Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 11 Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: Unique Methods

Suddenly finding yourself in a dark and eerie place, with no sense of direction or reason, would make anyone apprehensive. But then a beam of light suddenly shines through, accompanied by a clear voice and even a lantern illuminating the darkness. How could you not be excited?

Ignoring the blinding white light, Imperial Censor Wang walked towards the silver figure in front of him. He walked very fast, almost running, but no matter which way he went, he found that he could not reach the location of the figure in front of him.

Even though the person opposite was also walking this way, the distance between them remained unchanged. Only the white light ahead became softer and softer with the sound of the poem, and the figures of the people became clearer and clearer.

At first, Imperial Censor Wang thought the silver color on the other person's body was an illusion caused by the white light, but when he saw it clearly, he realized that it was the color of the other person's body.

The newcomer was a young man carrying a lantern. He had a handsome face and gentle features, and looked to be no older than his son. However, this good-looking young man had long, silver-white hair and an unusual hairstyle. He did not wear a crown, but simply tied the hair on both sides and let it hang down in front of his chest, while combing the rest back. The overall style was very simple.

He was also wearing a silver robe, with an exquisite collar and silver ornaments. The embroidery on the robe was exquisite, matching the white light behind him. He truly had the appearance of an immortal, a rare sight in the world.

"...May I ask, Your Excellency..."

After clearly seeing the person's appearance, Imperial Censor Wang cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and cautiously probed the situation. He had calmed down by now and realized that the person in front of him was clearly not an ordinary person, and might not even be human. He should be careful in dealing with the situation.

"Could it be Imperial Censor Wang from the capital?"

"This... I used to be."

The voice on the other end was the same as the voice reciting poetry in the void just now. Before he could even introduce himself, the silver-haired young man seemed to have known him all along.

However, he had been impeached and dismissed from his post as "censor," and although there was still room for a comeback, he could not find a reliable way to get his official hat back.

He had previously thought of giving a rather valuable vase to a high-ranking official, hoping that it would help him get a favor. However, the vase happened to be one of his daughter-in-law's favorite items, and just after he made this plan, the official accidentally broke it.

At the time, he was worried about his career advancement. When he learned that the vase had been broken, he was both anxious and angry. In front of everyone present, he scolded the other party. As a result, his daughter-in-law left home and disappeared. The high-ranking official he had originally planned to curry favor with also fell from grace in the officialdom due to other matters. As a result, he could not find a way to restore his official position.

"I have a case here that involves a county magistrate. If you can handle this matter properly, you will have the opportunity to be reinstated. Would you like to hear my opinion, Censor?"

"That's of course my wish, but... I wonder why you want to help me?"

If it were just about finding someone to help, there are plenty of capable and resourceful people in the capital. The fact that the other party brought him to this strange place couldn't possibly be just to have him handle a wrongful case and help him regain his official position.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Wang Yushi, having served as an official for many years, understands this principle very well.

If the other party is after something from me, firstly, he is currently dismissed from office and at home, unable to offer anything. Even if he were reinstated, while he may not be a saintly or incorruptible official, he is not a corrupt official solely focused on personal gain. Otherwise, he wouldn't be unable to find a way to resolve the situation after being impeached and dismissed.

Moreover, judging from the other party's appearance, Imperial Censor Wang couldn't even think of what he could offer. Considering both sides' circumstances, the other party seemed like an immortal descending to earth to do charity.

“If I were just looking for someone who could handle this, I wouldn’t have bothered coming here.”

Zhao Shiming walked towards where Imperial Censor Wang was standing. This time, the distance did not remain unchanged as if they were in a maze. Imperial Censor Wang watched as the other person walked towards him with the lantern and then brushed past him.

Whether it was this pitch-black space or the silver-haired youth in front of him, the whole thing was too mysterious. Imperial Censor Wang dared not make any rash moves and could only stand there and watch the other party's actions.

At the very least, he felt that the other party should not have any malicious intent, but their motives were unclear. There are indeed many strange people and events, strange powers and supernatural beings in the world, but he did not remember having any dealings with these in the first half of his life. The only one that could be described as mysterious was his daughter-in-law, whose whereabouts were now unknown.

"But a friend recommended Imperial Censor Wang to me. He is an upright and honest official, and is the perfect person for the job."

