Chapter 64 It seems the Daoist master still cannot compare to the Buddha master

Watching Du Yuan calmly withdraw his hand and listening to the fading wails of the fierce ghosts, both the innkeeper and the wandering souls looked at him with a growing sense of reverence.

He possessed the compassion to deliver the dead from suffering, yet also manifested the wrathful visage required to subdue evil spirits.

Truly, this was a genuine, living Buddha!

Setting down his porcelain bowl, Du Yuan asked them:
"You mentioned earlier that you were captured by someone using sorcery?"

Amidst the words exchanged just moments ago, Du Yuan had firmly kept this crucial detail in mind.

The wandering soul Zhang Er'gou hurried to reply:
"Indeed so, Living Buddha! Although I still cannot recall the specifics, I remember quite clearly that there were sixteen of us in total! And because I was captured the earliest, I distinctly saw all of us being drawn by a nameless force into a water basin."

Hearing this, another wandering soul suddenly recalled a key detail and chimed in:
"I remember quite a bit more now, too. There was a Daoist priest, and there was also a young acolyte! Yes, exactly one priest and one acolyte. Although I remained in a daze while inside that water basin, I distinctly remember a priest standing above us, chanting incantations and performing sorcery several times. And every single time, a young acolyte stood by and watched!"

A Daoist priest and a young acolyte?
It seemed this whole affair was their doing!

Du Yuan nodded and asked:
"Do you know anything further?"

The wandering souls hurriedly consulted one another regarding what each could remember.

A moment later, looking somewhat embarrassed, they cupped their hands in salute to Du Yuan and said:
"Living Buddha, we do not know much more, because inside that water basin our minds remained perpetually muddled and hazy. Whenever we caught a glimpse of anything, it was merely a fleeting flash, indistinct and unclear."

"However, we did see that priest and acolyte once enter a courtyard guarded by armored soldiers. Oh, and right! At the time, I even heard the young acolyte remark that there was a lake!"

A lake, armored soldiers, and a courtyard?
With these three clues combined, finding the place should not prove too difficult.

Courtyards situated beside lakes might be numerous, but those capable of deploying armored soldiers to stand guard would undoubtedly be exceedingly rare.

Based on Du Yuan's current understanding of this realm, very few possessed the authority to mobilize armored guards.

After all, guards belonging to a powerful clan like the Han family dared to carry crossbows, yet still did not dare to don armor.

Presumably, the unauthorized private possession of armor was treated as equivalent to treason.

At this thought, Du Yuan nodded calmly and said:
"I understand the situation now. I shall certainly handle it."

Seeing the Living Buddha accept this lingering burden, the several wandering souls instantly heaved a great sigh of relief, their figures growing increasingly ethereal and translucent.

The innkeeper, never having witnessed such a sight before, felt a surge of startled doubt and instinctively reached out to stop them. Realizing the futility of such an action a split second later, he anxiously looked over toward Du Yuan instead.

As for those wandering souls, after a brief moment of stunned surprise, they broke into a tranquil smile, cupping their hands in gratitude toward both Du Yuan and the innkeeper.

Having witnessed a similar phenomenon at the old Qian family residence, Du Yuan said to the innkeeper:
"Their worldly attachments have been resolved; it is time for them to depart."

The innkeeper instantly understood.

When the five wandering souls completely vanished, the innkeeper felt a slight sense of emptiness settle within his heart.

Because he had not gained any tangible benefits, yet had instead had to help these five wandering souls fulfill their final worldly desires.

Though he had agreed to it of his own accord, the fact that the other party had left without any token of appreciation still felt a bit disheartening.

'Never mind, I am performing a good deed after all. Heaven surely keeps count, and the Living Buddha is watching, too!'

With this thought, the innkeeper felt his spirits lighten considerably.

Yet the moment he turned around, he was startled to find four semi-rigid paper copper coins neatly lined up in a row upon the tabletop.

Du Yuan's voice chimed in right on cue:
"Do not worry. For a matter of such magnitude, they will not forget."

Scratching his head with a touch of embarrassment, the innkeeper asked:
"Living Buddha, was this disciple perhaps being a bit too greedy after all?"

Du Yuan smiled and said:
"It is human nature, what error is there in that? Besides, should you truly encounter someone attempting to take a free ride, do not grow soft-hearted—just administer a direct blow to wake them up!"

"Otherwise, by what principle should a good person suffer grievances in vain?"

The innkeeper chuckled repeatedly and said:
"This disciple will keep it firmly in mind."

