Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 109 Witchcraft Abduction

Upon seeing the donkey transform into a woman, the innkeeper and his staff were too frightened to speak. After his initial shock, Mo Xunzong quickly helped her up and asked her what had happened.

But at this moment, the woman's eyes were glazed over, her tongue was stiff, and she couldn't say anything. She was still in a daze.

"People who are under this kind of witchcraft are in a daze and cannot recover for a while."

Ma Jiepu also came to help. After the remaining donkeys had drunk their fill of water, they rolled on the ground, and there were four fewer donkeys and four more living people. They were men and women, and they all maintained the same dazed and speechless appearance as the woman from before.

If I'm not mistaken, the person leading the donkey was a kidnapper using this kind of witchcraft. The person said he would come back later, possibly with other victims.

They hadn't found the sorcerer who could capture monsters yet, but they had run into a kidnapper. Ma Jiepu and Mo Xunzong were filled with mixed feelings.

They hid the people in a house in the backyard. It was difficult to hide five adults, but fortunately, their minds were still influenced by witchcraft. They were pulled along without a word.

This matter was of great importance, so the shopkeeper told his assistant to report it to the authorities immediately. Ma Jiepu and Mo Xunzong were also waiting in the shop for the person who brought the donkey to return, hoping to catch him in the act.

"If this is the first thing that happens, it seems that it's quite dangerous here too."

Witnessing a donkey turn into a living person was a tremendous shock, especially for Mo Xunzong, who, as a naturally born human, had excellent eyesight and the dust and smoke from the donkey rolling around did not hinder him much.

So Mo Xunzong saw the whole process of the donkey transforming into a human. Based on past experience, shouldn't the initial scene be a gentler one? Why did it start with such a heavyweight scene of a human turning into livestock and livestock turning into a human?

Moreover, it seemed he came to investigate the White Lotus Sect's capture of minor demons. Before Mo Xunzong could even show his skills and inflict heavy damage on the enemy, his own eyes were severely injured by the Animal Creation Spell.

"When Master left, he clearly said he was here for tourism..."

Ma Jiepu and Mo Xunzong sat facing each other. From their appearances, they were two young men with distinct personalities. However, in reality, Ma Jiepu, the fox spirit, could not possibly be as old as he appeared. As for Mo Xunzong, based on what he had learned about the characteristics of innate people, Ma Jiepu felt that he might not be a real young man either.

"Since he knows witchcraft and uses such methods to abduct people, that guy must be a member of the White Lotus Cult, right?"

The purpose of my visit here is to investigate the White Lotus Sect's capture of monsters. There are only a few illegal transmigrators, and it's impossible for all of them to personally lead the team. Apart from the direct subordinates, the others who capture monsters need a place to "deliver" their work and receive rewards.

Shuangxiu went to find that illegal transmigrator whose abilities were related to shadows and who appeared and disappeared unpredictably, making him seem very troublesome. At the same time, they couldn't just focus on one person; they also had to investigate others in other places.

However, there's no need for Shuangxiu to go to other places. Without the help of illegal transmigrators, ordinary White Lotus Sect mages are basically fragile. Once discovered and reported, most of them can be killed by the local government.

The main difficulty in dealing with them lies in how to find them; the remaining issue of force is not a problem at all. Moreover, many lesser monsters have already run out to get reinforcements, and the monsters also have friends and relatives among themselves. With these relationships building up, it's only a matter of time before some powerful beings are summoned.

In order to find the possibility of encountering "reinforcements" elsewhere, and also to find the nearest "delivery point" of the White Lotus Sect, Mo Xunzong made his appearance. In terms of combat power, he alone was more than enough.

It was a bit of a surprise to run into Ma Jiepu here. Luckily, it was Mo Xunzong who came here, so he could ask his master Yuan Wuxiang for help in establishing a connection. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to explain the situation to two strangers.

“There are countless people who practice heretical methods. I did see him acting strangely and followed him in, but I cannot be sure if he is a member of the White Lotus Sect.”

The White Lotus Sect arrested demons, while the donkey-leader arrested ordinary people. Their methods differed, and Ma Jiepu was unsure if the other party was part of the current White Lotus Sect.

But regardless of whether it is true or not, using animal-creating witchcraft to harm the people is inherently heinous. Regardless of whether it is related to the White Lotus Sect, this guy is doomed.

"Whether it is or not, we can't let this kind of evil person get away with it. When that guy comes back later, I'll deal with him myself. You just watch from the side."

The man had already reported it to the authorities, but Mo Xunzong wasn't sure if others would believe the story of turning a living person into livestock. Waiting for the man to bring the soldiers might not be reliable, so he planned to take action directly and arrest the man when he returned.

