move away?"

Chen Shi smiled and said, "You need the Three Lights and Righteousness to practice now. If you leave this temple, where can you practice? You will go to Xijing to take the imperial examination next year. Without the Temple of the God of Wealth, how can you practice? Of course, you should take this Temple of the God of Wealth with you, just like the small temple behind my head. You can carry it with you and practice at any time in your daily life."

Li Tianqing asked, "How do we do it?"

"I once refined a courtyard using the Taotie Heaven-Swallowing Talisman. The exterior was only about a foot square, but the interior was about the same size as a normal courtyard."

Chen Shi looked around and said, "Using this method, we can move the entire God of Wealth Temple into a one-foot square courtyard!"

Li Tianqing knew his attainments in talismans, and quickly bowed and said, "Please, Xiao Shi!"

Chen Shi sacrificed his Yuanying and floated above the Temple of the God of Wealth, carefully observing the layout of the temple. He then cut down a big tree, cut off a wooden stake, controlled the sword energy, and carved a temple on the stake.

After Chen Shi finished carving, he needed to repeatedly imprint talismans to ensure that the internal space of the temple was as large as the Temple of the God of Wealth. Only in this way could the Temple of the God of Wealth be moved to the small temple.

This is a delicate and meticulous job that cannot be completed in a day or two.

Chen Shi carved patiently and stopped to rest when he was tired.

He and Li Tianqing had not seen each other for a long time, so naturally they had a lot to talk about, ranging from their experiences during this period, to their gains from cultivation, to the matter of elixirs increasing one's lifespan.

When talking about some sensitive points, the two of them wrote them down on paper to avoid being recorded by the eavesdroppers outside the temple.

After dinner, Chen Shi lit the lamp and continued to carve the small temple, while Li Tianqing gradually fell asleep.

Before he knew it, it was midnight. Chen Shi felt sleepy. He yawned and was about to put down the work in his hands when he was suddenly overwhelmed by a great sense of oppression. Before his eyes, there appeared a sea of ​​fire and a mountain of swords!

Chen Shi's heart was pounding. He mobilized his Nascent Soul and stimulated his Qi and blood. Gradually, he was able to see things around him, but his vision was still a little blurry.

He could only see the outlines, not the details.

At this moment, Li Tianqing, who was sleeping, stood up straight!

Just as Chen Shi was about to wake him up, he saw Li Tianqing flying out of the hall. Chen Shi hurriedly rushed out of the hall, only to see Li Tianqing landing on a huge red-flaming horse, with a green dragon aura swirling around him.

"call--"

The temple gate opened and Li Tianqing rode away on his horse.

Chen Shi felt the pressure relieved, and immediately rushed out of the God of Wealth Temple, shouting, "Black Pot, you look after the house!"

He ran out of the Temple of the God of Wealth at an extremely fast speed, but saw Li Tianqing already several miles away. He raised his hand and slashed with his sword. A green blade energy flew out, and an evil spirit that was devouring the corpses of prisoners hanging on the side of the road was stunned, and its head slipped off its neck.

The fracture was so smooth that Chen Shi's eyes twitched!
This knife is close to Tao!
Li Tianqing galloped on his horse, his horse's hooves stepping on the flames, killing evil spirits along the way and heading straight for Qingzhou City!

Chen Shi knew something was wrong and immediately rushed forward with all his strength, but he was getting farther and farther away from Li Tianqing.

Li Tianqing was still a few miles away from the provincial capital of Qingzhou when a green knife light flew out. With a loud bang, the gate of Qingzhou City flew up in the knife light and split into two halves!
Chen Shi watched from afar as Li Tianqing swung his sword again, and the Ten Thousand Souls Banner hanging on the city wall suddenly split in the middle.

This magical weapon that guards the city was split in half by a single sword!

Chen Shi was terrified and followed Li Tianqing into Qingzhou City.

The city was in an uproar.

There were wanted criminals posted on the notice board at the city gate. When Chen Shi passed by, he took a quick glance and saw the bandit leader at the top of the list, riding a huge horse with red flames all over its body, holding a green dragon sword in his hand, with a murderous aura.

The face of the bandit leader was Li Tianqing!

Chen Shi was stunned.

"It turns out that the evil spirits that haunt the temple every night are not evil spirits, but Tianqing! Wait, then who is it that kills Tianqing every night?"

——This time the writer’s block is even worse than I thought!

(End of this chapter)