Chapter 95

As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours, and when the ship is delayed, it meets a headwind. Just as the Lou family was in a chaotic mess, the deputy of General Xia also came to the door...

Lou Kang could be considered a capable person. He glanced at the white fox fur hat worn by the deputy from a distance and said that it was measured for the General's mother. He was gathering skilled craftsmen to make the fur hat and would send it to the mansion... He used this to bluff his way through, gaining a two-month grace period, during which he had to complete the fur hat and deliver it to the governor's residence before the General's birthday.

After the deputy left, Tang Yuan also hurried over. It turned out that Doctor Tang, due to his excellent medical skills, had contacts from all walks of life, each with their own abilities. This time, for the Lou family's matter, he visited several places and obtained a method from a few bodyguards:

They all agreed that the Lou family had offended the Yellow Great Immortal, leading to unrest and internal strife. All this was because the spirit of the pure white yellow weasel, which was sacrificed to the mountain god, had not been appeased. To resolve this grudge, they needed to seek a capable person to suppress the spirit of the Yellow Great Immortal.

Thus, the Four Great Families of Sorcery were mentioned, which Tang Yuan described as "Northern Ma and Huang, Southern Mao and Zhang, Western Shi and Yin-Yang, Eastern Ga and Jiang."

These referred to the four great families, all renowned for their ghost-catching, demon-subduing, and mystical arts, each with their own lineage and unique techniques, and were families that cultivated virtue and practiced in the world.

"Northern Ma and Huang" referred to the Northern Huang family, which had generations of spirit halls and invited spirits to perform rituals. It was said that the ancestor of the Huang family was a yellow weasel that had transformed into a human, leaving behind a lineage that could communicate with the five directions of fox, yellow weasel, white, willow, and gray. They could also invite the most famous spirits to possess them, making the Northern Huang family the leader in this field.

"Southern Mao and Zhang" referred to the Southern Mao Mountain School, passed down from the Zhang Celestial Master. His direct disciples used talismans, incantations, oral formulas, finger techniques, formations, and magical tools to harness supernatural powers to assist them, primarily for ghost-catching and demon-subduing.

"Western Shi and Yin-Yang" referred to the Shi family of Yin-Yang masters, which used techniques based on the principles of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. They harnessed the power of heaven and earth, the energy of the sun and moon, to drive away ghosts and spirits and control demons. They were the only branch of the Yin-Yang School that practiced in the world, and they were a prominent flag of the Yin-Yang masters.

Finally, "Eastern Ga and Jiang" referred to the Southeastern Ga Zan family, the masters of black magic. They were mysterious, had few disciples, and acted ambiguously, being the most peculiar of the four great families. However, in recent decades, they suddenly appeared in the world, began to take on disciples, and fought against the Japanese pirates, thus gaining acceptance from the public.

Regardless of which branch or school, the four great families were all far from Xianyang, so there was no immediate solution. Even though the Tang family had connections with the Southern Mao Mountain School, they did not dare to easily invite them. Tang Yuan came to inform Lou Kang of the news his father had obtained and to help him find a capable person in Xianyang.

Thus, they decided to seek a high-ranking sorcerer at the local temple—seeking help in a time of crisis, hoping for a stroke of luck.

After hearing the servant's words, Zhenbao had some thoughts. Although he was unsure if he could help the Lou family resolve the grudge of the yellow weasel, he had some experience from the ghost market. He decided to go to the Lou family's residence in the city, rest and prepare, and then see the situation.

Tianwu needed more than an hour to rest after transforming, so since he couldn't communicate with it now, he decided to wait until Tianwu was ready—after all, it was just a fox spirit, and he might be able to handle it.

He had to try!

The Lou family's mansion was also in the western part of the city, not far from the shop, just three main streets away. If he went straight, it would take less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. However, this was the western part of the city, where wealthy merchants lived, and Zhenbao's sudden appearance would be too conspicuous, so he had to choose a quiet alley to avoid unnecessary entanglements.

Now, he was winding his way through the alley behind the fur shop. It was only the afternoon, and he had plenty of time to go slowly. But as he passed a fork in the alley, he suddenly heard a series of shouts and curses.

Among the shouts, someone was pleading for mercy, and the voice sounded familiar!

