Chapter 62: Would You Care to Take a Seat?

"The Daoist priest, the Daoist priest has arrived!"
Those martial artists who had accompanied Qian Youcai to Qing County were all pleasantly surprised.
Hearing this, the rest of the Qian family members hurriedly followed the martial artists out to the main street, looking around in all directions, trying to catch a glimpse of the renowned and extraordinary Daoist.
However, after searching the street for a long time, they still could not spot anyone else.
"What is going on here?"
Supported by his eldest son Qian Youde, Qian Dafu asked the group of martial artists.
The others looked equally baffled. Why was the Daoist's voice heard, but his person unseen?
"Could, could it be that my moral conduct is flawed, and the Daoist is unwilling to see me?"
Qian Dafu was now covered in injuries, with bloody, torn claw marks all over his body. His complexion was as pale as paper, making him look as though he might faint away at any moment.
The only reason he was still holding on was to catch a glimpse of Du Yuan, a Daoist with genuine abilities.
Having already been forcing himself to stay conscious, Qian Dafu felt even more anxious now.
Before, he had thought nothing of it, but now that ghosts and monsters had truly come for him, having walked past the gates of ghostdom, he was genuinely terrified and filled with regret.
Therefore, he desperately longed to see that Daoist priest and receive guidance.
The martial artists did not know how to respond either, but a moment later, the one wielding the ghost-head saber suddenly came to a realization and said,
"Master, the Daoist is most likely not physically here. After all, I have seen with my own eyes that the Daoist possesses the ability to subdue demons from afar!"
Qian Dafu grew even more alarmed.
"Since he is unwilling to come over, does that mean I will never have the chance to see the Daoist again?"
Qian Dafu never doubted whether it was truly that Daoist who had driven away the ghosts, because he knew his own family's situation best...
Besides, a high-man with such abilities could go look for the Han family, the Prince, or the Imperial Censor; wouldn't that be much better than seeking out the Qian family, which, though nominally among the gentry, was merely of the lowest tier?
The martial artist scratched his head and said,
"The Daoist is a true holy master who saves people from suffering. Since he helped our Qian family earlier, perhaps today he simply encountered other matters and could not break away."
Qian Youde also hurriedly chimed in,
"That must be it. Father, the Daoist actually came to the manor gates during the day and even mentioned that he would visit later. It's just that, just that this child was blind and failed to recognize the high-man to keep him and host him properly."
"So Father, you can rest assured!"
"That's good, that's good, I—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, the forcefully sustained Qian Dafu rolled his eyes and fainted cold away.
Tonight had truly been a harrowing ordeal for him.
The only silver lining was that his second son had managed to send the ghost-head saber back. Otherwise, heaven only knew what would have become of his Qian family.
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Inside the tea stall outside the city, Du Yuan lowered his porcelain bowl with a gentle smile, amidst the gazes of several malevolent spirits filled with immense reverence and awe.
Just moments ago, they had witnessed this living Buddha splash a bowl of hot tea toward the direction of Qingzhou, only for the desperate, shrill cries and pleas for mercy of their companion to echo in their ears.
What an incredible living Buddha indeed!
Amidst their awe, they could not help but feel a wave of fortune in their hearts; fortunately, their karmic debts were not deep, which was why this living Buddha was willing to stay here and patiently wait to redeem and deliver them.
Otherwise, they would likely have followed in their companion's footsteps.
To rewind just a moment earlier:
As the Daoist in the central-lake courtyard of the Prince of Anqing's estate chanted incantations toward the water basin,
aside from the eight malevolent spirits that had gone to the north of the city, four or five other spirits actually broke free from his control and drifted on their own toward the outside of the city.
Their final resting place was precisely that tea stall!
Inside the tea stall, the proprietor was absentmindedly tidying up the tables, chairs, benches, pots, bowls, and ladles.
Doing a bit of this for a moment, wiping a bit of that the next.
It felt as though there was everything to do, yet nothing that truly needed doing.
