Chapter 56: So It Was Here

Liu Shirong looked at Ning Xuan holding the plaque and asked with some expectation, “Brother Ning, how is it?”

Ning Xuan said, “This Mountain Duke’s spiritual response is extraordinary. When I looked at it, I actually felt a sense of reverence.”

When Liu Shirong heard him acknowledge this “Hunchbacked Mountain Duke,” he had a joy that he could not suppress. At this time, his face was red as he said, “Then why don’t you also pay your respects to the Mountain Duke, Brother Ning? With Brother Ning taking the lead, the entire Wangyue Prefecture will be able to meet the conditions.”

Ning Xuan said curiously, “What conditions?”

Liu Shirong said, “The Shanmo Sect says that when the number of devout believers reaches one hundred thousand, they can welcome a golden body of the Mountain Duke to guard the area and avoid the disaster of demons. Brother Ning’s identity is noble. If you give an order to let the people of Wangyue Prefecture worship this Mountain Duke, then how can it be only one hundred thousand? At that time, the Shanmo Sect will definitely come to preach, and the people of Wangyue Prefecture will no longer have to suffer.”

Ning Xuan said, “Is this Mountain Duke’s golden body more effective than the warding-off plaque?”

Liu Shirong said, “Of course, the power of the Mountain Duke’s golden body is far greater than the warding-off plaque.”

Ning Xuan said, “The people of my Wangyue Prefecture are more than one hundred thousand, even several million. If these several million all believe in the Mountain Duke, can they still only get one golden body?”

After speaking, he saw Liu Shirong become visibly excited.

“Brother Ning is a man of great virtue, a man of great virtue! If Brother Ning can make the people of a prefecture all believe in the Mountain Duke, then the Shanmo Sect will definitely be stationed here permanently, and from then on…”

Before he could finish, Ning Xuan stuffed the warding-off plaque back into Liu Shirong’s hand and said, “Alright, I know.”

Liu Shirong said eagerly, “Then the matter of faith?”

Ning Xuan said, “Let me think about it.”

Liu Shirong was suddenly choked and could only say, “If Brother Ning is interested, I can visit the Shanmo Sect for you on this trip to the Western Region…”

Ning Xuan waved his hand.

Liu Shirong was stunned.

Ning Xuan frowned and said, “If I want to pay my respects, I will go in person. How can I show my sincerity by letting Young Master Liu go in my place?!”

Liu Shirong’s eyebrows opened and he smiled, “That’s right, that’s right. I was not thoughtful enough.”

While the two were talking, the Fugui Merchant Guild’s departure had already been prepared on the other side.

Ning Xuan glanced at the long line of ox carts and said, “Young Master Liu, if I remember correctly, two of the cargo boxes belong to me, right?”

Liu Shirong said, “Of course. I wonder what Brother Ning wants to load to sell in the Western Region? This time, my merchant guild has no perishable goods, so I can wait for Brother Ning for another two days.”

Ning Xuan waved his hand and said, “I have no goods to sell to the Western Region. However, when Young Master Liu returns, you can load more of the Shanmo Sect’s scriptures, past events, and objects to persuade me.”

Liu Shirong immediately became solemn and said, “Brother Ning is a man of great righteousness and cares about the people. I will definitely do my best to collect them.”

Ning Xuan bowed and said, “Young Master Liu, take care.”

Liu Shirong replied in a sacred tone, “I will definitely not fail Brother Ning’s trust.”

Two days later…

The Fugui Merchant Guild had already left the territory of Wangyue Prefecture.

When night fell, the merchant caravan’s convoy set up camp as usual, surrounded by bonfires, and patrolled by guards. It was also quite strict.

And at this time, a figure suddenly walked out from the woods on the side, but this figure was completely transparent, and did not cast a shadow even under the bright bonfire and the bright moonlight.

The transparent figure walked past the guards, walked into a certain tent, and then quietly opened the wooden box under the eyes of the guards on duty in the tent, took out a tung oil peach wood plaque with its edges blackened by incense fire, and then left.

This figure was naturally Ning Xuan.

He had summoned the Heavenly Demon Record of the “Ghost Shadow Horse Monkey,” and with that “Void and Real Escape Technique,” he had hidden his figure, came here for a trip, and took away the warding-off plaque, so that he could refine the record at any time.

Two more days passed…

Ning Xuan was eating morning tea while being served by two Western Region beauties, but he heard crying and weeping from outside the mansion.

He looked outside and saw Liu Shirong coming back with a crying nose.

As soon as they met, Liu Shirong fell to the ground and cried out, “General Ning, General Ning, I am incompetent, I am incompetent… I… I lost the warding-off plaque. This business trip has to be delayed.”

Before Ning Xuan could speak, the Western Region dancing girl named Ashiya behind him said, “You lost the Mountain Duke’s warding-off plaque. This is blasphemy. The Mountain Duke will punish you…”

Ning Xuan was lying between the red silk volcanoes of the dancing girl.

