Chapter 524

"Daozhang, Lord Luo, wait a moment!"

"Wang Lin, watching Xuanqing Daozhang and Luo Taiqing stand up to leave, hurriedly shouted:"

"Daozhang, you're right; Shizi Ling has been occupied by a monster. When my elder uncle was first appointed by Yama King as the Lion Ridge Mountain God, Yama King mentioned it to my elder uncle."

"He wanted to serve peacefully as the Mountain God of Shizi Ling, but he had to eliminate the monster occupying Shizi Ling; now that monster has already been dealt with!"

"Deep down he was moved by Xuanqing Daozhang's enthusiasm; he had only just mentioned his elder uncle becoming the Mountain God of Shizi Ling, without bringing up any other matters."

"Xuanqing Daozhang immediately thought of the monster occupying Shizi Ling."

"Before he could even plead, Xuanqing Daozhang intended to handle the monster occupying Shizi Ling himself, fearing that if he failed, he would have to ask him to go to the county office for reinforcements."

"Although."

"The matter of seeking reinforcements at the county office was snatched away by Luo Taiqing; he knew Luo Taiqing's motive, yet he still felt some gratitude toward Luo Taiqing."

"Anyway."

"Even if Luo Taiqing is determined to become Ping'an's father-in-law, at least he would still do something to help their family."

"\"Resolved? How could it possibly be resolved? \""

"Xuanqing Daozhang exclaimed in surprise; when he settled in Hutou Gou, he had thoroughly studied the situation within Qingyang County, and the thing he knew best was the monster occupying Shizi Ling."

"After all, a monster that could kill a Mountain God yet remained unchecked, and had ruled the land for over a hundred years, it would be hard not to investigate it."

"Xuanqing Daozhang asked in astonishment and doubt:"

"\"Brother Wang, could you tell me how the monster occupying Shizi Ling—no, how your elder uncle dealt with it? \""

"He knew the situation of Wang Lin's family."

"During the many years he has been building a Taoist temple on Hutou Mountain, countless Hutou Gou residents have come to offer incense, pray for blessings, and request his descent to perform Soul Salvation for the dead; he has almost visited every household in Hutou Gou."

"He was well aware of the Hutou Gou villagers, knowing that Wang Lin's elder uncle was a renowned hunter in the area."

"Every few days he would come to Wang Lin's home, delivering his game so that Wang Lin's family would not have to endure hunger."

"He was the most envied elder uncle around!"

"He had also seen Zhang Deben a few times; he was robust and strong, but had never seriously cultivated, relying at most on his bow and arrow to deal with beasts."

"Not to mention the monster occupying Shizi Ling, even ordinary monsters were beyond Zhang Deben's ability to handle."

"Moreover, after Zhang Deben's death, only his soul remained; a person without cultivation could not even harm an ordinary human, let alone the monster occupying Shizi Ling."

"\"Xuanqing Daozhang, don't be fooled by my elder uncle being loudly titled as the Lion Ridge Mountain God by Yama King, but as it stands, he lacks the ability to deal with the monster occupying Shizi Ling; the reinforcements came from the county office... \""

"Wang Lin saw that both Xuanqing Daozhang and the others wore curious expressions, and without concealment, he spoke straightforwardly, recounting the events in full detail."

"\"You first invited Immortal Official Luo and a Hundred Commander of the Capital City's Demon‑Subduing Office who passed through here. Immortal Official Luo did not come to resolve the monster occupying Shizi Ling, but to extort your elder uncle. Did your elder uncle, after the guidance of that Capital City Hundred Commander, refuse Luo's extortion? \""

"At this point, Xuanqing Daozhang paused, turned his head toward Luo Taiqing, his face full of oddity, and then continued:"

"\"Which kind‑hearted Hundred Commander from the Capital City stepped in to resolve the monster occupying Shizi Ling, enabling your elder uncle to become the Mountain God of Shizi Ling? \" If he weren't wary of outsiders present, he would truly want to ask Luo Taiqing, his clan brother, what the matter was, since another clan brother was trying to secretly take Wang Ping'an as a disciple; seeing Wang Lin appear at the Zhang family, he should know the relationship between the Wang family and the Zhang family."

"\"How could one have the nerve to extort? \""

"Luo Taiqing's expression turned complex; he opened his mouth as if to speak, but the words were swallowed back."

"Mainly because his peripheral vision caught the surrounding onlookers, a crowd of outsiders watching the spectacle."

"\"That's right; if it weren't for that Hundred Commander, whether my elder uncle could become the Mountain God of Shizi Ling would still be hard to say! \""

"Wang Lin said with gratitude on his face."

"Zhang Chengyong exclaimed unexpectedly, \"Uncle, why didn't you mention that your Ping'an was coveted by Lü Tu, the Thousand Commander of the Demon‑Subduing Office of Fengyin County, who wants to take your Ping'an as a disciple! \""

"From the previous words, he realized his uncle was a show‑off; otherwise he wouldn't have mentioned his father's becoming the Mountain God of Shizi Ling in front of the crowd."

"He noticed his uncle's eyes, upon seeing the shocked faces around, were filled with an unmistakable pride."

"Logically, his Ping'an being targeted by Lv Qianhu for apprenticeship should be even more shocking than his father's becoming the Mountain God of Shizi Ling."

"Why then did his uncle show no sign of mentioning it?"

"This novel you have reached"

"\"Forgotten? \""

"Zhang Chengyong guessed, \"This won't do; since my uncle likes to show off, I must satisfy him. If he won't speak, I'll speak! \""

"\"Brother Zhang, what are you saying? Ping'an, that child, is being coveted by Lü Tu, the Thousand Commander of the Demon‑Subduing Office of Fengyin County? \""

"Luo Taiqing pretended to be shocked, then seemed to recall something, gave Xuanqing Daozhang a strange glance; seeing that Xuanqing Daozhang's face showed only surprise and no hint of panic, he felt somewhat disappointed."

"He had originally hoped to watch a spectacle from Xuanqing Daozhang!"

"He wanted to see whether Xuanqing Daozhang would lose his temper over Lü Tu's desire to take Wang Ping'an as a disciple, but did not expect Xuanqing Daozhang to react this way."

"Suddenly."

"Luo Taiqing recalled that Xuanqing Daozhang wanted to go through, to give his clan brother—no, although they share the same ancestor, the other side looked down on his branch and would not treat him as a clan brother."

"He thought Xuanqing Daozhang intended to convey, through him, to the main line of the Luo family, his consent for taking Wang Ping'an as a disciple."

"Since Xuanqing Daozhang could agree, the main line of the Luo family taking Wang Ping'an as a disciple would naturally have no objection to Lü Tu's desire to take Wang Ping'an as a disciple."

"Zhang Chengyong was about to answer, but before he could finish speaking, he saw Wang Lin looking at Xuanqing Daozhang with full apology, saying:"

"\"Daozhang, rest assured, our family has not yet agreed to Lv Qianhu taking our Ping'an as a disciple! \""

"\"Brother Wang, you're overthinking; I have no objection to Lv Qianhu taking Ping'an as a disciple. A child as outstanding as Ping'an should have as many masters as possible to teach him... \""

"Xuanqing Daozhang understood Wang Lin's meaning, smiled, indicating he didn't mind the matter, instinctively glanced at Wang Ping'an, and before finishing his sentence, exclaimed in astonishment:"

"\"How could this—this—this be possible? \""

"(End of chapter)