Chapter 25: This Is Truly Turning the World Upside Down!

Glancing at the mandarin duck embroidery on the man’s robe, Qian Youcai raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is the visitor Magistrate Fang?"

He truly did not recognize the magistrate, as his family had been based in the provincial capital since his father’s generation. Regarding their ancestral home, he only knew the official's name, but he had no idea what the man looked like.

"I am indeed he. May I ask if you are the second young master of the Qian family?"

Followed by several martial arts bodyguards, Qian Youcai walked quickly to stand before Magistrate Fang. After casting a suspicious glance at the surrounding yamen runners, he cupped his hands and said, "Magistrate, I am indeed Qian Youcai, the second son of the Qian family. May I ask what this is all about?"

"Even for a magistrate, to make such a grand display at our private residence, surely you owe us an explanation!"

Magistrate Fang replied with composed firmness, "I am here to apprehend a demonic priest!"

At these words, the pupils of both Qian Youcai and his bodyguards constricted sharply. A moment later, Qian Youcai exclaimed in disbelief:

"You want to arrest the Daoist master?"

His tone had lost its previous edge, replaced entirely by shock and confusion. It was as if someone were walking down the street and suddenly declared their intent to arrest the Emperor, citing rebellion as the reason—it carried an indescribably absurd weight.

"Daoist master? That is a demonic priest!"

At first, Magistrate Fang had even considered the possibility of a misunderstanding, but as he investigated further, a cold sweat had broken out over his entire body. The men he had questioned all spoke with one voice: the man was a true master, someone with genuine power who could subdue demons and spirits!

That was not all; most critically, these few men had, in the span of a single night, influenced all their neighbors. What did that signify? It meant that if his reaction were any slower, this damned demonic priest could potentially replicate the chaos seen in the Southwest within a matter of days!

If such a thing were to happen in his Qing County, he would be failing the Emperor’s grace by allowing sedition to sprout under his jurisdiction. Furthermore, he would be failing the people by allowing a con artist to occupy a place of honor.

Therefore, he had rushed to organize his forces and storm the Qian residence. Once the man was in the dungeons and shackled, the people would naturally realize what kind of charlatan he was.

"Second Young Master Qian, step aside now, and I shall treat this as you being misled by the priest’s tricks. Otherwise, do not blame me for reporting the Qian family for attempted treason!"

Qian Youcai was so angry he laughed. Accusing him of treason was one thing, but to dare call the Daoist master a demonic priest? This man named Fang had truly turned the world upside down!

He sneered, "The Daoist master is a true sage. If you wish to pay your respects, I would be happy to introduce you. But if you insist on slandering him, my Qian family is not to be trifled with!"

Magistrate Fang narrowed his eyes. "So, it is not just the demonic priest, but your Qian family as well?"

He had initially thought the Qian family was merely an ordinary prominent clan and would not have the audacity to engage in such a massive undertaking. He had assumed they, like the county assistant, had been deceived by this so-called "Perfected One of Purple Clouds." Now it seemed that these prominent clans were indeed trying to pull off some sinister schemes while the Southwest was unstable! He just didn't know who was standing behind the Qian family.

Qian Youcai spoke sternly once more, "Fang, let me reiterate: the Daoist master is a true sage. Do not use your petty accusations to sully his reputation!"

Magistrate Fang had intended to stop talking and simply order his men to make the arrest. However, he noticed a large crowd of commoners gathering outside the Qian family gates. As it turned out, the men who had left the previous night had been too excited to sleep, going from door to door to tell their neighbors about the master's abilities. By the time morning came and more people had risen, they saw a massive throng heading toward the Qian residence. Curiosity drew others in, creating a massive crowd.

At this moment, Qian Youcai gestured to the men behind him. "Magistrate Fang, if you do not believe me, you can ask these brothers. They were with me last night before our ancestral tablets, and they witnessed the Daoist master's abilities with their own eyes!"

The men outside the gate responded, "That’s right! Last night, the master broke the ghost-trap we encountered and even subdued a demon!"

"That’s true! I saw it with my own eyes!"

Hearing this, Magistrate Fang thought to himself that things were looking bad—was this fellow trying to incite the masses? He hurriedly turned to the crowd and said, "Good people, please, hear me out!"

Magistrate Fang was indeed a good official, so when he spoke, the people immediately quieted down. Seeing that his authority held sway, he felt a sense of relief and pride—it seemed his years of diligent service had not gone unnoticed by the people!

Feeling somewhat gratified and more than a little fortunate, he turned to Qian Youcai. "Since he is a true sage, then dare you let him come out and show his skills?"

Qian Youcai was truly laughing in anger now. He had even invoked his ancestors, and this man still refused to believe him! He even dared to demand the master come out and "show his skills"? The Daoist master was a man of golden prestige; how could he be summoned and dismissed by a mere corrupt official?

Qian Youcai stepped back and motioned for his bodyguards to move forward. "The Daoist master said he needs to rest, so do not even think about disturbing his cultivation!"

Qian Youcai remembered Du Yuan's words from the previous night clearly. Watching the bodyguards advance, Magistrate Fang was on the verge of exploding.

"Qian Youcai, does your family truly intend to commit treason?!"

"Fang, stop with the slander! I tell you, I dare to go to the capital and petition the Emperor directly. Do you dare?!"

"Very well! You don't even dare to let that demonic priest come out and confront me, yet you claim you dare to petition the Emperor?" Magistrate Fang suppressed his fury and addressed the crowd: "Good people, you see it for yourselves—it is the Qian family that is in the wrong and afraid to face the truth. Therefore, I must act in accordance with the law! Men!"

The yamen runners stepped forward in unison. Qian Youcai roared, "Stop them!"

The bodyguards, already standing in the way, drew their blades. Though there were only a few of them, they showed no fear when facing the twenty-some runners, appearing eager for the fight.

"Such audacity!"

At Magistrate Fang's shout, the runners also drew their swords. But in terms of momentum, these runners, who inherited their posts from their fathers, were no match for the trained bodyguards of a prominent clan. After all, the former were merely sturdy commoners eating official grain, while the latter were, in essence, the private soldiers of a powerful family.

The people outside the gate grew anxious. They pushed against the runners trying to hold them back, shouting:

"Magistrate, no, that’s not it! The Daoist master really has true ability!"

"That's right, Magistrate! There must be some misunderstanding here!"

The more the people spoke, the more determined Magistrate Fang became to arrest the "demonic priest." From his perspective, no matter how one looked at it, this was a clear attempt to emulate the uprising in the Southwest.

Just as the two sides were on the verge of clashing, a voice emerged from behind the main hall of the Qian residence:

"Everyone, please, stay your anger. The poor Daoist is right here!"