Chapter 33: The Old Taoist

Morning after the rain.

The air was fresh, and dewdrops clung to the branches and leaves.

Sunlight streamed in from the east, bathing the earth in its golden glow.

Fang Yue was in the courtyard, practicing a set of boxing forms.

As the saying goes: “Never let your fists grow idle, nor your mouth forget the tune.”

Though he possessed the Merit System to deduce martial techniques, Fang Yue never neglected his daily training.

After completing his routine, he stood still in the courtyard.

“The deduction of the second level of the Enlightenment Fist is only halfway finished. It seems it won’t be complete until tomorrow,” Fang Yue noted, checking the Merit System. Even this half had already consumed more than a hundred merit points; to fully deduce it would likely take close to three hundred—a number that might even be exceeded.

The remaining merit points would barely suffice for technique inheritance and body refinement.

At first, he had thought that nearly five hundred merit points would be more than enough to deduce and inherit the second level of the Enlightenment Fist.

Yet, the second level required more than twice the merit points of the first.

“The second level of the Enlightenment Fist incorporates the internal principles of the Evergreen Jade Technique. Once the deduction is complete and I inherit it, inner energy will be birthed within me, and I will step over the threshold from the mundane to the extraordinary. My strength will be incomparable to what it is now. So, it’s only natural that it consumes more merit points.”

Fang Yue looked forward to the second level.

The first level had elevated his physical abilities to the pinnacle of human potential—strength, reaction, speed—all approaching perfection.

But perfection of the mortal body was still just that: mortal.

No matter how strong a pig or sheep becomes, it is still livestock at the mercy of the butcher.

In this world plagued by monsters and demons, even the mightiest mortal is no different from livestock before their supernatural power.

Only with inner energy could one break free from the limits of the mortal body, step onto the path of transcendence, and possess at least some means to resist the supernatural.

“I won’t visit the martial hall today. I’ll go into town and see if there’s a chance to earn some merit points.”

With this plan in mind, Fang Yue returned inside to retrieve some silver and tucked it into his purse.

To do good deeds and earn merit points, one needed both strength and resources.

The silver he’d scavenged from several demon cultists had been spent: nourishing food and medicinal herbs for his body, buying goodwill, and lavishing money in hopes of quickly obtaining guidance on internal arts from the head of the martial hall. In just a few days, most of it was gone.

Yet Fang Yue felt no pain at the loss. In these times, everything was devoted to strengthening himself and preserving his life; money was only a tool.

Of course, though he spent generously, every coin was used where it mattered, never squandered on luxury. Fang Yue had never been one for indulgence.

As he reached the gate, he saw a bailiff hurrying toward him.

“Scholar Fang, the county magistrate requests your presence.”

Fang Yue was surprised; Magistrate Hu had been recuperating in the rear courtyard for days and hadn’t shown himself. Why had he suddenly sent someone to invite him? “Do you know why the magistrate wishes to see me?”

“The master says someone from above is coming. There’s to be a welcoming banquet this evening, and he requests your company,” the bailiff replied.

“What? Someone from above?” Fang Yue was overjoyed. He had stayed in the county seat precisely to await those sent by the court to quell the chaos of demons and spirits.

This was his chance both to witness the extraordinary powers wielded by humanity in this world and to seek help in removing the mark left by the ghost, so he would not be haunted further.

“Do you know who is coming, or how many?” Fang Yue pressed.

The bailiff scratched his head. “That I don’t know. They haven’t arrived yet, just sent a message by carrier pigeon saying they’ll be here today.”

Realizing the bailiff knew nothing more, Fang Yue simply cupped his hands. “Please inform the magistrate I shall attend the banquet on time.”

...

By sunset, as the sun dipped westward, Fang Yue changed into a blue robe and prepared to leave for the banquet.

He knew why Magistrate Hu invited him: as a witness to the strange events at the Wang family’s rear courtyard and the Tongfu Inn, he would need to report to the people coming from above.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, he arrived at the county office, only to find a crowd gathered at the entrance, peering anxiously down the street.

At their head stood Magistrate Hu, clad in a blue robe and black hat of a seventh-rank official.

Deputy Magistrate Zhang, Captain Zhao, Clerk Zeng, and all the county’s officials were present, dressed in their formal attire, lending a ceremonial air.

Fang Yue knew this grand display was not for a mere scholar like himself. They awaited those sent from above, who clearly had not yet arrived.

He joined the crowd, who were all craning their necks toward the street, paying him no mind.

He waited with them.

Just then, the sound of hooves echoed from afar.

“They’re here!” someone shouted.

Before long, two horses appeared at the end of the street, galloping toward them.

One horse carried no rider; on the other rode two people.

Fang Yue’s eyesight was keen, and from a distance, he saw that the rider in front was a young woman, while behind her sat an old Daoist with youthful features, his arms around her waist.

What an odd pair.

As Fang Yue pondered this, someone beside him cried out in alarm, “Quick, move! The horses are coming straight for us!”

The two horses had not slowed in the slightest, charging directly for the county office’s entrance, where a crowd was gathered—what madness possessed these riders?

The crowd broke into confusion, scrambling backward in a jumble.

“Whoa—!”

Just as the galloping horses were about to collide with the assembly, the young woman pulled sharply on the reins. The horse came to an abrupt halt at the foot of the steps, causing cold sweat to break out on every brow.

Seeing the panic she’d caused, the young woman let out a peal of laughter.

She was strikingly beautiful and drew every eye, but her conduct was wildly inappropriate and bound to earn resentment, which was plain on the faces of all present.

Yet Fang Yue’s attention was drawn instead to the old Daoist behind her.

During the dash, when the two horses had converged, he’d seen the old Daoist reach out and pat the other horse’s flank. That riderless horse, in the midst of its wild sprint, stopped just as nimbly before the crowd.

It was nearly impossible for a horse to halt so deftly at such speed by its own power alone.

Fang Yue wasn’t the only one to notice; others among the officials glanced warily at the old Daoist.

He was white-haired, clearly advanced in years, yet his face was rosy and smooth as a child’s, without a single wrinkle—his skin appeared even finer than the young woman’s.

Such an extraordinary appearance marked him as a true master. Those inclined to rebuke the young woman for her reckless riding now held their tongues, swallowing their complaints.

“Is this Daoist Tian Yangzi?” Magistrate Hu greeted them with a broad smile.