Bloody Kyoto

Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries saw a sudden decrease in incense offerings because many people seeking enlightenment or the Tao were unable to achieve their goals and began to seek help from demons, monsters, and ghosts.

Ancestral halls were built in villages near the mountains in various places.

Not knowing who to worship, they offered sacrifices directly to the mountain, hoping that the mountain spirits would protect them.

It's ridiculous!

It did indeed save everyone a lot of money, and their lives improved somewhat.

After all, they offer whatever they have, and no one asks them for incense money.

In major temples and Taoist monasteries, if you want to get a fortune stick, you have to pay incense money before you can shake it.

For the powerful and officials, a little money for incense offerings is nothing, but for ordinary people, even a single copper coin is of great use.

The donations set by temples and Taoist monasteries often empty the pockets of poor families.

Now we don't need to go to temples and Taoist monasteries, which saves us money.

Of course, this is all for later.

*

Today is the opening day of the shop, and I arrived at the shop door at 3:00 AM on Friday.

He arrived early because the steamed buns needed to be wrapped and steamed in advance.

He saw that the door was closed too early, but he didn't knock, assuming that Aunt Li was sleeping.

When it was broad daylight, the shop was still not open. He was a little anxious, but he still didn't knock on the door, thinking that Aunt Li had probably forgotten that she was supposed to open for business today.

But by mid-morning the shop was still closed, and he got anxious, thinking that something must have happened to Aunt Li, so he went to the back door and climbed over the wall to go inside.

After searching all the houses, he still couldn't find Aunt Li, and his face turned completely pale.

Aunt Li must have been kidnapped.

what to do? How can I do?

He suddenly remembered the important person who came yesterday. Why not ask him for help?

He had only run two steps when he stopped again.

No, he might be the one who kidnapped Aunt Li.

Should we report it to the authorities?

He shook his head, thinking, "No, that won't work. Lord Zhao of the Jingzhao Prefecture must know that nobleman. It's not uncommon for officials to protect each other, no matter where they are."

"Woooo..."

The teenager squatted on the ground and cried in desperation.

After crying for a while, he thought of something, climbed over the wall, and ran quickly in one direction.

Princess Mansion

"Ancestor, why hasn't Ah Hui woken up yet?" Second Master Yun followed a white-haired, white-bearded old man into the courtyard with utmost respect.

The old man was the patriarch of the reclusive Yun family, and he was 180 years old. He looked like a kind old man.

He glanced around the bare yard, his brow furrowing slightly before relaxing.

"Don't worry too much about Ah Hui, her body is recovering on its own."

Upon hearing this, Master Yun did not breathe a sigh of relief; instead, he became even more worried.

“Ancestor, after Ah Hui gained healing abilities, she tested it once. That time, she directly poked a hole in her arm, but it was completely healed in a short while. This time it took far too long.”

After pondering for a moment, Elder Yun said, "It's probably because the injured parts are different."

The heart is where that special energy is contained, and the damage to the heart will certainly affect the speed of healing.

Master Yun felt the same way, but he still felt very uneasy.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Ancestor, is there any way to capture that otherworldly being who uses vines?"

"Ah Hui's plan is excellent." After saying this, Ancestor Yun walked out of the courtyard.

Master Yun didn't follow; he stood there, stunned. What did the ancestor mean?

Are they going to use Ah Hui as bait again?

Before he could think it through, the steward of the princess's mansion strode over anxiously, followed by the Grand Princess, Prince Cheng, Prince Ning, the Fu family, and other noble families, all of whom looked very unwell.

When Master Yun saw this, he knew what was going on. They were here to investigate why Ah Hui had gained healing abilities while they had not.

The butler saw that Master Yun looked troubled and wanted to say something, but Master Yun waved his hand and said, "You may leave now!"

The steward, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, retreated swiftly.

Everyone felt a strange fear of the Yun family, and even though they were furious, no one dared to question them loudly.

Yunji gestured for them to follow him, saying, "Please come with me, everyone."

"Second Master, I'm going to check on Ah Hui." Fu Yanji said this as Second Master Yun took a step away.

He nodded and walked ahead, with the Grand Princess and the others silently following behind.

Seeing the group turn the corner, Fu Yanji walked into the house.

Here, Master Yun and the others arrived at the flower hall, which was completely devoid of any vegetation, and took their seats.

Yun Ji directly stated the purpose of their visit: "Are you all wondering why Ah Hui has the healing ability while you don't?"

"Could you please enlighten us, Second Master Yun?" The eldest princess was the highest-ranking and oldest among the group, so it was most appropriate for her to ask the question.

Yun Ji tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his face full of doubt. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint everyone, because I don't know the reason either."

"I don't know, how could that be!" King Cheng exclaimed.

The others also looked at Yun Ji with disbelief.

Yunji: "Indeed, I don't know. After Ah Hui obtained that ability, he didn't dare to say anything for fear of being misunderstood. This is also the main reason why I came to the capital."

"Ah Hui hopes I can help find the reason so that everyone can be given an explanation."

"Second Master, did you come to the capital because of the reappearance of otherworldly beings?" Grand Tutor Fu looked at him with suspicion.

Yun Ji glanced at Grand Tutor Fu and said indifferently, "Of course not. I received A-Hui's letter before this. Otherwise, why do you think I was able to arrive in the capital so quickly?"

He did indeed arrive after receiving a message from the otherworldly beings, but he wasn't in his clan at the time; he was outside.

Upon hearing this, everyone calculated the time and it seemed to be true. The Yun family's territory was deep in the Tree Skull Mountain, and it would take at least a month and a half to get to the capital. It was impossible for them to arrive so quickly.

At the time, none of them thought about the time issue; they only assumed that the Yun family probably had some special method to travel quickly.

This suggests that they received the news long ago, which, combined with the time of Huo Yunxia's death, makes sense.

It seems there really was a misunderstanding.

The crowd calmed down a bit, and their complexions improved considerably.

"Second Master Yun, do you have any leads in your investigation?" Fu Cheng asked respectfully.

"Not yet. The only way to figure out what's going on is to capture that otherworldly person and test him."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Second Master Yun, I heard that the Yun family patriarch has arrived. I wonder if he has any methods to deal with the otherworldly beings?"

King Cheng knew that Ah Hui had almost been killed, and he was terrified of the otherworldly people, fearing that one day he would be strung up by the vines.

"The ancestor went to great lengths to save Ah Hui as soon as he arrived, and he is currently recuperating. I don't know if he can do anything about it for now."

Upon hearing this, no one pressed for further questions.

Afterwards, everyone went to see Princess Hui, expressed their concern, and then left.