Chapter 170: Who in this Turbid World Does Not Act for Himself?

When Chen Ci found that fat man Ding Jiang, his expression was slightly strange. He had originally thought that with a change of leadership comes a change of staff, and as a remnant of the previous administration, this fellow's life would likely be difficult. Yet, to his surprise, after nearly a year of not seeing him, the fellow had actually grown a bit fairer and plumper. That wealthy, round face—tsk—looked far better than even the average landlord or rich man in the mortal world at a single glance.

It was just that the living environment was slightly poor.

In the back mountain, a large vegetable garden, the air was faintly permeated with the strange odor of manure. Seven or eight Miscellaneous Disciples were bent over working in the vegetable plots, tossing broken leaves and fat worms they had caught to the old hens in the bamboo coop nearby. Ding Jiang was lying on a recliner to the side, dozing in the sun, with a small plate of peanuts and a small pot of cloudy wine at his side. Being able to live so comfortably even in these lousy conditions—putting this fellow in a vegetable garden was truly a waste of talent.

Going to the Shou Courtyard to take up a post would be the proper path.

"Junior Brother Ding, I didn't expect you to have been promoted."

Chen Ci chuckled and greeted him: "What would you call this, Deacon of the Vegetable Garden?"

"Senior Brother Chen!"

Ding Jiang had his sleep interrupted. At first, he only felt the voice sounded familiar, but when he opened his eyes and saw Chen Ci, he bounced off the recliner all at once, unexpectedly agile.

"Why have you come?"

After speaking, the fat man Ding looked Chen Ci over twice. He had once done some things for Lin Qinhu, so he naturally knew that this Senior Brother Chen was much more valued by their teacher than Registered Disciples like them.

Chen Ci thought for a moment, his words implying something more.

"Set your heart at ease; in a few days, things might just get better."

Moreover, Lin Laohu did not particularly value this position at the Fuhu Altar in Xishan Prefecture. What he sought was only the quota to use the Earth Sha at Quanshan. Occupying this quota, it didn't matter whether he returned or not; he might as well cultivate at the Liangjiang Sea Market. He would only wait until his cultivation was Perfected to go up to Quanshan to condense Sha and form a Golden Core. Once he had the power to protect himself, he would return to the He Mountain Sect to be a side-branch Ancestor and charge toward the Golden Core Great Dao. Why would he care about these mortal affairs?

"Senior Brother Chen, the teacher, that old man... sigh, forget it, let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it."

Ding Jiang waved his hand: "Once Temple Master Shen arrived at Fuhu Altar, the number of Daoists, miscellaneous workers, and maidservants in the temple more than doubled. He set us Registered Disciples and Miscellaneous Disciples into eighteen heads. As for those lucrative deacon positions, don't even think about them. Junior Brother here still has a bit of discernment, so I became this Vegetable Room Deacon Head. There's food and drink, and not much work. Some senior brothers were assigned to be deacons in the Cleaning Room; that life is so miserable they can't even lift their heads in the temple."

But while he said he believed it, that fellow Ahu had the guts to ambush fellow sect members, but he was also truly afraid of death. His main strategy was to say everything was fine when asked, and to refuse to return whenever urged.

Lin Laohu said the matter of Xishan Prefecture was already settled, which should be true. He wouldn't deliberately deceive Chen Ci on such a matter; there was no need.

The fat man Ding hesitated, sighed, and simply lowered his voice, whispering: "On the surface, the temple says Temple Master Shen is only acting, but privately there are rumors that the teacher did something big. Although he still holds the title of Altar Master, he will never return to Xishan Prefecture again. Once his divine art is perfected in the future, he will return to He Mountain to be that Immortal True Person. As for us Registered Disciples with shallow cultivation, how could we go to that Immortal mountain headquarters? It's better to honestly hold a deacon position in the temple; perhaps there is still some hope for advancement."

But looking at his expression, it was clearly not as relaxed as he claimed.

Chen Ci was somewhat surprised. After pondering for a moment, he asked: "Senior Brother Lin still has some matters in Jiangzhou and cannot return to Xishan Prefecture for the time being, so he let Uncle-Master Shen of the Red Dragon Temple act as the Altar Master of Fuhu Altar. How is it that you seem to know something about this? By the way, what is your situation? You have some cultivation, so why were you sent here?"

Ding Jiang was just about to speak, but after thinking, he simply led Chen Ci to a small courtyard far from the vegetable garden. Although it was simple, it was at least a detached house and was considered quiet.

"Senior Brother Chen... sigh."

Chen Ci pondered, gradually realizing the truth. That fellow Lin Laohu was truly cautious to an extreme. He had no important business, nor was it a case of being unable to return for a short time; the bastard was likely terrified of returning to Xishan Prefecture!

Damn, there's no guarding against this.

"Hey, don't mention it, this vegetable garden is already quite good."

First there was True Person Jiao with his overbearing aura, then his convenient senior brother saying the Xishan Prefecture matter was done. Old Master Chen naturally believed it, so he simply extricated himself from the Sea Market and headed back to Xishan Prefecture.

Hm?

He will never return to Xishan Prefecture again?

That's not right.

The fat man Ding was initially a bit excited to see Chen Ci, but after a while, he seemed to have let it go. He sighed and did not pursue the matter further.

And this old Daoist Shen acting as the Fuhu Altar Master is likely true. This person's lifespan is at most ten or twenty years, or at most twenty or thirty years, and the quality of his Dao Foundation and Dharma Power is likely poor, which is why Lin Laohu felt at ease letting him act in the position.

