A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

Zhong Liquan eventually paid the money.

He originally intended to conjure gold, but Bai Mudan remarked, "There have been Taoist practitioners in the past who used illusions to conjure up some money and tricked me..."

He immediately lost face and had to borrow some money from Zixia before he could leave safely.

He left in a huff.

Zixia added from behind, "Great Immortal, give me some interest."

They almost fell from the sky.

Zhongli Quan returned to Jiangning City, but finding an inn was difficult at this time, so he went into the city to look for Tieguai Li and Lü Dongbin. He was there to ask these two for help.

Especially Tieguai Li, who can be considered his master, and it was Tieguai Li who guided him on the path to immortality.

Therefore, there is no problem with Tieguai Li being the leader among the Eight Immortals.

I was walking along the road, and after confirming the information, I planned to use a spell to get there.

Unexpectedly, he tripped over something and fell, groaning in pain. He got up, limped a few steps, and saw a Taoist priest sitting by the roadside with his legs outstretched, who tripped him.

Logically, since he was a deity with immense magical power, such a thing shouldn't have happened to him, but it did.

It's one thing to fall, but to actually hurt yourself from the fall is another.

It's as if I'm just an ordinary mortal.

The Taoist stretched and looked at Zhongli Quan, saying somewhat drunkenly, "Which blind fatso disturbed my sweet dream and even kicked me?"

Zhongli Quan felt that this Taoist priest was not simple.

However, when he used his magic to probe, he felt that this person was exactly the same as an ordinary person, without any magical power, and was also a mortal.

"Heh, you Taoist priest, you're always good at turning the tables!"

Zhong Liquan felt he shouldn't waste any more words with him, so he turned and left.

The man behind him shouted, "Fatty, I recognize you! I'll report you to the authorities tomorrow and make you pay me back, I'll make you bankrupt..."

Zhongli Quan ignored him and walked straight ahead.

They had only taken a few steps when they heard the Taoist priest shouting.

"Someone's been assaulted! Someone hit someone and ran away!"

At this shout, several more constables suddenly appeared on the road Zhongli Quan was walking through. Hearing the Taoist priest's shout, these men hurriedly came over and surrounded Zhongli Quan.

The head constable went over and immediately roared, "Well, it's you again! Let's see how you escape this time. You wicked fiend!"

With a wave of his hand, the constables immediately surrounded Zhongli Quan.

Zhongli Quan remained calm and composed, looking at the constables and saying, "It seems you haven't learned your lesson. What happened last time wasn't my fault, and what happened this time isn't my fault either. Didn't you even bother to investigate before arresting people?"

The constable angrily said, "Arrest you first! If you want to distinguish right from wrong, go to the yamen. The judge will decide. Take him away!"

At his shout, several constables suddenly raised handfuls of lime from their hands.

Instantly, white dust filled the air and enveloped Zhongli Quan.

Zhongli Quan smiled slightly, opened his mouth, and blew a puff of lime ash.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

After a coughing fit, Zhong Liquan inhaled a mouthful of lime and choked.

It shouldn’t be!

Am I not a deity? I just used magic.

Keep blowing!

"Huff—cough cough cough—"

He inhaled another mouthful of lime dust, which made his eyes blurry. When he tried to use his magic again, he suddenly realized that all his magic power was gone and he could not feel anything.

Suddenly he was shocked.

This kind of magical power disappearing has never happened before. How could this be? I cultivate the Taoist methods passed down from Laozi, how could this be...?

Before he could think about it, something suddenly grabbed him, and then he saw a group of people move around and tie him up with iron chains.

He was then pulled several steps away, and several bowls of water were splashed on his face and eyes.

Zhongli Quan's skin and eyes stung from the lime water, and he couldn't help but cry out. The blurry figures of the yamen runners were moving before his eyes, and he couldn't make out who they were. Tears streamed down his face.

"You can't treat me like this. I am a deity, and you will suffer the consequences of treating a deity like this."

"A deity? I think you're a demon."

The head constable pulled a talisman from his clothes, spat on Zhongli Quan's forehead, and then stuck the talisman on his forehead.

"What did you stick on me?"

Zhong Liquan shouted anxiously.

"What was pasted on? It's a demon-suppressing talisman, of course. To deal with a demon like you, my legal officer has already invited a master from Jiangning City to suppress you."

The remaining constables shouted, "Take him away! Take him away!"

The Taoist priest shouted from the side, "Pay me back!"

