Please call me Huanxian

Chapter 227 Dust condenses, blocking the view

Qingping County, Bailin Valley.

The sky gradually darkened, the wind was cold and a fine freezing rain was falling.

The snow grains stretched their fat bodies in the air and flew out of the mountain gate slowly. The big sister and the young master were not in the valley. When there was business coming, Dog Master said that he still had to take it. He couldn't sleep all day and do nothing.

We must accumulate merit and reputation for Bailin Valley and do our due part.

I saw the old yellow dog following us up the mountain road.

The snow particles are very strange.

Normally, Dog Lord would use several wooden signs written in advance to "communicate" with the neighbors who came to him to find out what problems needed to be solved. He would not accept requests for medical treatment or medicine that were beyond his scope, but would specialize in treating difficult and complicated diseases such as those caused by evil spirits, ghosts, monsters, and spirits.

As before, we asked neighbors in need to break off a red willow branch from the mountain gate and go back to stick it on the roadside in front of the courtyard.

Wait until night time, and Xueli will come out to solve the problem.

There is almost nothing that cannot be accomplished.

Afterwards, the neighbors would leave rewards, mainly in the form of silver, at the gate of the mountain.

Occasionally, the yellow dog would go out with him to deal with the more troublesome sneaky creatures.

Different kinds of monsters, even if they don't speak the same language, have a way of communicating similar to humans using gestures, so they can understand each other's general intentions. This is not the case with monster plants, unless they have been together for a long time, they can have simple communication.

Xueli and the yellow dog stared at each other for a long time, then the two black shadows disappeared into the night and headed southeast.

The Bailin Valley formation is activated, and with the demon plants guarding it, it is more than enough to defend the area below the third floor.

Besides, there are no treasures in Bailin Valley that are worthy of outsiders' coveting.

The yellow dog and the invisible snow particles rushed to Shuanghe Village, and the sparse barking of dogs suddenly disappeared.

Found a yard with new red willow branches planted.

The two sides separated and searched separately, and the yellow dog ran towards the dry river.

In recent years, several strange things have happened in Shuanghe Village in the winter. Occasionally, one or two sheep grazing on the riverbank or dogs running around would be lost and could never be found. Every time a sheep, dog, chicken or duck was lost, the dogs in the village would bark loudly.

Various rumors spread, such as evil spirits, monsters coming down the mountain, etc., causing panic among the villagers.

We invited witches and Taoist priests to perform rituals and catch the ghost several times, but the situation remained the same the following winter.

This time, the clan leader sent people to Bailin Valley for help.

Before the yellow dog ran to the river, its ears had already pricked up. It smelled a faint evil spirit and barked towards the river bank. Soon, Xueli arrived.

Following the scent along the river bank, we walked five or six miles upstream and found a low earthen hill.

Turning to the other side of the mountain, a five or six-foot-tall toad was squatting beside a half-dried mud pit. It was mud-brown in color, with bumps all over its body. It had a pair of bulging round eyes that flashed with ferocity, and its belly was slightly bulging.

A wisp of gray mist rose and spread around the toad.

The grass and trees that touched it instantly turned black and withered.

The yellow dog's body shook violently, and its appearance became huge and ferocious, baring its teeth and letting out a low roar.

It kept the two wolf-fang magic weapons it had refined in its mouth, ready to fire at any time. Facing a toad of the same level that was covered in poison, the yellow dog did not dare to be careless at all.

It is not afraid of ordinary poisons, but how powerful is the venom sprayed by a toad?
The snow particles hidden in the air were brewing a belly full of frost, ready to cooperate with Lord Dog's attack to launch a sinister sneak attack.

In the words of the big sister, if you can win by wits, why bother with force?
It noticed that the ugly toad had faint golden lines shining around the edge of its abdomen.

He hurriedly stopped the dog who was about to jump out.

The toad on the opposite side was a bit ugly, but it actually had a trace of rare golden toad blood.

Snow Grain showed up, and wanted to give it a try, whether it could use the power of the insects and dogs to "persuade" the toad to become a disciple of Bailin Valley. The eldest sister once said that monsters are valuable when they are rare, and the more the better.

It needs to achieve results to prove that it is useful besides sleeping and cleaning the yard.

