Your Master Will Cover for You

"Little Daoist Priest Li, out for a walk?"

"Yes."

"Little Daoist Priest Li, have you eaten? Join us!"

"I have, thank you."

On his way back, villagers who had finished dinner greeted him warmly, while households just beginning to send up cooking smoke invited him to their tables. Li Chu answered each one with a smile.

Virtuous Cloud Temple had stood here for many years, and the surrounding villages were intimately familiar with the master and disciple. Li Chu had always been popular too—who wouldn't like a handsome, humble, polite little Daoist priest?

Especially the young women of the village.

Whether he was handsome or not didn't really matter. The main thing was that they liked Daoists.

No one would have guessed that this harmless-looking little Daoist priest had, only moments ago, stylishly slaughtered a wave of Water Ghosts by the river.

Li Chu could not be bothered to boast about it.

In his eyes, One Sword Cuts the River was not some particularly impressive technique.

He had heard at a storyteller's stall in Yuhang Town that there was a man surnamed Tong at Kunlun's White Jade Capital, who called himself invincible under heaven. When the rulers of two Western Regions nations showed disrespect toward White Jade Capital, he plucked two mountain peaks straight from the Kunlun range, flew over with one in each hand, and forcibly suppressed both nations.

In the East Sea, there was a clan that made its living raising dragons. The He Luo imperial family had once wished to forcibly conscript them into service for the Imperial Court, so the clan commanded nine Heavenly Dragons and stirred up a towering tsunami, flooding the lands of four continents and leaving all living things in misery. The emperor of that time personally mounted an altar to admit his fault and ceded twelve islands for them to found a nation upon. Only then did they let the matter rest.

Those were true great divine powers, true grand spectacles.

Not to mention those faraway figures—nearby, there was a Great God like Master. How could Li Chu possibly grow proud?

After that came another stretch of diligent monster farming, which need not be mentioned for now.

That night, Li Chu had a strange dream.

In the dream, he returned to the banks of the Black Water River. He saw a carp covered in golden scales with six white whiskers emerge from the river. With a flash of its body, it suddenly transformed into a white-bearded old man.

The old man bowed to him with cupped hands. "This old fellow is from the Koi Clan of the Black Water River. For years, that Water Ghost occupied our homeland and stirred up trouble, yet we lacked the strength to drive him away, and could only swallow our anger in silence. Today, Young Daoist slew that Water Ghost with his sword, fulfilling our clan's long-cherished wish. I have come especially to offer my thanks."

Li Chu said, "Old Person, there is no need for such courtesy. Ridding the world of demons and defending the Dao is the duty of cultivators like us."

"Ha ha." The old man laughed twice. "Young Daoist upholds the righteous path so steadfastly. In days to come, your fortune will surely flow unimpeded, and your blessings and lifespan will stretch long!"

As he spoke, he turned around and transformed once more into a streak of light, plunging into the water and raising a great wave.

Li Chu jolted awake and found that dawn had already come.

"You even came all this way to enter my dream and thank me? Why bother? It was merely a small favor, the lift of a hand. It's not as if I care that much."

Li Chu muttered to himself, but the corners of his mouth had risen high without his noticing.

Koi were spiritually aware and an exceptionally rare intelligent race among aquatic creatures. It was said they could even alter a person's fortune. Wealthy households often kept koi as Feng Shui Fish for precisely this reason.

Perhaps receiving its blessing really would bring him good luck.

After breakfast, he went to the Front Hall and repeated the usual routine.

Unlike before, hurried footsteps soon sounded outside that morning.

The footsteps sounded urgent. Li Chu promptly straightened his posture, his expression turning solemn.

There were two kinds of people who came to a Daoist temple to burn incense. One came from everyday faith; their incense offerings flowed in a thin but steady stream. Though they made offerings often, the sums were never large. The other kind normally never burned incense, only scrambling to embrace Buddha's leg when trouble struck. Those who came in a rush usually had something to ask of the gods, and their spending was far more generous.

Such hurried footsteps often meant a big fish.

And sure enough, the person who entered was a big fish.

The man wore black robes embroidered with brocade, a dark cap on his head, a long saber in a black scabbard at his waist, and shiny official boots of cowhide on his feet. Though his figure had gone slightly out of shape and his looks were nothing remarkable, his attire and the air of authority accumulated over many years gave him a somewhat imposing presence.

Li Chu knew this man well. He was Zhou Dafu, the head constable of Yuhang Town.

