Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

After taking a detour, they found the place where the blind monk had rested. There, too, were people dressed in strange white robes who were clearly members of the White Lotus Sect, though they didn't know which branch of the sect they belonged to.

"The White Lotus Sect has been around for a while. Could that blind monk be connected to them?"

A blind monk practices evil arts while posing as a monk, and the White Lotus Sect uses the banner of Buddhism to practice heresy; they really do seem like one big family.

Ling Ziling tried to question the house demon in her hand, but the house demon basically never went out. Ordinary people's houses were big enough for them. If it weren't for the blind monk incident, they probably would never go out and come into contact with anything in their entire lives.

So what exactly is the White Lotus Sect? The house demon had no idea. He distinguished between monks and Taoists by whether they had hair or how the homeowner addressed their guests.

Ling Ziling: Not to be rude, but your way of distinguishing things would be a disaster in our country.

This speculation was never confirmed. The White Lotus Sect today is merely a Buddhist shell on the surface. Its rules, precepts, and philosophies have long been consigned to the annals of history, making it virtually impossible for a monk to appear outwardly respectable.

Although this blind monk practiced evil arts and did inhuman things, he looked no different from an ordinary monk, unlike the White Lotus Sect.

"Is the White Lotus Church interested in homebody demons?"

If people who aren't from the same group are in the same place and haven't started fighting yet, there's still one possibility: the merchant the blind monk found who buys home demons is someone from the White Lotus Sect.

Judging from the current situation, it's probably still the higher-ups of the White Lotus Sect, otherwise these guys wouldn't be so blatantly stationed outside the city.

"...That guy again?"

Ling Ziling recalled a certain Asura King who had begun to surpass the original villain.

Regarding Shou Wanjie, the enemy only knows Asura King from Japan, not Kui Xing Yiqi from Taoism. Therefore, when mentioning Shou Wanjie, they will avoid using the title to avoid accidentally letting it slip.

I'm not afraid of being exposed as an undercover agent; what I'm afraid of is being exposed because of friendly forces, which would be very embarrassing.

"No, not him."

Ren Yunzong shook his head. He didn't detect the aura of any other innate beings around him. If Wan Jie had come here, he wouldn't have done it secretly; he would have definitely made a big scene to attract attention.

"The giant turtle issue won't be resolved so quickly."

There was also the giant turtle. The fact that the giant turtle was killed was used for propaganda. As the person who killed the giant turtle, Shou Wanjie needed to stay there to help the White Lotus Sect gain a good reputation.

"Let's change seats."

"and many more……"

"What did you say?"

Hearing a faint voice beside her, Ling Ziling looked at the house demon. She had only ever heard the house demon speak like that before.

But unexpectedly, the otaku demon also looked blank and didn't say a word.

"and many more……"

Another call rang out, this time clearer. It was definitely not a demon; the voice was clearly that of a child.

"behind."

The group turned around and saw a faint, ethereal figure following behind them. The person was not very tall and looked to be about seven or eight years old.

This child is unlike any ghost I've ever seen before. Other ghosts look much like ordinary people, and Yingning's family members are no different from living people, except for the yin energy that ghosts cannot contain.

But the child's face was blurry and his figure was like smoke, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.

Upon seeing the child, the house demon became excited.

"That's him! He's the little devil working for that evil monk!"

The ghost child that the otaku demon had seen, driven by the blind monk, was in this form.

"Are you Gezi?"

"No, that's another one."

The child shook his head, and as he shook his head, his entire head became even more blurry. If he hadn't recovered so quickly, the onlookers would have been really afraid that he would shake himself off.

"My surname is Zhan, I don't remember my given name. The monk has two ghosts, one is Gezi, and the other is me."

Because his face was not clearly visible and his movements were minimal, the group could not discern who he was looking at, only making a rough judgment about his orientation. At this moment, the blurry ghost child turned around, waved to them, and gestured for them to follow.

"The people who came to buy them arrived. The monk took my brother to meet them, and that's when I managed to sneak out."

It was Brother who was initially instructed to capture the otaku demon, and he has always been in charge of guarding the otaku demon. Now that the buyer has arrived, he naturally takes Brother and the "goods" with him.

The blind monk knew that the two ghosts in his hands were starting to become unruly. He understood that it was because of the missing flag, which was why he was in a hurry to sell the house demon for money and find materials to replace the missing flag.

