Chapter 155: Entering the World

After entering the Incense Hall with Master and the two men in black and white, the four of them sat facing each other on cattail hassocks. Xiang Jiannan knew that Ping’an Town must be in chaos now.

While Pei Dafa and the others fled rapidly, Master, who had led the two men out of the temple, was ultimately left in solitude.

He had originally wanted to call Xiang Jiannan in to discuss matters, but the two men in black and white insisted on following.

He also hadn’t expected to cause such a commotion. Watching the backs of the crowd quickly disappearing, his eyes were filled with confusion.

“The people here are simple and honest. The reason they chose to leave just now was probably because they were afraid of disturbing us.”

The four of them looked at each other for a long time without speaking. In the end, it was Gao Yu’an, as the temple master, who spoke first.

He thought that Pei Dafa and the others must have panicked and fled because of the appearance of the two men in black and white. In front of them, it was inconvenient to say it directly.

These two seemed to be very self-aware. If he hadn’t already fought them, he would still want to exorcise them now.

“The reason we have come this time is to take away Magistrate Lin’s confidantes.”

Not paying much attention to the actions of Pei Dafa and the others, the White-Clothed Man, having recovered his composure after the battle, looked at the Old Taoist and said.

This was the secondary purpose of their visit to Ping’an Temple today. They had originally intended to directly subdue Gao Yu’an, but they had overestimated themselves.

As a fallback, they would first complete the tasks they could. They had to bring something back to report. Having traveled all the way from the capital, they couldn’t return empty-handed.

He hadn’t expected Gao Yu’an’s cultivation to have reached this level. Even the little Taoist priest next to him had become difficult to deal with because of their initial underestimation.

The Confucian scholar was meticulous. Having suffered a loss from the Little Green Light Spell, he was still thinking about that sudden attack.

Logically speaking, with his cultivation, even if the two little Taoist priests combined their strength, they shouldn’t have been able to hurt him.

“Magistrate Lin’s confidantes? You’ve confused this old Taoist…”

He hadn’t expected Master to still be able to put on a brave face at this time. Seeing that he seemed to want to prove his innocence while speaking, Xiang Jiannan could only lower his head to the side.

Since the two men in black and white had spoken, they must have investigated beforehand. Master, don’t react so strongly. Anyway, this matter can’t be escaped.

It would be better to honestly admit it in front of them.

“Why must Master Gao act like this? Taking them back is something that the above has instructed. If we return empty-handed today, the next time we come, it won’t be just this few people. I hope you can consider this carefully.”

Seeing through Gao Yu’an’s unwillingness to admit it, the White-Clothed Man spoke as if threatening, but what he said was the truth.

There was no point in trying to negotiate about Magistrate Lin’s matter. How to handle it would be decided by others.

It was obviously not worth it to get involved for the sake of a small county magistrate.

He knew what Gao Yu’an was thinking. After the two of them returned, they would still need to report the situation in detail.

“You already know?”

After the White-Clothed Man finished speaking, his eyes looked innocent. Xiang Jiannan even felt that the Old Taoist was overdoing it with his feigned ignorance and couldn’t help but shake his head silently in his heart.

The fact that there were five women hidden in Ping’an Temple was probably known even by the old woman from the Zhang family who sold vegetables in town. Although they might not know their true identities, there was nothing to hide.

“Even the beggars begging for food in the city know about it. This matter doesn’t need much investigation at all.”

It’s the same as what I wanted to say…

While Xiang Jiannan was still lost in thought, the Black-Clothed Man opposite him spoke at this time. Looking at Gao Yu’an, he blurted out this sentence, his tone completely inconsistent with his image.

He now seemed to have recognized reality after being beaten by society. He spoke very politely to the two Taoist priests in the Incense Hall.

“In that case, can we still discuss it?”

Not giving up even after the conversation had reached this point, he fixed his gaze on the two men in black and white. Xiang Jiannan heard Master say again:

“Logically speaking, this old Taoist shouldn’t be involved in court matters, but Magistrate Lin is an old friend of mine. Having been entrusted, how can I just give up and ignore it?”

He had said they weren’t familiar before, but now they had become old friends.

