Chapter 5 Economic Crisis and Strange Events

When the news arrived, Qing Yunzi was leading Qing Feng and Ming Yue in scripture recitation in the great hall. Upon hearing the message, Qing Yunzi's recitation paused momentarily before returning to its previous fluency.

At that time, Yi Chen was weeding in a vegetable patch near the Daoist temple.

Sometimes, evil people are like the weeds in the vegetable patch. When the wicked are powerful, the good cannot live in peace.

Moreover, weeds are incessant; such is human nature and the environment. Today you pull out the weeds, but in a few days, they will spring up again.

When Bai Yunzi saw weeds, his first thought was to convert and discipline them, and he wouldn't resort to killing unless there were no other means of salvation.

Yi Chen, however, was different. His first reaction upon seeing the unruly weeds was to choose to pull them out because even if new weeds would continue to grow later, the vegetables and fruits in the patch could enjoy a few days of peace.

The Evil Tiger Gang was like the weeds plaguing the neighboring town, and Yi Chen had eradicated them the day before. He was curious about what kind of reaction the mastermind behind them would have to such an intense move.

"It seems that the surrounding gangs and forces, upon hearing the news, might think twice before causing trouble for Hidden Dragon Temple in the future, weighing whether they could withstand the retaliation from Hidden Dragon Temple or not," he thought.

Yi Chen rubbed his smooth chin, looking over the weeded vegetable patch, feeling quite refreshed in his heart.

....

....

Time is like a wild donkey, never stopping once it starts running.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. It seemed like the fierce manner in which the Evil Tiger Gang was eliminated had deterred others, and Hidden Dragon Temple returned to its former tranquility, without further troubles from other forces.

Even the stray dogs outside steered clear of the temple, daring not to bark.

Because if they barked too much, a tall Daoist would come out and give them a couple of slaps.

.....

.....

The bench press.

The flat bench press.

The barbell squat.

The deadlift.

The standing barbell curl.

The rear delt row.

A sweaty Yi Chen took a white cloth from beside him and wiped the stench off his body, then headed to the well to fetch several buckets of water to wash himself, marking the end of his exercise for the day.

At this moment, he had finally accumulated one Origin Point.

He had thought it would have happened two days earlier, but as time went on, the speed at which he accumulated these Origin Points from such common physical stimulus was getting slower and slower.

While Yi Chen was contemplating which attributes—strength, constitution, spirit, agility—to allocate this one Origin Point to, the two adorable little ones, Qing Feng and Ming Yue, came over.

Qing Feng: "Big senior brother."

Ming Yue: "There's only enough rice in the rice jar to last five more days."

"What? There's only enough rice to last five days? Didn't we just buy two dan of rice?" Yi Chen asked in surprise as he looked at Qing Feng and Ming Yue.

The two little Daoist acolytes glanced at their increasingly robust senior brother, their eyes clearly asking, "Don't you have any clue why it would only last five days?"

Yi Chen sheepishly touched his nose, realizing that he had been eating... just a tiny bit more lately.

For the past month, he had not been idle, engaging in crazy masochistic fitness every day. Although his strength had progressed slightly, this also had exacerbated the economic woes of the already not-so-rich temple.

A single penny can stifle a hero.

When he annihilated the Evil Tiger Gang, he had quickly dispatched their leader Black Tiger to the next life in the heat of the moment and had no idea where most of the money was hidden. The remaining minor members had little to offer, being the kind to value wealth over life. He found it too troublesome to question them one by one, preferring to simply kill them all.

As a result, he barely collected any silver.

After all, it was his first time doing such a deed and he wasn't very skilled or familiar with the work yet.

After sending Qing Feng and Ming Yue away, Yi Chen stroked his chin, deep in thought.

He couldn't just rob wealthy households and distribute to the poor, even though he had a flexible moral baseline. But he had made a promise to his master to walk the path of benevolence and could not act without just cause.

This was a road that was temporarily closed.

As for relying on antique celadon bowls for fishing or selling strong roosters, kittens, and puppies, these methods were no longer viable. He had done it several times and the local rich folks had almost been sheared bare.

Facing this new situation, it was necessary to establish a new game plan. He needed to target the pain points of the wealthy class and develop new strategies.

This approach had to have a point of explosion, be detachable and reusable, fixed in quality and quantity, creating a new business model.

