Chapter 30: The ancient sword is cold and dim, forged for thousands of years At dawn, facing the rising morning light, a carriage slowly drove into Qingzhou City. Zhang Jiuyang lifted the curtain and quietly looked at this most prosperous city in Qingzhou. The city wall is tall and majestic, with mottled moss vaguely visible. It has a heavy sense of vicissitudes and is full of the marks of time. On the city wall, there were rows of armors and soldiers holding spears with straight postures. It was still early in the morning, but Qingzhou city was already bustling with activity. Shops on the spacious streets had already opened their doors early. Men carrying dung, hawkers shouting, and children playing were like a slowly unfolding painting. A small head appeared above Zhang Jiuyang's head, looking around curiously. "Brother Jiu, is this Qingzhou City? It's so huge!" Ali had only lived in Yunhe County before, and had only heard of the name Qingzhou City from others. She never expected it to be so big. However, Zhang Jiuyang saw something different.

"Butler Zhou, is Buddhism so popular in your city of Qingzhou?" Along the way, he actually saw several monks, and judging from the reactions of the local people, they seemed to be very awed by them. When they saw them from afar, they would put their hands together and bow to them. The middle-aged man driving the carriage, who was also the steward of the Zhou Mansion in Qingzhou City, heard this and said, "Master Zhang, you don't know that these are monks from the Jinshen Temple." "Golden Body Temple?" "Jin Shen Temple was renamed recently. It was previously called Xishan Temple. It wasn't famous originally, but a few months ago a wandering monk named Neng Ren entered Xishan Temple. He was quite magical and soon made Xishan Temple famous." "Then why was it changed to the Golden Body Temple? Could it be that this Master Nengren created a golden body?" There was a hint of doubt in Zhang Jiuyang's eyes. According to Lao Gao, every monk in Buddhism who cultivates relics and attains the golden body is unfathomable and has great supernatural powers. With such a divine monk in charge, how could there be any evil spirits in Qingzhou City? Hearing this, Steward Zhou showed a trace of indignation and said, "What master? That monk Nengren is even more greedy than the officials. If ordinary people want to do things for him, they must first offer a golden statue to the temple. Soon the temple became magnificent and golden, so it was named Jinshen Temple." After a pause, he continued, "Actually, after the master was possessed by evil spirits, I also went to see that monk Neng Ren, but who knew that he asked for half of our master's property before he would let him go. He was really greedy!" Therefore, when he heard that there was a Zhang Banxian in Yunhe County, he rushed there overnight to invite him. Compared with half of the Zhou family’s property, the famous sword Taiyue, although precious, is nothing. Not long after, the carriage arrived at Zhou's mansion. The Zhou Mansion is located on Dongli Street in Qingzhou City. The environment is quiet and the feng shui is suitable. The vermilion gate is very imposing, and the two stone lions at the door are lifelike, majestic and domineering. Zhang Jiuyang suddenly stopped and stared at the two stone lions in a daze. Seeing this scene, Butler Zhou suddenly became nervous and looked at Zhang Jiuyang secretly with a hint of uneasiness in his eyes. In Feng Shui, there are many requirements for the stone lions placed at the door. One lion must have an open mouth and the other closed. An open mouth means attracting wealth, while a closed mouth means keeping wealth, which means money only comes in and never goes out. In addition, the lion is a symbol of warding off evil spirits in the house. Placing a stone lion at the door can enhance the homeowner's yang energy, drive away evil spirits, and protect the home's safety.

