Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

The giant turtle died, but it wasn't killed by Ling Ziling, nor by Ren Yunzong and Old Master Zhang. It was captured by Wan Jie and the White Lotus Sect. Perhaps the giant turtle itself didn't expect it to be so sought after, with so many people wanting to kill it.

She didn't see the little dragon that Mu Longjun had asked Ling Ziling to keep an eye on, and she hadn't heard a single word about the supposedly lecherous Jiang Dragon King, even though she and Ren Yunzong had made a special trip to the Dragon King Temple, hoping to give this inactive Dragon King a good beating.

He doesn't care about anything; being the Dragon King is really quite leisurely.

Not only did he gain nothing, but he also ran into Ren Yunzong. Wang Liulang seemed to be frightened by Shou Wanjie. After explaining the matter to Miss Zhang, he left by water. He could come and go as he pleased in the water. You have to admit, Wang Liulang was quite convenient as a water ghost.

Ling Ziling returned to the Mu family's boat. Ren Yunzong, who had returned with her, saw the intercepted boat and the sandbar emerging from the water and thought for a moment. He realized that he could have caught up with Ling Ziling by simply following the riverbank, since the boats were forced to stop halfway. He could have easily caught up by simply chasing after them.

"It's still the same."

Seeing the ships forced to dock, Ling Ziling used her lightness skill to step onto the top of the sandbar that emerged from the water and boarded the ship as if walking on flat ground.

As soon as they boarded the ship, they saw Mu Longjun, who looked like a monk, standing beside them. He was looking up at the sky, as if he was observing the weather. He had already sensed that people had returned before Ling Ziling boarded the ship.

"There should be a heavy rain in the next few days."

Mu Longjun turned around. Although he revealed his identity, he did not say his real name or even his Buddhist name for his monk-like appearance. It seemed that the only name he could use was "Tianchi Mulong".

Ren Yunzong followed Ling Ziling onto the ship, his hair flowing in the wind, adding to his dashing appearance. Mu Longjun glanced at him and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"This friend... is rather special."

Upon hearing this, Ling Ziling and Ren Yunzong both paused, but quickly returned to normal. If there was anything special about Ren Yunzong, it was his background.

Even though he was completely covered by his Dao body and still had some confusion due to his status as an outsider, he was still able to be detected. This Dragon Shepherd's cultivation is truly high.

But with such high cultivation and the ability to command five hundred small dragons, how could the Heavenly Pool Dragon Shepherd be unable to do anything after coming out? Thinking about it this way is a bit frustrating.

"This is Ah Zhen, my junior apprentice. Isn't he handsome?"

Ling Ziling proudly put his hands on his hips. Although he had been caught, he was absolutely not going to mince words when it came to praising his junior apprentice.

"This is Shepherd Dragon Lord from Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain. He is a water spirit with a divine position... In terms of ability, he seems to have some water-related experience."

In the latter half, Ling Ziling deliberately lowered her voice and whispered to Ren Yunzong beside her that Mu Longjun was a pure water spirit born from water, which was very different from a demon and not a ghost. This was the only description she could think of at the moment.

During the days that Ling Ziling was away, Bai Qiulian stayed on the ship. Without the interference of Master Mu, she talked with Mu Changong about stars and the moon, from poetry and songs to the philosophy of life. Mu Changong almost forgot that he was accompanying his father on a business trip to purchase goods.

Although Master Mu was a bit carefree, he still knew that his son and goods couldn't just be left like that. He left first to deal with some news that would cause delays on the journey. Without the ship and goods to go back with him, he wouldn't be able to do business.

A few days later, Master Mu returned. The day before his return, Bai Qiulian left first and told Mu Changong that his father would return the next day.

Master Mu disagreed with the marriage, and Bai Qiulian, not wanting to cause trouble, left decisively. Mu Changong tried to persuade his father again, but unsurprisingly, he received another scolding.

This time it was even more outrageous. I don't know if there was a discrepancy in Mu Changong's description or if Master Mu had a preconceived notion, but he actually thought that the girl his son was talking about was a thief and was afraid that she had sneaked in to steal goods.

The boat was moored on the riverbank, with sandbars rising up around it. Someone as skilled as Ling Ziling could board the boat in no time, while someone without such skills could simply use any tool to get on.

It's understandable that Master Mu is worried about someone boarding the ship to steal things, but the suspect is a bit off. Moreover, Ling Ziling was on the ship, and Mu Longjun helped her during the time she was away. If she could still be robbed, Ling Ziling can only sigh that the thief is incredibly resourceful.

In addition, Ren Yunzong was left on the ship by Ling Ziling. As a merchant, Master Mu needed to gather information from all sides. After hearing about Ren Yunzong and confirming the information, he gladly agreed to let him travel with him.

