Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 175 Master of Punishments

Because of a pair of ears, they were wary and defensive towards him. Tianji didn't quite understand the logic of the young boy and girl. He didn't know the Asura King. People with such long, pointed ears were a dime a dozen in the Bitter Realm, and many of them were of different races.

He only came to find the two people who were wandering around, and he had no interest in them, even though the girl in the photo seemed to know magic.

"I'll stay here too, then I'll leave."

"Please wait!"

After much deliberation, Xiao Er decided to call out to the man dressed in black who exuded an aura of sudden intrusion. Before this man, she had only seen Shou Wanjie with ears similar to his.

There are legends about strange long-eared creatures, both among humans and monsters, but very few have actually seen them. The fact that Shou Wanjie is accepted by many as a member of a different race is undoubtedly related to his long, pointed ears that point upwards.

Skin color can be disguised with paint, hair can be dyed, and clothing can be specially made, but ears cannot be replaced. Even if fake ones are used, it is difficult to make the long and conspicuous ear shape natural. If there were such a shape of fake ear, wearing it would also affect one's movement.

When Xiao Er was in the White Lotus Sect, this inhuman ear trait was unique to one person in ten thousand tribulations. Even after all sorts of innate people came, she never saw anyone else with such ears.

But the person in front of him had ears that matched those of the former Asura King—long, pointed earlobes that extended diagonally upwards. Coupled with that snow-white, unfamiliar beast, it was as if "I'm not from here" was written all over his face.

"Anything else?"

Tianji turned around when he heard the sound, and Xiao Er could feel that his eyes were also different. When he looked over, it was as if he could see through everything about others.

"If you don't know Asura King, do you know Shou Wanjie, or Daoist Xingxiu Yiqi?"

"A peculiar constellation..."

Upon hearing these names, Tianji frowned.

"Where did you know that?"

"It was told to me by several immortals, one of whom was named Longnao Qingyangzi."

"Knowing Qingyangzi... you two don't seem like people from the Daoist sect."

The waiter was on guard just now. At first glance, it was clear that she did know magic, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that her learning was not very systematic. She was not a Taoist disciple, but rather seemed to be practicing some unorthodox methods.

Moreover, neither of them looks like a naturally born person. Knowing only naturally born people is useless. Some people have friends all over the world and can chat with anyone they meet.

"Speak quickly if you need anything, I'm very busy."

"Then, is this gentleman also a Daoist innate master?"

Shou Wanjie's appearance suggests he's a member of the Daoist sect, and if we follow the formula, this person in front of us should be one too. However, compared to those we've seen before, this person's attire is rather simple, making the two, who are used to seeing elaborate, complex, and colorful styles, a little uncertain.

"The way of heaven is right, the way of heaven is forbidden."

"Ugh... Wow..."

Upon hearing Tianji's self-introduction, the little beast called "Yedai," who had been fiddling with the wildflowers in its hand, came over and barked a few words at the two of them. However, Xiao Er and Ding Zimo couldn't understand it at all. The little thing spoke like a toddler's babbling, but its voice was a bit rough.

Seeing that the two hadn't heard him, Ye Dai stretched out a paw and tugged at Tian Ji's clothes, urging him to translate quickly.

"It said, 'I am the righteous one, the demonic sword wind.'"

Although Tianji seemed impatient with the clothes being pulled, he still translated it as it was. Unfortunately, even after translating it, the person on the other end didn't know what "Demon Flow Sword Wind Stun" meant.

However, the Zhengyi Sect members in front of them understood because there was also a "Zhengyi" sect in this world. The images of Tianji and Yedai were completely different from the Zhengyi sect that Xiao Er and the others had heard about.

It doesn't matter. Before others reveal the truth, who would have thought that the Asura King in the White Lotus Sect was also a member of the Taoist sect?

"What are you dawdling for? Have you found it yet?"

From the direction Tianji came from, a very rough and loud voice came. The person spoke quickly and arrived very fast. Before the words were finished, the person was already in front of him.

"Aren't they all here? Stay put! Don't ruin the flowers and plants."

The newcomer's appearance matched his voice perfectly. He was a middle-aged Taoist priest with thick eyebrows, large eyes, a full beard and hair, and an upright demeanor. He wore a simple cotton and linen robe, with a very eye-catching red scarf around his neck and a magic sword on his back.

Having seen so many different kinds of handsome, almost superhuman "immortal masters," Xiao Er and Ding Zimo couldn't help but feel a sense of bewilderment upon seeing someone with a style similar to that of a local Taoist priest, whose face was as solemn as a door god. They felt a strange sense of "so this is how normal it can be."

