Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

When the Taoist priest saw Yuan Wuxiang break off the Buddha's head, he wanted to say something. Even if the Buddha's head on the statue was reattached after being severed, it shouldn't be so easy to break it off with bare hands, right? He just put his hands on his head and twisted it off.

Before the initial shock had subsided, Yuan Wuxiang took off his gloves. The Taoist priest was so captivated by his hands, which appeared to be made of silver, that he momentarily forgot to ask him anything.

Then, this man pried open the gap behind the Buddha's head with his bare hands, all with one hand. This Buddha statue is carved from stone, so how could it be as brittle as a block of tofu in his hands?!

The Taoist priest tried to understand, but he couldn't. He had traveled to so many places; what kind of scene hadn't he seen? "Sorry," he thought, "he truly hadn't seen this scene before."

"The stone Buddha statue... was just pried open like that..."

Juan Shoutian glanced at the Taoist priest who had suddenly become withdrawn, wondering what he was surprised about. Breaking stones with bare hands was nothing out of the ordinary to them. When he saw Yuan Wuxiang take off his glove, he knew what his friend was going to do, so he naturally took the glove.

Holding the Buddha's head in one hand and breaking it with the other, it wouldn't be right to have Yuan Wuxiang break the stone while holding his own glove in his mouth.

"Is this... a soul banner?"

Yuan Wuxiang looked at the opened Buddha head. Inside were two things: a bag of broken silver, estimated to be several dozen taels, and a small, exquisite flag, the top of which seemed to be plated with a little gold.

These were all valuables. It seems that the monk treasured these valuables and was afraid that they would be stolen, so he went to great lengths to hide them inside the Buddha statue.

The Buddha statue is situated high on the pedestal, making it easy to overlook. Robbers and thieves often operate at night, and with no light source in the main hall at night, it's impossible to see the overall appearance of the Buddha statue, making it even harder to spot the tiny cracks behind the Buddha's head.

"So he was laughing because his money hadn't been stolen?"

All the chests and cabinets in the monks' quarters were ransacked, and many things were thrown on the ground. It was as if the monks had become increasingly agitated while searching for something they couldn't find, and finally threw everything out in a panic.

"Probably."

As for whether the monk was killed and the temple was looted, or whether he was killed for refusing to hand over his valuables, the details remain unknown.

Yuan Wuxiang picked up the small flag placed next to the loose silver. This thing was out of place with the bag of loose silver next to it. Although it had gold-plated parts, he always felt that this was not the most valuable part of the flag.

It looked like some kind of ritual implement, and shouldn't have only one side, but apart from the Buddha head, they couldn't find any other possible hiding places or mechanisms.

The temple is located in a very remote area, almost in the wilderness, far from the surrounding villages. It is quite remarkable that it can be built to this scale in such a remote place.

Although the other monks' quarters were also ransacked, it was clear that no one had lived there for long. There really was only one monk here, and now he has been killed.

The so-called "ghost monk's maniacal laughter" is simply because this greedy monk couldn't let go of his precious money after death, and his spirit would return to the main hall every night. It's estimated that as long as the Buddha head where he hid his money and the money inside are still there, this ghost monk will keep laughing.

This guy died with his eyes wide open in a rather unusual way, because that little flag was really out of place. It seemed less like property along with the silver coins and more like something the monk had stolen from a lodger during his lifetime.

This flag doesn't look like something a righteous sect would use. Magical artifacts like spells usually come in sets, so taking it out like this means it's either lost or stolen.

Apart from looking a bit old, the flag was not damaged at all, and the gold paint on it was still intact, indicating that it had been kept and used all along. Therefore, it can be ruled out that it was lost and picked up by the monk.

Finally, the Taoist priest, who had broken free from his self-imposed isolation, recognized the small flag as a tool of witchcraft, said to be able to cast spells and exorcise ghosts. He had seen many similar ones while traveling around, usually a set of five small flags, but he had never seen anyone actually use them.

It's also possible that someone used it in person, but the Taoist priest himself didn't have the magical power to see the ghosts they were commanding.

In short, this thing definitely came from some guy who practiced some kind of evil magic. The fact that the monks in this temple can return to their spirits every night after they die might also be thanks to this little flag.

