Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 26 No Man's Land

A young and beautiful girl in a pink dress stood there holding a whisk, spouting charlatan-like talk about being possessed by evil spirits, ghosts, and ominous signs. It sounded very strange to anyone who saw it; such talk was usually coming from middle-aged Taoist priests, and most of them were charlatans.

However, Ling Ziling spoke with genuine seriousness, seemingly without pretense. Although her appearance differed somewhat, there were indeed many aspects of her that proved this young woman had some connection to Taoism. In addition, the parties involved all had their own ulterior motives, so someone as unusual as Ling Ziling was able to gain their trust.

"Hey, what's going on lately? So many people are getting into accidents. Never mind, senior, let's go look somewhere else..."

"Young lady, please wait!"

The person on the other side of the door had actually been listening for a long time, but because of something on their mind, they had only opened a crack in the door to peek. Now that they saw Ling Ziling was about to leave, they immediately opened the door and came out.

Upon opening the door, she discovered that there were several other girls standing further away, seemingly waiting for her. They were positioned at the edge of the door's opening, out of sight from inside.

Besides Ling Ziling, the most eye-catching were the two white-haired people, each with their own unique style of dress, yet it was clear they had come together.

"What?"

Ling Ziling turned around, glanced at the other person briefly, and then moved aside to make room for Jian Feidao to see him at a glance. This was an ordinary scholar, and his overall situation was similar to Guo Shen's, including the curse he had been placed on.

"Young lady, you just said there was an ominous sign in my house. Could you please explain in detail?"

Normally, if an ordinary Taoist priest came to his door and said these things, he would have chased him away long ago. But now, he had just experienced something strange, and the girl and her companions were not simple. Moreover, in the past few days, it was said that a white-robed immortal had appeared in the city, and the two men beside him were able to agree with this.

Better safe than sorry, he wanted to hear the girl's detailed account of what evil spirits she had encountered and what misfortune she had suffered. If it was indeed related to his experiences over the past two months, then this matter could not be left uninvestigated.

"how?"

Ling Ziling did not answer the anxious scholar, but turned to ask Jian Feidao.

"He has it too."

Jian Feidao withdrew his gaze and nodded. This was already the second one. The scholars who had been captured probably all had it on them. Although he still didn't know what the person who did this was trying to do, whether it was to monitor or something else, they absolutely couldn't be allowed to live.

"Young master, would you like to know?"

"Of course, please enlighten me, young lady."

"Okay, then don't move."

"What do you mean, 'no'... uh..."

Before he could ask any more questions, the scholar suddenly felt himself unable to move, as if someone had acupunctured him. His whole body stiffened, and he remained in the same position as when he clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

Then, he saw the man standing in the distance, dressed in a white and gold robe, walking towards him. The man had a cold demeanor, but his eyes seemed to be shining, like a cat staring at a mouse in the dark.

He saw the other person reach out to him, followed by a strange scream that pierced his eardrums. Jian Feidao withdrew his hand, and a large, bizarre-looking ladybug with black smoke rising from its body was in his hand, held motionless and probably already dead.

"This, this, this..."

Guo Shen was startled at night that time because he was frightened by Jian Feidao and didn't pay much attention to what was being pulled out of his body. But this time it was different. It was broad daylight, and the scholar was really startled when he saw Jian Feidao pull out a strange ladybug that was neither real nor illusory from his body.

"I told you, you've been cursed and are in trouble."

After Jian Feidao finished the task, Ling Ziling tore off the immobilization talisman stuck to the other's back, and the scholar regained control of his body.

After all that, his trust in the group of people in front of him skyrocketed. Without asking any more questions, when he heard the description of the old woman who delivered the wine, he knew that it was really related to what he had experienced. Fearing that there might be some strange things that hadn't come out yet, he quickly told her about his experiences over the past two months.

The first half of this person's experience was similar to Guo Shen's, but this person was a bit smarter than Guo Shen. He also felt that this was not something a fairy would do, but he didn't dare to resist, so he just went through the motions. He never saw the true face of the "fairy" in the darkness, nor did he know where he had lived for two months.

Perhaps he was too perfunctory, because the fairy quickly got tired of him and released him after about two months.

Oh right, Liu Qingyuan and the others had inquired beforehand and found out that Guo Shen, who returned last night, was the last missing scholar to return. The person in front of them, however, was not the first missing scholar in the city, but the first to return. That's why they came to find him first today.

Given that Guo Shen still harbored some fantasies about having romantic encounters with "fairies" on his own, they brought this person and Guo Shen together, letting the two scholars, each with their own thoughts, exchange information and see where there were any discrepancies.

