Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 39 Breaking Through the Death Tribulation

In the dead of night, a thunderbolt struck the Wu family mansion. Not only the Wu family couldn't sleep because of this shock, but all the families living nearby also suffered from insomnia due to this seemingly righteous thunderbolt. They spent a chaotic and disorderly night together with the Wu family.

Although Yang Danian was charred black from being struck by lightning, he was tall and clearly an adult male. When a strange man appeared in his daughter's room, and there was a dagger and broken objects on the ground, Wu Shiyu immediately understood what was going on. It was a villain trying to harm his daughter.

If it weren't for this lightning bolt, Miss Wu would probably be in grave danger. He quickly ordered his servants to check the courtyard wall to see where someone had managed to climb over. He also wanted to go in and comfort his frightened daughter, but there was still someone lying on the ground whose life or death was unknown, and a yellow talisman was still flying above Miss Wu and her maid's heads.

Miss Wu clutched the remaining unused talismans in her hand. Though they were partially obscured by her sleeves, the one fluttering above her head was fully extended, like a banner with the side covered in cinnabar runes facing the visitors. It swirled back and forth above the two people's heads, tracing an arc.

The charred marks on the ground, when they reached Ms. Wu, seemed to be blocked by something, forming a clear inward curve, centered on the corner she was leaning against, drawing a clean fan shape on the ground, as if forming a protective shield around her.

The protective shield was clearly created by that yellow talisman. Wu Shiyu had never seen anything like it before. Seeing the talisman constantly circling around his daughter and her maid, he dared not approach for a moment, fearing that he would also be targeted and that another bolt of lightning would strike him on the head.

"father……"

"Miss!"

No matter how bold Miss Wu was, she was still just a wealthy young lady raised in seclusion. She had never seen anything like this before. Before the lightning struck, she could never have imagined that these talismans could have such power.

She thought these talismans would fly to the enemy after she tore them apart, just like in theatrical performances, freezing them in place or protecting her, so that if the other person touched her, it would feel like being stabbed.

However, the real effect was that lightning struck down. Ms. Wu witnessed the lightning strike Yang Danian. At that time, the lightning filled the entire room. The dagger on the ground was also caused by the lightning that paralyzed the other party. The dagger that was about to be stabbed was thrown out of his hand and hit the amulet and bounced to the ground.

Because of the reminder from the spirits, Yang Danian's appearance was not too surprising. Most of the fright that Miss Wu suffered actually came from the thunder summoned by the thunder talisman.

Seeing Wu Shiyu outside the door and Madam Wu rushing over from a distance, Miss Wu wanted to run out, but because she was too frightened, she was weak and powerless. The maid next to her wanted to help her, but she was in the same situation.

Miss Wu witnessed the whole thing, as did the maid who was with her. Both were young girls, and they were just as frightened as each other.

At this moment, the talisman that had been floating above the two people's heads suddenly stopped. It stopped floating back and forth in a trajectory and after a few seconds, it slowly drifted down like ordinary paper, as if it had lost its supporting force.

As the yellow paper slowly fell, Miss Wu reached out and caught it. The moment she touched it, the talisman began to spontaneously combust, turning into a handful of ashes that dissipated with the wind blowing in from outside.

The next day, news spread throughout the city that a rogue had broken into the Wu family mansion and attempted to commit violence but was punished by heaven. For various reasons, the Wu family concealed the matter of the spirits and the fortune-telling and talisman-giving.

Before this incident, Ms. Wu had just returned from worshipping at the Ten Kings Temple. That very night, the assailant who intended to commit the crime was struck by lightning. As a result, many people who did not know the truth believed that the judges of the underworld in the Ten Kings Temple had manifested their power and delivered a divine punishment to the assailant.

Moreover, prior to this, there was already the story of Zhu Erdan, who had befriended the judge of the underworld and had his heart replaced with that of a clever person. Even now, Zhu Erdan's grades are still higher than those of his classmates, and the living example is right there.

Zhu Erdan has never hidden how he became smart. Whenever someone asks, he tells them everything. The group of people who encouraged him to carry the statue of the judge felt remorse and tried to get close to him after hearing this.

Zhu Erdan, true to his usual generosity, agreed to introduce them. Unfortunately, despite the opportunity, no one could resist running away after seeing Lu Pan's true face. In the end, only Zhu Erdan and Lu Pan drank until midnight.

But after this incident, everyone knew that Judge Lu in the Ten Kings Hall was alive, and more people went to worship him on weekdays. Now that Miss Wu's incident has occurred, the credibility of the story has increased even further.

Miss Wu was different from Zhu Erdan. Zhu Erdan was just an ordinary scholar, and anyone could find him. Miss Wu, on the other hand, was a young lady of marriageable age, and the Wu family was a powerful and influential family in the area. Few people dared to ask her about the details, and in the end, they all went to the Ten Kings Temple to burn incense and pray to the gods.

