Re-entering the County Town

Halfway through the game, Fang Ming took a sip of tea and asked, "Mr. He, how much do you know about White Cloud Temple?" He Yuqing smiled, made another move, and then said, "After being influenced by chess, your patience has improved significantly. Congratulations! Usually, you ask questions right after the opening!"

"Alas... I was too busy before. Now that I finally have some free time, aren't I here to seek your guidance, sir!"

"You are no longer young, sir, already past the age of capping. Why haven't you married a wife to take care of your daily life? Even if you haven't found a suitable candidate, you could at least take a few concubines to enjoy their company, so you don't have to keep me, an old man, company. It makes me uneasy!" He Yuqing, having spent a lot of time with him, knew that this esteemed guest had no taboos in this regard and was usually quite easygoing, so he teased him.

As soon as he finished speaking, he blinked his eyes again and said, "If you don't have anyone in mind, I can introduce you to a few. They are all daughters of noble families, dignified in appearance, suitable for bearing sons, and I guarantee you won't lose out!"

In this world, men reach the age of capping at fifteen, signifying adulthood, after which they can marry and have children to continue the family line.

"Heh heh... Sir, please don't make fun of me. My current foundation, while not in immediate danger, could be swept away by the wind and rain at any moment. How can I possibly think about such things?" Fang Ming said with a wry smile. When it came to serious matters, He Yuqing's expression turned solemn. "Is it about White Cloud Temple?"

Fang Ming nodded and said, "What must come will come. If I want to develop in Wuzhou, I must get past White Cloud Temple!"

"White Cloud Temple is a Taoist sect in Wuzhou, also officially recognized by the court. There are two True Persons in the temple, with branches spread throughout the region. Many Ghost Suppression Cao Divisions in the prefectures and counties of Wuzhou are disciples of White Cloud Temple," He Yuqing said after a moment of thought.

"I've mentioned this before, but that's just the surface. According to my He Family's secret investigation, White Cloud Temple currently ranks its formal disciples by the characters 'Qing,' 'Yu,' 'Ling,' and 'Zheng.' There are about two hundred of them. There are also outer disciples who are not part of the four-character ranking but have learned some techniques. Most of them work in the secular world, managing the sect's properties. Including servants, warriors, and so on, the total number of people in White Cloud Temple is around a thousand."

"Hmm!" Fang Ming nodded. The number of people in White Cloud Temple wasn't too large, which was beyond his expectations. He then asked, "Does Sir know about fortune treasures?"

"Oh? It seems you already have some knowledge!" He Yuqing's expression flickered for a moment before returning to normal. "Fortune treasures are said to be evolved from spiritual veins between heaven and earth, or generated out of thin air with great fortune, capable of suppressing luck. Mortals who obtain them can hope for high official positions, and Great Clans who obtain them can ensure their blessings last for generations." "However, these items have always been the lifeblood of Taoist sects, used to suppress luck and maintain the orthodoxy. Moreover, they are scarce. My family spent a huge sum to offer a reward but found nothing. I heard that even the royal family doesn't have many."

Fang Ming took a sip of tea and said, "The White Cloud Sword of White Cloud Temple should be considered a supreme treasure of fortune! How many are there?"

He Yuqing shook his head and said, "Such supreme treasures are not easily seen. Ordinary major sects only have one, kept as the foundation of the sect and hidden deeply, only to be used in times of life and death. As far as I know, White Cloud Temple only has one White Cloud Sword. Even that is enough to maintain White Cloud Temple's hegemonic position in Wuzhou."

"So, in Wuzhou, only White Cloud Temple has the final say on matters of ghosts and spirits, and they won't let outer sects interfere unless it's a dire emergency!" Fang Ming's eyes flashed as he grasped something from this statement.

"Naturally. Each sect has its territory, and when disciples go out for training, they cannot interfere with matters in other states at will, or they will be punished according to sect rules. Theoretically, as long as White Cloud Temple is not destroyed, they are in charge of ghost spirit matters in Wuzhou, and other Taoist sects cannot interfere, otherwise, it would be considered a declaration of war," He Yuqing said after thinking.

"Haha... Good, this gives me a few more points of confidence!" Fang Ming was overjoyed and stopped asking questions, focusing on the chess game.

He Yuqing wanted to ask, but he was not yet Fang Ming's subordinate, so he had to be discreet. Moreover, even if he were a subordinate, he couldn't casually inquire about the Lord's grand plans. He could only smile wryly and accompany Fang Ming in drinking tea and playing chess.

This time, Fang Ming had a plan in mind and played chess without hesitation, making moves very quickly. Soon, the game was over. Fang Ming smiled, stood up, and said, "Mr. He, your chess skills are profound, and I am impressed. I will come again another day to seek your guidance!" He then took his leave.

He Yuqing saw him to the door, sighing inwardly, "Looking at his chess moves, he has a plan in mind, unafraid of bloodshed. His decision is made, and outsiders cannot dissuade him... Something big is about to happen. Alas... What should I do?"

Fang Ming was unaware that He Yuqing had deduced something from his chess game. He had obtained the details of White Cloud Temple from He Yuqing, which was exactly what he needed. He returned to his study to refine his plan. Zhenzhu brought him tea and some pastries before leaving.

The next afternoon arrived.

Fang Ming arrived at Anchang County again. This time, he used his divine ability of splitting his consciousness to possess someone else. He possessed Li Qing, the Temple Keeper of Qingshan Village, and entered the city.

After paying the fee, he entered the city gate. The guards felt a flash of red light in their eyes, blinked, and found nothing, thinking they had seen things. They didn't pay much attention and didn't notice the red light flashing past Fang Ming's bag.

