Exorcism

Minister Xijing was a fat man. He walked out of the cold palace and bathed in the sunshine of late spring. His face began to sweat within a few steps. With the help of a minor official, he took off his thick coat as he walked.

"Can things like souls be exchanged with each other?" he asked.

"You saw it." Mu Xingqiu showed him the red bead in his hand. It was an explosion wrapped in a fantasy world. It had been reduced to the size of an egg and was bright red in color. As soon as he walked out of the palace, it was blessed with more spells to prevent it from suddenly cracking. , Mu Xingqiu planned to throw it away when he reached no man's land. With the magic power he exerted, the bead could last at least three days without breaking.

"I saw an official explode in the palace, but I didn't see his soul." Minister Xijing began to pant. "In my opinion, there are many explanations for this matter. Yes, the unlucky official said He made some incomprehensible words, but... alas, his family has been officials for generations, and now there is only... a bead left. Please give it to me so that he can have something for burial in his family. "

Mu Xingqiu said seriously: "The power in the bead has not been released yet. When it explodes, it can kill everyone in the palace."

The fat minister quickly glanced at Mu Xingqiu and continued to lead the way, "I have heard about the deeds of Taoist priests. It is said that you are much more powerful than talisman masters and casual cultivators. But there is another saying that you like to play tricks on yourself. To be honest, , can you deal with more than two Talisman Masters?"

Zhibu State has been closed for too long, and the subjects inside are deeply suspicious of everything they have never seen before. The Longbin mission that comes every six months obviously does not do much to promote the Taoist priests.

"It depends on what kind of talisman master he is." Mu Xingqiu had no intention of proving anything. He had just saved the lives of the monarchs and ministers of Zhibu State in the palace. It was probably too easy to save him. Not only was he not thanked, but he was considered " Pretending to be mysterious.”

The demon statue was still standing at the intersection, and no one could touch it. The guards and officials outside the palace had heard about what was going on inside, and they all turned curious eyes towards Mu Xingqiu.

Minister Xijing had his own official office, which was not far from the palace. It was not large in area and was divided into two rooms, inside and outside. All the decorations were made of wood. He sat down comfortably on an armchair in the outer room, breathing heavily. He chatted in the native language with the six or seven subordinates who came to see him, as if deliberately delaying time.

"Most of the affairs on the island are under my control." Minister Xijing dismissed his subordinates and spoke to Mu Xingqiu in human language, "That was last year. The Long Bin delegation arrived on time, and there is a talisman master who has won you The strange disease he was talking about was escorting a group of new demon slaves to the island."

Minister Xijing moved uneasily in his chair, appearing to be very reluctant, "After that, one of the demon slaves did become... not normal."

"How many demon slaves are there on the island?" Mu Xingqiu asked.

"More than 3,100, we have been controlling the number accurately. The ratio of men, women, old and young is very appropriate. This is a complicated job, very complicated. Long Binhui may not know when it will send a new batch Demon slave, once the balance is broken, we have to work overtime to restore it. Sometimes it takes a year or two. There are too many accidents, but the balance must be restored." Minister Xijing raised his fat hand to emphasize his meaning. .

"How to balance?"

Mu Xingqiu's voice was a little stiff, but the fat minister didn't hear it. "First of all, we have to do a lot of calculations and observations. If necessary, get rid of some old and young people. Sometimes we also have to reduce the number of adults, especially those who don't have families. They Very disobedient and willing to cause trouble, if it weren’t for the sake of maintaining balance, I would kill one every day!”

Minister Xijing slapped his fat hands on the table, as if there was a demon slave he didn't like standing in front of him, "But the Fire Tree King is always kind. He often betroths these guys to wives and allows them to have children. Once they have children, They will become honest. This is a good way, but it is too slow.”

Minister Xijing said as he rummaged through the pile of debris on the table, and finally found a sign made of black wood, "This is the pass token, I will take you to the island to see the sick demon slave. To be disrespectful to Your Majesty, I don’t think that demon slave is a talisman master. Even if your statement is correct, there is still an obvious contradiction here: seizing the body of a young and promising official is understandable. What's the use of taking the body of a demon slave? And a... disobedient demon slave will be killed sooner or later.

"There are always unexpected things in the world." Mu Xingqiu said, his impression of Zhibu State was slowly changing. The people here were simple, but also cruel. When talking about the demon slaves, they seemed like a group of livestock.

"There is no Zhibu State. It has been like this for hundreds of thousands of years. The number of demon slaves has always been around 3,000, and the number of fire trees has always been 33,000. All the new things are the intrusion of Talisman Masters and you guys. "The things you brought are very bad. I'm surprised that Your Majesty trusts you."

Minister Xijing selected ten guards to escort him and Mu Xingqiu. They criticized all kinds of "new things" along the way. He had heard the legend that the demons were about to return to the world, but he didn't care at all. , "This is another change outside. The new dynasty is about to be established, but Zhibu State will not be affected. We plant trees for the entire world, and then get rewards from Long Binhui. Once Longbinhui is finished, there will also be Hubin Hui, Baobin Hui, so what if it’s the Magic Bin Hui? Everything is still the same..."