Taking advantage of this time, Liu Qingyuan found a transparent jar to put the two strange ladybugs in. Although they were dead, it was hard to say whether they were real or not, or whether they looked like products of special magic. So she sealed them for now. The transparent jar would make it easier to observe them, so that the two bugs wouldn't come back to life if the unknown enemy on the other side exerted their power.

"Immortal Sword Master, what kind of insect is this?"

Ladybug Xiao Cui has certainly seen them before, but she has never seen one that is so real yet illusory, and that it even emits black smoke. It looks like it was made using some kind of special magic and became some kind of magical artifact.

"I don't know either; they might not even be considered living creatures."

Jian Feidao crushed the ladybug, not using much force. He channeled his inner energy into the bug's body, destroying its life force. This revealed to Jian Feidao that the ladybug's exterior was merely an empty shell, containing no real structure, only a wisp of black smoke.

Because this thing wasn't actually a living being, and it seemed to be driven by magic, he was afraid that it would suddenly come to life and catch everyone off guard.

"These guys use all sorts of methods and hide everywhere. They're a real headache."

Liu Qingyuan looked at the two scholars arguing. One thought the one who captured him was a deity, while the other thought it was a demon. Neither of them would give in.

"You're all wrong. The one you met was more likely a human."

Unable to bear it any longer, Liu Qingyuan made the final decision, ending the argument, and also had Xiao Cui come over.

"This young lady, Xiao Cui, has lived in the capital for a few years. Young Master Guo, according to your description, there is a villa in the capital that corresponds to it. I don't need to say more about the identity of that 'fairy,' do I?"

"What kind of fairy is that? A fairy should be like Little Flying Apsara."

Seeing that Guo Shen still thought he had met a fairy, Ling Ziling was furious. Was this guy blinded by lust? Using drugs to capture and imprison men, decorating a magnificent room with candles and luminous pearls, and giving himself several layers of light, what kind of fairy is this?

"Even if we don't compare her to a proper fairy like Xiao Feitian, any female innate cultivator from our Daoist sect is better than that guy. We have Martial Aunt Jing Wuhuan and Senior Mu Changfei when we reach the Dao Shore... Speaking of which, why does Senior Mu Changfei like Xianqi so much..."

"However, there are still some doubts. The other side must have some strange methods to get you from here to the capital with just a pot of wine, but I'm afraid it's not very clean."

Liu Qingyuan placed the transparent jar containing the ladybug corpses on the table so that the two people opposite could see it clearly.

"Could you two please do me a favor and visit the others? This time, please don't keep it a secret."

Going to them one by one is too inefficient. It would be better to have Guo Shen and the others, who are also victims, visit them. These scholars all have their own agendas and don't tell each other the truth. But if one of them suddenly starts to actively seek out people, the others will be attracted, whether they believe it or not.

After all, in their view, their own experiences were very unique, and they could not tell their family and friends about them. They were even unwilling to let the county magistrate investigate the case. But when people who had also disappeared and returned suddenly started to take the initiative to find them, and they heard that the other person not only had a similar experience but also that someone had tampered with their body, the others would associate it with themselves and eventually take the initiative to come over.

The easiest way is to find the old woman who delivered the wine; she is the first link in the operation to capture the scholar.

However, none of the scholars who were victimized knew the old woman well. Some of them tried to find the wine pot she had sent after they returned home, but they found no clues. When their families discovered that she was missing, the room was already empty, and there was no wine pot with the aroma of wine at all.

The scent of the sleeping potion that Lianxiang mentioned earlier was smelled on the returning scholar, not in the room. When the other party moved him, they must have also taken away the wine pot.

Even the most sensitive fox needs a reference point. None of these scholars could provide any clues about the old woman; they couldn't find her by simply relying on someone who delivered the wine.

"Then this is the most effective clue at the moment."

Liu Qingyuan patted the jar. Once they had pulled out all the insects, he didn't believe the other side wouldn't know. Since they had put something related to the caster on the returning scholar, it must be for a purpose.

And so, Xiao Cui and Ling Ziling followed Guo Shen and his group to visit each house, taking the initiative to tell them about their experiences and bringing them to Guo Shen's house so that Jian Feidao could capture the ladybug. Even if the other party was unwilling, Ling Ziling's talismans and Xiao Cui's magic could make them "voluntarily" come over.

Even if they initially refused, seeing a strange insect actually emerge from their bodies forced them to believe it. This was much faster; the six scholars who went missing and returned safely were all accompanied by six strange ladybugs emitting black smoke.

Through the exchange of information, it was discovered that among these people, only Guo Shen had walked out of the pitch-black room and seen the "Heavenly Palace" and the "Fairy." All of this stemmed from his complaints to the woman, and he was also the last one to be released. It has to be said that this guy is quite bold.

"That's not called being bold, that's called being reckless."