The Ten Kings Hall, which was usually deserted, suddenly saw a surge in worshippers. At this time, people no longer found the judge statues scary, nor did they mind that the Ten Kings Hall was poorly lit and looked gloomy. They all came to worship, hoping to catch the eye of the King of Hell and the judge.

If you manage to curry favor with someone, even if it doesn't work in the mortal world, you might still get some benefits in the underworld after you die. It's always good to do more prayers.

"I don't know how to curry favor in the mortal world, but it's easy to curry favor in the underworld. Just prepare more money, that's how it is for now."

Ling Ziling said this while holding her teacup. As soon as it was light, Wu Shiyu, who had learned what had happened from his daughter, led his men and gifts out of the city and headed southwest up the mountain. He didn't care what the people in the city were guessing.

That's how they discovered that lanterns had been hung in some dark, sunless places in the mountains, specifically in areas where it was difficult to discern directions, as if to guide people entering the mountains.

However, they didn't use the lantern much. Ling Ziling was already waiting for them ahead. Those who lived in Huoran Realm were people who didn't need to walk down the mountain normally. They hadn't even made it out of the small dirt road after all this time. The lantern of the World-Illuminating Lamp was for people who got lost in the mountains and couldn't get down. They couldn't find Liu Qingyuan's place by relying on the lantern.

To express her gratitude, Miss Wu naturally came along as well. If it weren't for what happened in the Ten Kings Palace yesterday, she wouldn't know whether she was alive or dead. Moreover, none of the servants dared to approach Ling Ziling at the time, and only Miss Wu, who spoke to her, remembered what she looked like.

At this moment, the Wu family didn't care whether there were monsters or mountain gods in the mountains, nor did they care whether they would encounter a ghost wall. After the thunder last night, Wu Shiyu only knew that his daughter's savior was in the mountains.

The Wu family brought many people up the mountain, but only a few of the most important ones truly entered the realm of enlightenment. During the conversation, they casually mentioned Zhu Erdan and Judge Lu. Miss Wu's visit to the Ten Kings Hall was also influenced by the recent uproar about the "Judge's Heart Transplant."

The few who had shamelessly asked Zhu Erdan for introductions were all scared away. When they came back, they went around saying how frightening Lu Pan looked, and that Zhu Erdan must have some extraordinary abilities to be able to befriend him.

Zhu Erdan is a living example of a person who is on good terms with someone in the underworld.

"Prepare more money?"

Miss Wu found something amiss with these words. She understood the practice of using money to make connections; it was simply bribing high-ranking officials and buying connections. These methods were commonplace in officialdom, so why were they being brought to the underworld?

"That's how it is now. Corruption will happen everywhere. But I've calculated that the King of Hell will be in trouble soon, so this kind of method won't work in the short term."

"The Taoist priest can even foresee these things!"

Upon hearing that Ling Ziling could not only predict her own calamity but also go as far as the King of Hell, Miss Wu was initially incredulous, but then her eyes lit up with admiration. She herself had benefited from Ling Ziling's supernatural powers, and the power of the thunder talisman was evident to all, so she firmly believed in these words.

Seeing this, Liu Qingyuan was speechless. It was basically a pre-arranged plot for the King of Hell to suffer. Unless the Ninth Prince's carriage was hijacked and the Dragon Palace group failed to set off, the underworld would definitely be in a lot of trouble. There was no need for divination.

Xi Fangping reported that the King of Hell and the City God had accepted bribes. This matter was not only brought to light, but it also became a big deal. For a while, no one will dare to use this tactic again. Even if someone tries to offer gifts, probably no one will dare to accept them at gunpoint.

"Since you, Daoist Lingling, are so skilled in divination, why don't you calculate when the fellow Daoists who have reached the Dao Shore will come to find you?"

"Don't worry about that."

Ling waved her hand confidently.

"The Immortal promised me he would keep it a secret."

"It's true that Xianqi is of a high generation, but he's the only one..."

"I also successfully bribed... successfully persuaded Senior Mu."

Upon hearing this, the questioner raised an eyebrow.

"Senior Mu is notoriously difficult to please, Lingling, you certainly have some skills, how did you win him over?"

"Use the immortal."

"..."

Excellent, this targeted approach is truly a perfect solution.

"Lingling has gone astray too. In this vast Dengdao Shore, is Ren Yunzong the only honest person left?"

"Immortal Master, regarding my daughter's fate..."

At this moment, Wu Shiyu spoke up. He had come here for two reasons: first, to thank Ling Ziling for helping his daughter avoid calamity; and second, after learning that there was indeed a powerful being in the mountains, he wanted to ask the immortal to calculate his daughter's fate.

