txolops Chapter 81 Exorcising Demons
Chapter 81 Exorcising Demons
Lin Xuan's expression was strange, and he almost doubted whether he had misheard.
You should know that all sorts of gods and immortals really exist in this world.
Moreover, they not only exist, but their presence is very strong.
If you do something wrong while worshipping the gods, the gods will immediately punish you.
Impersonating a deity in this situation is tantamount to playing with one's life.
In his previous life, Lin Xuan had heard that many people suspected that the Yellow-Eyebrowed Buddha who created the Little Thunder Temple in the Journey to the West dungeon was not simple and had a different background.
Otherwise, how could Huang Mei dare to impersonate the Buddha? Even if the Buddha himself agreed, he absolutely could not bear the consequences!
These players all went to investigate Huang Mei, hoping to get a hidden quest from him.
"This is the territory of a powerful dragon king. Who would dare impersonate a deity here?"
Lin Xuan, somewhat curious, stopped and said earnestly:
"My lord, you must be mistaken. How could I possibly be a subordinate of some false god?"
"Besides, this place is protected by the river god, so how could there be any false gods?"
"I left suddenly because I was afraid of offending the adults."
Lin Xuan spoke quite frankly, standing with his hands clasped, meeting Wei Wen's gaze in response.
Upon seeing this, Wei Wen instinctively believed it, put away his cold gaze, and waved his hand to signal the constables to leave.
Then he actually walked up to Lin Xuan and said with emotion:
"I think you're a reasonable young man, but how could you have been deceived by that false god?"
"Let me tell you, the false god I was talking about is actually the river god here!"
This time, Lin Xuan really couldn't hold back anymore: "What did you say?"
Not long ago, Lin Xuan had visited the temple dedicated to the river god while touring the city.
The deities enshrined in the temple are by no means false gods.
Wei Wen saw the look of surprise on Lin Xuan's face and couldn't help but sigh.
"Since you don't know, then I'll explain it to you properly..."
The prefect seemed to have a lot on his mind, and he wanted to confide in anyone he met.
Of course, Lin Xuan was also aware that this was actually a prerequisite for the mission.
He became genuinely interested and wanted to hear the prefect's profound insights, so he patiently listened.
However, as he listened, his expression grew increasingly strange.
[Ding! The local governor has issued you a mission: expel the river god]
Wei Wen did not believe in supernatural forces or supernatural beings, and thought that the river god in this area was a false god, so he wanted to drive it away.
You can choose to help the governor and drive away the river god, or you can inform the river god.
Once a branch is chosen, it cannot be changed. Please choose carefully.
Lin Xuan was initially quite surprised, not expecting Wei Wen to be so outrageous, even trying to drive away the River God.
At the same time, I also found it strange that such a bizarre task came about.
But upon hearing the final words, he realized that the task wasn't actually as outrageous as he had imagined.
It's not really about expecting players to use their superpowers to drive away the river god, but rather giving players a chance to interact with the local river god.
Then, you can start the River God's questline, climb up the mountain, and eventually you might even get a quest from the East Sea Dragon Palace.
If a player wants to join the Dragon Palace faction, they can accept this quest and then go to the River God Temple to inform on the enemy.
However, Lin Xuan did not want to choose that option.
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly laughed.
"I never expected the governor to have such profound insights! That's right, I knew all along that the river god here was a fake!"
These words were almost earth-shattering; apart from Wei Wen, who showed joy and nodded repeatedly, nods were heard from him.
The other constables looked at Lin Xuan as if he were an idiot, speechless. Had this guy gone mad?
"It's one thing for the adults in my family to be out of their minds, but why is this kid acting so stupid too?"
"Wait a minute, could he be a conman, deliberately agreeing with us adults to try and get something for nothing?"
The constables exchanged glances, thinking they had seen through Lin Xuan's intentions, and looked down on him even more.
"Turns out he was just a con artist!"
Lin Xuan noticed the expressions on the faces of the constables, but paid them no mind. He turned around, walked up to Wei Wen, and said earnestly:
"Many people say that the river god is also a dragon, but I think that's a complete joke!"
"I've heard that a troublesome dragon has recently appeared in the East Sea, and the river god here might just be that dragon in disguise!"
As he spoke, a thought struck Lin Xuan.
[Task accepted successfully!]
Wei Wen became increasingly pleased as he listened. Lin Xuan was the first person to agree with him, and he considered Lin Xuan a close friend in his heart.
He grabbed Lin Xuan's hand and said happily, "Well said!"
"May I ask what your name is, young friend? My office happens to be short of a clerk. If you don't mind, why don't you come and work for me?"
The nearby yamen runners all curled their lip in disapproval; this kid really hit the jackpot!
Although the position of advisor is not a formal official post, it still comes with a monthly salary.
One of the young constables couldn't help but regret his actions, muttering under his breath, "If I had known our prefect was so easy to fool, I should have..."
"You should have known better!" A much older bailiff slapped the back of the young bailiff's head and interrupted him.
"Our prefect spoke rudely to the river god, yet he's still in office—that's because his sister is the empress!"
"Our emperor spends an unknown amount of silver on offerings and sacrifices to the river god every year. The river god is only willing to forgive our prefect because of this."
