Exorcism

The imperial capital has long since lifted the no-fly order, but the city gates are still closed at night and open in the early morning on time. No matter how many people are flying overhead, the rules are still rules, at least they are still valid for mortals.

In recent days, the rules have been restored very well. It is not that the practitioners suddenly began to understand the benefits of being down-to-earth, but that most of them have left. Some followed the Taoist priests to attack Yelin Town, and others joined the army of the Shengfu Dynasty. Head to the frontier to make contributions in the final decisive battle between humans and monsters.

The Ci Emperor personally led the expedition, and almost all the people left in the imperial capital were the old, weak, women and children. Therefore, at dawn, the two women wearing veils and riding donkeys out of the city did not receive any special attention.

The outside of the city is even more deserted. The houses on both sides of the road are still very new and were rebuilt more than ten years ago. Now that the man of the house has rushed to the battlefield, most of his family members have moved to the city. There are only a few vegetable farmers on the road carrying their loads into the city. They all have sad faces. old woman, someone was holding a child in her hand.

"No matter how the world changes, some people's lives will always remain the same." Queen Xun said softly through the veil. During the war, she was able to share the sufferings of the people, but she rarely left the palace to interact with the common people, and she was more emotional.

Zeng Fu has less contact with the outside world, "Are you talking about these vegetable farmers? They may also want to 'change', but they don't have the strength. They are similar to me in Pangshan. If the Old Ancestor Peak had not been destroyed, I would never I won’t leave there, no matter how the Taoist priests kill demons outside, it won’t affect me.”

"Do you miss the life back then?"

"I often dream about Laozu Peak, but it's not nostalgia, because there is nothing to miss. My naked eyes have never even seen the true appearance of Laozu Peak. It is said to be very magnificent. To me, it is just a mountain. There are some pavilions and pavilions on the mountain peaks, and there are more weird animals. Of course, I didn’t think they were weird at all at the time. I thought unicorns were very common. Now that I think about it, I’m no better than a spiritual beast. Spiritual beasts, I'm not as precious as them. At least I won't feel too inferior to others in Huangjing. Look, I can still escape with you. In Laozu Peak, I will only be taken by Taoist priests, not hidden. Being in the sleeves means getting into a magic weapon and feeling like a piece of waste..."

Zeng Fu talked a lot, but Queen Xun listened quietly and laughed from time to time.

Walking up a slope, Queen Xun stopped the donkey and turned around to look back at the imperial capital several miles away. She had tried her best to fight for the highest power in the city and fought for it as the ultimate goal, but after she succeeded, she found that the goal was insignificant.

Zeng Fu also turned the donkey around. Her feelings for the imperial capital were not that complicated and deep. The object she was looking at was the Daotong Tower floating in mid-air. She sighed softly, "Queen Xun, have you really thought about it? Wait until the palace When people and ministers find the letter you left, you will no longer be the queen in their minds."

Queen Xun thought for a while, and carefully explored the true thoughts in her heart to make sure that she was not impulsive. "Now that you have left, don't call me 'Queen' again."

"What do you call me, princess?"

"I'm not a princess either. My name is...Xin Youxun."

"Call him by his first name like a Taoist priest?"

"Well, like a Taoist priest. Hello, Zeng Fu."

"Hello, Xin Youxun."

The two of them laughed together.

"Daotong Tower..." Zeng Fu looked a little surprised.

"What's wrong?"

"It seems to be shaking...it's nothing. Let's go. We're still on the edge of the city."

They were all mortals and could not feel the subtle changes that were invisible. The two little donkeys seemed to notice something. First they raised their ears, then turned their heads and ran very fast, comparable to tall horses. There were not many on the road. Pedestrians gave way and then praised "What a good talisman".

After noon, the two of them had traveled nearly a hundred miles north without any pursuers, so they slowed down. The donkey was fine, but the rider felt tired.

"We really can't be Taoist priests." Zeng Fu looked up at the sky, "If the imperial capital sends out talisman masters, they can catch up with us in the blink of an eye, right?"

"I have already sent an order to say that I am not feeling well and not to disturb the palace maids. No one should notice that I have left before tomorrow morning. There is a market town not far ahead. From there, we will change to the east road and go around Dongjie Country to Xijie Country. Don't worry, I understand those people who are staying in the capital. After seeing my letter, they will be in chaos. They will not be able to send anyone out of the capital until tomorrow afternoon. If they can't find me in the next three days, they will Even more confused, he issued a bunch of messy orders ˜”*°•.˜˜.•°*”˜”.

"Where is Emperor Ci? They will send the news to Emperor Ci as soon as possible."

"The Emperor Ci is determined to exterminate the demon clan and establish unprecedented great achievements. He will...he will declare me dead and then focus on the decisive battle."

"You have thought of everything. Isn't it tiring to think about it like this without the support of inner elixir?" Zeng Fu was very curious.

"You don't need to think about it all the time. You just need to look at the problem in a simpler way: Taoism is the source of power. It used to be very hidden, and mortals could still fight for it. Now it is open. Even if you are an emperor, you are just a superfluous person. . There is nothing to fight for. Queen and princess have become unintentional titles. My 'ancestral peak' has fallen."

"Are you happy or unhappy?"

"Well, it would be great if gossiping could fill my stomach. The thing I envy most about Taoist priests is that they don't have to eat often."

Xin Youxun insisted on turning eastward through the market town before resting, and Zeng Fu had no choice but to agree.

