Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 176 Differences in Appearance

Chen Jiu not only looked like a beggar, but he also had almost no money. The silver that Xing Tianshi could take out was too large a denomination to be worth in this situation, and he was not even a human being. So they stopped gambling and started posting notes instead.

Then, as expected, Tianji was buried under the notes.

"Snapped."

Another note was pasted onto Tianji's head, and his face was now covered with them. Because he had experienced a period of blindness in the past, he would not fall down because he could not see what was in front of him.

"You played terribly, even the worst players have won more games than you."

Xing Tianshi shook his head at Tian Ji. Outside the city, there was no need to worry about the curfew or the monsters around. So the three of them and the beast played mahjong until midnight. Tian Ji's ranking remained at the bottom.

Chen Jiu knows some card games similar to mahjong, but Xing Tianshi's playing style is still something he has never seen before. So, Chen Jiu is a beginner just like Tian Ji. But when he actually gets to the card table, he is much more at ease than Tian Ji.

Currently, the rankings of the four players, from highest to lowest, are Xing Tianshi, Chen Jiu, Ye Dai, and Tian Ji. Tian Ji's card skills are even worse than Ye Dai's, which is truly pitiful.

"..."

Tianji chose to remain silent in response to Xing Tianshi's words; perhaps he couldn't think of any other way to deal with it besides silence.

"Look, you're almost buried under the note. Stop hitting him, let the monkey next to you try."

The three men and one beast played mahjong from dusk till midnight. Their table was the only source of light in the vicinity. The jungle outside the city was sparsely populated and pitch black at night, making Xing Tianshi and his companions very conspicuous as they played mahjong.

In addition, they were not ordinary people and were not afraid of danger. The noise from their mahjong games attracted various little monsters after sunset. By now, a circle of little monsters had gathered around them, and Tianji had a macaque watching the whole thing from the mahjong table.

It looks like an ordinary monkey, but its behavior is very similar to that of a human. Xing Tianshi felt that this monkey had learned a lot, so he decided to let it try.

Otherwise, the next note would probably be stuck on Tianji too. And among all these small animals—foxes, weasels, sparrows—it seems only this monkey has the "hardware" to draw and shuffle the cards.

"Come on, little monkey, why don't you come up and try? Maybe you can become friends with Ye Dai."

Tianji knew that if he continued fighting, he wouldn't have much of a chance of winning; instead, he would just keep getting white slips of paper thrown at his face. So he simply withdrew and let the macaque climb up.

These little monsters have long since become human, but their cultivation is not yet advanced enough to transform into human form or speak human language fluently. However, it doesn't matter, as none of the people present are ordinary people and can understand what the monkey means. This is a winning hand.

So the two humans and two beasts at the table started again. Tianji tore all the paper strips off his face and then used his palm to shatter them, destroying the evidence. Although he wasn't an ordinary spirit beast, it was still too embarrassing to lose a game of mahjong to a beast.

Many monsters gathered together, and even if they were just harmless little monsters, the combined demonic aura was far greater than that of the surrounding area. To an unsuspecting person from a distance, all they could see was the soaring demonic aura, as if something major had happened.

Just then, a man who had been chasing a troublesome demon arrived nearby. He dealt with the pursuers and thought he could rest. Then, by the moonlight, he looked up and saw a terrifying demonic aura soaring into the sky in a certain direction.

"How is this going?"

The man dressed as a scholar was startled by the sight in the sky. How could there be such a dense demonic aura nearby? Either the demons were intentionally gathering, or a powerful demon had appeared in the world; neither of these was a good thing.

As for the great demon, the scholar knew very well that there were no powerful demons nearby. He guessed that the demons had gathered intentionally. In the middle of the night, in the desolate wilderness, what good could it be for a group of demons to suddenly gather together? Could they possibly be playing drinking games together?

Instead of drinking games, they started playing mahjong.

"Could it be that they've been provoked by those evil sects of the White Lotus Sect and are gathering together to fight?"

Upon considering this possibility, alarm bells immediately rang in the scholar's mind. The trouble caused by the White Lotus Sect had indeed provoked many demons, but things had calmed down considerably now, and the voices about the White Lotus Sect among the common people had weakened a lot recently, and it seemed that things were about to return to normal.

The scholar had previously met several Taoist priests from Laoshan. According to them, because someone from the White Lotus Sect had offended the heavens, this farce would be resolved soon, so there was no need to worry too much.

But if the monsters cause trouble again, that would be a real problem.