"but……"

Ma Jiepu was about to say something when he was interrupted by Mo Xunzong sitting opposite him.

"You don't need to worry. I am the disciple of the Silver Horse Chieftain and a rising star in Southern Cultivation. Dealing with a sorcerer who resorts to underhanded tricks is more than enough for me."

"Can……"

"Before coming here, my master had already instructed me that such evil and heretical practices must not be allowed to continue. You understand, right?"

"Of course I don't like such villains either, but Master Mo..."

Since we're not familiar with each other yet, and I know the other person's master but can't directly determine their seniority, it's safer to address them as "Taoist Master".

Ma Jiepu now felt that even if Mo Xunzong wasn't a real teenager, his actual age was definitely at the level of a young person in terms of innate qualities. His personality was typical of a teenager, inexperienced and somewhat impatient.

He had spoken so many times, but what he really wanted to ask was a very simple question, which Mo Xunzong kept interrupting.

"What I really wanted to say was, Master Mo, do you know what the person who brought the donkey looks like?"

"Uh……"

In short, this successfully stumped Mo Xunzong, who still wanted to express his lofty ambitions. Ma Jiepu noticed something was wrong with the donkey driver in the bustling city and followed him to the inn, but Mo Xunzong was not.

Although Mo Xunzong arrived here earlier than Ma Jiepu and had a deeper understanding of the city, he had already left when the donkey handlers arrived. When he returned to the inn, he only saw five donkeys on the horse stable, braying and shouting because they were thirsty.

Now, he's here saying he'll punish those who use witchcraft to harm the people, but in reality, he has no idea what the person who uses animal-creating witchcraft looks like. The two of them just happened to miss each other at the inn.

"Well, when they arrive, just let me know."

Finally, Mo Xunzong said this to Ma Jiepu.

The two didn't wait long before the man who had led the donkey returned, this time with five sheep in his hands. He casually led the sheep to the stable and tied them up just like he had tied up the donkey before.

Upon discovering that the donkey that had been left there was gone, the man immediately panicked and rushed into the house to ask the shopkeeper where the donkey had gone.

Having witnessed the donkey transform into a human, and now seeing him lead five sheep, it's easy to guess where these sheep came from. The innkeeper pulled the man to sit down and poured him tea to comfort him.

“Your donkeys were braying and kicking, which made the other guests feel noisy, so I had them taken away. Don’t worry, I’ll go and bring them back right away.”

Mo Xunzong took the opportunity to approach Ma Jiepu, using the pretext of wanting to buy a donkey to strike up a conversation. When the other party couldn't see him, Ma Jiepu winked at the shopkeeper, who then went out and led the five newly arrived sheep into the yard to give them water.

After the sheep had drunk their fill of water, they immediately lay down and rolled around on the ground, just like the donkeys before them. Then the sheep were gone, and five children appeared in the yard.

"hiss--"

Upon seeing this, the shopkeeper couldn't help but gasp. In such a short time, this man had actually kidnapped five more children. Fortunately, this matter was discovered today. If that guy had been allowed to commit crimes in the city, who knows how many people would have been killed.

"You really won't sell this donkey?"

"I won't sell. These are all pre-orders. If I give them to you, how will I deliver them? Doing business requires integrity."

"You're honest, but you lack conscience, right?"

"What do you mean?!"

Perhaps because he was already feeling guilty, Mo Xunzong's simple trickery caused the other party to lose his composure and run away. But there were fox spirits in this house, all of whom were born with innate abilities, so how could he let him escape?

Ma Jiepu had already changed positions and was blocking the doorway. Mo Xunzong disappeared in a flash and reappeared behind the donkey-leader, using joint locks to pin him to the ground.

Because this matter involves ordinary people and has already been reported to the authorities, we cannot kill them directly. Mo Xunzong's signature sword technique is also very lethal. This guy just said that those people who were turned into livestock were to be delivered. If we kill them directly, wouldn't we lose a major clue?

In the South, there are two types of witchcraft that are popular for abducting people: one is called "creating livestock" and the other is called "pulling cotton." I have already seen the former. The latter is simpler: it involves putting a curse on delicious food. Once someone eats it, they will become disoriented and involuntarily follow the person who cast the curse.

Because these two methods were common, some people in the government office had heard of similar incidents. The shop assistant took this news to report to the authorities, and the soldiers arrived relatively quickly. Mo Xunzong captured the man not long before the shop assistant returned with him.

Ten people were cursed with animal-creating magic: five children and five adults. They were likely local residents. Because of the curse, they remained in a daze and unable to speak until the officials arrived. They could not be asked where they lived or how they were arrested.