Seeing that the two men in black and white opposite him had closed their mouths again, Gao Yu’an suddenly stood up while speaking, seemingly wanting to say something more, but then he got stuck.

The four of them stared at each other in the Incense Hall, as if whoever spoke first would lose.

“Old Taoist Priest should be clear about his current position. I hope you won’t make things difficult for us.”

Seeing that the conversation might not work, the White-Clothed Man, showing his full aura for a moment, was also helpless.

They rarely encountered this kind of situation. In the past, as long as they made a move, they would always gain something.

If they lost face in this Ping’an Temple, it would be difficult to report back.

If Gao Yu’an didn’t agree, then they could only resort to force again. Even without certainty, they would have to try.

As a Confucian scholar, the White-Clothed Man had the integrity he needed to uphold. The Old Taoist was exceptionally bold.

“Don’t panic, you two. This old Taoist has suddenly thought of a way. Let me see you two first before making a decision.”

Not paying any attention to the White-Clothed Man’s intention to make a move again, Gao Yu’an simply raised his hand to let Xiang Jiannan stand up, appearing confident.

He whispered something into his disciple’s ear, causing the little Taoist priest’s eyes to become confused for a moment.

“Will it work?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll try. I apologize.”

Not knowing why Master had once again turned his attention to him, Xiang Jiannan stood up from the cattail hassock. When he made his move, he first apologized to the two men in black and white in front of him. Seeing that they instantly stood up because of his actions, he immediately smiled bitterly.

But he heard Master, like a High-Level Person, confidently say about what he was about to do:

“My disciple has a technique. I hope you two will consider it carefully after seeing it. If you still want to make a move, this Taoist will definitely accompany you.”

After speaking, he nodded to signal that Xiang Jiannan could act, his posture on the side was a bit too arrogant.

Bang!

But in the next second, he suddenly fell to the ground with a thud.

“Disciple, what do you want me to do? Look at them!”

Climbing up from the ground, covered in dust, Gao Yu’an looked at Xiang Jiannan with an annoyed tone. He hadn’t expected his disciple to be so clueless.

As your teacher, I wanted you to use it to scare them. How did it end up with me, the teacher, falling to the ground?

He immediately ordered Xiang Jiannan to try again, while also telling the two men in black and white to be patient:

“My disciple has always been foolish. Just now, it was an accident.”

“A curse?”

Although the effect didn’t appear on the two of them, when Xiang Jiannan squatted on the ground and began to draw circles, the White-Clothed Man opposite him had already seen through the trick.

The moment the Old Taoist fell, his body became as straight as if he had been electrocuted.

This little Taoist priest actually knew curse techniques. The circles he drew out of thin air were exactly the same as the ones in his memory.

People of the Taoist Sect, also know this?

“No need!”

He quickly raised his hand to interrupt Xiang Jiannan’s spellcasting. Seeing that the little Taoist priest was staring at the circles they had already half-drawn in their hands, the White-Clothed Man immediately spoke to stop him.

Then, he turned his head to look at the Black-Clothed Man beside him. The expressions of the two of them immediately became serious.

“We will definitely report this matter to the above. Old Taoist Priest, you must think carefully.”

A circle, with such great power?

Watching the two men in black and white leave Ping’an Temple immediately, Xiang Jiannan, who had originally been very doubtful about Master’s request, became speechless when he stood up.

He heard the White-Clothed Man say the word “curse,” but he didn’t know much about it.

Turning to look at Master, he only felt that the Old Taoist’s scheme seemed to have succeeded. He was showing a relaxed expression towards him:

“Disciple, did you scare Pei Dafa and the others outside the temple earlier? While there’s still time, quickly go out and explain.”

Shouldn’t it be you, old man, who should be explaining?

Standing still, Xiang Jiannan looked at his palm and asked:

“Master, what did you mean by having me draw circles on those two just now? Isn’t this kind of thing only effective on you?”

“As your teacher, I’m not sure either, but wasn’t the desired effect achieved?”

Directly asking back to indicate that the two men in the temple had already left, Gao Yu’an looked at the Grandmaster’s clay statue while speaking:

“This Taoist has always kept his word. Unless Master Guo comes in person, I will never hand anyone over!”

“What if Magistrate Lin comes?”

“He should already be in a precarious situation.”

