Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Although he said he would call for more people, Liu Qingyuan couldn't release them all at once. He needed to come up with a plan to create some distance and time difference, so he wasn't in a hurry.

There are two things to deal with right now. One is the matter of the county magistrate. The arrest warrant has been lifted, and the current magistrate has stepped down and is awaiting further instructions. Once the new magistrate takes office, this matter will be completely resolved.

Another rather special story concerns the Illuminating Lamp. This lamp, which often wanders through the mountains, has encountered countless lost travelers, woodcutters, and hunters. Now, rumors have spread that there is a mountain god who carries a lamp to guide people.

Both of them had appeared on the streets of the town. The description of "young people with long silver hair and carrying lanterns" was very clear. Anyone who had seen them could basically associate them with the Illuminating Lantern.

In other worlds, these kinds of rumors wouldn't matter; they'd just disappear once the person left.

But this is Liaozhai, where there are not only real mountain gods, but also local deities and city gods. Just because we haven't seen them now doesn't mean we won't see them in the future. If the name "Mountain God" Zhaoshimingdeng gets out, who knows what kind of misunderstanding it will cause.

I need to make it clear to everyone that Zhaoshimingdeng Daomen Xiantian (照世明灯道门先天) can be described as an immortal or a hermit, but you can't call him a mountain god; that's far from the truth.

"What should I say?"

"I might as well go for a stroll in the streets. When the people see that I am a human being, they will naturally stop thinking about it."

“Illuminating the World, it seems you don’t understand the people here.”

Liu Qingyuan deliberately acted serious, and with his current appearance, he really did create a somewhat solemn atmosphere.

“In the eyes of our fellow villagers, we are no longer considered human beings.”

Both of them had white hair and no beards, and in these people's eyes, they were already somewhat out of place with the concept of "human". When Xiao Cui stood with them, the first thing the other side would think of Xiao Cui was an ordinary person.

"Then there's no good solution."

"But if you're treated as a mountain god, it's like you're competing with the local deities for their jobs, isn't it?"

Speaking of this, Liu Qingyuan had another puzzling matter. Having been here for so many days, he discovered that not only were there no mountain gods or local deities in these southwestern mountains, but there wasn't even a landlord who owned the entire area. Therefore, even though the mountains in the southwest weren't as high as those in other directions, and the forest area wasn't as large, woodcutters and hunters still preferred to come here, simply because it was unclaimed and they could save money.

There are clearly many wealthy people in this city, and the surrounding villages are not lacking in gentry, which is why the former county magistrate was able to squeeze so much money out of the city to cultivate his own network of connections.

It can be said that this place has everything except for its lack of fame. It has landlords, gentry, talented people, and powerful figures. Most people believe that land is more important than money. Once they have money, they will start buying land. Whether they rent it to the poor to farm or keep it to build houses, it will not be a losing proposition.

But why is it that only this mountain range in the southwest is unwanted?

"Perhaps it's because of the ghosts and monsters here?"

Since arriving here, Zhao Shimingdeng has been taking walks in the mountains whenever he has nothing to do. He has seen almost all the spirits and monsters in the mountains. Apart from the village where Yingning and her foster mother live, which is made up of spirits and monsters, there are many other scattered little monsters living in other places.

So many spirits live in the mountains. Although most of them are not capable of fighting, and less than half of them are humanoid, they can still scare ordinary people if they are not serious Taoist priests and monks.

Look, Yingning is just a small village built in the mountains. If a landlord were to lease the mountain and know there's a village in the mountains, he would definitely go in to collect money. The other side would certainly not be willing and would inevitably use some means to scare people away.

“I have heard that there have been many rumors about monsters in this mountain in the past. Although they were all minor incidents, they were still frightening, so people deliberately stayed away from them.”

That's what everyone Zhao Shiming met in the mountains said. Putting aside the woodcutters and hunters, they were just trying to make a living. Even if there were rumors of monsters, or even if there really were monsters that ate people, they would still run to the southwest mountains to save some money.

Most of the rumors about monsters come from lost travelers. These people pass through the area, hear about the rumors of monsters, and run into the mountains out of curiosity. If they encounter one, it's a wonderful adventure; if not, they consider it a pleasant outing.

Then, many people get lost in the mountains due to reasons like being trapped in a maze. The little monsters in the mountains are also annoyed by these people, but some of them can't even speak human language. They can only go to the World-Illuminating Lamp, who seems to have some skills and strolls leisurely in the mountains, and gesture to tell him that someone is lost in the mountains again.

Then, the Illuminating Lantern appears with its lantern, leading the lost person out of the maze and finally safely bringing them down the mountain.

Because of his different appearance from ordinary people, when people see Shimonmei's silver hair, their first thought is that he is a monster. They have to explain first, and then they see that he does not have any evil feeling. On the contrary, he is gentle and refined, and his temperament is better than that of many rich young men. Only then do they begin to guess his identity other than that of a monster.

On the way down the mountain, some people saw that Zhao Shimingdeng had a good temper and gradually became bolder. They started chatting as they walked. Zhao Shimingdeng learned why the other person had gone up the mountain and why they had been safely sent back. They then embellished their own experiences and boasted to others. In just a few days, Zhao Shimingdeng earned the title of "Mountain God with a Lantern".

The whole process was so classic that Liu Qingyuan wondered if the rumors about the mountain monsters originated in this way.

Given that most of the common people here are illiterate, the news will become increasingly chaotic and fantastical as it spreads. However, he and the Illuminating Lamp can actually see them. Furthermore, given that this is a world with real ghosts and gods, Liu Qingyuan felt that if he didn't stop it, the next step might be the construction of a temple.