Unfortunately, Yi Chen had not yet developed this new methodology...

What a predicament.

Just as Yi Chen was worried about the money issue, suddenly there came a rapid knocking at the front courtyard door.

"Daoist, Taoist, open the door, it's terrible trouble."

Yi Chen hurriedly went to the front courtyard and opened the door.

It was a middle-aged constable.

With a beard, he looked dusty and travel-worn.

Chief Zhang Long locked eyes with Yi Chen and then lifted his head to look at the signboard above, checking once more that he hadn't come to the wrong place.

"Hello, is this Hidden Dragon Temple? You look unfamiliar, Daoist. I'm looking for Daoist Bai Yunzi," said Zhang Long, looking at the Daoist in front of him who seemed even stronger than a brown bear, speaking very politely, his expression becoming extra cautious.

He appeared poised to flee at the slightest sign of trouble.

That's because Yi Chen had just finished exercising and was wearing close-fitting shorts rather than Daoist robes, looking more like a fierce bandit than a Daoist.

Yi Chen was at a loss for words. Ever since his Minor Pure Yang Skill broke through to an unprecedented fifth level, he had been getting stronger day by day, and his height had even surpassed the 1.9-meter mark, only recently beginning to stabilize.

"The master has passed away; I am now the chief of Hidden Dragon Temple. Chief Zhang, you can tell me whatever you need," said Yi Chen, recognizing the constable, whom he had met once two years ago when with his master.

"Are you the little Daoist who was with Daoist Bai Yunzi?" Zhang Long's expression turned incredulous at that remark, staring at Yi Chen for a long time, finally matching him with the somewhat blurry face from his memory.

"Haha, Chief Zhang has a good memory. I've just been eating a lot these past two years and developed rather quickly, causing you some amusement," Yi Chen said.

Yi Chen led the man to the back courtyard, and after Qing Feng and Ming Yue served tea and left, Chief Zhang Long began to talk non-stop about the purpose of his visit.

It turned out there had been some strange happenings in the nearby town of Qingyuan.

The residents of the town discovered that their livestock—pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, and others—had died mysteriously, leaving only their blood-drained carcasses scattered on the ground. The chief constable of Fengyun County led seven or eight constables to investigate the incident, but they never returned.

Those constables were also drained of their blood and reduced to dried-up meat.

After Chief Zhang recounted the origins of the issue in one breath, he took a sip of tea, smacked his lips, and grimaced. The tea was bland and slightly stale, clearly not of good quality.

He frowned as he swallowed the tea and stared intently at Yi Chen,

"Taoist Yi, what do you think?"

Yi Chen: "....."

Yi Chen: "Chief Zhang, perhaps you could be a bit more explicit."

Chief Zhang put down his tea, and said earnestly,

"Then I'll be frank, the county governor hopes Hidden Dragon Temple can step in to handle this matter. He does not wish to report this to the officials from the Court of Judicial Review, as it could affect his performance evaluation by the higher-ups."

"Heaven cherishes all living beings, and the reputation of Daoist Bai Yunzi is known to all in Fengyun County. As his outstanding disciple, handling this minor evil spirit should certainly be within your capabilities, Taoist Yi."

Chief Zhang easily placed a tall hat on Yi Chen, acting as if once Yi Chen took action, the issue would be surely resolved.

Upon hearing this, Yi Chen inwardly scoffed.

Immediately, ten big characters flashed through his mind.

"Never worshiping in peacetime, calling on me to act in times of need?"

Chief Zhang was trying to use him as a scapegoat, expecting a few words to freeload off him and have him risk his life against the evil spirit; that was impossible.

Yi Chen had not yet mastered his master's Pure Yang True Force and lacked extraordinary capabilities. Even though his Minor Pure Yang Skill had advanced to the fifth level, a realm unprecedented in history and with a special effect against evil, he was not willing to take the bet.

He was willing to take the risk once.

But he needed to be paid!

Freeloading was out of the question.

With that effort, he'd rather ponder over new strategies and fishing methodologies or maybe develop another triathlon to earn more Origin Points.

After all, Origin Points could also enhance his four-dimensional strength. Although not as rapid as Deep Red Points, it was safer.

