In the eighth autumn of the Qingli era,

Fengyun County, Treasure Street.

The street bustled with people back and forth, a cacophony of voices, with the shimmering sound of horses and carriages.

At this moment, a crowd on Treasure Street gathered around a stall, marveling and joking a few words before they turned and left.

Seated by the street was a young Taoist Priest, tall and with a piercing gaze, his robust chest muscles pushing against his Daoist robe.

Beside him, there was an iron cage and a wooden board.

Inside the cage, a rooster pecked at millet in a celadon bowl.

The wooden sign beside it was painted with eleven bold characters: "Selling Ba Wangji, one hundred silver coins, non-negotiable."

Some onlookers jeered, "Taoist Priest, why don't you let this Ba Wangji show off a bit?"

Yi Chen did not respond verbally; instead, he pulled out another wooden sign from beneath him that read, "Selling only to those destined, volunteers welcomed."

The crowd came and went, spectators were numerous, but not a single buyer.

Just then, amid the onlookers, an antique shop owner, Landlord Wang, squinted his eyes, drawn to the celadon bowl the rooster pecked from, and he stepped forward saying, "Taoist Priest, this Ba Wangji truly is extraordinary, I'll buy it."

After the exchange was complete, Yi Chen handed the four-jin-heavy rooster to the plump Landlord, smiled, and performed a respectful salute, stating, "May limitless blessings of the Celestial Venerable be upon you, with this Ba Wangji, Landlord's house shall know no worries."

"Ha ha, thank you for your auspicious words, Taoist Priest. Why don't you give me that celadon bowl as well?"

"I'm keeping this rooster as a pet."

"I'm afraid the Ba Wangji I bought might not be accustomed to a different bowl," said Landlord Wang, reaching for the celadon bowl but the young Taoist Priest was quicker, tucking it into his robe.

"Landlord jests, how could that be possible!"

"I only sell the Ba Wangji, not bowls."

"I've sold so many Ba Wangji with this antique celadon bowl in the surrounding area, Landlord might not be aware, but this Ba Wangji is indeed fated for the Landlord today."

"By the way, the Ba Wangji can be steamed or stir-fried, a great boost to one's vitality."

"No thanks needed."

"Landlord, please take care, I must also leave."

After speaking, Yi Chen slowly rose, bowed to the onlookers, stacked the two bricks he'd been sitting on, and smashed them with a punch.

Then, carrying the cage and holding the celadon bowl, he disappeared at the end of the street with a few leaps,

leaving the stunned crowd to burst into laughter after recovering from their daze.

...

...

...

Half an hour later, having purchased some quality medicine and half a ginseng root for a hundred silver coins, Yi Chen left the city gates of Fengyun County.

He was not originally from this world; ten years ago, he had transmigrated into an eight-year-old orphan during a harsh winter with heavy snowfall, nearly freezing to death.

Just as he felt he might soon meet his deceased grandmother, he was saved by Bai Yunzi, the master of Hidden Dragon Temple, who took him under his wing.

Ten years had passed since, and not long ago, his master Bai Yunzi fell ill after accidentally absorbing Yin Qi while exorcising a ghost for the villagers, now bedridden.

Out of necessity, Yi Chen had to come out and arrange some silver coins for medicine.

No choice, given that his master was such a good person. Most of the storage at the temple had been exhausted by his master's regular charitable acts of dispersing porridge and medicine. If Yi Chen didn't think of something, they might soon struggle even for food, let alone medicine.

Glancing at the sun overhead, Yi Chen felt a hint of urgency, silently urging the sparse Pure Yang Inner Qi within him, and hastened his pace.

Indeed, the world Yi Chen had transmigrated to was not just an ordinary ancient setting.

It was a terrifying world filled with demons and evil spirits making their presence felt.

In this terrifying world, to be taken in by a master of the Pure Yang Dao Method from the Daoist School, Taoist Priest of Hidden Dragon Temple Bai Yunzi, Yi Chen felt incredibly fortunate.

Of course, the only imperfection was that his "Golden Finger" had yet to arrive after ten years, which was a regretful matter.

Without the Golden Finger, how could one manage a proper transmigration?

He had practiced the Minor Pure Yang Skill for ten years, persistently refining his Cultivation to barely reach the second level, his Inner Qi so meager that he had to conserve it even for traveling.

Lost in thought, Hidden Dragon Temple was already in sight on the horizon.

Thinking of his master's condition, Yi Chen quickened his pace.

Hidden Dragon Temple, located at the foot of Falling Dragon Mountain, was a small Daoist temple built by his master and some charitable believers, consisting of no more than five courtyards.

Two trees were planted in the front courtyard.

One was a jujube tree, the other also a jujube tree.

Just as he entered, he met his cross-eyed junior, Qing Yunzi, running out crying, "Big brother, you're finally back, Master… Master... is not going to last much longer."

Yi Chen's heart raced when he heard the news. "What? Wasn't Master holding on just before? How come he suddenly deteriorated?"

