National Guardian True Man?

From behind nearby doors, windows, and walls came curious heads, peering out and whispering.

"National Guardian True Man, this is my first time seeing one..."

"No, no, doesn't this person look more like a demon?"

"Pah, what do you know? Without a fierce countenance, how can he suppress those evil spirits? I heard the State Preceptor in the Capital City has three heads, six arms, a blue face, and sharp fangs..."

That's just how the common folk are; scared half to death just a moment ago, but can't resist gathering curiously when the Astronomical Bureau arrives.

The National Guardian True Man rarely shows up before common people, so all kinds of rumors spread in the populace.

Zhang Kui shook his head speechlessly and patted the short fur on Fatty Tiger's head, saying, "I'm not the National Guardian True Man; this is a token from an elder, just to prove that I'm not a bad person."

What he threw over was Elder Huayan's token, which, upon seeing it, was as if the National Guardian True Man was personally present. It always required explanation, quite troublesome.

The woman exhaled in relief upon hearing this,

"So that's how it is, I was wondering if this was True Man Yuhua's token..."

Immediately, she seemed to remember something, her expression changed, and her eyes lit up with excitement,

"Are you Zhang Kui, Taoist Zhang?"

Zhang Kui was taken aback, "You know me?"

"Indeed..."

The woman curiously sized him up, "The gazette mentioned that during the demonic chaos in Qingzhou, the Taoist slew several old demons of the Grain Avoidance Realm in the Realm of Enlightenment. This has already spread throughout the entire Astronomical Bureau."

Zhang Kui smiled faintly, "Just a stroke of luck. May I enter the city?"

"Of course..."

The woman waved her hand to order the soldiers to withdraw, then stepped forward with her two companions, cupping her hands in inquiry, "May I know why the senior has come to our city?"

"May I know who I'm addressing..."

"I am Changyun Astronomical Bureau Captain Helian Wei."

"Passing through this place, just here for a meal..."

A trace of surprise flashed through Zhang Kui's eyes, as women in the Qian Dynasty rarely held official positions, let alone in the dangerous Astronomical Bureau.

This Helian Wei, tall and charming, was quite a beauty; why would she take on such a job...

Helian Wei laughed heartily,

"I see. Changyun City does have many specialties, but the Taoist's steed is quite imposing; the common folk might be disturbed. How about I act as your guide?"

While her words sounded pleasant, both she and her two subordinates firmly grasped their sword scabbards at their waists.

Zhang Kui couldn't help but chuckle, "Very well."

...

In a past life's "Water Margin," Niu Er was nicknamed the Street-Sweeping Tiger. As soon as they entered the city, the streets indeed quieted.

Even with the City Guard's notifications and the Astronomical Bureau personnel accompanying them, the common people, upon seeing the fierce demon tiger measuring six or seven meters long and nearly two meters tall, scattered in fright.

Fatty Tiger found it amusing and deliberately revealed its cold yellow pupils, with ghostly blue flames flickering within them.

But immediately, its head was met with a punch from Zhang Kui, and it obediently tucked its tail between its legs and walked on.

Gradually, some brave souls began to follow and observe the tiger, and the streets slowly regained some of their liveliness.

Zhang Kui didn't mind; he would buy whatever he hadn't tried before along the street, stuffing his mouth with fried cakes and fruits, and when passing by something that piqued his interest, he'd even ask the owner for cooking tips.

Helian Wei watched with amusement from the side. Though she came from a well-educated family and had seen many cultivators, it was her first time encountering someone as down-to-earth as Zhang Kui.

At the entrance of an ancient two-story building, Helian Wei introduced with a smile, "Taoist Zhang, this is the city's most famous venison soup shop, uh... it's usually packed with people."

The shop owner stood outside nodding and bowing, wearing a bitter smile. Seeing Zhang Kui leading the demon tiger straight to them, the customers had long fled.

"Forgive the intrusion, Boss."

Zhang Kui laughed heartily, "Don't be afraid, bring some for my steed as well, and make it a big serving."

"Certainly, please wait a moment..."

The owner quickly ran to the kitchen, and in no time, besides Zhang Kui and his companions, he brought a large iron pot filled with white soup, red and tender meat, garnished with green onions and vermicelli, exuding a tempting aroma for the Fatty Tiger.

