The Daoist sitting diagonally opposite to Abbess Shuiyue, with a lean figure, phoenix eyes, and a goatee, must be the Qing Xu Daoist from Hidden Dragon Temple that Chief Zhang mentioned on the road.
As for the other one who kept peeking at Abbess Shuiyue's bodice with his three-white eyes and rosacea nose, he must be the Peach Blossom Daoist who was severely beaten by Master Bai Yunzi, according to the intelligence.
With a face like a shoe sole and small, cunning eyes, his demeanor was quite 'outstanding' among the four.
While Yi Chen was observing the four people, they were also observing him at the same time.
The moment the door opened and sunlight flooded the room, a tall Daoist, whose Taoist robe was almost bursting at the seams, strode in.
His features were chiseled and exceptionally handsome, with long arms and a wasp waist, and a tall stature. His shadow cast a large silhouette behind him in the sunlight, making him appear imposing.
"Fortune as boundless as the heavens above."
"This humble Daoist Yi Chengzi of Hidden Dragon Temple, greets all fellow Daoists."
Yi Chen bowed to everyone in the hall.
Master Lianhua, Abbess Shuiyue, and Qing Xu Daoist all stood up to return the greeting, except for one person who sat still in his chair.
That was the Peach Blossom Daoist from Ling Feng Temple.
"Tsk, tsk, Hidden Dragon Temple has quite a presence, making two temples and an abbey wait like this."
"Yi Chengzi, is this the way your deceased Master Bai Yunzi taught you to behave?"
"If you're scared, don't get involved in this mess. Just like your master seeking fame, be careful, your master was a ghost with a short life, you won't live long either...."
Boom!
A loud bang.
In a flash, Yi Chen's fist, wrapped in a faint violet Pure Yang Inner Qi, struck the Peach Blossom Daoist from Ling Feng Temple squarely in the face.
Striking someone like hanging a painting.
The Peach Blossom Daoist's nose and mouth gushed blood as he slowly slid down the wall.
Yi Chen didn't stop there; he stepped forward and delivered two more solid punches from both sides, turning the Peach Blossom Daoist toothless before he stopped.
Before entering, Yi Chen had already decided to pick a fight with someone he didn't get along with to establish his authority.
If Hidden Dragon Temple wanted to grow, it would naturally infringe on the interests of the current dominant powers. To get a share of the pie, showing off some muscle was necessary.
Everyone respects only the strong. You must first clash with the existing interest groups and gain their recognition before becoming one of them and creating a new balance.
Only after flexing your muscle can you sit down to talk.
So his outburst was inevitable; the Peach Blossom Daoist simply gave him an excuse.
He just hadn't expected the Peach Blossom Daoist's combat skills to be so poor that he couldn't fight back at all, as if his decades of cultivation had gone to the dogs.
It seems he might be one of those who used special pills to forcibly awaken his spirit.
These days, Yi Chen had been cramming knowledge every night and combing through books. He was no longer ignorant and knew that many sects have special methods to let those with insufficient 'spiritual intelligence' also cultivate shallow mana.
Those who cultivate mana through these methods have limited achievements and many restrictions.
In a fight with a master of internal martial arts, surrounded by dozens of soldiers, they might get killed.
Therefore, his Master Bai Yunzi never even mentioned such methods to them, considering it shameful and cutting off their path to Taoism.
However, those practitioners who undergone this pseudo-awakening excel against evil spirits, better than internal martial arts masters by a good margin, with many more tricks up their sleeves, which are adequate for dealing with lesser evil spirits.
Before exorcising ghosts, those practitioners who must bathe, burn incense, and conduct rituals are likely the ones awakened through unorthodox means. Compared to legitimately awakened practitioners brimming with spirituality, the difference is like between a coder and a leading open-source community developer.
In a previous life, an IT engineer who knew only CRUD operations was often not recognized as a programmer in many circles.
Practitioners awakened through unorthodox means are the coders—they can get the job done but aren't really up for a fight.
"Taoist Yi Chengzi, you've gone too far."
Qing Xu Daoist from Qing Zhen Temple, which had always been on good terms with Ling Feng Temple, stood between Yi Chen and the Peach Blossom Daoist, speaking coldly.
"Gone too far?"
"Where have I gone too far?"
"Peach Blossom Daoist has got nothing more than a mouthful of broken teeth, while my master was insulted by him," Yi Chen retorted without backing down, speaking lightly with an expression that suggested he only felt sorry for his 'giegie'.
If one had to describe Yi Chen at that moment using an animal, it would fittingly be a green tea Husky.
Master Lianhua: "....."
Abbess Shuiyue: "....."
Qing Xu Daoist: "..."
Abbess Shuiyue couldn't hold back and let out a chuckle; she had long been irritated by the Peach Blossom Daoist with his wandering eyes. Seeing his miserable state now naturally brought her satisfaction.
As everyone turned to look at her, Abbess Shuiyue's oval face turned red, and she explained, "I just thought of something happy, I couldn't help it."
Master Lianhua: "....."
Yi Chen: "....."
Qing Xu Daoist: "..."
The Peach Blossom Daoist, lying in the corner, spat another mouthful of blood mixed with several broken teeth upon hearing this. Propping himself against the wall, he shakily stood up, then collapsed again, lolling his head to the side, unconscious.
