EFB Chapter 19 Letter Paper
Chapter 19 Letter Paper
Recent continuous rain
But the warm sun shone down on the very day of the Liu family's joyous occasion.
Although the sun was shining warmly, it still made pedestrians feel a bit chilly.
The Liu family was enveloped in a festive atmosphere of red, with the courtyard filled with distinguished guests. Tables and chairs were neatly arranged in the courtyard, and the tables were laden with fruits, wine, and meat.
Guests and hosts alike mingled and chatted merrily. The lively scene blended seamlessly with the atmosphere of a warm and welcoming home.
As the bride, her head veiled, was led into her boudoir, she happened to cross paths with Fang Hongxuan. Fang Hongxuan's eyes narrowed slightly, but he subtly twirled the letter in his hand.
...
The Liu family colluded with that band of bandits, and the area within a radius of fifty li of Qingyang Town was all their territory. Anyone who crossed the Cliff Gate Inn would be monitored.
Master Liu...Master...are all evil spirits!
The handwriting becomes increasingly blurry and illegible towards the end, suggesting the writer was extremely short of time...
As Fang Hongxuan's fingers turned white, wisps of dust drifted away in the wind.
Liu Yisheng found Fang Hongxuan, and the two drank and chatted happily. As for Li Shoujing and Li Shouxin, they witnessed everything from the crowd.
"I really misjudged him..."
"Others are none of our business; we should find our master first." The two retreated as they went, and soon disappeared into the crowd.
"Nephew, I am ashamed to say this."
Liu Yisheng looked troubled, and drank the yellow wine in his cup in one gulp.
"My father should have passed away peacefully seven years ago. However, he was also blessed with a connection to the immortals and was granted immortality by an immortal on the seventh day after his death."
"The immortal said that although the old master is destined to be with the immortals, his lifespan is almost over. He may borrow the Seven Star Lamp of the Midnight and Noon to extend his life by seven years."
"Return to the burial site and rebury the body. After forty-nine days, you will be able to embark on the path to immortality and attain eternal life."
"Now that the seven-year period has come to an end, in order to ward off bad luck for my elderly father, my son has postponed the wedding day until now."
"As for the reason, it is simply that the immortal once said that when my father was buried, demons and ghosts arose and ran rampant."
Liu Yisheng filled the wine jar with yellow wine for himself and Fang Hongxuan, then held the wine cups with both hands and drank them all in one gulp.
"Tonight at midnight is the time for my father's reburial. My dear nephew, you are very skilled. I hope you can help my father and fulfill his dream."
"My uncle treats me like his own son, so I will naturally do my best." Fang Hongxuan nodded in agreement.
...
The red lanterns were lit, and then replaced with white ones.
The bustling streets during the day were now deserted, with every house tightly shut and not even an oil lamp lit, resembling a silent, ghostly place.
The once festive courtyard suddenly turned cold and terrifying. A vermilion coffin was placed in the hall, and the old master's portrait hung on the wall.
The entire Liu family, dressed in mourning clothes, gathered silently kneeling in the main hall.
He Nianwei also attended the event, but her face appeared extremely blank, completely unlike her previous alert demeanor.
"At midnight, we will hold a funeral for my father." Liu Yisheng said this to appease Fang Hongxuan, as if afraid that Fang Hongxuan would be unable to bear it.
"Uncle, where is the funeral procession headed?"
"Before Qingyang City collapsed, a tomb for immortality was discovered outside the city. The old master was buried nearby..."
Fang Hongxuan nodded slightly, then closed his eyes to rest and wait for the right opportunity.
...
"Master, why don't we escape from here?"
alley
Li Shouxin was full of doubts, and finally asked the question.
"Slaying demons and eliminating evil spirits."
Li Mu was busy preparing the dog blood wine and cinnabar inkstone he had obtained from Fang Hongxuan. He also somehow managed to scrape together several sheets of yellow paper.
At this moment, he was chanting incantations, as if making a prayer. The talismans he wrote were completed in one go, and the incantations on the paper were vivid and lifelike, as if they were flowing with light.
