Chapter 122

Although my junior brothers and sisters are foolish, the old Daoist priest still had to make excuses for them; over the short stretch from the back courtyard to the central courtyard, he explained twice to Wang Feiyin, "They're young, they understand nothing—don't take it to heart."

He added, "It's my fault—I've been so focused on cultivation that I forgot to teach them."

Wang Feiyin comforted him: "I understand. I think you shouldn't bother trying—some things in this world are simply destined to fail; there's no need to strain yourself."

The old Daoist priest twitched his lips—was this saying his junior brothers and sisters were beyond saving?

Yet he couldn't help nodding along, feeling the man had a point.

The two exchanged glances and sighed in unison—one filled with boundless melancholy, the other with boundless relief.

Why are my junior brothers and sisters so foolish?

Fortunately, my junior brothers and sisters are not foolish.

The two crossed the threshold together into the central courtyard, where voices buzzed and human energy surged around them.

Although Li Qingyin's junior brothers and sisters were foolish, they were obedient—they went to buy things from Mount Sanqing's temple as told.

When they arrived, they happened upon the female Daoist priests of Yuling Temple making purchases.

Upon seeing each other, they merely nodded; one female Daoist rose silently, turned aside, and perfectly blocked their view.

The Yuling Temple people paid, packed everything into three cloth bags, and left; only Tao Ji and Master Xuanmiao of Mount Sanqing knew what they had bought.

As soon as the Yuling Temple people left, they stepped forward and bent to examine the stall's wares—there was little left, scattered and sparse; the group frowned, "No Lei Fu or Yin Shen Dan left?"

Master Xuanmiao was about to reach into her cloth bag when Tao Ji looked up and said, "None left."

Master Xuanmiao halted her hand, withdrew it without expression, and fell silent.

The group didn't dwell on it, merely muttered, "Everything we wanted is gone."

They reluctantly selected a few useful pills and talismans, felt they'd fulfilled their senior brother's instructions, and paid to leave.

Pan Yun and Wang Cong had already gone to explore, so only Tao Ji and Master Xuanmiao remained at the stall.

Without the profit-driven Pan Yun and Wang Cong, Tao Ji acted more freely—if he disliked someone, he wouldn't even bother to solicit them; he simply put the goods away and refused to sell.

Master Xuanmiao didn't interfere, letting him do as he pleased.

But she had known why he'd done this before—these people from Fuxing Temple…

Master Xuanmiao frowned and asked, "Did they bully you?"

Tao Ji shook his head. "No."

Master Xuanmiao looked at him.

Tao Ji's face flushed slightly; he whispered, "I just don't like them—but they haven't done anything."

Master Xuanmiao withdrew her gaze and said calmly, "If you don't like them, they must be bad—don't like them, then."

Tao Ji exhaled. "Sister, don't tell Wang Cong or the little sister—they're obsessed with making money and will surely scold me."

Master Xuanmiao nodded. "I won't tell them."

Tao Ji relaxed, propped his chin on his hand, and waited for the next customer.

No one came—he wasn't worried; their goods always sold out eventually, and whatever remained could be sold to the apothecary for even more profit.

Goods from Mount Sanqing never failed to sell.

The two slowly restocked their stall; the cloth bag grew even flatter.

Pan Yun and the others were touring the inner grounds—this was her first time in such a place; it resembled her past-life flea market, yet didn't.

In her past life, flea markets were holographic—you could browse them from home, instantly, ordering items online and having them delivered.

Pan Yun crouched before a stall examining its talismans; one glance told her these were far inferior to those she and Master Xuanmiao had drawn—even worse than Tao Ji's.

So the third senior brother was right—these outside goods truly couldn't compare to those of Mount Sanqing Temple.

Pan Yun felt reassured and turned to browse the stall's raw materials.

The most common were medicinal herbs.

Daoist priests mostly huddled in mountains, encountering more heavenly treasures than ordinary people.

Some priests weren't skilled at alchemy and knew their limitations—they wouldn't waste good materials, so they saved them for the Mount Sanqing Gathering.

For the first time, the four saw so many raw heavenly treasures—some still had mud clinging to their roots.

The four watched with fascination; Tao Yan Bai spotted a ginseng root and wanted to buy it—when he asked the price, it was one hundred taels, and he pulled his hand back.

