Chapter 169: Three Capitals and Five Courtyards, the Position of Fu Master

Yan Shan, no, Brother Yan, is a good man.

In any case, Chen Ci is the type to take a swipe at anything regardless of whether there are dates or not; the money goes to Chen, the blame goes to Yan, and even Brother Yan's connections, Master Chen can borrow and use for a bit, hehe.

Just look, the Fuhu Altar before his eyes is clearly a bit different from before; more than a dozen cultivators are waiting outside the gate unable to enter, and inside there seem to be quite a few He Shan Sect fellows, presumably also here to pay respects to this new Fuhu Altar Master, a master of the Dao Foundation, only they seem to lack a way in and can only submit their calling cards, waiting to be summoned.

Unlike Chen Ci, we Side Door Cultivators take the back door, the shortcut; cultivation is like this, and life should be the same.

"Why is this Fuhu Altar suddenly undertaking such major construction? Is there a reason for it?"

Chen Ci followed behind the young Daoist, winding through several corridors; along the way, there were many craftsmen rushing to work on various buildings and courtyards, artificial hills and waters, and strange stones and exotic scenery, all very hurried.

"Reporting to Master, this little one only just arrived, so I don't know much. I heard it was ordered by the Altar Master, saying the previous layout of the temple wasn't grand enough, and the halls were somewhat insufficient."

This young Daoist looked quite sharp; though not old, his speech was nimble and his responses were proper.

Not grand enough?

Chen Ci was about to push the door open to enter, but suddenly stopped his steps and asked casually: "After I go in, how is it most appropriate to address Third Senior Brother?"

"Junior Brother Chen Ci, greets Senior Brother Ye."

"Mm."

Chen Ci smiled and did not ask further.

Chen Ci only swept a glance, then withdrew his gaze, not looking much more.

"This—"

As for his True Qi cultivation, it was about higher than that man surnamed Yan, but compared to Geng Laodao, it was a bit lacking.

The young Daoist thought for a moment, hid the gold bean in his hand, and said in a low voice: "Reporting to Master, the old folks in the temple were either dismissed or sent off to the back mountain. As for where your friend is, this little one does not know."

Chen Ci smiled gently but changed the subject: "By the way, I still have one or two friends in the Fuhu Altar, who should be considered old hands of the altar. I didn't see them this time, I wonder where they went?"

Chen Ci raised his hand in a salute and smiled: "I had a very pleasant time with Senior Brother Yan Shan at the Liangjiang Sea Market, drinking and chatting, and we were quite close. When Brother Yan heard I was returning to Xishan Prefecture, he entrusted me to visit Senior Brother Ye on his behalf and bring a jar of fine wine I found for you to taste."

A country bumpkin, his vision is still a bit shallow.

"No matter, take it to buy some candy, it's no trouble."

Chen Ci nodded slightly, flicked another gold bean over, and then entered the courtyard.

The young Daoist was stunned for a moment, a flash of surprise in his eyes, but he still respectfully replied: "In daily life, everyone respectfully addresses Third Master as Dujiang Ye."

Chen Ci clicked his tongue; this was not something an acting Altar Master would say. If it weren't a permanent residence, who would decorate the house so elaborately? It's too much trouble.

Entering the inner hall, it was even more luxurious, with pearls hanging from the ceiling and jade walls; only the layout had a bit of the appearance of a Daoist temple. A middle-aged Daoist of about fifty, with a goatee and wearing a Chi Long Daoist Robe, was sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion. To his left, a female Daoist held an incense burner; to his right, one held a horsetail whisk; behind him, two more female Daoists held banana-leaf fans, gently fanning him. This style was truly the first time Master Chen had seen it.

Could this Fuhu Altar really be changing its surname to Shen?

Chen Ci inexplicably felt something was wrong, and after thinking, he pinched a small gold bean from his sleeve and flicked it into the young Daoist's hand, which startled the boy.

Whoa!

Chen Ci had been to this Fuhu Altar before; although it was grand then, it still had the layout of a Daoist temple, solemn and quiet. But this courtyard was focused on luxury, looking more like a palace. Several graceful Daoist nuns were arranging flowers and plants inside, their curves fully exposed as they moved, far more alluring than the previous attendants.

After speaking, Chen Ci presented a jar of prepared Peiyuan Yangshen Wine and simultaneously offered a small package wrapped in gold paper, which actually contained a catty of earth-attributed Jade Spirit Divine Sand, though wrapped like this, it looked higher-class.

"So that's how it is."

Seeing that they had bypassed the front hall and arrived at a side courtyard, the young Daoist stopped at the gate and respectfully replied: "Master, we have arrived."

"Junior Brother Chen has a heart."