For him to seek out Li Chu, another case involving ghosts or gods must have occurred in town. Otherwise, even if he went to Spring Full Pavilion a hundred and eighty times, he would not come to Virtuous Cloud Temple to burn incense even once.

"Young Daoist, heh heh, it's been many days since we last met. I've missed you greatly." Zhou Dafu piled a smile onto his face and sat on the prayer cushion opposite Li Chu.

"Thank you for thinking of me, Constable Zhou." Li Chu replied calmly, "Constable Zhou, you have come to see me. Could it be that another thorny case has arisen in town?"

"I was already planning to come offer worship at the temple." Zhou Dafu paused, then added, "It just so happened that a case occurred last night."

Li Chu had nearly memorized his canned lines and could not be bothered to respond. He merely nodded. "Please, go on."

Zhou Dafu did not waste words either. He said directly, "This truly is a strange case! Shopkeeper Xue, who runs a Satin Shop, suffered a murder in his home. He and several servants were killed, and their deaths were exceedingly gruesome! But the strange part is that every victim was male! From the master of the house to the servants, not a single man was spared, yet the women were completely unharmed. This includes Shopkeeper Xue's newly taken Concubine—she was even sleeping in the same bed as him, and nothing happened to her."

"Hm?"

Li Chu found this somewhat puzzling as well. He had never encountered such a thing before. Still, his experience was indeed limited. The Evil Things of the world came in every strange and grotesque variety; encountering something novel was perfectly normal.

"After investigating and making inquiries, I suspect this matter is connected to a Vengeful Spirit," Zhou Dafu continued. "So I would like to ask Young Daoist to accompany me there."

"I can." Li Chu nodded.

"You may have to stay there tonight," Zhou Dafu added.

Li Chu's brows drew together slightly.

If he stayed in town overnight, then he would not be able to cultivate today, and the monster-farming streak he had maintained for so many days would be broken.

Zhou Dafu hurriedly said, "I can pay extra."

He had dealt with Li Chu many times and understood his habits well. He knew that an overnight booking came at a separate price.

When officials sought the help of a Cultivator, they could claim a bounty. The amount varied according to the difficulty of the case, but it was generally quite considerable.

In truth, Zhou Dafu could also have gone to Hangzhou City to ask his superiors for help. Hangzhou City had a Facing Heaven Pavilion outpost, where he could request assistance from cultivators under the Imperial Court. But the Facing Heaven Pavilion was short-handed, and constantly asking for help would give people the impression that he was incapable of handling cases. The credit would also have to be shared. As a result, the constables in town preferred to seek out cultivators nearby.

Though it meant paying out an extra bounty, the bounty came from the Imperial Court. Public money—could that even be called money?

That way, Li Chu would get the bounty, and he would get the credit. Maybe you stood to profit, but I definitely wouldn't lose out...

At this, Li Chu's brow immediately relaxed. "What are you saying, Constable Zhou? For the peace of this town, how could I possibly shirk this responsibility? I'll go let Master know right away."

"Young Daoist, you are truly righteous," Zhou Dafu said.

Li Chu rose and headed for the backyard. After taking a few steps, he did not forget to turn back and stress, "This isn't about the money."

"Of course."

Zhou Dafu agreed with a beaming smile, while inwardly muttering, I believe you my ass.

Li Chu arrived in the backyard.

Yu Qi'an was still seated beside the stone table, holding a scripture and reciting from it. His robes fluttered softly, giving him an ethereal air.

"Master," Li Chu said, "Constable Zhou from town has asked me to help deal with a case that may be connected to a Vengeful Spirit. I may not return tonight."

Yu Qi'an looked up, concern in his eyes. "Be careful in all things, and make sure to stay safe. If you encounter an Evil Spirit you can't deal with, whatever you do, preserve your life and come back to tell your master. Your master will cover for you."

"This disciple understands!"

Hearing this, Li Chu felt a little more invigorated. This was why he was always so full of confidence whenever he went out to handle matters.

Master had his back!

With those words from Yu Qi'an, he could go anywhere under heaven. If he encountered any Demons and Monsters he could not deal with, he only needed to come back and find Master. How reassuring.

Only after watching Li Chu leave with the Iron Sword on his back for quite some time did Yu Qi'an lower his gaze back to the Picture Album in his hands.

He could be heard murmuring faintly, "If Yuhang Town produces some Evil Thing even you can't beat, you must come back and tell your master... Then master and disciple can run away together... As long as the green hills remain, there will be no lack of firewood..."

A breeze drifted past, flipping the Picture Album's cover. Three large characters could vaguely be made out: Nine-Tailed Turtle.