Pan Yun bargained for him: "That's way too expensive…"

The selling Daoist cut her off: "This ginseng is at least fifty years old—look how close it is to taking human form; how rare is that? One hundred taels is already cheap because it's in the inner grounds—if you bought it at an apothecary, it'd be at least one hundred twenty."

Tao Yan Bai quietly tugged Pan Yun's sleeve and nodded slightly—this Daoist spoke truth.

He'd asked the price thinking he didn't know, hoping to snag a bargain like the third uncle said—but no such luck.

Pan Yun surveyed the bustling inner grounds, where disciples debated heavenly treasures, pills, and talismans; she asked Tao Yan Bai, "Does this look like a place to find bargains?"

Tao Yan Bai looked around and shook his head sadly. "The third uncle has picked up bad habits from the senior uncle and little uncle."

Pan Yun refused to take the blame. "This has nothing to do with me—maybe the third brother was always like this; you've just been fooled."

Seeing Miao Zhen said: "Little uncle, my master is the most upright, kind, and honest person in the temple—he would never deliberately deceive us."

She added, "I think times have changed—my master hasn't visited the inner grounds in years; he only watches stalls in quiet corners. He probably doesn't realize that today's monks and Daoists here aren't as ignorant as before."

Seeing Miao Zhen nodded. "And the goods they bring out aren't as precious or rare as before, so the chance of misidentifying them is low."

Pan Yun surveyed the scene, then waved her hand. "Forget it—this inner grounds isn't that big. Let's look at every heavenly treasure, ask about every item—if we can't buy anything, we'll go to the outer grounds and find Wang Cong."

"Good, good!" Seeing Miao Zhen was the first to respond. "I think the outer grounds are way more fun."

The four immediately began wandering. Seeing Miao Zhen was right—vendors knew exactly what they were selling; cases of ginseng being sold as radishes were virtually nonexistent—but…

The herbs in the inner grounds were still cheaper than outside, and some Daoists, though aware of their goods' value, didn't know current market prices.

They named random prices—some high, but mostly low, and some absurdly below market rate.

When such fools appeared, when else but now to take advantage?

Midway through, when money ran short, Tao Yan Bai ran back to Tao Ji for more.

The four of them finally found the joy of treasure hunting—buying things was truly delightful, especially when spending the Daoist monastery's money, with no limits. They scurried about like treasure-hunting mice, peering everywhere, occasionally spending money to buy armfuls of goods.

By the time they returned with all manner of heavenly materials and rare treasures, they had spent every last coin.

Tao Ji glanced at what they brought back, estimated their value in a single sweep, calculated the amount they had taken with them, and nodded slightly: "Though unprocessed, bringing back this much medicinal material isn't a loss."

Master Xuanmiao cast a glance and said: "Let them have their fun—they'll suffer the consequences someday. Buying such a jumbled mix of herbs like this? Only our Three Pure Ones Monastery has enough elixir formulas to make use of them. Otherwise, these herbs would just rot in your hands."

"Even with elixir formulas, you still need to buy additional herbs to balance them—monasteries with thinner resources can't afford it."

Tao Ji smiled: "Yanbai and Miaohuo are already learning herb formulation. If they make good ones and sell them to apothecaries, we won't lose. Besides, I noticed several herbs here that enhance cultivation—they can be made into pills for their training. Little sister has been with us so long and hasn't taken a single medicinal pill yet."

Pan Yun stepped back, eyes wide: "I have to take medicine?"

Tao Ji grumbled: "What are you afraid of? Medicines that benefit your cultivation—how many people outside would kill to get them?"

Even Master Xuanmiao nodded: "If you take elixirs during cultivation, your progress will accelerate."

Pan Yun swallowed hard and whispered: "Isn't it said that medicine carries three parts poison?"

"Hmph," Tao Ji said coldly. "That's the medicine of outsiders. Our Three Pure Ones Monastery's medicine is different—we extract as much toxicity as possible. Just eat without fear."

!.

Master Xuanmiao understood Pan Yun's concern—she had been through this phase herself—and said to her: "When you're ready to advance, take one elixir and you'll understand everything."

Pan Yun nodded: "Alright."

She was an open-minded person; though doubtful, she was willing to try.

