"Wuzheng is Hall Master Yizhen's personal senior disciple. He should be thirty-three this year, and was already ordained at twenty-eight.
"The man looks rough and burly, but I hear his temper is fairly generous and tolerant. It's just that he's somewhat blunt in how he deals with people and handles affairs, so he isn't very well-liked in the Lower Monastery."
Daoist Yiping did not care much about the juniors in the Lower Monastery, but having stayed here for so many years, he naturally knew a bit about Wuzheng's situation, as Wuzheng was a prominent figure among the Lower Monastery's seventh-rank ordained Daoists of the Wu generation.
"Right, I hear Wuzheng is most skilled in alchemy and medicine."
Daoist Yiping added, "Wuzheng comes from a prominent clan in Yunyang Prefecture and has a bright future ahead of him; he won't be content to stay at Canglong Temple forever. Just follow him dutifully for two years. Once you advance to the seventh rank, taking charge of Canglong Temple will be simple enough."
"Martial Uncle speaks the truth." Zhou Wuji nodded repeatedly.
What he cared about most was actually Wuzheng's background. As long as this fellow was not surnamed Zhang and had no ties to Zhang Xinhu, there would be no problem.
Daoist Yiping knew Zhou Wuji was sharp and quick-witted, but he still couldn't resist offering a few words of caution. "When you return to Canglong Temple, do not provoke Zhang Xinhu. He is a seventh-rank martial artist; if he truly throws caution to the wind, you won't be able to stop him.
"With your talent, there is no need to spar with a mere county-seat family. Once you reach the fifth rank, a single word from you could wipe out the Zhang family."
Zhou Wuji nodded again and again. His martial uncle was not exaggerating.
The Daoist Sect was supported by the imperial court and possessed a massive organization of its own. If he truly reached the fifth rank, crushing Zhang Xinhu under his thumb would naturally be effortless.
However, who knew how long that would take? Besides, even if he did not go looking for Zhang Xinhu, would Zhang Xinhu let him off?
He had never hesitated to presume the worst of others' intentions. Rather than spending a thousand days guarding against a thief, it was better to strike first...
Of course, there was no need to voice these calculations to Martial Uncle Yiping.
Now that Zhou Wuji was preparing to depart, he finally obtained the ten Golden Yang Pills from the hall master. This kind of seventh-rank pill was exorbitantly expensive. Abbot Zhiyuan had promised ten of them in a fit of good cheer back then, but nothing had come of it afterward.
Daoist Yiping had quietly told Zhou Wuji, "The Abbot must have regretted being so generous and couldn't bear the cost. You already got a bargain by learning spells for free, so don't press for the pills."
Zhou Wuji, however, was unwilling to let it go; he had yet to taste what these pills were like.
With his departure imminent, he shamelessly went to find Abbot Zhiyuan. Whatever Zhiyuan might have thought privately, he remained pleasant on the surface, immediately instructing a Daoist boy to take Zhou Wuji to the Medicine Hall to collect the pills.
Returning to Feixuan Hall, Zhou Wuji took five Golden Yang Pills directly from the medicine box and handed them to Daoist Yiping.
Daoist Yiping was a little surprised, then waved them away in refusal. "I don't need them. You are young and in the prime period of advancing your cultivation. Keep them for yourself."
Then he added an admonition: "The medicinal properties of this pill are somewhat potent. Take only one every ten days."
Zhou Wuji shoved the five Golden Yang Pills directly into Daoist Yiping's hands. "We'll split them down the middle, so neither of us loses out. If you keep refusing like this, you're practically forcing me to give all of them to you!"
Daoist Yiping broke into laughter. That joke was delightfully played—it brought them closer while allowing him to accept the gift with a clear conscience.
He marveled inwardly: *This martial nephew of mine is truly brilliant! With such sharp wit and remarkable cultivation talent, his future will surely be boundless!*
Seeing Martial Uncle Yiping accept the pills made Zhou Wuji quite happy as well.
His smooth advancement to the eighth rank was entirely thanks to his martial uncle's care, and giving some pills was primarily a small token of gratitude.