But whether there were any other deals involved, Chen Ci did not know. However, it was clear that this veteran Dao Foundation expert who had retired from the Red Dragon Temple wanted to bring Fuhu Altar under his command; otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a big show of changing the guard.

"I'm afraid it's also for the right to the Quanshan Earth Sha in the future... If not for his disciples, then for his descendants. Anyone who can form a Dao Foundation is a hero in their own right; they always have the vision to plan for a hundred years."

Chen Ci frowned. Wait, wasn't it supposed to be reserved for Old Master Chen? But given this situation, whether Ahu would support A-Ci in the future was really hard to say.

And what about these positions in the Three Capitals and Five Courtyards?

Should he occupy a position in advance and fight for it?

One by one, none of them are worry-free. Can't they just honestly make way for the He Mountain Light, Old Master Chen?

Chen Ci glanced at Ding Jiang, feeling that this fat man was a quick-witted person who knew how to advance and retreat; otherwise, he wouldn't be doing passably well in the current Fuhu Altar as a person from the old administration.

"Junior Brother Ding, I have recently made connections with Senior Brother Dujiang Ye. He wants to recommend me for the position of Courtyard Master of the Fu Courtyard. What do you think?"

Chen Ci thought for a moment, organized his words, and asked in a deep voice: "I had a brief encounter with Uncle-Master Shen in Jiangzhou, but I don't know much about the situation at Fuhu Altar. Could you teach me a thing or two?"

"Senior Brother Ye Chuan?"

Ding Jiang was slightly stunned, a trace of envy flashing in his eyes, though it was unclear whether he envied Old Master Chen's connections or the position of Courtyard Master of the Fu Courtyard.

"To be honest, Senior Brother, if it were the path of Temple Master Shen, or Senior Brothers Luo or Xue, you could indeed become the Courtyard Master of the Fu Courtyard."

Ding Jiang thought for a moment and replied: "The positions of the Three Capitals in the temple are all held by Direct Disciples brought by Temple Master Shen. Junior Brother often drinks and seeks pleasure with other Deacon Heads, and I've heard that these three heads are all eyeing the position of the next Temple Master. Among them, Senior Brothers Luo and Xue are stronger and have gathered more junior brothers. The positions of the Five Courtyards will likely fall into their hands. Senior Brother Ye is ranked last and has the shallowest foundation in the temple. Following him... might not necessarily bring any benefits."

Chen Ci suddenly understood. No wonder this man surnamed Ye was so attentive the moment they met; he indeed had other intentions. It turned out he wanted to find a helper.

In this small Fuhu Altar, old Daoist Shen is only an acting Altar Master, yet the struggle for benefits is truly complicated.

Old Master Chen is devoted to the Dao, but this Fuhu Altar is full of worldly turmoil, and he is still an outsider. It is truly exhausting.

Chen Ci frowned, pondering the gains and losses. Ding Jiang seemed to have thought of something and said: "By the way, Senior Brother, there is one more thing. I heard some disciples in the temple chatting that starting this year, Fuhu Altar will independently control the territory of one prefecture, on par with the Red Dragon Temple. In the future, the offerings from the deacons of each county will no longer need to be handed over to the Red Dragon Temple. It's just that the quota for these offerings seems to be rising a bit, but the specifics are not something Junior Brother can know."

Chen Ci: "..."

Just consider it as repairing the house for Old Master Chen in advance; don't get angry.

It's just quite troublesome.

The so-called "Yama is easy to see, but little ghosts are hard to deal with." Although directly rejecting that man surnamed Ye wouldn't be a big deal, since others had already spoken and were even seeking a job for him, if he didn't give this face, it might be a troublesome matter in the future. Chen Ci had deep experience with how small-minded the cultivators of the He Mountain Sect were.

"Junior Brother Ding, I understand."

Chen Ci thought about some things, stood up, left a hundred-tael gold note, and smiled: "I came in a hurry; don't mind these few local specialties from Jiangzhou. When there is time in the future, we shall get closer."

"Senior Brother, this..."

Although Ding Jiang was tempted, he didn't dare to accept it directly. In the past, he was a Registered Disciple of the Fuhu Altar Master, and Chen Ci was just an External Deacon in Changping County, so it was fine to accept some silver.

Now he was just a Vegetable Room Deacon Head, while Chen Ci might become one of the Three Capitals and Five Courtyards. Daring to accept money now... no, it was already impolite that he hadn't offered Chen Ci some silver as a tribute.

"It's nothing. Working in the vegetable garden is bitter, and I see you've lost a lot of weight, Junior Brother. Take it to nourish your body."

Chen Ci nodded slightly. A Deacon Head might not be useful for big things, but for some changes regarding Fuhu Altar, it was enough.

Ding Jiang subconsciously touched his chin. It was quite round. Could it be that he had really lost weight?

Chen Ci waved his hand and took his leave leisurely; since he had already seen an old acquaintance, there was no point in staying in the Vegetable Garden any longer.

On the way back to the side courtyard, Chen Ci lightly rubbed his fingertips; he had gotten himself tangled in a trouble that was neither big nor small this time, but in this mortal world of cultivation, one was surrounded by minor rogue cultivators, and when such interests were encountered, they were naturally unavoidable.

"Right, I could do it this way."

A thought stirred in Chen Ci's heart; this man surnamed Ye wanted to pull him in as a helper, but he, Master Chen, was not alone, and the reputation of Lin Laohu could be borrowed and used once more.

(End of chapter)