The senior disciple of Green Mountain Temple, with a square face, stood with his hands behind his back. His figure was tall and upright, though his eyebrows were somewhat unkempt. If he were a decade or so older, he would have resembled the Abbot of the temple even more than Yun Lanzi!
"Master, you're eating meat again!"
As he stood there with a stern face, Yun Lanzi suddenly saw his own deceased master.
"Alright, alright, go to the South Manor quickly!" Yun Lanzi was somewhat intimidated by his eldest disciple. Before he could say much, he shooed the man away!
"Very well, disciple will descend the mountain now."
"But Master, if you dare to eat meat again at dinner, I'll make sure the temple has no more meat!"
Yun Lanzi felt a bitterness in his mouth. Why was his life so hard!
"I know, I know, hurry up and go!"
Dao Wu, standing nearby, covered his mouth and chuckled. Dao Ji turned to him, "And you, when will you learn to be more composed?"
Dao Wu: "..."
Yun Lanzi's heart instantly felt balanced!
...
"Miss Nan, this is my senior disciple, Dao Ji!"
Dao Ji and Dao Wu were separated by a full twenty years. Dao Ji was forty-one this year, but his face showed few traces of age. If one only looked at his appearance, he could pass for a man in his early thirties. However, his overall demeanor radiated a sense of mastery, so Nan Yuan'er did not hesitate to inquire and directly invited him down the mountain.
Upon hearing that Nan Yuan'er had invited a Taoist priest from Green Mountain Temple, Nan Chao Yin personally welcomed him into the manor.
Liu Shi's current condition was not suitable for receiving guests, and Wang Shi was also unwell. The responsibilities that should fall to the main madam of the Nan Manor now had to rest on Nan Yuan'er's shoulders.
"Dao Ji Daozhang, what do we need to prepare? Do you require an altar for rituals?"
Dao Ji did not answer Nan Yuan'er immediately. He looked around, counted on his fingers, and a hint of confusion arose. He turned and asked, "Miss Nan, are you certain there is indeed an evil spirit in the manor?"
Nan Yuan'er was naturally certain, as she had seen it with her own eyes. She nodded, "I am most certain."
Dao Ji's brows furrowed even deeper. He pondered for a moment and said, "There's no need to prepare anything for now. May I be permitted to walk around the manor?"
"Of course!"
Dao Ji walked through the Nan Manor but did not see any trace of ghostly energy. He then said to Nan Yuan'er, "Miss Nan, there are no ghosts in the Nan Manor!"
"None? How can there be none!" Nan Yuan'er refused to believe it, even suspecting that this Dao Ji's cultivation was insufficient to perceive them!
Dao Ji naturally understood the look in Nan Yuan'er's eyes. He simply stated, "There truly are none!"
"If Miss Nan truly saw something, it is likely some petty trickery by those trying to impersonate spirits. Since there are no evil spirits in the Nan Manor, I shall take my leave." Dao Ji did not care what Nan Yuan'er thought of him. Since there were no evil spirits in the Nan Manor, he saw no need to expel them.
Nan Yuan'er still presented him with a reward, "Thank you, Daozhang, for making this trip. This is a small token of my appreciation."
"No need!"
Dao Ji refused the bank notes Nan Yuan'er offered and added, "Miss Nan, the guilt in your heart is the true ghost!"
With that, he turned and left.
Nan Yuan'er clutched the bank notes and looked at them for a long time until Dao Ji's figure disappeared from view before shifting her gaze.
After leaving the Nan Manor, Dao Ji thought for a moment and went to Tong Ji Pharmacy.
"May I see the owner?"
The shopkeeper of Tong Ji Pharmacy saw the man dressed as a Taoist priest and noticed the Green Mountain Temple totem drawn on his sleeves and collar. After a moment of consideration, he replied, "I will send a junior to fetch him, but whether the owner is willing to see you, I cannot say!"
"This humble one understands. Thank you for your trouble!"
When Nan Shiying heard that a Taoist priest from Green Mountain Temple had requested to see Feng Luan, she refused without a second thought.
Who knew if Green Mountain Temple still harbored any old schemers like Yun Qingzi.
Without managing to see Feng Luan, Dao Ji did not say much more. After thanking them again, he returned to Green Mountain Temple. In the evening, he watched Yun Lanzi have dinner before returning to his own courtyard.
The lamp in his room was lit, but he had not returned to his room since coming back from the capital. Dao Ji's heart skipped a beat. He formed a hand seal within his wide sleeves, but suddenly catching the residual scent of iris flowers in the air, he relaxed. He immediately knew who had arrived.
He pushed open the door and saw a man sitting at the table, drinking tea!
Walking into the room and closing the door, the overwhelming aroma of tea made Dao Ji's slightly stiff face twitch. "You're drinking my tea again!"
The man turned around, holding his teacup, and smiled at Dao Ji, "Still so stingy after all these years!"
"Here, I brought you a chess manual."
A flicker of surprise flashed in Dao Ji's eyes. He walked to the table and picked up the chess manual, flipping through it. The man was not in a hurry and continued to drink his tea. After a full quarter of an hour, Dao Ji finally looked up again.
"Come, let's play a game!"
Dao Ji brought out a chessboard and arranged the black and white pieces into a position from the manual. "This time, we'll start with a partial game. You play black, I play white!"
The man couldn't help but laugh, "After so many years, you're still so shameless!"
According to the partial game, the white pieces held an advantage.
Dao Ji completely ignored the man's taunts and said, "Your chess skills are far superior to mine. This is what I call fair!"
"Alright, alright, as you wish!"
The man picked up a black piece and made his move swiftly.
The two played for a full incense stick's time. The man still appeared elegant and refined, but Dao Ji was covered in sweat. One might have thought he was currently exorcising ghosts.
"Again!"
Dao Ji gritted his teeth and arranged another partial game.
The man glanced at the sky and refused him, "I have to go back soon. This is Lin Yuan, not Da Li!"
Dao Ji rubbed his head, "I was so engrossed in the game that I forgot about that."
Speaking of which, Dao Ji's gaze towards the man paused slightly. "I heard that the culprit behind the assassination of His Majesty and the death of the Da Li envoy has been apprehended!"
The man nodded and took a sip of tea. "Indeed!"
"Then... how long will you be staying?"
"What, Dao Ji brother, you don't want to play chess with me?"
"Not at all. I just want to know how many times you can come to play chess with me!"
"One chess manual!"
Dao Ji looked at the chess manual in his hand. It had fifty pages. If they played one game a day, that would be a full fifty days!
"You're staying in Lin Yuan for the New Year?"
"Before the New Year, perhaps!" the man said, then added, "Perhaps, it wouldn't be so bad to celebrate a different kind of New Year!"
"You should return home as soon as possible," Dao Ji placed the chess manual aside. "The time for family reunion is best spent going home!"
"Dao Ji, how long have we known each other?"
"Forty years!"
"I was the one who adopted you back then!"
"Nonsense, you were only an hour older than me back then, and your current age is even..."
Dao Ji looked at the refined and youthful face before him, his mind momentarily dazed, and he did not continue his sentence.
Back then, now!
They were two different people!