Old Gong was looking at the ceiling beam.
Although the front hall is large, the houses behind are all normal tile roofs, and from my angle, I can see that there is nothing on the ceiling beam.
In fact, when I searched around earlier, I had already looked at the ceiling beams from all directions, but I found almost nothing.
Walking beside Old Gong, I looked up from his perspective, but still saw nothing suspicious.
Even he was looking at the entire piece of wood, not just the beam above it.
"Old Gong?" I was full of doubts.
Old Gong's head suddenly shot up. The moment he touched the beam, a plume of white smoke rose. As Old Gong landed heavily, the smoke dispersed into grey mist, and a talisman appeared on the once normal wood.
The talisman I had not seen before.
The color of the talisman is the same as the wood, with deep and mysterious symbols. The talisman paper is about the size of a human face, wrapped around the wood.
The talismans are extremely well-concealed when they are not manifested, making them impossible to detect.
Gradually, the entire talisman paper turned black, curled up, and then peeled off from the wood.
Old Gong's head gradually congealed back. He gritted his teeth and said, "Do no wrong and fear not when ghosts knock on the door. The old man has done many wrong things. He hides something and puts a talisman...
The talisman paper fell to my face, and I reached out to grasp it, stuffing it into my pocket without leaving any fragments.
At the spot where the talisman was placed, there is a square-shaped imprint, as if a hole was opened on the wood.
I jumped up, grabbed something above, and hung my whole body from the ceiling beam. With one hand, I pressed on the wooden opening and pushed it in, revealing a black hole. I reached inside and felt a folded piece of paper. I quickly took it out, did not look at it further, stuffed it into my pocket, and then extended my hand again to feel inside.
A cool and slightly warm sensation, I tightened my grip and pulled it out, the weight in my hand was substantial—it was a copper coin.
"Hiss..." Old Gong took a deep breath of cold air.
I quickly stuffed the copper block away and extended my hand again to feel inside.
Old Gong's face lit up with joy, and he smacked his lips saying, "Good, very good!"
Actually, if it were someone else's thing or something else, I would probably find what I need. That would be enough.
But now I'm looking for things in Mingjing Zhenren's room. I can't help but hesitate to take more things openly.
He is greedy to an insatiable degree, even wanting the Female One Jade Disc. So I can only empty out whatever he has hidden away.
The space inside the wooden hole is not very large, and I could touch everything with my hand. I only found a thin copper tube, and there was nothing else.
Letting go and landing on the ground, I dusted the dust off my clothes, glanced at Old Gong for a moment, and then started to leave.
Old Gong quickly re-entered the gourd, not leaving a trace on my shoulder.
After leaving the Palace of Souls, I walked straight in the direction of Thunder God Cliff.
Only when I reached the fork of the path where the trail split did I stop and stand still.
I don't know where Siyan took Sun Zhuo.
At this time, has Sun Zhuo gone back?
Taking out my phone, I gave Siyan a quick call and immediately hung up.
I waited for a few minutes, and my phone rang, but it had not been hung up.
After I picked up, I heard Siyan say, "Ah."
"Got it," I whispered.
"Good!" Siyan's tone was slightly more excited, and then the phone was hung up.
I didn't ask about the details of her communication with Sun Zhuo.
Then, I decisively went up to the Thunder God Cliff.
The Female One Jade Disc was still in the spot where I had left it.
To say that Mingjing Zhenren hasn't come up here, I don't believe it. What I can say is that, based on his cultivation, he cannot forcibly take away anything from Thunder God Cliff.
Picking up the Female One Jade Disc, I tucked it close to my body, took a step forward, and bowed down to the body of the Taoist hanging from the vines.
After the ceremony, I finally returned to the cave where the bed, rice, and grain were placed.
First, I took out the paper and carefully unfolded it.
One edge of the paper was jagged, as if torn from a book.
Delicate strokes outlined some wooden pieces and oval shapes. The wood pieces were not only marked with symbols but also embedded with copper nails at different positions. The paper was not very large, but the patterns were very dense.
I just felt that this paper was very chaotic.
However, at the bottom position, there is a complete pattern, which is the four-line mirror!
"Old man, you lost your wife and lost a battle! Tsk tsk!" Old Gong's head appeared on the bed.
I carefully folded the paper and placed it in the closest position to me, then took out that copper coin again.
This copper is about the size of two fists, with a fist width. If it were polished smoothly, it should be just right for making a mirror surface.
"Old man thought he could take advantage of me, but I didn't expect that he would steal our family and laugh out loud." Old Gong grinned, showing his yellow flat teeth.
My heart was pounding so fast, a drumming sound that seemed to burst from my throat.
The copper block was heavy, but it wasn't convenient to carry on my body. However, there was no other choice.
I must leave the mountain as soon as possible to find Shang Taizi.
After putting away the copper block, I finally took out that extremely thin copper tube.
This thing is about the size of a palm, half the size of a thumb, and both ends are open. It's hard to tell what kind of instrument it is.
"Old Gong, do you recognize it?" I looked at Old Gong.
Old Gong's head shook like a rattle, indicating that he didn't know.
I had to put it away as well. It's likely that Mingjing Zhenren would hide something so important and secretive.
I did not continue to stay at Thunder God Cliff, but instead chose to return to the Daoist Hall where I had previously swept the ground. The Taoist who had swept the floor earlier was nowhere to be seen. It was late at night, so he must have gone to rest.
Sitting in the room, crossing my legs and meditating, I felt more energetic than ever before. When using the concentration method, it was even quicker to enter a meditative state.
By the time I woke up, I felt refreshed and delighted.
Sunlight filtered through the window and penetrated the room. A beam fell on my face, making me feel comfortable even while wearing a mask.
I got up and stood in the courtyard for a while before heading back to the main hall again.
Inside the hall, several Taoists were meditating, among whom was Xiang Ke.
Upon seeing me, they all showed respect in their eyes.
"Met the Great Elder."
I didn't say anything and walked out of the hall directly.
A few curious glances fell on my back, but they quickly moved away after a few glances.
He You Tian had not forbidden me to stay in the room and not to leave.
It seems that his tests for the disciples within the mountain gate only last one night?
In fact, Sun Zhuo has not gone over there at all, let alone anyone else going to the place where I healed.
Moreover, anyone who takes a mere glance at me would know that I am not He You Tian.
While the mask can cover my face, it cannot cover my hair, and He You Tian's beard and hair are all white, which is too obvious.
This set of clothes, this mask, are more symbolic; they're a statement to Sun Zhuo and Mingjing Zhenren!
Since it's a matter of attitude, I have to make a big show of it, so as not to let He You Tian's face be undermined.
Therefore, I first went to the Shangqing Hall, and then walked down from top to bottom, passing by all the halls.
Someone called me Great Elder, and I did not answer. Then, those people showed shock on their faces; they had noticed something amiss, but no one dared to call me to stop and question me.
I then went to the Palace of Souls specifically, standing in front of the entrance for a long time.
From inside, only a few young Taoists, until Sun Zhuo came out.
He looked extremely gloomy, constantly staring at me, without the previous ease and openness.
