Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 180 The Hidden Story of the Peony

Given that there were few conflicts and little contact between Yan Chixia and the White Lotus Sect, why would he care about the White Lotus Sect and the Asura King? Besides the fact that the White Lotus Sect had become too rampant recently and could not be ignored, another reason was that he had actually met a guy who resembled the "Asura King" before.

Although it was just a blurry figure in the distance, its general features matched the rumors. It was surrounded by a group of strangely dressed people who looked like members of the White Lotus Sect. Yan Chixia was in a hurry to get on his way, so he only glanced at it from afar and left.

Overall, he didn't have a deep impression, but the striking and flamboyant red color still stuck with him. Coupled with what he had heard about the White Lotus Sect's demon-hunting exploits, Yan Chixia immediately felt that they were no ordinary people. Then, while traveling, he encountered a Taoist priest from Laoshan. After a conversation, he was told that someone would handle the White Lotus Sect's farce, and then he put the matter aside.

Looking back now, the biggest problem is the timing of his encounter with the "Asura King." Master Xing Tian and the others said the real Asura King left a month ago and wouldn't return. But Yan Chixia saw the Asura King about ten days ago. Since the real Asura King had already left, who was the one he saw?

Regardless of who it was, Xing Tianshi and the others who knew the inside story all agreed that Yan Chixia had seen an imposter. This was not only because of the time and the true nature of Shou Wanjie's disguise, but also because Yan Chixia was in Henan, while Teng County, where Xiao Er and Ding Zimo were, was in Shandong. The main force of the White Lotus Sect, which followed the Asura King, was in the south. No matter which way Yan Chixia went, it was impossible for him to run into Shou Wanjie's group.

Moreover, in order to prevent the title of "Asura King" from gaining further traction, Liu Qingyuan immediately withdrew from the scene as soon as the transmigrator was captured.

"People actually pirate this thing? What did the Asura King you saw look like?"

It's not surprising that someone would impersonate someone. As long as someone is famous and can profit from others, there will always be some "skilled and daring" guys who will try to impersonate them. However, the identifiable features on Shou Wanjie's body are too obvious, making it very difficult to impersonate him.

Hair can be dyed, clothes can be custom-made, and even ears can be faked, but the cicadas that constantly accompany him and emit their own light are hard to find and ordinary people cannot imitate, so there is no problem of rampant piracy.

But this is Liaozhai, with a bunch of strange and wonderful spells. These features that seem difficult to implement can be replaced with some illusions.

That's how things are with monsters and magic. The difference between the upper and lower limits depends entirely on the user. If the lower limit is too low, you can't even beat a dog, but if the upper limit is too high, you can turn the world upside down with a flick of your wrist, including things like impersonating others.

"I only saw his back, so I don't know what he looked like."

Yan Chixia recalled carefully that the two sides were far apart at the time, and he was able to see the "long ears" feature because he was also an extraordinary person with good eyesight.

"I was on my way when I sensed a faint demonic aura in the wind, and that's when I noticed that the group of people in the distance looked strange."

"That was a monster in disguise. Sigh, if I had known someone was making pirated copies, I should have asked Jianzi for a few portraits."

If there's a demonic aura, then it's most likely a demon in disguise. Master Xingtian couldn't understand it. The White Lotus Sect's reputation among demons was currently one of universal hatred, and the name of the Asura King was like a monstrous flood. What benefit could there be in impersonating him? To draw the White Lotus Sect's attention?

"By the way, where is Jianzi Xianji now? Shall we go find him and ask him?"

"Ah...wu..."

"They've set sail? Never mind then."

The East Sea is too far away; they can't possibly take Yan Chixia to the sea to find someone to prove it. Xing Tianshi patted Yan Chixia, who was still deep in thought.

"That must be an imposter monster, don't worry about it."

"It's not that I'm conflicted."

Yan Chixia couldn't help but sigh. He never imagined that his casual glance would lead to so much trouble. If he had known, he should have chased after the monster and gone into the crowd to see what kind of trouble it was and what kind of mischief it was causing.

“That road is close to Luoyang, and it’s the season when peonies are in full bloom. I’m worried that the monster might try to cause trouble under the guise of the White Lotus Sect.”

Now, scholars are rushing to take the imperial examinations, and people are enthusiastically admiring the peonies. There's also a gathering of painters in the south, making it a lively time. Luoyang is packed with people, and if something really happens, many people will surely be affected.

"No, I have to go back to Henan again."

With Yan Chixia's strength, he wasn't afraid of confronting that group of people. However, he was in a hurry to get on his way and saw that there was a bunch of followers on the other side. If they really fought, it would become very troublesome. The distance was too far, and he couldn't guarantee that his judgment would be accurate. In order not to fall behind in the journey, he ultimately chose not to pay attention.

