The Declining Daoist World, a Chaotic Era

The Declining Daoist World, a Chaotic Era

"Master, why are we killing chickens and buying such fine mutton and donkey meat today? What are we making?"

At the Yizhuang on the outskirts of Renjia Town, Wencai set the freshly slaughtered rooster before Uncle Jiu. Uncle Jiu felt strangely unfamiliar to him today.

His master had always been stingy, yet today he had unexpectedly splurged on so much good wine and food. This wasn't a last meal before execution, was it?

"Quit talking nonsense. Just prepare what I told you to prepare!"

Uncle Jiu shot him a sidelong glare. The imposing look startled Wencai. Qiusheng stepped forward and set down the sliced donkey and mutton, along with the prepared desserts. "Whatever Master says goes. Why are you babbling, Wencai? By the way, Master, when do we get to eat?"

After all these years at the Yizhuang, he had rarely seen such lavish dishes.

That was simply how things were in these chaotic times. Ordinary people barely ate well, let alone donkey or mutton. Yet Uncle Jiu had exceptionally prepared all this today. Qiusheng had no idea why, but all he wanted now was to shovel down three big bowls of rice.

"We're waiting for someone."

Uncle Jiu slowly shook his head.

"Is Uncle Simu coming? But when Uncle Simu came before, you never prepared this much food, Master."

Wencai asked curiously, then quietly reached out to pinch a piece of osmanthus cake. Uncle Jiu promptly smacked his hand away.

When he saw Uncle Jiu's widened eyes, Wencai shrank back. An awkward grin flashed across his face, and he did not dare make another move.

"It's not Junior Brother Simu. The head of the Shenxiao Sect is visiting Renjia Town today. He informed me some time ago."

If it had been someone from the same sect, Bai Ye would not have needed to notify him.

But this was territory guarded by Maoshan. Bai Ye belonged to the Shenxiao Sect, and as its sect leader, he had notified Uncle Jiu before coming.

On one hand, it was to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. On the other, after notifying him, he would need Uncle Jiu to show him around the area.

Even the righteous orthodox sects had their rules. Bai Ye did not particularly care for so many rules, but it was better to observe them and avoid giving people something to talk about. After all, he was now the leader of a sect.

"The Shenxiao Sect? What kind of sect is that?"

Qiusheng asked curiously. This caught his interest; it was his first time hearing of this sect.

When it came to Daoist sects, he only knew that his own sect was Maoshan. He knew nothing else.

"The Shenxiao Sect evolved from the Tianshi Dao near the end of the Northern Song Dynasty. It specializes in Five Thunder Talismans and can command ghosts and gods, control thunder and rain, and ward off disasters. It is one of the righteous orthodox sects as well. Be polite when you meet them later, and don't be so rash!"

After giving them a brief introduction, Uncle Jiu warned the two of them.

He knew his two disciples' troublesome natures well. If they offended Bai Ye, they would suffer for it.

"Then, Master, what other cultivation sects are there?"

Qiusheng asked.

"Yes, Master! You've never told us about these things before!"

Wencai hurriedly chimed in.

Seeing them like this, Uncle Jiu shook his head and explained helplessly, "There used to be many sects within the Daoist world, but in this Age of Dharma Decline, many have effectively disappeared. Those that remain include Maoshan, the Shenxiao Sect, the Quanzhen Sect, the Longhu Mountain Zhengyi Sect, the Tianshi Dao, and a few others. Then there's Buddhism, followed by sects of Evil Cultivators and independent Evil Cultivators. In short, there are quite a few besides Maoshan. And put away those little thoughts of yours!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Uncle Jiu also tried to curb their temperaments.

Wencai was dull-witted and honest, but his talent for Daoist cultivation was abysmal. Qiusheng had decent talent, but he was far too restless and playful.

Taking in these two disciples was simply eight lifetimes of bad luck.

He always felt that his Daoist arts would die with him.

And in this Age of Dharma Decline, cultivation was becoming harder and harder.

"Don't worry, Master. We know what to do!"

Qiusheng patted his chest in assurance.

"Ah, it'll be enough if you two can spare me some worry!"

Uncle Jiu had long given up on expecting much from them. As long as they caused him less trouble, nothing else was a major issue.

As for the future, they could worry about it later.

Knock, knock!

A knock sounded from outside the courtyard.

"Master, I'll get it!"

Wencai immediately got up. Qiusheng hurriedly followed. "Master, I'll go too!"

They were both very curious about the Shenxiao Sect's leader.