In this pitch-black space, a beam of white light always shines on the World-Illuminating Lamp, and together with the light from the lantern in his hand, he becomes the only source of light in the entire space.

When the lamp of enlightenment reached Wang Yushi's side, the area around Wang Yushi also became brighter. Although it was still dark in the distance, the light was enough for him to see his own situation clearly.

Only then did he realize that he was wearing his sleeping clothes, as if he had been secretly brought here while he was asleep. But that didn't make sense. He was a grown man, and moving things would make noise. This place didn't resemble any other place in the capital.

Even though it was completely dark, the wind blowing around them and the faint echoes from their conversation indicated that it was an extremely open space. Given the population density of the capital, it would be difficult to find such a spacious, flat, and completely dark place.

"May I ask who recommended you?"

"That friend is unwilling to reveal too much. The censor only needs to say one sentence: are you willing to do this?"

"I am willing!"

Regardless of who recommended him to this seemingly immortal young man, now that there was hope of regaining his official position, Imperial Censor Wang decided to seize the opportunity. He didn't care what else might be behind it; he just wanted to get his official hat back first.

"Please explain what case this is, Immortal Master, and I will do my utmost to help."

At this point, Imperial Censor Wang had already started addressing him as "Immortal Master".

"...Buddha Lamp? Isn't Master Cilang a Taoist practitioner?"

Outside the dream, Xiao Cui sat on the roof of the house. Although she did not enter the dream, she opened the door and initiated the illusion. Xiao Cui could see and hear everything that happened in Wang Yushi's dream.

This, of course, includes the poem recited by the lamp that illuminates the world. Xiao Cui didn't understand why a poem was recited first, but that didn't stop her from pondering its meaning.

Speaking of lamps, Zhao Shiming does indeed have one, and according to Xiao Cui's observation, the lantern has never gone out. She wonders what kind of fuel and wick it uses.

But the other party is a Taoist, and although their attire doesn't quite match, it's a certainty. So what does this "Buddha lamp" mean?

"Could it be that Master Cilang practices both Buddhism and Taoism?"

This is not surprising. As Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism have developed to this day, they have long influenced each other and their cultures have blended together. There have indeed been practitioners who practiced dual cultivation or even triple cultivation, but they were very few and had relatively specialized areas.

After Imperial Censor Wang agreed to help, all that was left was to tell him about the county magistrate being sued for killing a scholar, and then turning around and arresting the scholar. There was no need to worry about any of that. Xiao Cui sat on the eaves and looked down, her gaze finally landing on a courtyard.

She remembered that it was the courtyard where she and Yuanfeng lived. Now that she had run away, only Yuanfeng was left in the house.

"Five years of fate..."

In terms of feelings, Xiao Cui didn't really have much romantic love for Yuan Feng. She initially came to repay her mother's kindness and to fulfill her five-year relationship, and didn't really want to live with him.

Yuanfeng has a good personality, and Xiaocui would be willing to be friends with him, but they are not suitable to be husband and wife in the long run.

Xiao Cui is a fox spirit, and her most important task is cultivation. If she can attain enlightenment and join the ranks of immortals in the future, it will be a blessing for the entire family. Yuan Feng, on the other hand, is at most a mortal. What he needs to do in the future is to study and pass the imperial examinations, so that he can play his role in the officialdom like his father. In this way, the Wang family will be passed down from generation to generation.

They are from two different worlds. If it weren't for Bao En and the five-year relationship, the two would never have crossed paths.

"Immortal Sword Master said that a five-year bond is unavoidable... So even if I try to avoid it from now on, can't I still escape it?"

She had been away from the capital for some time. If it weren't for the need for connections to bring down the county magistrate, Xiao Cui wouldn't have come back to the capital. When she left, she planned to hide away for two or three years to wear down that damned five-year relationship.

Now, she has only been gone for less than half a year, and she has returned with the World-Illuminating Lamp. Helping Imperial Censor Wang get back on his post is one way to repay the debt of gratitude. She has already tried so hard, so why can't she use other means to cancel out that fate?

"Ugh, what a hassle..."

Why the sudden sigh?

