Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 98 An Unfamiliar Temple, Unfamiliar People

Xiao Panshan's soul left his body

He reached for his neck with both hands, but dared not resist!
In his memory, there were only two or three people in the City God Temple who dared to slap him like that.

But the only one who could make him experience such ecstasy and pain mixed with pleasure was the City God, who had precise control over Yin energy.

But when he carefully cast his gaze down, Xiao Panshan was stunned!
He also had that familiar blue priest's robe, though it had been torn to shreds.

"Li Wushou?"

Xiao Panshan murmured uncertainly. Seeing that the other party had calmed down from his eagerness to show off in front of others, Li Wushou flicked the long whip in his hand and loosened the binding of Xiao Panshan's Yin spirit!

"High Priest Xiao, it's been a long time! Congratulations on shedding your physical body and becoming a Yin God!"

Xiao Panshan's lips curled into a smile, as this was indeed something to make him happy. However, he quickly sensed something was amiss, glanced around, and then respectfully asked:
"You're too kind, High Priest Li. Where is the City God?"

Li Wushou smiled slightly, "The City God is still asleep."

"Oh~ Hmm~?"

Xiao Panshan responded at first, then looked somewhat surprised and doubtful. Was the City God still asleep?
Who was it that so precisely controlled the force to slap themselves just now?

Li Wushou felt a little embarrassed by Xiao Panshan's stare. Through what had just happened, Li Wushou realized that helping Xiao Panshan refine his Yin spirit did not necessarily require whipping him. What was being tested was simply the control of Yin power.

But after lashing him twice, he lost control and felt a kind of addiction.

Li Wushou coughed twice and took out a clay sculpture from his bosom, which he had taken from the incense hall.

"High Priest Xiao, the situation is urgent. Possess the clay sculpture first, and I will take you out of the River of Yin Qi and explain to you slowly!"

After speaking, Li Wushou held up the clay sculpture in one hand and casually rested the other hand on the City God's magic sword at his waist.

Xiao Panshan's joy faded, even though he greatly admired Li Wushou. A bittersweet feeling remained, as he recalled the day the City God bestowed the magic sword. Though he couldn't speak then, he understood perfectly, and this only intensified his sorrow.
He'd held onto this vacancy his whole life, and finally it was his turn, only to be parachuted in!
Seeing the Dharma Sword is like seeing the City God; what else can I say?

Nodding, Xiao Panshan descended from the void and fell into the clay sculpture in Li Wushou's hand like dust.

Li Wushou put the clay sculpture into his arms, but his expression became more solemn. He flicked the long whip in his hand, which seeped into the river of yin energy. The yin power gathered in the whip scooped up the soul tentacles of the Martial God and bound a living soul.

Dragging the soul back all the way, after withdrawing from the river of yin energy, he flicked his whip again.

The soul was shaken into Xiao Panshan's withered body, with half of its head showing, just like Xiao Panshan's "difficult childbirth" situation.

He then lit a stick of incense, which emitted a fragrant mist. Li Wushou gently sniffed the air, inhaling it all in one gulp, leaving not a trace. He then opened his palm to his lips and blew on Xiao Panshan's body.

The rising incense smoke lifted a wisp of incense from his palm, which landed on Xiao Panshan's physical body and his surviving soul.

A moment later, Xiao Panshan's physical body gradually returned to its previous state, and even the soul within him transformed into Xiao Panshan's appearance along with the swirling mist.

The clay sculpture of Xiao Panshan stared in disbelief, its bitterness intensifying.
Such magic must have been taught by the City God, right?
But what is the point of doing this?

Li Wushou offered no explanation and led Xiao Panshan out of the River of Yin Qi.

A moment later, the Martial God, as if waking from a nap, snapped out of his daze and retrieved the living soul, stuffing it back into his mouth. At the same time, the divine soul bird within the City God's heart also awoke, continuing its relentless erosion of the City God.

As for Xiao Panshan on the rock, he still hangs upside down, unattended!

The next day at the Three Immortals Pavilion

Li Wushou sat in the living room, having not slept all night, and gave Xiao Panshan a general overview of the upcoming matters.

There are facts, embellishments, and fabrications.
In short, Xiao Panshan felt as if the sky had fallen after hearing this. He had just become a Yin God, and now Zhu Sihai was about to plot against his great ancestral foundation.
Even the City God and the civil and military officials were ambushed, no wonder Li Wushou acted that way in the Yin Qi River last night.

No wonder the City God entrusted Li Wushou with such an important task when he was still a Yin spirit; it turns out he had no other choice.