Tears welled up in his eyes as he hurried toward the back courtyard.

In the back courtyard, an elderly man with a tall but emaciated figure lay on the bed, his breaths faint.

Qing Feng and Ming Yue, two young Taoist boys, stood by the bed, secretly wiping away tears.

Everyone at the Hidden Dragon Temple had gathered.

"Master! Why did your injuries suddenly worsen?" Upon seeing this scene, tears began to swirl in Yi Chen's eyes.

He frantically tried to stuff half a ginseng into his master's mouth, his hands trembling.

The tears in Yi Chen's eyes weren't for show. He was the first orphan taken in by the master, and for the past decade, the master had treated him as his own child.

While ordinary families subsisted on chaff, Yi Chen always had meat to eat and was personally taught the Minor Pure Yang Skill.

Unfortunately, his talents were lacking, and his inner cultivation was even surpassed by his junior, Qing Yunzi.

"You mischievous disciple, are you trying to choke me?" The aged man on the bed seemed to revive slightly, like a dying ember flaring up upon being shoved the half ginseng by Yi Chen.

"Mischievous disciple, where did this ginseng come from? How did you acquire the silver coins?" Bai Yunzi raised his eyebrows sharply, his tone severe.

"I sold the Ba Wangji rooster to buy it from the pharmacist," Yi Chen replied obediently.

"You could sell that broken rooster for so much money?"

"The owner knows its value. It sold to those with fate," he replied cleverly.

"Enough, as long as no crimes were committed, let it be." The elderly Taoist on the bed sighed deeply, took a few bites of the ginseng, and his complexion improved slightly.

"Yi Chen, Master is old and has accidentally absorbed Yin Qi. Today's end is near; I have a few words to entrust to you, which you must promise me."

The white-haired Taoist lay halfway on the bed, his eyes piercing as he looked directly at Yi Chen.

"Master, please speak."

"The world is changing, evil spirits are proliferating, and chaos is not far off."

"After I die, you will be the new leader of the Hidden Dragon Temple."

"Your junior brothers are not as clever as you. After I'm gone, you must take extra care and assume the responsibilities of an elder brother."

"You are shrewd and ruthless, as I've always known. Once I'm gone, nobody will control you, so you must promise me to always do good deeds, do not fret about your position, and never commit any crimes. Rule with virtue and walk the path of benevolence and righteousness."

Yi Chen nodded vehemently, his head bobbing like a pecking hen, "Master, rest assured, I will take good care of my junior brothers, rule with virtue, and walk the path of benevolence and righteousness."

"Good!"

The elder Taoist on the bed then showed a relieved smile before struggling to say:

"As....as your teacher...I only have two dying wishes."

"One....one is to enhance the reputation of our Hidden Dragon Temple, so that the people will no longer suffer...suffer from demons."

"The....the second is in the heirloom I leave to you. After I die, you...you must examine it yourself."

"These two I do not demand, do them if you can. If not, prioritize your lives. If necessary, the temple can be forsaken, and you and your brothers could live as ordinary people."

"If only....if only one of you, four brothers, had 'awakened the Spiritual Nature' to cultivate my Pure Yang Power and exorcise demons!"

The white-haired Taoist made his final statement and then turned his head, closing his eyes.

"Master, why did you have to go~" Seeing this, Yi Chen couldn't help but cry out, sobbing as he tightly embraced his master's body, the four brothers weeping together.

"Cough...cough cough."

"Disobedient disciple, hugging so tightly, are you trying to disgrace and destroy your master? I'm just resting a bit."

"You...you're wailing, save it for when there's time to wail."

Yi Chen, holding the elderly Taoist, watched as his master's eyes reopened and his complexion suddenly turned rosy. He straightened up, and a red stream of air began flowing out from his seven orifices, eventually dispersing into the air.

Yi Chen knew, this time, his master's final moment had truly arrived, not even the painstakingly cultivated Pure Yang Power could be retained. Tears as big as beans streamed from his eyes.

The white-haired Taoist smiled, lovingly touching Yi Chen's cheek and then touched Qing Yunzi, Qing Feng, and Ming Yue's faces one by one, kindly saying to everyone, "Foolish children, no one is immortal."

"With death, all assemblies must disperse."

"After I die, just cremate my body without much fuss. I, Bai Yunzi, came clean and I shall leave clean, with no regrets."

"Qing Feng, Ming Yue, Qing Yunzi, you...you must remember to listen to your eldest brother."

"It's a pity, none of you...none of you have 'awakened the Spiritual Nature'."

"Otherwise, you could certainly ensure peace and truly inherit my teachings."

"Remember...remember, all of you, to always do good deeds, never quest for personal gain."

"'Spiritual Nature'... 'Spiritual Nature'."

At that moment, a yellow leaf quietly fell from the date tree in the front courtyard.

Bai Yunzi once more touched Yi Chen's cheek, smilingly sat upright on the bed, and then passed away suddenly.