Fatty Tiger took a bite and was immediately stunned,

"How... is it this delicious?"

Then, it quickly devoured the meal, not leaving a drop as it licked the pot clean with loud slurps.

Zhang Kui laughed heartily, tossing out a gold ingot, "Boss, keep them coming. Let this fool taste the finest culinary delights of the human world today."

"Alright!"

The owner, holding the gold, instantly forgot his fear, directing the staff to serve pot after pot, and alongside Zhang Kui, they almost cleared out all the soup and meat in the shop.

Fatty Tiger still wasn't satisfied, licking its lips with a pleased expression, "Taoist, only today have I realized how good it is to follow you, I smell another place ahead that seems quite fragrant too."

Zhang Kui laughed heartily,

"You fool, worry not, you'll have your fill today."

With that, he led Fatty Tiger out of the shop in big strides.

The owner smiled and bowed in gratitude from behind while already planning a thousand ideas in his mind, deciding to hang a sign tomorrow: Liu Family Venison Soup, even demons approve!

Not long after they left, a disheveled beggar came jumping up to Fatty Tiger, clapping and nodding like a child as he sang:

"Smoke protects smoke, smoke ascends to the sky, the red silk skirt ties half an edge, whose daughter stands at the door?

The embroidered shoes align toe to toe, to make a marriage with me..."

After singing, he unexpectedly leaned in and kissed Fatty Tiger.

Fatty Tiger was shocked, quickly stepping back a few paces, spitting repeatedly on the ground, "Pah, pah, pah, it stinks!"

Helian Wei was also stunned, quickly stepping forward to pull the beggar aside, shielding him behind her with an apologetic look:

"Taoist, this was unintentional. Please don't take it to heart."

Zhang Kui was somewhat surprised; it was his first time seeing an official speak up for a beggar, and his impression of the woman in front of him increased favorably.

"Haha, it's fine, Fatty Tiger isn't petty."

Helian Wei sighed in relief and hurriedly ordered her subordinates, "Quick, take Li Jun away."

Zhang Kui's eyes subtly moved, realizing he had misunderstood, "Oh, do you know this beggar?"

Helian Wei shook her head and sighed, "It's a case from three years ago, quite a pitiable person."

"This Li Jun was originally just an ordinary fisherman by the canal. One day he rescued a woman and brought her home, where they cared for each other and fell in love, eventually marrying."

"Their life grew better after marriage, but Li Jun's old mother was not a kind person. She noticed some oddities about the woman and ran to Chongming Temple nearby to find monks to exorcise demons."

"Originally, she just wanted to trouble her daughter-in-law, but it turned out she was indeed a Clam Girl, and what was even more unexpected was that this demon truly wanted to live with Li Jun and was even pregnant."

"In the end, the Clam Girl was killed by the monks, and Li Jun went mad. His old mother also mysteriously hanged herself..."

At this point, Helian Wei couldn't help but shake her head.

So that's how it was...

Zhang Kui recalled the kowtowing old woman and also shook his head slightly. If he encountered such a thing, he'd likely just let it go.

Just then, an Astronomical Bureau soldier came running hurriedly, cupping his hands solemnly, "Captain, there's something strange on the outside canal, it's suddenly frozen over."

Helian Wei frowned,

"The cold weather, what's strange about ice forming?"

"Sir..."

The soldier quickly replied, "It froze the entire canal in just a few moments!"

"What?!"

Helian Wei was shocked and immediately ran towards the dock.

Zhang Kui frowned and also mounted the tiger's back to follow.

At the dock, there were bustling crowds of people, and on the large river, there was nothing but thick, solid ice. All the boats were frozen in place, unable to move.

An old boatman saw him and hurried over, "True Man, the river surface suddenly froze, our boats can't move."

Zhang Kui nodded without speaking.

Clearly, this wasn't naturally occurring, could there be evil spirits causing trouble?

To freeze the entire canal in such a short time is almost incredible.

All of a sudden, large snowflakes began to flutter and fall from the sky, and the northern wind picked up, making the surrounding air bitterly cold.

Suddenly, sensing something, Zhang Kui looked up, and his pupils instantly contracted.

The sky had unknowingly become covered in leaden clouds.

In the Cave Abyss Skill vision, there were faintly massive black shadows between the clouds, with long tentacles slowly writhing through the cloud layers...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.