novellaaa Chapter 227 Oh no! I've become the bad guy!!
Chapter 227 Oh no! I've become the bad guy!!
Chapter 227 Oh no! I've become the bad guy!! (4200)
With that, Lu Yuan gave Lin Zhaoxuan no more chance to speak, turned around and walked back to the center of the altar, and gripped the magic sword again.
The black cloth bag was still in his arms, with only the last two red ropes remaining untied.
He didn't rush to open it, but instead pressed it close to his body.
Lu Yuan stood before the yellow cloth Tai Chi diagram, sword in hand, his left hand pointing towards the Three Pure Ones tablet, and said in a deep voice, "Cheng An, Wen Xiang."
"Second Brother, replenish the talisman."
"Lin Zhaoxuan, stand in the Kan position, ready to give the order."
"Zhou Heng, Song Qinghe, guard him from the left and right, and do not allow evil spirits to get close to him."
The men's expressions tightened.
Although it was their first meeting, Lu Yuan's voice was calm and composed, as if he could control the situation.
Without hesitation, Lin Zhaoxuan immediately led Zhou Heng and Song Qinghe to stand at the Kan position.
Wang Chengan straightened the incense burner, pressed the bent incense sticks back into the ashes, and chanted a spell in a low voice.
Xu Erxiao quickly took out talismans from the box and patched them up one by one along the broken edges of the incense ash circle.
Outside the altar, a second wave of evil spirits was approaching.
In the darkness, skeletons draped in tattered theatrical robes, wielding bone knives, rusty spears, and broken flags, slowly emerged from the depths of the valley.
Their eyes burned with green flames, and their steps were so orderly that they resembled a troop of ghostly soldiers who had stepped out of an old opera.
The martial arts performer on the stage finally stopped his stiff stage movements.
He raised the rusty spear wrapped in black hair and pointed it at the giant stone altar.
All the skeleton soldiers simultaneously raised their armies.
The next instant, a horde of ghostly soldiers surged forth, trampling through bones.
Lu Yuan closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them again.
A single candle flame flickers on the sword's edge.
The two clusters of green flames were instantly propelled by the sword energy, transforming into two lines of fire that coiled around the magic sword.
He stepped forward with great strides, pointed his sword due south, and sang in a booming voice: "Open a sliver of light on the altar, let the thunder pass through."
"May all evil retreat, and may the true Dharma advance!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Tai Chi diagram in the center of the yellow cloth suddenly began to rotate.
A narrow passage formed by cigarette smoke, candlelight, and talismanic light suddenly extended from in front of the altar, pointing directly to the stage in the distance.
Wherever the passage passed, the black mist was split open, and the ghostly soldiers were forced to a standstill.
Lin Zhaoxuan's eyes lit up.
He knew that the opportunity would only last for a moment.
He gripped the Thunder Token with both hands, bit his tongue, and spat a mouthful of blood onto the token.
"Grandmaster, your disciple Lin Zhaoxuan begs for a strike from the lightning!"
The thunderbolt caused the tremor to tremble violently.
The previously flickering bluish-white light suddenly condensed into a thin, long bolt of lightning.
Lu Yuan shouted sternly, "Turn on the lights!"
Lin Zhaoxuan roared and shoved the Thunder Token forward.
"break!"
The lightning bolt shot out rapidly along the path Lu Yuan had cleared.
The ghostly soldiers along the way were all blown to pieces as soon as they touched the lightning.
In the blink of an eye, lightning had reached the stage.
The old actor on the stage changed his expression for the first time.
It suddenly opened its mouth and let out a shriek that was not human.
The eight pale white lanterns simultaneously shrank inward, as if trying to hide in the shadows of the stage.
But in the end, it was too late.
A flash of lightning streaked past.
The pale white lantern on the far left was pierced through on the spot.
"Bang!"
The lantern exploded.
There were no candles inside.
Instead, it was a shriveled, blackened human head.
The head was struck by lightning and instantly turned to ashes.
At the same moment, the singing on the entire stage suddenly stopped abruptly, and the pale light that enveloped the stage dimmed in one corner.
The evil eye on the willow tree suddenly contracted.
A glint of light flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes.
"it works."
But the next instant, the crack on the Thunder Token cracked again.
"Click."
Lin Zhaoxuan's face turned pale, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and he knelt on the ground.
Song Qinghe quickly helped him up.
"Senior brother!"
