Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 111 Using Inferior Goods to Pass Off as Superior

"...Is that a guy from the White Lotus Sect?"

As they locked eyes, Mo Xunzong pointed to a group of people below dressed in White Lotus Sect attire, who seemed to be plotting something, afraid that he might have mistaken them for someone else.

Getting back to the topic, were you really plotting this in the courtyard in broad daylight? Let alone them, if even one person climbed over the wall, this plot would be discovered without a doubt.

They have a house but don't go inside, and they loudly plot in broad daylight. I don't understand why they're so arrogant.

"Indeed."

Ma Jiepu had rarely seen White Lotus sect followers dressed in such full attire, but the clothes were highly recognizable, and he wouldn't mistake them for someone else.

So this group of people standing in broad daylight in a courtyard separated from the outside by only a wall, wearing clothes that reveal their identities, loudly plotting... it's not a question of whether they're arrogant or not, they're just plain stupid.

Seeing them talking, the two didn't go down. Instead, they stayed on the rooftop, using their unusual hearing to listen to the conspiracy below from a blind spot.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Those beasts are also transformed humans; they are still human inside. From the outside, how come they aren't monsters?"

The transformation of humans—could this be referring to animal-creating witchcraft? It seems they are indeed "buyers," but isn't the White Lotus Sect's current focus those weak, low-resistance monsters?

Monsters... Although the animal-creating witchcraft turns people into livestock, their souls are still human souls. If you remove the inability to drink water and some stiff movements, from an observer's perspective, the livestock in front of you does seem to be too human-like, as if they have become spirits.

To the uninformed, seeing a creature transform from an animal into a human, or vice versa, is more convincing than the truth that it is just an ordinary mortal; the answer is that it is a monster undergoing transformation.

"But the people above possess magical powers; it's not something you can tell at a glance, is it?"

"Those who know magic aren't here. Just hand it over first, and we'll talk about the reward later."

"All the little monsters in the neighborhood have run away, there's nowhere to catch them."

"..."

Hearing this, the situation became clear: the White Lotus Cult was capturing low-level demons indiscriminately, taking them away regardless of whether they were dead or alive. The smaller demons couldn't defeat them, but they could choose to run away.

The news that some people are indiscriminately capturing monsters has spread. Except for those little monsters who have connections and can get help, the others are all running away. Mo Xunzong tried to ask them, but the little monsters ran away as soon as they saw him, which may also be related to the current situation.

They've all run away, so those who wanted to capture the monster and claim the reward won't get anything. Although it's unknown what kind of reward the White Lotus Sect's higher-ups gave to those who captured the monster, it must have been very generous, tempting these guys to come up with the idea of ​​using fakes to fool them.

They buy people who have been turned into livestock by animal-making witchcraft, and require that the witchcraft not be broken, in order to disguise them as monsters who have gained intelligence but have not yet cultivated much power, and hand them over to receive rewards.

"That kind of guy..."

Mo Xunzong reached for the sword behind him, ready to draw it the next second. They were the real beasts who came up with such a heinous act.

"Don't act rashly, what if..."

Ma Jiepu was equally furious. Whether it was a monster or a human, in their mouths, it seemed that they were just objects that could be bought at will and even impersonated each other.

However, he wasn't so impulsive. It would be too strange for him to be so brazen as to plot in broad daylight. When he saw Mo Xunzong about to rush down, Ma Jiepu tried to stop him, but it was too late. Before he could finish speaking, Mo Xunzong had already jumped down. From his vantage point, he could only see the other man's fluttering cloak.

"You treat human life like dirt, so let me do it... huh?"

As soon as Mo Xunzong landed, he was about to teach these people a lesson when his feet touched the ground of the courtyard. Suddenly, the ground glowed and blood-red patterns appeared. Several yaksha-like, armored warriors emerged from the ground and attacked the young swordsman.

The sudden turn of events surprised both sides. Mo Xunzong hadn't expected there to be a formation here, while the other side hadn't expected anyone to break in at this time.

"It's that strange kid from town!"

"Ha, you've walked right into our trap!"

Compared to other innate beings, Mo Xunzong's attire was relatively ordinary. He did not have overly complicated or elaborate clothing, nor did he have hair of a special color or an extremely gorgeous headdress. In the Bitter Realm, Mo Xunzong's appearance could be described as simple.

But everything needs to be compared. Compared to Juan Shoutian and Yuan Wuxiang, who are dazzling, Mo Xunzong stands out from the crowd. But compared to the common people here, the gold ornaments on his head, the gemstones on his collar, and the yellow clothes and white cloak that ordinary people rarely wear are enough to make him stand out from the crowd when he goes out these days.