If it's truly a demon trying to use the White Lotus Sect to cause trouble, especially when Luoyang is bustling with people, then this matter absolutely must be addressed.

"Luoyang, Henan..."

Chen Jiu listened the whole time. Perhaps it was because of his beggar-like appearance, or perhaps it was his own demeanor, but he had a very low profile while listening. If he didn't speak, no one would remember that he was still there.

Chen Jiu raised his hand, made some calculations, and then let out a series of ambiguous sighs, as if he had learned something extraordinary.

"Old Chen, what do you know? Tell me."

Upon seeing this, Xing Tianshi immediately rushed to Chen Jiu's side and put his arm around him. Although his beggar's attire looked truly shabby, Chen Jiu was indeed a genuine reclusive master, and his reaction definitely indicated that he had foreseen what had happened in Luoyang.

"Alas, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."

"It's no fun to keep people in suspense at this point!"

I called you a reclusive sage, and you really got carried away.

"Didn't you say you came here to have fun? Why don't you go to Luoyang with this Brother Yan and see the peonies?"

With Yan Chixia's abilities, as long as the opponents are not some extremely powerful gods or demons, or even truly innate beings, it would be easy for him to return to Luoyang to find out the truth. Xing Tianshi and the others wouldn't need to worry too much.

But Chen Jiu took the initiative to calculate and then suggested that there was something really going on with that imposter in Luoyang. In the world of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, such a master who can calculate and is dressed strangely like he is doing performance art is basically a heavyweight. So, following Chen Jiu's suggestion, Xing Tianshi and the others went to Henan with Yan Chixia to see what was going on.

Seeing Chen Jiu's inscrutable expression, Xing Tianshi wanted to pull him along. There was no ordinary person in this group; when they got serious, their travel speed was about the same as Xiao Er flying on a paper kite, so it wouldn't delay anything.

But Chen Jiu refused to go. According to him, he still had a connection in the city, and even if he wanted to leave, he had to finish dealing with that connection first.

So Xing Tianshi and the others left with Yan Chixia, while Chen Jiu, their new mahjong partner, went back to be a beggar. Before leaving, they were told to enjoy the peonies while they could.

But admiring the flowers was secondary; they were only excited for a while. The other three were more concerned about the fake "Soul Collector."

While traveling, Xing Tianshi was a forthright and talkative person, and Yan Chixia was happy to befriend him. He also tried various games that Xing Tianshi brought, but after a few tries, he found that no matter how similar these games looked, the rules of the games were different from what he remembered, and some he had never even heard of.

However, some of the gameplay details are in line with current trends, so even if you've never seen something before, you can quickly get the hang of it. Yan Chixia temporarily categorizes these as regional differences.

When the three people and one beast entered Henan and reached the vicinity of Luoyang, they could clearly feel the increase in the flow of people. There were literati and scholars who came to admire the peonies, as well as merchants who came to buy and sell peony varieties. At this time, Yan Chixia's scholarly attire came in handy. In appearance, he looked like a scholar traveling with luggage. Ordinary people could not see his cultivation level, nor did they know that there were magic tools for subduing demons in his box. They all thought that he was just following the trend to come to Luoyang to admire the peonies, and it was very easy for him to get information.

On the other hand, Xing Tianshi was clearly a Taoist priest. Most people who came here were there to see the flowers and had no interest in talking to a Taoist priest about fortune telling. Tianji was dressed in black from head to toe, was taciturn, and always had a cold face. People would think he was not easy to mess with and dared not approach him.

As for Yedai, because of its short stature and furry body, Xing Tianshi simply put a wreath made of wildflowers on its head to cover its head and face, and passersby all thought it was a white monkey that Xing Tianshi kept for street performances.

These individuals, each with their own distinct characteristics, appeared quite disjointed even when walking together, to the point that many people approached Yan Chixia to ask if they were companions who had come together.

Although the process of inquiring was somewhat chaotic, they still learned that there was indeed an "Asura King" in Luoyang, whose appearance was very similar to that of the White Lotus Sect: exaggerated long pointed ears, a bright red body, rare white hair, and a long sword as a weapon. These were all very similar to the image circulating in the south. The only difference was that in the south, the White Lotus Sect used the name of the Asura King to recruit believers, while here, the Asura King actively used his identity to pressure certain people to hand over something.

What the other party has their eye on isn't anything else, but two peony plants from a wealthy family in the city... Wait, what are you doing? Making such a big fuss, braving the limelight, and getting in touch with the White Lotus Sect just for two flowers? And these elements combined to imitate something beyond mere imitation; just change the clothes to white, and they could even ride the coattails of Jiangshan Kuaishou's popularity...

