Cloud Dragon Lower Court, Yuheng Hall Side Hall.
The Daoist Yiding's gaunt face was as deep and inscrutable. He gripped the armrest of the chair, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.
Clearly, although the old Daoist priest's face remained expressionless, his heart was far from calm.
The Daoist Yixing, sat to the left, his plump face showing undisguised worry.
Zhou Wuji had just returned when he mocked the guest master at the main gate, and the story had already spread Lower Court.
Even though Zhou Wuji did nothing to the Daoist priest, Yi Xing, as the Yixing, immediately dismissed the priest from his position as the Daoist priest.
Yixing even specifically asked this Daoist priest when he had offended Zhou Wuji.
The Daoist priest was somewhat bewildered. He only remembered that Zhou Wuji had come when he was Eighth Rank, but he hadn't paid any attention to Zhou Wuji at the time.
Thinking it over, I realized I was just a bit careless at the time. I never expected Zhou Wuji to remember this trivial matter for three years.
Yixing felt utterly disheartened upon hearing this. He had seriously offended Zhou Wuji back then, and although he had tried his best to make amends, their relationship seemed to be quite good afterward.
But he knew that Zhou Wuji was a man of deep cunning, and even if he harbored resentment towards him, he would not show it on the surface.
Zhou Wuji is now the abbot of the Lower Court; if someone really wanted to deal with him, it would only take a word.
If it's just a demotion, that's fine. The real worry is that this kid will take the opportunity to squeeze every last drop of fat out of him.
Yixing knew that Daoist Yiding and Zhou Wuji had always been at odds, which is why he came to Daoist Yiding to discuss the matter.
He always felt that the Daoist Yiding was very experienced, and that he belonged to the Yuheng Lineage, with the highest-ranking Daoist priest being the True Person Zhihua.
It's said that Zhou Wuji and True Person Zhihua are very close, so perhaps Zhou Wuji can give True Person Zhihua some face.
Judging from Daoist Yiding's current demeanor, he was indeed afraid. This made Daoist Yixing look down on Yiding somewhat; he usually acted all cunning and calculating, but when it really came down to it, he was useless!
The two remained silent for a while before Yixing finally couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, is there any explanation?"
The Daoist Yiding sighed, "What can we say? He holds the imperial edict of the Zhiyun and is Third Rank True Person. Aren't we just at his mercy?"
He felt a little disheartened as soon as he said it, then raised his voice slightly and said, "At most, they'll take away our positions, what else can they do? They can't kill us all, can they?"
Yixing shook his chubby face. "That's hard to say."
As news of Zhou Wuji mocking the Daoist Master spread, many people in the Lower Court began to discuss how none of True Person Hongde's enemies had met a good end.
The Daoist Yiding coughed lightly. "We are all from the same sect and school, it shouldn't come to this."
He further emphasized. " Yunyang is now very dissatisfied with the Lower Court. The more than one hundred laborers who died or were injured at the dock have already caused chaos."
"The prefect and the Ironclad Guard were ordered to conduct a large-scale search, which resulted in trouble. Some of the Ironclad Guard and constables died, and the Jin Household's money shop was forced to hand over its deposit ledgers."
"The prefect, the Ironclad Guard, the major merchants, and so on—all these troubles are waiting for Zhou Wuji to resolve. He has no time to concern himself with us."
The Daoist Yiding said, "This man is skilled in fighting and has a deep mind, but these troubles are not easy to resolve."
Daoist Yixing agreed, saying, "Senior brother is right."
In fact, Zhijing arrived, he was prepared to step down, since Zhijing was the master of the Heavenly Pivot Hall.
Unexpectedly, Zhijing looked down on the Lower Court and usually ignored Lower Court affairs.
Yixing originally thought that Zhijing Jing was a highly accomplished Daoist priest, Lu Wuyuan was an even more outstanding genius.
Unexpectedly, Lu Wuyuan incompetent; not only did he fail to accomplish his mission, he also died tragically outside the city.
True Person Zhijing was an even more incompetent person. Unable to find the murderer, he took his anger out on others, randomly beating and killing or injuring several laborers at the dock.
This man failed to catch the culprit and even tried to find the lurking Devil Cultivator through the bank's ledgers, unaware that he was putting the bank in mortal danger, instantly creating a blood feud between the two parties.
Zhijing thought that since he was Third Rank official, he could do whatever he wanted in Yunyang, but he underestimated the powerful and wealthy Aristocratic Clan in Yunyang.
Yixing felt that Zhijing was the best at causing trouble, while Zhou Wuji, despite his great reputation, had no real influence. This matter was truly difficult to handle!
Yiding and Yixing both shook their heads when they talked about these things, saying that the Lower Court had been terribly harmed by Zhijing this time.
The monks at Golden Leaf Temple are probably laughing their heads off; they can only watch the spectacle from the sidelines, while the Lower Court are about to be driven mad.
The Daoist Yiding added, " Zhou Wuji to appease all sides, so he has to rely on our connections. He certainly won't do anything to us."
Yixing thought about it for a moment, and realized that there was actually some truth to what he said.
As the two were talking, Wuai, the disciple of the Daoist Yiding, hurriedly entered from outside.
After bowing respectfully, Wuai hurriedly said, "Master, True Person Hongde has gone to the prefectural government to see the magistrate."
"What did they say?" Yixing asked hurriedly.
Wuai shook his head. "I didn't go in, I just waited outside. However, I saw Prefect Wang Yan smiling as he saw True Person Hongde out the gate—"
He accompanied Zhou Wuji on this mission as an attendant. He had no idea what Zhou Wuji had said to the prefect.
But he felt this matter was quite important and wanted to tell his master.
Daoist Yixing looked surprised. Even though Prefect Wang Yan and Zhou Wuji were old acquaintances, the prefect was actually the one who suffered the most from the mess that Zhijing Yunyang.
