Apprenticing at Yunzhi Temple

It was also thanks to his status as a Subordinate Guard that taking leave was quite convenient.

It would definitely not be acceptable for an Official Guard to be absent for many days, but Subordinate Guards were not within the official ranks to begin with. They were given a daily allowance for each day they worked. If they didn't want to come, they just needed to notify in advance, and the pay for that day would be deducted.

He had already taken a day off to go to the cloth shop with Ling Yuanbao, and now he was taking another day. Adding the previous days, Liang Yue hadn't worked many days this month, and his monthly salary might not even reach two hundred copper coins.

However, he didn't need to worry about that now, as he had a two-hundred-tael silver note tucked in hisin one's arms.

Warm and reassuring.

Early the next morning.

It was agreed that Miss Wen would come to find him. When there was a knock on the door outside, Liang Yue went out to see, and standing outside the door was Ling Yuanbao.

"Captain Ling?" He greeted with a smile, "Why are you here?"

Ling Yuanbao was also wearing casual clothes, but even in her daily life, she didn't wear women's attire. Instead, she wore a lake-blue long robe, her long hair still tied up, always looking spirited and heroic.

"I just went to the Fukang Ward station to find you. They said you weren't here today, so I asked about your home's location." Ling Yuanbao smiled, "I'm here to reward you."

"Oh?" Liang Yue's eyes lit up.

He hadn't felt comfortable mentioning it before, but after making such a great contribution and seizing so much stolen silver, the Ministry of Justice would definitely reward him based on his merits.

He had even worried that Captain Ling lacked emotional intelligence and would forget to mention his share.

Now it seemed this young lady was quite sensible.

"Actually, my intention was to directly summon you to the Ministry of Justice to be a Captain, to avoid wasting your talent in that small station," Ling Yuanbao said. "But the superior looked at your resume and found that the Zhen Changzhi case hadn't been processed yet, so they temporarily put this proposal aside. This matter is strictly confidential, and the Ministry of Justice can't directly promote you within the Imperial Capital Guard... I had to help you ask for some other rewards."

"Sigh." Liang Yue sighed slightly.

The Zhen Changzhi case was at the Ministry of Justice. No matter how little they cared, they couldn't recruit a suspect to be a Captain. That would indeed be too careless.

Strictly speaking, it was already unreasonable for Ling Yuanbao to ask him for help investigating the Zhen Changzhi case. It could only be said that she trusted him enough and was too lazy to bother with those regulations.

But when would this case finally be concluded?

Although the underground bank was busted this time, that was just the source of his stolen silver and should have no connection to this murder case. Now all the clues in the Zhen Changzhi case had completely lost their lead.

If he could become a Ninth-Rank Captain, his monthly salary would be four or five taels, and he could also lead a team to handle cases. If he made more contributions or gained seniority to be promoted to an Eighth-Rank Captain, his rank would be on par with Old Hu.

Although his actual power might not be as great as a main official of a ward in the Imperial Capital Guard, everyone had their own specialties, and he might not necessarily lose to him.

He asked with a hint of disappointment, "What kind of reward is it then?"

Ling Yuanbao took out a cloth bag and said, "The Director's intention was to reward you with an Iron Gauze Robe, which is only given to the elites of the Blade Lifting Division. It's a magical artifact with defensive array patterns. But I feel that you helped me make such a great contribution, and this robe is really not enough, so I paid out of my own pocket to exchange it for a Gold Gauze Robe."

She opened the cloth bag, and inside was a thin cloth shirt, which looked like an inner lining to be worn underneath. Many mesh-like gold threads were interwoven on it, forming complex array patterns.

Liang Yue had heard of the Iron Gauze Robe. It was said that the elite light cavalry of the Imperial Capital Guard each had one, and it was a defensive item that could withstand a full-force blow from a Third Realm expert. Moreover, it was much lighter and thinner than armor and could be worn close to the body. The brothers at the station were all very envious of it.

As for the Gold Gauze Robe, he had never even heard of it.

"You wear this shirt underneath. It can withstand a full-force blow from a Fourth Realm martial artist, and it's especially effective against internal force from blades and swords. Although it can also defend against damage from water and fire true qi, it will be somewhat discounted."

As Ling Yuanbao spoke, she was about to hand the shirt over when she saw Liang Yue grasp the package tightly, the disappointment on his face completely gone.

"Captain Ling, words fail me." He said word by word, "From now on, you are my best good brother... no, good sister!"

After Ling Yuanbao left, Liang Yue turned around and walked back into the courtyard. Before he could close the door, he saw his mother peeking out from her room.

"Why didn't you ask the little girl to come in and sit down?" Li Caiyun asked with a smile.

"She just came to bring me a piece of clothing, and she left right after," Liang Yue explained.

"Oh dear," Li Caiyun chuckled again. "That's how your father and I got together, I brought him a piece of clothing."

Liang Yue said helplessly, "Mom, don't overthink it. This is a reward for helping her solve a case."

