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

Chapter 156 Slaying the Dragon and Plotting the Golden Coffin, Zhong Bai Town the Entire Scene

“Minister Wu, the Taoist temple of one of my junior brothers is just ahead. I need to borrow some glutinous rice from him.”

Wu Shilang waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, hurry back and be back, we can't be late."

"Stop the sedan chair!"

As soon as Minister Wu let out a loud quack, the laborers who had been pulling the bronze-horned golden coffin were overjoyed. They were naturally happy to be able to rest.

As the four imperial guards who carried the sedan chair lowered it, the young prince among them frowned.

However, he also heard the reason for the stop, so he waited quietly without blaming him.

dong dong dong...

A knock sounded at the door, and the dojo was bustling with activity.

After breakfast, the two sworn enemies, Simu and Yixiu, were still verbally at odds, but their identities made it impossible for them to actually fight.

Finally, at Zhong Bai's suggestion, they decided to have their disciples spar and fight.

Jiale and Qingqing are both cultivators at the second level of Qi Refining, so they are evenly matched.

"Qingqing, you can't..."

Jiale was too kind-hearted, or rather, he couldn't bring himself to hurt a girl like Qingqing. However, he was soon met with a brutal attack from four eyes.

"You brat, stop talking nonsense! Let me tell you, you absolutely mustn't be soft-hearted later and let that old monk Ikkyu see for himself whose disciple is more talented!"

Upon hearing this, Jiale reluctantly nodded.

"Understood, Master..."

On Ikkyu's side, he also instructed Qingqing not to hold back.

And so, the two young people truly engaged in a magical duel, from the initial talismans and peach wood swords to the various incantations they used. Zhong Bai watched with great interest. Although Jia Le and Qing Qing were currently disciples of Simu and Yixiu, Zhong Bai understood that neither of them would ever have the chance to truly join the White Horse Temple or Maoshan in this lifetime. In the future, once Simu and Yixiu had established their foundations, they would have to rely on themselves to navigate the world. Zhong Bai had created an opportunity for them to become acquainted through a fight, and it would always be good to have a companion in the future.

"Stop, Miss Qingqing, neither of us can defeat the other, shall we call it a draw?"

After a dozen minutes of fighting, Jia Le finally came to his senses, and Qing Qing smiled faintly and said, "Senior Brother Jia Le, then it's a draw!"

Even though both Simu and Yixiu had anticipated this outcome, they were still somewhat sullen at losing an opportunity to confront each other. Just then, a knock sounded at the dojo door.

"Who!?"

Si Mu was a little puzzled. His dojo was usually never visited. After all, it was a corpse-driving dojo, and ordinary people would be terrified even to stay overnight. But now someone was knocking on the door. It would be a lie to say that Si Mu wasn't curious.

Upon arriving at the courtyard gate and opening it, Si Mu immediately frowned.

As they locked eyes with the Dragon-Slaying Taoist, they felt a sense of familiarity with the Taoist in front of them, but couldn't quite place who he was.

"Fellow Daoist... what is this?"

Looking at Si Mu, Daoist Tu Long could easily recognize his identity. After all, there is no wrong Daoist name. Si Mu is one of a kind in the world.

“Junior Brother Four Eyes, it has probably been twenty years since we last met. It is normal that Junior Brother Four Eyes does not recognize his senior brother.”

The Dragon-Slaying Taoist's tone was very gentle, which surprised Si Mu. The other party was calling him junior brother?
"May I ask your name, senior brother?"

"Hahaha, Junior Brother Four Eyes, I am Tu Long, an outer disciple of the Corpse Driving Hall. Do you remember me, Junior Brother Four Eyes?"

Upon hearing the name Tu Long, Si Mu immediately remembered who the visitor was. He was somewhat surprised, after all, the Tu Long Daoist in front of him was ten years older than him, so it wouldn't be inappropriate to call him his senior brother. The key point was that the other party's cultivation level seemed to be quite high. In any case, Si Mu felt that even if he was not as good as him, he was probably not far behind.

