Zhang Muzhi stood in front of the Taoist temple gate and looked into the distance.

The vast farmland at the foot of the mountain is a scene of busy spring plowing.

Weeping willows sprout buds on the edge of the field, swallows fly low, and peach blossoms are bright red.

The farmers shouted and waved their whips, and the cattle pulled the rake and walked in the fields.

There is a narrow and rugged path winding through the field, connected to the stone steps at the foot of the mountain.

In the distance, there are many houses made of thatch and mud scattered at random, with smoke rising from the kitchens.

Further away, you can vaguely see the courtyard with white walls and gray tiles, which should be the residence of wealthy people.

"Looking at the trend of mountains and rivers, we are still near Jinling..."

Zhang Muzhi also saw that the farmers in the field were all wearing short shirts and had their hair tied in buns, and he had some suspicions in his mind.

"The common people have not shaved their heads. It is not expected that it was under the rule of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Could it be the Zhu Ming Dynasty?

"I just don't know what year it is now?"

Zhang Muzhi closed the gate and walked down the hillside along the stone steps to the village in the distance.

Four or five corner boys were running and chasing each other on Tianbian Road. When they saw Zhang Mu, they gathered around him.

A boy in the lead asked with a smile:

"Brother Taoist, are you from Longhu Mountain?" The accent is similar to that of Jinling in later generations.

Zhang Muzhi's heart skipped a beat and he nodded: "I am coming from Longhu Mountain..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw these children running away into the distance, shouting.

"Grandpa, grandpa, the Taoist priests from Longhu Mountain are here!"

"How do these kids know where I come from?"

Zhang Muzhi was surprised and suspicious, so he slowly followed the children, hoping to find someone to find out.

The children ran along the path for about ten feet, and then turned into a field.

After a while, five or six men followed several children.

The leader is a skinny old man in his fifties, with gray hair and full of energy.

When everyone came closer, Zhang Muzhi bowed first:

"Blessed are the gods with infinite blessings, poor Taoists will see you as a gift!"

Everyone was stunned, and the old man quickly raised his hands: "Polite! So polite! Is the Taoist really from Longhu Mountain?"

Zhang Muzhi nodded: "Pindao is indeed from Longhu Mountain and is currently settling in Laojun Temple!"

The old man asked again: "Don't you know your surname?"

"The poor Taoist's surname is Zhang."

"It turns out that I am a disciple of the Tianshi Mansion. I am disrespectful and disrespectful!"

The old man was overjoyed: "Taoist Master, you haven't eaten yet. If you don't mind, please come with me!"

A tall man behind him murmured in a low voice: "You are still a baby, how can you do anything..."

The old man was furious: "Tieniu! What nonsense are you talking about! Be careful, I will slap you!"

Then he smiled apologetically at Zhang Muzhi: "Don't blame me, Taoist priest! This child has lacked education since he was a child, and he is always guilty of stupid things!"

"Don't be angry, old man. What this eldest brother said is true. A poor person's practice is at a loss at the beginning, and his practice is very shallow!"

The old man laughed loudly: "The Taoist priest is too modest. Who doesn't know that Taoist Zhang of the Tianshi Mansion, as long as he can walk down the mountain, he must be capable! Come on, come on, let us entertain you, and treat it as yours."

Taoist priest, take the wind!" After saying this, he raised his hand to lead the way.

Zhang Muzhi couldn't explain it clearly for a while, so he had to say: "I think the elders knew that I came from Longhu Mountain. I don't know why?"

The old man laughed loudly and said loudly: "I don't dare to be called an elder. This place is called Taojia Village. The little old man is the head of this place. The Taoist priest just calls me Old Man Tao!"

Zhang Muzhi hurriedly changed his name to Old Uncle Tao. Old Tao was in a good mood and explained the reason as he walked.

It turns out that Laojun Temple was built by a Taoist priest named Xie, who was rumored to have studied under the former Heavenly Master Zhang Yuchu.

Twenty years ago, Taoist Xie traveled here and saw that there were many evil spirits here that harmed the people, so he built a temple and practiced meditation here.

According to Old Man Tao, Taoist priest Xie has superb cultivation and is good at using talismans. He is very effective in removing evil and curing diseases and subduing ghosts. Since arriving here, he has cured many people in Li, so the local people are very grateful for his virtues.

Until last month, Taoist priest Xie suddenly said that his time had come and he would be traveling to Henan Palace to bid farewell to everyone.

All the villagers were in grief, and Master Xie informed everyone that he had sent a letter to Longhu Mountain and that a descendant of Longhu Mountain would be here soon to continue to protect the people here on behalf of Master Xie.

Zhang Muzhi couldn't help but say: "I wonder what evil spirits Taoist Master Xie has conquered?"

Old Man Tao chuckled and said: "Most of them are zombies, evil spirits, mountain goblins and the like. I can't tell you clearly."

Zhang Muzhi asked again: "How come there are so many evil spirits doing evil here?"

Old Man Tao was stunned: "I can't say for sure. I heard Taoist priest Xie mention it. It seems that this place is some kind of border area, and the City God has no control over it..."

