Pu Yuntian felt stifled in his heart but was helpless; fortunately, the floating paper crane's lingering meant the thief had not left the town.
"Have it, search every house in this town!"
On the other hand, Gu Shi Yi headed straight for a wealthy household in the town center, pushing open the large doors. The person who opened the door was an elderly man who, upon seeing Gu Shi Yi, first froze, then squinted and sized her up before suddenly smiling and saying,
"What brings the respected young Taoist Priest to our doorstep, what an honored guest! An honored guest indeed!"
After he spoke, he craned his neck to look behind Gu Shi Yi as if searching for the skinny and unseemly figure of the Old Taoist Priest,
Gu Shi Yi replied with a smile,
"How has the benevolent 'Wu Liang Celestial Venerate' been keeping these days?"
The old man chuckled and returned the formality,
"Thanks to the Taoist Priest's blessings, all is well!"
After saying this, he let Gu Shi Yi in, seeing her leading a horse, he turned back and called out,
"Erlang! Erlang, come out quickly!"
Soon, a stalwart middle-aged man strode out from inside,
"Father, what is it?"
As he spoke, he saw Gu Shi Yi, was startled for a moment, and hurriedly gave a polite greeting,
"Young Taoist Priest, you honor us with your presence!"
Gu Shi Yi smiled back and returned the greeting,
"You are too kind!"
The elder had his son take Gu Shi Yi's horse to the backyard,
"Take the young Taoist Priest's horse to the back and brush it down, feed it well. Do not neglect it!"
The son, following the instructions, took the reins. Gu Shi Yi once again gave him a bow,
"Thank you very much!"
The elder then invited Gu Shi Yi into the house,
"Please, young Taoist Priest, let's speak inside!"
After thanking him, the two entered into the main room. The elder offered Gu Shi Yi the seat of honor, but Gu Shi Yi waved her hand, laughing,
"Elders first. Please, Old Benevolent Mr. Wang, take the seat of honor..."
Only then did the old man courteously nod and take the seat of honor for himself, inviting Gu Shi Yi to sit on his right. Once seated, the elder's daughter-in-law came in, bowed, and served aromatic tea to Gu Shi Yi, who stood to express her gratitude. The elder then asked,
"Young Taoist Priest wandering alone, how comes your master is not accompanying you?"
Gu Shi Yi replied cheerfully,
"My master's cultivation technique has reached profound mysteries. He says he needs to seclude himself in his cave abode to contemplate the great Dao of ascension. He thus sent me out to wander the world in search of opportunities!"
"Oh..."
The old man laughed upon hearing this,
"So the Taoist Priest has reached such a realm, that's truly a cause for celebration!"
After speaking, he gestured a respectful salute towards Gu Shi Yi, who replied with a beaming smile,
"I've just left the mountains and by chance passed through this town. Recalling that the benevolent elder was residing here in reclusion, I decided to come by for a visit!"
The elder stood up to salute,
"Thank you for your concern, young Taoist Priest."
Gu Shi Yi also quickly stood to return the gesture, and the two then sat down once again. Gu Shi Yi inquired about the elder's recent life,
"After my master helped the Wang Family expel evil in the past, has your home remained peaceful? Have there been no haunted disturbances?"
The elder shook his head,
"Our home has been peaceful all along, all thanks to the Taoist Priest's blessings!"
After exchanging polite conversation for a while, Gu Shi Yi, taking the opportunity of follow-up 'after-sales' visit, decided to stay at the Wang Family. Gu Shi Yi kept to herself indoors, having only porridge and simple vegetarian dishes daily, touching not a bit of meat or fish, emphasizing her wish to keep a low profile and practice modestly, requesting the Wang Family to keep her whereabouts a secret. This modest attitude of hers made the Wang Family regard her as a 'high personage' and respect her even more, assuring they wouldn't tell outsiders about the mysterious guest.
Meanwhile, Pu Yuntian, who had sent men to search every house and inquire around the town, was left without any clues after two days, making him grow impatient,
"The date for Eldest Miss Yin of Yin Family's marriage is fast approaching, yet I cannot afford to miss out on this opportunity either..."
After much deliberation, he came up with a plan. Pu Yuntian first made a round through the town with his servants, even doing some shopping, then dismissed his rooms in the inn. Accompanied by a retinue, they rode tall horses, clattering majestically down the main street and out of the town.
Gu Shi Yi, covertly staying with the Wang Family, heard from Wang Family's Second Son about the happenings in town. She knew Pu Yuntian had left with his band of malicious servants, but she remained somewhat skeptical.
The next day, dressed in a new Taoist robe, she walked around the little town. Under the guise of fortune-telling and divination for people, she confirmed that the noble young master with his entourage of servants had indeed left the town. Delighted, Gu Shi Yi thought to herself,
"It seems he couldn't wait and has departed!"
Considering the boy must be headed to Twin Sages City to be the dashing groom of Eldest Miss Yin, and with the time nearly upon them, she figured he couldn't be late, or someone else would take his bride!
Now that he had left, it was time to plan her own departure.
Gu Shi Yi, always cautious, did not rush to leave but stayed in the town for one more day. After seeing that things were indeed calm and there was no danger, only then did she lead her horse out from the Wang Family, bid farewell to the household, and rode away from the small town.