However, now that I have cultivated my own Yin Spirit, I should shoulder the responsibility of saving the City God!

The bitterness in his heart was gone, and Xiao Panshan was filled with fighting spirit.

"Li Wushou, rest assured, although the City God bestowed the magic sword upon you, and it should be your responsibility to shoulder the burden, it is my duty, and I will never shirk it!" "Good! I have always known that High Priest Xiao is of unparalleled integrity, and I was right to have chosen you. The City God also trusted the wrong person!"

Li Wushou looked at the spirited Xiao Panshan and praised him loudly. In his heart, however, he sighed, "It's really not easy. I've finally managed to fool Xiao Panshan... cough cough, I've finally managed to ignite Xiao Panshan's fighting spirit."

Just then, Chef Hu and his apprentices, led by Li Erniu, walked in with a food cart.

Li Wushou stuffed the clay sculpture back into his arms, and the three of them were also taken aback when they entered the living room.

"High Priest, are you up so early today?"

Chef Hu asked in surprise, and Li Wushou greeted the two of them with pleasantries:
"Oh, it's nothing, I was just a light sleeper. Captain, you don't actually need to come every day!"

"Nothing's wrong, you're sleeping lightly? Maybe you're hungry?" Chef Hu was somewhat speechless, but continued Li Wushou's line of thought:

“Indeed, my apprentice and I can deliver the meals every morning, so there’s no need for Steward Li to make the trip!”

Li Erniu stubbornly replied, "I am, after all, the chief priest in charge. If I don't do this much, how can I accept the salary from the City God Temple?"

The topic was old news, and no one could dissuade anyone else. After some pleasantries, Li Erniu left the Sanxian Restaurant with Chef Hu.

After a hard night's work, Li Wushou was indeed hungry. Without waiting for the old beggar and Chen Gou'er, he took out his share and began to eat heartily.

But Xiao Panshan in the clay sculpture is puzzled.

What's going on? What did he just hear? The High Priest's Steward? What kind of position is that?
And isn't Chef Hu the head chef of the City God Temple? Why is he delivering food to my home so early in the morning?
Who else has a kind family that eats roast lamb and suckling pig first thing in the morning?

He originally wanted to ask Li Wushou, but seeing that he was eating with relish, he didn't feel comfortable disturbing him. After Li Wushou finished eating, he didn't delay and immediately rose from the ground, heading from the Three Immortals Pavilion to the City God Temple.

The moment the incense was placed in the City God Temple, the crowd of people offering incense suddenly erupted into enthusiastic cheers.

"Look! It's High Priest Li Wushou!"

"You are truly radiant!"

"Its appearance alone is much better than that gloomy old priest from before!"

Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, Li Wushou slipped away and entered the inner hall of the City God Temple. Such discussions occurred daily, and Li Wushou was already used to them.

But some people weren't used to the gloomy, old priest? Xiao Panshan was speechless! This kind of one-upmanship and one-downplaying behavior disgusted him!
How long has it been? How did Li Wushou become so popular?

Xiao Panshan was puzzled. As soon as Li Wushou entered the inner hall, nearly twenty figures dressed in the robes of minor priests walked towards him.

Xiao Panshan recognized some of them, and others he was not familiar with but had seen before; they were likely descendants of former minor priests who had been replaced.

"Greetings, High Priest!"

Everyone bowed in unison, gazing at Li Wushou with eager eyes. "Hmm! My colleagues, there's no need for such formalities!"

Colleagues? Are these really all minor priests? Has the City God changed his ancestral rules?

After Li Wushou bid farewell to the numerous minor priests and entered the Grand Priest's office, Feng Sishui had already brewed two pots of tea and was respectfully waiting outside the door!

"High Priest, you must be tired. Why are you here so early today?"

"Thank you, Sishui. You can go ahead and get back to work!"

"High Priest, you're too kind. It's my duty. Priest Lin instructed me to serve you well. I'll wait outside. Please let me know if you need anything!"

After saying that, she turned around and walked out, thoughtfully closing the door behind her!

Looking at Li Wushou lying on that familiar recliner, Xiao Panshan felt as if he were in a dream!

Everything felt both familiar and strange. Had he failed in his Yin Spirit cultivation? He had heard before that Yin Spirit cultivation was extremely dangerous; had he encountered some external evil?
Or is it that you haven't been asleep for several days at all, but for several decades?

At this moment, Xiao Panshan was in a state of turmoil, not only in his heart but also in his mind!
(End of this chapter)