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

The most bustling place in Lingzhou City is the City God Temple.

Those who set up stages in prime locations near the City God Temple are definitely wealthy and influential. Sometimes, money alone cannot buy certain things.

It's an open secret in Lingzhou that Qin Fangguan has a powerful backer.

Qin Fangguan is the biggest star. People in Lingzhou City may not know who the prefect of Lingzhou is, but they cannot possibly not know who Qin Fangguan is.

It is said that people from other states even come to Lingzhou specifically to watch the opera.

The practice of idol worship in ancient times was no less intense than in modern times.

Zhang Zhengdao had never been a fan of celebrities in his previous life, as they seemed distant from him. He had also never attended a concert because he felt that celebrities were too close to him, making them seem less glamorous.

Zhang Zhengdao took a stroll around the largest inner lake in Lingzhou. Aside from a few people admiring the scenery and fishing in the center of the lake, there wasn't much to observe or study.

They had neither modern fishing rods nor any advanced technology for baiting.

One afternoon, apart from an old fisherman and a young man each catching one fish, there was no other catch.

Walking along the riverbank, I saw a woman in black by the water, slowly making her way to the river. I recognized her; it had been several hours, and she still hadn't changed her clothes?

Can you tolerate such a strong smell?

The woman in black walked towards the lake. Seeing that the water was about to reach her neck, she hesitated for a moment, then continued walking into the lake.

Zhang Zhengdao is counting.

"one two Three……"

Just as they finished counting, the woman in black popped her head out of the water again, panting heavily.

"If you tie your hands and feet together, I guarantee you won't be able to float; you'll be dead, unless a flood washes you out."

The woman in black turned around and saw Zhang Zhengdao. She instinctively shrank back and hid.

She then straightened her chest and looked at Zhang Zhengdao: "I'm not afraid of you."

"I don't care!"

The woman in black froze, then said, "Don't bother me, I'm going to kill myself."

Do you have any money?

The woman in black glanced at Zhang Zhengdao, then felt around in her pocket; she only had three copper coins.

"Here you go," the woman in black tossed him the copper coins. "You can leave now. Since you're not going to kill me, I'll kill myself."

Zhang Zhengdao said, "You'd better die soon. You gave me three coins, so I'll take the loss. After you're completely dead, I'll recite a sutra to help you pass on to the afterlife. If you have an extra tael of silver, I can even retrieve your body, dig a pit to bury you, and recite the sutra again."

"Is there a difference?"

Zhang Zhengdao thought for a moment and said, "There's no difference. Anyway, it's dead, so the body isn't important. Putting it in the water will benefit the fish and shrimp, and they can have a better meal for a few days."

The woman in black hesitated again.

"Do you know a type of fish called a 'croaker'? It loves to suck out people's eyes. With a tug of its pointed mouth, the eyeball falls out, and then it slowly tears and eats it bit by bit. If you want some of the juice from the eye socket, you'd need at least two ounces of strong liquor with it..."

The woman in black told him she felt nauseous and gagged several times.

I can picture it in my mind.

"Stop talking." The woman in black held out her hand. "Give me back my money."

Zhang Zhengdao: ...

"I won't die!"

Helpless, Zhang Zhengdao returned the copper coin to the woman in black.

"You're poor? You're a top-tier assassin, why would you need money?"

The woman in black said shyly, "I... am poor, but I earn my living through my own abilities..."

"There can't be only three copper coins, can there? Did you hide them?"

The woman in black shook her head: "I've donated all my money to Buddha! Buddha has compassion for all people, and this money has gone to help those in need. I haven't taken any of the money I received from missions; I've donated it all..."

Zhang Zhengdao was shocked.

This Lotus Sect is pretty powerful, managing to fool a brainless idiot like the woman in black into working for them, not only swindling her money but also probably taking advantage of her sexually...

However, this kind of teaching is hopeless. It only fools people into doing things without paying them, and there is no possibility of sustainable development.

The woman in black's belief has now been shattered by the online elder. The destruction of her belief is far more terrifying than physical torture.

"gone."

Zhang Zhengdao didn't want to talk to this woman too much, fearing it would affect his intelligence.

People in cults are all mentally deficient.

Zhang Zhengdao is gone, and the man in black has committed suicide.

She first met Zhang Zhengdao, and then... her faith shattered, and she wanted to end it all. But on the verge of death, she met Zhang Zhengdao again, and then she felt that living wasn't so great after all, as if everyone could afford to live.

really-

Upon seeing Zhang Zhengdao, they were ecstatic.

Zhang Zhengdao didn't care whether the woman in black lived or died.

Leave the opportunity to rescue misguided women who have fallen into the water to the lower-class men of the underworld! He has neither the interest nor the time. Unless it's for money, everything else is meaningless; only money is real.

In the evening, we found a tavern to have some drinks.

Just as I sat down, a scholar in a blue robe at the next table, who was a group of martial arts practitioners, covered his face with his sleeve and turned to the side.