Mu Xingqiu rarely responded. Before he found his relatives in Yelin Town, he did not plan to argue with Zhibu Bang again. Instead, he was thinking about what Minister Xijing said before. Why would a soul changer who pursues power want to possess someone? In the body of a demon slave?

The demon statue was left where it was, and Mu Xingqiu cast several illusions on it. Then he, the ministers, and the guards rode out of the palace from the west gate, and soon arrived at the seaside pier. The boats were already prepared, and people and horses were transported to the island. .

Minister Xijing was still talking endlessly about the traditions of Zhibu State and his way of serving as an official, but Mu Xingqiu was silently observing. He had been a little puzzled about one thing, so he interrupted the minister, "Where do the people of Zhibu State live?" ? I don’t think I’ve seen an ordinary house.”

Minister Xijing's obesity could not hide the seriousness on his face at all. He looked at Mu Xingqiu coldly, and after a while he replied: "Isn't that right in front of you?"

The Deserted Peninsula, or the Deserted Island, is right in front of you, and the flames, trees, and houses are all clearly visible.

Most of the island is covered with flames, and there are three layers of remnant trees planted on the outside. In Zhibu State, they have a simpler name - fire trees. In this way, there is very little open space left, and the outermost layer of fire trees The forest is only a few miles away from the sea, and is only about thirty steps away. It is such a circular area, but it is home to more than half of the people and all the demon slaves in Zhibu State.

"The mainland belongs to King Huoshu and his cronies." After landing, Minister Xijing looked at the other side, as if he was homesick. "We can't let the people get too close to your majesty. It will breed their pride and ambition."

Mu Xingqiu also looked towards the other side. The palace at a high place was blocked by lush trees, only a few sharp corners were exposed, but he saw more. Through the illusion left on the demon statue, he saw some interesting things: a lot of The guards were trying to move the golem, and there were more guards and officials running around. Many strange things were brought out, like spellcasting equipment.

Mu Xingqiu smiled, and the Fire Tree King anxiously sent him to the island. Sure enough, he had another purpose.

"No." Minister Xijing said decisively, "Come on, let's solve the matter here quickly, and then we will conduct a comprehensive investigation."

Minister Xijing did not go deep into the island, but stayed on the pier, rode on his horse, and ordered the soldiers on the island to bring the demon slave. Then he said to Mu Xingqiu: "This demon slave is not honest, and he actually gave himself a The name is 'Lei Jing', but their real name will not change. Zhang Asan is simple and clear, which is very suitable for his status."

"Thunder Jing." Mu Xingqiu muttered in a low voice, indeed feeling that the demon slave was unusual from this name.

"The followers of the Ancient God Religion are all so weird."

Mu Xingqiu suddenly understood that the symbol of the Ancient God Religion was the character Lei made up of four mouths, so Zhang Asan simply changed his surname to Lei.

"Is there an Ancient God Religion here too?"

"This is another one of the new gadgets brought by you intruders. There are quite a few believers. This is why I haven't dealt with this Zhang Asan. It's not enough to get rid of just one. I have to uproot the ancient god sect. , but it must be calculated and the balance cannot be destroyed..."

The soldiers escorted a middle-aged man in ragged clothes. The man was short, dark-skinned, thin and lean. His eyes were wrinkled, but his eyes were bright. He knelt down to Minister Xijing according to the rules, but his head did not move. Ken lowered his head and did not dodge his eyes.

Minister Xijing sighed, "Zhang Asan, don't think about yourself, but also think about your children. What can you gain by spreading the Ancient God Religion?"

"My name is Lei Jing." The man's voice was hoarse and low, as if his throat had been injured.

Minister Xijing shook his head and said to Mu Xingqiu: "Is he what you call a soul changer? If you can turn him into a bead, I have no objection."

Lei Jing stared at Mu Xingqiu and suddenly said: "You are a Taoist priest, and you are the Taoist priest who is said to be the one who will destroy the Ancestral Fire and Zhibu Bang!"

"That is just a ridiculous legend, and he is not a Taoist priest." Minister Xijing corrected.

"I used to be a Taoist priest, but not anymore." Mu Xingqiu couldn't check this demon slave, because the spell restrictions on the island were stronger than those in the palace, and even the eighth level illusion could not be cast, but he had a feeling , Lei Jing was not controlled by any soul, he was still his original self.

"I used to be a Taoist priest... What are you doing here?" Lei Jing asked.

"I'm looking for two groups of people. One group is a talisman master, and the other group is ordinary mortals. They come from Yelin Town. Have you heard of Yelin Town?"

Lei Jing frowned in thought, but Minister Xijing was stunned. He really didn't like Mu Xingqiu's unexpected question, but it was not important anymore. He drove his horse back slowly, and the soldiers who had already received the order quietly gathered around him.

"What a coincidence. I know a person who talks about Yelin Town every day. He... you don't seem to please the Fire Tree King." Lei Jing has noticed the strange movements of the soldiers. There are more than fifty in total, and his hands Holding the weapon, his eyes were fixed on the "former Taoist priest".

Mu Xingqiu took out the bead containing an unfinished explosion and found that it was becoming unstable on the island. "It is difficult to please the Fire Tree King, but I am working hard."