My Master is the Real Boss – Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Debt Collector

“Sounds like no one’s there?”

Xiang Jiannan and Master Gao Yu’an, being sneaky, arrived at the front courtyard. Gao Yu’an pressed his ear against the door to listen for a while, not at all like a high-level Daoist. All he could hear was the pitter-patter of the rain.

He wanted to gain his disciple’s approval, but at this moment, he was too embarrassed to say it directly. Perhaps the person seeking shelter from the rain had already left. It would be best not to open the door.

Ping’an Temple had a very regular daily routine. Under his management, they had never received any incense guests at night for decades. Although the main reason was the lack of incense offerings, there was even less reason to make an exception now.

Recently, the incense offerings had been plentiful, so opening the door rashly might indeed bring trouble.

“Are you afraid?”

Seeing that his Master was about to slip away after speaking, Xiang Jiannan was naturally unhappy. He used the sound of the rain to mock him, his tone full of indifference:

“A person who cultivates the Dao is so timid. Grandmaster must be very uncomfortable right now.”

Although his Master’s behavior seemed very genuine, in his eyes, he still felt that he was pretending.

Some feelings could not be expressed in words, but that didn’t mean they didn’t exist. If he hadn’t tried a few times before and almost lost his life, he would have taken action again by now.

His Master possessed great power, and he hid it very well.

No matter how ordinary he acted, it couldn’t dispel the conviction in his heart.

Now that disaster seemed to be approaching, he would drag this old Taoist into sharing the hardship no matter what.

As the saying goes, “Father and son fight together.” In this world, Xiang Jiannan only had this one relative. Once a teacher, always a father. Running away was not an option.

“We who cultivate the Dao, how could we possibly be afraid?”

After being called out by Xiang Jiannan, Gao Yu’an suddenly became more assertive and dared not leave.

If this were any other time, he definitely wouldn’t have been provoked by Xiang Jiannan, but now was different.

The incense offerings at the temple were gradually improving, causing Gao Yu’an’s mentality to change unconsciously. He felt that he should occasionally pay attention to his image, especially in front of his disciple.

As time passed, his disciple seemed to be becoming more and more disrespectful towards him. Even though people who cultivated the Dao claimed to have no desires, they couldn’t take it after a while. Besides, he hadn’t reached that level yet, and his Master’s authority should still be maintained.

“Master, I am supported by the heavens above and stand on the earth below. I also have a Grandmaster behind me. Even if a great calamity comes tonight, I will definitely not be afraid.”

“Open the door!”

Why did he suddenly get so agitated?

He had only intended to provoke the old Taoist, but Xiang Jiannan really hadn’t expected the effect to be so good. It seemed his Master was indeed stubborn, and a little spark could set him off. He had been so focused on his Master’s miserable state when he got into trouble that he had forgotten his once domineering side.

Once, because of a casual remark, he had glared at a shrew in town for several hours amidst her angry scolding, eventually dragging his saliva-covered body back to the temple in a miserable victory.

It wasn’t that the person was scared by his glare, but that it was getting dark and they had to go home and couldn’t bother with this crazy Taoist anymore.

In Xiang Jiannan’s memory, he was only eighteen years old at the time. Although he hadn’t come to this world yet, he still felt the same way whenever he thought about it.

Ashamed and filled with impotent rage.

It was no exaggeration to say that he felt it as if it were his own experience.

“Wait, let’s open a crack in the door first and take a look.”

Pulling his mind back from his memories, Xiang Jiannan turned to open the door.

As the saying goes, “If it’s a blessing, it’s not a disaster; if it’s a disaster, you can’t avoid it.” Now that he and his Master were finally on the same side, it was time to face the fear in his heart.

His Master had said that he had an Azure Dragon on his left and a White Tiger on his right, and a clay mountain was supporting him from behind. As his disciple, he couldn’t let them down at this moment.

But just as he put his hand on the door bar, he heard his Master seem to deflate again.

Now the dark clouds covered the sky, and the accumulated rain submerged the earth. The candlelight in front of the Grandmaster’s statue flickered. They should be careful.

So, amidst Gao Yu’an’s rambling about how he was only at the Dao Fruit First Grade and hadn’t yet tasted the beauty of Daoist principles, and that he was only reminding him out of concern, he gently pulled the door open a crack.

