"It must be Taoist Yi Chengzi, indeed a man of imposing stature—his mana is clearly formidable." The laughter arrived before the person did.
The county magistrate, with a beaming smile, strode over in measured steps.
"Haha, it is indeed I."
"Magistrate, where's the banknote? And please, settle the last payment as well. Our temple is about to run out of provisions."
County Magistrate Zhou: "???"
His smile froze on his face.
Why was there such a gap between this Yi Chengzi of the Hidden Dragon Temple and Daoist Bai Yunzi when it came to dealing with money? Opening his mouth, and immediately it's about funds?
Daoist Bai Yunzi never asked for the final payment.
A thought flashed through his mind, and County Magistrate Zhou still promptly handed over eight hundred taels of banknote to Yi Chen.
The circumstances demanded flexibility, not nitpicking over every detail. It was crucial to hold onto his official hat.
As long as his official hat remained on his head, a fortune spent could always be regained.
If the situation got out of hand and people from the Imperial Stabilization Division took over, the evil spirits would certainly be cleared out, but those office holders from the Stabilization Division would also investigate corruption...
His accounts were anything but clean. If someone casually uncovered anything amiss, sheesh, not even nine heads would be enough to spare from the axe.
Some issues, if not addressed, could be manageable, but once pointed out, not even a thousand pounds could stop them.
Better to cover up what could be covered and suppress what could be suppressed.
"Taoist, the other distinguished guests from the temples and monasteries are already discussing matters in the county office's backyard. If it's convenient, I'll have someone take you there," said the magistrate.
"Fair enough, fair enough. I'll have to trouble the magistrate then."
Yi Chen stretched out his hand to receive the banknote passed by the magistrate but upon pulling, he failed to bring the banknote with him.
The magistrate was holding onto the banknote tightly.
"Magistrate, there's no end to earning money," Yi Chen's solemn voice floated over.
"The Wang family, they've been wiped out, what a tragedy."
Yi Chen stopped at that.
Hearing Yi Chen's words, County Magistrate Zhou managed a sheepish smile, loosening his grip on the banknote, and after a moment of pondering, he took out another banknote worth two hundred taels and handed it over to Yi Chen.
"Then I entrust everything to you, Taoist." This time, the magistrate spoke with exceptional sincerity, "With your profound cultivation, you're sure to drive away the evil spirits and restore peace and prosperity to the people of Fengyun County."
"Daoist Bai Yunzi once told me that you are a prodigy blessed by heaven, exceptionally intelligent."
"Behind the scenes, both Hidden Dragon Temple and Lingfeng Temple have their own calculations. This time, without their abbots attending and counting on them to make great efforts and acts of self-sacrifice is impossible."
"Abbess Shuiyue of Miaoyue Nunnery and the master of Yuelun Temple, while truly devoted, are facing an evil spirit too perilous this time. I fear they are not up to the great task ahead."
"Should you manage to vanquish this evil spirit, I, Zhou, will be sure to reward you handsomely."
"..." Yi Chen was momentarily taken aback.
Does Master praise me like this behind my back? The cat's out of the bag. It seems Master couldn't maintain his facade. None of his four disciples have awakened their spiritual nature, so he boasted about my prowess and talent to save face.
No wonder he rarely brings me along when mingling with other peers—it must be to avoid being found out.
I wonder why the magistrate has such blind trust in me. I'm curious to hear just how Master praised me...
After a whirlwind of thoughts, Yi Chen had a clear understanding of the situation at hand.
Both Hidden Dragon Temple and Lingfeng Temple sent their disciples, not their strongest abbots. They did not put all their eggs in one basket.
No wonder these two temples were flourishing more and more, with properties in the city, while his Hidden Dragon Temple's influence dwindled.
Wherever malevolent spirits emerged, the Hidden Dragon Temple would charge into action. And once the clash was over, they weren't satisfied until they had reaped enough benefits, often leaving with a flick of their robes, deeply concealing their skills and reputations. Could there be any justice in the world if this wasn't considered a decline?
When Bai Yunzi was seriously injured, the temple couldn't even produce a hundred taels, forcing Yi Chen to sell the Overlord Chicken on Treasure Street in exchange for ginseng. For a temple with Taoists of the Qi Refinement Realm to fall to such a state was truly…respectable and admirable.