When they opened the door, a young, handsome man in Daoist robes stood before them. At his sides lay a black-and-white bamboo bear and a yellow village dog.

"Are you Lin Fengjiao's disciples?"

Lin Fengjiao?

Wencai and Qiusheng exchanged a look, then shook their heads. "Sorry, you've got the wrong people!"

With that, they prepared to shut the door.

"Ahem. They are my disciples."

Uncle Jiu coughed awkwardly from behind them. Though he did not want to mention that name, he knew he could not avoid it now. Wencai and Qiusheng turned to stare at him as though they had seen a Ghost. Their faces reddened as they held back their laughter, not daring to make a sound.

Damn it!?

No wonder they had never known their master's name. Their master was actually named Lin Fengjiao!

No wonder, no wonder.

If it were them, they probably would not want to mention their own names either!

"Fellow Daoist, did you come alone?"

He looked at Big Yellow, who was clutching Bai Ye's Daoist robe at his feet and preparing to chew on it. Well, there was also a silly dog and a bamboo bear.

Since when had the Shenxiao Sect started keeping creatures like these?

"The Shenxiao Sect has long since declined. This time, aside from descending the mountain to fulfill my sect's duty of eliminating evil and defending the Dao, I also wish to take in one or two disciples to teach and preserve the lineage."

Bai Ye nodded. There was no need to hide this.

The Shenxiao Sect truly had declined. Aside from himself, its leader, and a senior sister who had gone missing, there was no one else.

Back when Bai Ye had kept a low profile on the mountain, one reason was his lack of strength, while the other was to preserve the Shenxiao Sect's final inheritance. Now that he was strong enough, he was willing to descend the mountain and seek disciples.

"Ah, I never expected even the Shenxiao Sect to have become like this. Fellow Daoist, please come in. We can talk at length inside!"

Uncle Jiu stepped aside. It was no way to treat a guest by keeping him talking outside the door.

"Come on, Big Yellow. Little Black."

Such simple names.

Qiusheng and Wencai exchanged another look. Was he really that casual about it?

"He became a sect leader at such a young age. Do you think he's really that powerful?"

Wencai muttered behind them. Bai Ye looked even younger than he was. Surely that meant he was not that impressive.

"I think so too!"

Qiusheng was a little sour. Bai Ye was so handsome that it dealt quite a blow to Qiusheng's confidence in his own looks.

"Fellow Daoist, it's best to travel as little as possible in these chaotic times. Demons, monsters, ghosts, and fiends are secondary. The real problem is those warlords!"

In the main hall, Uncle Jiu served Bai Ye a cup of tea and offered him a reminder.

Perhaps because Bai Ye was young, Uncle Jiu could tell that the Shenxiao Sect had indeed declined.

There might truly only be Bai Ye left. Otherwise, there was no way its leader would be so young. If Bai Ye were some exceptionally formidable genius, word would have spread like wildfire through the Daoist world. There was no way Uncle Jiu would not have heard of him until now.

So he wanted to persuade Bai Ye not to act rashly. If Bai Ye died, the Shenxiao Sect's inheritance might truly be severed.

These times were simply too chaotic.

Moreover, since the Dragon Vein had been cut off, cultivation had become increasingly difficult.

Now, on top of being an era of chaos, warlords were fighting everywhere. For cultivators, demons, monsters, ghosts, and fiends could still be dealt with, but the guns in the warlords' hands were different. One shot could truly kill them.

The times had changed.

"I know these are chaotic times, but isn't eliminating evil and defending the Dao what cultivators must do?"

Bai Ye spoke slowly. Perhaps because of the Ring of Merit, the quickest way for him to improve his strength was to kill evil entities and accumulate merit.

"Fellow Daoist, you are truly righteous!"

Uncle Jiu felt somewhat ashamed.

"Being able to protect peace in one area is already admirable. Haven't demons, monsters, ghosts, and fiends been absent from your area these past years?"

Bai Ye had calculated that searching for demons, monsters, ghosts, and fiends outside on his own was simply too inefficient.

Just like in the Detective Conan World—if he wanted to encounter cases, he only needed to follow the Shinigami. And in this Jiangshi world, Uncle Jiu was undoubtedly a born protagonist. Following him gave Bai Ye a far greater chance of encountering Ghosts than wandering around by himself.

So after descending the mountain, Bai Ye had mainly come to find Uncle Jiu to figure out the timeline here.

If it was still a long time before the events began, he could wait and come back later. But if they were about to begin, he needed to earn some merit for his Ring of Merit.