"If you go along with him and insult the river god, do you think you'll have a good ending?"
"Do you really think the river god has no temper?"
The old constable spoke quickly and urgently, leaving the young constable speechless. Feeling embarrassed, the young constable pointed at Lin Xuan and said:
"And what about him? Did he also meet a bad end?"
The old constable sneered, "His fate? I bet he'll end up with nothing!"
The young constable understood the implication and shuddered: "The river god can kill people?"
"Heh." The old bailiff was too lazy to reply.
Their voices were so low that even Wei Wen couldn't hear them, but Lin Xuan heard them clearly.
He didn't mind and bowed to Wei Wen, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but I haven't received much education, how could I possibly be your advisor?"
"However, I can help you, sir."
Wei Wen was curious and asked, "How are you going to help me?"
Lin Xuan put his hands behind his back, held his head high, and exuded a strong sense of confidence.
"I can help you, sir, expose the true face of the false god and drive him away!"
As soon as he said this, the constables stared wide-eyed at Lin Xuan.
They've seen people courting death, but they've never seen anyone courting death like this.
With your abilities, you might still have a chance to survive if you curse the River God behind his back.
But where do you get the audacity to say you want to expel the river god?
Are you tired of living?
Even Wei Wen was quite surprised. He took two steps back, looked Lin Xuan up and down, and asked:
"You...you're telling the truth? How are you going to expel that river god?"
Lin Xuan smiled faintly.
"You may not know, but my name is Lin Xuan. I once studied under a highly virtuous monk for a period of time. That monk was always righteous and hated evil, and loved to subdue demons and monsters."
"The eminent monk saw that I was single-mindedly seeking the Way and liked me very much, so he passed on his robe and bowl to me and gave me two Dharma treasures."
"And he also taught me that if I encounter a monster in the future, I must bravely go forward and use magical artifacts to eliminate it."
"Even if I hadn't encountered you today, I had already made plans to deal with that false god in a few days!"
"I didn't tell the truth just now because I was afraid of leaking the information and causing unnecessary trouble."
Lin Xuan told lies without any hesitation, speaking with great seriousness and detail.
In the end, he simply talked about what Jinshan Temple looked like, as if he had really followed Fahai and lived in Jinshan Temple.
Seeing Lin Xuan's confidence, Wei Wen actually believed him and nodded repeatedly.
"So that's how it is! Amitabha."
He put his hands together, chanted a Buddhist prayer to Lin Xuan, and regarded him as a high-ranking Buddhist monk.
Lin Xuan shook his head and said, "My lord, there is no need for such formalities. Although I studied with a high monk for a period of time, I have not yet formally entered the Buddhist order."
"If you are truly so kind, sir, why not make some arrangements for me?"
"The day that false god appears will be in a few days. He will go to the city to take the offerings. If I can hide in the shadows and launch a surprise attack, I will be able to expose his true colors."
Wei Wen still had some doubts in his heart.
Although he wasn't particularly smart, he wasn't stupid either, and he was somewhat worried that Lin Xuan was a fraud.
But upon hearing Lin Xuan's words, he finally realized that Lin Xuan was indeed the helper sent to him by heaven.
If he were a fraudster, he would only be thinking about scamming food and drinks, or making up nonsense; he would never dare to take the initiative to deal with the river god.
"Alright! You'll stay by my side for the next few days. When the festival begins, I'll have you deliver the offerings!"
Wei Wen immediately made the decision to take Lin Xuan back to the city and settle him in the prefect's mansion.
Now, the other constables were also a bit confused.
What's wrong with this kid? Is he really that reckless, or is he deliberately courting death?
They watched Lin Xuan and Wei Wen's departing figures, remaining silent for a long time.
"Wait a minute, he can't be doing this on purpose, can he? What if he makes up an excuse to slip away on the day of the festival?" A constable suddenly slapped his forehead.
The other constables suddenly understood after hearing this.
"That must be it!"
"I knew it! How could anyone dare to disrespect the River God? This is all a trick by fraudsters!"
"Hmph, we've been keeping a close eye on this kid these past few days, not giving him a chance to escape! I want to see what kind of expression he'll have then, haha."
They became happier and happier as they talked, imagining Lin Xuan's embarrassment at that time, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
And then there are the clever people who think of even more.
Having just returned to the city, he rushed to the temple where the river god was worshipped, found the temple keeper, and explained in detail what had just happened.
The temple keeper was an old man with a face full of wrinkles, but no beard.
He couldn't even stand up straight; his back was hunched over, as if he were carrying a hunchback.
Upon hearing the constable's words, the old temple keeper raised his eyebrows as if he had heard a very funny joke, and the wrinkles on his face trembled.
After a long while, he finally laughed and shook his head, saying, "You did well. I will tell the River God about this."
As he spoke, he glanced at the constable again, waved his hand slightly, and took out a seashell.
"You came to me before asking for children, didn't you?"
"This seashell was a gift from the river god. Take it home and place it under your bed. Good news will come soon."
The bailiff excitedly reached out his hands, took the seashell, carefully put it in his pocket, and then knelt down repeatedly.
He became even more convinced that the River God was not some false god.
Otherwise, how would they know the content of their prayers when they sought divine favor, and be rewarded with such a treasure?