Lin Zhaoxuan gripped the Thunder Token tightly, his voice hoarse: "We can do it again."
Lu Yuan looked at the ancient token that had already cracked open and said in a deep voice, "At most twice."
Lu Yuan looked up at the seven lanterns remaining on the stage, then at the old willow tree that had begun to shake wildly.
"And we must interrupt this play within two attempts."
Lin Zhaoxuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth; his hand was covered in crimson.
He glanced at the newly formed crack on the Thunder Token, his eyes stung for a moment, but he didn't flinch.
"Seven lamps, not enough for two times."
His voice was a little hoarse, but firm and resolute.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, please clear a path for me one more time."
Lu Yuan frowned.
"What do you want to do?"
Lin Zhaoxuan did not answer, but handed the Thunder Token to his left hand and took out a crumpled oil paper package from his pocket with his right hand.
The oil paper package was tied with a red string, and a faded old talisman was pasted on it.
The talisman paper was brittle, as if it had been exposed to the cold winds of Northeast China for many years, and the edges were frayed.
Lin Zhaoxuan tore open the oil paper package, revealing three small, dark red pills inside.
That thing wasn't a pill; it looked more like a granule made by mixing cinnabar, realgar, rooster blood, and some kind of bone powder together.
Lu Yuan's expression changed slightly after just one whiff of the scent.
"Bloodfire Pill?"
Lin Zhaoxuan paused, glancing at Lu Yuan with some surprise.
"You recognize Fellow Daoist Lu too?"
Lu Yuan certainly recognized him.
This thing is said to exist among some old Taoist sects outside the Great Wall.
Although it is called an elixir, it does not belong to the orthodox alchemy path, but is a "method-enhancing pill" for urgent use.
After swallowing it, one can use the blood energy to power their magic, which can forcefully increase their magical power for a short period of time.
But the cost is also heavy.
At best, it damages the meridians, and the person may be unable to perform rituals for three to five months.
In severe cases, it can cause qi and blood to flow in reverse, shortening lifespan and damaging the body's foundation.
Ordinary Taoist priests would never touch such a thing unless they were desperate.
Lu Yuan's eyes darkened.
"You're going to swallow this?"
Zhou Heng's expression changed, and he grabbed Lin Zhaoxuan's hand.
"Senior brother! No!"
Song Qinghe also said urgently, "Master said before he died that the Bloodfire Pill should not be used unless it is a matter of life and death!"
Lin Zhaoxuan looked at the approaching skeletal soldiers outside the altar and suddenly smiled.
"Isn't this a matter of life and death?"
He looked up at the stage.
The remaining seven pale white lanterns swayed slowly behind and behind the stage, their light growing increasingly pale, like seven dead eyes staring at the crowd through the darkness.
The old actor on the stage spoke again.
"At the second act, white bones take the stage."
"Fold it in threes, peel off the skin and change the appearance."
"41% off, for guests to take their seats."
The singing became faster and faster, higher and higher, almost as if it were not a person singing opera, but as if countless tiny insects were crawling in everyone's ears.
As the chanting began, the skeletal soldiers outside the altar began to change formation in unison.
The skeletons in the front row lowered their bodies, while the ghostly soldiers in the back row raised their rusty bone spears, with a layer of ghastly green eerie fire rising from the tips of the spears.
As soon as the eerie fire lit up, the circle of incense ash that Lu Yuan had set up immediately began to hiss, as if it were being corroded by damp, cold poisonous water.
Wang Chengan's face turned pale, and he hurriedly rang the bell.
"Ring ring!"
As soon as the bell rang, the female lead on the stage suddenly flicked her sleeves.
A pink flowing sleeve flew out from the stage, and although it was dozens of feet away, it arrived in front of the boulder in the blink of an eye.
The water sleeves unfurled in mid-air, revealing countless pale human faces sewn inside.
The faces all opened their mouths, emitting a shrill sound that was a mixture of crying and laughing.
Wang Cheng'an's copper bell suddenly stopped ringing, the sound drowned out by the crying and laughing. He felt a tightness in his chest and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
Seeing this, Xu Erxiao grabbed a handful of cinnabar glutinous rice and flung it outwards.
"go!"
The cinnabar and glutinous rice fell onto the water sleeve, bursting into a series of sparks.
But the water sleeves only paused slightly before continuing to roll towards the circle of incense ash.
Lu Yuan's eyes turned cold, and he slashed horizontally with his magic sword.
"By imperial decree, slay demons and bind evil!"
