Travel through the heavens

Chapter 291 The First Appearance of the Ghost

Fang Muye walked slowly and steadily until he was almost at the end of the long street before he finally saw the old Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest seemed to realize that someone was following him, and he slowed down.

Just as Fang Muyi was about ten feet behind the old Taoist priest, the old Taoist priest had turned half of his body around, but then suddenly turned back.

Two people walked out of a study at the end of the street.

One of them was in his forties and appeared to be the owner of the study. The other was a man of about thirty-five, dressed in a blue robe and a square scarf, looking like a scholar.

The shopkeeper cupped his hands to the man and said, "Mr. Wang, please take care."

Mr. Wang returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Please wait, shopkeeper."

The old Taoist priest then walked up to Mr. Wang, looked him up and down, and asked, "This layman, have you met anyone recently?"

Mr. Wang didn't seem to care much, smiled, and retorted, "I meet people every day. How can I not meet people living in the city? Didn't I run into you?"

The old Taoist priest shook his head, staring intently at Mr. Wang, and said solemnly, "Layman, I see that your forehead is dark and you are surrounded by evil energy. This is an ominous sign. If you ignore it, you may suffer a bloody disaster and your life may be in danger. May I ask if you have encountered any strangers recently?"

Mr. Wang was slightly taken aback, then laughed and said, "Master, that's an old saying of yours. If I had money, I would definitely ask you to tell my fortune. But unfortunately, I forgot to bring any money with me today. This book is for keeping track of my accounts."

At this point, he raised the book in his hand and looked at the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper Chen can testify to this."

Shopkeeper Chen immediately chimed in, and from their expressions, it was clear that they regarded the old Taoist priest as a charlatan trying to swindle money.

Fang Muye knew that the old Taoist priest was telling the truth. Not only did he know that the old Taoist priest was a cultivator with real cultivation, but he also saw that Mr. Wang was surrounded by a faint, cold, and evil aura. According to the customs of this world, he was clearly possessed by evil spirits.

Before the old Taoist priest could say anything more, Mr. Wang quickly cupped his hands in farewell and said, "Taoist priest, I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now." With that, he turned and left.

The old Taoist priest watched Mr. Wang's departing figure, sighed softly, and muttered to himself, "Stubborn to the end, he cannot escape his fate."

The old Taoist priest turned around, looked at Fang Muye, and showed a half-smile on his face: "Sir, you have followed me all the way. Is there something you need?"

His gaze was clear and bright, as if he could see through everything. When it swept over Fang Muye, he paused slightly, and a very faint look of surprise flashed in his eyes, as if he had noticed Fang Muye's unusual nature.

Fang Muye spoke frankly: "I admire the Taoist priest's profound magic. In addition, I am curious as to why the Taoist priest asked the pear seller for pears and then gave them all away. I wonder what the deeper meaning is behind the Taoist priest's actions?"

The old Taoist priest laughed heartily upon hearing this, stroking his white beard: "As expected of a wise layman, I certainly did not act rashly."

Fang Muye cupped his hands in greeting: "Please enlighten me, Daoist Master."

The old Taoist priest explained, "I have some skill in physiognomy and divination. Today I happened to meet that pear seller. Observing his face, I noticed a hint of malevolence between his brows and a dark area between his eyebrows, which is a sign that disaster is about to befall him."

The old Taoist priest paused for a moment, then continued, "I have calculated that he is destined for a calamity. It will occur at noon today when he gets into a quarrel with someone, which will escalate into a fight, and he will be accidentally killed in the marketplace."

Fang Muye's heart stirred. The old Taoist priest could see the signs of disaster in others and could even calculate the time and cause of death. His physiognomy and divination skills were indeed profound.

The old Taoist priest continued, “I asked him for a pear because I was truly thirsty, and also because I wanted to take this opportunity to enlighten him. If he were willing to give me a pear, it would be a good deed that might resolve some of the anger and dilute the bloodshed. However, he was stingy and angry, and he spoke ill of me. It is clear that his calamity is hard to escape.”

Fang Muye nodded and asked, "Then why..."

"Why plant pears and cause him to suffer losses?" The old Taoist priest interjected, "Do you know the saying 'spending money to avert disaster'? Since I met him, it can be considered a predestined encounter, and I couldn't bear to see him lose his life here. I used my magic to scatter this cart of pears for him, seemingly causing him a loss, but in reality, I used this intangible wealth to bear the fatal disaster for him. Now that he has no pears to sell, he will go home and stay away from this place of trouble. Today's disaster should be averted. If he can reflect on himself and correct his ways after this incident, then I will have done a great service."

Upon hearing this, Fang Muye suddenly understood; so that's how it is.

"I admire your compassion and kindness, Daoist Master." Fang Muye bowed respectfully. Such a selfless act of kindness is truly worthy of respect.

The old Taoist priest bowed and smiled, "Everyone has a compassionate heart; it's just something I did as a matter of course. But you, sir..."

His gaze fell on Fang Muye again, with a hint of inquiry: "He is no ordinary person."

Fang Muye smiled and asked, "What makes you say that, Daoist Master?"

The old Taoist priest laughed and said, "I am quite good at judging people, but I cannot see through you, layman. It is precisely because I cannot see through you that I dare to assert that you are no ordinary person."

Fang Muye did not deny it, and vaguely replied, "Daoist Master, your insight is truly remarkable. I have indeed had some fortunate encounters."

The old Taoist priest didn't delve into it. Everyone has their own secrets, and even he had things he couldn't tell outsiders.

Recalling the sinister aura emanating from the scholar surnamed Wang, Fang Muye asked, "Just now, I heard the Taoist priest say that Mr. Wang was possessed by evil spirits and might suffer a bloody disaster. If that's the case, why don't you do what the pear seller did and save him completely?"

The old Taoist priest shook his head: "In my opinion, that Mr. Wang must have encountered a ghost. Unfortunately, despite my warnings, he still conceals his true intentions and refuses to speak openly, and he avoids me like the plague. Ghosts are good at hiding, and since Mr. Wang won't tell me, it's difficult for me to find his whereabouts. I really can't help him."

“However…” the old Taoist priest changed the subject, saying, “This matter is not entirely hopeless. You must know, this is Anping City.”

Fang Muye looked puzzled and asked, "So what if it's Anping City?"

The old Taoist priest laughed and said, "The female general in the Anping Prefecture Garrison Command is not someone to be trifled with. If that layman Wang can realize this in time and seek help from the Garrison Command Command, he can be sure that his life is safe."

Fang Muye was taken aback, not expecting Gu Yueqing to have such a reputation and to be so highly regarded by the old Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest bowed and asked, "This humble Taoist is Yu Lingzi. May I ask how you are addressed?"

Fang Muye replied, "My name is Ning Zizhan."

Yu Lingzi bowed again and said, "May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings, Layman Ning. I live at Qingfeng Temple on Erlong Mountain. If you have time in the future, you may come to Qingfeng Temple to find me. I will take my leave now."

Fang Muye cupped his hands in response, "Daoist Master, until we meet again."

Yu Lingzi laughed again and turned to leave.

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I recommend a friend's book, "Seeking Immortality on the Mortal Path": it tells the story of a young mortal seeking immortality.