Before leaving, Zhou Wuji visited the Hall of Ten Thousand Spirits once more to pay respects to his late master, praying for his master's spirit in heaven to bless him with smooth fortune in all things.
He did not know whether the old man actually had the ability to do so, but voicing his wishes certainly couldn't hurt; if his master's spirit was watching from above, he would surely do his best to help...
When Zhou Wuji departed, he also bought two sets of Daoist robes, shoes, and socks for Shangxing—the young Daoist boy who had been cooking meals for him.
Having spent over ten days together, Zhou Wuji had grown rather fond of the boy, who was bright and sensible.
Sending Zhou Wuji off in the morning, Daoist Yiping wore a calm expression, but young Shangxing had tears welling in his eyes. "Martial Uncle, come back and visit me when you have time!"
Zhou Wuji smiled and waved farewell to his martial uncle and Shangxing.
Canglong Temple was over four hundred li from Yunyang Prefecture. Wuzheng brought several disciples and attendants, along with junior martial brothers traveling with him, totaling more than a dozen people.
Coupled with everyone's personal belongings and a three-foot-tall alchemy furnace, they had a heavy load of cargo.
For this reason, Wuzheng hired four carriages from a transport agency to carry the goods and passengers.
As Wuzheng's de facto deputy, Zhou Wuji was assigned a large gray donkey, saving him from cramming onto the flatbed carts with the crowd.
Enjoying the same privilege was Wuming, Wuzheng's junior martial sister, a female cultivator only twenty years of age.
Wuming had almond eyes and peach-blossom cheeks, fair and radiant skin, and a graceful figure. She wore a yellow crown and an apricot-yellow Daoist robe; standard attire for a Daoist nun, yet unable to conceal her glamour.
Zhou Wuji thought Wuming was very attractive, but it would not do to stare.
They had only just met. Even if she was his type, he had to maintain a little decorum.
Moreover, Wuming displayed an obvious distance and aloofness toward him, and he was not the type to fawn over anyone.
The one who truly needed to seize the opportunity was Wuming; once this chance passed, she might never have the opportunity to interact with him as an equal again...
Scenery, on the other hand, could be admired to his heart's content without any hesitation.
It was just the beginning of the tenth month. The autumn sun shone bright, the mountain breeze was crisp, and the foliage displayed a splendid array of brilliant hues—the finest season for autumn scenery in the Siming Mountains.
Wearing a bamboo sun hat and riding his gray donkey, Zhou Wuji strolled leisurely along with the convoy, chatting idly with a few peers.
For some reason, Zhou Wuji thought back to a spring outing from his past life, when he and a bunch of classmates had run foolishly all over the hills. There hadn't actually been much to do, yet there was a pure joy in letting loose and romping freely.
It was the same now; he felt completely relaxed and at ease in body and mind, taking in the full richness of the autumn colors.
The roads were not in good condition, so the convoy could not move quickly, covering only several dozen li a day.
The coachmen from the transport agency traveled this route year-round and were richly experienced; by dusk, the convoy stopped to lodge in a village right on schedule.
Seeing a group of Daoists, the villagers were overjoyed to offer food and fruit, begging to be granted talismans.
Wuzheng and the others were accustomed to this sort of thing and distributed Golden Light Talismans and Tranquil Heart Talismans on the spot.
The Golden Light Talisman warded off evil spirits and expelled ghosts, while the Tranquil Heart Talisman dispelled inner demons. For ordinary folk, these two types of talismans were more than enough.
Higher-grade talismans would be useless in the hands of common mortals anyway.
Chatting with the villagers, Zhou Wuji heard that times were turbulent of late; nobody dared enter the mountains without carrying several talismans on them.
It was mostly due to the rampant rogue soldiers running amok recently, leaving everyone terrified.
To prevent accidents, Wuzheng assigned people to keep watch at night.
Fortunately, he had disciples and attendants capable of handling such mundane matters. Zhou Wuji was not assigned any duties, clearly set apart from the others.
