I am a swordsman in a strange city

Chapter 88 Thunderfire Demon-Slaying Sword Order
After that, Pei Ju was completely out of the picture.

With relevant departments taking over, he, as an unofficial staff member, was unable to integrate into their system at all.

After saying goodbye, he went straight home.

Although he really wanted to find Mr. Mirror, he knew it was impossible in the short term.

In the days that followed, I would call Liu Yijia every day. Her company had enrolled her in a psychic training course so that she would learn about some taboos of psychic communication and gain more knowledge about esoteric practices.

Pei Ju didn't know much about this. He had studied with Han Yitong for a while and also learned some from Senior Sister Yu, but his learning was incomplete, unsystematic, and lacked the detailed progression from simple to complex.

Therefore, the things he knows are very fragmented.

From his conversation with Liu Yijia, he learned that this variety show called "Spiritual Game" combines popular science and entertainment. It aims to let everyone know how scary "spiritual communication" can be, but it also tells everyone that they shouldn't be too afraid when they encounter paranormal events. As long as they know some rules, they can still avoid getting into trouble in paranormal events.

Chen Sheng had not been able to find a suitable replacement for Pei Ju to play the xiao, nor had anyone composed such a piece. Recently, after Pei Ju stopped playing the xiao, many rumors began to circulate. Some said that he wanted a raise after becoming famous, but director Chen Sheng disagreed, so they parted ways.

Some say he's being kept by a sugar daddy, others say he's dating Liu Yijia, and still others say he's entered the entertainment industry.

There are all sorts of messages, some well-intentioned, some slanderous out of jealousy.

None of that mattered, and he didn't even look at it.

Suddenly, a call came in on his phone. It was a man's voice. He introduced himself as someone from the Taoist Association and said he had something to deliver. Of course, it was something that Sister Yu had asked him to bring.

Pei Ju didn't know anyone from the Taoist Association. He had little contact with them when he was at the Xijiang Xionglan Peak Taoist Temple. Although some people would occasionally visit his senior sister, they were just nodding acquaintances to him, and he wasn't familiar with them.

The other person's voice sounded quite young, but when he met him, he found that the other person was a Taoist priest with a beard, who looked to be in his thirties, wearing a sky-blue Taoist robe, a black Taoist hat, and black cloth shoes.

Pei Ju had met him before; he had visited Senior Sister Yu at Xionglan Peak.

“Fellow Daoist may not remember me. I belong to the ‘Chong’ generation of disciples, and my Daoist name is Chongshan. In principle, I should call you Master, but since you have not truly entered the Dao, we do not use the seniority system in the Daoist sect.”

“This time, before I came to Haishi, I received a letter from Master Yu. She asked me to go to Xionglan Peak to bring you something.” Chongshan took out a small box he was carrying, opened it, and there was another small box inside.

"What is it?" Pei Ju asked casually.

“I don’t know, Master Yu didn’t show it to me.” Chongshan was obviously curious as well. After he handed the box to Pei Ju, Pei Ju took it to the sofa and looked at the wax seal on it. He knew that no one had opened the box.

Besides this wax seal, there were no other locks. When you opened it, there was a piece of red cloth wrapped inside.

He picked it up and found it to be very light. He carefully untied the red cloth, revealing another layer of yellow talisman paper wrapped inside.

After unraveling the yellow talisman, he saw a thing about two fingers wide.

It was like a small sword, but not quite. He held it in his fingers and examined it; it was unexpectedly light.

It wasn't thin at all, weighing at most the same as a coin, and he carefully examined the words on it.

He wasn't a member of the orthodox Taoist profession, so he didn't know much about this. However, there was a Taoist priest next to him, and he quickly recognized the thunder incantation, fire incantation, ghost-suppressing incantation, and execution order on it.

"What is this?" Pei Ju asked.

"Do you know about 'ghost-killing money'? It's also known as 'mountain ghost money'," Chongshan asked.

"I know." Pei Ju's family used to have a sword made by a mountain spirit, but he later learned that the ghost-slaying sword was also left by his maternal grandfather.

"There is another type of money, also known as sword coins and knife coins, which are extremely rare. After circulating in the market for a period of time and being tainted by the yang energy of the mortal world, these coins will be taken back by people. This process is called mortal world refining, which is the process of refining raw materials into mature materials."