However, at this moment, in Zhang Jiuyang's eyes, these two stone lions that guard the house and ward off evil spirits have a different appearance. Shi's body was covered in charred black. His open mouth was spewing black smoke, and his closed mouth was full of bloodshot eyes. His eyes were ferocious and resentful, and his scarlet eyeballs moved slightly, as if he was staring at Zhang Jiuyang. He heard the roar of evil spirits. "Stop meddling in other people's business, stinky Taoist priest!" "roll!" “Get out of here!” …… "Master Zhang, Master Zhang!" As Butler Zhou's voice sounded, Zhang Jiuyang's eyes flickered and everything returned to normal. The stone lion stood quietly in front of the door, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion. But Zhang Jiuyang knew that it was the ghost in Zhou Mansion that was warning and demonstrating. "Brother Jiu, the things in the house are so ferocious~" Ali's voice sounded, but there was no trace of fear, instead she was eager to try. Perhaps because she had the blood of a ghost, the little girl had no fear of these ghosts in her bones. Not long after she drowned, she dared to use her fangs to bite Yunniang who was about to become a monster. It can be seen how brave she was. "Brother Jiu, when you have refined the magic sword, please prepare two kitchen knives for me~" The little girl acted coquettishly, but what she said was embarrassing. Thinking of the way Ah-Li chased after the monsters with two kitchen knives and chopped them wildly, Zhang Jiuyang suddenly felt a little guilty towards Uncle Jiang. I seem to have raised someone else's cabbage in a wrong way... "Butler Zhou, please lead the way. I want to take a look at the Taiyue Sword first." In the other party's uneasy eyes, Zhang Jiuyang smiled slightly and said calmly. Although the ghost is ferocious, it is still far inferior to Yunniang. Even if he cannot defeat it, he is confident that he can escape unscathed. In order to refine the magic sword to kill ghosts, he might as well give it a try. Hearing this, Butler Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief and secretly sighed that he was worthy of being called Master Zhang. In fact, before Zhang Jiuyang, he had also invited other people, but those monks and Taoists were boastful and exaggerated. As a result, when they arrived at the door of Zhou Mansion, they were frightened and turned pale and trembling all over. They dared not go in no matter what. Only Master Zhang, although he clearly noticed the abnormality, remained calm and composed. "Master Zhang, please come this way." His voice became more respectful. The Zhou Mansion is very large, and seems to be even more luxurious than the Cui Mansion in Dongguan County. There are many rare green plants, rockery pavilions and terraces inside, just like the gardens in the south of the Yangtze River. Zhang Jiuyang sighed in his heart, such a Jiangnan garden-style mansion would definitely be an astronomical figure if it were placed on Earth in his previous life. There was an inexplicable chill in the air, and the servants all lowered their heads, looking trembling with fear. Soon, the two came to a vermilion pavilion with three locks.

Butler Zhou took out the keys and opened them one by one, saying, "The Taiyue Sword is inside." When you push open the door, you can smell a faint scent of incense. It is very spacious inside, like a small museum, with many precious cultural relics on display. Calligraphy and paintings, seals, ancient copper coins, ceramics... There are so many to choose from, too numerous to count. Zhang Jiuyang secretly sighed that Mr. Zhou's financial resources were truly amazing. In the very center of the room, there was an ancient sword with its scabbard. The black scabbard was carved with complex cloud patterns, the hilt was inlaid with a flawless white jade, and the golden tassel hung down, gently fluttering in the breeze. Although it has not been unsheathed, Zhang Jiuyang seems to be able to feel the invisible edge. Ah Li quietly hid behind him and said, "Brother Jiu, this sword seems a bit scary." Although this sword is not well-known nowadays, it was once the sword of the military god Yue Fei. It accompanied him in his battles and killed countless enemies. It is unknown how much blood was stained on it. According to folklore, even a butcher's butcher knife can have a certain deterrent effect on ghosts, not to mention this famous sword that came from an ancient battlefield. Just by seeing the Taiyue Sword for a moment, Zhang Jiuyang could conclude that it would definitely meet the requirements for refining a magic sword to slay ghosts. Clang! Zhang Jiuyang drew his sword from its sheath. The sword was as clear and bright as a pool of autumn water, reflecting the waves in his eyes. He raised his finger and flicked the sword lightly, and the sound was powerful and vigorous, like a dragon's roar, and it seemed that a murderous aura was blowing in his face. "The ancient sword is cold and dim, it has been forged for thousands of years. The white light contains the sun and the moon, and the purple air contains the bullfighting force. " Zhang Jiuyang recited Bai Juyi's poem softly, his heart seemed to be filled with sword energy, and his eyes became sharper and brighter. He wants the Taiyue Sword! …… (End of this chapter)