Having learned the reason for the ghost monk's maniacal laughter, the two instructed the Taoist priest to contact nearby villages and use the money from the Buddha's head to bury the monk. They would take the flag with them and, when they encountered someone with spiritual attainment, ask them how to destroy such a thing.

The local witchcraft artifacts may still contain some remnants. Moreover, according to the Taoist priest, this type of exorcism is different from raising ghost soldiers. It has less binding power and usually commands small ghosts, that is, the souls of children.

Where do you get a suitable child's soul? Naturally, you just abduct and kill the child you like, then capture their soul so you can use it at your disposal.

Shuangxiu: We're tough now, our fists are hard, we'd better not run into guys like this.

"Turns out it's just another charlatan."

Lan Ying casually fiddled with the bag of medicinal herbs in her hand, while a long line of people stood beside her, all there to see a doctor and buy medicine.

She heard that there was a shaman in the city who could heal people through spiritual means, and she found it interesting so she came to take a look. She thought that since the shaman could communicate with spirits, she must know how to communicate with monsters and the like, so she asked the shaman to help her find some materials.

When she came over to take a look, she found that this so-called "spiritual shaman" was just a woman who could perform ventriloquism and was pretending to be a ghost. She closed the door and talked to herself in different voices, chatting about all sorts of things, and even said that she was getting medicine according to someone else's method, but in reality, she didn't even touch the medicine. The medicine she was selling was also very ordinary.

Although few people know ventriloquism, it does exist. Most of them are men who sit in restaurants or at banquets in the homes of high-ranking officials. They first put up a screen to perform, and then remove the screen after the performance to show the audience that there is indeed only one person behind the screen.

This woman knows how to make money. First, she establishes herself as a fairy, and then sells medicine through that identity. It's much easier than those who perform outside.

"Utterly boring!"

Lan Ying could tell it was fake at a glance. She knew magic herself, although it was a cheat ability given by the system. She could sense whether there was energy fluctuation in the surroundings and whether someone was really casting a spell.

Lan Ying casually tossed the medicine bag aside and went outside the city. There, a blind monk who knew sorcery had captured several house demons and contacted the White Lotus sect members in the city, wanting to sell the house demons.

When the blind monk discovered the house demon, he was already planning who to sell it to. Ordinary merchants might sell exotic goods, but they would offer low prices and would be afraid of such humanoid creatures.

The White Lotus Sect is a good choice. Its followers live secular lives under the guise of Buddhism, holding various identities in society. Moreover, there are quite a few people practicing heretical and evil practices within this cult, and there are definitely some who want to become homebodies.

Lan Ying was the one who was willing to buy the Otaku Demon. She didn't know what the Otaku Demon looked like, only that it was a group of very small humanoid creatures, the largest being no bigger than a palm, and the smallest as small as a finger.

This size is perfect for her to use as a curse worm. She had always used worms properly before because it was difficult to control them if they were too big, and it was also troublesome to make them with larger animals.

She had considered using an insect demon that had become sentient, but having cultivation meant that its inner soul had also become stronger, making it difficult to control and potentially vulnerable to being counterattacked. The house demon was weak, small in size, and agile in human form, so it might be worth trying to use it for research.

Anyway, whoever sells this little thing to will die, so it's better to let her take it directly.

But as soon as she left the city, she received other news: some believers had seen a young Taoist priest in blue robes near the port, who seemed to be the one who had encountered the White Lotus Sect several times and the two sides had become enemies.

"...The one holding a transparent flute, who looks a lot like Han Xiangzi?"

Lan Ying began to have a headache. Ren Yunzong and Ling Ziling were acting so high-profile that anyone who wanted to investigate them would have some information about them, especially the White Lotus Sect.

Pu Yi's appearance caused his own mage to suffer a loss. He was not afraid of being cursed, and his combat power was heaven-defying. He could beat people up as if he had cheated. He could knock down a group of people with just one flute. Lan Ying would never believe that he was not a time traveler.

What's more, the other party was carrying a long sword. Because of her experience in the capital, she had some psychological trauma, and now she wanted to run away whenever she saw someone dressed in gorgeous clothes, with a fantasy style, and who could use a sword.

But otaku are indeed rare. Because of their status as illegal transmigrators, they can't even be too open about contacting monsters, for fear of attracting some troublesome guys who can discover their special identities.

If I really manage to get my hands on these monstrous creatures, their intelligence-gathering efficiency will be significantly improved. With these little things, they can even poison things without anyone noticing, which would be extremely helpful in causing chaos and destroying the world.

