"Fine, fine, what kind of nonsense is Jiuqu Mountain? Why don't you say rewards? You all believe in your master's words, yet you act like this. Should we even bother?"
"Haha, Xuan Chi Jin Xiang, even as a ghost, you still possess such a nature."
The Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain maintained his smile, still appearing kind and amiable.
"You haven't listened to me yet, what should we be punished for? You started to defend Lu Xian Shen right away. My Jiuqu Mountain is not capable of doing anything with unclear rights and wrongs."
"There is a punishment, naturally there will be a reward."
Lao Gong jumped onto my head and said in confusion, "You know me, but why don't I know you?"
"Many years ago, you changed the fortune of the surrounding area of Jiuqu Mountain, saving the lives of tens of thousands of villagers in several towns. I recognize you, but you have never come to Jiuqu Mountain, so naturally you don't know me." Explained the abbot of Jiuqu Mountain.
"If you are dissatisfied, then I will talk about rewards. Awards mean that Lu Xian Shen will stay with me in Jiuqu Mountain in the future. Si Gu Mountain is not suitable for him. He is an outsider, a foreign demon pointed out by Tianji Shen Suan many years ago, and he is the little uncle of Si Gu Mountain, which needs the recognition of Si Gu Mountain."
"Xuan Chi Jin Xiang, do you think Si Gu Mountain will recognize him now?"
"To stay with me in Jiuqu Mountain, I happen to be in need of a successor. Lu Xian Shen has decent talents; is this reward sufficient?"
"As for the punishment..." The Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain paused slightly before saying: "Punish Lu Xian Shen by expelling him from Si Gu Mountain, under the law of Sanshi Zhenjun in Jiuqu Mountain, he shall enter seclusion for ten years and copy my Jiuqu Mountain Dao Collection one hundred times. If not completed, he is not allowed to leave the temple!"
"This punishment, Xuan Chi Jin Xiang, do you think it is clear? Do you all recognize it?"
The disciples in the hall were in an uproar!
Mao Su, stroking his goat beard, shouted: "Silence."
Mao Yi squinted slightly, though feeling somewhat stifled and resentful, he did not say a word.
Frankly speaking, I didn't quite catch on at first.
In the next moment, when I realized what was happening, my fear intensified.
Clearly, earlier on, Jiuqu Mountain showed me intense animosity, but now, they've completely changed their attitude!
The Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain's rewards and punishments are not really rewards and punishments, but rather they are making it clear that they want to bring me to Jiuqu Mountain, both openly and covertly!
Lao Gong reacted faster, he slapped down and jumped to the ground, his head tilted up.
"What a crafty old fellow! More cunning than Mao You, he's planning to poach people, huh?"
"Yes, when Mao Yi came back, I told him that he shouldn't be so forceful. He could have brought Lu Xian Shen back with gentle words. Although he is not officially a cultivator, his cultivation heart is firm. Although his parents have done many things that deserve to be punished, family matters are family matters. As the saying goes, 'children pay for their parents' sins', but it may not always be reasonable. At least, Lu Xian Shen did not get anything out of it."
"Xuan Chi Jin Xiang, my Jiuqu Mountain knows everything about Lu Xian Shen. Can you speak on his behalf?"
The Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain's words filled Lao Gong with a spirited glow.
Lao Gong turned his head and looked extremely excited.
"Rarely do we find someone with such sharp insight. I feel..." Lao Gong spat his saliva around.
I cupped my hands and bowed deeply to the Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain, then said, "Thank you for your favor, but one does not serve two masters. I..."
"Haha, Mao Yi told me that you have another master, who is Qin Wei Zi, the mastermind behind your parents' theft and desecration of tombs. You think of yourself as a disciple of Si Gu True Man, which is fine. But Qin Wei Zi is also your teacher. This rule does not apply to you. So, you can bow to another teacher without any problem." The Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain's words directly left me speechless.
The disciples in the hall were completely dumbfounded.
No one dared to anger him. In front of the Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain, who would dare to speak recklessly?
Mao Yi's tone was slightly harsh, he said: "Lu Xian Shen, do not waste this opportunity! The Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain spent a lot of effort trying to convince us two."
I finally understood why the three of them had arrived so late.
"You don't directly agree, I won't force it." The Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain faintly shook his head and still had a faint smile on his face: "Let the official teacher uncle come to the mountain."
"Lu Xian Shen, I trust you, I know that official teacher uncle has problems, so I dare not worship Sanshi Zhenjun. But since he has returned and solved many issues for the disciples and elders of Jiuqu Mountain, it has greatly boosted our morale. The problem lies in the fact that I didn't expect a ghost of this magnitude to dare come to Jiuqu Mountain."
"He should be in the vicinity of a city or county, dealing with ghostly matters, and is now on his way back. Perhaps he's already halfway up the mountain."
"Even if Siye has not arrived, I can ask him to come out for a moment." The Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain added.
"Nearby city or county, halfway up the mountain?" I was taken aback and frowned, "Won't he solve the symbol array problem in the small town at the foot of the mountain?"
"Symbol array?" The Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain showed a faint surprise in his eyes and shook his head, "There hasn't been anything major happen in Baoshan Town that has been reported up here. You seem to know quite a bit. Yes, there is indeed a symbol array there."
"Then you discovered him and the problem in Baoshan Town?"
My heart sank suddenly.
After a moment of thought and arranging my words, I brought up the part about my father deceiving people, and mentioned the content Lao Gong had overheard, which was that Qing, Rong, and Lang, the three disciples of Qinghe, had notified the mountain.
"It seems that Que Qing has contacted the official teacher uncle, and knows that he will be returning to the mountain gate tonight."
The speaker was Mao Su, with his goatee beard. He squinted slightly, deep in thought.
"If what Lu Xian Shen said is true, and as you've considered, the official teacher uncle was possessed by a plague ghost and came back to life. The corpse in the symbol array might be swallowed up."
"Um," The Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain slightly closed his eyes.
Later, he faintly shook his head and said: "Not yet. If the symbol array is broken, the resentment will necessarily surge up to Jiuqu Mountain. The law image of the three Sanshi Zhenjun will definitely respond. That plague ghost has not yet reached that level."
"At least, Si Gu Mountain has been keeping an eye on Jin Yang. If the plague ghost completely loses control, they will definitely notify us in advance. This just shows that Si Gu Mountain is still waiting, waiting for the right time, or perhaps waiting for us to make a move. The plague ghost is also silently making himself stronger."
Their conversation made me realize that the reasons behind this are too complex, and for the moment, I could only put other thoughts aside.
This situation before me is the best it could possibly be for me.
The Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain is truly a worthy leader, with far greater temperament, insights, and understanding than Mao Yi.
The situation is quite clear. Once the underground master, that is, the official teacher uncle, returns to the mountain gate and manifests himself in front of the Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain, he will be exposed directly!
Welcomeing the plague ghost will be the three great masters of Jiuqu Mountain attacking!
Lao Gong kept giving me the 'squint eyes' and whispered to me that I was being foolish.
I simply ignored him.
At this moment, a disciple suddenly stepped forward and approached the Abbot of Jiuqu Mountain.
The red-robed Daoist shouted, asking what he was doing?