Once inside the city, Fang Ming didn't linger and headed straight for the north of the city.

The north of the city was considered the slum area. The further north Fang Ming walked, the fewer pedestrians there were, and most of them had dry hair and sallow complexions. He sighed at the disparities that existed everywhere and didn't look closely. After searching carefully, he found an inn at a corner.

On the faded and tattered plaque, the words "Zhao Family Old Shop" could still be vaguely seen. Much of the gold paint had peeled off, making it look very shabby.

Fang Ming entered the inn. The shopkeeper was dozing off intermittently. Fang Ming coughed, startling him awake. Seeing Fang Ming, the shopkeeper immediately put on a smile and asked, "Guest, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"

"I'll stay the night. I want a single room, and please bring up a few dishes."

The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed into a smile. "Certainly, guest, please!" He personally led Fang Ming, seemingly unable to afford to hire any help.

The single room was also old and worn, but it was relatively clean, with no dust. Fang Ming nodded.

The shopkeeper solicitously brought hot water, invited Fang Ming to wash his feet, and chatted with him, inquiring about his origins. Fang Ming smiled and said he was from Qingxi Township and was here on business and needed to stay overnight.

Before long, a woman brought up the food and wine, emitting a fragrant aroma. Fang Ming said with satisfaction, "These dishes are good, they smell so delicious!"

The shopkeeper smiled proudly and said, "My wife was an excellent cook back in the day. She even worked as a head chef at Yingke Tower. Now she's the main attraction of my little inn!"

Fang Ming smiled, took out five large coins, and said, "Leave the food here, and clean up tomorrow. You can go now! Don't serve me tonight; I want to sleep peacefully!"

The shopkeeper was overjoyed and surprised. He touched the five large coins and put them in his pocket. He ignored the glare from the woman beside him and said with a smile, "Okay, okay, we're leaving now. We definitely won't disturb you tonight!"

They left together, and the sound of arguing could still be heard on the way, seemingly about the money.

Fang Ming smiled, closed the door and windows, ate and drank casually, then set the cups and plates aside. He opened his bag, revealing a wooden carving, which was an idol of the Earth God.

Fang Ming touched the idol. Red and white light flickered, and divine power surged out from within the idol.

After confirming everything was in order, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

He was currently just a possessed split consciousness and had no divine power of his own. However, with this idol, he could store divine power within it and bring it into the city. Then, he could use the divine power to cast spells.

Of course, he couldn't carry much divine power, so the spells wouldn't be very powerful. Moreover, these methods would be of little use against county officials or wealthy families.

But this was the north of the city, where most of the poor and artisans lived. Fang Ming had observed during the day that most residents had weak fortune and frail bodies. The laws in the north of the city were the weakest, and their fortune was the thinnest, making it suitable for casting spells. With these two factors combined, he could accomplish quite a bit.

At night, the bright moon hung high, casting its clear light. The county town gradually fell silent.

Most residents in the north of the city had also fallen asleep.

The shopkeeper and his wife had just fallen asleep when their bodies seemed to fly up and arrive at a magnificent palace hall. Below, there was a banquet laid out with roast chicken and duck, accompanied by fine wine that emitted a fragrant aroma. Even though the shopkeeper's family ran an inn, their business wasn't good, and they couldn't eat like this every day. He couldn't help but swallow.

Looking around, he saw other people, all in tattered clothes. Some of them looked vaguely familiar, seeming to be residents from the north of the city whom he had seen a few times.

At this moment, someone finally couldn't resist, rushed forward, picked up a roast chicken, and began to devour it, saying, "I don't care anymore, I'd rather be a well-fed ghost even if I die!"

The shopkeeper saw that this person was in ragged clothes and was actually a beggar. As the beggar took a bite, he paused for a moment, then began to eat ravenously.

The others couldn't bear it any longer and also went forward to eat and drink. The shopkeeper rubbed his eyes and said, "Am I dreaming? This is truly strange! Wife, pinch me!"

The woman beside him heard this and pinched him hard. The force of her pinch made the shopkeeper cry out in pain, but he was even more bewildered. He then went forward, picked up a cup of wine, and took a sip. It was rich and mellow, much better than the watered-down stuff he sold. It whetted his appetite, and he didn't care about the strangeness, calling his wife to join him in eating and drinking.

As everyone ate and drank their fill, sighing contentedly about their wonderful dreams, a golden light flashed above the great hall, revealing a young official. He wore a true eighth-rank official's uniform and exuded a profound majesty, causing everyone to involuntarily bow down.

At this moment, Fang Ming appeared as he normally did. The Shopkeeper had only ever seen Li Qing, so naturally, he didn't recognize him. He merely thought the young man looked very imposing and carried an air of authority. Then, he heard the young man speak: "I am the Earth God. I can ensure people's peace and prosperity, bountiful harvests, and bless them with children. All you need to do is silently chant my name every day with sincere prayer, and every night you can have such dreams, living in joy and freedom!" This voice echoed three times, imprinting itself deeply in everyone's hearts.

Just then, the scene suddenly lit up brightly. The Shopkeeper startled and sat up, finding himself in his own bed with his wife beside him. Yet, the events of last night were still vivid in his memory, and he could clearly recall the taste of the fine wine. He couldn't help but exclaim, "What a wonderful dream!"

His wife also woke up and said, "I had a dream last night. I dreamt I was in a great hall with you and many other people, eating and drinking very happily!"

The Shopkeeper was greatly astonished. He and his wife compared the details, and they were exactly the same. They couldn't help but stare at each other in disbelief.