'Suppressing Talisman'
This is one of the few remaining true skills of Qingzhen Temple. Any spirits, ghosts, evil spirits, or demons that come into contact with this talisman will be immobilized for several breaths.
Seemingly worried that his incantation power was insufficient, Li Mu actually took out the memorial tablet of "Qingzhen Shie Taixuan Fulong Zhenren".
Three sticks of incense and three cups of yellow wine are offered.
The crimson memorial tablet now gleamed with a hint of dark light.
The silent fellow disciples all looked astonished, as if they had never seen such a scene before. For a moment, the two of them were like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden.
After the incense had burned out, Li Mu reluctantly poured the three cups of wine back into the gourd. Feeling it was wasteful, he instead poured water into the cups, shook them a few times, and drank it.
"Do not think that I am stingy. This is a secret that my Qingzhen Temple does not pass on. The wine is replaced with the Hundred Immortals Brew. When this wine is offered as an offering, all the officials will have a chance to sense it."
"Now the path to immortality is severed, and there is no one left to bestow ordination. The once-prosperous Daoist sect is left with only the path of alchemy."
"Even the hundreds of ingredients for this Hundred Immortals Brew are difficult to gather."
"My Qingzhen Temple used to be considered one of the leading schools of talismanic arts, but now it's just a bunch of small fry."
Li Mu sighed with great heartache, then shook his head.
"It's all about timing and fate..."
"Master, stop keeping us in suspense. How did the ancestral tablet manifest its power?" Li Shou asked impatiently.
Li Mu's expression turned serious.
"In the past, when a master within the sect conferred ordination certificates, he would allocate a corresponding number of soldiers for his disciples to command. These soldiers were transformed from the spirits of the deceased into heavenly soldiers."
The disciples subdued spirits and demons to command, calling them the Five Wrathful Soldiers.
"However, whether it is to command heavenly soldiers or the Five Witches' army, or to strengthen the power of talismans and spells, an altar is needed as a foundation. As for the objects used to support the foundation, they are the ancestral tablets and shrines for worshipping the ancestral masters."
"Nowadays, my Qingzhen Temple is in decline and has no successors. I suppose the ancestral tablet of 'Qingzhen Shi'er Taixuan Fulong Zhenren' will not be used much more often."
Li Shouxin's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. Even the usually composed Li Shoujing became agitated.
"Master, such a treasure. Why waste it here? Besides, in my opinion, this place is fraught with great danger and terror. It would be better to leave Qingyang Town as soon as possible."
Li Mu sighed repeatedly.
"These seniors here, even at the cost of their lives, never forget to sacrifice themselves to suppress the demons. How can we sit idly by and only care about protecting ourselves?"
"Besides, we are not alone. That young hero Fang is willing to give us everything he has. He has not let us down, so how could I possibly do anything underhanded?"
"he?"
Li Shouxin looked disdainful, completely disregarding Fang Hongxuan.
"Looking at it now, he can be considered quite eloquent. This disciple does not know what he said to Master."
"My senior brother and I both saw that he was extremely close to the Liu family, almost to the point of sleeping in the same bed. If the Liu family behaves like this, what kind of person is Fang Hongxuan?"
Li Shoujing also nodded in support.
To everyone's surprise, Li Mu tightened his fingers and gave his disciples a slap on the forehead.
"Don't talk nonsense! Young Master Fang has saved my master and me from dire straits several times. How could he be such a person?"
"Guard your heart, guard your stillness. Is this how I've always taught you to judge people? Regardless of their character, just considering the life-saving grace, we must not gossip about them behind their backs."
"Master, it has been repaid. Yesterday, the disciples reminded him to leave this place as soon as possible. If it weren't for the disciples' reminder, he probably wouldn't have escaped this calamity."
Upon hearing this, Li Mu was furious. He rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a stick, and started hitting Li Shouxin on the buttocks.
"Once the truth comes out, let's see how you try to deny it!"
Li Shouxin dodged while shouting, "Then let him come! Anyway, it's not my senior brother's or my fault..."
By chance, Li Shouxin noticed a faint purple dress appearing ahead, heading in a certain direction...