"""
The sun was past its zenith and began its descent.
Around the time the sun was in the west, Lin Yue's courtyard gate was knocked on again.
This time, the visitor was a young Taoist boy about fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a Daoist robe and a headscarf, clearly an attendant serving in the Taoist academy in the city.
Lin Yue had seen him many times and knew he was the Taoist boy who served the Chief of the Taoist academy.
Great Yong prided itself on being the Divine Dynasty, open to all, and always treated the people of the Three Religions with great respect, establishing Taoist academies, monasteries, and academies everywhere to recruit people from the Three Religions officially.
A Taoist holding a position in the Qingdu Taoist academy might not be an exceptionally skilled cultivator but still possessed some Daoist prowess.
In the beginning, Lin Yue had gone to the academy with the lowest threshold for accepting apprentices to study Taoism.
Unfortunately, he lacked the aptitude for cultivation and could only become a lay disciple, so he paid to learn a breathing exercise for health and fitness.
Although his health improved significantly, it was still better than nothing.
Compared to real cultivators, it was like clouds and mud.
"Layman Lin, the Chief has a message. Please arrive at the Taoist academy before the time of the Monkey." The Taoist boy was very polite.
Even though Layman Lin was not from a wealthy family, he knew that the often drunken Deputy Seal Master was still quite concerned about this Layman Lin.
"Oh? What's the matter?" Lin Yue asked curiously.
"I'm not entirely sure. It seems a big figure from the border army has come to Qingdu, apparently searching for someone." The young Taoist said, a bit uncertain.
So they finally came... Lin Yue's heart sank.
But his expression did not change in the slightest; he merely smiled as if nothing had happened: "Alright, I understand. I'll be over soon. Would you like to come in for some water?"
"No need, thank you for your kindness, Layman Lin."
The young Taoist quickly said, "The Chief instructed me to notify all the laymen as soon as possible. I still have a few more people to notify."
"Alright, go ahead and be busy." Lin Yue nodded, "I'll go over once I've settled my family."
The young Taoist glanced into the house within the courtyard and asked, "By the way, has Miss Su's condition improved recently?"
"Not much improvement. We'll take it one day at a time." Lin Yue sighed.
"You are such a benevolent person, Layman Lin. I'm sure you will be rewarded."
The young Taoist offered a gentle word of comfort before turning and leaving.
Lin Yue closed the courtyard gate, squinting slightly, muttering to himself: "A reward, huh..."
After a while, he suddenly sneered: "The hemp rope breaks at the weakest point, misfortune always seeks out the miserable, what reward..."
Then, with a soft hum, he turned and entered the house.
Before long, a weak moaning sound came from the house, and soon it fell completely silent.
After a moment, Lin Yue emerged from the house.
Before closing the door, he discreetly wedged a piece of dry straw, pulled from under the bed, into the crack at the bottom of the door, then locked it.
...
In Qingdu, at the Taoist academy.
This Taoist academy, compared to a regular residence, had only a more spacious courtyard, but was otherwise no different, looking even simpler and more unadorned compared to those luxurious mansions.
After all, Qingdu was just a small border town.
Even the Chief of the Qingdu Taoist academy was only an Eighth Grade Daoist official.
True cultivators with significant attainment were not willing to attach themselves to the court, nor did they have any regard for such small-town Daoist officials.
Only a Taoist academy in a State City, or even in the bustling capital of Di Hong City, might attract truly accomplished cultivators.
"Daoist Tu, have you gotten drunk again?"
When Lin Yue walked into the Taoist academy with a pot of wine, he saw in the yard a reclining chair placed on the open space, on which lay an old Taoist with his limbs sprawled out, eyes closed as if asleep, his posture very lazy.
His plain Daoist robe had long since become worn and faded, the Hun Yuan scarf on his head was tied casually, and a strong smell of alcohol exuded from him, noticeable from several yards away.
He looked less like a Daoist cultivator and more like a drunken wine-lover.
This drunken Taoist was the Deputy Seal Master of the Qingdu Taoist academy, called "Daoist Tu."
However, when the lay disciples who had come to study at the academy entered, despite seeing this Deputy Seal Master, none of them greeted him or said hello.
Instead, they all bypassed him.
Or paid him no mind.
Those who came to study at the Taoist academy were mostly from families with some wealth, including many from affluent backgrounds.
Many of them had heard that this vice Chief, enslaved to his wine, had not shown any Daoist prowess upon entering the Taoist academy, nor did he know martial arts. He only possessed some obscure skills, even teaching basic Daoist breathing techniques clumsily.
It was said, however, that he had some connection with a certain cultivator in Liangzhou City, which allowed him to become the Deputy Seal Master.
The Chief, lazy to deal with his constant drunken debauchery, merely let him take the academy's salary and idle his days away.
At first, this drunken Taoist managed to swindle some money for alcohol from uninformed lay disciples.
But then news spread, and everyone avoided him, or even ignored him.
After all, many guards from noble families' households, or the accompanying guards, were quite skilled martial artists who naturally would not fear a minor drunken Taoist.
Would it matter if their attitude was disrespectful?
It's just a lethargic Deputy Seal Master, with no real authority, even the Chief despised him, so what was there to fear?
This was the sentiment of most people at the academy.
However—
Lin Yue was not among them.
"""