With that, the innkeeper counted out one and a half of the semi-rigid paper copper coins and handed them toward Du Yuan:
"Living Buddha, I noticed just now that these are likely the entirety of those two souls' worldly possessions. Do you suppose there might be a way to have these returned to them?"

Though the innkeeper had no idea what practical use merit money held, he knew one thing for certain: living beings without money always found life difficult to endure.

By the same logic, wandering souls would surely be no better off, and perhaps even worse.

However, Du Yuan gently pressed the copper coins back into the innkeeper's palm, saying:
"Keeping them is actually better! You are helping them sever their worldly attachments, which creates a massive karmic connection. You have given of yourself while they have nothing to offer in return—that might not necessarily be a good thing."

Based on everything witnessed thus far, Heaven was indeed watching.

In a daze, the innkeeper nodded and took back the one and a half pieces of merit money.

Before long, however, he hurriedly offered up the remaining three complete coins, saying:
"Then, Living Buddha, you must accept these three. Otherwise, I possess nothing else of value to repay this karmic bond!"

This retort, which instantly bounced back onto himself, amused Du Yuan to the point of pointing a finger at him with a hearty laugh.

"Very well, I shall accept them."

"Living Buddha, from now on, whatever earnings this disciple acquires through these merit coins, I shall set aside half as an offering to you. But... how is this disciple supposed to deliver them to you?"

Du Yuan initially thought of telling him to simply hold onto them on his behalf, but seeing the expression on the man's face, he knew at once that approach would never work.

Therefore, Du Yuan pointed in the direction of the divine shrine and said:
"Just head forward, following the road currently being paved by the Han family, and you will spot a divine shrine. You may place them within the shrine."

Having said that, Du Yuan pointed back to the paper copper coins in the man's hand and added:
"Since you helped them fulfill their final wishes, you are bound to encounter many situations requiring connections and silver. Therefore, you may take these to the Han family or the Qian family and exchange them for silver or other goods. How much you trade them for is entirely up to your own negotiation."

"This disciple will obey!"

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As the sky grew bright, Du Yuan bid farewell to the innkeeper and once again set off toward Qingzhou.

Meanwhile, just outside Qingzhou City, a Daoist priest of extraordinary bearing stood with his hands clasped behind his back, smiling as he gazed upon the city.

After presenting his travel permit to pass through the city gates, the priest immediately approached a porter resting by the roadside and inquired:
"Did some calamity occur within Qingzhou City last night?"

Though phrased as a question, his tone was laced with absolute certainty.

To the priest's utter surprise, however, the porter stared blankly and replied:
"Calamity? Daoist master, Qingzhou was entirely safe and sound last night!"

"Safe and sound?"

Incredulous, the priest pressed further, but the man answered with equal certainty:
"Of course nothing happened, otherwise why would things be so quiet today?"

His expression shifting slightly, the priest hurried off to question several other people in succession.

Yet every single answer remained the same: all was peaceful. Only the very last porter he asked paused to ponder before saying:
"However, I did hear from a friend that the Qian family estate in the north of the city apparently fell victim to thieves last night. And quite a commotion they made, too—even the plaque above their gate was knocked down!"

Lost in a whirl of contemplation, the priest nodded slightly and walked away.

After taking a few steps, however, he turned back to ask:
"And where is the Prince's Mansion located?"

"The Prince's Mansion? That's located slightly east of the north side of the city. You'll recognize it at a glance because that entire district belongs to the Prince's Mansion. But Daoist master, ordinary people can't just go over there. There are military guards watching the place!"

The priest stroked his beard and smiled:
"This poor Daoist is no ordinary person."

With that declaration, the priest cast a supremely arrogant glance down upon all the mundane mortals surrounding him.

Yet he had barely turned halfway around when he caught sight of a figure resembling a Buddhist monk, who cupped his hands in a greeting and said:
"Greetings, fellow Daoist."

Facing Du Yuan's greeting, the priest looked the eccentric fellow practitioner up and down before letting out a sneer of derision:
"You and I could ever be fellow practitioners? Is that not akin to comparing the bright moon in the sky to the faint glow of fireflies? You truly court humiliation!"

With that, the priest haughtily swept his hands behind his back and strode away.

Du Yuan merely smiled, letting the matter slide from his mind.

Only the few porters who had been questioned earlier scratched their heads and remarked to one another:
"Why do I feel like that Daoist master got things completely backward?"

His companion's eyes lit up as well:
"Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly what I was thinking!"

At that, they could not help sighing in unison:
"It seems this Daoist master still cannot compare to that Buddhist master."