Putting everything else aside, the more than a hundred dead and wounded at the docks alone are a major problem. There are also the dead and wounded constables, and the angry citizens of the entire city. If these cannot be appeased, the prefect's term as an official will be over.
What could Zhou Wuji offer to persuade the prefect?
The Daoist Yiding was also filled with doubt, but he tried his best to appear calm. He asked Wuai, "Zhou..."
Where has True Person Hongde gone?
"I went to Hengfeng Bank Jin Zhao spoke with the owner, Jin Zhao."
Wuai said with a somewhat complicated expression, "Right on the street, True Person Hongde, on behalf of the Upper Court, formally apologized to Jin Zhao. Many people saw it."
Daoist Yiding Daoist Yixing exchanged a glance, both understanding that Hengfeng Bank had not suffered any actual loss. Zhou Wuji had used the name of the Upper Court to apologize to Jin Zhao in public, giving him ample face.
The money exchange wanted to cooperate with both Buddhism and Daoism, and Jin Zhao couldn't hold onto that claim. Having saved face, he would definitely back down and let the matter drop.
This matter itself is not difficult; what is difficult is that Zhou Wuji, at such a young age, was able to humble himself and apologize in public.
Before anyone could ask, Wuai added, " True Person Hongde exchanged another 100,000 taels of silver on the spot."
Ten thousand silver ingots, each weighing ten taels, filled two large carts.
Wuai said, "So much silver has left the people on the street completely bewildered!"
He said this with some relief, thankfully Zhou Wuji had brought more than twenty Daoist priests, each carrying a sword, which calmed down the people who were frantic for money.
Daoist Yixing slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "This move is brilliant! By publicly displaying a large number of silver ingots, they have proven the strength of Hengfeng Bank!"
"Once this news gets out, it will surely make Hengfeng Bank famous."
Everyone knows that money shops are wealthy, but no one has a precise figure for how much money they have.
The sheer impact of displaying ten thousand ingots of silver would surely be unforgettable for anyone who witnessed it!
"What does True Person Hongde need the money for?" asked the Daoist Yiding.
Wuai's mouth suddenly felt dry as he spoke, so he swallowed and said, " True Person Hongde took two cartloads of silver to the dock."
"Government officials were waiting there, bringing over many wounded laborers."
Daoist Yixing was incredibly clever; he immediately guessed what Zhou Wuji was planning. He couldn't help but swallow hard. "Hongde... True Person Hongde, have you... divided up the 100,000 taels of silver?"
As the supervisor, Daoist Yixing was in charge of managing the money. The amount of silver that passed through his hands each year was well over several hundred thousand taels.
However, all of this money was for various expenditures; it simply passed through his hands once.
Although he could profit from it, it was limited.
Because he was in charge of money, Daoist Yixing realized that 100,000 taels of silver was a very, very large sum.
The thought that Zhou Wuji to distribute 100,000 taels of silver was unbelievable even to someone Yixing who had seen large sums of money before.
Wuai shook his head and then nodded. " The True Person did divide the money, but he first treated all the injured."
"With the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique and elixirs, those with minor injuries were almost completely healed, and those with serious injuries recovered immediately."
Wuai recalled Zhou Wuji's healing Law Technique, which were truly like magical arts, healing injuries instantly.
Even he, a cultivator, was stunned; he never imagined that the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique could have such miraculous effects.
The families of many laborers were stunned, including the injured, who kowtowed and thanked the injured on the spot, calling him a living god.
Wuai would go out to spread the Dharma, he never encountered any people sincerely thanking him.
Not to mention the hundreds of people kowtowing in gratitude; the scene moved even him, a mere bystander.
He exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, " This True Person is truly like a god!"
Yixing wasn't interested in any of that. He pressed on, "Has all the money been divided?"
"Five hundred taels of silver will be given as compensation to the deceased. One hundred taels will be given for minor injuries, and two hundred taels for serious injuries."
Wuai said, "The silver ingots were all issued on the spot, and Hengfeng's shopkeepers and managers were there to make registered silver notes for the laborers collecting the money, to prevent robbery or theft."
"Several thousand people gathered to watch, all praising the True Person's compassion, benevolence, and generosity, calling him a true deity—"
Daoist Yixing swallowed again. "I wonder where this 100,000 taels came from. Could it be from the Upper Court?"
He didn't believe anyone could truly regard money as dirt, especially someone as intelligent as Zhou Wuji, who knew the importance of money even more.
Who would be willing to invest so much money in a bunch of lowly, uncouth dockworkers?
After thinking for Daoist Yiding said, " The Upper Court is barely surviving; it's impossible for them to give away so much money."
He lowered his voice again and said, "This guy raided the Five Dragons Gang and gained a lot of benefits; he's rich."
"That's 100,000 taels!" Daoist Yixing still shook his head.
The Daoist Yiding remained calm and said, "This man has grand ambitions. Although 100,000 taels of silver is a lot, he won't care too much about it."
"If we really want to go further, what does this amount of silver matter?"
That being said, Daoist Yiding couldn't help but sigh, "This single move is enough to change the entire city's perception of the Lower Court, and their view of our sect—"
"Spending a fortune like that, True Person Hongde has both boldness and skill!"
"I admire you!"
Daoist Yixing nodded vigorously. "Compassion for the weak, generosity, disregard for honor and disgrace, and solid work ethic—to reverse one's reputation in a single day, such wisdom and ability—I'm absolutely in awe!"
The fat man's voice was so loud it seemed to reach the roof, but while he was praising him, his eyes darted around, and a hint of fear flickered across his face.
Daoist Yixing was truly terrified. Zhou Wuji was so cunning and ruthless; he could be crushed with a single finger.