After explaining the matter to Imperial Censor Wang, Zhao Shimingdeng left the dream. It was uncertain whether he would return to the capital, so he left no name and simply acted as a dream immortal. Upon his return, he heard Xiao Cui sighing.

"It's nothing, it's just that fate is a strange thing."

“Destiny? It is indeed a very strange thing.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shimingdeng seemed to think of something and sighed along with Xiao Cui. As they stood on the eaves of Wang Yushi's room, candlelight suddenly lit up inside the room, and the person inside woke up.

"A dream? No, that's not right..."

Startled awake, Imperial Censor Wang sat up in bed. Before him was the familiar bedroom, but his memory remained in a strange, dark space. After a moment of confusion, he realized that what he had just seen and heard was a dream, including the strange young man with silver hair holding a lamp.

The events of his dream were still vivid in his mind; he understood that this was far more than just a strange dream. A celestial being had appeared to him in a dream; he had to seize this opportunity.

Taking advantage of his fresh memory after waking up, Imperial Censor Wang didn't go back to sleep and immediately got to work, striving to get the matter done first thing tomorrow morning.

As one lamp after another lit up in the mansion, the once quiet residence began to stir. Zhao Shiming and Xiao Cui knew that they had achieved their goal and that the matter of the county magistrate would soon be resolved. So they did not linger any longer and left with the night wind.

The troops split into two groups, and the conversation turned to two different topics. Liu Qingyuan's side was in more trouble. He first took Wang Erlang down the mountain to Zhang Hongjian's village to pick him up. He also left some supplies at Zhang's house to guard against any government officials who might come to cause trouble.

Then, Wang Erlang went home, Zhang Hongjian stayed in the mountains, and he went down the mountain again to the Ten Kings Temple in the city to see if Judge Lu, who frequently gave favors to his friends, was there.

"Three places, three directions, that's really going to be a hassle."

Standing at the entrance of the Ten Kings Hall, Liu Qingyuan sighed. He now lived in the southwest mountains outside the city, while Zhang Hongjian's village was north of the town. Because the Ten Kings Hall was dedicated to the ghosts and gods of the underworld, few people visited it, and the location was also quite remote. It took Liu Qingyuan some effort to find the place.

The Ten Kings Hall wasn't very large, and the statues inside were just wooden carvings, but each one was lifelike. The darkness of night added to the eerie atmosphere of the hall.

Upon entering, one discovers that the life-sized statue of the judge has been moved, and there is still a faint smell of wine on the table and the ground in front of it, indicating that the friendship between Zhu Erdan and Judge Lu has just begun.

In the dimly lit hall, the grotesque statue was mostly obscured by shadows. There was no incense burning late at night, so Liu Qingyuan could only take a whisk and give a simple bow to the statue as a courtesy for their first meeting.

Just then, a cold wind blew outside the hall, and a tall, imposing figure appeared at the entrance.

"Why has this immortal from beyond the realm come here?"

The newcomer was not only tall, but also had a ferocious face, with a green face and red beard, resembling a statue, but even more frightening.

Immortals from Beyond the Boundary? How do the immortals here understand the system root and the host? This title is quite novel. It sounds a bit strange at first, but upon closer examination, it makes a lot of sense.

"Sword Immortal greets Your Honor, Judge."

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

Seeing that the Taoist priest in plain white remained calm even after seeing him, with little change in expression, Lu Pan was slightly surprised. He looked frightening and had been in the position of judge for many years, cultivating a terrifying aura. Most of the time, when they saw him, they would pay their respects from afar and then run as far away as possible.

Besides recently, a scholar named Zhu Erdan came to the Ten Kings Palace. Not only was Zhu Erdan not afraid of his statue, but he also invited him to his home for drinks. It was rare to meet someone who was not afraid of him and was willing to drink and chat with him. Judge Lu was overjoyed these past few days.

"Sword Master hasn't done anything heinous, so why should he be afraid of the judge?"

"Most people would be intimidated just by seeing my face, but you are quite composed."

"You flatter me. My friends often say I'm daring."

Lu Pan's appearance was indeed somewhat ferocious, and coupled with the dimness of the Ten Kings Palace, it would certainly terrify anyone who saw him. In this respect, Zhu Erdan, who could drink and make friends with him, could be considered to have extraordinary talent.