The sword's edge caught the candlelight, and a line of fire slashed out diagonally, cutting the water sleeve in half.
The severed water sleeves fell to the ground, transforming into two twisted, struggling human skins that shrank back into the darkness, emitting black smoke.
But just as Lu Yuan drew his sword, the skeletal soldiers directly in front of him took the opportunity to advance three steps closer.
Outside the circle of incense ash, the bone knife had almost touched the outermost layer of talisman paper.
Zhou Heng gritted his teeth, raised his sword, and stood in front of Lin Zhaoxuan.
"Senior brother, you can't eat this!"
"I'll urge my sword on, and I'll fight to the death to hold you off!"
Lin Zhaoxuan raised his hand and pressed his hand down.
He looked at Zhou Heng and Song Qinghe, his voice lowering slightly: "How many deserted villages have we seen along the way from the Liao River northwards to here?"
"How many families have white banners hanging at their doors, yet there's not even anyone to light the fire on their kang (heated brick bed)?"
"Master said that in our line of work, if you don't have the skills, you can learn them slowly. But if you see evil spirits harming people and pretend you don't see them, then you are not worthy of wearing this Taoist robe."
After saying that, he no longer hesitated, picked up a Bloodfire Pill, tilted his head back, and swallowed it.
"Senior brother!"
Song Qinghe's eyes immediately reddened.
Lin Zhaoxuan gritted his teeth, and the veins on his neck bulged.
Within two breaths of the Bloodfire Pill entering his stomach, an abnormal flush rose to his face, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, making him look as if he had been doused with boiling oil from the inside out.
He groaned and gripped the Thunder Token tightly with both hands.
The incomplete ancient token lit up once again.
Bluish-white lightning seeped out from the gaps in the token, illuminating Lin Zhaoxuan's face with flickering light.
Seeing this scene, the slight doubt in Lu Yuan's eyes finally wavered.
Bloodfire Elixir cannot be faked.
The reverse flow of meridians cannot be faked.
If a heretic were merely putting on a show, they would never sacrifice their own foundation and ancestral magical artifacts.
Especially Lin Zhaoxuan's words just now, if they were an act, they were too convincing.
Lu Yuan cursed inwardly.
Oh no! I've become the bad guy!!
He realized that he had become too suspicious because of that fake Tanjiji.
But now is not the time to think about these things.
He immediately turned around, pinched the "Thunder Formation Technique" with his left hand, pressed his thumb against his ring finger, raised his middle finger, hooked his index finger into the second joint of his middle finger, and tucked his little finger inward.
With a flick of his right hand, he turned the sword, its tip touching the half-burnt yellow talisman ash in front of the ancestral tablet.
"Second Little One, fetch the red thread!"
"Cheng An, lend me a breath of yang energy!"
Xu Erxiao immediately rummaged through the box and pulled out a ball of red thread wrapped with copper coins, then tossed it to Lu Yuan.
Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Chengan bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the three sticks of incense in the incense burner.
"puff!"
The blood turned into mist and fell onto the incense.
The cigarette, which had been bent under the weight of the yin energy, suddenly straightened up, and the three cigarettes rose upright, swirling in mid-air to form a small "令" (command) character.
Lu Yuan wrapped one end of the red thread around the hilt of the magic sword and passed the other end through the Taiping Tongbao coin above the compass, then flicked his finger.
"Buzz"
The copper coin trembled.
The red line stretched taut, and a thin red light appeared between the altar and the Kan position where Lin Zhaoxuan stood.
Lu Yuan said in a deep voice, "Lin Zhaoxuan, heed my command."
"Your Thunder Token is damaged; you can no longer force it to strike."
"I will use the energy of the altar to build a bridge for you, and you will use the thunder to light the lamp. I do not ask that all seven lamps be shattered at once, but only that thunder be drawn into the altar."
"As long as the thunderous energy enters the stage, I can use the altar to interrupt its singing."
Lin Zhaoxuan suppressed the churning blood and fire within him and nodded through gritted teeth.
"good!"
Lu Yuan then looked at Zhou Heng and Song Qinghe.
"You two shouldn't try to be brave."
One guards his heavenly gate, the other protects his life gate.
"If his qi and blood are reversed, you should use a calming talisman to press on the chest and a meridian-protecting talisman to seal the back of his heart."
Song Qinghe immediately took out two talismans from her talisman bag and stuck them on Lin Zhaoxuan's chest and back.
