Chapter 17: The Qian Family Ancestral Home

After Du Yuan stepped into the crowd, a man asked, “Young sir, have you studied before?”

Du Yuan nodded slightly. “I’ve read a few books.”

“Oh? Then what about your hair? Have you just left monastic life?”

Another man curiously eyed Du Yuan’s cropped hair. A flicker of joy stirred within Du Yuan—finally, an opportunity to shed the monk’s identity.

He immediately shook his head. “No, no, I’m a Taoist priest!”

“A Taoist priest?!” The men exclaimed in surprise.

“That’s right. See, I have this travel pass as proof!” Du Yuan produced the document he had received from Master Zhuang. Yet, to his slight dismay, the men shook their heads.

“This won’t mean much to us; we can’t read. Still, since you’ve shown the pass, you must be a Taoist priest. But what about your hair?”

In an era where body and hair were gifts from one’s parents, having no hair was indeed strange. Though Du Yuan’s hair was merely short, he had prepared for this.

Waving his hand with a smile, he said, “Old matters, not worth mentioning.”

With this, he answered their questions while crafting an air of experience and mystery. Though this alone might have little effect, these elements accumulated.

I am a Taoist priest backed by a travel pass, I sang a straightforward and profoundly meaningful “Song of Completion,” and I carry an enigmatic past.

Combined, these details slowly etched a subconscious image among the men—that this person was likely quite extraordinary.

Once this foundation was laid, everything else would be easier.

Naturally, the simplest path would be to radiate a Buddha’s light. But Du Yuan neither wished to remain a living Buddha, nor did he want to be pursued by that unknown presence. Moreover, he was eager to continue testing his abilities.

For instance, whether his powers would be affected by a change in identity.

Sure enough, upon saying this, the men’s gazes shifted with newfound respect. They silently thought this Taoist had surely seen much in his travels.

Since Du Yuan was a Taoist who had sung the “Song of Completion,” the opening line—“Everyone knows immortals are good”—sparked their curiosity and conversation.

In this age, and even back in Du Yuan’s hometown, tales of immortals and spirits were always a hot topic.

“Taoist priest, you just sang that everyone knows immortals are good. Do you really believe immortals exist?”

At this, the surrounding men instinctively gathered closer.

They had pondered such matters, even discussed them, but never heard them addressed by a Taoist priest.

“As the saying goes, three feet above your head there are divine beings. So yes, immortals do exist!” Du Yuan raised a finger to the sky.

Faces grew more animated, eager to inquire further.

But then, a man in the crowd interjected, “If immortals truly exist, doesn’t that mean demons and ghosts exist as well?”

The lively chatter paused.

Some wanted to rebuke him for his words, but many were genuinely eager to hear more. After all, immortals seemed distant, but ghosts and demons felt close.

They all looked to Du Yuan for an answer, and he obliged.

“Of course, they exist in great numbers! For example—” He drew out the last word, then paused, scanning the crowd.

Seeing their growing interest, he continued, “For example, Qiaoshui Town in Qing County.”

“I know that place! My third uncle’s daughter married someone from Qiaoshui Town. And there’s an honorable Master Zhuang there!” one man said.

Du Yuan was surprised to hear this, and even more so that the Master Zhuang, who in his view was neither good nor bad, was regarded highly by others.

Is this an era where mediocrity is the best one can hope for?

“I’ve been to Qiaoshui Town too, Taoist priest. What’s going on there?”

Du Yuan pointed towards the direction of Qiaoshui Town. “Qiaoshui Town has zombies!”

“Ah!” The crowd gasped again.

“That can’t be. I was there just a few days ago, and everything seemed fine.”

“Yes, we went together at the time. Taoist priest, were you joking with us?”

As the crowd denied the claim in noisy voices, one man hesitated and said, “But I did hear yesterday that many sorcerers were summoned to Qiaoshui Town.”

“Is that so?” The crowd turned in surprise to the speaker, who hurriedly shook his head. “I only heard it.”

Du Yuan took the moment to interject: “Indeed. Zhou Da from the Zhou family in Qiaoshui Town couldn’t let go of his daughter. His obsession transformed into a spirit trapped in his throat—neither alive nor dead.”

“He became a zombie, unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation. For three days, Qiaoshui Town has been searching for monks and Taoists to perform a soul release for Zhou Da.”

“Unfortunately, most so-called cultivators and sorcerers in this world are frauds.”

“They failed to release Zhou Da and fled in terror.”

Hearing this, nearly half the crowd believed the tale, while the rest remained skeptical.

Since Qiaoshui Town was not the capital, they could always go and see for themselves.

Lies could not be told when so easily disproved.

“So, is Qiaoshui Town now a den of dragons and tigers?”

Du Yuan waved his hand again. “Not exactly. Recently, a high monk passed through Qiaoshui Town and released Zhou Da’s spirit!”

Du Yuan didn’t dare reveal he was the living Buddha.

The man who first steered the conversation towards ghosts suddenly asked, “Taoist priest, since you know this, do you know where that high monk went? Is he still in Qiaoshui Town?”

Seeing how concerned he was, Du Yuan understood immediately.

“That high monk has already journeyed on. I don’t know his whereabouts. But, layman, do you have a request?”

Du Yuan had intended to proceed gradually, but if there was a matter, mutual benefit could be arranged.

The crowd turned to the man, who scratched his head with a worried expression.

Du Yuan reassured him, “Don’t hesitate to speak plainly if there’s something you need.”

A companion beside the man added, “Right, didn’t you say you were going to Ziyun Temple today? Is something wrong at home?”

At last, the man no longer hesitated and cupped his hands to Du Yuan. “Taoist priest, it’s not me—it’s my employer.”

“Layman, could you explain in detail?”

Scratching his head, the man said, “You probably don’t know, but my employer is the wealthy Qian family of Qing County. Their textile business is thriving across the prefecture.”

“But the Qian family isn’t here anymore. This is just their ancestral home. I was hired to clean the estate and run errands.”

Du Yuan listened quietly, wearing a faint, knowing smile as if seeing through everything.

This expression encouraged the man to speak more freely.

“At first, I thought I was overthinking. Visiting Ziyun Temple was just to pray and find peace.”

“But now, hearing what you say, I feel there might really be trouble.”

By the end, even in daylight, the man couldn’t help but fold his arms tightly, rubbing them as if he were in an ice cellar rather than among people.

“Because every midnight, I hear sighs coming from the main hall of the Qian family’s old estate.”

The men gasped in shock and were about to ask more when a sharp voice nearby barked, “Silence! The Qian family has accumulated virtue and blessings, a household of righteousness. How could there be such wickedness? This is clearly a coarse man’s slander, aiming to ruin the Qian family’s good name!”

The crowd quickly turned toward the voice, seeing a young nobleman astride a tall horse, flanked by several similarly mounted warriors dressed in light armor, glaring fiercely at them.