After verifying identity, Magistrate Ma Bangde also breathed a sigh of relief, and said some polite words thanking Daoist Ximenzi for upholding justice and maintaining local security.

Although there are no explicit laws, Buddhist and Daoist figures in this world do enjoy special privileges.

Not only can they own large tracts of land and pay very little in taxes,

But they also don't have to bow or kneel when meeting officials.

Even if they are involved in criminal cases, they are not tried by the government but transferred to senior departments that specifically manage Chan Buddhist and Daoist figures.

Of course, all this is on the premise that the monks and Daoists have official documents issued, which are rare and only provided to direct descendants of famous and upright sects.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Ma Bangde treated Li Ang with courtesy.

After a while, the yamen runners who had gone to the inn to check the situation returned to the county government and reported to Ma Bangde that there were no problems.

Magistrate Ma went through the closing procedures and let the innkeeper and others go back first, but warmly invited Li Ang to stay and have a talk at his mansion.

Inside the magistrate's mansion, Li Ang, wearing a black cloak, sat opposite the magistrate, with some warmed wine and dishes brought up by servants on the table.

Li Ang took a sip of tea and said with a smile to Ma Bangde, "Magistrate Ma invited me here, is it to discuss Daoist magic?

I heard from the people in the city that you, Magistrate, are quite knowledgeable in the strange arts of Daoist medicine, divination, and fortune-telling, no less than ordinary Daoists."

"Ahem,"

Ma Bangde was a little embarrassed when he heard this, picked up his wine cup and took a sip, covering up his awkwardness.

According to the innkeeper, this Magistrate Ma Bangde has been a county official in Goose City for more than ten years.

In the beginning, he was quite diligent and conscientious.

He personally handled all the major and minor affairs in the county, processed accumulated cases, eliminated malpractices, and punished traitors.

He had a good reputation among the people and would soon be promoted.

But it didn't last long. Magistrate Ma's hard-working style only lasted for less than a year before he immediately degenerated into a hands-off shopkeeper, no longer caring about county affairs.

He would only stay in the yamen, studying some mysterious Daoist arts and becoming a useless mud bodhisattva.

Because of this, he was stuck in the position of county magistrate for more than ten years without being able to get promoted.

"Daoist is joking. Daoist magic is mysterious, and what I study is only a little bit of the surface."

Ma Bangde put down his wine cup and said curiously, "According to the innkeeper, did Daoist use a talisman to control ghosts and spirits to subdue those thugs?"

"Exactly."

Li Ang smiled slightly, dipped his finger in the teacup, and waved it casually in the air.

The splashed tea water immediately turned into eight blurred figures undergoing cruel punishment.

"These are the few thugs who committed the crimes."

Li Ang waved his hand again, and the images instantly disappeared, leaving only the miserable screams echoing in the room.

Magistrate Ma had no idea that these images were actually illusions created by Li Ang,

And those miserable screams were the wonderful performance of Miss Chai, who was hiding in the rafters.

Magistrate Ma immediately swallowed, his eyes filled with both fear and a hint of excitement.

Goose City is a truly remote and poor place. In his years as a magistrate, he has indeed encountered some monks and Daoists.

Every time he met them, Ma Bangde would invite them to his mansion to exchange Daoist magic.

Unfortunately, those monks and Daoists either only cultivated precepts and had no magic power at all,

Or they were simply swindlers, not as knowledgeable as Ma Bangde himself.

Today, he finally saw a real expert with magic power. How could he let such an opportunity pass?

Ma Bangde no longer hesitated, stood up from his chair, and bowed deeply. "Daoist, save me!"

Li Ang turned to avoid the bow and helped Ma Bangde up. "What's wrong, Magistrate?"

"Daoist doesn't know!"

Ma Bangde stood up and sighed with mixed feelings. "I am suffering from an incurable disease."

"Oh?"

Li Ang raised an eyebrow. "Magistrate, if you are sick, you should seek medical treatment. I only know strange arts and not the medical skills of doctors."

Ma Bangde said with a wry smile, "The disease I am suffering from cannot be cured by ordinary medicine. I can only seek help from the mysteries of Daoist magic."

Li Ang pondered for a moment. "Could it be... infertility?"

"No, no!"

Ma Bangde quickly waved his hand. "I have a son and a daughter, so there is no problem in that area."

"Then what is it?"

"Dreams."

Magistrate Ma said gloomily, "Strange dreams."

Ma Bangde slowly sat down and said in a low voice, "Thirty years ago, there was a severe drought in the world, and the area near Luzhou was particularly affected, with thousands of miles of red land.

At that time, tens of thousands of refugees plowed through the mountains and fields like locusts.

To survive, they gnawed on tree bark, ate wild vegetables, ate Guanyin soil, and even... exchanged children for food."

At this point, Ma Bangde couldn't help but tremble all over. After a while, he continued, "Back then, I was just an eight-year-old child.

My parents both died of illness and hunger. Before they left, they only left a letter and some money, asking me to take them with me and go to my relatives.

At that time, I was mixed in with the refugees and saw that the strong among them began to take the lead in sharing the flesh of those who had fallen ill and starved.

I was terrified and found an opportunity to escape from the group and ran all the way to the mountains.

In the cold night and desolate mountains, with the cold wind and rain, I hid in a tree hole, holding the letter from my parents, enduring hunger and cold, and felt that there was no way out in the world."

Ma Bangde drank all the wine in one gulp, his face slightly red. Looking at the wine cup in his hand, he said with a wry smile, "Under the torment of hunger and exhaustion, I fell asleep.

In my dream, I climbed a high mountain, saw a pavilion, and met an old Daoist."

Li Ang frowned and asked, "What did that old Daoist look like?"

"I can't remember anymore."

Ma Bangde shook his head. "That old Daoist had a celestial appearance, kind eyes, and a youthful look, just like the legendary celestial beings.

He said that he saw my sadness and misfortune and felt pity, so he gave me a pill that could help me survive the famine.

This pill could neither fill my stomach and satisfy my hunger, so I didn't have to gnaw on tree bark and eat wild grass,

Nor could it make me ascend to immortality, so I could live on wind and dew from then on.

But there was one thing,

This medicine could give me the courage to live on."

Li Ang raised an eyebrow. "Courage?"

"Exactly."

Ma Bangde sighed quietly, "According to him, after eating this pill, I would have a second life.

The more miserable and painful my days are,

The more happy and prosperous my nights are in my dreams."

Li Ang asked, "Did you eat it?"

"Of course, I ate it."

Ma Bangde said in a low voice, "I was desperate and couldn't die, so I didn't care so much.

Besides, it was just a dream."

Li Ang shook his head. "Judging from your expression, Magistrate, it's probably more than just a dream."

Ma Bangde nodded silently, picked up the entire ceramic wine pot, and gulped down all the wine.