"Where is Kongchenzi?"
"Is Sword Immortal Kongchenzi here?"
The yamen runner stepped into the courtyard and shouted loudly, but there was no response for quite a while.
After waiting for a long time, Xie Zizhi finally grew impatient. No longer bothering with formalities, he waved his hand, and the yamen runners stepped forward to push the door open.
At that moment, a strange voice drifted down from the air and spread in all directions.
"Great Immortal Kongchenzi is cultivating, mortals."
"Mortals..."
"...tals..."
The word "mortals" dragged on and on, its echo rippling through the air.
"Who? Who is speaking?" The moment the voice sounded, everyone around them immediately went on guard.
"Who else could it be? This Donkey Guardian General."
"General..."
"...eral..."
"...al..."
The voice drifted unpredictably, impossible to tell where it came from. The yamen runners at the gate thought it came from behind them; those in the middle thought it came from the heavens; Xie Zizhi, standing before the courtyard, thought it seemed to rise from underground.
An eerie air congealed, demonic sound boring into their ears, making the group who had hurried over in the early winter morning shudder.
"General Lü?" Xie Zizhi naturally never thought of the word donkey. His first thought was General Lü, and his attention settled entirely on the words "General."
"Nonsense! Where would this dynasty have a General Lü? Who is playing tricks and pretending to be a god?" Xie Zizhi spun around, looking in every direction, wanting to seize whoever was putting on this ghostly act.
"Come out at once."
Yet the voice was far too strange, making Xie Zizhi's palms sweat.
"Not General Lü, but General Donkey."
"General..."
"...eral..."
"...al..."
At that moment, one of the yamen runners beside Xie Zizhi seemed to discover the truth.
His entire body suddenly went rigid. He even rose onto his tiptoes and pointed at the donkey tethered in the courtyard, shouting loudly.
"It's that donkey!"
"The donkey is talking! It's talking!"
As the yamen runner stared at the donkey, cold sweat sprang onto his forehead in the blink of an eye.
After living all these years, he had never heard of a donkey being able to speak, not even in storybooks.
Seeing that everyone had discovered him, Donkey Guardian General completely rose to his feet, snorted, and strode forward proudly.
A powerful aura unique to a Guardian Deity and an otherworldly being radiated out, forcing these people back again and again.
At that moment, Donkey Guardian General's figure seemed to rise without limit, while Xie Zizhi kept staggering backward beneath the pressure of his aura.
"Mortals... mortals... mortals..."
"This venerable one is Donkey Guardian General, attendant beneath Great Immortal Kongchenzi."
"A dignified Guardian Deity."
"D-d-demon!" Xie Zizhi finally saw clearly. The one speaking truly was a donkey.
"It's a monster... it's a monster!"
The moment that wretched donkey opened its mouth, it scared all three souls and seven spirits out of Xie Zizhi. He collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
The group of yamen runners beside him were terrified as well. They shrieked and howled, turned, and fled.
In their daily lives, they at most caught petty thieves and maintained order in the city. Now that a monster had suddenly appeared, these fellows crumpled at the first gust of wind. How could they be willing to risk their lives against the demons of legend? They did not even care about Xie Zizhi lying on the ground.
Fortunately, a young yamen runner at the very back knew enough to drag Xie Zizhi away. Otherwise, Xie Zizhi would have fallen into the hands of the "demon."
By the time the sun hung high overhead, Gao Xian finally woke and crawled out from his warm blankets.
When he climbed out, his hair was a complete bird's nest. He then sat cross-legged on the bed, staring blankly in a daze.
Donkey Guardian General understood Gao Xian best. This Great Immortal Kongchen not only loved sleep and slept like thunder could not wake him, but also had an especially foul temper upon waking.
Whoever dared provoke his waking temper would not see Great Immortal Kongchen.
They would be fortunate enough to see what Old Demon Kongchen was like.
Thus, Donkey Guardian General had hidden himself far away early on. Only after Gao Xian had fully awakened did he creep forward with a fawning expression to report what had happened earlier.
Of course.
This report might have differed from the truth by just a tiny bit.
After sleeping until late morning, Gao Xian saw only a complete mess across the ground, along with a chest of silver.
"What happened here?"
General Donkey showed not the slightest self-awareness and gave a selectively edited account. "Someone came earlier to deliver the Silver Flower Demon Lord's reward money."
"Apparently, they were people from the Provincial Prefect."
Gao Xian immediately put on the air of an immortal sage, though his eyes were secretly sweeping the surroundings to see whether anyone was lurking nearby to admire his handsome bearing.
But after waiting for quite some time, there was still no movement. Gao Xian asked Donkey Guardian General, "Didn't you say someone came? Where are they?"
"I said Great Immortal was cultivating. Those people did not dare disturb you, so they left the silver and departed."
"?"
Gao Xian was stunned by the lofty integrity of people in this era.
"Are people this generous now? They do not even say a word, just leave money behind and go?"
Gao Xian felt somewhat regretful. He had long known that the court would send money, so he had chosen this courtyard and waited here. He had even prepared the Three Forms of an Immortal's Self-Cultivation in advance, yet never got to use them.
His immortal bearing and the demeanor of a lofty master had not even been displayed before the supporting cast who had come right to his door ran away.
It felt like mastering the art of slaying dragons, only to have nowhere to use it.
But looking at the large and small chests, and the gleaming white silver,
"Forget it, forget it. As long as the money is in place, that's all that matters."
Inside an official residence in the eastern part of Gongzhou City, Prefect Hu looked at Xie Zizhi, who had been carried back, while questioning the yamen runners standing in a trembling line about what had happened.
Seeing Xie Zizhi scared unconscious, only coming around after the physician inserted several needles, Prefect Hu could not help sighing and shaking his head.
"Brother Xie? Brother Xie?"
Prefect Hu still thought highly of this fellow townsman. Though he found the matter somewhat laughable and exasperating, he still respected him.
Only after Xie Zizhi came to did Prefect Hu finally breathe a sigh of relief. He had someone bring Xie Zizhi hot soup while he sat in his chair, shaking his head.
"Your courage is truly far too small."
"I told you to treat him with courtesy, yet you slighted him for no reason and were even frightened into this state by one of his donkeys."
Though Xie Zizhi's face remained pale, he was ashamed of his sorry state and hurriedly explained, "That... was no ordinary donkey. That was a... a demon!"
Prefect Hu had long since learned the full details. "It seems this Kongchenzi truly is an extraordinary man. I had originally wished to meet him personally, but Duke of Wei is interested in this eminent man. It would not be appropriate for me to go see him instead."
"Never mind. So long as the things were delivered, all is well."
"An eminent man of that sort surely would not care about your small slight. Still, your temper truly needs to be changed."
Though Xie Zizhi was badly frightened and his face was still somewhat pale, he had navigated officialdom for years and immediately noticed the mention of Duke of Wei.
This Imperial Relative would soon be entering the capital. Who knew how many people in the city wished to attach themselves to him.
Xie Zizhi forced himself upright. "Could Duke of Wei wish to meet this eminent man because this Sword Immortal saved the Two Daughters of the Li Family?"
Prefect Hu set down his teacup and placed the lid over it. "Yes! But not only for that!"
"You and I both know that The Current Emperor reveres Daoism and admires Buddhism. Duke of Wei is likely setting his sights on that."
Then he cautioned Xie Zizhi once more. "But we are both ministers. Such matters are not for us to discuss, much less involve ourselves in. It is better to stay far away."
Prefect Hu spoke earnestly. "The Master did not speak of strange things, feats of strength, disorder, or spirits. As scholars, we should keep a respectful distance from Duke of Wei and this Daoist."
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