Fighting and killing is not its strong point.

Then use your honest and friendly personality to defeat the evil forces without fighting.

When the young master was reading in the yard, it lay on the wall and listened several times with its left ear going in and its right ear out, and was influenced by the fragrance of books and ink.

Fortunately, the ugly guy on the opposite side controlled his mouth and did not eat anyone, otherwise he would have been dead.

Xueli explained the reason to Dog Lord, and then circled in the air, keeping a safe distance of more than ten feet from the ugly guy who was as steady as a stone.

It twists its shiny and slippery body coquettishly, making a "chirp" sound, showing its friendly side.

It emits fluctuations of demonic consciousness, conveying the intention of "those who obey me will prosper, and those who defy me will perish", and the great truth that "when a demon lives under the eaves of a human, he who knows the current affairs is a hero".

After turning around once, twice, and three times, Snow Grain was very patient and described to the toad who seemed to be listening attentively the beauty of Bailin Valley, how the big sister was kind and selfless, and how the young master was casual and easy to get along with...it almost believed it itself.

It was drizzling and the night was dark.

The toad suddenly leaped up and down, as fast as lightning, closing the distance to four or five feet in an instant.

It opened its mouth and stuck out its long tongue. A strong wind broke through the air, and its afterimage rolled towards the noisy and nagging big insect.

Xueli cursed inwardly, "son of a bitch". It was already on guard. The silly and harmless appearance it showed was just a disguise.

A ball of blue cold air that had been accumulating for a long time spurted out, "puff", and collided directly with the slender and tough tongue that was comparable to a magic weapon.

Fine ice crystals flew everywhere, and cold fog filled the area for several feet.

The snow particles, which had been carefully planned, quickly turned and flew towards the shore of the mud pit.

Its retirement after success will not hinder the dog's subsequent performance.

It itself was born a wild monster, so how could it not know the wild monster's unruly, fierce and fearless nature?
If you don't fight, you will be subdued or scared. This shows your strong strength. Don't even think about conquering them with words or temptation.

The toad felt the pain and quickly retracted its ever-powerful tongue. Light blue ice crystals quickly spread in its mouth.

Hearing the sharp sound of breaking through the air, the toad did not bother to dissolve the severe cold that had entered its body. Instead, it jumped again in the air, stretched out its toad palm to slap away a wolf fang that was still turning to attack, and brushed past the hastily dodging snow particles.

"Puff, puff", sticky white juice spurted out from the lump, soaking the four-foot-long fat worm.

Yuanbao leaped into the air and swung out another wolf fang, hitting the toad's abdomen and back as it hastily turned its body sideways, making a "clang" sound like metal hitting each other.

The toad was knocked into the mud, splashing mud and water everywhere, but it was not hurt.

The snow particles shook their bodies and flew in the air, and the venom condensed into ice crystals, cracking and falling to the ground.

It has an icy body by nature, and besides hating heat, how could you imagine that a mere poison juice could harm it?

It's just a daydream.

That ungrateful toad really needs to be taught a lesson.

Seeing Lord Dog leap fiercely into the mud after landing, Xueli almost dropped her jaw in shock. No way, no way, Lord Dog can’t be so stupid, right?
"Puff, puff." The toad turned over and lay in the mud, trembling all over, and its body was splashing sticky white juice like rain.

The yellow dog, who didn't dodge, was soaked through.

"Snap!" The yellow dog stretched out its claws and hooked and swung the toad hard. The toad was thrown out and crashed into the foot of a hill twenty feet away. Mud, water and juice splashed everywhere, and all the trees and grass nearby were affected.

Yuanbao landed on the shore on all fours, stepping on the mud at high speed. There was a lingering earthy yellow evil aura around his body, and black poisonous mist was emitting from it.

Xueli suddenly understood and flew over hurriedly. A ray of icy cold air enveloped the whole body of the dog, freezing all the poison that had not yet entered the body into ice crystals. As the yellow dog shook his body, the ice crystals flew out and wiped it out completely.

Being able to come up with this method to eliminate the threat of poison.

In addition to having the courage of a monster, Dog Lord is very confident in his own strength and is not afraid of short-term poison.

Of course, it is indispensable to use its exquisite ice magic.