Ling Ziling flicked his whisk and gave Guo Shen this evaluation: "He was captured and imprisoned in a dark place. Instead of thinking about how to escape, he complained to his imprisoners that he couldn't see anything, didn't know the beauty or ugliness of the other person, and after seeing them, he no longer thought about going home. Even after returning, he still couldn't forget them. What else is this but being carefree?"

"With so many things happening, don't you have any capable Taoist priests in this city?"

There's a beggar with considerable cultivation on the other side, so why isn't there a single capable and skilled person here? Considering the density of cultivators in the world of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, this doesn't make sense.

“It happened before. I heard that the Taoist priest cast a divination for the Song family patriarch, saying that if the Song family continued to be so arrogant, they would bring disaster upon themselves in the future. They would harm others and ultimately harm themselves. The Song family was furious after hearing this and drove the priest away.”

"..."

The powerful Song family in the city was just one, but Liu Qingyuan knocked it down with a single flick of his whisk while fishing. The Song family, who would later bring ruin upon Feng Xiangru, would be assassinated by a chivalrous man. That Taoist priest was quite accurate in his predictions, but unfortunately, the Song family was not human.

A sincere warning was met with harassment in return, which no one could tolerate. Although Guo Shen didn't elaborate, given the Song family's arrogance, it was probably more than just kicking someone out of the mansion. That person likely left because he couldn't bear the harassment.

This departure created an opportunity for others. Demons rarely concern themselves with the affairs of mortals; they are content with just living their own lives. The reason Lianxiang noticed the scholar's disappearance was because her lover, Sang Xiao, was also a scholar and interested in the matter.

However, she only stopped at checking whether it was done by a monster or a human. She gave Sang Xiaoan a thumbs up. Compared to the mysterious scholar's disappearance and return, Lianxiang was more concerned about where Miss Li had gone.

"So, you're saying this place is a no-man's-land?"

Liu Qingyuan sighed, not expecting this place to still have this kind of character.

"Sword Immortal Master, what exactly is this 'three no-man's-land'?"

According to Guo Shen, Xiao Cui only understood that there were no cultivators in charge here, and that those who used supernatural powers and disorderly conduct could find loopholes to do evil. As for the other two, they didn't care.

“The county magistrate fears power and trouble, so the officials don’t care; the Taoist priests leave without anyone to cultivate and exorcise demons, so the immortals don’t care; the dead don’t enter the Yellow Springs and become ghosts in a daze, so the underworld doesn’t care.”

The officials, fearing the local tyrants, are inactive and perfunctory in their duties. Those who cultivate immortality are driven away by anger, and others don't come here either. Then there's Miss Li, who died young and didn't enter reincarnation, becoming a ghost for so many years in a daze. By chance, she was able to possess another body and be resurrected without going through any underworld procedures. Isn't this a case of officials not caring, immortals not caring, and the underworld not caring? This place is a complete "no man's land."

In this context, it seems quite simple that Lianxiang, a fox spirit, could be reincarnated as a human with her memories intact after death without much effort.

"Does the Yin not matter?"

Only Liu Qingyuan and his accomplices knew about Miss Li's situation. Upon hearing the last part, Xiao Cui frowned. She had heard about the corruption in the underworld, but the remaining scholars were ordinary people. When they heard that people could not enter the cycle of reincarnation after death and might become wandering ghosts, they couldn't help but feel afraid.

"Becoming a ghost isn't so bad; it's better than having your soul scattered."

"...Lingling, there aren't that many people dying tragically here."

Seeing Xiao Cui turn her head in shock at Ling Ziling's words, Liu Qingyuan quickly added something to her. He knew that the other party was comparing the Bitter Realm Innate Realm. Indeed, dying and becoming a ghost is nothing. Not going to reincarnation or ascending to the Immortal Mountain is a good thing. With some special means, one can create a body and go to the resurrection competition. It is much better than having one's soul scattered and having no thoughts left.

However, this is based on the worldview of the Bitter Realm. The situation in Liaozhai is not that dangerous. It is already tragic enough that people die and are separated from the living and the dead. The dissipation of the soul is too frightening.

"Senior, the jar has moved."

Jian Feidao's voice came from behind. Everyone looked over and found that the ladybug in the jar had indeed come back to life and was rushing around inside the jar as if it wanted to break out.

But that was impossible. The jar was sealed tightly, Ling Ziling had affixed a talisman to it, and Jian Feidao was watching over it. With multiple layers of protection, these little insects had no chance of breaking free.

Judging from their chaotic collisions, one can imagine the anxiety of the person controlling them. It seems that these things are closely related to the person who cast the spell, and they really do have the feel of a mystical Gu worm.

"Looks like we've found a lead."