The soft mountains and the exotic style, although he still felt it was boring, and it was still a paper beauty that would break with a touch, but because of the completely different “appearance,” “temperament,” “fragrance,” and “story,” he had developed a bit of affection.

He lifted the dancing girl’s chin from behind and said, “Ashiya, how can you talk to Young Master Liu like that?”

The dancing girl named Ashiya hurriedly said, “General, although Young Master Liu sent me to your side and has been kind to me, all living beings are equal in the Shanmo Sect. He lost the warding-off plaque, so everyone can criticize him.”

Ning Xuan’s expression became solemn, “Then in the future, if I join the Shanmo Sect but accidentally make a mistake, will Ashiya also criticize me?”

Ashiya was stunned, and her red lips opened in an “ah ah” sound. Then her face turned red and she said, “If the General can join the Shanmo Sect, then you will naturally bring many of your people into the embrace of the Mountain Duke. That is naturally a boundless merit. How can the General make a mistake?”

Ning Xuan laughed out loud, and then looked at Liu Shirong on the other side, “Young Master Liu, you say, what should we do?”

Liu Shirong obviously had an idea long ago. At this time, he said, “This matter is easy to handle. I met the manager of the Jixiang Merchant Guild in the Western Region before. That manager also asked for a warding-off plaque. Counting the time, they should have just returned from the Western Region. I will go and visit them now, and then go to the Western Region with them. I will definitely not fail General Ning’s trust!”

Ning Xuan closed his eyes and was quiet for a few breaths. He suddenly tilted his head, let his cheek roll over the valley, and pressed down on the mountain peak. Then he asked, “Ashiya, I once asked this Young Master Liu to go to the Western Region to help me collect the scriptures, past events, and objects of the Shanmo Sect to persuade me to teach the people of Wangyue Prefecture and let them join the Shanmo Sect. Is there any merit in this matter?”

Ashiya said, “The merit is not small. If it is done, it is a boundless merit.”

Ning Xuan said, “But he lost the warding-off plaque.”

Ashiya said, “That is also called making up for one’s mistakes with merits.”

Ning Xuan frowned.

He began to realize that not every woman was his Madam Jie.

If it were Xiao Jie, she would have understood his meaning long ago. But the stupid woman behind him was singing a different tune from him, and his previous affection immediately weakened a lot.

He had to say it himself, “But I don’t want a person with a stain to blaspheme my piety. Liu Shirong, you don’t have to go. Let that manager come and see me.”

Liu Shirong was stunned and cried, “Brother Ning, give me another chance, Brother Ning…”

He cried and cried and actually knelt down and crawled towards Ning Xuan.

He really wanted this merit, and he was really loyal to the Mountain Duke, so loyal that he did not look like the shrewd dandy of the past at all.

Ning Xuan frowned and shouted, “Men, throw him out.”

Soon, two guards came out from the outer courtyard.

These two guards had their eyes wide with anger, and they were all a little crazy.

Obviously, Chou Nu had already successfully cultivated some demonic plague martial artists using the green jade he had found from the Flying Eagle Tower before, and that big brother would naturally leave the best for Ning Xuan…

So, the first batch of demonic plague martial artists were all used as guards of the Ning residence.

The demonic plague martial artists were expressionless and carried Liu Shirong out.

Liu Shirong kicked his legs, plowed the ground, and賴 (lài – shamelessly) shouted, “General Ning, I beg you, give me another chance.”

Ning Xuan said impatiently, “You guys go and watch him. Let him go and call the manager of the Jixiang Merchant Guild. After he is done, he will stay in Wangyue Prefecture and is not allowed to go anywhere.”

After speaking, he pulled his head out from between the volcanoes, bent his majestic body, looked at his former fox friend, and said, “Stupid.”

Liu Shirong cried and shouted, “I don’t know what happened. I really didn’t lose it on purpose. How could I have done it on purpose… I am guilty, I am guilty…”

The crying sound gradually faded away.

Ning Xuan fell back again, and let the Western Region dancing girl behind him knead and gently scratch him.

About ten days later…

The manager of the Jixiang Merchant Guild from the neighboring Shanyin Prefecture came to visit.

Ning Xuan repeated what he had asked Liu Shirong to do before.

This manager was naturally very happy, and patted his chest, “I will definitely do it.”

After he left, Ning Xuan called his big brother again and asked, “Are there demons in our mansion?”

Chou Nu said concisely, “Yes.”

Ning Xuan asked, “How do they compare to the three demons of Manfeng Mountain?”

Chou Nu said, “Not as good… This doesn’t require the General to take action. I can take the newly cultivated demonic plague martial artists to solve it.”

Ning Xuan said, “No, I have to take action this time.”

After speaking, he added, “Not only do I have to take action, I also have to capture them alive. Then I will throw this demon in front of the Jixiang Merchant Guild’s caravan. I want to see how that Hunchbacked Mountain Duke protects the caravan.”

Chou Nu: …

He had long heard about what his younger brother had been doing these days.

He didn’t expect it to be here.

It was really unexpected.