My Master is the Real Boss – Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Incense Offering in the Rainy Night

Not long after Li Jin left, a light rain began to fall outside Ping’an Temple. Influenced by Xiang Jiannan’s renewed “activation” of the Peace Talisman, more residents of Ping’an Town came to the temple.

Most of them braved the rain to show their piety, and upon entering the temple, they followed the instructions of those before them and took the initiative to burn incense.

The Peace Talismans were all gone for today, but burning two incense sticks was still possible.

“Master, do you think our situation is very dangerous?”

At Gao Yu’an’s signal, more agarwood incense was brought out. Xiang Jiannan walked to his side and whispered to his master.

People from the Fu Mo Si have come, so we can’t be careless. If we don’t trust Li Jin, we should trust the Fu Mo Si.

As a prominent department of the current dynasty, the Fu Mo Si represents authority and focuses on resolving various issues that disrupt social stability. The people within are all very reliable.

“I don’t think so.”

Staring at the incense guests with a delighted expression, Gao Yu’an was only concerned about when the agarwood incense would be finished. This was already the nth wave of people. If it continued, it would be terrible. Everyone looked at him with great respect, and that piety gave the Old Taoist immense satisfaction.

His disciple was overthinking things again. After being by his side for decades, he still didn’t have any composure. Just honestly guard the temple, and nothing would happen.

Was it fearlessness, or was he just throwing caution to the wind?

Seeing Gao Yu’an’s nonchalant demeanor, Xiang Jiannan didn’t ask any further.

He believed the former; after all, this feeling hadn’t formed in just a day or two.

“Little Taoist Priest, hello.”

“Little Taoist Priest, come to my house for a meal.”

Walking out of the temple to the eaves outside, Xiang Jiannan was greeted all the way. Everyone who saw him would stop and exchange a few polite words, and only after he left would they move on. There were even those who actively invited him, wanting to get closer, but Xiang Jiannan politely declined them all.

It was truly a matter of a moment for a person to rise in status. In just a few short days, Xiang Jiannan had also become someone of note. Recalling the days when he was cursed as a smelly Taoist, Xiang Jiannan couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

The vast world, thirty years east, thirty years west of the river.

In a flash, it was night.

After lighting the lamps and closing the wooden door, Xiang Jiannan, under his master’s instructions, added several door bars. There was no place to insert them, so he could only find an angle to prop them up as a formality. The incense at Ping’an Temple had been quite good these past few days. To prevent the bold from going astray, security needed to be further strengthened.

These words were spoken by Gao Yu’an after careful consideration. Although their temple was not afraid of demons and evil, it could not stop the desires in people’s hearts.

“Is everything tidied up?”

Busy with bottles and jars, saying he was going to collect rootless water, Gao Yu’an was even busier than Xiang Jiannan after dinner. The rain was getting heavier, and thunder rumbled from time to time in the sky, constantly rumbling behind the accumulated clouds.

“Everything’s tidied up, it’s just that I ate too much for dinner.”

Not knowing what his master was doing collecting rainwater, Xiang Jiannan picked up a Daoist scripture and moved closer to the lamp. He had discussed his cultivation problems with his master again during the day, and the answer he received was still very cruel.

Figure it out yourself. Master, I can only lead you through the door. This Taoist Priest does not guarantee to teach you everything.

Because he had experienced this long ago, Xiang Jiannan wasn’t too bothered when Gao Yu’an told him not to bother him.

He took out a scripture that he had only read a dozen pages of, preparing to study hard by lamplight in the night.

The sound of rain, the rumble of thunder, the sound of collecting water…

He couldn’t concentrate at all.

Forcing himself to turn a few more pages, Xiang Jiannan felt his head buzzing with pain. He recognized all the characters, but putting them together greatly affected the reading experience. Logically, there was only him, a Little Taoist Priest, in the temple, and one-on-one teaching shouldn’t be difficult. If only his master would put even a little bit of his swindling mind into teaching him, Xiang Jiannan would be at least at the Second-Rank Realm of Dao Fruit by now.

The Second-Rank Realm of Dao Fruit was a level in the Daoist cultivation system of this world. Compared to the First Rank, its existence gave Taoists actual practical combat power.

The First Rank was ordinary, the Second Rank was triumphant, and by the time one reached the Third Rank, Fourth Rank, and even the Dao Heart Realm, everything in the world could become a chess piece.

