Seeking immortality in a deceitful way starts by making oneself into a puppet

This map was drawn very carefully. He Ping seemed to have thought of something on the other side and pulled out a roll of sheepskin maps on the desk to compare them.

"Yes, this is the map of Longhe County!" He confirmed that the map drawn on the scroll should be a location within Longhe County.

However, another question popped up.

"Why leave a map on this?"

He Ping thought to himself and was quite confused, so he continued to check it again.

Soon, he discovered that there were small vermilion characters at the bottom of the map, with dense vermilion characters annotating them. Thanks to this text, the doubts in his heart were finally explained.

"My ancestor was a disciple of Immortal Painting, and was ordered by the last Taoist sect of Immortal Painting to set up the 'Gaotang Dream Pavilion' to trap the painting Gu spirit insect... I, a lineage of Immortal Painting, have always used paintings to enter illusions, illusions to dream, and dreams to Enter the Tao and seek the truth with the Tao.

It is a pity that after the great calamity of heaven and man, all the ways of cultivating the Dharma in ancient times were cut off. The Immortal Painting Way has been pursued for generations, which is to enter the Tao through painting. However, it is forbidden by the way of heaven and it is difficult to make even an inch of progress. It is sad! What a shame! "

He Ping continued to read, and finally confirmed that the scroll hidden in the secret compartment was really left by a descendant of the Painting Immortal Way.

The text at the end of the scroll contains a lot of information. According to the other party, after the great catastrophe of heaven and man thousands of years ago, the two paths of "heaven" and "man" in the world were severed. This had a profound impact on the world of spiritual practice. Influence.

After the catastrophe of heaven and man, most of the ancient methods were discontinued. The ancient methods inherited from the Immortal Painting Way were contrary to the way of heaven and have never recovered since then.

The inheritors of the Immortal Painting Way have tried to recreate the 37th method of entering the Tao in order to break through this situation. However, for some unknown reason, it seems that the Immortal Painting Way has been cursed by heaven. Not only did the creation of the method fail, but the Dharma lineage also almost failed. cut off.

The person who left this scroll said that he forcibly tried to enter Taoism. Because he failed in the process and knew that he would not be able to survive, he left the inheritance of painting immortality on this map, hoping that future generations can learn the way of painting immortality according to the map. If you achieve some success in practicing the secret method, you can unlock the complete inheritance hidden in the "Gaotang Meng Pavilion".

"In order to open the door to the 'Gaotang Meng Pavilion', do I need to learn the secret method of painting immortals?" He Ping controlled the puppet and looked at the wall behind him. After a battle just now, the wall was burned into pieces. off-white.

I saw that the gray-white scorch marks faded away, and something was revealed behind the peeling brick wall. It was another wall hidden behind the wall bricks. On the wall facing the door, a red lacquered door like a palace portal suddenly appeared.

However, it was not a real door, but a vermilion-red door painted on the gray-white wall with a paintbrush. The vermilion red door was also locked with a copper lock.

He Ping looked at the key in the paper puppet's hand and wondered if he was going to use this copper key to open the red door, right?

"But, since this copper lock is painted on, the key may not be usable, right?"

He Ping frowned and looked at the box made of ebony through the "Puppet Eye Spirit Ball".

"What is contained in this box is the 'Painting Gu Spirit Insect' refined by the Immortal Painting Way. This thing is commonly known as the 'Ghost in the Ghost'. Folks say that people die as ghosts and ghosts die as ghosts. The 'Painting Gu Spirit Insect' refined by the Immortal Painting Way , that is, a kind of gnat."

The Immortal Painting lineage works in secrets, and the techniques they practice are also very weird. This method of turning ghosts into worms, mixing them into ink and paint, and using them to perform techniques is considered unique and has no other branches.

According to the statement on the scroll, this ebony box is a strange magic weapon that can seal the painting Gu spirit insect. It should be noted that the body of the painting Gu spirit insect is a dragonfly, which is a strange creature that the ghost turns into after death. There are various If psychic changes are used to harm people, ordinary magicians are no match.

In fact, anyone who wants to practice the art of Immortal Painting must rely on the help of this Painting Gu Spirit Insect and this ebony box. Otherwise, all skills acquired will be equivalent to a rootless source. .