"So it's Senior Brother Dragon Slayer!"

"Long time no see, Senior Brother Dragon Slayer!"

Upon hearing this, Tu Long quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Haha, although Junior Brother entered the sect later, he is still a direct disciple of the inner sect. I, Senior Brother, am not as precious as Junior Brother."

This is true.

The difference between inner and outer disciples might not be very obvious when they are twenty years old, but now that twenty years have passed, Si Mu has reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, while Tu Long Daoist is still only at the eighth level of Qi Refining. This is only after Tu Long Daoist has traveled all over the country and spent a lot of money.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Si Mu then inquired about the purpose of Master Tu Long's visit.

"By the way, may I ask what brings you here, Senior Brother Dragon Slayer?"

“Tsk, Junior Brother Four Eyes is indeed sharp. To be honest, I have taken on a mission to escort a zombie to the capital, but I’m running low on glutinous rice along the way. That’s why I thought I’d borrow some from you when I pass by your dojo.”

"I see. Such a small matter, Brother Tu Long, just name your price!"

Si Mu was very straightforward, asking for just a little bit of glutinous rice. Si Mu usually got along well with his fellow disciples from Maoshan, not only because of his quick wit but also because of his generosity.

"Haha, in that case, thank you very much, junior brother."

Nodding, Si Mu was about to enter the courtyard when he saw Tu Long standing at the door with no intention of following. He couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother Tu Long, what are you standing there for? Come in with your junior brother, sit down, and have a cup of tea before we talk."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon-Slaying Taoist shook his head frantically.

"No need, Junior Brother Simu. The family we are escorting this time is quite troublesome. They might harbor resentment if they see you enter the house, Senior Brother."

Si Mu could understand, but Zhong Bai was in his dojo, so some things couldn't be kept secret.

"Alas, what a pity, Senior Brother Tulong, don't feel burdened. It just so happens that Daozi is visiting Junior Brother's dojo, and Junior Brother even said that Senior Brother should meet Daozi." In front of outsiders, Si Mu does not address Zhong Bai as Junior Brother, but respectfully as Daozi, after all, some things cannot be avoided.

Upon hearing the words "Daozi," the Dragon-Slaying Daoist, who had originally not planned to enter the house, was immediately dumbfounded.

"Ahem, Junior Brother Four Eyes, are you saying that the Enforcement Elder is also at your dojo?"

"Indeed, he arrived yesterday. Senior Brother Tu Long, you really don't intend to meet him?"

"No, no, no! Now that the Enforcement Elders have arrived, how could Senior Brother dare not refuse them? They're just a group of troublesome family members; at worst, they'll be reprimanded. But the Enforcement Elders are not easy to meet; we can't miss this opportunity!"

Tu Long wasn't stupid. Zhong Bai's current identity was that of a Maoshan Taoist priest and an elder in charge of law enforcement. To put it bluntly, he was the future leader of Maoshan. He didn't want to arouse suspicion from Wu Shilang and the others by passing by. But in the end, he would only get the bronze horn coffin and exchange it for some gold and silver.

Compared to the beauty of a white jade pendant, these are utterly vulgar!
Si Mu had already anticipated this outcome, so he simply smiled and led the Dragon-Slaying Taoist into the courtyard.

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

Among the group that had stopped in the distance, the young prince saw that the Dragon-Slaying Taoist and Simu were not only having a pleasant conversation, but also entering the Taoist temple together, which made him feel a surge of anger.

"Minister Wu!"

Upon hearing his young master's voice, Minister Wu immediately scurried over.

"Master, what are your orders?"

"What's wrong with that Daoist who slays dragons? He said he was just borrowing some glutinous rice, and now that the sun is almost setting, he actually went straight into their temple. Such a lackey is really annoying."

