Chapter 375: Chapter 200: The Consort Manifests, The Filial Son Mourns
"Where do you think you’re going!"
Zhao Zhonghe, upon hearing this, swiftly drew his sword. However, before he could take further action, a sudden gust of wind swept through the courtyard, and amidst the flying dust and stones, Zhao Zhonghe saw that where the man in yellow had stood, there was now a large white tiger with striking eyes!
Clouds follow the dragon, and wind follows the tiger.
Guan Dazhuang roared, jumped, and flicked his tail. In the blink of an eye, he leapt over the roof ridge and blocked Yuan Hu’s path.
At this moment, Zhao Zhonghe felt his scalp tingle, and cold sweat broke out all over his body!
He had seen tigers before, but never a demon tiger that could transform into a human.
The key was that this tiger was excessively large, about as big as a strong ox used for plowing fields.
Outside the courtyard, several breathless Government Officials finally arrived.
Zhao Zhonghe, his mouth dry, swallowed and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "The criminal Yuan Hu is right here! Stay put and don’t follow me! If anything happens to me, report immediately to the county lord, and tell them that Yuan Hu is being aided by a demon tiger, one that ordinary people cannot defeat!"
With that, Zhao Zhonghe leapt up and, upon reaching the rooftop, saw Guan Dazhuang holding Yuan Hu down under his paw.
Zhao Zhonghe watched as the large tiger clamped Yuan Hu in its mouth, and he felt another jolt in his heart.
"Brother Tiger! This person is wanted by the Government Office, and we urgently need to take him back for investigation. If Brother Tiger is willing to let him go, I’ll offer a sacrifice of three animals and worship Brother Tiger another day!"
Guan Dazhuang’s tiger eyes gleamed; could there be such a good deal?
Seeing the golden-eyed tiger nod at him approvingly, Zhao Zhonghe was delighted.
Yet the tiger did not release Yuan Hu but instead carried the stunned Yuan Hu, struck by its tail, over the courtyard wall and headed towards Mount Ziyun.
Along the way, Guan Dazhuang would occasionally turn back and throw flirtatious glances, urging the Government Officials to follow.
Zhao Zhonghe took a deep breath, raised his hand to stop the Officials behind him, and said, "This large tiger is as smart as a demon, so do not believe its words entirely. I will go alone on this journey; you all stay put and do not come!"
"I will accompany the constable! It’s better to have some support along the way."
Before Zhao Zhonghe could stop him, one of the Officials turned back and said, "Jiang Cheng, Wang Han, you two stay here. If the constable and I have not returned by noon, quickly return to town and report these events to the county lord!"
Zhao Zhonghe raised an eyebrow at the Official following him, feeling somewhat comforted inside.
It wasn’t in vain that he cared for this group of subordinates and grandchildren, showing that not all were like Xue the Official, lacking filial piety.
The two followed Guan Dazhuang all the way to Mount Ziyun. Midway, Yuan Hu woke up once but was knocked out again by a roar from Guan Dazhuang.
Zhao Zhonghe watched in shock; the capabilities of this large tiger exceeded his expectations by far, and he doubted he could withstand even one round with it.
This was a true great demon!
"Ahead is the Lady Baosheng Temple. Could it be this large tiger has occupied the temple built by the county lord and become the king of this mountain?"
The accompanying Government Official, being brave, couldn’t stop talking once they were on the mountain, likely using the chatter to distract himself and muster courage.
Zhao Zhonghe gritted his teeth and said, "In the past, there was no mention of a large tiger on Mount Ziyun, surely it didn’t come to the Lady Baosheng Temple seeking a child because it heard of its efficacy?"
Guan Dazhuang climbing the steps in front wanted to turn back several times to give the two a good smack; a mighty tiger like it, well-fed, would go to the Child-Giving Temple to seek a child?
If the immortal beings in the sect knew it went to seek a child at the Sect Leader’s temple, they would certainly laugh at it for a lifetime!
Upon reaching the Lady Baosheng Temple, Guan Dazhuang glanced back at them at the temple gate. Seeing Zhao Zhonghe and the other Official had followed, it relaxed its grip, dropping Yuan Hu at the entrance.
Guan Dazhuang was eager to return to report to Xu Qing. Seeing that the task was complete, it leapt into the temple courtyard and howled toward the sky.
In an instant, the mountain forest birds and beasts were startled.
Zhao Zhonghe took out a rope from his waist to bind Yuan Hu and then poured a packet reserved for martial artists onto him, rendering his veins sealed off.
After finishing all this, Zhao Zhonghe looked towards the Lady Baosheng Temple.
Since dropping the person, the large tiger had not reappeared. Could it be as he had suspected previously, that the tiger had taken over the temple built by the county lord and resided there?