Actually, it started when Xing Tianshi was with Tianji and Ye Dai nearby. They unexpectedly met a cultivator. Xing Tianshi chatted with the cultivator and found that they got along very well. So they chatted for a long time. Ye Dai couldn't stay still and started running around. Xing Tianshi asked Tianji to come and find Ye Dai.

Since he couldn't fly into the city on a kite, Xiao Er found a relatively secluded place outside the city to land, where he happened to run into Ye Dai, who was picking wildflowers. Then Tian Ji came looking for him, which led to the series of events just now.

Time was still delayed for a while. Xing Tianshi saw that he had also left in a daze, and Tian Ji went to look for him but he did not return for a long time. He was getting impatient and simply came looking for him too.

"Making flower wreaths? With your skills, what kind of flower wreaths can you make? Be careful that Tiva doesn't dislike you when you take them back."

Xing Tianshi grabbed Ye Dai and, ignoring its protests, set it aside to stop its cruel behavior. Only after doing this did he notice that there were other people nearby, a young couple.

When they first saw him, they thought he was a monster and didn't dare to make a move. When they saw Tianji, they were wary because his pointed ears reminded them of Shouwanjie. But now that they saw Xingtianshi, they were no longer afraid. Call it judging by appearance or stereotypes, but they felt safe and didn't think Xingtianshi was a bad person.

Unlike before, as soon as Xing Tianshi appeared, Xiao Er and he became familiar with each other in just a few words, and in the end, they all left together.

"Back to propose marriage? Great! Congratulations! You're so lucky to have such a wonderful wife!"

Master Xingtian laughed and slapped Ding Zimo on the back, making her stagger. Master Xingtian not only spoke faster than others, but also moved with great force. In addition, he knew martial arts, so Ding Zimo, an ordinary scholar, was really unable to resist.

But he knew the other party meant no harm and had come specifically to congratulate him; it was just that the congratulations were somewhat heavy-handed.

"If you clap again, the groom will fall to the ground."

Through Xiao Er and Ding Zimo, Tianji also realized that his ears might be special here. He also learned that a guy with long pointed ears had caused a great disturbance in this world before and now had this feature, which was the mark of the "White Lotus Sect Asura King".

To avoid trouble, Tianji pulled up his hood, covering his distinctive ears. He followed behind Xing Tianshi, watching as the latter slapped Ding Ziming until she stumbled, seemingly about to deliver another blow.

Ding Ziming was a frail scholar. Compared to his peers, he was physically strong, but compared to those who practiced both martial arts and cultivation, he was definitely fragile. His small frame couldn't withstand Xing Tianshi's continuous slaps, so he spoke up to remind him.

"Wow, wow... um..."

Ye Dai echoed, but Xiao Er and Ding Zimo couldn't understand what he meant. They already knew Ye Dai was a spirit beast tamed by Xing Tianshi, but they didn't know its species; in any case, it was a creature they didn't have here.

The two followed Xing Tianshi back to find their friend, who was dressed as a beggar. He wasn't surprised to see two more people with Xing Tianshi after he left.

On the contrary, he seemed to know the two extra people.

"Oh, isn't this the scholar from the Ding family?"

The beggar recognized Ding Ziming at a glance. Ding Ziming wasn't too surprised. Passing the imperial examination at the age of eighteen was a very attractive topic. When he first passed, he was invited to many banquets, and most people in the city knew him.

However, the person opposite recognized Ding Zimo, but Ding Zimo did not recognize this beggar. Although the person in front of her was dressed as a beggar, he had an extraordinary demeanor and could chat happily with Xing Tianshi.

After looking at Ding Ziming, the beggar turned to look at the waiter.

"And that girl from the Zhao family who can recite poems, no wonder Scholar Ding ran away from home, it turns out he went to find a soulmate!"

“I left a letter for my father.”

"I'm famous now?"

Ding Ziming and Xiao Er spoke at the same time. Although the former had run away from home, he left a letter explaining his destination. Otherwise, he would not have felt at ease writing home to ask his family to help clear Zhao Wang's identity.

The latter was somewhat surprised that the beggar recognized her. She admitted that she was different from other people's daughters and did not adhere to the traditional "staying at home." It was also true that she was rejected by the man in a fit of embarrassment because she answered a poem that he could not recite. But these things should not have been known to others. How did the beggar know?

"I've heard of your reputation before, but as for the others... it's hard to say."

"Old Chen, why are you speaking in riddles for no reason? Aren't you two supposed to be going home to get engaged? It's getting dark, you should hurry into town and not miss the good time."

The beggar called himself "Chen Jiu," whether that was his real name or not is another matter. He was an excellent chess player and had a great sense of humor, which suited Xing Tianshi's taste perfectly. When he got tired of playing chess, he could even teach the other players how to play mahjong. The three people on this side plus one other person were also a bit slow, so they were a perfect match to play mahjong.

