The Twenty-four Circuits of the Demon Suppression Monastery each have their own characteristics.
For instance, in the prosperous lands of Bianjing, the Demon Suppression Monastery is built like an imperial garden or an immortal sanctuary. In the remote Northwest Circuit, where the beauty of desolate wind and sand is preferred, the monastery is built upon cliffs and jagged rocks.
No houses are seen for a hundred miles, only the vast Gobi Desert. Amidst the massive rocks carved by wind, sand, and time, the pointed tip of the Demon Suppression Tower just barely peeks out.
Nan Zhi and Shen Luohe traveled one after the other, sharing an exquisitely adorable small jujube-pit boat, flying all the way to the sky above the Demon Suppression Monastery.
Seeing this, she couldn't help but ask:
“Is that the Demon Suppression Tower of the Northwest Circuit? Why does it look identical to the one in Bianjing? Even the sarira on top looks similar.”
“Naturally, they are no different. You should know that although the world sees twenty-four Demon Suppression Towers across the Twenty-four Circuits, there is actually only one.”
Shen Luohe explained:
“The Demon Suppression Tower is a vital treasure of the nation, capable of myriad transformations and the power to lock spiritual pulses. The twenty-four towers—from one comes two, and from two comes three—the ones in each Demon Suppression Monastery are merely projected clones. No one knows where the true body of the Demon Suppression Tower actually resides.”
“The Demon Suppression Tower imprisons evil cultivators and wicked demons. How is the case you and Fellow Daoist Hua were investigating? Has there been any progress?”
Nan Zhi remembered another matter.
Back then, the demon tiger in the mountains had been eating people for decades, yet the Demon Suppression Division had noticed nothing. There must have been a dereliction of duty.
“Official negligence. Merchants bribed the local yamen to withdraw the memorials about the demon tiger eating people, all to sell medicinal herbs and mountain delicacies for private gain. That is why the tiger plague persisted for so long.”
Shen Luohe kept his back to Nan Zhi, making it impossible for her to read his emotions.
“The Demon Suppression Division only captures demons and does not interfere in political affairs. The other criminals have already been sent to the Kaifeng Prefecture; it no longer concerns the Demon Suppression Division.”
Just official negligence?
Nan Zhi didn't believe it for a second.
In the Locust God's memories, the white tiger had been blocking the roads and eating people for a long time. With its extraordinary talent, it eventually grew into a ferocious demon king of its generation, ruling over the surrounding lands until the entire Great Song became its hunting ground.
The prefects and officials of each county were all mortals; how could they not be afraid of death?
If no one had covered for that white tiger, how could it have remained hidden under the nose of the Demon Suppression Division for so long?
The Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery was definitely not clean.
Huiyuan's co-conspirator might very well be in this monastery.
However, among the four commissioners, she didn't know which one was involved.
She then pretended to casually ask about the four commissioners in the monastery. Shen Luohe, unaware of Nan Zhi's suspicions, seriously explained to her:
“Years ago, Empress Shenlong made a covenant with the cultivation world that Foundation Establishment cultivators must not harass the mortal realm. Sect disciples tempering their hearts in the red dust could travel under the name of the Demon Suppression Division. Thus, most of the people in the Demon Suppression Division today are sect disciples out for experience.
“The posts of the Arrest Commissioner and Records Commissioner in the Northwest Circuit are currently vacant. The Supervisory Commissioner, Senior Mo Chenghuai, was recalled by his sect half a month ago and has not yet returned. Currently, my master is the only commissioner left in the monastery.”
He left so suddenly?
Half a month ago—wasn't that exactly when the Yin Yang Road was in turmoil and she was being pursued?
Then this Master Mo Chenghuai was very suspicious.
“So, Fellow Daoist Shen and Fellow Daoist Hua are also sect disciples?”
Nan Zhi changed the subject. Shen Luohe gave an embarrassed smile, his tone tinged with regret.
“My master indeed hails from a famous and great sect. Unfortunately, because he was pursued by enemies in the past and lost his wife and children, he requested to guard the mortal realm for a hundred years. Later, he took in orphans like us as his disciples, passing down martial arts and cultivation techniques, raising us like his own children.
“My junior brothers and sisters were all adopted by Master. Even I used to fight wild dogs for food on the roadside. If Master hadn't saved my life...”
