As fear gripped every heart, an aged voice suddenly rang out.
"Fellow Daoist, your methods are formidable. This poor Daoist admires you greatly! But now that this mud-born wooden fool has been slain, why not stop here?"
That aged voice was like a needle that steadied the sea, suppressing the unrest filling the hall.
Everyone followed the sound and discovered that the speaker was none other than the mysterious old Daoist priest County Lieutenant Qiao had invited.
"Fellow Daoist, you guarded yourself in desolation for sixty years for the sake of Sword Slash Fox Spirit. This poor Daoist admires you to the utmost as well! Since you have spoken, let today's matter end here! A hundred years from now, seek me out and we shall drink and talk merrily!"
Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy raised his chin slightly and issued the invitation.
"It would be my greatest honor. I shall gladly go!"
Old Daoist Priest Yanzhen cupped his hands.
As his words fell, Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy sheathed his sword. The three-foot blade quietly lost its edge.
At the same time, County Lieutenant Qiao, who had been clutching his head and howling without cease, abruptly fell silent as the sword returned to its sheath.
He scrambled to his feet in terror, both hands desperately groping at his head as if seeking proof. Only after finding it completely intact did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Daoist Priest, for saving my life!"
With lingering fear all over his face, County Lieutenant Qiao bowed to Old Daoist Priest Yanzhen, his gaze instinctively flicking toward Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy in the hall.
At that moment, Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy seemed to awaken from a dream. With a bewildered expression, he gestured through the air, apparently trying to draw forth that vanished immortal sword once more.
The sight made County Lieutenant Qiao's heart pound and his soul tremble.
He was truly terrified.
Everything that had just happened remained vivid in his memory.
When that immortal sword had slashed down from empty air, he had felt his head suddenly fall away with it.
Fear and unease flooded his heart in an instant.
It was as though lard had blinded his mind; like a drowning man, he knew only to struggle desperately and search for his head, casting all reason behind him.
"County Lieutenant, you overstate it. Fu Luan Ancestor merely slew your foolish nature. How could this be called saving your life?"
Mo Chuan, having returned to Old Daoist Priest Yanzhen's body, spoke with a solemn expression.
—The exchange between Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy and Old Daoist Priest Yanzhen just now had been a performance he had written, directed, and acted himself, with one soul controlling two bodies!
"Ah? This, this..."
County Lieutenant Qiao stood dumbfounded. Only after a long while did realization dawn upon him, and he looked as though enlightenment had been poured over his head:
"Thank you for your guidance, Daoist Priest. Only now do I feel quick of mind, seeing all things as clearly as a mirror! It seems I misunderstood Fu Luan Ancestor!"
"Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared, this poor Daoist's old bones are weary. I shall take my leave first."
How could County Lieutenant Qiao dare let Mo Chuan leave? He hurriedly said, "I'll see you off, Daoist Priest."
As he spoke, he hurried over at a trot, supported Mo Chuan, and helped him rise to leave.
When they reached the center of the hall, County Lieutenant Qiao looked at Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy, who seemed still immersed in the profound mysteries of spirit descent. He shuddered uncontrollably from head to toe, not even daring to look directly at the Daoist boy.
He could only pretend to support Mo Chuan as they departed the main hall beneath everyone's complicated gazes.
Once County Lieutenant Qiao left, the remaining officials, high and low, scattered in a clamor as well.
The Jianghu drifters could no longer sit still either. Even more afraid that Fu Luan Temple would settle accounts after autumn, they rushed out in a jostling swarm as though their backsides were on fire.
In an instant, only a handful of people remained in the vast hall.
"Temple Master Fu Luan, I offended you greatly just now. Please forgive me!"
The master of Tianling Temple had not left.
With a complicated expression, he walked up to Fu Luan's old Daoist priest and bowed in apology.
"No matter! Children speak recklessly; it is only natural for doubts to arise in their hearts!"
Fu Luan's old Daoist priest stroked his beard and replied magnanimously, "Xuan Yun, come pay your respects to the master of Tianling Temple!"
"Yes, Master."
Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy answered, then walked over somewhat unwillingly, as though he had not yet had his fill of the spectacle. He cupped his hands and said, "Ling Xiaozi greets the master of Tianling Temple!"
Ling Xiaozi was Xuan Yun's Daoist name.
As for "Xuan Yun," that was his Daoist name by which only his master could address him.
Of course, he also had a secular name.
Yet that secular name had long vanished like smoke when he stepped into Fu Luan Temple.
The master of Tianling Temple looked at the tender-faced Daoist boy before him, who had shaken the four directions only moments ago. His expression was filled with complicated envy and endless emotion.
"Fu Luan has gained Ling Xiao, like ascending the Lingxiao Treasure Hall!"
"Hahaha..."
Fu Luan's old Daoist priest could not help laughing heartily. "Fellow Daoist, you flatter us. It is all thanks to the Patriarch's protection!"