However, they had been playing chess all along, and Tianji, who was standing nearby, didn't think much of it. But Yedai found it a bit boring, so he sneaked out to pick wildflowers.

If Xing Tianshi hadn't wanted to change the mahjong set, he might still be running away without even realizing it.

"Yedai is back! Come on, let's change tables and I'll show you my card-playing skills!"

After urging Xiao Er and Ding Zimo to hurry up, and watching them walk towards the main road into the city, Xing Tianshi sat back down in his original position, took out a larger square table, and added two extra stools. To accommodate Ye Dai's height, one of the stools was specially raised.

Then, with a "whoosh," Xing Tianshi scattered the mahjong tiles on the board. It doesn't matter where these things came from; the chessboard and pieces that the two used to play chess at the beginning were also pulled out of thin air by Chen Jiu.

"Come on, everyone, let's play mahjong!"

"...Should I play too?"

It climbed onto its special stool early on, and seeing Xing Tianshi's gestures, Tianji finally realized that Xing Tianshi wanted to play mahjong with him.

He plays mahjong? Seriously?

"Stop dawdling and come on over. We're one short, who's going to join? You're not like Feng Zhihen, you can't turn one into three."

"Uh...uh...wow!"

"How is this speaking ill of Feng Zhihen? He can take on three people at once, and he needs to prepare three sets of clothes."

"I don't know how to play mahjong."

Not just mahjong, but many similar recreational activities are things that Tianji doesn't do.

"You'll learn it after losing a few rounds. You're clueless about entertainment, are you going to send Rongyi back to Hope Palace for the New Year again?"

"..."

Xing Tianshi's words were undeniably sharp, hitting Tian Ji right where it hurt. So he lifted his robe and sat down in the last seat.

"let's hit."

With that kind of aura, anyone who didn't know better would think he was about to engage in some kind of life-or-death struggle.

"Why didn't you do it this way earlier? Come on, try it this way first..."

……

"Father, Xiao Er has disappeared again!"

As darkness fell, Zhao Changchun searched around and found that his younger sister had disappeared again. His little sister's zodiac sign wasn't even a rabbit, so why was she always running away?

It's one thing if we don't see her normally, but it's getting dark now. The White Lotus Sect's base is remote and deserted. Where could this girl go?

"Not with the immortal masters?"

Zhao Wang knew a little about his daughter's liveliness. He used to be able to control her at home, but ever since she joined the White Lotus Sect and learned magic, no one in the family could control her. In terms of magical cultivation, Xiao Er was the most powerful.

Unable to find anyone, his first thought was that Xiao Er had gone to find those immortals responsible for handling the aftermath of the White Lotus Sect, as he often saw Xiao Er with them.

"No."

Zhao Changchun has his own children and often can't take care of his younger sister. Xiao Er isn't a toddler who doesn't understand anything and doesn't need constant attention. By the time he remembers her, Xiao Er is already gone.

I'm not worried about her getting into danger. Judging from the current situation, this place has gods, humans, ghosts, and demons all together. Whoever causes trouble will be in the most dangerous situation.

“Then I’ll go ask the Ding family’s son; he should know where Xiao Er went.”

Ding Ziming was extremely concerned about Xiao Er's affairs, and she stayed here to help because of Xiao Er; everyone knew this.

"Uh……"

Upon hearing that Zhao Wang was going to find Ding Ziming, Zhao Changchun hesitated before speaking.

"Brother Ding has also disappeared."

Zhao Changchun had also thought about finding Ding Ziming and had tried to look for her, but she had also disappeared.

If one of these two people goes missing, it's not a big deal; the Zhao family won't worry. But if both of them disappear, a pair of childhood sweethearts—Ding Ziming even proposed to them before—you think about it carefully.

"Little Second?"

Juan Shoutian, who was passing by, heard the sound, glanced in this direction, and then spoke.

"The two of them left an hour ago on a paper kite, saying they were going to the Ding family."

The two flew away on a kite, and they wouldn't have been discovered by anyone if they had taken an empty route. However, Juan Shoutian liked to climb high places to watch the sunrise, and when Xiao Er and Ding Zimo left on the kite, Juan Shoutian, who was standing on a high place, saw them.

Thinking that by the time this person came down the mountain, they would have already reached their destination, Xiao Er didn't hide it from her, and Juan Shou Tian's arrival time did not disappoint her expectations.

Or rather, Juan Shoutian never imagined that the two of them had run away secretly without anyone knowing.

“...That brat.”

Knowing the relationship between Xiao Er and Ding Ziming, Zhao Wang could easily guess what they were up to. This time, it was like a cabbage willingly following a pig.