At the same time, he could not help casting sidelong glances at the living Buddha sitting serenely on the bench outside the house.
He could hardly be blamed for his nervousness and agitation; as an ordinary mortal, opening a night-time establishment for passing malevolent spirits was simply too far beyond his comprehension.
Even the living Buddha who had personally instructed him to do so had only managed to give him peace of mind by having him tag along.
Little did he know, while the proprietor's heart was fluttering with anxiety, Du Yuan's heart was not entirely steady either.
Du Yuan was not afraid of malevolent spirits arriving; by now, he had quite a few abilities under his belt and had no fear of such things. But the real problem was—he was afraid no spirits would show up!
If that happened, wouldn't opening a night tavern to accumulate karmic virtue become a complete joke?
Although he could tell the proprietor that this was a rare and elusive opportunity, it still felt a bit embarrassing to his pride.
Lost in these swirling thoughts, both Du Yuan and the proprietor sharply sensed a gust of chilling, mournful wind sweeping past.
At that exact moment, realization dawned in both of their hearts—they had arrived!
Recalling the previous night, the proprietor's legs instinctively turned to jelly.
Du Yuan, however, let out a sigh of relief, lowered his tea bowl, and remained seated.
He hoped these were good ghosts who could be communicated with and redeemed; otherwise, the proprietor might truly never dare to open a night tavern again...
Looking in the direction of that chilling wind,
both Du Yuan and the proprietor saw four or five hazy figures gradually becoming clearer and more solid amidst the night.
They did not advance further; instead, they simply widened their greenish-blue eyeballs and stared straight at the two living humans.
The proprietor even felt he could hear the terrifying sound of their throats swallowing.
"B-Buddha..."
Just as he was about to voice his question on what the living Buddha intended to do,
he saw the living Buddha smile at them and say,
"Since you've come all this way, why not sit down, rest your feet, and share some tea?"
With that, Du Yuan glanced back at the proprietor, who was tending to a pot of boiling water, and added,
"If you are hungry, we may not be able to offer any rare delicacies of land and sea, but ordinary food is definitely not a problem."
"So, would you all care to take a seat?"
If they were unwilling to take a seat and allow me to emulate Living Buddha Jigong, then I could hardly be blamed for channeling Master Fahai.
Du Yuan's voice was as warm and pleasant as a breeze,
dispelling the gloom in their hearts and suddenly granting clarity to their spiritual platforms.
They were entirely unaware that moments ago they had almost come face-to-face with the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon.
Though they still could not remember who they were, after exchanging a few glances with one another,
they all unconsciously touched their bellies and felt that they were not quite as starved and parched as before.
Then, catching the aroma of noodle soup, another wave of cravings began to rumble in their stomachs.
They cautiously stepped forward one by one. They wanted to sit down, but instinctively feared the oil lamp placed in front of Du Yuan.
Yet immediately, to their pleasant surprise, the monk gently blew out the flame of the lamp,
patted the bench beside him, and said,
"Come, come, come. Just take a seat."
All of these actions made them realize that this monk was undoubtedly extraordinary and most likely knew exactly what they were.
"Master, do you know what we are?"
Du Yuan did not answer directly; instead, he personally handed out pairs of chopsticks to them and said,
"What else could you be? Nothing more than late-night travelers who have walked too far and feel a slight pang of hunger and thirst."
"B-But, how can there be people traveling in the middle of the night?"
Du Yuan countered with a question of his own,
"Aren't you people yourselves?"
The malevolent spirits froze and fell silent.
The Master knew what they truly were, yet the Master was still willing to call them human!
The pale, ashen complexions gradually regained a hint of vitality, losing their terrifying and chilling aura.
This prompted the proprietor to recall the military men he had seen the previous night. Though they all felt somewhat unlike ordinary mortals, the bizarre sensation that something was deeply wrong had indeed vanished.
"Proprietor, bring them a bowl of plain noodles."
Having finally recovered his composure, the proprietor tossed his towel over his shoulder and broke into a warm, enthusiastic smile,
"Right away!"