As for the spirit insect, it is usually trapped on the wall of the "Gaotang Meng Pavilion" and can only move around in that pavilion. If it is forced too hard, it will escape into the ebony box.

But once it hides in the box, the painting Gu spirit insect cannot come out again. Because the ebony box is made of a special material, it is specially designed to restrain this kind of spirit insect. Once it is sealed in it, there is no way it can come out.

He was not too happy to get this ebony box, because the inheritance of the Immortal Painting Technique was not complete. The scroll of "Banana Deer Dream Brush" only taught people how to learn to paint;

The ebony box was prepared to seal the Painting Gu Spirit Insect. As for the inheritance method of Painting Immortal Dao, it actually did not fall into his hands.

"Forget it, anyway, we should find time to send someone to investigate at the location shown on this map... Moreover, the art of painting the immortal way cannot be entered into the Tao after all. Even if you get the complete inheritance of the painting immortal way, it is just the icing on the cake, and it will not be enough. A timely help."

He Ping also practiced puppet techniques on weekdays, refined new puppets, and obtained the method of "Growing Demons". After all, the technique of painting immortals can only be regarded as a heretic method, and there is no possibility of becoming a Taoist. It is of no value to him. Not big.

Next, he ordered the remaining three paper puppets to bring back the wooden box and scroll, and then ordered his men to enter the attic, clean it, and repair it again.

Since the pavilion in this house is called "Gaotang Meng Pavilion", I am afraid that the red lacquer door painted on the wall should also be a painting of immortality. It is best to build it back with bricks and repair the inside and outside to avoid subsequent exposure. Later, he was targeted by outsiders.

…

He Ping kept the ebony box and scroll of the Immortal Painting in a safe place, and Qi Baiyi hurried over to tell him the news.

"Master," Qi Baiyi bowed and said, "Before, you ordered us to keep an eye on the people around He Zhongheng. He has a sworn brother named Luo Zheng. We sent a very skilled man to follow him in and out every day. , overheard that Luo Zheng was secretly discussing with others, preparing to find a reason to murder He Zhongheng."

Then, he reported the overheard information to He Ping.

"Well, it seems that the people from the Yamen and the Gambling Gang are planning to attack He Zhongheng. Please tell me in detail."

He Ping was not surprised. He had long expected that He Zhongheng would be in bad luck.

After all, this man almost single-handedly blocked the "financial path" of most people in the county government, and also provoked Chang Fugui, the leader of the gambling gang, one of the three gangs running rampant in Longhe County. He can be regarded as a black and white man A thorn in the eye and a thorn in the flesh.

"Luo Zheng, He Zhongheng, and Qin Yinghao, who died before, were sworn brothers."

Qi Baiyi said lightly: "Since Qin Yinghao's death, Luo Zheng has felt decadent in his heart. He knows that even with Qin Yinghao and himself, it is difficult to make an enemy of the entire county government, as well as the three gangs and nine societies. So I simply surrendered to another Capt. Liu from the county government, willing to be his lackey, and completely parted ways with He Zhongheng."

"I guess the person who instructed Luo Zheng to harm He Zhongheng is Capt. Liu. It seems that Capt. Liu of the county government has some ideas?"

After He Ping's analysis, he felt that Luo Zheng's character might not take the initiative to frame his sworn brother, but Capt. Liu and He Zhongheng didn't like each other.

"Judging from the conversation between Luo Zheng and another person, Luo Zheng's family was held hostage by a man named Liu, and he had no choice."

Qi Baiyi continued: "As for the catcher surnamed Liu, he is a big shot in Longhe County. Compared with the ignorant magistrate Gezhi County who is greedy and corrupt, and is obsessed with getting into the eyes of money, this catcher Liu has taken root in the local area for ten years. In the past few years, he has had a close relationship with the three gangs and six societies. If there was any private friction or conflict between these gangs, Liu would act as a peacemaker and mediate. Both the black and white gangs would sell him a piece of noodles. His hands and eyes were astonishing! "

Qi Baiyi also inquired that Capt. Liu, who may have eaten the "fruit of face", also had private contacts with the bandits in the "Hengyun Thirteen Villages" and was doing business in selling dirt.