Waiting for the female Daoist to put away the gift, this person slowly opened his eyes, stroked his long beard, and looked thoughtful: "Junior Brother Chen, I seem to have heard of your name. Are you the Junior Brother Chen Ci who followed beside Uncle-Master Lin Qinhu and performed the 'Seven Steps to Form a Talisman'?"

Chen Ci: "..." It was him, but hearing this matter from someone else's mouth sounded quite strange.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

Chen Ci smiled politely: "That day was also a matter of luck; if the several senior brothers of the Red Dragon Temple hadn't held back, how would I have had the chance to make a fool of myself."

"Hahaha, after Teacher returned to the temple, he praised you quite a bit. Even Junior Brother Yan couldn't stop praising you. It's just a pity that I had official business that day and couldn't follow by Teacher's side. A pity, a pity indeed."

This Daoist surnamed Ye leaped up, laughed, and reached out to pull Chen Ci inside: "If we He Shan Sect cultivators can study the Soul Fixing Talisman Method, it will be of great benefit to our cultivation. After all, the Great Art of the sect—hehe. But Junior Brother has come at a clever time; the two of us can just get close. Someone, prepare the wine and food! Today I will drink until I'm drunk with my virtuous younger brother Chen."

"Senior Brother Ye is too kind."

Chen Ci also smiled: "No need for too much trouble, just prepare some small dishes. Although the wine Brother Yan prepared is not spirit wine, it has its own flavor. Today is just right for a good drink with Senior Brother Ye."

"Very good, very good!"

The Daoist chuckled and immediately ordered the female Daoists beside him to go prepare a table of wine and food. The two exchanged a few polite words and sat down at the table. Two charming female Daoists served behind Chen Ci; one with a willow-like waist and jade-like hands served him wine, while the other, with a full figure, pressed against Master Chen's back, rubbing and kneading slowly—it was quite enjoyable. After drinking some wine, the two chuckled, and their relationship grew closer.

If one were to talk about the drinking culture of the He Shan Sect, it was truly something else. Master Chen had always been critical and passive about it.

Chen Ci could confirm that he was a Longevity seeker who was single-mindedly devoted to the Dao and had absolutely no other intentions.

But little Chen didn't listen to him.

However, using public resources for private gain was not allowed; even if little Chen didn't listen, it wouldn't do. This was Master Chen's bottom line.

"Senior Brother Ye, I almost didn't recognize the Fuhu Altar when I came today."

The two chatted for a few sentences, and Chen Ci smiled: "This is much grander than before."

"Haha, this is at the wine table, so I'll say a joke. Uncle-Master Lin is single-mindedly devoted to the Dao and advances courageously, but in managing a branch temple, he is indeed far behind."

This cheap Senior Brother Ye shook his head and smiled: "Such a large Xishan Prefecture main altar, yet it was only simply divided into an inner and outer residence. Not only were the duties of the apprentices unclear, but for so many years, no new apprentices were taken in. With just those few people—heh, it doesn't show the might of our He Shan Sect. It's impossible that every little thing requires Uncle-Master Lin to step in himself. That is why Teacher is undertaking major construction, preparing to divide it into the Three Capitals and Five Courtyards, to properly establish the Fuhu Altar as a branch temple."

"Oh, I wonder what the Three Capitals and Five Courtyards mean?"

Chen Ci toasted a cup of wine, his face showing curiosity.

Daoist Ye stroked his long beard and smiled lightly: "Teacher established the Red Dragon Temple in Jiujiang Prefecture two hundred years ago. Originally, like Uncle-Master Lin, it was just the Temple Master followed by inner and outer apprentices. But how could such a structure control a whole prefecture? With so many miscellaneous tasks, he couldn't even attend to his own cultivation, so he devised this method of the Three Capitals and Five Courtyards. Only then did the Red Dragon Temple flourish."

After this person explained them one by one, Chen Ci understood the meaning of this move.

Even for a branch temple, cultivation is the priority, so it naturally involves Dan, Qi, Fu, and Arrays, as well as the responsibilities of teaching profound arts, rewarding and punishing, and allocating silver and money. Previously, all these responsibilities were held solely by Lin Laohu, who then ordered the inner residence apprentices to manage them, which was not very clear. Now that someone else is in charge, new rules must be established.

The position of Fuhu Altar Temple Master goes without saying; it was previously Lin Qinhu, and now it is the old Daoist Shen Gao, naturally held by the bravest person in the temple.

The 'Three Capitals' are the Duguan, who manages rewards, punishments, regulations, and the apprentices; the Dujiang, who manages the teaching of cultivation arts and scriptures; and the Duchu, who manages money, grain, and the distribution of cultivation resources.