Shen Luohe's tone grew heavy.
“The Monastery Head truly is a person of great love, with the heart of an immortal,” Nan Zhi remarked with sincere emotion.
...
Daoist Qinglong's Demon Suppression Monastery looked more like a place of seclusion.
“Master loves peace and quiet and dislikes being disturbed by outsiders, so he set the Demon Suppression Tower here. In the past, when our cultivation was insufficient, we had to scale the cliffs, climbing up and down like monkeys just to return to the monastery.”
Shen Luohe put away the flying boat artifact they were riding. Seeing Nan Zhi's curious expression, he smiled again.
“Among the four commissioners in the monastery, the one with the highest cultivation is respected. My master is the Judicial Commissioner of this circuit, and he is extremely skilled in artifact crafting and alchemy.
“Therefore, everyone in the monastery has one of these flying boats. After you report for duty, I imagine you will receive one as well.”
“There's such a good thing? Won't I be getting a great bargain then?”
Nan Zhi followed him and landed in front of the monastery gates. She saw that the gates were wide open, and there were few people inside. Only a round-faced Daoist boy with a child's topknot sat by the entrance.
“Senior Brother! Senior Brother Shen, you're back!”
As soon as the boy saw Shen Luohe, he happily approached. The latter, clearly used to this, pulled out a bag of snacks from his sleeve and handed it to him before asking:
“Why are you the only one here? Where are the other junior brothers and sisters?”
“Qingxi and Sifang are both haunted by water ghosts. Senior Sister Chen and Senior Brother Liu took people to investigate the cases. Plague ghosts have appeared in the Huainan and Jiangxi areas, and they were short-staffed there, so the Monastery Head ordered Senior Brother Wang and the others to take people to relieve the disaster victims.”
The Daoist boy grabbed a snack and said with his mouth full:
“Right now, there are only a handful of people left in the monastery. If you hadn't come back today, there would be no one to cook, and the Monastery Head and I would have to go hungry!”
Nan Zhi was somewhat surprised.
This Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery was truly different from what she had imagined.
A Golden Core Master who could go hungry.
A senior brother who was an elegant and graceful gentleman on the outside but came home to cook for everyone.
It was a scene of joy.
“Ahem, ahem... Fellow Daoist Nan, the monastery has been short-staffed lately; it's not usually like what you see—”
Shen Luohe gave an embarrassed smile, twirling his fan repeatedly before finally saying in a tone of self-abandonment:
“The Northwest Circuit isn't as prosperous as Bianjing, and we aren't good at managing worldly affairs. Additionally, my master is benevolent and charitable, often distributing porridge and medicine to help the common people, so...”
She understood—they were just poor.
No wonder he didn't even have silver to pay for a meal at the tavern back then and had to use a wine worm to pay Wanniang.
She estimated that the most valuable thing in the entire monastery was that Demon Suppression Tower.
In her mind, Nan Zhi pieced together a rough image of Daoist Qinglong.
...
As it turned out, Nan Zhi was still under-prepared.
When Daoist Qinglong met the two of them, he was in a gazebo fighting with a tall, large white crane, lacking even a hint of the majesty of a Golden Core Master.
“You beast! You egg-born and moisture-born ungrateful scoundrel! If I hadn't hatched you from an egg back then, you would have long since become a dead soul in the mouth of a golden eagle!”
“Hurry up and shut your beak! This jar of wine was something I managed to hide while Xijian wasn't looking. If she finds out I secretly bought wine to drink again, she will definitely be furious—”
The disheveled Taoist, wearing a plain robe with patches on the sleeves, grinned while protecting the wine jar in his arms. There were dark circles under his eyes. He was answered by a clear, long cry:
“Gaa! Gaa!!”
The white crane seemed furious. It spread its wings and fanned out bursts of gales. The gales turned into blades and the wings into swords, roaring as they charged straight toward the gazebo—
Boom!!
Boom, boom!
Thousands of pure white crane feathers fell from the sky, carrying earth-shaking power. The gales they brought shattered the bamboo gazebo into pieces in just a few strikes.
What a formidable demon beast!
Nan Zhi couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.
To be this powerful with just such a casual strike.
In the next second, the aim of the crane feathers suddenly shifted. Thousands of needle-like crane feathers lunged straight for Nan Zhi's face!
Rate on N.U.