Even if others didn't care about these things, the sword with the large ruby ​​inlaid beside him was conspicuous enough. A young man so unique from head to toe, who seemed to have been inquiring about the White Lotus Sect these past few days, was enough to make them wary.

The reason they could plot so brazenly in the courtyard was because they had set up a formation there beforehand. If a stranger stepped on it, it would summon Yaksha warriors to attack and kill the intruder on the spot.

At this point, some people might ask, "This is clearly a place where people who have been cursed with animal magic are supposed to be bought and sold. Aren't the sellers also strangers? Won't entering trigger the formation?"

No, it will trigger the formation because they have no intention of honestly handing over the money. That wizard's business is shady; he won't make a big fuss or hire help. He'll just come alone in secret. Once they've received the goods, they'll kill the person without spending any money.

What they didn't expect was that the person who was supposed to make the deal today didn't show up, and the first person to experience the formation in the courtyard was Mo Xunzong.

"not good!"

Seeing Mo Xunzong rush out and step into the unknown magic circle, Ma Jiepu panicked. The formation summoned several Yaksha-like warriors. These things were not easy to deal with, so he had to hurry and help.

Looking at the several yakshas baring their fangs and claws and surrounding him, and then at the White Lotus Cult members waiting to watch the show further away, Mo Xunzong said nothing, but silently drew his sword.

"A moment of pleasure is all it takes."

In an instant, countless flashes of swords and blades overshadowed the eerie light emanating from the magic array. The grotesque yakshas within the array, the patterns on the ground belonging to the magic array, the artificial hills and trees in the courtyard, and even the nearby eaves of the houses, were all chopped into pieces by the flowing sword shadows.

The yakshas summoned by the magic circle suffered the worst fates; some lost their heads, some had their arms cut off, and some were cut in two. In any case, nothing was intact wherever the sword shadows passed.

"Using formations to deal with me, a rising star of Southern Cultivation?"

Finally, Mo Xunzong plunged his sword into the ground, destroying the core of the formation. From beginning to end, this turn of events took only a few breaths, and the gloating expressions of the White Lotus Sect members on the other side hadn't even faded yet.

"Then you've really bitten off more than you can chew."

Using such a third-rate formation against Daoist cultivators famous for their formations is simply going against the natural order. If Mo Xunzong can't shatter this formation with a single sword strike, he'd be too embarrassed to call himself a rising star of the Southern Cultivation Sect.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward. The magic circle had been activated, and the White Lotus Sect members had finished their harsh words, but the magic circle and the Yaksha were shattered by Mo Xunzong in one move. The ground was covered with fragments of the Yaksha's limbs that had been cut to pieces and were slowly disappearing.

Oh, and there's also Ma Jiepu on the roof who wanted to go down and help, but because the descent ended so quickly, he'd only taken one step and wasn't sure whether to go down further.

Bad news: The enemy has invaded.

Good news: The enemy stepped into the magic circle they had set up beforehand as soon as they landed, and will soon be surrounded and killed by the Yakshas.

Even worse news: the magic circle was destroyed by the enemy in one fell swoop.

Even worse news: without cover, they can't escape now.

……

Unsurprisingly, several members of the White Lotus Cult were arrested. This not only led to the discovery of the buyer of the sorcerer kidnapper, but also allowed Mo Xunzong and Ma Jiepu to further investigate the White Lotus Cult's "delivery points" for monsters within the city, a double-edged sword indeed.

When Mo Xunzong drew his sword, he intended to cut them all off at once, without severing their necks, just an arm or a leg, so as to prevent them from escaping.

But in the end he didn't do it. It wasn't because he thought it was cruel, but because Mo Xunzong remembered that the people here didn't have the resilience of those in the Bitter Realm. People in the Bitter Realm could stand up even if their arms or legs were cut off, and they could move freely after stopping the bleeding with their internal energy.

The people here are different. If their arms are cut off here, they might bleed to death before they can be sent back to the yamen for trial.

"Trying to use such a low-level formation as a trap to kill me? You're really overestimating yourself."

Because Mo Xunzong was not good at interrogation, the task of gathering intelligence was left to Ma Jiepu, who knew magic, while Mo Xunzong was responsible for suppressing incidents with force.

Wait, doesn't Mo Xunzong know magic? Ma Jiepu thought to himself. He had no objection to the division of labor, but he had some doubts about Mo Xunzong's words. You are a Taoist, how can you not know magic?

"It's not that I don't know anything, it's just that I don't use talismans or recite incantations, and I haven't learned much about the spells that are commonly known."

What else is there?

"Without using magic, how will you fight if unexpected events occur?"

Ma Jiepu asked.

"Of course, with a sword."

Mo Xunzong answered confidently that he did not think there was anything wrong with it, and gestured to the other party to see the effect of his "One Moment of Pleasure" move, which was more effective than magic.