The toad was caught off guard and quickly turned its belly over. Cold air was bubbling out of its bumpy skin. It had no chance to escape by jumping into the puddle in the middle of the mud.

Yuanbao was extremely ferocious, constantly attacking the toads that came ashore. Yuanbao helped freeze the poison on the dog master's body, and suddenly attacked by spitting a blue cold air, spraying it on the toad's belly that was occasionally turned over, making the toad, who was overwhelmed, even worse.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the wounded toad was frozen into a big lump of ice without caring about its head or tail.

Completely defeated and motionless.

Like meat on a chopping board, it just stares and allows itself to be slaughtered and cut.

The snow grain was extremely tired, its body had shriveled up, and it was so heartbroken that it wanted to smash the ice into pieces.

……

Xu Yuanchang received Zhao Jun's message the next afternoon. He was very surprised. He called Liu Xianfeng and said, "Yuanbao and Xueli went out to catch monsters. They did something big last night. They subdued a second-level toad with golden toad blood and brought it back to Bailin Valley. Bajiao got the news today and went to see it in person."

Liu Xianfeng exclaimed, "Wow!" and asked, "Are Yuanbao and Xueli okay? The poison of a second-level toad is very strong. It is much more difficult to capture it than to kill it. It's too risky for them."

"Bajiao said that the dog hair on Yuanbao's body fell off in pieces. He was poisoned and turned into a scabby dog. But it's not a big deal. It will grow back in a few days. Xueli has lost weight. The toad that was subdued was seriously injured. It will take at least half a year to recover."

"It's not bad to raise a golden toad. It's said to bring wealth."

Hearing that Yuanbao and Xueli were fine, Liu Xianfeng giggled and said that she didn't despise the ugly monster who could attract wealth.

"Next time, you can send a message to them and say hello. There is no need to fight so hard. Just keep an eye on the Bailin Valley. If anything goes wrong, it will be more trouble than gain."

"Yes, they must be spoken harshly."

Liu Xianfeng agreed with a grin. She knew what Yuanbao was thinking. The lazy Xueli was being forced to show off.

The two were talking in the main hall of the guest courtyard when they heard the door of the west wing creak open.

"Zeng Shanlang has come out of retreat and advanced to the middle stage of the first floor."

"The membrane is beginning to form, not bad."

Although Xu Yuanchang had not practiced the Xuanji Technique, he had read the entire jade slip technique and understood the characteristics of each stage of physical cultivation. The young man was still unable to restrain the external manifestations of the skin membrane.

Zeng Shanlang walked along the corridor into the main hall and bowed with his fists clasped.

After nearly four months of tempering his qi and blood, his physical strength has been further improved, and his dark skin is emitting a faint glow.

He could feel his whole body full of energy and his strength greatly increased.

"If you can stabilize it for one more day, you will have more time. We can set off the day after tomorrow afternoon without worrying about delays."

"Yes! I am very hungry and want to go to town to eat some meat."

"Ha, I almost forgot about this. Physical cultivators are all big eaters. Did you wake up hungry? Come on, I'll treat you today, eat as much as you can."

Xu Yuanchang stood up, joked, and took the boy who had just been released from confinement to a restaurant in the town for a big meal.

The rabbit in the ring space heard that the young man had only practiced physical training for less than four months and his skin membrane had begun to form. He couldn't help but mutter that those who followed Taoist Xu were all eccentrics, and none of them improved according to common sense.

Over the next ten days, Xu Yuanchang led the young man to climb mountains and wade through water, heading west.

Zeng Shanlang worked hard on the road, and before the end of the year, he finally restored the external symptoms of the membrane to normal.

They have stayed in a shady shop, been robbed by knife-point bandits while taking a boat to the middle of the river, discussing whether to eat bandao noodles or hundun noodles, witnessed a massive fight between gangs trying to seize a dock, and so on.

There is prosperity and splendor in high places, but there is darkness and lowliness at the bottom.

The young man found ways to resolve all the mundane troubles.

Taoist Master Xu made his own immortal wall watch, which he called "young people need more experience".

Liu Xianfeng transmitted a message, "Master, there is a monk from the Third Floor who has been following us for three days. Do you want to arrest him and interrogate him?"