Seeing the tiger uphold its promise, Zhao Zhonghe’s courage grew, and he stepped into the temple courtyard, entering the Incense Hall.
Upon entering, a statue of Lady Baosheng immediately came into view.
Zhao Zhonghe approached and looked around. The offering table was adorned with many white flowers, some fruits, incense, and candles.
The Incense Hall was not large, and if a large tiger were hiding, it would be immediately noticeable.
But Zhao Zhonghe didn’t see even a shadow of a tiger, nor the yellow-clothed man transformed from the demon tiger.
"Strange," he remarked.
Just as Zhao Zhonghe was puzzled, his glance suddenly froze.
Next to the pedestal of the statue, a pair of small tiger-headed shoes was neatly placed.
Those who came to the Child-Giving Temple to seek a child often left behind items of petition.
Sister Red Flower, Brother White Flower, or perhaps Daughter Yellow Flower, Son Green Flower.
The opera house also sings: "Sister Red Flower, Son Green Flower, the Dry Plum Blossom’s Canopy, the Ivory Flower’s Bed..."
Those who seek children often follow such imagery, placing various flowers before the goddess statue, and some flowers even have paper or cloth strips with the seekers’ place of origin and address, indicating to which household they belong, making it convenient for the goddess to find them.
Besides the poor who place flowers, there are also those with deep faith or wealthy families who offer other items of petition.
Among them, there are tiger-head shoes and embroidered shoes.
Tiger-head shoes represent males, embroidered shoes represent females.
"These tiger-head shoes..."
Zhao Zhonghe’s scalp tingled, thinking that Lady Baosheng’s spirit had appeared, manifesting a fierce tiger to help him eliminate the evil.
Otherwise, how did that big cat disappear as soon as it reached the temple?
Moreover, this temple was built with the county lord’s funding, perhaps Lady Baosheng appreciated this and secretly assisted, helping the government office capture the evil bandit they had long wanted to apprehend.
"Does the goddess truly have spiritual power?"
Zhao Zhonghe frowned, looking at the statue, and when his gaze met Lady Baosheng’s eyes, he inexplicably felt that she was also looking at him.
"Ahh!"
Zhao Zhonghe was startled, feeling impolite, and quickly shifted his gaze.
Within the incense hall, just as Zhao Zhonghe was about to leave, he remembered something and turned back to the offering table, taking an incense stick to offer.
Although his family already had a child, he didn’t mind having more.
"If the goddess truly possesses spiritual power, may she protect my Zhao family with many descendants and prosperity, and may this world be free of bandits, with all people living in peace..."
However, the next moment.
The freshly lit incense went out without any wind.
"..."
Zhao Zhonghe was a bit stunned, he took out a Fire Stick again to relight the incense in the incense burner.
This time, the incense didn’t last a moment; as soon as he put down the Fire Stick, the smoldering tip of the incense extinguished again.
Zhao Zhonghe replaced the incense, but it was still the same.
Even an eight-foot tough guy, fearless of heaven and earth, couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.
What does this mean, goddess? Is my Zhao family meant to be extinct?
Zhao Zhonghe pondered countless possibilities, and finally, he suddenly realized: "Yes, that must be it!"
"Lady Baosheng, forgive me, this is my oversight. The previously promised three-sacrifice offering will be properly prepared once I return, I will not break my word."
Having spoken, Zhao Zhonghe offered incense again, and this time it did not extinguish.
Seeing this, Zhao Zhonghe felt even more intrigued.
...
By the Qu Shui River, in Qiao Family Village.
Xu Qing, whose spirit had entered the Dharma Realm, was about to continue rejecting humanity’s unreasonable requests when Guan Dazhuang returned.
"Sect Leader, the matter at the goddess temple has been resolved..."
"It’s called Baosheng Temple! What do you mean, goddess temple? You need to know that deities are not confined to forms; they can appear in myriad ways in a single thought. Baosheng Temple is just an incarnation."
Xu Qing skillfully reused Mr. Chen’s explanation to Guan Dazhuang.
Guan Dazhuang was puzzled, always feeling that his sect leader’s temper had grown since his absence, could it be that someone had dared to offend the Sect Leader?
To avoid being affected, Guan Dazhuang changed the topic: "Sect Leader, who’s crying?"
"A funeral is being held today, the deceased’s family members are crying."
Mentioning this, Xu Qing also felt a sense of helplessness.
Ever since he fed the Wisdom Pill to the Foolish Pillar, the child’s mind suddenly became lively.
Although still childish, he now understood the difference between life and death.
Now, the foolish child, enlightened overnight, knowing his elder brother had passed, clung to the coffin and cried incessantly.
However, he never cried for his gambling addict father.
It goes to show, even the silliest of children know who truly cares for them.