leonardwarren Chapter 1 Qingfeng Temple
Chapter 1 Qingfeng Temple
Wansheng Dynasty, outside the town of Mixian
The drizzling rain shrouded the misty Kanze Mountain.
On the official road, the rapid hoofbeats carried the surging mist.
Suddenly, a strong black horse emerged from the mist, its glossy mane flying wildly in the strong wind.
Faint voices could be heard through the gaps in the fog.
"Hissing sound."
The muscular man, who had been half-lying on the horse's back, stood up and abruptly pulled on the reins, bringing the galloping horse to a screeching halt.
He first listened intently, then took out an ancient and heavy compass from his robes. The needle pointed straight ahead, unmoving.
The man dismounted, and as he walked, the various implements under his cloak clattered and rattled.
The horse, Wuzhui, stirred restlessly behind the reins, and he instinctively gripped the finely forged steel sword at his waist.
After walking several dozen more steps, the view suddenly opened up.
This is a nearly abandoned Taoist temple, with the words "Qingfeng Temple" still faintly visible on the plaque.
Desolation and decay have replaced the former prosperity. Through the cracks, one can see a faded offering table in the center, with three shapeless prayer cushions scattered around.
On the altar, the faded statue of the deity no longer had a kind and benevolent look; instead, it exuded a fierce aura.
An old Taoist priest dressed in a dark blue robe pushed open the creaking wooden door. The two men faced each other, and the old man smiled at the other.
He was hunched over, his hair was dry and unkempt like weeds, and his tattered and crudely made Taoist robe could not cover his bony frame. His large, leaky mouth occasionally revealed sparse, yellow teeth.
"May I ask what brings you to my Qingfeng Temple, esteemed sir?"
Beneath his robe, the man's hands clenched even tighter.
"I am Hongxuan. I just received a report from a herb gatherer in the mountains. According to him, there are demons lurking in this area. I have been ordered to investigate."
"Not knowing the Taoist priest's name yet makes me seem impolite."
The old Taoist priest burst into laughter upon hearing this, nearly unable to straighten up; he was quite pleased with himself.
"Officer, don't you know whose territory this is? Ordinary wandering ghosts and spirits, let alone causing trouble, will be annihilated just by getting close."
"My Qingfeng Temple has been located on Kanze Mountain for over two hundred years. The surrounding demons have long been eradicated, so how can there be any talk of Rakshasa?"
"As for my name, you may simply call me Qingfeng."
Fang Hongxuan cupped his hands in greeting: "It's just a routine investigation. I hope Daoist Qingfeng will do me a favor. Let me go in and search around so I can report back to my superiors."
The old Taoist narrowed his eyes, but his words remained gentle: "Come with me."
As he stepped across the threshold, a strange odor assaulted Fang Hongxuan's nostrils. He frowned slightly, but his breathing slowed imperceptibly.
The temple was extremely cold and dark, unlike anything one would expect from a reputable sect.
"Splash!"
Fang Hongxuan vaguely heard the sound of chains rattling. Just as he was about to ask, the old Taoist priest in front of him handed him three sticks of incense.
"These days, times are tough, and fewer people are coming up the mountain. You have a connection with Qingfeng Temple, so if you don't mind..."
The uneven bluestone floor beneath his feet occasionally let out a wisp of cold wind, causing Fang Hongxuan to instinctively shrink his ankles.
"Daoist Master, this place is far too cold and gloomy." Fang Hongxuan rubbed his hands together and blew on his palms from time to time to ward off the cold.
"Officer, are you perhaps making fun of me?"
"Cough cough cough..."
The old Taoist priest coughed repeatedly, his thin body trembling violently. The bluestone sizzled as it was corroded by the foul-smelling black blood, but the old priest nonchalantly wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
"From what I've seen and heard, the constable is full of vigor, his sweat pouring down to the heavens, so how could he possibly fear mere cold?"
When it came to this aura of blood, Fang Hongxuan was momentarily dazed.
