This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 120 The Discovery of Shi Jian as Elder of Law Enforcement

Since there were no objections, Xuanmingzi simply announced Zhong Bai's appointment on the spot.

“Zhong Bai…”

"Zhong Bai is here!" Stepping forward, Zhong Bai appeared exceptionally spirited and respectful.

"From this day forward, you will be the Law Enforcement Elder of Maoshan. All Maoshan disciples, both on and off the mountain, will be under your supervision. Are you willing?"

"Zhong Bai is willing!"

"it is good!"

Xuan Mingzi stood up, his gaze towards Zhong Bai filled with anticipation...

Half a month has passed since Zhong Bai was appointed as the Maoshan Law Enforcement Elder.

Two weeks later, Zhang Zhiwei arrived at Maoshan and met Zhong Bai.

"Fellow Daoist Qianhe, should I now address you as True Person Qianhe?"

With a smile on his lips, Zhang Zhiwei teased Zhong Bai while genuinely intending to address him as "True Person" from now on. After all, in the Daoist sect, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage is considered "True Person," and Zhang Zhiwei felt that this was the proper way to do so.

Zhong Bai rolled his eyes at Zhang Zhiwei, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, seeing your thick eyebrows and big eyes, I thought you were a tough guy with a strong personality, but I never expected you could also play these tricks."

"Hahaha, that just means Fellow Daoist Qianhe underestimates me. I can use my martial arts to annihilate demons with lightning speed and my literary skills to depict the universe with words and pen. I'm not a pedantic person, so it's normal for me to make a joke!"

Zhong Bai didn't reply. He picked up the teapot in his hand and poured tea into the teacup in front of Zhang Zhiwei before slowly saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, your cultivation speed is definitely not slow. Perhaps in another three to five years, you should also be able to establish your foundation."

Zhang Zhiwei drank the tea in his cup in one gulp.

“Fellow Daoist Qianhe, three years is a long time. By then, you will probably have reached the Golden Core stage. But anything can happen in this world.”

My master always says there are people beyond the heavens, and that being fast is not fast at all, but I know they are just trying to comfort me.

Actually, I feel very fortunate. Having a peerless genius like you in this era has made my cultivation years more interesting.

The pursuit of truth is a solitary endeavor...

The person walking at the very front is also under the most pressure.

Zhong Bai nodded in agreement.

Don't be fooled by Zhong Bai's young age and his Foundation Establishment. As he grows stronger, he will shoulder more and more responsibilities. Perhaps in a few years he will be carrying the burden of Maoshan, but in a dozen years he may be carrying the burden of the entire Taoist sect, or even the whole world!
After all, if the sky falls, there's always someone taller to hold it up.

While the two were drinking tea and chatting, Master Qian Yuan pushed open the door and entered.

When Qian Yuan Zhenren saw Zhang Zhiwei, he was not surprised, after all, Zhang Zhiwei had been in Maoshan for several days and was already familiar with the place.

"Disciple pays homage to Master!"

"Zhang Zhiwei greets True Man Qianyuan!"

"Haha, don't be shy, sit down, sit down."

Master Qian Yuan smiled warmly and sat down at the stone table in front of the two of them. Then he looked at Zhong Bai and said, "Disciple, you have been serving as the Maoshan Law Enforcement Elder for more than ten days now. Normally, you, as the Law Enforcement Elder, have nothing to do, but there is something that may require you to take a trip recently."

As he spoke, Master Qian Yuan took out the letter from his bosom.

"This is a letter from the mountain, written by Shi Jian, a disciple of your master!"

At this point, Master Qian Yuan paused for a moment and continued, "Do you still remember what we discussed in the main hall half a month ago?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai immediately began to ponder.

"Master, are you saying that some Maoshan disciples are using corpse-driving as a cover to secretly transport opium?"

"That's right, that's it!"
Now, your master's disciple Shi Jian has investigated down the mountain and confirmed that this matter is true.

Moreover, the person who did this was actually related to me, a disciple of Maoshan.

"Never mind, take a look for yourself..."

