Chapter 235 Something happened
There was a light on in the room, so Mrs. Yao should be inside.

Li Daoxuan walked to the door of the house and stopped. He could vaguely hear voices coming from inside the house.

But it was getting dark, almost dusk.

The moon is bright and the stars are sparse, and the birds are returning to their nests.

The Yao family's courtyard was filled with lights, and the lights looked like tiny sparks, swaying back and forth in the evening breeze.

And on each lamp, there is a yellow talisman pasted.

This was what Madam Yao asked Li Daoxuan for to ensure her safety, so that Li Daoxuan could give her some peace of mind. But in fact, except for the two talismans at the door which could be considered authentic, the others were all painted by Li Daoxuan for his own pleasure. After all, for him, he could not use too much Dan Qi now.

He reached out and knocked on the door, and asked, "Junior Li Daoxuan is here to visit. Is Aunt Yao here?"

"I'm here, come in, you're not a stranger."

Mrs. Yao's voice came from inside the house. When she heard that Li Daoxuan was coming, she smiled a little.

Li Daoxuan pushed the door open without any hesitation, and saw his wife sitting in front of the dressing table, asking the maid to help her comb her hair and remove her hairpins.

Li Daoxuan bowed and said, "Aunt Yao, do you need me to keep watch outside the door tonight?"

When Mrs. Yao heard what Li Daoxuan said, she was delighted at first, and quickly turned around to look, and at the same time waved her hand, signaling the maid to stop what she was doing.

She stood up and walked over, holding Li Daoxuan's hands like an elder, and said with great joy: "If you have this intention, I am naturally happy, but what should you do? This night watch is very tiring, and I am afraid that you will hurt yourself."

"Don't worry, Aunt Yao." Li Daoxuan let Madam Yao hold his hand and said with a smile, "I also have the habit of sitting all night to practice martial arts on weekdays. This night watch is just practicing martial arts, which is nothing. If Aunt Yao can sleep peacefully for a night, it will be a blessing for me. Besides, I want to keep watch for Aunt Yao this time for another reason, that is, to see what this ghost is."

"Well, now that you put it like that, I won't be polite anymore. If I could have a good night's sleep one day, I would be more than happy. Today, it's all thanks to Daoxuan." Mrs. Yao's face was wrinkled with smile, and she was in an extremely happy mood.

After all, she had difficulty getting a good rest these days, and even after changing her residence, she was always suspicious. Now that Li Daoxuan was willing to watch over her, she naturally felt at ease.

This is the disciple of Changming Zhenren. His ability is definitely not comparable to those of the wild Taoist priests.

Moreover, she had heard from her daughter before about the fight between Li Daoxuan and an old turtle at the bottom of the Huai River. It sounded so thrilling, and Mrs. Yao remembered it vividly, as if she had seen it with her own eyes.

"I feel at ease with you here." Madam Yao said and asked the maid to bring a quilt.

It's not cold at this time of year, but it's not hot either.

Since you are practicing by keeping vigil, you must be meditating. It is always comfortable to sit in a big chair.

While Mrs. Yao was arranging things, she had a cordial conversation with Li Daoxuan. The latter was polite and spoke calmly. The more she looked at him, the more she liked him and she wanted to adopt him as her son on the spot.

The two chatted like this until three quarters after the evening, and at the reminder of the maid, Mrs. Yao decided to turn off the lights and go to bed.

Li Daoxuan left the room and sat at the door with his sword on his back.

He sat cross-legged in meditation, emptying his mind and focusing his heart. Divine light appeared in the darkness, and Dan Qi circulated along his meridians, but this circulation was no longer as turbulent as before, but rather like the rippling of a stream.

The injuries from that day's fight had not yet healed, and his meridians could not withstand the torture. Li Daoxuan could only barely limit the Dan Qi and transfer a strand of it to circulate around the body.

By meditating in this way, my spiritual senses have become much sharper.

Not long after, he felt something coming out of his arms. It was Gong Youwei who had followed him persistently. She said that she wanted to keep watch with him. Li Daoxuan did not refuse and took her with him.

The night wind is alluring, and Yao’s residence is quiet.

Everything was so quiet that even the sound of footsteps getting up at night could be heard.

Nothing happened all night.

When the sky brightens, the roosters crow.

A ray of rosy glow illuminates the sky, the air is filled with mist, and the branches are full of flowers.

The Yao family residence, which had been silent all night, began to become lively again.

The maids pushed the door open in twos and threes and saw Li Daoxuan sitting by the door.

