"Thank you, Master."
Liu Dongyue carefully tucked the Vajra Charm away, then respectfully bowed to Mike before turning to leave.
"Good luck, Second Senior Brother!" Yun Qianzhuzhi also waved and called out.
Once Liu Dongyue had gone far, Mike asked, "Did Song Yu mention when he's coming back?"
"The Great Senior Brother went down the mountain to exterminate demons. He didn't say when he'll return," Shi Ming replied.
"Heh," Mike sneered, "Exterminate demons?"
Every time something went wrong in the sect, the Great Senior Brother Song Yu would leave the mountain to 'exterminate demons,' only to return after the crisis had passed. This time, hearing that some debt collectors were coming to demand money, Song Yu had once again gone down the mountain.
"Forget it," Mike muttered, looking at the meager supplies left on the mountain and the two hungry disciples. He went to the Longsheng Temple, grabbed a wooden stick and a cloth, and quickly fashioned a simple flag for himself, preparing to go out and earn a living.
It had been several days since he came here, and Mike hadn't even eaten meat yet.
Back on Earth, although life was hard, at least he had meat with every meal. But here, it was nothing but leaves, which were making his face turn green.
"Master, where are you going?" Shi Ming and Yun Qianzhu hurriedly asked when they saw Mike preparing to leave.
Their master had been gone for over a year. Were they now going to be abandoned by Mike too?
Although Mike was always offbeat and not very kind to them, they felt secure knowing he was around. Now they were afraid he'd leave them as well.
Seeing their anxious expressions, Mike understood their fears and smiled, "I'm going out to earn some money to buy meat for you. Stay here in the sect, and I'll be back by evening."
"Earn money to buy meat?" The two children exchanged looks. Was this something their Master would actually do? They were more likely to see him gambling down the mountain again.
They figured relying on Mike to buy them meat was as futile as hoping a piece of meat would fall from the sky.
An hour later,
Baoyun City,
This was the closest city to Longsheng Temple, and it was Mike's first time leaving the temple.
The things in the city were quite interesting, and Mike found everything new and exciting. He touched the copper coins in his pocket; these were the ones Yun Qianzhu had given him before he left, money she had saved up for his lunch.
Despite Mike's appearance, Yun Qianzhu couldn't bear to see him go hungry. This kindness really moved Mike.
On a busy street in Baoyun City, Mike set up a small stall in a corner and placed the flag he had made on display.
He waited for an hour, but no one came to his stall.
Mike wasn't in a rush. He had experience. At times like this, he knew he needed to take the initiative.
He focused his spiritual energy, and a faint green aura flashed in his eyes.
This was the "Qi Observation Technique" Mike had practiced. Back on Earth, he couldn't use it due to the lack of spiritual energy, but now that he had cultivated spiritual power in this world, he found he could use it after all.
At this moment, people walking by seemed to have different colored auras above their heads, representing their luck.
Mike carefully observed the passersby. Most of them had decent luck, but he was looking for someone with particularly strong or weak energy, someone to be his first customer.
By noon, Mike had bought two steamed buns from a nearby vendor. While eating them, he reflected on how difficult it was to deceive people. He had worked hard for the morning and had only two customers.
Fortune-telling was usually based on tips, but one customer had simply said "thank you" and left, and another gave him only ten coins, after awkwardly touching his hand for half a day.
Just as Mike was contemplating whether to pack up, a carriage slowly approached down the street.
The carriage was beautifully crafted, suggesting it belonged to someone of high status.
What shocked Mike, however, was the dark clouds swirling above it, suffused with a red hue.
"Good heavens," Mike muttered in surprise.
So ominous?
"Whoa!"
The driver suddenly saw someone in front and pulled on the reins to stop the carriage. He shouted, "Are you looking to die?"
"What's going on?"
At that moment, the carriage curtain lifted, and a young man's head poked out.
"Sir, you're in grave danger," Mike said as he approached the young man.
"Stop talking nonsense!" the driver cursed, but the young man's eyes lit up, and he jumped down from the carriage, excitedly grabbing Mike's hand. "You can tell?!"
"Uh..." Mike was stunned. Why did the young man react like this?
"Senior, to be honest, we've been dealing with some demonic disturbances at my family's estate. I never thought you could see it immediately. Please, help me!" The young man looked at Mike earnestly.
"Cough, cough." Mike felt that it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, running into a fool like this. He couldn't resist taking advantage of it.
However, while he could practice the art of "Qi Observation," exorcising demons was beyond him. Although there were plenty of cultivation techniques stored at the Changsheng Temple, Mike had skimmed through them, and each method required decades of practice to make any real progress—Mike couldn't be bothered to put in that much effort.