Xiang Jiannan was currently at the First Rank, and only at the initial stage of the First Rank.

He didn’t know what the original Little Taoist Priest had been doing all day. After entering the First Rank, he had been stagnant ever since. Later, he hit his head on the door frame, leaving Xiang Jiannan with this mess.

The original Little Taoist Priest was taken away by the door frame. That day, he heard a cry for help from outside the temple. When he rushed out from the side, he slipped and hit the door frame squarely. He saved his master from being chased, and at the same time, brought Xiang Jiannan into this world.

When he opened his eyes, he saw an Old Taoist holding him and crying bitterly, snot flying everywhere, almost smearing it on his face. The crying was earth-shattering.

“My sensible and obedient disciple, how could you bear to let your master, an old man, see his white-haired son off!”

“Old Taoist, I have been good my whole life, how could I end up like this in my old age!”

“Hey, are they gone?”

“Master, your disciple has a question.”

Closing the scripture again, Xiang Jiannan saw that his master had already started taking a bath.

This Old Taoist had gained a lot of weight recently. If he was going to take a bath, why bother with so much trouble? With such heavy rain, wouldn’t it be fine to just strip naked and stand in the courtyard?

“Read more scriptures, you’ll understand those things sooner or later.”

Busy cleaning the dirt off his body, Gao Yu’an spoke very loudly.

He was afraid Xiang Jiannan wouldn’t hear him, after all, the environment the two of them were currently in was right in front of them.

With thunder and lightning from time to time, a low voice wouldn’t have a good effect.

“Do you think there’s any other way in our temple to improve cultivation?”

Bringing up the old topic again, Xiang Jiannan asked his master.

The method of studying scriptures might not work for him. There should be other ways.

Passing on power, elixirs.

Or perhaps other more obscure methods.

He knew that in this world, there was a saying about consuming human essence and blood to improve cultivation. Although the Daoist path had always been serious, it was possible that there were other unorthodox methods.

“Do you want to rub my back? Wait, Old Taoist, I haven’t soaked enough yet.”

Gao Yu’an refused loudly, splashing water on himself with a wooden ladle. Seeing that his master was pretending to be deaf and dumb again, Xiang Jiannan obediently packed up his things and left.

He would stop when he reached the point, if he didn’t want to listen to his master’s lectures.

“Knock, knock, knock, knock.”

Coming to the front hall with the scripture in hand, Xiang Jiannan felt a surge of energy listening to the sound of the rain. He wanted to see if the oil lamp needed to be refilled, but as soon as he went around to the front of the door, he heard a knock.

The sound was only four knocks, but even though it was separated by a courtyard, it sounded as if it was knocking directly in his ear.

“Who is it?”

Looking at the courtyard gate through the rain, Xiang Jiannan felt a bad feeling rise in his heart.

Thieves would probably climb over the wall. To dare to come in through the main gate so openly, they were either good people or ruthless characters.

Their strength made them fearless.

Were Li Jin’s words that accurate?

“Seeking shelter from the rain, I want to come in and offer incense.”

Answering simply from outside the door, the person knocked a few more times while speaking:

“This rain won’t stop for a while, I hope the Taoist Priest will grant me some convenience.”

“Wait a moment, I’ll be right there.”

Not daring to go forward to open the door, Xiang Jiannan spoke while quickly slipping back to the backyard. Seeing his master humming a little tune while scrubbing up and down, he walked closer and directly interrupted:

“Someone’s here.”

“Who?”

Hearing Xiang Jiannan say that someone was here, Gao Yu’an’s reaction was unusually swift. He used the ladle to cover himself and grabbed his clothes. Only when he had draped his Daoist robe over his body did he ask vigilantly:

“Where?”

Looking around, there were only the two of them, master and disciple.

“Outside the door, they said they want to come in and offer incense.”

“Are you making fun of your master?”

Throwing the wooden ladle down, Gao Yu’an said angrily:

“An incense guest, and you’re so scared.”

“Should we open the door or not?”

“Why not? One incense stick is thirty cash.”

Picking up the wooden ladle again and continuing his unfinished work, Gao Yu’an noticed that Xiang Jiannan was still looking at him from the corridor, his eyes fixed on him, just standing there without saying a word.

“Or maybe we should wait?”

Being stared at like this, the Old Taoist finally remembered what Li Jin had said during the day.