He knew better than anyone how these two little devils came to be. Once the ghost children lost control, they would definitely come to take revenge on him first. Even if he couldn't escape in the end, they would definitely drag him down with them.

He was in a hurry to make money and didn't have time to care what the two ghosts were doing in private. Ordinary people couldn't see them, and because of their blurry figures, even people who could see ghosts would be scared away at first glance. As things stood, the monk felt that things wouldn't go wrong yet, so he didn't bother with them.

Since Brother couldn't get away, he asked another person to come out and look for someone. However, Brother said that there might be companions of the house demon coming to rescue people. He himself didn't know who else was there. The house demon was too small to be seen even when it was with Ling Ziling and Ren Yunzong. It took them a long time to meet.

“I was originally from Suzhou. When I was six years old, my parents died. My older brother and sister-in-law sent me to live with my maternal grandmother. One day when I went out to play, I was bewitched by a monk with sorcery. He took me to a mulberry tree and killed me. He then bound me with a wooden figure and made me his servant.”

The blurry-looking child led the way while recounting his past. He and his brother were killed by a demonic monk and turned into this state. They were forced to do things for the monk and could not be reborn. They only hoped that someone could punish that demonic monk.

The blind monk knew that what he was doing was not legitimate, so he would swindle money once and run away. In this era, transportation was not well developed, and there were so many monks traveling around. As long as he left before his deeds were exposed, he would not be caught.

Previously, one of the five little flags was missing. This time, when he saw that the house demon was thinking about other business, and his journey was delayed, and there was someone he could talk to, the two little devils finally seized the opportunity.

"Do you know who came to buy the 'Home Demon'?"

"She's a very strange woman. The people around her call her Fairy Lan. She seems to be from some kind of religious sect."

Lan Ying was an outsider who had traveled through time. Her behavior was very different from that of the local women. In addition, the atmosphere within the White Lotus Sect and her abilities made it difficult for the two children, who were ghosts, to recognize her.

"If we can't find that lost flag, will it affect you?"

Ren Yunzong and Ling Ziling could easily strangle the blind monk, and the White Lotus Sect members were just extras. Ren Yunzong was more worried about these two unfortunate children.

What if the monks die but they are still not freed?

“I don’t know. The wooden figure is where we are imprisoned and where we are housed. The five flags are for directing our actions. Now the monk is trying to get back the missing one.”

Regardless of the final outcome, the two ghost children only have this one chance. If they succeed, they might be freed; if they fail, they will simply continue to be driven by the blind monk and suffer some more torment.

"Raising a ghost child? Interesting."

Looking at the obedient ghosts floating around the monk, Lan Ying realized that it was no wonder he dared to make a deal with the White Lotus Sect; he was actually a guy who practiced evil arts and raised ghost children.

However, the ghost's form was so blurry that even its appearance was unclear. It was unclear whether it died at a very young age and its soul could not take shape, or whether the monk deliberately made the ghost child look like this to avoid being exposed.

The cage containing the house demon was on the table, but Lan Ying had lost interest in them.

"Let's make another deal. Tell me your method for raising ghosts."

Several transmigrators had tried the White Lotus Cult's magic to summon demons, but their energy systems were fundamentally different, so they couldn't summon anything.

Moreover, those things were mostly illusions, used to scare or deceive people. Lan Ying preferred something with its own consciousness that could provide her with convenience.

Now, the blind monk in front of her clearly met Lan Ying's requirements for controlling little ghosts. Of course, she also wanted the house demon; she could never have too many of these things.

But this time, the blind monk resolutely refused. This ability to control demons was his livelihood; he had learned it through crooked means back then. If the White Lotus Sect learned it, he would probably lose his ability to deceive people.

There's a saying that rivals are enemies, and this is especially true for those who practice evil arts. If there are two people with similar abilities, and you've just succeeded, your rival will expose you. Wouldn't the one who gets exposed be doomed?

Moreover, even if he were to teach others, it absolutely could not be at this time. He was missing one of the flags he used to command the little devils, and now was the time to worry about it. If the other side learned the whole set and came to snatch the little devils, where would he, as the "master," have a place to hide?

"You really won't agree? Now that the various schools of my religion are converging, offerings are indispensable."

