I am Zhao Zhijing, a poor Taoist priest, and I have disciples all over the world.

Chapter 114: Master Zhao vs. the Snake Demon

The weather in June is like a child’s face, changing in an instant.

That day, Zhao Zhijing, along with his disciples Liu Qingxing and Zhang Qingzhi, left the Yunu Peak and came to Huayin County. The sun was still shining brightly when they were going down the mountain, but it suddenly became cloudy after a while.

As soon as they entered the county town, heavy rain poured down. The master and his two apprentices did not bring rain gear, so they had to run to the nearest teahouse to take shelter from the rain.

"Dr. Tea, a pot of tea."

Since they had entered someone's teahouse to take shelter from the rain, they had to order a pot of tea. Zhao Zhijing didn't need to instruct them on such a small matter, as Liu Qingxing would naturally take care of it.

"Sir, where are we going first?"

This time when they went down the mountain, the three of them changed into ordinary clothes and did not wear Taoist robes, so the two of them also changed their addresses and called their master Zhao Zhijing "Sir".

"Just walk around and take a look. If there is anything you need to buy, go buy it yourself. You don't have to follow me."

Lu Youjiao once said that more than a dozen disciples of the Beggar Gang's branch in Huayin County disappeared mysteriously within a month, and it was possible that Huo Shigen was planning something behind the scenes.

Zhao Zhijing did not tell his disciples about this matter. He just said that the world might be in turmoil recently and asked his disciples to be more careful in their daily lives.

I came to Huayin County today. One reason was to see if there were any clues that could help me figure out the thought that flashed through my mind that day. The other reason was that I hadn’t been down the mountain for a while, so I wanted to appreciate the local customs and people along the way.

"My dear guests, my skill is that it is said that the effect will be halved on cloudy days and completely eliminated on rainy days."

"Thanks to the old teahouse owner for allowing me to come in and tell you the story. I hope you will do me the honor!"

A little further inside the teahouse, there was a big man with a curly beard and his chest was bare. He threw out some loose change and said with a smile, "They say if you don't do good deeds at home, you will be hit by heavy rain when you go out. You must have done something bad, so the heavy rain has cut off your livelihood."

This teahouse had a regular storyteller, but he was unable to arrive due to the heavy rain, so the current storyteller actually took advantage of it. When he saw someone offering a tip, he quickly bowed and accepted it.

Seeing the big man with curly beard dressed like a gangster, with weapons on the tea table, he quickly thanked him, "Thank you for the reward. I would like to thank you on behalf of my three-year-old child and eighty-year-old mother!"

"So much nonsense! I only heard half of it outside just now. Why don't you continue? If you want to thank someone, thank the Immortal Master Zhao in your story. Otherwise, who would have the time to listen to your long-winded talk!"

The big man with the curly beard must be a passing wanderer who was attracted by the storyteller's story when passing by this place. He didn't expect it to rain suddenly.

Because he had only heard the beginning and saw that there was a teahouse in front of him, he greeted the owner and asked the storyteller to come in as well.

"Alright! Let's continue talking about the battle in which Master Zhao of Huashan held up the sun and the moon with one hand and shook the universe with his two arms!"

Zhao Zhijing frowned. He didn't expect that it had been interpreted into a mythological version so quickly. If it was passed on further, wouldn't it turn into a great war, obliterating even the Great Dao?
Liu Qingxing and Zhang Qingzhi, who were sitting at the same table, listened with great interest and would definitely tell their fellow disciples about it when they got back to the mountain.

"It is said that on that day, Master Zhao lifted a colorful boulder weighing a thousand pounds with one hand and was about to suppress the snake demon on Mount Hua. Unexpectedly, the situation suddenly changed, and a scorpion demon with a completely black body and as big as a carriage fell from the sky to help the snake demon."

"Pooh!"

The bearded man originally found the story about the battle with Li Mochou quite interesting, but he suddenly started to brag and slammed the table, cursing, "What a crap! Do you know how big and heavy a thousand-jin boulder is? How can a mortal body lift it?"

The storyteller shrank his neck when he was scolded. In fact, he didn't even know the name of Master Zhao. He just heard other storytellers say that they could make more money, so he learned the general idea and then made up some popular battles between gods and monsters to make a living.

But today I met a picky person. He gave me a reward after listening to the first part of the story, but he turned hostile when he heard the latter part.

"Great hero, calm down! I just want to make a living."

The bearded man stood up from the bench, his pagoda-like body looking even more sturdy. He walked closer and asked, "Let me ask you, what you said earlier about Master Zhao inserting his sword into the boulder, is that true?"

"I only heard it from others, I really don't know!" "Master Zhao from Huashan, humph! I have to go and see for myself whether the sword in the stone is real!"

At this time, the heavy rain outside had subsided, and the dripping raindrops no longer affected our journey.

"Unlucky thing!"

The bearded man cursed again, but did not take back the reward money. He turned and left the teahouse, and it seemed that he was really heading towards Mount Hua.

"Sir, this brother has a very quick temper."

This is not the first time something like this has happened. Recently, many people from all walks of life have come to the Jade Maiden Peak. Some of them, after seeing the sword in the stone at the mountain gate, sneaked away.

There were others who wanted to meet Master Zhao or ask for advice, but they were sent back by Liu Qingxing and other disciples.

"It's all hearsay, and people just follow the crowd. In the end, it will all be blamed on Immortal Master Zhao."

Zhao Zhijing saw that the rain outside had gradually stopped, so he drank the tea in the cup in one gulp and left the teahouse.

"You guys go do your work, I'll walk along the street, and when I'm done I'll come back to this teahouse and wait for you."

"Yes, sir."

Liu Qingxing and Zhang Qingzhi went to the market in the county town, while Zhao Zhijing walked and stopped in places where people gathered, looking at the situation along the street.

"In this world today, there are beggars everywhere, and no one cares if there's one more or one less."

"But it's different for the underworld gangs. How could they not find out if more than a dozen people disappeared in just one month?"

Zhao Zhijing watched a beggar begging on the street from a distance, thinking silently in his heart, "If more than a dozen ordinary people disappear in a row, not only the local gangs, but also the government will intervene."

"In comparison, no one cares about beggars except the Beggars' Sect, so what urgent matter does the source of trouble have that requires him to do this?"

Zhao Zhijing took out a few copper coins from his sleeve, walked slowly forward and put them into the beggar's bowl, then leaned over and glanced at the street corner.

Someone was staring at me just now, but he disappeared in an instant. It seems that his martial arts skills are quite good.

"There was no such person when we were in the teahouse. He must have seen me staring at this beggar, so he came to follow me."

"It seems that this is what Lu Youjiao said, that the Beggars' Sect has arranged a backup plan. I'd better not make trouble, so as not to cause any more misunderstandings."

The area around Huayin should be under the surveillance of the Beggars' Sect by now, but the people of Huo Shigen never act according to common sense. It is also unknown whether Huang Rong, who is known as the female Zhuge Liang in the martial arts world, can come up with a thorough response plan.

"tsk"

"It really gives me a hard time."

From any angle, Zhao Zhijing felt that he could not stay out of it. Even if it was for the sake of his disciples, he should get rid of this harm before leaving.

"The Fairness Cult, the zombies created by humans, the Beggars' Sect"

What are these things that seem to have nothing to do with each other but are put together?

(End of this chapter)