He sat steadily on the cotton mattress, cross-legged and making hand gestures.

It is also a Taoist practice that makes people feel at ease.

But she still had her eyes closed, and the maids were too embarrassed to disturb her, so they lowered their voices and left on tiptoe.

"Daoxuan." A voice came from inside the house.

Li Daoxuan opened his eyes, gathered his energy and breath, stretched his muscles slightly, and calmed the sleeping Gong Youwei down.

He walked into the house and bowed through the screen, saying, "Good morning, Aunt Yao. Did you sleep well last night?" "Thanks to Daoxuan's vigil, I can finally sleep well." Mrs. Yao's comfortable laughter came through the screen.

She sat on the edge of the bed, and the maid helped her to dress and do her hair.

The voice sounded refreshed after a long absence, obviously he had a good sleep.

"That's good." Li Daoxuan responded, "I wonder why Madam called me in?"

"It's nothing, but I'm worried that you might catch a cold standing outside, and it's tiring for you. Do you have anywhere to go today?" Mrs. Yao asked with a smile.

"There are still some things." Li Daoxuan replied respectfully, "I am going to go back to the inn to get the things, and then I will perform the ritual tonight so that Aunt Yao can sleep well every night."

"Okay, okay." Madam Yao was delighted. "I'll send someone to prepare a carriage to take you there."

Li Daoxuan did not refuse and after exchanging a few more words with Mrs. Yao, he prepared to leave.

When he went out and passed the courtyard, Qian Bo called him.

"Little Taoist priest, how is the lady?"

"Mr. Qian, my lady is fine, don't worry."

Qian Bo couldn't help but be delighted to hear Li Daoxuan's answer. He became even friendlier to him and walked with Li Daoxuan in the yard for a while before leaving.

Li Daoxuan walked to the door, but just as he was about to go out, he met Yao Nianchun who came over.

"Brother Xuan, are you going out?" Yao Nianchun asked.

"Just going to get some things and come back later." Li Daoxuan said.

"That's good. Go quickly and come back soon. I will show you an interesting place." Yao Nianchun said with a smile, patted Li Daoxuan on the shoulder and left.

The two men came one in front and one behind, and they always brushed against each other every time. It was not known whether it was a coincidence or intentional, which made Li Daoxuan puzzled.

He thought carefully and felt that there must be one unusual person, but he found it difficult to judge whether it was Qian Bo or Yao Nianchun.

After all, these two people never showed up when they were with Mrs. Yao.

After leaving the Li family’s gate, Li Daoxuan got on the carriage that was waiting at the door.

"This is strange, could there be something wrong?" Li Daoxuan pondered.

"But what happened?" Gong Youwei leaned out and asked.

Li Daoxuan told him what had disturbed him.

"If it's bothering you, why don't you ask Madam Yao directly?" Gong Youwei said straightforwardly.

After being enlightened by this remark, Li Daoxuan suddenly understood. He patted his head and lamented that he had been led astray by Qian Bo.

These two people were neither real nor fake, so he didn't dare to mention the matter of Yao Nianchun.

Now that he thought about it, whether it was Yao Nianchun or Qian Bo, they could ask Madam Yao, after all, he was here to help Madam Yao get rid of the trouble.

"But you're smart." Li Daoxuan rubbed Gong Youwei's head approvingly.

"That's right." She said proudly, with a bit of pride.

After a few compliments, the two returned to the inn.

As he was about to enter, the shopkeeper stopped him at the door.

"Master Li, you're finally back!" the shopkeeper said anxiously with a bitter face.

"Boss, what's the matter?" Li Daoxuan asked curiously when he saw the boss looking worried and uneasy.

"Alas! Something terrible has happened!" the shopkeeper said anxiously, "Someone was killed in your residence last night! Now the officials are looking for you!"

"Someone died? In my residence?" Li Daoxuan was surprised. Why did someone die in his residence? He had clearly locked the door.

"I can't explain this matter clearly." The shopkeeper sighed.

"Last night, someone heard screams coming from Master Li's room, so they asked me to open the door. Who knew that when I pushed the door open, I saw a man lying on the ground, his face was burnt and his body was steaming. I reported it to the authorities right away, and the officers wanted to question Master Li."

"Maybe I should go up and take a look first?" Li Daoxuan said after thinking for a moment, but without waiting for the shopkeeper's answer, he quickly walked upstairs.

When I arrived in front of the house, I saw that the door was wide open, and I felt more and more uneasy.

(End of this chapter)