As for what kind of news it was, judging from Master Mu's surprised look, Ren Yunzong guessed that it was the story of "Han Xiangzi fighting the giant" again. After some time, the story was probably spread even more outrageously.

The day after Master Mu returned, Mu Longjun's words had an effect, and it rained heavily for several days in a row.

"The water level has risen."

The rain was too heavy, and going out at this time would only result in being beaten by the rain. Ling Ziling and Ren Yunzong stood at the cabin entrance, watching the river level rise little by little.

The sandbars are no longer visible on the water. Once this rain stops, the boats that were blocked by the river sand will be able to pass normally, and the journey will be completed soon.

Then, Ling Ziling had to go back with Ren Yunzong to finish filming.

"Ah Zhen, can we..."

"No."

Ren Yunzong knew what she was going to say; she just wanted to go somewhere else to have some fun.

"There's no danger here, and I'm stronger than before. Why don't we go and wipe out the White Lotus Cult? That would be a chivalrous act."

Upon hearing this, Mu Changong turned around. Her beloved had left, the marriage had been rejected, and she had even been scolded. Mu Changong lost her will to recite poetry and went out to watch the rain with them.

Then, I was caught off guard and heard Ling Ziling say that she wanted to cleanse the White Lotus Sect. Daoist, are you that fierce?

"The White Lotus Sect has many factions, and they mingle in the streets and alleys. It cannot be resolved overnight."

Ren Yunzong had a lot of contact with the White Lotus Sect and knew that it was different from the evil cults in the Bitter Realm.

"Can't we just beat them all up and that's the end of it?"

The simplest and most effective solution is to kill it outright.

"No."

History, the state of the world, and people's hearts—the White Lotus Sect is just an "excuse." Even if they attack every sect they've heard of, it won't be long before new people appear with new sect names, continuing to preach the same old doctrines and repeating the same things.

Although Ren Yunzong also wanted to give the White Lotus Cult a good beating, it was just too troublesome. To use the same analogy, it was like a bunch of mosquitoes that weren't very lethal but were numerous and impossible to catch.

"But that guy is in the White Lotus Sect, and he's some kind of Asura King... Ah Zhen, can you go there...?"

"No."

"I haven't said anything yet!"

Ren Yunzong glanced down at the person beside him. Even though Ling Ziling hadn't said anything, he knew what she wanted to do: to urge him to become an undercover agent in the White Lotus Sect.

"Go ahead and give it a try. Compared to your relationship with Buddhism, you are much closer to that guy. I'll talk to Uncle Wuhuan about the rest."

Their relationship is more than just close; they're practically related, like family.

"Lingling, we've been out long enough, it's time to go back."

"Two Taoist priests, is there something in the sky?"

As Mu Changong listened to Ling Ziling and Ren Yunzong's conversation, he wondered what Ren Yunzong's connection was with Buddhism. To avoid appearing too gossipy, he kept his eyes fixed on the rain outside. When a bolt of lightning illuminated the horizon, Mu Changong clearly saw a snake-like shadow in the sky.

Of course, there are no snakes in the sky. The rain is indeed heavy, but it's just heavy; there's no strong wind. There's no possibility of a large snake being unlucky enough to be blown into the sky by the wind.

The shadow of that form flying in the sky can only be associated with one species: the dragon.

Thinking of this possibility, Mu Changong quickly called the two of them to come and take a look. He knew that these two cultivators had good eyesight. There were dark clouds and a thick curtain of rain outside, so he couldn't see very clearly and was afraid that he might have misjudged.

"There's a dragon in the sky!"

"dragon?"

Unlike Mu Chan Gong's excitement, Ling Zi Ling and Ren Yun Zong's reactions were very calm. Before this, Ling Zi Ling had already met the Dragon King of the East Sea and the Third Prince in the East Sea, so dragons were no longer a novelty to her.

However, remembering what Mu Longjun said, Ling Ziling still gave him face and came to Mu Chan Palace's side to watch the lightning and thunder in the sky with him.

"...It really is a dragon."

Amidst the heavy dark clouds in the sky, a dragon coils within the clouds, its head and tail obscured, only part of its body visible. When lightning flashes, it casts a relatively complete shadow in the sky.

Because the two sides were too far apart, the dragon in the sky kept darting back and forth in the clouds, like a fish playing in the water. No matter how good Ling Ziling's eyesight was, she couldn't see the details clearly.

"This heavy rain may also have its merits."

Ren Yunzong also came over and stood behind the two of them. The dragon appeared in the heavy rain, and this heavy rain was probably the work of the dragon in the sky.

"In that case, the people on the ship should thank it."

If it weren't for the heavy rain raising the water level, this merchant fleet would have had to wait a while to leave. Bai Qiulian's mother was able to stop the ship for her daughter's sake, but now that Master Mu hasn't agreed to the marriage, it's unlikely he'll let them go so easily.