But this standard doesn't apply to Liu Qingyuan. Who is he using now? Sword Immortal; from where? Pili Puppet Theater. In the Bitter Realm, a place teeming with talent, where the range of attractiveness is constantly updated by stylists' creativity, Lu Pan's appearance is nothing to worry about.

Look at them, the Drum Master, the Geomancer, and the Six Ugly Creatures—these three are so classic. Even compared to the latter two, the Drum Master's boar face seems quite handsome. Later on, there's the Blood Puppet Master, who's ugly no matter how he changes his appearance; the Sinful One, whose name perfectly reflects his character; and some who are missing half a head, some who have no head at all, and others with square, triangular, and various other shaped heads.

In terms of appearance, which of these guys isn't more frightening than Judge Lu? Besides, in the Rakshasa Kingdom, there are all sorts of deformed people, like those with two noses or upside-down facial features. It can only be said that this judge has been sitting in the imperial court for too long and has never seen the true depths of depravity.

Oh right, in order to have a better life in the Rakshasa Kingdom, should he choose an ugly disguise and go there? To be honest, he's a little reluctant.

While Liu Qingyuan was lost in thought, only a moment passed in reality. On the surface, Lu Pan couldn't tell what nonsense he was thinking, nor did he know that in the other person's heart, he was about to be rated as "well-proportioned".

"Does Your Excellency know of a scholar in the city named Zhu Erdan?"

"Of course I know. This Brother Zhu is incredibly bold. He drank and chatted with me, but he hasn't shown up tonight."

The friendship had just begun. Lu Pan, who had finally met someone who wasn't afraid of his appearance and was willing to be his friend, would go out for drinks with Zhu Erdan every night after being lonely for so long. Tonight was supposed to be the same, but when he went there, he couldn't find Zhu Erdan.

The two were not yet at the point of being completely open with each other. Zhu Erdan did not mention that he had gone with others to sue the local magistrate. Judge Lu was a person from the underworld and his understanding of matters in the mortal world was limited. Naturally, he did not know that Zhu Erdan had been implicated and imprisoned. He simply assumed that Zhu Erdan had been drinking with others and had gotten into trouble.

"The magistrate of this county has been corrupt for many years. He beat a scholar to death with a cane. His classmates jointly sued the magistrate but failed. Now the magistrate is investigating the suers on charges of forming cliques for personal gain. Many scholars have been arrested, including Zhu Erdan."

"what?!"

So that's how it is. When Judge Lu heard that Zhu Erdan had been arrested, his eyes widened in anger. He had drunk with Zhu Erdan so many times that he knew Zhu Erdan's temperament well. Zhu Erdan was a rare and generous man, but unfortunately, he was a bit simple-minded. He never expected that Zhu Erdan would suffer such a calamity.

"I'll go right away..."

"Hey, sir, please wait and let Jianzi continue."

Seeing that the other party was about to angrily confront the county magistrate, Liu Qingyuan quickly stopped him.

"……you say."

"My friend and I have found a solution, but I am afraid that the officialdom is complicated and officials protect each other, making it difficult to operate. I would like to ask you, sir, to help me by sending a message in a dream."

"Whom do you want to appear in your dream? Just tell me."

He also remembered the scholar Liu Qingyuan mentioned who was beaten to death. Like the county magistrate, the area around him was under Lu Pan's jurisdiction. Over the years, many souls had accused the magistrate of evil deeds, but that was a matter of the mortal world. He was busy enough in the underworld and didn't have time to deal with it.

But this time was different. Lu Pan's new friend was implicated, and this time he had to intervene. As the person in front of him said, he could resolve the issue by sending a message in a dream, and of course he was willing.

After saying this, the Taoist priest in front of him flicked his whisk and said with a smile.

"Then I'll trouble you, sir, to visit the current emperor in a dream."

Liu Qingyuan didn't know how many connections the magistrate had cultivated for him over the years, but it didn't matter. The magistrate had his own ways of handling lawsuits, and he had his own ways of dealing with the magistrate. Since it was a story from Liaozhai, he would use the traditional method from Liaozhai: sending a message in a dream.

Imperial Censor Wang was impeached and dismissed from office, so his words may not carry as much weight as before. No problem, we'll find someone with even more weight.