Chapter 78 Lantern Festival (Thanks to the leader "Dachuan Dad") They arrived at Yi County before dusk. There were still several armed soldiers guarding the city gate, but this time, when the guards saw the three people leading a donkey and a fox, they immediately became respectful and let them in without waiting for the Seventh Brother to show his certificate of ordination. "Master, please come in." The city is busier than ever before. Even before it was completely dark, the streets were already full of lanterns of all shapes and colors. Many people from far away cities came to the city today. The daughters of wealthy families who usually stayed in the boudoir also came out in their best attire, and many scholars and young men strolled along the streets, hoping to meet them by chance and have a romantic encounter. "It's the Lantern Festival. Even if there are monsters sneaking into the city at this time, they are probably here to enjoy the lanterns, right?" The seventh brother is a playful person, and he has a romantic and playful heart. "Let's go to the county government first!" "it is good." Lin Jue walked along, looking left and right, and felt as if he had walked into the brilliant scene of the lantern festival described in the poems of literati. The acquaintance of those literati and the encounters between talented men and beautiful women seemed to have come from here. Some of them cast their eyes towards him. It could be a civilian walking on the street, or a merchant in a shop on the side of the road.

Either salute him from a distance, or greet him proactively. "The Taoist priest is also coming to see the Lantern Festival?" "Master Lin! You are polite!" Lin Jue usually responds with a reciprocal salute. Others were simply surprised at the fox following him, and surprised that he had such a reputation in the city. "When did you become so popular in the city?" Senior Brother Seven couldn't help but ask in surprise. The junior sister also looked at him curiously. "It was because of the last time that a merchant in the city asked me to come to the city to eliminate monsters with my third senior brother. The next morning, we fought with a monster. The streets were bustling at that time and many people saw it." Lin Jue said ashamedly. "After careful calculation, several months have passed, and they still remember me. It seems that I have left a deep impression on them." "It's all thanks to Third Senior Brother." Lin Jue said, looking down at the curious little fox beside him, "And they didn't remember me, they just remembered a Taoist priest with a fox." "Anyway, this will make our business much easier." "So much the better……" The three of them soon arrived at the Yi County Government Office. If one wanted to perform a trick in the city, one usually had to obtain permission from the county magistrate. The county magistrate must be on holiday today, and even if he wasn't, the office should have been closed by now. However, the county magistrate usually lives in the county government office. Lin Jue and his party came here to discuss the matter of the temple built by the fourth aunt at Jiandao Peak. The fourth aunt was recognized by the Nine Heavens God, and since this was not for his own personal gain, it involved the gods, so he planned to ask about it. Before I reached the door, it suddenly opened. A constable came out from inside, carrying a sword, and seemed to be going to patrol the city. When he looked up, he was suddenly stunned. "Real person!" It was the constable who came to the mountain to deliver the letter that day.

The capture officer looked at them. He was obviously impressed by both Lin Jue and the fox at Lin Jue's feet. When he walked towards them quickly, the Taoist temple on the snowy mountain that day seemed to appear before him, and the taste of the cup of hot tea and the pot of rice wine resurfaced in his mind. By the time he reached the three of them, he was already very respectful. There is a little worry in the respect: "Why are the three of you here? What kind of demons and ghosts are there in the city?" "I don't dare to be a real person..." Lin Jue will tell him about it in the future. The police officer heaved a sigh of relief and immediately said: "Just in time! The county magistrate just explained the matter to us, so he should not have gone out yet! A few days ago, he was still talking about how he would invite the governor to visit the Immortals in the mountains when the spring comes and the snow melts. If he knew that the Immortals were coming, he would definitely be very happy." The police led them inside. He happened to run into the county magistrate who was about to go out to admire the lanterns. "Chen County!" "Pan Yi? What is this?" "Greetings, County Master Chen. These three are Taoist priests from Fuqiu Temple on Fuqiu Peak in Yishan Mountain." As expected, when the county magistrate heard that they were the Taoists from Fuqiu Temple who had fought with the monster in the city and were asked by the Taoist priests from Xuantian Temple in Qiyun Mountain to deliver the letter, his expression immediately became polite. "The Taoist priests are here..." The magistrate, like the constable, first thought of the worst and showed worry in his eyes. "Don't worry, magistrate." Senior Brother Seven explained his purpose of coming. The magistrate's frown gradually relaxed. "oops!" The county magistrate was surprised and wide-eyed after hearing this: "If it is really a deity who has achieved perfection in cultivation and wants to build a temple, how can they let a few Taoist priests raise money in the city? The county can allocate funds." "That's fine, but it's not as good." Senior Brother Seven said with a smile, which was a tactful refusal. Lin Jue probably knew the reason—— The fellow Taoists of Jiandao Peak were originally monsters. If monsters want to become gods, even if they are just to be local gods in the mountains, they have to be more demanding and cautious. If the temple is built with funds raised by the people, it will naturally have more capabilities to shelter from wind and rain. "Please ask the magistrate to calculate how much money we need to get approval if we perform Taoist magic in the city to raise funds for the construction of a temple for our fourth aunt." "hiss……" The county magistrate thought about it carefully, and then said: "You are all famous Taoist priests with real skills. If you demonstrate Taoist skills in the city, wouldn't it not only add some fun to the lantern festival tonight, but also deter the evil spirits and ghosts hidden in the city? What's more, it is to raise funds for the construction of a temple for the gods, which is a righteous act. Why should we spend money?" His tone became very firm:

"Masters, just pick a place in the city. I'll let Pan Yi follow you." The magistrate had made up his mind. I should go and see it myself. "Then thank you, county magistrate." The seventh senior brother saluted to the county magistrate, paused, and added with a smile, "By the way, I forgot to tell the county magistrate that the last time my junior brother and senior brother went down the mountain to eliminate monsters, those rat monsters hiding in the cave were all eliminated by the descendants of the fourth lady. Later, when the Taoist friend from Mount Qiyun was eliminating monsters, he also asked them to help." When the county magistrate heard this, his eyes widened. It was that one! Several people turned around and went out. The winter night comes so quickly. Just by going in and out of the county government office, it was dark. All the colorful lights on the road lit up. Almost every household has lanterns lit at their doorsteps, and most pedestrians also carry lanterns in their hands, but the only difference is the size, color, and shape. These lanterns light up the night, but are far from being as bright as day, thus creating an extremely classical, dreamy, and charming atmosphere. "Please come this way, three masters." The constable named Pan Yi said, "This is the busiest place." "Thank you." Then gradually went deeper into the colorful lights. People are also getting more densely packed. This annual event has great appeal to the people who lack entertainment. High-ranking officials, peddlers and hawkers all come here and move among the lights and shadows. Walking in it, you feel that what stands out is the lanterns, while the darkness is ignored. What stands out is the joy of the people holding lanterns, while people's embarrassment, defects and previous reserve are hidden in the darkness. Lin Jue walked while feeling the moment. I glanced to the side out of the corner of my eye—— But he saw that the junior sister's eyes were wider than his, and because her face was small, their eyes seemed even bigger. I wonder what her experience is. "Theatrical performances are an embellishment of a prosperous age. Third Senior Brother always brags in front of you, saying that the alchemy you learned is not good and that his bean soldiers are very interesting. If you want to listen to me, hahahaha..." The seventh brother walked forward with a smile: "Practicing Taoism doesn't necessarily have to be used for fighting, and magic doesn't necessarily have to be used to exorcise demons. It's good to be able to make people happy!" After saying that, he pointed to the crowded area ahead. "Just go there!" Senior Brother Seven’s eyes were shining. …… Several literati walked around the lantern festival, enjoying the excitement and joy that only happens once a year. They looked everywhere, not knowing whether they were looking at the lanterns or the people. "Didn't they say that a monster was causing trouble in the city some time ago and was stealing people's money, causing panic among the people at that time? I thought the Lantern Festival would be a little quieter this year, but I didn't expect there would be so many people." said one of them. "Brother Tang has just returned to Yi County. What you don't know is that the immortals in Xuantian Temple have already invited the gods to cleanse the monsters in the city." The man said. "Yes, there was thunder that night, it was very loud. It was the coldest time of the year, and those who were brave enough opened the window and looked outside saw the night god through the window. What's more, the community temple in the city was moved by Liu Gong and replaced by Yili God. I think it was to reassure the people. Yili God has appeared several times recently." Another person smiled, "Who would be afraid of ghosts?"

"Did the God really appear?" "Anyway, everyone else said they saw a miracle. I haven't seen it myself, so I don't know. Anyway, there are so many people visiting this lantern festival. Not to mention that it's impossible for demons to come, even if they do, what can they do?" "That's true." The lights are dim and there are crowds of people. Who knows whether the person passing by is a human, a ghost, a demon or a god? "I only hope to meet that beautiful lady tonight. If I can leave a good story in the city, then I will be happy!" "Um……" "What about Brother Tang? I know several rich ladies in the city who admire poets and writers, and they even hold poetry gatherings in private." The scholar surnamed Tang looked around and whispered, "I wonder if there is anyone performing magic tricks in the city tonight..." "It's not you, Brother Tang..." "Brother Tang is still as interested in these supernatural and bizarre things as ever!" "Aren't you interested? When I was in the capital, I saw a master perform a trick. He could chop off his own head, put it on a plate, and show it to all the audience. The head, with bones and flesh attached, could still talk and drink. It was really an eye-opener! A feast for the eyes! Very interesting!" said the scholar named Tang. "I wonder if there is such a trick in Yi County!" "This... is indeed interesting." "But those extraordinary people must be considered masters, right? They are more popular in the capital. I'm afraid it's not easy to see them here." "yes……" "A few months ago, the merchants in the city had their money stolen by a demon, so someone invited a master from Mount Yi to exorcise the demon. The master was very capable, and he actually performed a magic battle on the street, with blades flying in the sky. Moreover, the Taoist could even carry the knife through a closed wooden door..." "That's really a talent..." As everyone was talking, they suddenly saw an unusually crowded crowd in front of them, and someone exclaimed loudly. "What happened there?" "Someone's doing magic!" "That's what Brother Tang wants!" "Go and see!" Several people all walked over. I heard the sound before I got close. "Dear audience, please don't throw money, please don't throw money. Look at the flag. We are Taoists in the mountains, not magicians. We are not here to ask for money..." The group heard it, but didn't take it seriously. Most of the tricksters in the world are like this. In addition to the tricks with their hands and bodies, there are also some tricks with their mouths and words, but they are just different ways to make more money. Especially the scholar named Tang. Since he had just returned from the capital and was accustomed to watching magic shows and looking for strange people, he had naturally seen a lot of these things.

Even when I got closer and saw that several people in the middle were wearing Taoist robes, I didn't think it was anything special. There was no other reason, there were just too many of these "tricks". But he didn't notice that several of his good friends who had been staying in Yi County were stunned and looked at each other when they saw the three Taoists and the donkey and the fox next to them. Suddenly, I heard a Taoist reciting a poem among the crowd: “Sometimes I turn into a crane in my dreams; "There are countless grasses in the world that are fireflies." This line of poetry caught his attention. (End of this chapter)