The dense demonic aura was impossible to ignore. The scholar first checked the small box he was carrying to make sure there were no mistakes before approaching the place where the demonic aura was gathered.

The only mahjong set that Xing Tianshi brought was enough for one table. Even if the other little monsters learned how to play, they couldn't join the game. Judging from the macaque's appearance, it would probably take a long time to play, so the others probably wouldn't be able to join the game.

So, starting with a fox pulling out a handful of leaves, the remaining little monsters spontaneously formed teams, playing with leaf cards, dice, and even promotion charts. This small area thus became a monster-themed card market.

After leaving the mahjong table, Tianji didn't join any other entertainment. The little monsters were still a bit afraid of him and didn't invite him. Everyone formed their own teams until the end, and Tianji became an "outsider" here.

There was nothing that could be done about it. His early life was filled with bitterness and hatred, and his childhood was full of hardships. He spent all his time practicing swordsmanship, so he had no opportunity to learn these various forms of entertainment and naturally couldn't fit in.

So the scene was quite peculiar: on one side, Xing Tianshi, Chen Jiu, Ye Dai, and the macaques were playing mahjong enthusiastically, while on the other side, various small animals were playing games in groups on the grass, chattering away. Tian Ji was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, and a flock of birds on the branches above his head were also restless, looking like they were about to start dancing.

For someone who arrived here with extreme caution, the peaceful scene of the ladyboys wasn't exactly beautiful; they just felt like they were still dreaming.

He had seen humans and demons coexist harmoniously, scholars and foxes studying poetry together, and even humans and ghosts catching demons together. But this person playing cards with a demon was a bit beyond his capabilities.

Especially that guy shouting "I won!" If I'm not mistaken, that guy is a Taoist priest, right? Definitely a Taoist priest, right? A Taoist priest, a beggar, a monkey, and a humanoid creature covered in white fur—who knows what it is—these four are actually sitting at the same table?!

"...Could I be under some kind of illusion spell?"

Upon seeing the harmonious yet absurd scene before him, the scholar rubbed his forehead in anguish. Before arriving here, he had imagined countless possibilities based on the dense demonic energy around him, and had even prepared himself for being attacked by a horde of demons.

He was indeed attacked; his eyes were attacked by his mind. Taoist priests, beggars, and monsters were playing cards together for entertainment. Why would he have such a dream?

Tianji knew someone was coming, but he ignored it. If it was a monster, there were so many monsters on this side, one more wouldn't make a difference. If it was a human, there was even less to worry about. When mortals saw these animals playing cards like humans, their first reaction would definitely be to run away. Even those with cultivation would choose to observe the situation first.

Look, this person started to ponder as soon as he appeared.

"You are not a scholar."

Although the newcomer was dressed as a scholar, the box he carried exuded an unusual aura. Compared to a scholar like Ding Ziming, this person appeared much more robust and was clearly someone who knew how to fight.

From the moment he appeared, the few little monsters on the periphery seemed to sense something, dropping the leaf cards they were carrying and running away, clearly afraid of this scholar-like man.

"Your Excellency has good eyesight."

Since only Tianji was not participating in the various forms of entertainment around him, and he was the only one standing, the scholar's gaze naturally fell on Tianji. It was not surprising that the other party could tell that he was not a real scholar. From his own perspective, this man in black was also extraordinary.

What's going on here?

There was no hostility involved, and since this was the first time he had encountered such a situation, he didn't know whether he should draw his sword or not. He could only ask in a complicated tone, hoping that the man dressed in all black and wearing a hood would give him a reasonable explanation.

"It's just for entertainment."

"In this desolate wilderness?"

"Anyway, it's not a grove of trees in the Bitter Realm, so it's perfectly safe."

When Xing Tianshi heard the question from the visitor, he answered casually, but he did not turn around, and his hand continued to draw cards.

"There's a curfew in the city, how can you be so carefree once you're inside? Stay put, don't play too many cards!"

"Wow... um..."

"No excuses! Here you go, Old Chen."

"That's it."

Tianji took over Xing Tianshi's words, although to the scholar it seemed that he hadn't explained anything.

"..."

The scholar tried to understand, but ultimately failed. He could only tell that the few human figures in the area were not simple. The man in black exuded a sharp sword intent and should be a master swordsman. The Taoist priest with the loud voice looked righteous and his cultivation was not low. The beggar called "Old Chen" had an extraordinary demeanor and was suspected to be a reclusive master.

To be precise, these three all look like reclusive masters, but who would be playing cards with a monkey? And they all have white paper strips stuck to their faces.