Zhang Muzhi nodded silently and stopped asking further questions, but his heart was filled with confusion.

"Sure enough, it is different from the age of the end of the Dharma. This world has city gods and ghosts. Naturally, there should also be gods manifesting their holiness..."

"Xie Taoist said that he was driving the Henan Palace, which is the third-level Taoist fruit. He can become a Yin God. After his death, he can become an immortal in the Nangong Palace. He can be trained by water and fire to reunite his body. He can serve as an immortal official or a heavenly general..."

"In this case, Taoist Xie should not be able to cultivate to the realm of Yangshen, otherwise he would be the second-class immortal Taoist fruit!"

"You can predict that I will come from the next life even before I become a Yang God?"

Zhang Muzhi had many thoughts in his mind, but he couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

"Now that you have come, make peace with yourself, and use Laojun Temple as a place to stay. After you have completed your practice, you can then go to Longhu Mountain."

As for Zhang Muzhi's shallow moral practice, whether he can deal with ghosts and evil spirits like Taoist Master Xie, there is no need to worry too much.

A direct descendant of Zhang Tianshi from Longhu Mountain, he has a second-grade Taoist talisman. He can use the talisman to summon the power of the gods to deal with evil spirits.

A few people walked and talked, and soon they arrived in the village. After many twists and turns, they arrived in front of a house.

"Taoist priest, wait a moment. Thank you, Taoist priest, for leaving some relics for the old man to keep for safekeeping. They are now enshrined in the ancestral hall. I'll go get them."

After speaking, Old Man Tao turned around and entered the ancestral hall. Soon he came out with a wooden sword and a blue cloth wrapped in it.

"Taoist Master Xie told me that these should be handed over to the next Laojunguan host. Today, I will hand them over to Taoist Zhang, which can be regarded as living up to the trust."

Zhang Muzhi took the wooden sword and found that it was made of high-quality peach wood. It was more than three feet long, had a color like red copper, and was as warm and moist as jade.

Opening the baggage, a dozen cinnabar charms and a thin hand-written law book appeared inside.

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Zhang Muzhi put the Dharma book into his arms and picked up the talisman to look at it carefully.

At the top are several Heavenly Master Earthshaking Talisman, followed by the Five Thunder Talisman, Mountain Thunder Messenger Talisman, Train Talisman and other thunder talisman papers.

"It turns out to be the talisman technique inherited from our Tianshi Mansion!"

Zhang Muzhi held a piece of talisman in his hand. It felt two or three points heavier than ordinary paper. He thought that the talisman seal must be effective.

Zhang Muzhi bowed to thank Old Man Tao, put the talisman into his sleeve, and then asked where Taoist Xie was buried, planning to offer incense and pay homage when he had time.

Several people left the ancestral hall and were about to talk when they suddenly saw a young man in blue walking quickly with his head lowered, looking very flustered.

When Old Man Tao saw that the boy was just walking forward and about to hit several people on the road, he became furious.

"Xiao Liu! Why are you going? Are you in such a hurry that you don't even look at the road?"

The boy was stunned when he heard this and stopped: "Master! Why are you here?"

Old Tao ignored the boy and turned to Zhang Muzhi: "This is my useless grandson. Now he is working in Han Yuan's house. He is usually very irritable and has no rules!"

Zhang Muzhi said with a smile: "Looking at his face, he seems to be a smart man, so it would be better to ask him what's wrong!"

Old Tao then scolded the boy: "Tell me! Why are you so anxious about something? Are you running as if you were chased by a dog?"

The boy in blue did not dare to disobey his grandfather, so he had to say: "Grandpa, Mr. Han has a vixen in his house. He is sending me to Yuanjue Temple in the town to invite monks to catch the monster!"

Old Man Tao was furious: "Our village has always been protected by Taoist Master Xie, and we only worship Laojun and Master Ling. What kind of monk are we looking for?!"

The boy lowered his head and murmured in a low voice: "Isn't this the time when Taoist priest Xie ascended to become a god..."

"This Taoist priest is the new abbot of Laojun Temple. He will protect us just like Taoist Xie in the future. What can I do for you, monk?"

"What are those monks capable of? They only make money! The temple has more land than your Mr. Han's house!"

Old Man Tao was obviously a believer and had quite a few criticisms of the ascetic monks.

The boy raised his head and glanced at Zhang Muzhi, and when he saw that it was a young man about the same age as himself, he immediately hesitated.

"Although this Taoist priest is young, he is from Zhang Tianshi's family in Longhu Mountain! Why are you still worried?" Old Tao said loudly.

Longhu Mountain is the ancestral home of Taoism, and there are many stories circulating in the world about young heavenly masters who can also cast spells to subdue demons.

The boy was surprised and wondered: "Is this little Taoist really capable?"

However, Old Man Tao ignored his grandson and turned to Zhang Muzhi with a smile: "I guess the old gentleman thinks that I am not enough to entertain the Taoist Priest, so he asked Mr. Han to prepare a banquet to entertain the Taoist Priest!"
To be continued...