Besides the master of Tianling Temple, the abbot of a Buddhist temple near Qingshui County also came forward to offer congratulations.
Rather than broad-mindedness, however,
it was better to say that after this affair, the rise of Fu Luan Temple had become inevitable!
If they did not seize this chance to ease their conflicts, then once Fu Luan Temple grew powerful, it would be difficult to smooth things over afterward.
And indeed, that was precisely what happened.
Early the next morning, County Lieutenant Qiao brought his family up the mountain to visit Fu Luan Temple. Declaring that the temple lived in poverty, he publicly donated ten taels of silver.
He then led the women of his household to receive blessings from Fu Luan's old Daoist priest, and privately made further donations. As for how much, no one knew.
As soon as word spread, officials of every rank throughout Qingshui County came to visit.
For a time, countless people donated.
The mountain path to Fu Luan Temple, long fallen into disrepair, was trampled until it gleamed like new. Incense smoke drifted endlessly from the burners in the halls.
From afar, it looked like the fairyland of Yaochi, with clouds and rosy mists gathering thickly and purple qi suffusing the air.
At the same time, news of Fu Luan Temple inviting immortals and conducting spirit descent spread with the departure of people from all walks of life.
And in their eagerness to make themselves look impressive, the storytellers inevitably embellished the tale, giving rise to several versions.
Yet no matter the version, none could avoid the matter of "Fu Luan Temple inviting immortals for spirit descent, borrowing Heaven and Earth's Dharma Sword, and using it to slay the County Lieutenant's wooden foolishness."
In some of the more outrageous folk rumors, there was even talk that Magistrate Qin had been killed by the Patriarch of Fu Luan Temple.
This was punishing a corrupt official on behalf of Heaven and upholding the Dao!
Since County Lieutenant Qiao had not been the chief culprit, he had been spared.
In short, no matter which version it was, so many people swore they had seen it with their own eyes that others could not help but believe it.
This draped Fu Luan Temple in a halo and planted the people's support for its future flourishing.
After Mo Chuan departed, County Lieutenant Qiao could not stop asking about the Patriarch of Fu Luan Temple.
Mo Chuan gave him a few ambiguous hints, and County Lieutenant Qiao fell into thoughtful contemplation upon hearing them.
Thus came his visit the next day.
After giving County Lieutenant Qiao his guidance, Mo Chuan bid farewell and left.
He said outright that he had guarded a barren mountain for sixty years, and his days were now few. Having descended the mountain this day, before returning to the Daoist mountains, he wished only to see the smoke and fire of the mortal world and return to his sect to beg forgiveness.
When County Lieutenant Qiao failed to persuade him to stay, he promptly sent someone to find a freight escort convoy to protect Mo Chuan on his journey.
"Daoist master, where are you headed?"
The escort chief Luo Feibai, known by the nickname Huayin Flying Tiger, cupped his fists and asked.
He was a dark-faced man of around forty, with a fierce and evil-looking countenance, broad shoulders, and a back like a tiger's.
"Yunji Temple of Xishan City!"
"Ah, Daoist master, that is no short distance."
"Walk slowly, and we will arrive eventually."
Mo Chuan's face was full of wistfulness.
Yunji Temple was Old Daoist Priest Yanzhen's sect. It lay roughly three hundred li from Qingshui County; in this era, it would take at least eight or nine days to reach.
Speaking of which, a person's thoughts truly changed three times in a day.
Originally, he had only intended to end his remaining days in Qingshui County. But after witnessing the Fu Luan master and disciple, he suddenly recalled Old Daoist Priest Yanzhen's final words.
With a sigh in his heart, he simply decided to send Old Daoist Priest Yanzhen back to his sect, so as not to betray the kindness of borrowing his shell.
If he could use this opportunity to enter the Dao and learn a few Daoist arts, that would be even better.
"These five taels of silver are the carriage fee. Please accept them, sir." As he spoke, Mo Chuan paid the fare in advance.
"Daoist master, you are putting us to shame!"
Luo Feibai was greatly alarmed at the sight. This Daoist master was the County Lieutenant's honored guest; how could he dare accept extra silver?
"Sir, listen to this poor Daoist. My life will not last much longer. If I leave behind my form in the carriage, I hope you will send my mortal remains back to my mountain gate," Mo Chuan said.
Upon hearing this, Luo Feibai no longer declined.
The next day, while County Lieutenant Qiao and his family visited Fu Luan Temple, Huayin Flying Tiger Luo Feibai led the escort convoy out of Qingshui and toward Xishan.
This was a large shipment, with three flatbed carts loaded full of goods. Besides those, there was Mo Chuan's carriage.
Speaking of which, the escort agency was merely protecting Mo Chuan along the way.
Its true destination was not Xishan City, but Changlan City!
Still, Changlan City was not far from Xishan City. An extra day or two of travel would not matter.
Before you continue