"After taking it back, it needs to be refined again. The method of refinement corresponds to the various spells on it. For example, the thunder spell on it needs to be refined with thunder magic, the fire spell needs to be refined with fire magic, and the spells to suppress ghosts and kill also need to be refined with corresponding magic."

"Once all of this has been refined, this magical artifact will be complete."

"Of course, it's not wrong for everyone to call it a forbidden artifact or a taboo artifact now."

As Pei Ju held this very light yet hard-to-the-touch object in his hand, he couldn't help but recall most of the scenes from the five years he spent with Senior Sister Yu on that mountain.

My senior sister is stargazing, while I'm playing the flute.

Senior Sister Yu was looking at the mountains while she practiced her swordsmanship in the mountains.

Seeing that Pei Ju seemed to still have some doubts about the thing in his hand, Chongshan said, "This thing has another name in the hands of ancient cultivators."

"what?"

"Flying sword!"

"Is this a flying sword?"

"Yes," Chongshan said affirmatively, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be called the Thunderfire Demon-Slaying Sword Token."

Pei Ju saw the envy in the other person's eyes. He even felt that if it weren't for Senior Sister Yu giving it to him, he would have asked to buy it himself.

"However, to unleash the power of this sword token, it must first be refined again. It is evident that this sword token has been underground for many years, and the yin energy on it is almost washing away the magical essence on it."

"Re-consecrate it?" Pei Ju asked.

“You could say that,” Chongshan said.

"How do you consecrate something?" Pei Ju didn't really understand this.

Then he noticed that there were words on the talisman.

"When you act upon command, your mind and spirit are in harmony, your thoughts are like thunder and fire, you can slay demons and carry out punishments, and your tools will naturally become clear."

Chongshan also peeked over to look and read it aloud. He then exclaimed, "Master Yu is indeed worthy of being called Master Yu. My master said that Master Yu's talent is rare in the Daoist sect. This short sentence has clearly explained the method of refining."

After Pei Ju finished reading it, he naturally understood the general idea in his mind.

Chongshan then got up to take his leave, and Pei Ju got up to see him off.

He held the Thunderfire Demon-Slaying Sword Token and rubbed it repeatedly with his hand.

Clearly, the filth on it had been wiped clean, but a layer of gloomy atmosphere still lingered.

It's like someone who's already sick, not dead yet, but the illness has penetrated deep inside, and it feels like they're on their deathbed.

He picked up the talisman and read the words on it again, sighing inwardly.

"My senior sister is so good to me, just like she would her own disciple."

He picked up the Thunderfire Demon-Slaying Sword Token in his hand.

He turned sideways, landed on the stake, held the sword token in his left hand, and pinched the small hilt of the sword in his right hand.

This is the Ghost-Slaying Sword-Drawing Style. The sword is drawn and raised, the sword token slicing through the void. Pei Ju only felt that there was a dark and stagnant energy swirling on the sword token. His energy was as if it had entered a blocked passage, and could only flow through it and disperse in all directions.

Therefore, he could only practice this sword technique again and again.

The Demon-Slaying Sword-Drawing Style.

Use your own spirit and inner energy to cleanse the gloomy aura from the sword.

He practiced for the entire afternoon, until evening, when he felt he needed to relax.

So I went to eat hot pot by myself.

He ate there alone, the sword token tied to the end with a red rope, then hung around his neck, hidden close to his body.

About an hour later, we left the hot pot restaurant.

He walked toward the busiest street, where a river flows through the city, attracting tourists from all over the world.

He came to the riverbank with the Thunderfire Demon-Slaying Sword Token, feeling the atmosphere of the mortal world.

Because the sword token wasn't large, he held it in his hand and swung it around his wrist as he walked, without any abruptness, and the frequency wasn't high either.

He needed to ensure that every swing of his sword was effective and that he didn't waste his energy.

This is what Senior Sister Yu said. She said she would rather go slower than compromise on the effectiveness of each move. If you only pursue speed, then in crucial moments, even if the sword strike is fast, the Qi and mind cannot be delivered, making the strike merely an ordinary, mundane one, and ineffective.

If it comes to a critical moment, this sword could cost him his life.

He walked along the river, using his sword to cut through the wind and the worldly atmosphere. He returned to his residence in the middle of the night and found that the gloom on the sword seemed to have lessened.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

After washing up, I held my sword and went to sleep.