His moral standards were never high. Even though he abstained from crimes and bullying the innocent, expecting him to burn himself to illuminate others was out of the question.

It was time to show the guest out, definitely time!

Without much thought, Yi Chen raised his teacup,

"Qing Feng, Ming Yue."

At that moment, Chief Zhang took out a banknote worth two hundred taels from his chest pocket and continued, "Taoist Yi, the county governor says that the emperor does not stint his soldiers. Hidden Dragon Temple has always been the cornerstone of Fengyun County in combating evil spirits.

Here is two hundred taels, the travel expense for Taoist Yi's intervention.

This matter is of great importance to the county governor. The mayor of Qingyuan Town is said to have also requested the assistance of Master Lianhua from the nearby Moon Wheel Monastery.

However, given the significant impact this incident has had, the county governor believes it is more appropriate for Hidden Dragon Temple to also get involved in the investigation.

If this affair is resolved, the county office will offer an additional three hundred taels as a reward.

Even if the problem remains unsolved, as long as Taoist Yi makes the trip, these two hundred taels are yours."

Upon hearing this, Yi Chen stood up, with a face-changing speed to rival the ice cream vendor in his past life, he swiftly accepted the banknote and pocketed it:

"The county governor, how perceptive!"

"Indeed, our Hidden Dragon Temple has always supported the righteous path and eliminated demons. Such acts of evil cannot prevail. As the pillar of Fengyun County, it is our inescapable duty."

"Qing Feng, Ming Yue, why is the tea you served Chief Zhang so weak? Change it immediately, serve good tea, and add more leaves!"

Pocketing the banknote, a beaming Yi Chen said,

"My apologies for the oversight, Chief Zhang."

"I shall set out early tomorrow morning for Qingyuan Town."

.....

.....

.....

At night, Yi Chen sat opposite Daoist Qing Yunzi.

"Big brother, why take such risks?"

"Naturally, it's for the benefit of all under the heavens," Yi Chen said with a visage of compassion.

Daoist Qing Yunzi looked utterly unconvinced and didn't even believe the punctuation marks, "Big brother, be serious. Matters of evil spirits can be trivial or grave. One misstep and you could easily become ensnared. You should reconsider this."

"I have perused all of master's collections—discussions, notes. The power of these evil spirits typically varies, encompassing Ghosts, Grudges, Fierces, Evils, Killings, Massacres, Disasters, and so forth."

"Our master encountered a fierce battle between two Fierce-level ghosts and had to use forbidden techniques to slay them, which ultimately drained his vital energy. He passed away prematurely, his lifespan unfulfilled."

"Big brother, the master once said that even if the Minor Pure Yang Skill is cultivated to the fourth level, it might suffice to bully the inferior Grudge-level spirits. At best, it equals a middle Grudge-level, and facing a superior Grudge-level, being able to flee would be fortunate enough."

Yi Chen: "When did the master ever say these things? I don't recall any of it."

Daoist Qing Yunzi: "It seems like you most disliked the morning lessons, big brother. You would excuse yourself to pee but then run up the mountain to catch wild chickens, saying they were worth a lot."

Yi Chen: "..."

Daoist Qing Yunzi: "..."

Yi Chen somberly pulled out a banknote worth two hundred taels and an employment contract from his chest,

sighing, "It's too late to say these things now, little brother. I've already accepted the down payment and signed the contract. I am to set off tomorrow."

"If I were to flee the battlefield, the reputation of our temple would be ruined, and we'd have to return double the down payment. We don't have the funds for that right now."

"But…" Daoist Qing Yunzi was visibly anxious and wanted to say more, but Yi Chen cut him off.

"I know you're worried, but don't be in a rush. Isn't Master Lianhua from Moon Wheel Monastery also involved?"

"You know how I am, little brother. If real danger arises, I'll definitely run faster than anyone."

"The banknote can't be returned, but if there is danger, let us put more pressure on Master Lianhua. I'll take the blame." Yi Chen said, shamelessly.

Daoist Qing Yunzi: "..." Master, you really knew how to pick them.

Daoist Qing Yunzi now somewhat understood what their master meant by saying his big brother had a scheming mind and blackened hands on his deathbed.

"Buddha of Infinite Life," Daoist Qing Yunzi murmured a sacred name and, seeing Yi Chen's mind was made up, he left the room.