The letter was handed to Zhong Bai, who frowned slightly before examining its contents.

After reading it, his expression turned somewhat cold.

"Master, if I go down the mountain and verify that this matter is true, what should be done?"

Zhong Bai put down the letter in his hand and looked at Master Qian Yuan, whose smile also vanished.

"You treacherous and disloyal wretch, don't bring him back. Don't defile the land of Maoshan..."

"Understood!"

Zhong Bai took a deep breath, then stood up. "Master, I'll pack up and head down the mountain now."

He then turned to Zhang Zhiwei, who was still somewhat dazed, and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, I have some business to attend to and need to go down the mountain. I cannot continue to entertain you. I hope you will understand."

Zhang Zhiwei smiled and shook his head, "That's impossible. I came to Maoshan to offer my congratulations."

I've been at Maoshan for several days now. Since you have business to attend to, fellow Daoist, I'll also head down to Longhu Mountain to report back."

......................................................

Shijian Temple.

After descending the mountain, Zhong Bai went straight to Shi Jian's dojo, since it was Shi Jian who discovered the situation, and Zhong Bai needed to understand it in more detail.

dong dong dong...

Zhong Bai stood outside the temple gate and knocked on the courtyard gate. Upon hearing the noise, Shi Jian inside the courtyard quickly pushed open the door.

Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Shi Jian froze on the spot.

"Junior Brother Qianhe!"

As if he had thought of something, Shi Jian smiled and shook his head, continuing, "I'm already used to it, so I should call Junior Brother Qianhe Elder now."

Zhong Bai smiled slightly. "Senior Brother, it's more affectionate to call me Junior Brother." "Hahaha, whatever you say, Junior Brother. Come in and sit down, Junior Brother Qianhe."

"Oh dear, I really didn't expect that Maoshan would assign this matter to you, junior brother. But then again, you are now our Maoshan Enforcement Elder, so you are the one in charge of this matter."

When the topic turned to business, Zhong Bai asked questions as he walked into the courtyard.

"So, senior brother, could you elaborate on this matter?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Jian's smile vanished, and he became serious.

"It's a long story..."

Taking a deep breath, after the two sat down at the stone table, Shi Jian poured Zhong Bai a cup of tea before saying quietly, "Junior Brother Qianhe, do you still remember Lei Gang, the outer disciple of the Corpse Driving Hall?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai instantly remembered who Lei Gang was.

"Senior Brother, do you mean Lei Gang is the Maoshan disciple behind it all?"

Shi Jian shook his head.

"Whether Junior Brother Lei Gang is related to this matter or not, I don't have any evidence yet. However, Lei Gang has a senior brother named Lei Yan, who is in his forties and has reached the late stage of the seventh level of Qi Refining."

He must be involved in this matter!

Zhong Bai nodded. With a disciple at the seventh level of Qi Refining doing such a thing, the Maoshan sect would certainly not allow him to continue to act with impunity.

"Although the Qing government nominally banned opium, Lei Yan used the art of corpse refining to turn the dead into zombies and transported opium under the guise of corpse transport for huge profits."

If that's all there is to it, then I could actually turn a blind eye. After all, although it violates some of Maoshan's precepts, it's not enough to make you, junior brother, come here in person.

Junior Brother Qianhe, as you know, the zombies you create need to be nurtured for a long time. Lei Yan probably thought that the nurturing time was too long and would delay his fortune, so he secretly killed living people and used their blood to feed the zombies, thus avoiding the nurturing process.

After murdering ordinary civilians, he would then turn their corpses into zombies, repeating the process over and over. Initially, perhaps because the scale was small, no one noticed anything amiss. However, Lei Yan seems to have recently ingratiated himself with Qing officials, and is now openly engaging in this activity!

Hearing this, Zhong Bai fell silent. If it was just about exhuming corpses to turn them into zombies for transporting opium, there was still room for maneuver. But killing ordinary people, there was no such chance!

"Senior Brother, although you have already investigated this matter thoroughly, I am, after all, an elder of the Maoshan Law Enforcement Bureau, and I cannot listen to the words of just one person."