Seeing this, Ma Jiepu took out several snuff bottles of different shapes from his bag and tried them out one by one under their noses. Although the snuff bottles themselves were not large, it was still quite amazing that he could take out five or six of them in one go.

After all, snuff bottles are for smoking, and most people only carry one. He pulled out five or six from his small bag, as if Ma Jiepu were an incurable smoker.

"...You just take it out like that?"

Mo Xunzong came to Ma Jiepu's side. Didn't he say he was going to hide his identity? How could an ordinary person carry five or six snuff bottles on his person, especially since they were specifically used to wake up people who were not in a trance?

“If we don’t do this, who knows when they’ll wake up on their own.”

Ma Jiepu answered indifferently, his hands still moving. What he wanted to hide was that he was not human. Many people could not distinguish between good and bad demons. Knowing that he was a fox spirit would cause panic. It didn't matter if other spells were seen by others. There were countless people who knew spells, so he didn't care that much.

Moreover, there is now a more visually conspicuous Mo Xunzong. He was ordered by his master Yuan Wuxiang to investigate where the White Lotus Sect captured and handed over monsters. He himself was asked by the little monsters to help them rescue their relatives and friends. Since they have the same goal, they will act together later.

With the extraordinary Taoist Mo Xunzong as a precedent, any further unusual behavior from him would seem insignificant, and he might even be classified as one of Mo Xunzong's fellow disciples.

"These aren't any good remedies, just a few general stimulants. After you've tried them, you'll need to get other medicine."

Snuff bottles are small, so they can't hold much. Ma Jiepu has five or six snuff bottles, each containing a different kind of stimulant. There are so many ways in the world to make someone lose their mind, so it's impossible to prepare all the antidotes. These snuff bottles containing different stimulants are a way of categorizing them. Once you find out which one it is, you can get the medicine according to that direction.

Although it can't be considered a cure, it at least has some effect. People who are bewitched by witchcraft are very difficult to wake up from their slumber through external forces, and even after they do wake up, they are still likely to fall seriously ill.

"When you get sick, it will probably be a matter of life and death."

Looking at the children, Ma Jiepu wondered if they could pull through after such an ordeal and a serious illness. Although he knew of a medicine to strengthen their bodies, the ingredients were not readily available, and it was too late to find them now.

"What if we mix this with other medicines?"

Seeing Ma Jiepu's worry, Mo Xunzong reached out and took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve, handing it to him. It was the bottle containing the pills that Gu Chen had refined.

"what is this?"

Ma Jiepu took the porcelain bottle. From the outside, it was just an ordinary little bottle, nothing special. But since it was brought out by Mo Xunzong, a person of innate talent, and at this time, it must be something extraordinary.

He noticed the secret from the appearance, pulled off the stopper on the bottle, and felt the pure spiritual energy inside. His eyes widened instantly, and he immediately put the stopper back in.

"...What's inside?"

The same question, spoken in different tones, reveals the speaker's psychological shift. If Mo Xunzong were to say now that the bottle contains Laozi's elixir, Ma Jiepu would believe it.

"Elixir."

"I know it's a pill, but I'm asking what kind of medicine it is?"

"It's just an ordinary pill. It can restore true qi for people with innate abilities. It can also be mixed with other ingredients and taken orally. My master gave it to me. It's said to have been refined by Senior Jianzi, and the only raw material is spiritual energy."

"Immortal Sword Master?"

Ma Jiepu's mind conjured up the image of a lively Taoist priest dressed in white, exuding righteousness and displaying a somewhat eccentric demeanor. He had no idea that the priest could also refine such divine medicine.

The only raw material is spiritual energy. Absorbing and gathering the spiritual energy between heaven and earth is already a laborious task, yet the other party can directly condense the intangible spiritual energy into a tangible pill...

So, can it be used?

"Yes, it exists, and it's very useful."

This is more than just useful. If he were to mix the spiritual energy from the pills into the mind-awakening medicine, these people's consciousness would not only clear up faster, but the abundant spiritual energy would also nourish their bodies, which had been affected by the witchcraft, and they would be spared from the serious illness that followed.

"If it works, that's good. I'll go ask the wizard how it is."

Using witchcraft to abduct people is a serious offense that can result in immediate execution. Normally, if such a person is caught, they would be beaten to death with sticks to prevent him from using witchcraft to escape.

But this time, Ma Jiepu and Mo Xunzong mentioned beforehand that they had accomplices, so naturally they couldn't be killed; they had to interrogate them first to find out where their accomplices were. However, even if they weren't killed, they would still inevitably receive several dozen strokes of the cane during the interrogation.