The dragon chariot did not land directly in Clear Creek County, but rather in a dense forest far outside the county.
After getting off the bus, Chen Shuangbai said to the driver, "Wait here for a moment, I'll be back as soon as I've finished my business."
The coachman was a disciple of the sect and received a salary from the sect, so he naturally obeyed the orders of the sect's senior cultivators.
The young Daoist stepped down and followed Chen Shuangbai closely as they walked out of the dense forest, heading towards the county town.
After taking two steps, he seemed to sense something and looked back.
The path they had come from had vanished, and a thick fog, appearing from nowhere, obscured the dragon-shaped chariot.
The young Daoist was startled and was about to turn around to ask Chen Shuangbai a question, but the person walking in front of him was not the handsome Daoist in the pine-frost-colored robe, but a scholar in a moon-white Confucian robe, wearing a turban, with a frail figure, as if a gust of wind would blow him to the ground.
"Who... who... are you?"
The young Daoist asked, stammering.
But then the scholar suddenly turned around, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he said with a smile, "And who are you?"
The young Daoist priest snapped out of his daze, looked down at himself, and saw that he was dressed as a pageboy. His eyes flickered slightly, and he understood Chen Shuangbai's intention.
But what he could never understand was --
When did Chen Shuangbai cast the illusion?
So quietly and silently... I was transformed into this state.
But he knew he couldn't ask such questions, so he obediently followed behind the frail scholar, carrying his book box, and calling out to him with a loyal expression, "Young master, young master, slow down!"
Once inside the city, the scholar and his page went straight to the west side, but were immediately driven out by a group of wicked servants.
"Where did this poor, pedantic scholar come from?"
"This is the residence of the Mo Household; how dare you trespass here!"
The scholar fell to the ground, his turban undone, revealing a head of jet-black hair, looking utterly disheveled.
The pageboy beside him rushed forward to help, asking if the young master was hurt, while glaring at the group of wicked servants and shouting, "This is clearly my young master, from the Huang Household mansion! Where did you scoundrels come from?"
"I want to report this to the authorities!"
"Report to the authorities?"
A group of wicked servants, as if they had heard something utterly ridiculous, burst into laughter. "In Clear Creek County, the Mo Household is the government! Get out!"
These people then stepped forward and shoved the pair, leaving them with no choice but to leave in a sorry state.
"What kind of bullshit Huang Household! This house was mortgaged to my Mo Household three years ago! Paying back debts is a matter of course! If you dare to make a sound here again, I'll break your legs!"
After traversing several streets and alleys, the scholar surnamed Huang straightened his robes, brushed the dust off his sleeves, and the disheveled look on his face disappeared, leaving only calmness. He said, "Let's go to the local government office."
The pageboy should be behind.
Upon arriving at the government office, the scholar surnamed Huang stepped forward and pounded the grievance drum outside, making a loud clanging sound. Soon, a yamen runner came out, and after finding out who was making the grievance, he hurriedly went back to report to the county magistrate.
The magistrate was focused on educating his son when his advisor rushed in, pulled him aside, and explained the situation. The magistrate's expression changed drastically.
"His surname is Huang... that's terrible!"
"Sir, what should we do now?"
The advisor asked with deep concern, "If the Mo Household were just an ordinary powerful clan, that would be one thing, but they are a clan of immortal cultivators... We are just ordinary mortals, how can we possibly contend with immortals?"
Over the years, the Mo Household have become increasingly rampant, so why hasn't the county magistrate done anything about it?
Isn't it because there's a Divine Ability deity in their family protecting them?!
The county magistrate was merely a mortal; how could he possibly contend with immortals?
The magistrate pondered for a long time, a look of hesitation appearing on his face, but the clerk, who seemed to know him perfectly well, suddenly suggested, "Let's have him thrown out!"
Upon hearing this, the magistrate was about to nod when he shook his head, saying, "To refrain from punishing a wrongful conviction is a crime!"
The advisor offered another suggestion. "Then you should pretend to be sick!"
"Good idea."
Not long after.
The clerk, accompanied by his constables, emerged with a sorrowful expression. He sighed deeply at the scholar and his servant, saying, "It's not that my magistrate is unwilling to treat me, but he is gravely ill and bedridden..."
There was nothing they could do but leave.
After leaving the county government office, the pageboy sighed softly, "Young master, it seems that the county government is indeed very afraid of the power of the Mo Household."
"No, it's the patriarch of the Mo Household school who's in charge!"
The scholar said this, but he did not sit idly by and wait for his death. Instead, he ran around the county town looking for those who had a past relationship with the Huang Household. He called on his friends and acquaintances to collect evidence and go to the prefectural city to file a complaint and ask if there was any justice left in the world!
This move indeed attracted the attention of the Mo Household.
That evening.
The master and servant stopped for a meal at the inn.
The page took the hot water brought by the shopkeeper, placed it aside, and asked with some doubt, "Young master, what if the Mo Household doesn't fall for the trap?"
The scholar sat at his desk, intently reading an old book by the light of an oil lamp.
The oil lamp was old, clearly having been used for a long time. Its dim light shone on his face, soft and hazy, revealing his handsome features. Anyone who saw him would say that he was indeed a dashing young man.
There is indeed a Huang Household in Clear Creek County. It is said that they are a branch of a large family that migrated from elsewhere. They are known for their literary and scholarly traditions, and several of their children have been sent to study at academies outside the county.
The scholar that Chen Shuangbai transformed into naturally had a background and identity.
The scholar smiled upon hearing this and said, "Having swallowed so much, how can it be so easily vomited up?"
I already saw it during the day.
"The Mo Household's momentum is like a riot of flowers, like oil being poured over a raging fire; all that's missing is someone to add a piece of firewood!"
"Just wait and see."
That evening.
The sky was overcast, and the stars and moon were obscured by thick, dark clouds.
A few streets away, in a large mansion, a master and servant were resting in a room.
The current head of the Mo Household is gathering several key figures to discuss an important matter: how to deal with the Huang Household master and servant pair.
The head of the Mo Household family was tall and imposing, with the appearance of a virtuous gentleman. He sat in the main seat, while the heads of the various branches below him expressed their opinions.
"Go for it! This can't get out!"
"That's right!"
"The people who handled the Huang Household matter back then were still inexperienced, so they left some loopholes. If we let this Huang Household brat live, he might cause some unnecessary trouble. It's best to kill him."
"No, we can't do it."
One of them, his gaze dark and sinister, said, "This kid has some cleverness. He's caused such a stir during the day, attracting a lot of attention. If we send people directly to cause him trouble, it will only draw too much attention."
Upon hearing this, the head of the Mo Household family slowly put down his teacup, looked at the man, and said quietly, "Then... what do you mean?"
"Curse me!"