It was pitch dark outside the door. The person who wanted to enter the temple to offer incense and seek shelter from the rain was nowhere to be seen for the time being.

“Thank you, Taoist Priest!”

Summoning his courage, Xiang Jiannan widened the crack in the door. Suddenly, he felt a gust of cold wind blowing in his face. Before he could even pull his neck back, he saw a large hand press down in front of him. After just a word of thanks, the left wooden door was completely pushed open.

A raincoat, a height of about 1.8 meters, and his face buried under a bamboo hat. He carried a chill that made Xiang Jiannan and his Master retreat several steps.

The wind just now was strange, as if it had been brought by someone running. After it passed, it left a scent, a faint one that made his nose feel uncomfortable. It was a bit familiar, and he had definitely smelled it somewhere before.

“The heavens have sent down sweet rain. This old Taoist and his disciple were momentarily negligent.”

Gao Yu’an cupped his fist at the Raincoat Man, quickly regaining his usual composure.

When he opened the door, he was standing behind Xiang Jiannan. After being bumped a few times, he almost fell. Seeing that the newcomer had no other problems besides his sudden appearance, he stepped forward and asked the Raincoat Man:

“May I ask where the incense guest comes from? Are there any others with you?”

“Over there, I’m alone.”

Raising his hand and pointing to the northwest, the Raincoat Man’s face was still not clear. He only saw him step one foot over the threshold after answering, but he didn’t rush to step in with the other. It wasn’t until Xiang Jiannan and his Master had moved to the sides that he rudely stepped into the temple.

“I’m here to collect a debt. I’ll offer incense and leave.”

“Please, follow me.”

Unlike Xiang Jiannan, who only stood to the side observing, Gao Yu’an was able to enter his usual state. Upon hearing the Raincoat Man say he wanted to offer incense, he immediately moved to lead the way:

“It’s dark and slippery, incense guest, please watch your step.”

He just let him in like that?

Watching his Master and the Raincoat Man walk ahead without looking back, Xiang Jiannan only felt like he was superfluous. He wanted to close the door but didn’t dare to, so he hesitated for a moment and then gave up.

The door was wide open to welcome the Qi from all directions. The Raincoat Man said he would offer incense and leave. Judging by how he was following behind his Master, he seemed to be just an ordinary person.

Just a bit taller and more robust, and a little damp from the rainy night.

“Please, make yourself at home. This old Taoist has some trivial matters to attend to and won’t be staying here with you.”

After leading the Raincoat Man into the incense hall, Gao Yu’an didn’t stand by as usual. After Xiang Jiannan entered, he immediately handed over the task of accompanying him:

“If you have anything to say, you can tell my disciple. Disciple, come here.”

That’s not appropriate, is it?

Seeing that his Master wanted to slip away again after giving the instructions, Xiang Jiannan hurriedly signaled to him with his eyes. He had forgotten what Li Jin had told him during the day. If he left, what would they do if something unexpected happened? Although the Raincoat Man didn’t seem to have any problems for the time being, he couldn’t just leave like that. He was only at the Dao Fruit First Grade and hadn’t yet tasted the beauty of Daoist principles!

Unfortunately, perhaps the light was not good enough. After a few eye signals, Gao Yu’an still chose to leave.

It seemed like he hadn’t noticed the small gestures at all. When he left, he only held up three fingers.

“This rain has soaked me to the bone.”

As Gao Yu’an left the inner hall, the Raincoat Man seemed to suddenly relax. He pulled off his raincoat, took off his bamboo hat, and revealed his true face.

He had a very ordinary, rough-looking man’s face. After observing for a while, he raised his hand and picked up a few incense sticks:

“Taoist Priest, how long does one incense stick usually burn?”

“The two quarters of an hour in your hand are enough.”

Thinking about whether to mention the price at this moment, Xiang Jiannan’s heart began to feel a little flustered. In all the days he had been guarding the temple, no one had ever asked him this question.

“That’s good. We debt collectors need to have a sense of time, or else we’ll feel lost.”

After gathering the incense sticks, he lit them. The Raincoat Man turned and bowed, not towards the Grandmaster’s clay statue, but outside the door towards the northwest:

“Today’s debt is not easy to collect.”

After taking the incense back into the room, he just looked at Xiang Jiannan through the swirling smoke:

“Don’t mind me.”

Tomorrow I’ll send the contract, happy!