"Fan... Daoist Master Fan, is that you?"
When Fan Wu heard those words, he knew... he had been recognized.
Although Baihe County and Prison Dragon County both fell under the jurisdiction of Yinghe Prefecture, it was normal for the two counties to have dealings with each other.
But he had arrived here less than half an hour ago, and he had already been recognized...
Wasn't that a little too outrageous?
But there was nothing he could do.
He couldn't exactly gouge out the eyes of everyone who knew him, one by one, could he?
He wasn't that deranged!
Helpless, he dipped his chin.
"Gasp!" The wealthy young master, apparently from Prison Dragon County, immediately sucked in a sharp breath when he saw this.
The frivolity on his face hastily vanished, replaced by an expression of respect. "Daoist Master Fan... you may not recognize me, but you should recognize my father."
"My father is Huang Dasheng of the Huang Family Money House in Prison Dragon County. I'm his son. You... you can call me by my name—Huang Ruizhi!"
Huang Dasheng.
Fan Wu heard a rather familiar name. He remembered that this fellow had been one of the victims cheated by his swindler master.
When Dragon-Imprisoning Monastery had just been built, Huang Dasheng had donated a full thousand taels of silver!
As far as Fan Wu knew, his swindler master had used only half of that thousand taels to build the monastery, while stuffing the other half into his own purse.
And what had the swindler master given in return? A few talismans that were utterly useless!
That sucker had probably been holding those scraps of paper he'd traded a thousand taels for, grinning foolishly for who knew how many years.
Good grief!
In other words, this Huang Ruizhi in front of him was the son of a sucker?
Fan Wu wiped the slight trace of grease from the corner of his mouth, maintaining the aloof, lofty expression of an enlightened master.
In response to Huang Ruizhi's introduction, he merely replied blandly, "So you're the son of the wealthy gentleman. I know your father, the wealthy gentleman."
"Heh heh heh..." Huang Ruizhi scratched his head with a foolish grin. In front of Fan Wu, he showed none of the arrogance and bullying manner of a spoiled young master.
The two sides were clearly about the same age, yet their respective expressions...
They made Fan Wu look as though he were an elder.
And Huang Ruizhi seemed like the junior.
The several young masters from Baihe County beside Huang Ruizhi were now completely bewildered.
Following Huang Ruizhi's gaze, they saw an extremely burly man sitting there upright.
The unique air about him nearly made their breathing stop.
One of them quietly poked Huang Ruizhi and asked in a low, curious voice, "Brother Huang... who is this man?"
Upon hearing that, Huang Ruizhi straightened his back and puffed out his chest.
He proudly introduced him: "Brother Hu, Brother Bai, Brother Li, this is Daoist Master Fan from our Prison Dragon County! You may not have heard of his name, but he really is an extraordinary man! Even the County Magistrate of Prison Dragon County treats Daoist Master Fan with great respect!"
Gasp!
The several young masters from Baihe County sucked in cold breaths, their faces filled with sudden understanding.
To young masters like them...
A County Magistrate, the local father-and-mother official, was unquestionably a major figure!
Someone even a major figure treated with respect... wasn't that an even more important figure?
But...
They secretly sized up Fan Wu, and a few doubts rose in their hearts.
Why didn't this Daoist priest look like a Daoist priest at first glance?
Weren't Daoists all supposed to have an immortal air and the bearing of an enlightened sage?
This Daoist Master Fan looked... wasn't he a little too strong?
Those muscular arms...
They were even thicker than the young masters' thighs!
"Daoist Master Fan, what brings you to Baihe County?" After proudly introducing the "great man" from Prison Dragon County to his good-for-nothing friends, Huang Ruizhi could no longer suppress his curiosity and asked.
Fan Wu had only wanted to rest in Baihe County for a day before continuing on to Southern Commandery.
He didn't want everyone in Baihe County to know him.
He wished more than anything that no one in Baihe County knew his identity.