The market town was small and deserted, and all the young and strong men had gone to the front line. An old woman with wrinkles on her face stood on the street and cursed, refusing to listen to anyone's advice.

"After just a few years of quiet life, there was another war. Men died in battle and women died of exhaustion. Who farmed the land? Who supported the family? Who committed suicide together? The kind emperor was not merciful at all, but he was smoked to death..."

Several neighbors were frightened and swarmed up to the old woman and dragged her away. "You are crazy. No one cares about you now. When the battle on the front line is over, we will kill you all."

The old woman howled loudly, "My three sons have been drafted to fight, and I don't know whether they are dead or alive. My daughter-in-law, who is several months pregnant, is missing. Why do I care about killing everyone?"

Xin Youxun listened for a while and became silent when he started on the road again.

After leaving the town, Zeng Fu advised: "The common people don't understand anything. They don't know that Taoism is the one in power now, and the emperor doesn't count."

Xin Youxun shook his head, "Emperor Ci and I made a promise to the people back then, but we both broke our promise just because a stronger force came."

Zeng Fu didn't know how to comfort him, but suddenly he heard a sound passing above his head. When he looked up, he saw a strange monk flying in the air.

The monk imitated the dress of the Taoist monk, except that his bun was higher and the hairpin was longer. There were some mysterious patterns painted on the Taoist robe. He passed by the two women's heads, suddenly lowered and turned around, looking at them with wanton eyes.

The monk had a long, thin horse face with sparse beard, and his eyes were alert and ferocious, as if he was being chased by something.

Zeng Fu's heart skipped a beat, thinking that Xin Youxun had guessed wrong this time. The ministers in the imperial capital reacted very quickly, so they sent someone to catch up. He held the reins with both hands and said loudly: "What are you doing? You dare to rob on the road in broad daylight." ?"

The monk snorted coldly, took out a bronze mirror from his arms, and illuminated it with a ruby ​​inlaid on the back. A thin beam of light swept across the lower abdomens of the two women. The monk turned around and rose up, continuing to fly eastward without saying a word. .

"Who is he? What does he want to do?" Zeng Fu was confused.

"Follow him." Xin Youxun's heart moved, and he urged the donkey to run quickly. Zeng Fu became more and more puzzled, but followed closely, believing that Xin Youxun's approach must be reasonable.

The monk did not deliberately hide his whereabouts. He flew ahead like a big bird. After a few miles, he turned into the wilderness. Xin Youxun stopped on the side of the road and looked into the distance for a while. "He went to the house over there. There is a path ahead."

Three or four miles south of the road there is a courtyard shaded by trees, which looks like a suburban manor of a noble family.

Xin Youxun was about to urge the donkey forward again, but Zeng Fu stopped him in front, "Wait a minute, tell me what's going on first? Do you recognize that casual cultivator?"

Xin Youxun shook his head, "Remember? The old woman in town said that her daughter-in-law was missing?"

"Um."

"The monk uses a magic weapon to check whether we are pregnant."

"Really? So what, are you just guessing that there is something wrong with him based on this? Maybe he is helping the old woman find her daughter-in-law."

"It's impossible. All normal monks have joined the Holy Talisman Army or the Taoist Army. This person is hiding here and his eyes are not straight. There must be something wrong. I'm worried... he wants to use babies to perform evil spells. We can't just die without saving him."

Xin Youxun urged the donkey to move forward, but Zeng Fu could not dissuade him. He could only follow behind and murmured: "Oh my god, why should I say that you are like a Taoist priest? You are not a Taoist priest, you are just a mortal. You can't see death without saving it." - You It’s to die.”

Xin Youxun patted the small bag hanging on the donkey's back and said without looking back, "Don't be afraid, I have the talisman."

"You are not a talisman master at all. Have you ever learned sacrificial talismans?" Zeng Fu said, but he made the donkey run faster, even half a head ahead of Xin Youxun.

"Every royal family has learned the ritual talisman. I'm not that powerful, but I can still deal with a small monk."

"Have you ever fought with a casual cultivator?"

"When I was in Xijie Country..."

"Needless to say, I understand that you are bullying others as a princess, and the casual cultivators don't dare to offend you, so they have to pretend that they can't fight."

Xin Youxun smiled, his confidence not diminished, but he took out a dozen paper charms from the bag in advance, identified them one by one, left two, and put the others in his sleeves, then carefully folded the paper charms in his hand and hid them in the palm of his hand. inside.

Zeng Fu saw this and sighed helplessly, patted the donkey's head and whispered: "Broom, even though I gave you a bad name, you still have to thank me, and you must work hard to save the Lord later." ”

The donkey nodded as he ran, not sure whether he understood or not.

The two of them rode the unicorn that transformed into a donkey and tracked the monk to the manor. They saw that the door was closed tightly and there was a lot of dust in front of it. It had obviously not been opened for a long time.

A loud voice rang out in the yard, "We have found pregnant women within thirty miles. Is there anything you want?"

"Don't worry, we have to first find out the real reason why Daotong is looking for pregnant women. Anyway, it will never go wrong if you have it in your hands in advance. Brother Liao, haven't you noticed? The magic of Daotong Tower is rapidly weakening. I'm afraid it won't last until midnight today. , there must be something wrong with the Patriarch. Without the help of the Patriarch's magic, the cultivation speed will return to the previous state. I have expected this day, so believe me, the future of the Taoist tradition and the future of the monks is in it. On these pregnant women!”

"Who's out there?"