Well, playing cards together is a bit eerie, but as long as it's not some monster causing trouble, it's fine. It was just a false alarm.

"My apologies for my rudeness earlier. My surname is Yan, and my given name is Chixia. I am a swordsman... What's wrong?"

"Yan Chixia?"

"Correct."

Does the other person know me?

For a moment, Tianji thought his eyes were malfunctioning again. He looked at Yan Chixia, dressed as a scholar, and then turned to look at Xing Tianshi, who had a rugged face. When Yan Chixia was mentioned, many people's first reaction was the image of Xing Tianshi.

The scholar-like figure in front of me turned out to be Yan Chixia. Could the original image and the classic image be so different?

……

The illegal transmigrators and the White Lotus Sect have been dealt with, but the mysteries surrounding Changqing are still unsolved and are only getting bigger. This is because Shi Lang is clearly related to the system. Cang originally wanted to take him to the south to see if there was any connection between the system on the illegal transmigrators and Shi Lang.

However, Shi Lang was unwilling to leave the vicinity of the snake cave. According to him, the mission of his family was to guard the seal of the snake cave. Currently, he was the only one of his generation with human form and could not leave his post without permission.

I also considered bringing Guan Songsheng over, but his background and destiny are too special. I'm not afraid that he will encounter any trouble, but I'm afraid that his arrival will cause a chain reaction and make the current situation more complicated.

In the end, there were no natives among the people from the past. After arresting the people, Cang returned to continue investigating the snake den in Changqing.

He once tried to communicate with the giant snake in the well in the cave. With such a size, it should be at least a great demon. Even if it was suppressed by the formation, it should still be able to speak human language and communicate with others.

No matter how Cang tried to probe, the giant snake ignored him. He even played a few tunes. The few times the snake reacted was when Cang entered the snake pit and the venomous snake pounced on him and was then cut in two.

The other side is not cooperating, and because there are still doubts, they cannot be killed directly. The matter of the snake cave has reached a stalemate again. The only breakthrough point may be Shi Lang.

Guan Songsheng could also be the breakthrough point, but what he does best is to suddenly trigger something. Trying to find it deliberately will only lead to nothing. The unpredictability of fate is fully reflected in Guan Songsheng.

After several people sparred with Shi Lang, it became clear that all his martial arts techniques were designed to target snakes. Despite being a mantis, he only learned martial arts techniques for snakes, as if he was born for this snake den.

"Is there any other information about that immortal?"

"No."

Shi Lang answered honestly. He had answered this question many times before, but that was all the useful information in the stories passed down in his family. He couldn't find anything more by searching.

"I've heard that the Shulong family has a very skilled detective. Why don't we call him over?"

Ren Pingsheng was stumped by these ambiguous and incomplete puzzles. He considered himself a tour guide who liked to travel around and came here for tourism. Solving these old cases was really too much for him.

"If he could retrieve even the Eastern Palace Divine Seal, then his arrival should be a piece of cake."

"Are you referring to Fairy Jueqin, sir? The Deer and Fox Twins went on a trip together a long time ago and have been away from the martial world for some time now."

"Then my idea was truly born at the wrong time."

Ren Pingsheng looked at Shi Lang, who was sitting obediently in front of him. He also mistook the innate person for an immortal. His family had received the favor of the "immortal", so as long as the bottom line was not crossed, he would cooperate very well.

Unfortunately, being willing to cooperate doesn't guarantee a successful outcome. The simplest and most direct solution is to deal with all the venomous snakes and go in to confront the giant snake in the well.

You're pretending to be mute and not speaking? Fine, clean up the snake pit and we'll talk face to face. Let's see how you pretend to be mute then.

To this day, because the giant snake in the snake pit is unwilling to cooperate, and there are few distinguishing characteristics of its species, it is more of a distinctive feature of a monster, so no one knows what species the giant snake in the well is.

There are many different species of snakes in the snake den, so it's impossible to judge based on that. There are no snake eggs in the den, and it's unclear how deep the well is. The mother snakes responsible for giving birth are probably all down there.

"Sword Immortal is going to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, right?"

A sudden thought flashed through Ren Pingsheng's mind, and he looked at Jian Feidao.

"Yes, the Dragon Girl of the East Sea has found a husband."

"What if a real dragon came?"

They tried to communicate with the giant serpent, but it wouldn't cooperate. The true dragon had the power to suppress both the dragon and the serpent. Borrowing a dragon from the East Sea to interrogate it was another way of forcing cooperation, and it was even less effort than dealing with the venomous snake.

"Sword Non-Path, it's all yours now!"

"?"