Turning to look at the little Taoist priest, whose eyes were flashing non-stop, Gao Yu’an immediately denied his disciple’s thoughts:

“As your teacher, I’ve caused a great disaster this time. Disciple, you must live well in the future.”

“What do you mean? Where are you going?”

Seeing that Master’s gaze towards him had a hint of farewell, Xiang Jiannan’s heart couldn’t help but tighten as he met his gaze.

The Old Taoist rarely looked at him with such a serious gaze. Since he knew that he would cause trouble, why did he still insist on doing this?

Was it really for Magistrate Lin? Based on his understanding of him, this Taoist was definitely not that kind of person.

He had caused the two men in black and white to return empty-handed.

If Master hadn’t said it, he would have really forgotten the important matter.

The other party was sent by the imperial court. Coming to Ping’an Temple to take people was considered an official duty. They had already proven their identities earlier.

But in the end, they were stopped by his old man.

Daring to confront the imperial court with his own strength, this kind of thing would be met with a devastating blow in any era!

Now, what other way was there to remedy the situation?

Master was playing with fire, and he had dragged himself into it as well.

The two of them, united, were heading towards destruction.

“I’m not going anywhere. As your teacher, I’ll just be watching from the side.”

Speaking with a big pause, just as Xiang Jiannan’s thoughts were running wild, Gao Yu’an immediately opened his mouth and laughed.

The little Taoist priest was so stunned that he couldn’t react for a long time. He only felt that the days ahead would definitely be difficult.

His thoughts were correct. Even if the Old Taoist was pretending to be relaxed, he was still confronting the imperial court.

“Quickly go out and find Pei Dafa and the others. As your teacher, I still have something to say to them.”

After speaking, he urged Xiang Jiannan to act quickly. Unlike the worried little Taoist priest, Gao Yu’an was still the same as before.

It seemed that he had already had a plan for what he had done today. The worry in his eyes basically flashed by.

This made Xiang Jiannan only sigh. He stared at the Old Taoist for a long time without speaking, then got up and walked out of the Incense Hall. He didn’t know what the situation was in town now. After taking a few steps, he only felt that his head suddenly became very painful.

Having such a master was indeed very worrying. Whenever something happened, he always spoke unclearly. Would he suddenly be ambushed after stepping out of the temple?

Explain to Pei Dafa and the others? Or should he first go to the Chen Residence for a look? Chen Laoyezi had prestige in the town. If he could handle him, things would be much easier.

As Xiang Jiannan set off for the Chen Residence, in the county town dozens of miles away from Ping’an Town, Magistrate Lin was lying comfortably in his own residence.

Master Guo was sitting beside him. Between the two of them was a cup of strong tea, the tea in the cup already at the bottom.

“The people from the capital, they must have arrived at Ping’an Temple by now.”

Turning his body to reach for the kettle, he reached out to grab it but gave up. Magistrate Lin lay back down and looked at the sky.

What month was it now? The weather was still hot.

“I wonder if that Old Taoist can hold them off.”

He actually had twelve points of confidence in Gao Yu’an. Seeing that Magistrate Lin’s face was worried while speaking, Master Guo simply followed his words and asked.

They had also waited in the county town for some time. Fortunately, the news had arrived in a timely manner.

They had gone straight to Ping’an Temple as soon as they arrived. They were really clear about things.

“What do you think?”

Turning his head to ask Master Guo, Lin Zhen seemed to have lost interest in chatting.

He was thinking about his future path. Compared to Governor Sun in the prefecture, he was completely unqualified.

It was precisely because he was unqualified that he would be the first to suffer a blow. Like the Old Taoist of Ping’an Temple, both of them were helpless and could only wait obediently.

“Your Excellency, there’s no need to worry. That Old Taoist of Ping’an Temple is trustworthy.”

“With his abilities, it’s not certain that ordinary people can make him submit.”

Recalling the methods Gao Yu’an had used before, Master Guo was encouraging Lin Zhen while speaking.

His Excellency should be clearer than he was. If that Old Taoist dared to disobey the orders of the people from the capital, things would become interesting.

They could still make adjustments on their side. They just didn’t know what the Old Taoist Priest was thinking.

Transcending what ordinary people thought, that was how the Old Taoist Priest of Ping’an Temple had always felt to them.