What kind of peonies are they that require the other party to exert pressure in this way? Since they are both monsters, why not just pick a dark and windy night to go to their house and take them directly? According to what they found out, the party being pressured is just an ordinary family, famous for their peony varieties.

The fact that such a big fuss was made over two peonies is now common knowledge. Yet, the party being pressured remains unmoved, stubbornly holding onto their flowers. At this moment, it's hard to tell whether the monster pretending to be a calamity-collecting demon is more powerful, or the wealthy family demanding the peonies is more powerful.

If they can be fought over like this, then the two flowers that were snatched must be quite formidable.

"Just for two potted plants? Is there anything wrong with that guy's business here?"

As Xing Tianshi said this, he patted his head. A monster skilled in transformation had deliberately disguised itself as the "Asura King" to make contact with the remnants of the White Lotus Sect in the area, making a big fuss, only to ask for two pots of flowers by using the name of the White Lotus Sect. Xing Tianshi found it hard not to suspect that this monster had something wrong with its brain.

The most outrageous part is that the people being threatened and pressured are clearly ordinary people. A few thieves with knives can break in and rob them, but when such a powerful combination as the demons and the White Lotus Sect asks for something, they only threaten them. They actually wait indefinitely until the other party hands it over, without taking any other forceful measures.

It seems they've adopted this approach. I heard that if the other side keeps refusing to pay, that fake Asura King will keep hindering their business. They're actually using a business war strategy.

"May I ask what's so special about the peonies from the Chang family?"

The Chang family of Luoyang was the one who was threatened and pressured. This family was the largest peony flower merchant in Luoyang. It was said that most of the peony seeds in the city came from the Chang family. It was precisely because of the Chang family's reputation in Luoyang that this matter was known to everyone.

Yan Chixia found this matter too strange. He had traveled to various places and had encountered many cases of people killing and robbing for treasures. The masterminds of these cases included both humans and demons. If they were just two ordinary peony flowers, it would be impossible for them to be fought over like this.

There are two possibilities why the monster didn't choose to steal directly. One is that the monster may only be good at transformation and doesn't actually have many powerful spells, so it doesn't dare to confront the enemy head-on. The other is that the monster cherishes the two peonies of the Chang family so much that it can't openly steal them, because in the process, no one can guarantee that the item being fought over will not be damaged.

If they were truly just two ordinary peonies, this situation would never have occurred. Yan Chixia was essentially a wandering swordsman who didn't pay much attention to the affairs of literati, but he had heard that Luoyang peonies were known as unparalleled in the world, and that there were countless peonies in the city. The fact that the monster was specifically targeting the two peonies belonging to the Chang family must be suspicious.

"You are all from out of town, so it's normal that you don't know."

The person being questioned secretly sized up the group in front of him. There was a scholar, a knight-errant, a Taoist priest, and even a white-haired monkey. He had never seen such a unique combination in his life.

"The Chang family only became wealthy in recent years. Before that, they were just an ordinary family. A few years ago, the Chang brothers suddenly had a stroke of good luck and married two very beautiful wives from outside the city. They were said to be as beautiful as fairies and from prestigious families. From then on, the Chang family became richer year by year. Then they started to do business in peonies. The flowers grown from their seeds are bigger than others. Now, nearly half of the peonies in the city are sold by the Chang family."

As he spoke, the man pointed in a direction where there were many peonies, in both purple and white, and the flowers were indeed much larger than those of ordinary peonies.

"The most famous peonies of the Chang family are Gejin Purple and Jade White. It is said that the Chang family only has these two kinds in their courtyard, and there is a particularly tall one of them, which is more than a foot tall. The White Lotus Sect has its eye on those two plants."

"Purple kerchief, white jade tablet? Heh!"

Upon hearing this, Xing Tianshi and Ye Dai both made a gesture of sudden realization. However, Ye Dai had to "pretend" to be a monkey and couldn't make any noise, as its cry was too distinctive.

The man and the beast made quite a commotion behind them, but the people in front were already excited and didn't notice Xing Tianshi's side.

"Two peonies, each over a foot tall, with blossoms as large as plates—how wonderful it would be to display them! I've heard that Lady Cao of Caozhou has one as tall as the eaves of a roof; I wonder if that's true. Perhaps our two in Luoyang could rival it..."

Lady Chang of Cao State in Caozhou, and the peonies of Luoyang, Gejin Purple and Jade White—the story is mostly clear now; this is the tale of Gejin. Those two peonies were indeed no ordinary peonies; they were most likely the offspring of the Chang brothers.