And the 'Five Courtyards' are the 'Dan Courtyard', 'Qi Courtyard', 'Fu Courtyard', 'Shou Courtyard', and the 'Cai Courtyard' which manages the temple's industries and businesses.

How should one put it? To a cultivator, this division seems a bit too worldly. A cultivator should prioritize Daoist conduct, but official duties and responsibilities clearly cannot be judged by cultivation alone.

However, for a sect or a branch courtyard, this kind of structure is very easy to manage; the Apprentices have clear responsibilities, and over the long term, each performs their own duties and specializes in one area. Fuhu Altar also holds half the rights to the Earth Sha of Quanshan, so if they manage it well for a few hundred years, they might even develop some of the atmosphere of a side sect.

Chen Ci set down his wine cup and sighed, "Uncle-Master Shen is truly remarkable; it is no wonder he could establish the foundation of Red Dragon Temple."

"Haha, Teacher is also working for the sake of the sect. Since he is currently residing at Fuhu Altar, he naturally wants to accomplish something more."

Daoist Ye looked somewhat proud, toasted with Chen Ci, and said with an inadvertent smile, "Junior Brother Chen, though I am untalented, I currently hold the position of 'Dujiang' in the temple. Although Teacher brought a group of Apprentices to Xishan Prefecture, Red Dragon Temple cannot be left without people. Now that the Altar is in need of personnel, the positions of the Five Courtyards' Courtyard Masters are still vacant. With your cultivation in talisman arts, Junior Brother Chen, I believe the position of 'Fu Courtyard' Master belongs to no one but you. How about it? Would you like to stay at Fuhu Altar? It would be good for us brothers to look out for each other."

"This..."

Chen Ci's eyes flickered, and he asked curiously, "Senior Brother Ye, my cultivation is shallow, and I am an outsider; would this be a bit abrupt?"

"We are all brothers of the same family, disciples of the He Mountain Sect; what is this talk of outsiders?"

Daoist Ye waved his hand grandly: "Besides, with your talisman cultivation, Junior Brother, would anyone dare to be dissatisfied? By the way, the position of Courtyard Master comes with a monthly salary of two catties of divine sand. However, as long as we brothers grow closer, what is there to worry about? Hehe."

Daoist Ye made a gesture that those in the know would understand, and gave a meaningful, dark chuckle.

Chen Ci revealed a look of envy. As the dignified He Mountain Light, he was everywhere upholding the reputation and righteousness of He Mountain, yet the hard-earned money he made in Changping County was all handed over to Red Dragon Temple; he had never even received a salary from He Mountain.

Come to think of it, does he count as being on the payroll now?

"I wouldn't dare, Senior Brother Ye. May I ask if Uncle-Master Shen is currently at the Altar?"

Chen Ci was both tempted and hesitant: "Since Senior Brother Lin asked me to take a post under Uncle-Master Shen, I must pay a visit to him."

"Teacher has gone to visit those two Dao Foundation Miscellaneous Cultivators in Xishan Prefecture. I heard that after Uncle-Master Lin failed to reach Dao Foundation, those two have been a bit restless over the years. They must be reminded of the rules of our He Mountain Sect."

Daoist Ye stroked his long beard and smiled: "But he should be back soon, probably within these two days. Junior Brother Chen, just rest at the Altar. When Teacher returns, I will recommend you. I believe Teacher will not be stingy with the position of Fu Courtyard Master."

After eating and drinking his fill, seeing that this man surnamed Ye was about to drag him into an 'eagle party' to build rapport, Master Chen quickly waved his hands and went to the side courtyard to rest.

You can't do that, you really can't! You should have insisted on keeping me a dozen more times!

Master Chen enjoyed being passive; as for his bottom line, it wasn't impossible to temporarily make way for little Chen.

Sigh.

After practicing Qi and refining his method slightly to calm his mood, Chen Ci exhaled a breath of turbid air, his expression becoming somewhat intrigued.

This fellow was too attentive; at a glance, he was no good bird. As for the position of Fu Courtyard Master, while it sounded good, it probably wasn't that good.

Moreover, regarding the changes at Fuhu Altar, why did everything inside and out look as if Lin Laohu would never return? Chen Ci felt it was quite strange. Had he overlooked something, or had Ahu misunderstood something?

After pondering for a moment, Chen Ci tidied himself up and quietly left the room. Once he had walked a distance away, he casually grabbed a low-cultivation Daoist and ordered coldly, "Dujiang Ye, Senior Brother Ye, asked me to find a fat man named Ding Jiang to ask him about something important. You shall lead the way for me. If you delay Senior Brother Ye's affairs, you should know Senior Brother Ye's methods better than I do, right?"

(End of this chapter)