"I know, I also said it was a reward for helping our family chase away the bully back then," Li Caiyun's eyes narrowed mischievously.

"Oh, well, it's not what you think anyway," Liang Yue said. "She's a Captain from the Ministry of Justice, several ranks higher than me. It's impossible."

"Why is it impossible? Just try harder. I think it'll be hard to meet such a beautiful girl again if you miss this chance..." Her words stopped abruptly.

Because a figure appeared outside the door, dressed in white, with flowing robes, vaguely possessing a captivating beauty.

"Miss Wen, you're here!" Liang Yue called out, then said to Li Caiyun, "Mom, I'm going out!"

As he talked with Miss Wen, he closed the door from the outside.

Li Caiyun stood by the window in a daze for a while before muttering to herself, "My great-grandmother, did I just see a fairy?"

"If my little Yue could marry such a wife..." After a brief fantasy, she suddenly shook her head. "No, he's not worthy of her."

Li Caiyun, who had always seen her son with an infinite halo, finally lost confidence on this ordinary morning.

"Uncle-Master Wang lives at Yunzhi Temple on Apricot Blossom Mountain, about seven or eight li southwest of Dragon Abyss City. It's not far from your home."

"That's good."

"If you truly become his disciple in the future, you can learn his skills, but for other things, you must have your own judgment... especially remember how you are now."

"Huh? How am I now?"

"Full of righteousness, open and aboveboard."

"Eh?"

Wen Yifan and Liang Yue walked side by side, occasionally chatting lightly, but the more they talked, the stranger Liang Yue felt.

How worrying must this master's character be for Miss Wen to worry about him learning bad things from him?

It was truly frightening.

They walked out of the city gate like this.

Qi Refiners cannot fly freely within the city, but there is no such rule outside the city. She directly raised two fingers, and a gust of wind wrapped around the two of them, rising from the ground with a whoosh.

"Woah." Liang Yue couldn't help but exclaim as they left the ground.

But he quickly adapted, because the Qi Refiner's wind manipulation technique seemed ethereal but was actually very stable. It felt a bit like being held in the palm of a large hand.

In no time, they had arrived at Apricot Blossom Mountain.

The mountain is named for the colorful apricot blossoms that bloom on its peak. It is currently the flowering season, and from a distance, the falling petals look like rain, quite lush.

A small Taoist temple sits halfway up the mountain, with blue tiles and white walls, simple and elegant.

There seems to be another building on the mountaintop, hidden among the flower trees, its full appearance unknown.

The two landed outside the temple gate and saw that the door was tightly shut, with no sound coming from inside.

"Huh?" Miss Wen lightly questioned, "We already greeted Senior Uncle Wang earlier, didn't we?"

While they were wondering, the two doors suddenly opened from the inside with a creaking sound, as if they had a spirit of their own.

As soon as the doors opened, a small courtyard inside was revealed. In the courtyard was an empty round incense burner, and directly in front of it was the main hall. The hall enshrined a statue of Saint Zhuang Ancestor, and a rather straight back sat beneath the offering table.

Miss Wen, slightly puzzled, led Liang Yue inside.

As the two stepped in, a melodious chanting sound came from the main hall.

"Outside the material world, mist and clouds are companions; within the pot, the sun and moon are free to wax and wane."

"When merits are complete, where shall one return? Directly drive a cloud chariot into the grotto-heaven—"

Accompanied by the curling green smoke in front of the hall, the person dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe slowly turned around. They saw a bronzed face, thin cheeks, a pair of clear and bright eyes, a two-part mustache, a wisp of beard under the chin, and a warm, smiling gaze.

It was a middle-aged Taoist who looked like he carried a refreshing breeze.

This master's appearance looks quite good, Liang Yue thought. Although he's not that old, he clearly has the air of an immortal in his middle age.

He seems quite reliable.

This was his first impression of the person.

"Not bad." The middle-aged Taoist opposite also nodded slightly. "Young man, you are very handsome, which is in line with the consistent tradition of our Yunzhi Temple."

"Shouyi Zhenren, the door is open, where do we get the eggs?" A voice suddenly came from behind.

Liang Yue turned around and realized that the ones who had opened the door from inside were two elderly women who looked to be sixty or seventy years old. Their faces were aged, and they were both a bit hunched over. One on each side, they were standing on the steps asking questions.

"Oh dear, what are you rushing for?" The middle-aged Taoist was a bit displeased. "Didn't I tell you to hide behind the door for a while?"

"What if you renege on the debt like last time if we don't ask?" another elderly woman said.

"Alright, alright." The middle-aged Taoist quickly waved his hand. "Go to the back kitchen yourselves and get them, five each, don't take more!"

The two elderly women then left contentedly.

The middle-aged Taoist then turned back, smiling awkwardly. "The temple's Taoist children have been sick recently, so I temporarily hired two attendants. Please don't mind."

He flicked his whisk, resting it in the crook of his elbow, and said leisurely, "This humble Taoist is Shouyi, my secular name is Wang Rulin."

Good morning.