I have a Taoist temple that connects me to other worlds

The three thieves pleaded for mercy, all claiming that they had been blinded by the grain in the storage, leading them to commit such despicable acts. They honestly confessed to the location of the hidden grain and begged Jiang Wen to spare their lives.

Jiang Wen listened to their pleas and turned to look at the old village chief, whose brow was deeply furrowed and face ashen.

"The Immortal Master allowed us to stay in the temple and even provided us with food. Who would have thought there would be such heartless wretches among you, daring to steal from the Immortal Master!" the old village chief roared. "Although the Immortal Master has spared your lives, you may escape the death penalty, but not punishment. Each of you will receive one hundred slaps to the face and be left to starve for three days."

After giving the order, the old village chief waved his hand at the villagers. Several men rushed forward like tigers and wolves, tying up the three thieves with thick ropes. Then, someone grabbed a shoe and began slapping them across the face, the sounds of the blows echoing as they wailed in agony.

Jiang Wen only glanced at the scene before averting his gaze. Having lived in a peaceful and prosperous era, he rarely witnessed such brutal punishments up close. Even when he encountered violence, it usually only resulted in bloodshed.

"Please, Immortal Master, do not be angered by this. It is all the fault of these dogs and their wicked hearts," the old village chief said to Jiang Wen, a hint of worry in his eyes. His voice carried a note of appeasement, fearing that the Immortal Master might change his mind about going to Changping Village because of this incident.

"Old Village Chief, do not fret. I can distinguish between good and evil," Jiang Wen replied with a smile. "When do you think we should depart?"

"If the Immortal Master is willing, we can depart now," the old village chief said, overjoyed at Jiang Wen's words. He bowed respectfully, afraid of doing anything that might make the Immortal Master change his mind.

"Very well, I will pack my things and go to Changping Village with you."

After packing his belongings, he walked out the door, pulling his suitcase. The old village chief and the others curiously observed the uniquely shaped suitcase. Upon learning that it contained Jiang Wen's necessities, they eagerly took the suitcase and placed it on the ox cart.

Traveling in ancient times was extremely boring. If Jiang Wen hadn't brought his solar charger and tablet, he probably would have died of boredom on the way.

Soon, a large group of villagers set off towards Changping Village.

However, in his leisure time, he pondered the matter and felt that something was strange.

Perhaps the tablet was too novel, attracting many children to watch. Eventually, Jiang Wen couldn't stand being surrounded by the children and had to place the tablet on the ox cart for everyone to watch together.

"I wonder if there are any Qiankun bags or spatial rings. That would eliminate the hassle of carrying luggage, how convenient that would be," Jiang Wen thought wistfully.

So, during those days of travel, Sun Wukong became the center of the villagers' conversations.

Upon arriving at Changping Village, Jiang Wen suddenly stood up from the carriage. Clapping his hands, he exclaimed, "The ghosts appeared after I went to the Li residence!"

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. In the end, Jiang Wen decided to stop thinking about it.

The villagers of Changping Village stopped a mile outside the village. Standing on the hillside, they could already see the well-arranged houses. However, the village was deserted, and even though it was lunchtime, no smoke rose from the chimneys.

With 'Journey to the West' playing, even the villagers quietly gathered around the ox cart to watch.

With one hundred and forty-eight households, Changping Village was considered a large village. If no ghosts had appeared, it would have been a lively place.

"Changping Village is the blessed land of our ancestors. How can we just leave? If we abandon the land of our ancestors, we will have no face to meet them in the afterlife," the old village chief lamented, stomping his feet in sorrow.

The villagers chose a flat spot to rest, not daring to take another step. They chopped firewood and cooked rice, and soon smoke began to rise.

Not far from Changping Village, the villagers' faces were filled with joy. Through his conversations with the old village chief along the way, Jiang Wen had learned the detailed situation of Changping Village.

Changping Village was located near the Qing River, only half a day's journey from Qingning County. The village had a total of one hundred and forty-eight households, most of whom relied on the river for their livelihood. Due to convenient water and land transportation, Changping Village was considered a relatively wealthy village.

"Why is the timing so coincidental? Could there be some connection between these two events?"

Although it was not far from the river, it was rarely affected by floods.

Jiang Wen returned to his residence and packed his luggage. Similar to his previous trip to the Li residence, he brought more items, considering the journey would take several days.

Without any spatial cheat items, he had to pack all his clothes in a suitcase. Looking at the overflowing suitcase, Jiang Wen finally understood why ancient people traveled with several carts of belongings.

After all, it was too difficult to make the villagers understand the concept of a TV series. Moreover, although 'Journey to the West' had outdated special effects, it was a genuinely well-acted story. Making people of this era believe that TV series were fake was harder than ascending to heaven.

With 'Journey to the West' playing, the Monkey King's personality was deeply engraved in the villagers' hearts. The stories of the Monkey King stirring up the sea and wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace filled everyone with excitement and applause.

He had downloaded the complete set of the Four Great Classical Novels' TV series for entertainment.

Jiang Wen could only offer words of comfort, knowing how attached the ancients were to their land.

The consequence of this event was that the villagers respected Jiang Wen even more than the old village chief.

It was simply impossible not to bring so many things. Without any department stores or convenience stores, if he didn't bring his daily necessities, there would be nowhere to buy them.

The old village chief called over a strong young man and asked him to take Jiang Wen to the village to take a look. The young man hesitated slightly but finally nodded in agreement.

Driving the ox cart, the young man took Jiang Wen towards the village.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, the village chief stood under the shade of a tree and sighed wistfully, "I hope this matter can be resolved quickly."