The light in the next room was on, and Chen Sheng went to the balcony to look at the next room. She didn't see the person she wanted to see and felt a little disappointed.

……

Chongshan and the president of the Haishi Taoist Association arrived at the office building of the Extraordinary Committee.

We found the association president, who was an elderly man.

He appears kind and amiable, but only those who truly understand him know how many lives his subordinates have taken—not just human lives, but also all sorts of bizarre ones.

His gaze was always fixed on those parasitic humans, searching for the spirits that had already entered the human world.

His name is Zhou He, and he is the pillar of stability for the entire city of Haishi.

"Master Yusheng, what brings you here?" Zhou He said with a hearty laugh.

However, he did not stand up. He spoke casually, but his actions did not reflect this; he remained seated.

The Taoist Association is a significant force nationwide because it is an indigenous sect of the Longxiang Kingdom, and no one's thoughts and cultivation philosophy can escape its influence.

When Zhou He was young, he also studied the internal cultivation methods of some schools of Taoism.

Among the seven members of the Extraordinary Committee, there is also one who comes from the Taoist sect.

However, in recent years, the Taoist Association of Haishi has had some conflicts with this Extraordinary Committee.

"Of course, it's all thanks to your wisdom, Chairman," Master Yusheng said with a smile. He was about the same age as the Chairman, and the two had known each other for a long time, so even when they had a disagreement, they could still crack a joke.

"Oh, so you need something from me?" Chairman Zhou He said with a smile.

"You could say that, but I think it's a deal, a deal that's very beneficial to you, Chairman," Master Yusheng said with a smile.

"Oh, I'm all ears." Chairman Zhou He slapped Chongshan, then turned his gaze to Daoist Yusheng.

He knew very well that his friend, whom he had known since childhood, might not be the most capable, but he was able to sit in the position of president of the Shanghai Taoist Association because of his tactful conduct and interpersonal skills.

Of course, he knew where he was sitting, so he would definitely speak up for the person who arranged the seats.

Just like five years ago, he did his best to prevent a censorship.

"I want to help a child get something back," Master Yuzuru said earnestly.

"What is it?" Chairman Zhou He asked.

"It's just a sword hall," Master Yusheng said casually.

However, Zhou He suddenly laughed. He laughed loudly and said, "Daoist, do you really think that a mere Sword Hall would need to come to me?"

"Because you specifically ordered it to be nationalized, no one dares to put it back," Master Yusheng sighed.

"Hehe, then tell me, which sword hall is it?" Zhou He stopped laughing and asked seriously.

"The Pei Clan's Demon-Slaying Sword Hall," Master Yusheng said without hesitation.

"Really?" Zhou He said as if he had a question. "Let me think, how did we collect it back then? Oh, right, it was a mysterious leak. There was a shrine that was about to go out of control, right?"

He asked this question, but Master Yusheng did not answer. Instead, he said, "The one you want to investigate is already dead."

"Dead?" Zhou He raised his thick, slightly white eyebrows, sneered, and said, "I don't believe it. Do you?"

"Whether you believe it or not, it doesn't matter. We all know that sometimes death is not the end, but when we talk about death, we usually mean leaving this world," said Master Yusheng.

"It was your association that prevented me from conducting a thorough investigation into him back then. Otherwise, I could have uncovered many things." Zhou He's voice carried a hint of coldness.

Master Yusheng lowered his head and poured himself a cup of tea.

“No matter what, it’s all in the past. One of his disciples is one of our own. She brought a message with her: if the guild leader is willing to return the sword hall, she will owe you a favor,” said Master Yusheng.

"Are you talking about that young female Taoist priest whose Taoist name is simply 'Yu'?" Zhou He asked, not much of a surprise.

"Yes," said Master Yusheng.

"I heard she's a genius in your Taoist sect, but she's still young. How could a single favor from her be so significant that it would warrant your Taoist Master Yusheng's intervention?" Zhou He asked in surprise.

"Yes, she will be the leader of our Daoist sect, protecting it for at least a hundred years. And you should know that our local sect is suppressed among sects in various countries around the world. We need a genius to stand up and restore the glory and honor of the Daoist sect. This is not for personal reasons, but for the country and to protect the foundation of our Longxiang Kingdom."

Zhou He fell into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)