Thunder rumbled in the sky. After seeing the dragon, the group listened more carefully and discovered a special sound mixed in with the thunder, but it was filtered out by the rain and could only be heard with great effort.

It was a roar like that of a beast, probably coming from the dragon in the sky. Even though those below couldn't see the dragon's appearance clearly, and it was difficult to estimate its exact size, Ling Ziling inexplicably felt that the dragon in the sky was not very old.

The way it rolled back and forth in the clouds, the occasional roars of the dragon in my ears, and the way it always cast its shadow on the clouds alongside lightning—it didn't look like a proper dragon bringing rain; it looked more like a child playing around.

"He looks quite young. Could he be the child who ran away from Mu Longjun's family?"

The five hundred little dragons guarded by the Dragon Shepherd were all quite young. Most of them were only four or five years old in human terms, and the oldest were probably no more than eight years old in mental age. Children of this age are truly annoying to cats and dogs when they make a fuss.

The dragon in the sky's behavior is very consistent with this. There is a legitimate dragon king in this river. Although he does nothing, an adult dragon who knows the rules would not stir up trouble in someone else's territory. It is possible that a little kid who knows nothing and only knows how to play would do such a thing.

If you put yourself in that position, Mu Longjun seems to become a babysitter, which makes him feel even more stifled.

Should we inform him?

Tell Mulongjun that your kid is running around outside.

"No need."

Ren Yunzong held the flute above Ling Ziling's head and pointed in a direction that led to the other ship where Mu Longjun was.

At this moment, the monk-like Dragon Lord was already standing outside. Despite the heavy rain, his clothes still looked dry. He held a bowl in his hand and looked at the dragon shadows soaring freely in the sky. Even through the rain, one could see the helplessness in his expression.

It's really frustrating when your own child is playing wildly outside and you can't get them to come home.

"Oh, I already know."

"Wait, is anyone on that boat?"

The two of them didn't try to hide their conversation from Mu Changong, or perhaps they felt there was no need to. After all, he would eventually find out that Bai Qiulian, whom he had fallen in love with, was also a demon, and they had already experienced being stopped by a boat on a sandbar and had even encountered a water ghost, so this little conversation was nothing.

So from Mu Chan Gong's perspective, Ling Zi Ling first mentioned Mu Long Jun, and then Ren Yun Zong pointed in a direction. He recognized the ship over there, but following the direction Ren Yun Zong pointed, apart from the heavy rain hitting the deck, he couldn't see anyone.

However, judging from Ling Ziling's behavior, she clearly saw someone standing outside the cabin, someone she knew. Both Taoist priests saw it, only Mu Changong couldn't.

Mu Chan Gong: Not to be rude, but it's a bit scary, Taoist priests.

"You didn't see it? Maybe he didn't want mortals to see it."

Come to think of it, it's true that it's not appropriate for mortals to see Lord Mulong standing outside like that, without an umbrella and without a drop of water on him.

The day after the dragon appeared, the heavy rain stopped, the river level rose significantly, and the sandbar was no longer visible. The boats were freed from the obstruction and resumed their journey.

At the same time, Mu Longjun came to say goodbye, carrying a reluctant-looking baby in his arms. The baby looked to be about four or five years old, with rosy lips and white teeth, and was very cute, but had a very sour face.

This child is the little dragon that was having a blast in the sky. Originally, it would have taken some effort for the Dragon Shepherd to find it, but the child was having too much fun and was flying around in the sky when he caught it.

However, more than one little dragon escaped from the Heavenly Lake. After catching this one, another ran off to other places. Since the Dragon Shepherd had to continue catching the runaway children, he left early.

Even until the ship set sail again, Mu Changong still couldn't convince his father to agree to his marriage to Bai Qiulian. In Master Mu's view, his son was going to inherit the family business in the future, and he absolutely couldn't just marry a girl from an unknown family. Even if they didn't mind, it would be a laughing stock among their peers.

As the ship set sail, Ling Ziling saw a white figure swimming across the water behind her. She knew it was Bai Qiulian. Wang Liulang then popped his head out of the water again, bringing unexpected news.

"I don't have to be a water ghost anymore!"

"...Who took your place?"

"What are you talking about? Nobody drowned."

"Uh, why is that?"

It's no wonder Ling Ziling thinks that way. Water ghosts basically rely on the substitution technique to escape. Wang Liulang even gave up an opportunity to save the person who was supposed to take his place.

If there was no substitute, how did Wang Liulang escape?

"Because I'm going to become the City God, and I was recommended by the Dragon Shepherd from Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain!"

"?"

Ling Ziling: Recommended by Mu Longjun, good heavens, you can't really be a water spirit, can you?