After rebirth, the Queen of Madness has gone against the will of Heaven

Chapter 601 Meeting the Heavenly Master (1)

Then Yu Qingli and Xiluo walked out of the courtyard and headed towards the most prosperous street in the county. They had seen it when they came just now. There were the most people there, so they could probably ask something.

The fiery red sun hung high in the sky, making people feel a little irritated. Unfortunately, there was no wind today. It was afternoon when Yu Qingli went out. Logically, there shouldn't be too many people on the street, but the result was beyond their expectations.

Those people who should have been resting at home were still standing on the street. Even though there were not many customers, they were selling things under the scorching sun.

This situation is really unbelievable.

Yu Qingli thought about it, and walked towards a fruit stall with Xiluo.

Sitting behind the stall was a man in his thirties. He was very tall but very thin, looking like he had been suffering from long-term malnutrition. His face was sallow but not inferior, and his eyes were mostly numb.

Yu Qingli and her servant walked up to the stall, and Xiluo asked, "How much are these apples?"

The man was lost in thought and didn't seem to hear Xiluo's words. It wasn't until Xiluo spoke a second time that he suddenly looked up and muttered through his chapped lips, "Just give it to me as you see fit."

Xiluo was stunned and turned to look at her young lady with an inquiring look. Yu Qingli also felt a little strange. She thought about it, took out a silver ingot with her own hands, and put it on the man's stall.

The glittering silver seemed even more dazzling in the sunlight, causing the vendor to open his mouth in surprise. He suddenly stood up from the chair behind the stall and stammered, "Sir... this... this... this is too much. I can't make the change..."

"Nothing, this is all for you."

The man's eyes suddenly turned red, and he put the silver into his arms in a panic. Then he found a big basket from the back of the stall and put the fruits on the cart into it.

"These are all for you!"

Yu Qingli felt a little strange. Even if she gave him a lot of money, he shouldn't be so excited, right?

Since she had doubts in her heart, Yu Qingli would not let them go. She asked, "Big Brother, I'm new here and I'm not very clear about the situation here. But I heard that there's a plague in Pei County. If that's the case, why are you still gathering on the street to sell things? Isn't it true that the more people there are, the less safe it is?"

The man took the silver and looked up at Yu Qingli, thinking that she might be a young lady from a naive family. Also, because he had just accepted the silver, he felt a little guilty, so he looked around and then lowered his voice to tell the story.

"It's obvious that you're not from our area, and I'm afraid you're not from the Jiangnan area either."

"That's right. I was passing by here with my brother on business."

"If that's the case, I advise you to leave as soon as possible. Pei County is no longer what it used to be. In the past, this was the most prosperous area. Because of the convenient transportation by land and water, many merchants would come here to do business. But now..."

The man carefully glanced around again, making sure no one was paying attention before speaking. "Ever since the county magistrate took office, the number of businesspeople has been decreasing. Everyone knows his nickname is 'plucking feathers from a passing goose!' Furthermore, the plague has been rampant these days, so not only are many businesspeople, but even ordinary people have fled."

"What does this have to do with you setting up a street stall on a hot day?"

"Of course there is a connection. I heard that the imperial court sent people down to investigate the plague. The county magistrate wanted to make the streets look better, so he asked us all to come out. To put it bluntly, it's to deal with the inspection. If we don't come, we have to pay. We have so much money. We have already given a lot of money to that so-called Tianshi to perform a ritual."

The man sighed and said, "Sir, I'm telling you all this because you look kind. Please leave quickly. If you stay here for too long, you might catch the plague."

Yu Qingli heard some problems from this person's words.

"Brother, are you saying that this plague only occurs after living here for a long time?"

"Isn't it? It's strange, the merchants coming and going are fine, only the people who live here for a long time get sick. The Taoist priest said it's us who have offended the gods!"

Yu Qingli seemed to be lost in thought. The man stuffed the fruits into Yu Qingli's hands. The basket was so full that Yu Qingli's hands felt heavy. Seeing this, Xiluo hurriedly helped to carry it over. Wow, there were quite a lot!

The man roughly packed up his stall and prepared to leave, but Xiluo reached out to block his way. "Didn't you say that if you don't set up your stall, you'll be fined? Where are you going in such a hurry?"

The man was stunned for a moment, then he said, "Thanks to your money, I must hurry and redeem my family."

The man's words reminded Yu Qingli of Gou'er's family. This was probably the work of that so-called Heavenly Master, right? Her eyes couldn't help but turn cold.

"Brother, is it possible that someone in your family was also captured by the Heavenly Master?"