"I am from the Southern Cultivation Realm, which belongs to the Dao Zhen lineage. The Dao Zhen lineage is based on the sword and is famous for its sword formations. The Dao Ling lineage specializes in talismans and spells. When we encounter enemies, we always draw our swords first."

"...But what if it's a ghost or a demon?"

Ma Jiepu had already witnessed the power of the sword, but those few yakshas were summoned entities, while some demons had no physical form and could not be struck by the sword.

"You can attach your true energy to your weapon or form an array directly. The sword techniques of a Xiantian person are very diverse, and there are very few situations where you can't hit them."

"...Is it all fighting over there?"

If they are all killed, is there no process for their salvation or rehabilitation?

"What else can we do but fight? Fighting is commonplace in the martial arts world. Only by striking first can we gain the upper hand."

"They fight without swords?"

“There are other weapons, or you can simply use your bare hands. Many senior members of the Buddhist sect are skilled in palm techniques.”

In short, the main theme is abundant martial virtue.

Ma Jiepu had nothing to say, or rather, he already knew that asking further would be fruitless. He then thought of the ornate sword that Juan Shoutian carried on his back, which was so ornate it didn't look like a sword at all. So that really was a weapon. He couldn't imagine how such an ornate weapon could be wielded to kill enemies.

Although there were many twists and turns along the way, in the end, their actions did not deviate from their original intention. Their starting point was to come to the city to investigate where the White Lotus Sect captured and imprisoned monsters. After using animal-making witchcraft and searching for buyers, the clues they finally obtained were still information about the White Lotus Sect's stronghold in the city where they collected monsters.

It's good, we haven't deviated from the plan.

Having obtained the information they wanted, and after handing over the few people who were no longer useful to the authorities, the two returned to formulate a new plan. Because of the matter of abducting people through witchcraft, one side was a habitual offender and the other was a cult follower, both of whom had more or less committed murder. In the absence of the ability to resist, these guys had no choice but to be executed.

Having obtained specific information about the White Lotus Sect's stronghold in the city, Mo Xunzong immediately wanted to draw his sword and charge straight at the heart of the enemy. However, Ma Jiepu stopped him in time. They did not know how many people were in the stronghold, how many monsters were imprisoned inside, or whether there would be any situations they could not handle. If they went there rashly, they might end up in an enemy trap again, just like today.

Mo Xunzong might be able to easily resolve this once again, but that would alert the enemy. Ma Jiepu doesn't intend to go for a complete extermination. The White Lotus Sect hasn't been wiped out in hundreds of years, and it would be difficult for them to accomplish this feat on their own.

The most important thing is to rescue the captured but still alive little monsters. After that, the monsters will spread the news within their own circles, making it much more difficult for the White Lotus Sect to capture monsters.

“I’ll go to the outskirts of the city first. I’m here on someone’s behalf, and now that I know the location, I should inform them.”

Ma Jiepu hadn't forgotten that the fox and the rat outside the city were still waiting for him to bring news of their relatives and friends.

"I'll also go and tell Master that we'll meet back at the inn then."

"it is good."

When Ma Jiepu went out of the city and found a fox and a rat waiting outside, he discovered that the fox had a letter in its mouth. The fox seemed to have expected this and handed it to him when the man arrived.

"Is this letter for me?"

Ma Jiepu pointed to himself with some uncertainty. Why would there be a letter addressed to him in this desolate wilderness, or was it sent to him by a fox?

"You're saying this letter... flew over?"

Listening to the fox and the gray rat chattering away, Ma Jiepu was even more confused. According to them, the letter had flown over from the sky not long ago, and it happened to land in front of the fox. They saw that it was addressed to Ma Jiepu, and since he had just returned, they handed it to him.

However, he didn't remember having a friend who could make letters fly to him by themselves. Although the handwriting on the envelopes was beautiful, it wasn't handwriting he recognized.

After checking that there were no signs of curses or treachery, Ma Jiepu opened the letter with suspicion. The letter began with the handwriting of Yang Wanzhong, one of his sworn brothers.

The letter was sent by Yue Wuque. For a primordial being to send a letter, flying mail would be the fastest. However, if Ma Jiepu was in a crowd when he received the letter, it wouldn't be good for a letter to fly out of thin air. Therefore, he changed the actual recipient to the yellow-haired fox and gray rat who had asked Ma Jiepu for help at the time.

These two little monsters have gained sentience and can read, but they don't have human form or speak. They must have illegally ventured into densely populated areas, especially that gray rat, which should definitely stay as far away as possible.

The letter described yet another chaotic incident in the Yang family, and the story of Yang Wanzhong being rescued after jumping into a well. It was a preemptive statement to avoid another round of grief when Ma Jiepu returned.