“What this official is worried about is precisely this matter.”

“The capital’s face must be given. A small county town is nothing in their eyes.”

His heart was actually very conflicted. Lin Zhen had been worried about this matter for several days.

He didn’t want Gao Yu’an to clash with the people from the capital, nor did he want the Old Taoist to do as they requested.

This kind of thinking was simply torturing him. Fortunately, Master Guo had been talking to him all along. As for the final result, they could only wait now.

There was no way. The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.

“After this matter is over, let’s just send them away. Women, once you get involved with them, it’s just a pile of trouble.”

As if having made a decision, Lin Zhen then instructed Master Guo, completely failing to see the disdainful look in the other party’s eyes, which appeared and then disappeared in an instant.

He knew his Excellency’s nature very well. He might say he didn’t want them, but how could he really think that way in his heart?

Right now, it was just that things had come to a head. In his panic, he was finding a reason to reassure himself.

Without saying much, he immediately accepted the order and replied.

“Yes.”

In a few days, if those girls were brought back, the county magistrate would definitely return to his previous state.

Having followed Lin Zhen for so many years, Master Guo believed that he still had this much confidence.

The imperial court was in trouble, and the court was sounding the alarm.

Whether it was a blessing or a disaster, there was no need to worry so much. If they really wanted to take the county magistrate’s position, they wouldn’t make it so complicated. From the night he went to Ping’an Temple, Master Guo knew that his Excellency was a lucky person with his own heavenly signs.

It didn’t matter.

Arriving at Ping’an Town and seeing a large crowd gathered in the distance, Xiang Jiannan was surrounded by a group of people before he even reached Chen Laoyezi’s residence.

Led by Pei Dafa, they looked determined to make him explain Master’s matter clearly.

A bunch of people were talking at once, saying that they wanted to go to Ping’an Temple for a funeral.

Except for Wang Yixing, everyone present believed Pei Dafa’s words. The town magistrate had described it so vividly before, depicting the appearance of the Black and White Impermanence so realistically. The people who had gone to Ping’an Temple with him earlier all spoke to confirm it.

Their appearances were extremely frightening. In broad daylight, just looking at them could make one’s skin crawl.

“Master is still waiting for you to go over in the temple.”

Seeing that the crowd was in grief and saying that they wanted to go to the temple, Xiang Jiannan hadn’t expected that there would be such a good thing.

He immediately followed their words and made it seem like he was going to lead the way.

But he was quickly rejected by the crowd. They were just talking about it, and didn’t want to put their words into action.

“Is the Old Taoist Priest really gone? Little Taoist Priest, why do I feel like you’re not speaking accurately?”

“Those two men came to discuss matters with Master. They’re not the Black and White Impermanence at all.”

Annoyed by the crowd’s questions, Xiang Jiannan didn’t have the mood to joke with them anymore. A few words made Pei Dafa and the others still not believe him. They all quieted down, seemingly wanting to sort things out.

The Old Taoist Priest was fine? Was he lying to them?

“Chen Laoyezi is here.”

Just as he was thinking, he heard a loud shout from outside the crowd. Chen Laoyezi, who had been deeply troubled by rumors for several days, finally appeared from his residence.

He had also sent people over to ask a few times before. How had things become like this in just a few days?

He had originally wanted to go over in person, but because there had been too many things happening in the residence recently, and he didn’t think it was too important in his heart, he had been delaying it.

He had known about the commotion in town since Pei Dafa first came to his residence today. How had it spread that the Old Taoist Priest had already ascended to heaven?

As a person with a certain amount of influence in the town, Chen Laoyezi said that he couldn’t believe this kind of thing.

“Is your master still in the temple now?”

Coming directly to Xiang Jiannan’s side, Chen Laoyezi asked directly. He seemed much calmer than the others.

Being so old and having experienced major events, his words carried a weight that was difficult for ordinary people to match.

“He’s there. The previous matter was actually just a misunderstanding.”

Speaking with some embarrassment, Xiang Jiannan saw that the expressions of Pei Dafa and the others had started to change again.

He had only simply wanted to tease them before. He hadn’t expected that these people would actually believe it.