Xu Yuanchang did not listen to the little tree spirit's bad idea, and transmitted his voice: "I advise you not to act rashly. This is Jianshan country. We can't just capture a three-story monk unless the other party takes action first."

"Too passive. I suspect that sneaky guy is a spy for the killer."

"I suspect that some sects with ulterior motives within the Jianshan Kingdom are plotting to delay our progress. As long as we dare to arrest people, a bunch of monks might pop out and accuse us of not abiding by the laws of the Jianshan Kingdom. They might even argue with us for a month or two, calling it a "sharpening" for the ancestral holy land. Anyway, they are not in a hurry, so what can we do?"

"Uh... Sir, you are really thoughtful."

"Under the calm surface, there may be turbulent currents. It is better to be cautious."

"Okay, it's up to you."

Liu Xianfeng couldn't argue with the young master.

She originally wanted her stalker to help her taste the two newly developed colorless and odorless medicines to see if there was anything that could be improved.

In the following days, the monk in black followed the two men blatantly, staying with them at their hotels and following them around the market, like a dog-skin plaster that couldn't be shaken off.

Xu Yuanchang took Zeng Shanlang to the "Guoyang Market" on the way. Tomorrow is the New Year.

After practicing and traveling all year long, you always need to take a break.

No matter how busy or poor a beggar is, he still has three days to live.

After settling into the guest house, Liu Xianfeng planted red willow branches and arranged an ingenious wood-based protective formation.

The two of them strolled around the market with the little tree spirit hidden in the bamboo box behind them.

Zeng Shanlang had to compare prices from three different stores and carefully calculate the price when selling the various materials he had collected along the way. When it came to saving and making money, he and Aunt Liu got along very well. Liu Xianfeng sent a message to the young man, asking him to pick up the goods in the shop that interested him so that she could feast her eyes on them.

Xu Yuanchang humbly asked for advice from the rabbit who had been neglected for a long time.

A highly difficult technical topic on how to mark a cultivator of the same level without being discovered by a stalker.

The monks in the third floor have keen perceptions, and they practice twice a day, morning and evening, moving their auras throughout their bodies, which is like cleansing themselves countless times. Even if someone has left a mark on them, whether it is on their clothes, accessories, or hair, it will be cleansed by the aura.

This is because it is impossible for the mark to be so heavy and subtle that it cannot be detected, and it cannot withstand repeated washing.

People like Xu Yuanchang who are cautious and careful have to be suspicious every day and use other methods to clear things up several times before they can feel at ease.

No matter how secretive the mark is, it will be useless.

Unless it was done by a master who was much more powerful, he couldn't clear it.

The rabbit jumped out of the colorful nest without holding a grudge and said carelessly: "It's not difficult for an illusionist. Have you learned the 'Floating Dust Illusion Seal'?"

He will not miss any opportunity to perform.

The Cold War was a rebellion of the weak.

A strong person should face challenges head-on.

After thinking for a while, Xu Yuanchang replied honestly: "No, please advise!"

He also suspected that the stalker was related to the killer's force, but he had no evidence, so he decided to leave an indelible mark on the arrogant guy, preferably one that would not fade for three years.

"It's very simple. I will teach you the basics of the Floating Dust Illusion Seal Hand Gestures and the Illusion Heart Words Skills. Please read carefully."

The rabbit conjured up a pair of transparent hands in the air, and explained the hand gestures and the trick of "condensing the floating dust to block the eyes" step by step, and pointed out: "After you learn it, you can combine your own feelings and figure out a deeper level of floating dust illusion seal that suits you. The illusion originally comes from the heart. What others teach can only be used as a reference. In the end, you have to understand it yourself."

Xu Yuanchang nodded slightly in agreement. Master Meng Lang had made a similar statement in "Yunshan Lunhuan Pian".

He put his hands in his sleeves and slowly broke down the movements to learn, while dividing his mind into three parts, leaving some energy to pay attention to the black-robed monk who was following them around the shop.

It's not that it's not reported, it's just not the time.

Zeng Shanlang bargained with the shop assistant with a naive smile, and received secret guidance and help from Aunt Liu.

Every blow is fierce, but there is still room for improvement.

……

(End of this chapter)