Seeing Wuzheng make these arrangements, Wuming could not help asking him, "Senior Brother, you hold Zhou Wuji in high regard, don't you?"
She was somewhat puzzled. "Advancing to Qi Ingestion only at twenty-one isn't anything remarkable!"
Wuzheng gave a slight shake of his head. "Do not underestimate him. Zhou Wuji has his own capabilities..."
He did not elaborate further. Taking Wuming along on this journey was originally intended to broaden her experience and open her eyes.
Wuming's bright eyes shifted. She thought Zhou Wuji was quite handsome, but she could see nothing particularly extraordinary about him.
Yet hearing her senior brother speak of him this way, a spark of curiosity toward Zhou Wuji was truly kindled within her...
Over the next few days, the convoy traveled by day and rested by night, the journey passing relatively smoothly.
On the evening of the fourth day, the convoy arrived at Baizhu Village. This was already within the borders of Siming County, only a day and a half's journey from Canglong Temple.
The area around Baizhu Village produced an abundance of white bamboo. When burned into charcoal, it proved exceptionally long-lasting and emitted a fragrant bamboo aroma, making it a very popular charcoal.
This specialty of white bamboo made the village quite prosperous, boasting over a hundred households and several hundred residents.
Zhou Wuji had visited this place with his master in the past to preach the teachings and held a rather vivid impression of the white bamboo here.
Just as he was describing Baizhu Village's situation to Wuzheng, a crowd of people came surging forward from the village entrance in a clamor.
The leading elder had hair and beard turned completely white, a slightly hunched back, and a face lined with wrinkles, looking to be in his seventies or eighties. He was the village headman of Baizhu Village, the administrator of these hundred households.
The headman wore a long gown, which, though patched in places, was washed clean and neat.
The surrounding villagers were all dressed in coarse, short tunics with straw sandals on their feet. Every one of them was dark-skinned, their faces weathered with hardship.
Zhou Wuji was a little surprised. He knew he had no personal relationship with the village headman, nor was it likely that the man had known in advance of his arrival.
For the headman to come rushing out with a crowd of villagers like this, had something happened?
Without needing Zhou Wuji to speak, a Daoist immediately stepped forward to block the headman and his group. "What are you doing?"
The headman grasped the Daoist's hand with agitation. "Daoist Masters, you've finally arrived!"
In truth, the headman also felt something was off—the direction these people came from wasn't right, and they had arrived far too quickly.
Yet with the village facing a dire emergency, the headman couldn't bother with such details. Daoists were responsible for subduing demons and quelling evil anyway, so turning to them was certainly not wrong!
The Daoist was baffled and turned to look at Wuzheng.
Wuzheng strode over and said, "Old elder, whatever you have to say, tell it to me."
Seeing Wuzheng's commanding bearing, the headman's eyes lit up instantly. "Daoist Master, we only sent someone to call for aid yesterday, yet here you are today..."
Wuzheng was equally bewildered and guessed that the headman had probably mistaken them for someone else. He did not bother to correct him, merely asking what was actually going on.
Though quite advanced in age, the old man spoke coherently and soon explained the whole matter clearly.
As it turned out, the day before yesterday a wild boar had charged into the village, mauling several people to death. What was more, the boar was exceptionally cunning—none of their traps worked. When the village hunters banded together to hunt it down, several able-bodied men were instead mauled to death by the beast.
Believing the wild boar had turned into a demon, the headman had been terrified and hurriedly dispatched someone to Yunlong Temple to seek help, not expecting that Wuzheng and his party would happen to arrive.
Listening from the side, Zhou Wuji understood clearly. If the old man had not exaggerated, the wild boar measured over a zhang from head to tail and stood five chi tall at the shoulder—practically the size of a massive bull.
For a wild boar of such immense size to also know how to avoid traps, it truly deserved to be called a demonic creature.
Wuzheng also furrowed his brows. Against such a colossal demon beast, even with quite a few people on their side, they might not necessarily be able to bring it down.
If things went awry, there could even be casualties!
Chapter 21