Now, even if he explained, they wouldn’t listen. He could only rely on Chen Laoyezi to come out and suppress the situation.

How could there be Black and White Impermanence in broad daylight? Did they think everyone was like An Wensheng, emitting white smoke and daring to wander around under the bright sun?

That was a person who had become the Prefectural City God in the blink of an eye. What were the Black and White Impermanence in front of him?

“Take me to see. It’s been a few days since I last saw the Old Taoist Priest.”

As soon as Xiang Jiannan finished speaking, he asked him to lead the way. Without any roundabout ways, Chen Laoyezi immediately took action. He naturally believed the little Taoist priest’s words. How could he lie in broad daylight?

The people in town were all good, but their ability to spread rumors was too great. Even the town magistrate was like this, let alone the others.

Just as he was about to move, someone behind him tried to grab his hand.

“Laoyezi.”

“Get lost!”

Being surrounded by people as he entered the temple, Xiang Jiannan discovered Master’s figure before even entering the Incense Hall. He saw that the Old Taoist had finally changed his attire.

His hair was now tied up. Compared to before, he looked much more energetic.

Seeing the crowd enter the temple, he immediately moved and came to Chen Laoyezi, laughing heartily:

“There have been many rumors about this old Taoist recently. Chen Laoyezi, how is your health?”

“Good, good, good. Knowing that Taoist Priest is well, this old man is also relieved.”

Turning his head to look at the crowd around him, Chen Laoyezi’s expression was stern and imposing:

“What else do you have to say? Isn’t the Old Taoist Priest standing right in front of us?”

A single sentence made everyone feel embarrassed, and they finally turned their gazes to Pei Dafa.

He was the one who had added fuel to the fire of the rumors these past few days. As the town magistrate, no one else would have as much persuasive power as him.

“If it’s not convenient for the Old Taoist Priest to talk about the two people who came before, then this old man didn’t ask.”

Having not seen the two men in black and white before, Chen Laoyezi was actually curious in his heart, as if asking on behalf of the crowd.

Although the temple gates were open to welcome people from all directions, being able to cause such a commotion was a first for their Ping’an Town.

Were they really that dangerous looking? If he had the chance, he would like to see them for himself.

“They came from the capital, because of my disciple.”

With nothing to hide, he turned his gaze to Xiang Jiannan and then said:

“My disciple has always lacked experience. People who cultivate must have a day when they enter the world.”

Chen Laoyezi’s face became excited when he heard this. He immediately turned his head and looked at the little Taoist priest.

He couldn’t hear the words “capital” the most right now. His third son would be going to the capital next year to participate in the spring imperial exam.

The capital was a place with many people and deep waters. When he had told his son that there were people in officialdom, it was at most barely reaching the county level.

It wasn’t much of a backing. It was nothing more than spending some money to ask for favors.

“So it must be a good thing. As expected of the Little Taoist Priest, he can even attract people from the capital.”

Don’t believe this old Taoist’s lies.

As soon as he heard the words “enter the world,” he knew that Master was going to start talking nonsense again. Seeing that the crowd seemed to have no ability to distinguish, Xiang Jiannan didn’t interrupt him.

“Entering the world” was a Buddhist term. It was already problematic coming from Master’s mouth.

His understanding of “entering the world” was to throw oneself into society. Wasn’t he already in the mortal world?

Was Master saying this to leave a way out for himself? When the large group of people from the capital came and he was arrested, it would be a way to explain things to the people of Ping’an Town.

Due to fate, his master and he would be leaving today. Although they would be sitting in the prison cart of the government officials, after arriving in the capital, they would open up a new world.

“Next year, when Jingxuan goes to the capital, let my disciple go with him.”

Pulling on Chen Laoyezi’s sleeve, he smiled happily, as if he had already thought everything through. Gao Yu’an immediately arranged Xiang Jiannan’s itinerary again. A group of people started to enter the Incense Hall, leaving only the little Taoist priest standing there.

The Old Taoist was really calm at all times. Having just sent away the Black and White Duo, he could act as if nothing had happened.

He was ashamed of himself as a disciple for not being able to reach this level. Although he said that, he wasn’t afraid at all in his heart!

This 6000-word chapter is so bad. The more I revise it, the worse it gets. I feel like my mentality has completely collapsed…