Practitioners of the Pure Yang way could not tolerate even a speck of sand in their eyes.
"Master," Yi Chen murmured to himself, as the image of the towering elder once again surfaced in his mind.
His master, Bai Yunzi, was actually well aware of the world's ways; it wasn't that he couldn't see what was happening. But he couldn't help himself—he had to rush towards malevolent forces causing havoc, and in the end, he burned his life force using forbidden techniques to kill two powerful ghosts, Red Clash and White Clash, which caused Yin Qi to invade his body, leading him to pass away prematurely.
Heh, the world is full of holes, yet there are always those who strive to mend it.
"If good and evil go unrewarded, then heaven and earth must have their biases."
"Hidden Dragon Temple must flourish again, otherwise it would mean the heavens are blind!"
In an instant, Yi Chen made a decision in his heart—this matter could be an opportunity to rejuvenate the temple.
The greater the turbulence, the higher the price of fish.
After much thought, he spoke:
"County Magistrate, even fine wine fears the depth of the alleyway."
County Magistrate Zhou, understanding the subtle hint, immediately replied:
"That's easy. After this matter is resolved, I will have people from the government office openly and covertly promote the glorious deeds of Hidden Dragon Temple. The incense offerings at the temple will surely become more prosperous."
"I need alchemical medicine to replenish essence and vital energy, and I need it now. My junior fellow disciple is a prodigy, with intelligence beyond compare. Should he grow in strength, the County Magistrate will have more options. In the future, should malevolent spirits emerge while I'm not around, you won't have to be restricted by powers like Huan Zhen Temple."
County Magistrate Zhou pondered for a moment before smiling and saying:
"I agree to this as well. In my study, I have treasured three hundred-year ginseng roots and two eighty-year astragalus roots. I can send them to your junior fellow disciple today."
Yi Chen gave Magistrate Zhou's rotund face an odd look, not expecting this fat magistrate to be so decisive. He indeed had some measure of resolve.
"County Magistrate truly speaks and acts with speed. Chief Zhang from the government office has taken a liking to me, and I have accepted him as my honorary disciple. If there are matters in the future, you can have him get in touch with me."
"Chief Zhang is brave in carrying out tasks, and his ideas for Treasure Street are indeed eye-opening. Among the arresters, he holds considerable esteem. I believe the position of Fengyun County's Head Arrester belongs to no one but him."
"After this matter is resolved, Zhou has many issues he would like to consult with the Daoist about."
Yi Chen did not pick up on this conversational thread but instead gave the County Magistrate a deep bow, "Boundless blessings from the Heavenly Venerate, I shall take my leave."
All was said without words.
Yi Chen flung his wide sleeves and strode confidently into the county government's back courtyard.
In the latter part of last month, based on the information Chief Zhang had gathered, his master Bai Yunzi didn't get along well with Ling Feng Temple and had even taught a lesson to a Daoist from Ling Feng Temple.
It was said that the Daoist propositioned a beautiful woman under the pretext of exorcising the evil afflicting her husband, suggesting that she should sleep with him to facilitate the process. Bai Yunzi, upon finding out, gave the Daoist a thorough beating, ruining his scheme and severely embarrassing Ling Feng Temple.
Today was a good day to see what Ling Feng Temple was made of.
Yi Chen walked through a long corridor and soon arrived at the entrance of the grand hall in the back courtyard.
He paused his stride, made up his mind, pushed open the vermilion door, and walked into the grand hall.
Inside, there were four figures seated, two Daoists, one monk, and one nun.
The monk Lianhua remained as before, in his moon-white robe, exuding elegance.
With a lean face and a sharp chin, dressed in a grey monastic robe with wide sleeves and a square collar, the person was presumably Abbess Shuiyue of Miao Yue Convent.
This took Yi Chen by surprise; he had not expected Abbess Shuiyue to be so young, looking like a woman in her thirties with all the grace of a twenty-eight-year-old beauty.
Her lips were red without the need for rouge, her eyebrows green without pencil, but more importantly, even the expansive monastic robe could not hide her slender figure.
Hisss, how was one supposed to exorcise demons and eliminate devils with such a distraction? It hardly seemed convenient.