Chapter 48: This Is Truly None of Your Concern

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“This is incredible! That tile truly carries a blessing!”
“Really! After the village chief prayed to the Mountain God and the Taoist priest, the tile suddenly became whole!”
...
The villagers waiting in line grew even more excited at such a miraculous sight.
Although they had already witnessed the extraordinary temple and Taoist priest when Du Yuan first lifted the tiles, those belonged to someone else. But now, these tiles would truly grant blessings to themselves!
Thus, everyone eagerly hoped their turn would come soon so they could receive a blessed tile to protect their homes.
Yet amid their anticipation, a bit of unease crept in.
They began to wonder if they had truly done enough to deserve such a blessed tile.
Some even worried that their hearts were not sincere enough, fearing the wondrous tile might ultimately revert to a broken, useless shard.
Nevertheless, the long line of villagers moved steadily forward.
Fortunately, each person who stepped forward received a complete, blessed tile.
This reassured the villagers and deepened their gratitude toward the Mountain God and the Taoist priest.
As another tile was handed out, a village girl accepted it with some hesitation and said,
“Taoist priest, we humble mountain folk—are we really worthy? Unlike the old village chief, I don’t think I’ve done anything at all.”
Hearing this, many villagers glanced over anxiously, clutching their precious tiles tighter.
Du Yuan smiled and said,
“Those who come here to help restore the temple are already blessed. Besides, have you truly done nothing?”
He raised his hand and pointed to the neat and clean pots and bowls being washed nearby.
The village girl immediately felt relieved and clasped the tile gratefully, thanking Du Yuan repeatedly:
“Thank you, Taoist priest, thank you!”
Du Yuan waved it off, signaling it was no trouble.
Just then—
From the depths of the forest outside the temple, a rustling noise abruptly arose!
“Taoist priest...” The village girl who had just received her tile gripped it tightly and took a hesitant step back, her voice barely above a whisper with a tremor, “Is... is it the wolves from the mountain?”
The men’s brows furrowed sharply as they hastily gathered nearby tools.
But with Du Yuan’s calm voice,
“What’s there to fear here?”
Everyone froze for a moment, then burst into sheepish laughter.
Indeed, why fear anything in front of the Mountain God’s temple?
Besides, the Taoist priest was still here!

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What surprised the villagers beyond their expectations was that when the noise grew closer and figures emerged from the grass, they saw not wolves but several disheveled warriors supporting a young nobleman.
Each looked bedraggled, with darkened faces and patches of cobweb dust clinging to them.
No one knew where they had come from to look in such a state.
Upon spotting the temple, their leader hastily had his guards pull out a map to compare.
After a brief check, he beamed with joy, pushed aside his guards, and hurried to Du Yuan, saying,
“You—you’re the ones my grandfather sent, right? Ah, I knew Grandfather arranged everything perfectly. Good, good, this is just right! Though we are a branch family, we’ve finally arrived in time!”
His grandfather, Han Song, was the elder brother of the Han family patriarch, and thus the great-uncle of Han Tang.
The young nobleman had been fearful that his grandfather would test his knowledge or punish him when he was called after reprimanding his aunt the previous night.
However, instead of a scolding, his grandfather had given him a rough map and urged him to rush along the route to pay tribute to the Mountain God first.
Initially, like the other branch family’s nobleman, he had doubted the plan, thinking his grandfather mad.
But his grandfather gave two reasons:
First, Han Tang would have no reason to act in such a way, and certainly wouldn’t risk the entire clan’s fate through foolishness.
Second, during the ancestral rites the previous night, his grandfather saw the great-grandfather’s ancestral tablet fall by itself.
At first, his grandfather thought it was a bad omen, but with Han Tang returning to the clan and considering their family’s virtue, he understood the significance immediately and ordered the young nobleman to leave the city swiftly to avoid being beaten to it.
Despite being delayed multiple times overnight, they had finally arrived in time!
Overjoyed, the young nobleman failed to notice the villagers’ complete incomprehension of his words.
He gazed at the newly refurbished temple and said,
“Ah, this has been renovated, right? No, no, it’s too modest. I must rebuild it properly—a grand and magnificent temple!”
While he did not realize this, his guards beside him did, their faces turning grim as they tugged at his sleeve.
Such matters were far beyond their authority to discuss, so they dared not speak and could only pray he would come to his senses.
The young nobleman glanced at the guards in confusion but suddenly understood and turned his gaze to Du Yuan:
“What’s the matter? Oh, I see.” He bowed slightly to Du Yuan. “Sir, may I ask where the Immortal Master is now?”
Du Yuan understood clearly.
These must be the Han clan’s people at last.
From the tone, something had indeed gone awry after Han Tang’s return...
He smiled wryly and said to the nobleman,
“You are of the Han family, correct? As for the Taoist priest you seek...” Du Yuan paused, a faint smile playing on his lips, “That would be me.”
The young nobleman was first stunned, then his expression turned to one of shock.

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After his shock, realizing a far greater problem, he hurriedly spoke to the villagers nearby,
“You are the ones my grandfather sent? The Han family’s branch head, Lord Han Song!”
A noble of the Han family!
As villagers eking out a living near Qingzhou, they naturally knew the great local clans.
So the old village chief stepped forward hurriedly and said,
“Young master, we are merely mountain folk; we do not know Lord Han Song at all!”
“What?!”
The young nobleman nearly shouted.
“No, we do not!”
Hearing this, the young nobleman nearly fainted but still clung to a last hope, pointing toward the temple and asking,
“Have you not renovated the temple yet?”
The village chief replied cautiously,
“The temple? Young master, we have already renovated it! What do you mean?”
No matter how careful the village chief was, his words still pierced the nobleman’s heart like ice.
He had truly arrived too late!
Clutching his chest, he staggered backward until he could no longer stand, collapsing. Fortunately, his guards were quick to catch him before he fell.
But moments later, he revived with a sudden burst of energy, quickly getting up and rushing to Du Yuan with a smile and a bow,
“Taoist priest—no, Immortal Master—just now I was mistaken, unable to recognize a sage. Might you offer a remedy?”
Du Yuan did not answer immediately, instead watching him with interest and asking,
“Han Tang should have returned much earlier. Why are you only here now, and in such a sorry state?”
The young nobleman glanced embarrassedly at his disheveled appearance and awkwardly explained,
“Last night, I followed my grandfather’s orders to leave the city early and pay tribute to the Mountain God. But, unexpectedly, my clan’s elder brother had already ordered the city sealed. Even my cousin from the second branch, who tried to sneak out, was stopped. With no choice, I returned to seek my grandfather.”
“Then my grandfather gave me a rough map, a secret passage built by our Han family’s great-grandfather. Because my grandfather was the true heir at that time, only he knew of this passage.”
Du Yuan was increasingly impressed—truly, the Han family was a force to be reckoned with.
“Having the secret passage, why did you still arrive so late?”
The young nobleman replied with a hint of grievance,
“The temple lies to the south, the passage to the north. I wandered and stumbled countless times. I dared not rest for a moment, yet—how did I still arrive late?!”