Master Xuanmiao said: "I know you want to go to the outer grounds—go. Help Cong'er sell all his toothbrushes."

Pan Yun and the three others agreed.

Master Xuanmiao pulled out five taels in silver notes: "You're out of money, right? Take this—buy food. Whatever you want, buy it."

Pan Yun reached out to take it, then dashed toward the door with Miaohuo, Miao Zhen, and Tao Yanbai.

Two Daoist acolytes guarded the entrance.

They were responsible for guarding the gate: those inside could leave, but only monks or Daoists could enter from the outer grounds.

The acolyte opened the door and said: "Once you leave today, you cannot re-enter."

Miaohuo: "You clearly know we're from the Three Pure Ones Monastery—why won't you let us in?"

"It's the rule. Anyone who leaves cannot re-enter."

"That's because they're all adults—you can't verify their identities. But we're children. Only three children exist in the inner grounds. Why deny us entry?"

The acolyte pointed at Tao Yanbai: "He's not young. There are many acolytes in the inner grounds his age."

Miaohuo: "Then block him—but why block us too?"

Tao Yanbai: …

The acolyte was speechless: "You're together. Am I supposed to block just one?"

Pan Yun: "You could block none at all. You've already recognized him—you know he's with us."

"No. I'll forget him soon."

Pan Yun sighed: "Ah, I see. We forgive you."

Miaohuo protested: "Little Master, why forgive him?"

"He's this foolish—show some compassion," Pan Yun said. "People differ in ability. We must learn to accept others' stupidity. That too is tolerance."

The acolyte's face flushed red: "Who are you calling stupid?"

Pan Yun looked at him with the gentle gaze of one pitying the intellectually impaired and said kindly: "Don't be angry. We mean no insult—only stating facts. Don't worry—we'll take extra care of you next time we meet."

The acolyte was furious, ready to strike—but the other acolyte grabbed his arm and said to Pan Yun: "Go quickly. If you wish to return later, just register."

Pan Yun was satisfied. She grabbed Miaohuo's arm and marched out, head high and chest puffed.

Behind them, the two acolytes argued: "Why did you let them go?"

"Why are you harassing them? Senior Masters dislike the Three Pure Ones Monastery, but our Master has an excellent relationship with them. You're acting on your Senior Masters' gossip—will they protect you if things escalate?"

"You know they won't. So why bother?"

The four passed through a five-meter-long pavilion, pushed open the door, and the world erupted into noise—as if stepping from one realm into another.

As Pan Yun crossed the threshold, she couldn't help looking up at the lintel—and there, indeed, were two yellow talismans.

She marveled: "Using talismans to create a special magnetic field, blocking sound from passing through this door—brilliant. Who drew these?"

Miaohuo shook his head. Miao Zhen studied them carefully and said: "Looks like Fourth Master's brushwork."

Pan Yun tiptoed to look, then after a long moment said: "It's Fourth Sister's brushwork. Looks like Fourth Sister has good relations with Fuqing Monastery."

"Grandmaster and Master Li are close, so Third Master and Fourth Master are close to Master Li too."

Master Li was Li Qingyin, abbot of Fuqing Monastery.

Pan Yun nodded, closed the door firmly behind her, and waved her hand: "Let's go eat!"

"Aren't we looking for Big Brother first?"

"He's surely too busy to eat. We eat first, bring food to him, then join him at his stall—perfect."

The other three agreed it was perfect. They smiled, turned around behind the Three Pure Ones statue, and instantly closed their eyes and held their breath.

Even so, all four were choked by the stench, tears streaming, coughing violently, and sprinted out of the main hall.

Outside the hall, even more people thronged, the air thick with incense smoke. Worshippers burned offerings everywhere—but vendors outnumbered them.

Booths lined the entire perimeter, and stretched along both sides of the path.

Everything was sold: combs, jewelry, incense, candles, paper money, ingots, and all kinds of food.

Daoists held up banners reading: "Three Pure Ones Disciples—Fortune-telling and Divination. If inaccurate, free of charge."

Pan Yun's heart leapt: "I have a banner too—it's gathering dust in the storage room. I'll find it tomorrow—no, tonight! I'll bring it out and open my stall tomorrow."

#9

(End of Chapter)