Do you know where they went?

The Taoist priest in blue was not alone; it was said that he had a girl in pink with him, who was probably the same girl who had asked the people around him about his whereabouts when he first appeared.

This combination is quite eye-catching. Lan Ying believes that as long as she keeps a close eye on them and pays attention to their movements, they should not clash.

Having finally managed to rebuild her career within the White Lotus Sect, she had no desire to die before achieving her goals, nor did she want to perish halfway through her missions, which she had undertaken for so long. Having worked for the transmigration system so many times and caused so much trouble in so many worlds, this was the most difficult time yet.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Lan Ying wanted to buy the house demon that the blind monk had captured. By sheer coincidence, Ling Ziling and Ren Yunzong unexpectedly encountered the house demon and planned to help the house demon girl rescue her father and brothers who had been captured.

Look how small the world is.

"How did you manage to run so far?"

Ling Ziling looked at the little house demon in her hand. This was the servant who had been entrusted to gather information. Because he knew the whereabouts of the blind monk, he had come out to lead the way.

The road led them further and further away, directly out of the city. This distance was just a flash of light for a primordial human, but for a small, house-dwelling demon, it was like an eternity. Ling Ziling was really curious how he had found this place before.

"The two little devils under that evil monk, one of whom liked cats, would sneak out to tease the cats when the monks were resting. He was also the one who came with the monks to capture people. When he left, he quietly told us to find a cat and tell it that we should go find the brother to find him."

Then, the servant probably felt that looking at the little devils was too free, so he continued to explain that the blind monk's two little devils were seven or eight-year-old children who were killed by his sorcery and turned into ghost children to be used, and were driven by wooden figures and small flags.

There were two wooden figures, each a little devil. They had five small flags used to bind their souls. Originally, these two children could only do whatever the monk said. But one day, one of the blind monk's five flags was missing, and the binding loosened. They couldn't escape, but they regained some of their independent consciousness.

Because of the missing little flag, the two little devils were able to sneak away for a while while the monks rested. They tried their best to tell the living creatures around them about their experiences, hoping that someone could help them find relief.

These things were told to the servant by one of the little devils named "Gezi". He didn't want to catch the house demon, but he had no choice but to follow orders. So he left as many clues as possible. When the servant who was looking for information came riding a cat, he took the initiative to tell him the blind monk's next plan.

That means going outside the city, selling the captured house monsters to others, returning to the city to make a fortune, and then leaving immediately.

How can those two children be freed?

Ren Yunzong asked, "The fact that the two children were willing to reveal clues to others proves that they haven't lost their true nature. Being killed by the blind monk and turned into ghost children was an undeserved disaster. If possible, Ren Yunzong wants to save both of them as well."

“If we destroy the wooden figure and the flag in that evil monk’s hand, they can be freed. But now one of the flags is missing, and the evil monk himself can’t find it. He suspects that it was stolen by someone.”

It's simple to free the two little devils; just destroy the object binding their souls. But there's a special situation: one of the five flags is missing, and the two little devils don't know what happened to the missing one. They have a little free time, which means that the missing flag has been destroyed.

"This is really complicated, Zhen. What's wrong?"

Ling Ziling saw Ren Yunzong, who was a little ahead, stop, but she didn't sense any danger, so she couldn't help but ask.

"...Followers of the White Lotus Sect."

Ren Yunzong looked at several figures in strange white robes in the distance. Seeing how prosperous the city was, he thought there wouldn't be any White Lotus Sect members walking around so openly in their sect's white robes.

Aside from areas that have clearly been developed into cult strongholds, most members of the White Lotus sect still adhere to their principle of "living at home while remaining a monk," dressing like ordinary people and living their lives peacefully, as long as they are not provoked.

Some monks are more blatant, after all, they want to amass wealth and gain followers, but the ones mentioned above are a bit too blatant. The White Lotus Sect has always been suppressed by the imperial court, yet they wander around outside the city with the label of "disruptive elements."

"It's the White Lotus Sect again..."

Ling Ziling also noticed the situation ahead. They were not on good terms with the other side, and this time they still had to rescue people, so they decided to take a detour.

"Why does the White Lotus Sect seem to respawn everywhere, just like the residents of the Bitter Realm?"