Zhenbao became interested and peeked inside. He saw three burly men beating two young boys, cursing and hitting them non-stop, accusing them of hiding something. The two boys being beaten were none other than...

Yingji and Magan!

One of the men was wearing a half-new foreign jacket, his face full of malice, and he was the most vicious, targeting the boys' vulnerable spots, causing them to cry out in pain.

Zhenbao listened quietly for a while. The accusations of hiding something were actually related to him. From the bits and pieces, he guessed the reason:

It was related to their entry into the city that morning!

Yingji and Magan were just "outsiders" in the eastern part of the city, not affiliated with any group. However, even if they were not affiliated with any group, they still had to pay a fee for doing business within their territory. The eastern part of the city was complex, and the one who dealt with these beggars was the man in the foreign jacket, known as Dingtou, who was the most ruthless and greedy, not sparing even the weak and the elderly.

That morning, one of Dingtou's men saw Yingji and Magan following a stranger to do business. They didn't seem like a big catch, just a "hanging sheep," so it wasn't a concern. However, when the usual fee was not delivered by noon, Dingtou became suspicious.

According to custom, there were usually three scenarios: if they got a "hanging sheep," they would still send a small fee; if they couldn't get anything, they would come to inform Dingtou and ask for his help; or if they got a big catch, they would keep it for themselves. Dingtou, being suspicious, assumed the third scenario, not knowing what Yingji and Magan were thinking.

They couldn't do anything about Zhenbao and didn't dare to ask Dingtou for help, so they decided to run to the western part of the city to hide. They planned to stay in a bridge or a shed for a few days, get some money, and then pay the fee. However, Dingtou found out and brought his men to search, eventually cornering them in this alley.

Although Zhenbao's guess was not entirely accurate, it was mostly correct. He thought the two were getting what they deserved and was about to leave. But after taking a few steps, he suddenly noticed something odd.

No matter how much Dingtou beat and cursed them, Yingji and Magan never mentioned Zhenbao or Tianwu. They just kept pleading for mercy, saying it was just a "hanging sheep" and they didn't have a chance to act, and now they didn't know where the stranger had gone. The more they said this, the more Dingtou beat them.

Zhenbao calculated that Tianwu should be waking up soon, so he closed his eyes and let the energy in his dantian circulate, activating the Eight Gates. As expected, after a few rotations, Tianwu started to complain in his mind:

"Hey, what are you doing? I'm so tired, let me rest a bit. What's going on now?"

Zhenbao chuckled, "Do you remember the two little thieves who robbed us this morning? Now they're being beaten, but they refuse to mention us. It's quite amusing, so I want to save them. What do you think?"

"Those two little thieves?" Tianwu asked curiously. "They robbed us, so why are they being beaten? They deserve it. Why should we get involved?"

Zhenbao, knowing Tianwu's personality, explained his thoughts and concluded, "This is somewhat related to us, and it's a matter of fate. Look, even though they're being beaten, they never mention us, adding another layer of karma. So I want to help them, to form a good connection and gain some good karma."

Tianwu, knowing Zhenbao's nature, lazily replied, "This is a small matter, not difficult. Do as you wish."

"Alright," Zhenbao agreed. "Tonight, you might have something to do, so I won't transform you this time. Just stir up some sand and dust to save them without revealing yourself."

With that, he coughed loudly and walked into the alley.

Hearing the cough, Dingtou and his two men turned around. Just as they were about to get angry, one of Dingtou's men recognized Zhenbao and shouted, "Dingtou, this is the fat sheep that Yingji and Magan caught this morning!"

Hearing this, Yingji and Magan stopped moaning and勉强抬起头来，虽然他们相信Zhenbao会出手救他们，但还是忍不住被打得大叫求救：“哎哟！哎哟！大哥救命啊，大哥救命啊！”

他们不敢称呼大师，而是改口叫大哥。

Dingtou, hearing their cries, kicked them and cursed, "Damn it, you still dare to cry out at this moment? You really want to die... Hey! Brat, you have some guts. You know Grandpa is looking for you, and you still dare to show up? You're like a peony growing in a fire pot—ignorant of life and death!" As he spoke, he pulled out a sharp knife from his waist.

With a sinister smile, he slowly approached, sneering, "Brat, leave the thing on your back, and crawl under Grandpa's crotch. I'll let you off with a warning today—otherwise, you'll lose your hands!" (To be continued)

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