Because of the addition of Shou Wanjie and several transmigrators, the leaders of the White Lotus Sect have been overshadowed, and there is indeed a trend of them merging. There are also a few radicals who want to take advantage of this trend to start another rebellion.

Lan Ying tried to negotiate several times, but the blind monk shook his head and refused. He just wanted to take the money and leave as soon as possible. The White Lotus Sect's ostentatious presence outside the city would definitely attract attention, and he could take advantage of this opportunity to leave.

"……All right."

Judging from her tone, the strangely dressed woman in front of him seemed to have given up, but the ghost boy floating beside her could see clearly that the woman's expression did not look like she had given up at all.

Unfortunately, the monk was truly blind and couldn't see the expression on the other person's face. The monk's face was blurry, and he floated there silently without saying a word. Lan Ying couldn't see his expression, and out of selfishness, the monk wouldn't remind the blind monk that something was wrong with the other person.

He always did exactly what the monk told him to do, ignoring everything else. The blind monk and the two children were practically blood enemies. If the woman on the other side tried to kill and rob, not only would the brother not stop her, he would even cheer her on from the side.

"Now that the money and goods have been settled, this humble monk will depart."

The blind monk hurriedly walked out. The woman in front of him had given him enough to figure out a way to make up for the missing flag.

He once stayed at a temple, and when he left to go to the next village to "beg for alms," he found that one of the five small flags was missing. He asked two ghosts to look for it, but they couldn't find it no matter what they did.

The blind monk suspected that someone in the temple had stolen it, but when he went back to look for it, not only did the monks say they didn't know anything, but the two little devils had also searched the entire temple and found nothing.

Of course they couldn't find it. The top of the flag was gilded, and the flag surface was exquisite. It was obviously a high-end item. After the monk got his hands on the flag, he immediately hid it inside the Buddha's head.

No matter how hard the two little devils searched, they dared not get too close to the Buddha statue in the main hall. Moreover, since they were not there voluntarily, they were even less likely to look closely.

At this moment, Juan Shoutian and Yuan Wuxiang were heading towards the port. Juan Shoutian looked at the small flag in his hand and felt that there was a faint trace of evil energy lingering on it.

When they first got the item, there was no sign of evil about it. But as they left the temple and went further in the journey, the evil aura seemed to become more and more obvious.

Or rather, the closer they got to the port they were going to, the more obvious the evil aura on the flag became. At first, the two didn't believe it, so they took the flag and retreated in a flash of light. When they landed, they found that the evil aura on the flag was gone.

Then, it transformed into light and returned to its previous position, and the evil energy reappeared, like a sliding rheostat, becoming more and more obvious the closer it got to the next city.

The Taoist priest had previously said that these flags usually came in sets of five, and now their reaction seemed to imply that the other four flags were in the next city they were heading to.

"...What a coincidence?"

"There's a port there, it's probably just a coincidence."

There's only one town nearby that can be reached by large ship, surrounded by scattered villages. Whether the person using this evil magic is trying to escape or swindle money, a large city with a port would indeed be more suitable.

"I heard from Lord Mulong that Ling Ziling and the others are also on the ship. If we hurry up, will we be able to run into them?"

Mu Longjun first caught a laughing dragon on the river, and then followed the trail of another dragon and encountered Shuang Xiu. The distance between the two groups was not too far, and the two of them were walking fast, so they might really run into each other again.

"Or perhaps they have already returned to Dendoan."

The two tourists, Shuangxiu and Dengdaoan, walked quickly because their appearances were too eye-catching and not suitable for staying in densely populated areas. The two tourists, Dengdaoan and Dengdaoan, walked slowly because they were chasing and escaping, interfering with each other.

Now that Ren Yunzong has found the person, the next step is to take them back. This process doesn't require any stops along the way, and they've probably already returned.

Before even entering the city, the malevolent aura emanating from the flags intensified. Judging by this momentum, the other four small flags were probably not in the city. The few strangely dressed people they occasionally glimpsed only confirmed this suspicion.

This reaction indicates that the flag was in use before it was lost, and even now it can spontaneously sense movement when approached. This reminds me of the Taoist's description of this evil art—commanding ghosts to harm innocent children…

"First, find the guy who uses evil magic. This flag can also serve as a guide."

"boom!"

An explosion was heard in the distance, and several bright lights flashed across the sky. Well, now we don't need flags for navigation anymore.