Therefore, the eldest brother and junior brother still need to go. If Lei Yan really does kill ordinary people to extract blood for zombie refining, as the eldest brother said, then the junior brother will definitely not let him off!

"It's alright, it's alright. Senior brother doesn't have anything to do these days, so let's go together."

Shi Jian readily agreed.

After finishing their business, the two brothers began to reminisce.

"Junior Brother Qianhe, it's been six or seven years since we last met."

Shi Jian smiled faintly, as if six or seven years was nothing at all, while Zhong Bai was also somewhat moved after hearing this.

"Indeed, the last time we met was when the four of us brothers went to that cave full of corpses!"

"It would take six or seven years. We originally guessed that you, junior brother, would be able to establish your foundation in three to five years."

It seems my junior brother is still a bit behind, but reaching the Foundation Establishment stage at the twelfth level of the Dao Platform is a height we can't even imagine.

Zhong Bai smiled. Yes, if he hadn't spent three years in Jiuquan Town and three years trying to break through to the twelfth level of the Dao Platform, he might have been able to quickly reach the Foundation Establishment realm with the help of the Demon Extermination Panel. But whether it was the former three years or the latter three years, Zhong Bai benefited greatly. His own foundation was very important, rather than simply improving his cultivation level.

"Senior Brother, in six or seven years, you have already reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. In a few more years, perhaps you will be able to build a Dao Platform and break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

Besides, in the past two years, your name has been mentioned by many people among the younger generation of Taoists. Just a few days ago, Zhang Zhiwei, a true disciple of the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, mentioned your name, Shi Jian, the Thunder and Lightning Dharma King of Maoshan.

Speaking of which, apart from me, the eldest brother is the one who's ahead of everyone else..."

Upon hearing this, Shi Jian immediately became interested.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, a true disciple of the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, also said that? It's all just nonsense from those shady characters in the martial arts world. Compared to my junior brother, my senior brother is far inferior."

Faced with Shi Jian's modesty, Zhong Bai stopped praising him. As they chatted, night fell.

Shi Jian prepared a very lavish meal, but there were only Zhong Bai and Shi Jian at the table, which made Zhong Bai curious.

Logically speaking, Shi Jian should have already had a son by this time.

Of course, Zhong Bai guessed that Shi Jian most likely did not follow the path set in the plot.

"Senior Brother, haven't you taken on any disciples or found a Daoist partner all these years?"

After the two had a few drinks, Zhong Bai's words made Shi Jian look stunned and somewhat confused.

“Junior Brother Qianhe, you know your senior brother’s personality. In this life, your senior brother only wants to pursue the Great Dao.”

As for other things, taking on apprentices isn't out of the question, it's just that I haven't met any children who satisfy my senior brothers.

At this point, Shi Jian sighed. Among his fellow disciples, Zhong Bai was definitely not going to take on any more disciples at the moment.

The lifespan of a Foundation Establishment True Person is sufficient to allow Zhong Bai to succeed as the leader of Maoshan before accepting disciples.

Lin Fengjiao has already taken Qiu Shengwencai as her apprentice, and even Simu has a little apprentice named Jiale by his side.

Upon closer inspection, Shi Jian was all alone...

Upon hearing Shi Jian's explanation, Zhong Bai realized that Shi Jian was telling the truth; he was indeed all alone.

"Senior Brother, to be honest, I still feel a bit sorry for you. The position of the next leader of Maoshan should have been yours..."

And now, I, your junior brother…

Before Zhong Bai could finish speaking, Shi Jian shook his head and interrupted, "Junior Brother Qianhe, there's no need to feel burdened. The position of Maoshan Sect Leader is not one that just anyone can hold. The fact that you, Junior Brother Qianhe, have become a Dao Child shows that you will definitely be able to support the entire Maoshan Sect in the future. As for me, I have already seen through it all."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai exhaled a breath of stale air. Perhaps this was fate.

"Understood, Senior Brother, we brothers don't need to distinguish between these things!"

"Haha, that's how it should be! Come on, have another drink!"

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(End of this chapter)