His original self's cultivation was pitifully low, or he wouldn't have been afraid of the debt collectors.
When it came to avoiding bad luck or seeking out good fortune, Mike could come up with something, but exorcising demons? That was beyond him.
But now, with this big opportunity before him, Mike couldn't just let it go.
"Don't worry, with me around, you're safe." Mike picked up a brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and immediately drew a talisman on yellow paper.
"This is a secret exorcism talisman from our sect. If you place it above your bed, it'll protect you." Mike handed the talisman to the young man.
"Wonderful!" The young man immediately treated it like a treasure and put it away carefully.
Mike sighed inwardly, wishing him good luck.
"How much?" the young man asked.
Mike waved his hand and raised a finger.
This young man clearly came from a wealthy family—Mike thought that five taels of silver wouldn't be too much to ask.
"Only 500 taels? So cheap, here you go!" The young man pulled out five silver notes and handed them to Mike.
Mike was stunned!
500 taels?
Is money really this easy to earn?!
"Thank you, senior. After I take care of the monster at home, I'll come back to thank you in person." The young man smiled widely. "My father will definitely praise me."
While Mike was still in a daze, the young man had already gotten back into his carriage and left.
"I'm rich..." Mike swallowed hard as he looked at the 500 taels of silver.
But just as he was reveling in his good fortune, the young man selling sweet potatoes next to his stall sneered, "Buddy, you're done for."
"What do you mean?" Mike asked.
"Do you know who that is?" The sweet potato seller chuckled. "That's Ye Yun, the son of the Lord of Baiyun City. It's no big deal that you scammed him, but he has a sister, Ye Ziying, who's a disciple of the Qing Sect. She's fiery-tempered, hates evil, and if she finds out you scammed her brother, she'll probably break at least thirty of your ribs."
"Ah, what?!" Mike was drenched in cold sweat.
First, there were the debt collectors threatening to break his hands, and now this Ye Ziying who might break thirty of his ribs?
Could things get any worse?
But looking at the 500 taels of silver, Mike decided to take the risk. At worst, he could just not come back tomorrow. After all, 500 taels would keep the Changsheng Temple well-fed for a long time.
So, Mike hurriedly packed up his stall and made a quick exit.
He bought a lot of meat in Baiyun City, some rice, and before leaving the city, he even picked up two candied haws for Shi Ming and Yun Qianzhui.
Just as Mike was sneaking off, Ye Yun returned to the Lord's Manor.
"Young Master!" The guards at the manor greeted him respectfully.
But Ye Yun had no time to spare for them and hurried into the hall.
"Dad, I found something great." As soon as Ye Yun entered, he saw his father, Ye Qingbei, speaking with a young woman.
"You're a grown man, but still running around like this?" Ye Qingbei scolded, then added, "Can't you see your sister is back? Go greet her."
"Sis." Ye Yun hesitantly stepped forward, calling out nervously.
His sister, Ye Ziying, had been a genius since childhood, joining the Qing Sect early and had always been Ye Qingbei's pride. Ye Yun had always heard his father say, "Look at your sister. Look at you. Why can't you be more like her..."
"Where have you been running off to this time?" Ye Ziying frowned and scolded. "With all the trouble at home, you're out running around again. You're old enough to help your father, yet here you are, wasting time."
"I wasn't!" Ye Yun felt aggrieved. "I went out to figure out a way to solve the family's problems. Dad's been having nightmares and headaches, so I went to find a solution, and I've found one."
"You? What can you do?" Ye Qingbei waved his hand, clearly uninterested. "Your sister's a disciple of the Qing Sect, with powerful cultivation. Even if there is a monster, she'll deal with it."
"I really found a solution!" Ye Yun stubbornly pulled out the exorcism talisman Mike had given him.
"I met a great master who said that as long as we use this talisman, we can get rid of the monster."
Looking at the seemingly ordinary talisman in Ye Yun's hand, Ye Qingbei sighed and shook his head helplessly.
"Taoist talismans?" Ye Ziying reached out, and the talisman flew from Ye Yun's hand straight into hers.
After inspecting it, Ye Ziying sneered, "Since the world changed 800 years ago and the spiritual sea was sealed, the Taoist sect has long since declined. Their talismans are useless, and their disciples are almost nonexistent. You've been swindled again. How much did you pay for this?"
"Uh… Five… five hundred taels," Ye Yun stammered.
"Ha," Ye Ziying narrowed her eyes. "Alright, good job."
"Once I deal with the monster at home, I'll go find that scammer. If he's in Baiyun City, I'll make sure to break at least thirty of his ribs!"