But stopping him is really not easy. He and the image of the World-Illuminating Lamp went to tell the people that there were no mountain gods or immortals on the mountain. The effect was like someone going up the mountain to learn cultivation, and the Taoist priest just told you that cultivating immortality is fake and you should not be superstitious, and then turned around and flew down the mountain on a sword.

"How about... we go explore other places?"

If we go to other towns, people might be able to shift their attention. If similar strange people and events occur in two places around the same time, some people will feel something is amiss. Once the two sides communicate, they will doubt the feasibility of each other's information, and they might even start arguing about it.

While this might seem a bit unfair, if one side finds the other's version of events unbelievable, the increasingly bizarre mountain god legend might just stop on its own.

"In my opinion, you just want to go somewhere else to wander around."

After all this time spent deep in thought and building up the atmosphere, it seems they're planning to move on to other places.

"There's also a reason to correct rumors. Come on, let's go!"

Liu Qingyuan's idea is entirely feasible. The speed at which the innate human-transformed light travels is similar to that of a deity riding the clouds. It is very easy for them to travel back and forth between two cities several times a day and appear in two cities on the same day.

It's beneficial for them to go out more. If they're lucky enough, they might run into other characters from the story and get to see some of the excitement along the way.

However, although the two of them went to a town that was a bit further away, they did not go directly into the town, but instead wandered around in the suburban villages outside the town.

There were indeed many people in the city, but the two of them couldn't just appear out of nowhere, otherwise it would be obvious that they came from somewhere else. So the two of them went to the outskirts first, and while strolling around, they also created the scene that they just happened to appear and were seen by passersby.

But there was nothing to do outside, and Liu Qingyuan didn't want to actively seek out people to talk to, so she simply got a fishing rod and basket, picked some wild fruits from the grass to use as bait, and started fishing by the river.

The road was a dirt road, and the river was an ordinary stream. There was nowhere to sit or lean against, but Liu Qingyuan didn't mind. He simply sat down on the ground and started swinging the rod, completely unconcerned about whether his white clothes would get muddy.

Zhao Shimingdeng didn't care either. Or rather, people born with innate abilities have ways to keep their clothes from getting dusty. He also sat on the ground, his long silver hair hanging down from his back and swirling behind him.

He didn't take a fishing rod, but simply placed the lantern horizontally on his lap and watched Liu Qingyuan fish. The two of them enjoyed a peaceful and idyllic time by the river.

"Look over there."

It was the hottest time of day, with the sun shining brightly. The river ran alongside the dirt road people used to walk on, and there was no shade around it. Apart from these two people who weren't afraid of the sun, no one else was fishing here.

Therefore, the two of them were very conspicuous sitting there. Moreover, both of them had white hair and were dressed in white, and they were facing the river with their backs to the road, so their faces could not be seen from behind. Anyone who did not know them would think at first glance that they were two elderly people with white hair, sitting there fishing under the scorching sun.

Although it is now autumn, the heat of the summer has not yet dissipated, especially when the sun is shining directly overhead, it is hot and sunny, and many people cannot stand it.

Passersby glanced over and saw that the two men had completely white hair, and wondered how old they were, yet they were fishing under the blazing sun.

That won't do! What if he gets heatstroke? He's so old; it's easy for something to happen to him!

"Why are you two old gentlemen fishing in a place like this?"

Ordinary people don't live very long on average. They can only eat enough to make ends meet. They work all year round and rarely see a doctor. Many of them die before their hair turns completely white. When people come to see these two people by the river, they see that not only is their hair completely white, but they are also wearing long robes with wide sleeves, just like the kind of clothes that the respected old gentlemen in the village would wear.

That would be even more serious. He didn't recognize the two people and thought they might be elderly people from a neighboring village who had gotten the idea on a whim, but they couldn't possibly disregard their health and fish here under the scorching sun, could they? If something happened, no one could bear the responsibility, what about the younger generation in their families?

"Grandpa, the sun is so bright, perhaps..."

Hearing someone speak behind him, Zhao Shiming turned around first and saw a young man. The person opposite him was also startled when he saw him turn around and realized that it was not the white-haired old man he had imagined.

Zhao Shimingdeng was already used to this reaction; it was already quite good that the other party didn't shout "monster."

"Don't worry, my friend and I are not afraid of the scorching sun, nor will we suffer from heatstroke."

The constitution of the naturally born is also very special. They are not afraid of hot or cold, but they will still get seasick and afraid of heights. Many times they can survive being disemboweled and run dozens of miles with serious injuries, but when the plot requires it, they will be easily defeated by a minor cold.

Right now, there's no plot requirement for them, so the sunlight is useless to them. However, the fact that the fish aren't biting is something that bothers Liu Qingyuan.

Seeing that the person opposite him was not an old man, but looked only a few years older than him, the white hair swirling on the ground could not be ignored. The young man originally wanted to walk away, but seeing Zhao Shiming's gentle temperament, he boldly approached.

"...Why are you two fishing here?"

As he got closer, he realized that the other person holding the fishing rod was not a real old man either; the other person had a tai chi symbol on his headdress, making him look like a Taoist priest.

Beside the other person lay a long sword, seemingly cast in bronze, with a peculiar and exaggerated design, clearly not an ordinary item. Looking back at the person who had spoken to them, previously obscured by hair and a robe, they now saw that the person's lap held a long, exquisitely crafted lantern, with a faint candlelight inside.

"Just wandering around, doing whatever I feel like."

This time it was Liu Qingyuan who spoke, but he didn't look at the young man next to him. His eyes were fixed on the water in front of him, thinking about why no fish were taking the bait.

Could it be because he chose the wrong bait? The conditions around here are limited, and apart from wild fruits in the grass, he can't find any other bait. Maybe he should go somewhere else and dig up some earthworms?