The man's eyes turned red when he heard this, and he looked like he was about to cry. The resentment in his eyes was obvious.

"Don't be afraid of being laughed at, young master. My old mother and children are in the hands of the Heavenly Master. My wife has contracted the plague and was dragged out of the city by the government. Now I don't know whether she is dead or alive. I..."

"Don't be sad, big brother. If you don't mind, how about I go with you?"

"This……"

The man hesitated for a moment. Although he felt that the young man was kind-hearted, he did not want to drag him down. Moreover, he knew in his heart that one or two taels of silver would not be enough to redeem his family members. The situation would inevitably be awkward, and it also seemed like he was blackmailing his benefactor.

Yu Qingli seemed to see his worry and smiled at the man, "Don't worry, big brother. I'm just very curious about the Heavenly Master."

The man hesitated for a moment before agreeing. Yu Qingli and the others also learned the man's name. He called himself Xu Dong. He had a son and a daughter, both only seven years old. His old mother was already eighty years old. He originally had an older brother, but when the plague broke out, his brother's family was not spared. The old mother was heartbroken to see her son die before her. Her health was getting worse day by day.

Unexpectedly, the real nightmare was yet to come. Xu Dong's wife soon contracted the plague, and her condition became more serious day by day. Before they could hide it, the government came and arrested her. After that, because he had no money to give to the Taoist priest, his mother and child were also arrested.

"Brother Xu, who is this Heavenly Master?" Xiluo asked curiously, "Why do people trust him so much?"

Xu Dong sighed, "It's not that everyone believes in him, but that no one can touch him. This Heavenly Master is said to be a lay disciple from Penglai Island in Xiaoxi Mountain, known as Taoist Priest Xukong. It is said that the county magistrate spent a lot of money to invite him from other places. I heard that if the Taoist Priest didn't have some connection with the county magistrate, he wouldn't be able to hire him even if he paid the money!"

"Oh?"

Yu Qingli raised her eyebrows. It seemed that this Taoist priest was indeed a tool for the county magistrate to make money. In that case, she might as well expose his tricks in public.

Yu Qingli and the others quickly followed Xu Dong to a large square. In the square, a large stone platform had been built with stones. Candles were lit all around the platform. The middle of the platform looked like an altar. At this moment, a person was tied there.

Xu Dong, who was traveling with Yu Qingli and the others, suddenly stopped in his tracks. However, he suddenly opened his eyes wide the next second and screamed out, "No! Let my mother go!"

At the same time, the tall and thin man seemed to suddenly explode and ran towards the square at the speed of the wind.

Yu Qingli and Xiluo looked at each other, realizing the seriousness of the situation. Without caring about anything else, they followed Xu Dong and ran towards the square. It seemed that this Taoist priest was going to harm people again.

When Yu Qingli and the others finally ran to the side of the square, Xu Dong's eyes were already red and he looked like he was ready to fight to the death. However, he was unable to get onto the stone platform because several tall men stopped him.

Yu Qingli's eyes darkened and she glanced at Xiluo. Xiluo understood and stepped forward and also grabbed Xu Dong. Although Xu Dong was very strong, he did not know martial arts. Xiluo was proficient in people's vital energy. She only needed to press on Xu Dong's wrist, and Xu Dong was unable to move as if someone had grabbed his throat.

"Xu Dong, calm down!"

Yu Qingli's voice was already a bit cold, and with its deliberate seriousness and indifference, it was like an ice cone hammering at Xu Dong's ears, making him suddenly quiet down. Only his eyes were still red as he looked at his mother who was tied up and unable to move on the high altar.

This little episode seemed to have no effect on the people on the altar. Even the onlookers around had numb eyes, as they had probably become accustomed to it.

Yu Qingli suddenly felt a chill in her heart. It seemed that the water in Pei County was really deep!

Xu Dong was acupunctured by Xi Luo and could only try to open his eyes wide to express his wish. There was no more commotion around him, and gradually there was an almost eerie calm. The people who came to watch looked at the tied up old woman on the high platform with indifference, and no one raised any questions.

The blue veins on Xu Dong's hands were clearly visible, and her red eyes seemed to be about to shed tears of blood. She stared at the platform intently, as if her gaze would turn into flames and burn the ropes that bound her mother.

Yu Qingli knew this man was anxious, but she also knew that now was not the best time to rescue him. Acting rashly would only alert the enemy. Moreover, she had not even seen the so-called Heavenly Master yet. This alone made Yu Qingli unable to act. How could she convince the others when she didn't even know the details of her opponent?

After all, the person she really wants to save is not just this one person!