Fang Hongxuan was originally a top editor at Luomu Novel Network, but he was criticized offline for being too harsh during live-streamed manuscript review.
Not only did he suffer physical pain, but he also lost his life. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in this bizarre and grotesque world.
It's less about time travel and more about possession.
The person with the same name as him is the Demon Suppression Captain who is about to join the Demon Suppression Division.
As for what the Demon Suppression Division is.
Naturally, the imperial court established a special agency to deal with evil spirits and strange occurrences.
If a normal person started with such a status, they would be overjoyed. But Fang Hongxuan was frowning all day long.
The reason is simple: Fang Hongxuan himself is an evil spirit, and even more so, a living corpse with a terrible influence!
Not only does it need to absorb vital energy periodically, but if the creatures it absorbs are not properly disposed of, they will quickly spread.
Unless they encounter a particularly difficult case, the Demon Extermination Captains usually gather every few months to summarize their achievements and reward those who have contributed.
This gave Fang Hongxuan enough time to adjust.
"Judging by the time, the performance review is in two days. If we can find the Rakshasa's Yin Pill, we can naturally resolve this predicament..."
"Now, the essence and blood of those ferocious birds and beasts are gradually losing their effectiveness. What should we do..."
Thinking of this, Fang Hongxuan's mood couldn't help but become a little heavy.
"Perhaps it was a case of desperation leading to desperation, and I blindly trusted that man. I actually wasted two days searching for that legendary Rakshasa..."
After a moment of reflection, Fang Hongxuan finally came to his senses.
"Very well, given Dao Changsheng's kind and benevolent appearance, I suppose Qingfeng Temple is not a place where filth and evil reside. I must have been mistaken."
"It is getting late. Daoist Master, may we part ways here."
Just as Fang Hongxuan stepped across the threshold, the compass at his waist broke apart. The needle spun rapidly within the shattered compass, finally pointing directly at the bluestone floor tiles.
Fang Hongxuan's pupils contracted slightly upon catching a glimpse, but then returned to normal.
"Hehe, Daoist Master. As a Demon Extermination Captain, it's only natural that I carry a compass for searching for demons."
The old Taoist priest narrowed his eyes slightly, his face remaining gentle.
"That's natural."
Boom!
The violent shaking sent dust flying through the air.
Fang Hongxuan instinctively grabbed the door frame for support.
...
Beneath the floor, there is a building identical to Qingfeng Temple.
The incense burner used for offerings had long been kicked over and replaced by a neatly arranged, black, wordless memorial tablet.
There was no altar for displaying the statues of gods; instead, a vermilion coffin was suspended by an iron chain as thick as a wrist.
A red thread, stained with cinnabar, runs through the entire dark temple, with black talismans attached to the thread in a certain pattern.
The bright red incantation on the talisman was emitting a faint dark light.
In the west corner of the hall, there is an altar made of stones.
On the altar, three mutilated bodies lay scattered. Among them, the corpse of a monk lay quietly in a disc.
Unlike the usual kind-faced old monks, the monks here appeared ferocious and malevolent. Their internal organs were precisely missing from the center of their bodies.
To the left of the monk was a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar. He had lost all seven orifices, and foul-smelling blood still flowed from the openings.
On the right is only a head, which can be seen in the dim candlelight. The head has a blue face and fangs, and its appearance is extremely ferocious, like a demon that has escaped from hell.
"Splash!"
As the coffin trembled, the rusty copper bells jingled, and the red thread began to shake violently, while the dark light attached to the black talisman paper intensified.
Boom!
The four chains snapped, and the coffin crashed heavily to the ground, its lid flying off.
Inside the coffin
The corpse, buried in a muddy mixture of grave soil and groundwater, suddenly surfaced. The copper coin mask on its face clattered and scattered, and then the stiff corpse slowly rose to its feet.
A pebble struck the corpse on the head. It looked up, and above it stood the very spot where Fang Hongxuan was...