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist. The dishes aren't ready yet. Please wait a moment—we can talk while we eat!"

Uncle Jiu smiled without saying much more, signaling Wencai and Qiusheng to finish preparing the food.

It was rare to meet someone from another sect, so Uncle Jiu was naturally rather interested.

The two talked about everything from Daoist cultivation to matters far and wide. Bai Ye's exceptional knowledge greatly surprised Uncle Jiu.

At first, he had thought Bai Ye was merely a hot-blooded youth who liked championing justice and destroying evil.

But through their conversation, he learned that Bai Ye knew more than he did. Bai Ye even understood many Western things better than him.

This gave Uncle Jiu a small idea. Master Ren had invited him to a teahouse tomorrow, and he had never been to one before. If Bai Ye went with him, perhaps he would not embarrass himself. Besides, with Bai Ye at his side, he somehow felt more at ease.

Before this, he had always felt vaguely uneasy.

"Master, the food is ready. Should we bring it all out?"

Qiusheng poked his head in and looked at the two chatting happily. He could not help muttering to himself. Their ages seemed so far apart, and Bai Ye might even be younger than him, yet he could chat so happily with his master.

Shaking his head, he stopped dwelling on it.

"Go ahead."

Uncle Jiu nodded in satisfaction. At least his two disciples had not embarrassed him this time.

He was someone who cared greatly about appearances.

"Got it, Master!"

After saying that, Qiusheng dashed into the kitchen and called for Wencai to bring out all the dishes.

"Qiusheng, give me a hand!"

"Be careful, Wencai. If you drop anything, Master will definitely punish you!"

Seeing Wencai behind him holding several plates with a miserable expression, Qiusheng teased him smugly before running off.

"Hey! Don't run!" Wencai shouted at Qiusheng's retreating back, but the next instant, Qiusheng disappeared around the corner. Wencai could only curse him inwardly for lacking loyalty.

But when he thought of what Qiusheng had just said and imagined Uncle Jiu's gloomy face, Wencai could not help shuddering. He carried the bowls in his hands all the more steadily.

After finally bringing everything over safely, Wencai breathed a sigh of relief. But when he saw Qiusheng's gloating expression, he became furious.

There were seven dishes in total, yet Qiusheng had carried only two while he had brought the other five by himself.

"Fellow Daoist, it's just simple fare. I hope you can make do with it?"

Uncle Jiu did not know whether Bai Ye would like these dishes.

Daoism had no dietary prohibitions, so they ate whatever was available. They could eat meat, but not birds, fish, beef, wild geese, or dogs. Old cattle were kind, black fish were filial, wild geese were faithful, and dogs were loyal.

This was known as the four things not to eat.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Fellow Daoist. Let me treat you tomorrow."

In these times, serving donkey meat, mutton, and chicken to entertain a guest was already extremely thoughtful.

"Well... I may need to go out tomorrow. By the way, Fellow Daoist, would you like to come along?"

Uncle Jiu had been wondering how to ask Bai Ye whether he wanted to go with him.

Since Bai Ye had put it that way, Uncle Jiu took the opportunity to ask.

"Huh?"

Weren't you taking me?

Wencai turned to Uncle Jiu in confusion. They had agreed he would be taken out for Western tea. He had even washed his clothes for tomorrow, so why was he no longer being brought along?

"Going out? Are you traveling far, Fellow Daoist?"

"No. Master Ren from town asked my master to help exhume and rebury a coffin!"

Wencai rushed to answer, looking smug and boastful.

"Hm?"

Your master hasn't said anything, so why are you interrupting?

Uncle Jiu glared at Wencai, and he immediately did not dare say another word.

But the slight upward curve of Uncle Jiu's lips clearly showed that he was quite pleased inside.

After all, he cared about appearances. That was just the kind of person he was, though he refused to admit it.

"In that case, they only invited you, Fellow Daoist. Would it be inappropriate for me to tag along?"

Bai Ye's eyes lit up. He had arrived just in time for the plot.

It seemed he had come at exactly the right moment. Once Old Master Ren, that Jiangshi, was dealt with, how much merit would he accumulate? There should even be a chance to draw a prize, right?

"It's no trouble. If you're willing, Fellow Daoist, how about we go together tomorrow?"

"Good."

Bai Ye nodded and did not decline further. Since Uncle Jiu had invited him so sincerely, refusing would clearly be rather disrespectful.

Meanwhile, Wencai's little eyes were filled with urgency.

He was dying of anxiety.

Was no one going to speak up for him?

PS: Thank you all for the tips!