Zhou Heng held the peach wood sword horizontally in front of him, made a hand seal with his left hand, took a half step back with his right foot, and touched the edge of the Kan position with his toes, assuming a protective stance.
Although his footwork was still not very steady, this time he didn't deviate even an inch.
Lu Yuan nodded slightly.
The next instant, he turned around abruptly and plunged his magic sword into the ground.
The sword tip pierced between the yin and yang fish eyes of the Tai Chi diagram in the center of the yellow cloth.
"The mysteries of heaven and earth are the origin of all things."
"By enduring countless calamities, I will prove my divine powers."
"Within and beyond the Three Realms, only the Dao is supreme."
"Golden light surrounds my body!"
He wasn't reciting the usual incantation for opening the altar, but rather the short incantation of the Golden Light Protecting the Altar lineage.
With each recitation, the cinnabar runes on the yellow cloth brightened a little more.
As soon as the last sentence was finished, Lu Yuan formed the "Fighting Seal" with his hands, palms overlapping, left hand inside and right hand outside, thumbs touching like the handle of a dipper, and pushed it towards the south.
"open!"
The passage formed by incense smoke, talismanic light, and candlelight in front of the altar reappeared.
This time, however, the passage was no longer straight and thin, but rather like a narrow boardwalk laid out in the darkness.
The red line is in the center.
Cigarettes form a fence.
The talisman fire serves as the rank.
The path leads from the Sanqing Altar beneath the giant rock to the stage in the distance.
The skeletal soldiers outside the altar immediately became restless.
The old man on the stage seemed to sense the danger and suddenly flicked his beard.
The remaining seven lanterns in front of the stage lit up at the same time, their pale light converging into a single, eerie white wall that blocked the view in front of the stage.
At the same time, the three evil actors—the old woman, the young woman, and the martial arts actor—moved simultaneously.
The old woman opened her mouth and exhaled a cloud of black mist, which was filled with faint sobs.
The female lead's flowing sleeves swept across the sky, curling towards the red thread.
The martial arts performer, with his feet dangling in the air, stepped onto the stage with his rusty spear, intending to charge back along the altar path.
Xu Erxiao felt a chill run down his spine and cursed, "They even know how to take advantage of a situation!"
Lu Yuan said coldly, "Second Young Master, suppress the red thread!"
Xu Erxiao immediately understood, picked up three brass nails, and hammered them into the ground along the direction the red line indicated.
With each nail he hammered in, he shouted the mantra Lu Yuan had taught him: "One nail closes the Heavenly Gate!"
"Second-hand land use permits open!"
"The Three Nails Sever the Ghostly Path!"
Xu Erxiao wasn't particularly skilled, but he was incredibly strong, and he smashed the three nails deep into the ground.
The red line immediately stabilized.
As soon as the female lead's water sleeves rolled up to the red thread, they were jolted by the aura of the nail, and the faces inside the sleeves screamed in agony.
Wang Chengan immediately rang the bell, pinched the "Three Pure Finger" with his left hand, with his thumb hooking the base of his middle finger, his index and ring fingers together, and his little finger hooked inward.
"The Supreme Purity commands, the Jade Purity descends, the Great Purity protects my body within the altar."
"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"
The clear, persistent sound of the copper bells perfectly drowned out the old woman's sobs.
Upon seeing this, a ruthless glint flashed in Song Qinghe's eyes.
She pulled out a blue-edged yellow talisman from the bottom of the talisman bag.
As soon as the talisman appeared, Lu Yuan could tell that it was not an ordinary talisman paper, but a "cold talisman" made of old yellow paper from beyond the Great Wall and pressed with pine soot ink.
Winters outside the Great Wall are bitterly cold, so some Taoist sects incorporate the cold into their talismans to specifically suppress evil spirits, blood demons, and chaotic souls.
Song Qinghe held the talisman between two fingers and chanted urgently, "Big Dipper Cold Pass, Xuanming borrows troops."
"The road to the underworld is frozen, and the evil forms are locked in snow."
"Imperial Edict!"
She tossed the cold talisman forward.
The talisman flew to the martial arts performer's feet and suddenly exploded into a cloud of white frost.
The martial arts actor had barely stepped half a step off the stage when his black boots, suspended in mid-air, were frozen in place by the white frost for a moment.
Although it was only for a moment, it was enough.
Lu Yuan pointed his sword.
"Lin Zhaoxuan!"
"Now!"