The head constable said, "Taoist priest, come with me and let my superior, the legal officer, give you justice. The money confiscated from this fellow will be paid to you first."

The Taoist priest nodded repeatedly and said, "Good, good, I'm short of money to buy wine."

So he followed the group of yamen runners toward the state government office.

It turned out that the legal officer felt that a demon had come into the city and was afraid that something terrible would happen. So he had arranged for his constables and soldiers to patrol everywhere. He also found a so-called master in Jiangning City and bought a demon-suppressing talisman, which made him feel a little more at ease.

Surprisingly, they actually caught this monster.

Once the demon-suppressing talisman is applied, it's estimated that the illusion technique of using a wooden stake to replace the real body will no longer be possible.

A group of yamen runners walked down the road like victorious generals, their imposing presence attracting the attention of some people doing business on the street and passersby who stopped to watch.

"So he's a demon! No wonder he's so fat!"

“I saw this person a long time ago, right over there... stopping a girl and trying to harass her.”

"Heh, what a dog-like man. That girl is as beautiful as a painting, why would he even look at him?"

"Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror?"

A young woman suddenly laughed and said, "Does he pee with one leg raised and propped up against the wall?"

The young woman spoke boldly, which immediately drew a burst of laughter.

Then a man said, "Only dogs urinate like that."

"Doesn't this fat guy look like a dog?"

Another burst of laughter erupted.

……

Zhongli Quan's face flushed red, but his vision blurred again, making it impossible for him to see who was on either side. He was filled with anger and frustration. His magical power was practically nonexistent, completely empty. How could he possibly break free from a few ferocious constables?

This time he didn't escape; he was thrown into prison by the legal officer.

The legal officer was also very happy. Although he hadn't managed to extort much money from Zhongli Quan, he still paid the Taoist priest ten taels of silver out of his own pocket.

The Taoist priest said, "May I see that demon?"

The clerk said, "Alright, but don't linger!"

An official was assigned to take Zhang Zhengdao to the prison to see Zhongli Quan.

The Taoist priest said to the bailiff, "I'd like to have a private chat with him."

The constable informed the Taoist priest that he had captured the sorcerer and was still grateful. He agreed, saying, "You have a quarter of an hour. I'll wait for you outside!"

He then went outside.

The Taoist priest entered the prison and looked at Zhongli Quan, who was sitting there looking dejected.

"Fatty, how are you feeling?"

Zhongli Quan laughed and said, "It's just a small tribulation on the path of cultivation, nothing to worry about. You're the one who messed with my cultivation, aren't you?"

The Taoist priest nodded and said, "My name is Zhang Zhengdao."

Zhongli Quan said, "I don't know him."

Zhang Zhengdao: "Now that we know each other, do you know why I sealed your magic power?"

Zhongli Quan: "Because your magical power is profound, I am no match for you."

Zhang Zhengdao laughed loudly: "Because you always use your status as an immortal to bully others. To put it more bluntly, you are bullying the weak and using the guise of subduing demons to satisfy your own desires. You are like this, and so is Lü Dongbin. You are truly a disgrace among immortals!"

Zhongli Quan was furious: "What right do you have...?"

Zhang Zhengdao laughed again: "Then what makes you think you can defeat me with your own ideas? Doesn't that make you feel angry but powerless to resist? Doesn't that feel good?"

Zhongli Quan: ...

Zhang Zhengdao said, "Don't deny it. Having great power is not the basis for you to do whatever you want, you know? You must respect life, respect every person, every demon, and every immortal. Because there will always be someone stronger than you, and you are not the most powerful one in this world."

There seems to be nothing wrong with this.

Zhong Liquan remained silent for a long time.

Just as Zhang Zhengdao got up to leave, he suddenly spoke.

"So... after all that high-sounding talk, who are you trying to stand up for?"

He finally understood the root cause of the matter.

Zhang Zhengdao laughed heartily and said, "You've figured it out? Actually, the grand principles I just mentioned are just like the 'exorcising demons and monsters' slogan that you always talk about."

Zhong Liquan nodded in agreement: "Yes, I often use this excuse to do some side jobs."

Zhang Zhengdao said, "Since you've admitted it, I'll tell you this: stay away from Bai Mudan and Zixia Fairy from now on, and maintain at least some respect in front of them, otherwise... I won't hesitate to make you die."

Zhong Liquan's face darkened, and he muttered, "Just now you were saying you respected life..."

Zhang Zhengdao looked at him strangely: "You don't actually believe that, do you?!"