He and his daughter chose two marriage partners, both from equally well-off young men, but both men died within a short period of time. If they were truly cursed to die by their husbands, what would become of his daughter in the future?

"Miss Wu's life..."

According to the original course of the story, Miss Wu had already died at this point, and in a few days her body would be beheaded by Judge Lu and attached to Madam Zhu's head before being buried with Madam Zhu's original head. Now that this calamity has been averted, no one knows what will happen next.

But Liu Qingyuan knew what Wu Shiyu wanted to hear, and also knew how to say it to make things better for Miss Wu's future. She had a reputation for being a jinx to her husbands, but now she was protected by heavenly lightning, so the two sides could be completely offset.

He led Wu Shiyu and his wife aside to shut them out of their conversation. After her parents left, Miss Wu took out the remaining talismans. She had been tearing them in a hurry and had accidentally dropped a thunder talisman.

Last night, when she was explaining what had happened, she wanted to show the talisman to her parents to prove that what she said was true. At that time, Wu Shiyu was shocked by what he saw. When he saw the talisman in his daughter's hand, he felt his scalp tingle and did not dare to take it.

Since it was given by a master, Miss Wu should keep it safe. Everyone knows the effects of cutting it; others may not know if it's usable, but she definitely won't hurt herself with it.

When they handed it to her, they only said it was for self-defense, not that it could summon lightning. After witnessing the power of the lightning talisman, Ms. Wu felt it was a hot potato to hold. She thought it must be very precious and wanted to return the rest to Ling Ziling.

"Master, this talisman..."

"Oh, this is it. You can keep it."

Seeing that Miss Wu intended to return the talisman, Ling Ziling pushed her hand that was holding the talisman back.

"It was originally meant for you to use for self-defense. Keep it; you might need it someday."

The advantage of talismans and pills is that as long as the item is left behind, its effectiveness will not be affected no matter how long the person leaves. Even if they leave this place after ten or twenty years, Miss Wu can still use this thunder talisman if she encounters danger.

"But……"

“I have plenty of these things. We, the Daoist Shore, belong to the Dao Ling lineage. Our disciples specialize in talisman making and alchemy, so we have no shortage of these things. On the contrary, there are many monsters here, and not many mortals can resist them. You can keep these for self-defense.”

Although they specialize in talisman and alchemy, aside from a few tricky ones, most people still use the physical attacks of the innate humans when encountering monsters or enemies. Whoever has the bigger fist wins, and if they don't use their fists, they can draw their swords on the spot.

However, this approach is not very applicable in Liaozhai. There aren't that many strong people here, and there are only a few capable individuals. On the contrary, there are mischievous spirits everywhere, and their methods are somewhat unconventional. Miss Wu is just a weak woman, but if she is in real danger in the future, this thunder talisman can turn the tide.

"If you feel it's not enough, you can come to me. I have all kinds of talismans here, made by Master Lingling, and I'm honest and trustworthy. However, it might not be possible for the next few days, as we have to go on a long trip."

Having finished discussing everything, Attendant Wu left with his men. As they departed, Liu Qingyuan told them that he would be away from the mountains for a while and that there would be no one to guide them if they came. If they were in a real emergency, they could shake the lanterns at the foot of the mountain, and the people left behind would come out to look for them when they heard the noise.

When Judge Lu discovered that Miss Wu's fate had been altered, he also came. If the King of Hell wants you to die at midnight, almost no one has the ability to delay until dawn. Ling Ziling's lightning not only delayed the death but also struck away the calamity, which is equivalent to changing a stroke in Miss Wu's fate in the Book of Life and Death.

Because of the special circumstances, Judge Lu also paid attention to the Wu family's movements that night. He only knew that Ling Zi Ling's talisman could summon lightning, and thought it was like most local Taoist priests, releasing some electricity to paralyze the opponent. He never expected that this kind of thing would strike directly from above, a direct righteous act from heaven.

Actually, Ling Ziling hadn't expected it to be this powerful. She had given several different lightning talismans at once, and had considered that the power might cause other troubles. However, Miss Wu didn't know what kind of talisman it was. In a moment of panic, she followed Ling Ziling's instructions and tore the talismans together. The power of the talismans was combined, forming a lightning bolt comparable to divine retribution.

Fortunately, the difference in combat power between the two sides was taken into account beforehand, and the talisman itself was modified. If Miss Wu had torn it off, Yang Danian might not have been struck by lightning, but would have been completely annihilated like some guy who was truly punished by heaven.

When Lu Pan came looking for them, he was told that they were about to go on a long trip. When he asked curiously where they were going, Liu Qingyuan only answered with two words.

"East China Sea."

First go to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, then go to the Underworld, but you can't tell Judge Lu about the second half, because their actions are somewhat like trying to steal from his house.