But then...
This fellow named Huang Ruizhi had announced his name!
Fan Wu really wanted to twist his head off.
The thousand words in his mind ultimately became nothing more than a stiff smile on his face.
Fan Wu put on the air of an enlightened immortal master and answered with great "patience": "Before my revered master passed away, he entrusted me with a letter and asked me to deliver it to a family member of his in the secular world. My journey this time is to fulfill my master's final instructions."
He wanted to hurry to Southern Commandery Prefecture, seek refuge with a sworn elder sister he had never met, and spend the rest of his life eating well and drinking his fill... He obviously couldn't say those honest thoughts aloud in a situation like this.
Fan Wu could only go against his conscience and utter the nauseating lie that he was "fulfilling his master's final wish."
Mm.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't entirely a lie.
After all, if he was going to seek refuge with his sworn elder sister, he would be delivering the letter to her along the way.
That could barely count as fulfilling the swindler master's final wish!
"I see!"
Huang Ruizhi believed him, even revealing an expression of sudden understanding.
After sighing, he actually tried to comfort Fan Wu instead. "Daoist Master Fan, please accept my condolences. I saw the Old Heavenly Master of Dragon-Imprisoning Monastery when I was little, too. The Old Heavenly Master even patted me on the head back then!"
Nonsense!
Your father, that sucker, gave him a thousand taels of silver!
Forget patting your head—the swindler master probably wanted nothing more than to acknowledge you as his godson on the spot and flick your little bird every day!
Fan Wu rolled his eyes furiously inwardly.
"The Old Heavenly Master of Dragon-Imprisoning Monastery?" A slightly clear voice suddenly cut in. "Fellow Daoist, could you be a disciple of that Old Heavenly Master of Dragon-Imprisoning Monastery?!"
The person speaking now was Shen Jiyue!
Fan Wu: "?"
It was one thing for Huang Ruizhi to recognize him. After all, Huang Ruizhi was also from Prison Dragon County.
But as a Squad Leader of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau from Baihe County, why did she know about Dragon-Imprisoning Monastery?
Although both counties belonged to the same prefecture, they were a great distance apart!
It would take several days of travel without sleep or rest!
The Xie Jiuyi he had met earlier was also from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau, and he was only a Battalion Officer. Yet he hadn't even known about Dragon-Imprisoning Monastery.
So how did this Squad Leader of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau... happen to know about Dragon-Imprisoning Monastery?
And know about his swindler master?
What the heck!
"When I saw fellow Daoist enter the inn just now, I instinctively felt that you were no ordinary person. Now that I have unexpectedly learned your identity, I never imagined that you would actually be that Old Heavenly Master's disciple."
Perhaps because she had learned Fan Wu's identity, the guarded look on Shen Jiyue's face faded, and the wariness in her heart also relaxed.
She cupped her hands toward Fan Wu. "I am Shen Jiyue, Squad Leader of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau. It is a pleasure to meet you, fellow Daoist! Just now, I heard you conversing with these young masters. That person said the Old Heavenly Master had already... passed away? Is this... true?!"
The corner of Fan Wu's mouth twitched slightly. Who knew his swindler master had such a great reputation?
What earth-shaking things had that swindler master done, anyway?
Fan Wu could only reply, "It's true."
Shen Jiyue froze for a moment, a complicated expression appearing on her face. She drew a deep breath and sighed. "I never imagined... that even an Old Heavenly Master with such vast and wondrous abilities could not escape the ravages of time."
"Although I have never met that Old Heavenly Master, I have heard a few stories about him. Quite a few officials in Prison Dragon County hold that Old Heavenly Master in very high regard."
Hearing this, Fan Wu understood.
So the County Magistrate of Prison Dragon County and all those officials had gone around outside, loudly boasting and spreading tales of his swindler master's exploits.
There might even have been a little artistic embellishment when the stories were passed on.
Damn!
That was painfully realistic!
Before you continue