Master Lianhua quietly suggested, "Daoist Peach Blossom is no longer suitable to investigate this evil spirit incident in his current state, and Daoist Yi Chengzi was too impetuous. However, Peach Blossom Daoist did speak insolently and insulted Daoist Yi Chengzi's master to his face, so there was a cause for it."
"Should we send Daoist Peach Blossom back first?"
Master Lianhua slyly took sides; in fact, he had long been displeased with the Peach Blossom Daoist's behavior and felt relieved to see him put in his place today.
"The words of Lotus Master are the words of maturity and prudence. The urgent task at hand is to find that evil spirit, either to drive it away or to kill it," said Abbess Shuiyue as she lightly parted her vermilion lips, immediately validating the reasonableness of the statement.
Seeing the Taoist of Peach Blossoms so unpopular, Daoist Qingxu naturally had nothing more to say, but his gaze lingered on Yi Chen for a moment longer before he said with a deep voice:
"The brother of Peach Blossoms Taoist is the abbot of Lingfeng Temple, and their relationship is profound. Yi Taoist, you better watch out for yourself."
Yi Chen grinned at these words and replied, "Then, there's no need for Daoist Qingxu to worry about me."
"My Hidden Dragon Temple is now a fallen house, and I am not the kind of great benefactor my master Bai Yunzi is."
"If people show me an ounce of respect, I'll pay it back tenfold."
"If people deceive me an ounce, I'll likewise repay tenfold."
"Peach Blossoms Taoist's past deeds are probably even clearer to Daoist Qingxu than to me."
"How can a proper hall allow swine and dogs to ascend, or a shoehorn to become one's wishes fulfilled?"
"This person is not fit for the path of cultivation."
Yi Chen's voice suddenly rose by an octave.
"The abbot of Lingfeng can come for me at any time,
we'll determine the victor and the vanquished, and we'll decide life and death.
But he'd better be careful. Before he makes a move, he'd better kill me first, because his Lingfeng Temple has many more people than my disciples do."
Yi Chen's slightly frenzied voice echoed through the crowd, sending a chill down everyone's spine.
What kind of person is the most frightening? A madman is the most frightening.
Someone who sees neither others' lives nor his own life as precious, you touch him and he's ready to fight to the death with you.
With these words, Yi Chen had already anticipated the fate of being slandered across the world, and knew no fellow practitioners would dare to associate deeply with him, but he cared no longer for his own reputation.
His master had pulled him from the snowy den ten years ago, treated him like his own son, and his kindness was as heavy as mountains. It's true that Yi Chen was cunning and ruthless, but he was a man of his word and loyalty. Having promised Bai Yunzi to take good care of the younger brothers, he must do his utmost to fulfill it.
The ones most likely to plot behind the scenes and endanger the interests of Hidden Dragon Temple are his peers.
Pure Yang Daoist arts, who wouldn't covet them? If they could be stolen to enhance a sect's heritage, it would be excellent.
Before coming here, Yi Chen had thought it through. There's a saying: 'There's only a thief for a day, but no defense against a thief for a thousand days.' If he shows the outside world that he is mad enough, crazy enough, strong enough, others wouldn't dare to test him carelessly.
Because he is a madman.
Even if he needed to travel far away, others would refrain from action until they saw his corpse, always wary of what if he returned?
Established powers with families and holdings fear nothing more than such lunatics—madmen without limits, capable of any atrocity.
Creating the persona of a madman is Yi Chen's plan.
After all, his time might be running out.
Deep down, he was not as optimistic as he had appeared before Qing Yunzi.
A year later, he might be dead.
He might even die on his way to Dragon Tiger Mountain, for all he knew.
Yin Manor housed a powerful evil spirit that even the Heavenly Master couldn't handle, and Yi Chen couldn't guarantee that he would come out alive a year later.
If he could fight for a year's time, he would do right by his master Bai Yunzi and keep his promise.
If he could survive the most challenging year, he believed that with Qing Yunzi's talent and comprehension, he would undoubtedly be able to shoulder the mantle of Hidden Dragon Temple. In any case, he had done his best.
When he left, he would hand over the position of master of Hidden Dragon Temple to Qing Yunzi and erase his own mark from the temple.
Just as he had said to Qing Yunzi on a certain night.
All sins bear on me, the qi of heavens flows freely, and my path shall rise ever more.
Once everything was completely stable, he would leave and go to a more distant place to see a greater view.
At that time, alone, he would owe no one anything.
The world is so vast; he wanted to see more of it.
Die wherever he falls, epitomizing nonchalant abandonment.
——
Seeing that everyone was subdued by his words, Yi Chen's expression instantly shifted from that of a madman to a gentle and elegant smile.
The speed of the change was like that of a staff member giving out ice cream at a car brand event.
"I lost my composure, my apologies. It was all because of that Peach Blossoms Taoist insulting my master."
"I was just speaking offhand."
"You might not believe me when I say this, but I'm not usually like this."
"Even the dogs near Hidden Dragon Temple wag their tails when they see me."
....
Silence fell upon the crowd.
In the end, it was Lotus Master, who was familiar with Yi Chen, who broke the silence with a wry laugh:
"We naturally trust Taoist Yi Chengzi."
"We've delayed here long enough, and everyone has arrived. Why don't we all visit the Wang family estate to see if any clues were left behind?"
The others nodded in agreement, and the group exited the yamen in single file, heading toward the Wang family estate.