Zhang Zhengdao deliberately stood next to that person.

The man covered up for a while, and when there was no further movement, he assumed the person had left, lowered his sleeves, and let out a long sigh. But when he looked up, his face instantly turned pale.

"Big brother!"

A burly man next to that person said.

"Shut up!"

The man got anxious.

"I'm not here!"

The burly man was stunned. All his brothers stared at the man in disbelief and shouted in unison, "Big Brother!"

The man cursed, "Are you sick? I already said I'm gone, why are you calling me 'mother'? Are you lacking milk or love? Damn it, you're a constant source of trouble. Go find another big brother for yourselves, I'm quitting."

Turning her head, she smiled obsequiously at Zhang Zhengdao and said, "Master, you've gone on a long trip. Didn't Xiaomei accompany you?"

Haha, trying to curry favor!

Speaking of Xiaomei, isn't she Shu Baimei?

Zhang Zhengdao immediately guessed who this scholar-like man was.

"Aha, Blood Butcher Batianong."

The man in the blue robe immediately turned pale, and sweat poured down his face.

"Boss, who's this guy? Don't be afraid of him, I'll slap him..."

The burly man wanted to stand out in front of the boss, so he rolled up his sleeves and got ready to fight.

"Snapped"

A slap landed on the fat man's face, and five bloody finger marks immediately appeared on the man's dark face.

This slap stunned the fat man.

Everyone at the table was stunned.

He couldn't believe it, and looked at his boss with a wronged expression. Tears were welling up in the burly man's eyes. He felt wronged; he had wanted to stand up for his boss.

Is this still the same boss who usually takes good care of me and is truly there for me when needed?

Besides, I'm a top-notch martial arts master. How can I face anyone after you slapped me in public like that?

"Apologize!" Ba Tiannong's voice was vicious, trembling. "Apologize! If you don't apologize to the Taoist priest, I'll kill you!"

The burly man felt even more aggrieved, and tears streamed down his face.

He turned to Zhang Zhengdao sheepishly and said, "I...I'm sorry..."

After saying that, she could no longer hold back her heartache, turned around and rushed out of the tavern, running and wailing as she went.

Everyone else looked at Batianong.

Ba Tiannong thought to himself: Brother, you'll be grateful to me later. I just saved your life! This is all I can do for you.

Having made up his mind, he bowed deeply to Zhang Zhengdao.

"Master, I am no longer worthy of the title 'Blood Butcher.' After returning that day, I made up my mind to turn over a new leaf and start anew. Now, thanks to the kindness of my brothers, I am known as the 'Compassionate Hand' among the bandits of the Jianghu."

Zhang Zhengdao was stunned.

Is changing one's name so casual now?

A while ago it was called the Blood Butcher, but today it's called the Compassionate Hand?

He patted him on the shoulder: "Not bad, not bad. This title sounds like it belongs to a monk. Work hard, find a good job and settle down, then find a wife, get married and have children, and your life will be complete. It's okay to have made mistakes in the first half of your life, a prodigal son can turn back!"

"Yes, Daoist Master, I understand!"

Encouraged by the immortal, and feeling all the fear and trepidation of the past few days, everything was worth it at this moment. He couldn't help but burst into tears, wiping them away with the sleeve of his blue robe.

"I can't stand seeing men cry. Alright, alright, I'm going to have my drink now."

"Master, let me invite you to drink."

Ba Tiannong mustered his courage and said to Zhang Zhengdao.

Although I wouldn't dare invite Zhang Zhengdao to have a drink with me, I could still treat him to a meal.

"Then you're welcome."

Zhang Zhengdao saved another sum of money.

When it was time to pay, Ba Tiannong, who had been keeping a close eye on Zhang Zhengdao, immediately stood up, his chair creaking as he moved it. He ran to the counter, took out five qian of silver from his pocket, and when that wasn't enough, he took out two more loose silver coins from his purse before finally settling the bill.

"Thank you very much."

Zhang Zhengdao bowed and thanked him.

"It's alright. Being able to invite a Taoist priest is a dream come true."

Zhang Zhengdao nodded, told him to "find something respectable to do," and then drifted away.

After Zhang Zhengdao left, Ba Tiannong felt a sense of relief. He was so relieved that he almost couldn't stand up. With the help of his underlings, he returned to his seat.

Seeing the puzzled looks on his underlings' faces, he composed himself and said, "Do you know why I changed my super domineering name from before?"

The underlings all shook their heads.

Ba Tiannong said with a deep look in his eyes, "It's a long story. Back in the day... I, Blood Butcher Ba Tiannong, Pretty Scholar Liao Xiaochun, Spring Flower Maiden Xiao Yiren, Moon Inviting Fairy Shu Baimei, and Soul Chasing Sword Cui Yiming, were known as the Five Eccentrics of the Martial World. We lived a carefree life until one day, everything changed..."