These words made Minister Wu feel somewhat embarrassed. He had gone to great lengths to invite the Dragon-Slaying Taoist. If his young master were to blame him, wouldn't he also suffer?
"Oh dear, Master, please calm down. It seems that Daoist Tulong personally went to the temple to fetch the glutinous rice. Besides, you know Daoist Tulong's character; he hasn't been delayed at all on the way here."

After hearing Minister Wu's explanation, the young prince finally regained some composure.

"Fine, let's wait until half an incense stick has burned. If he still doesn't come out after half an incense stick has burned..."

"Understood, young master, please rest assured!"

Meanwhile, Minister Wu was still thinking about how to cover for Daoist Tulong, but Daoist Tulong, having just entered the house, had completely forgotten about them and was only thinking about how to flatter Zhong Bai when he saw him later.

Upon entering the backyard, the Dragon-Slaying Taoist could see Zhong Bai and Monk Yixiu sitting at the stone table in the distance.

Ignoring the monk Ikkyu, Daoist Tulong called out from a distance, "Disciple Tulong greets Elder Qianhe!"

As the Dragon-Slaying Taoist bowed deeply, Four Eyes, who was standing to the side, never expected that there would be someone who was on par with him, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Zhong Bai had already sensed the newcomer, but he didn't know Tu Long's identity. Now that the other party had taken the initiative to state his name, Zhong Bai finally remembered.

"Dragon slayer? What are you doing here?"

Zhong Bai remained expressionless; it's impossible for someone in a position of power to always present a gentle demeanor to everyone.

"Reporting to the elder, Tu Long took on a job escorting the body of a Qing Dynasty prince. He happened to be out of glutinous rice and came to borrow some from Junior Brother Simu. He never expected to have the opportunity to see the elder's true face. It is truly Tu Long's good fortune!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai became somewhat tense, having been escorting the Qing Dynasty prince's corpse...

Zhong Bai released his divine sense in all directions, and in an instant, he swept over Wu Shilang and the others outside the dojo.

"What is supposed to come has come..."

Zhong Bai felt a pang of emotion. Even though he had taken Qianhe's place and hadn't embarked on the path of transporting corpses, the body of that Qing Dynasty prince had still been brought to this place.

Taking a deep breath, Zhong Bai maintained a calm demeanor and said, "I see. There's no need for such formalities, Tu Long. Although we have different statuses, we are still fellow disciples. Just relax."

"I understand, thank you, Elder!"

It was a bit of a mouthful, but Si Mu still looked at Zhong Bai and said, "Elder, Senior Brother Tu Long came to borrow glutinous rice, so this disciple will prepare it in advance..."

After saying that, Si Mu went to the main room to prepare the glutinous rice.

The monk Ikkyu, who was standing nearby, saw this but knew he shouldn't interfere, so he simply pretended to be dead and kept quiet.

Soon, Si Mu had prepared the glutinous rice. Tu Long accepted it, thanked him, and was about to say goodbye when he saw Zhong Bai get up and head out of the dojo.

Seeing this, Simu and Daoist Tulong exchanged glances, both puzzled as to why, but they still followed behind out of the temple.

Ikkyu keenly sensed something was wrong and followed them out of the dojo...

"Minister Wu, it's been half an incense stick's time, and this Dragon Slayer still hasn't shown up. He's a complete waste!"

Hearing his young master still complaining, Minister Wu's face darkened considerably.

"This dragon slayer!"

Just then, the door to the temple was pushed open, and a young Taoist priest strode towards them.

The person who came was Zhong Bai. Almost instantly, Zhong Bai arrived in front of Minister Wu and his group. His somewhat condescending manner made Minister Wu frown and feel displeased.

"Who are you? Who is the Dragon Slayer? Tell him to come out quickly, or he'll be held responsible for being late!"

"Noisy!"

As Zhong Bai uttered those two words, a thunderous sound instantly turned all the imperial guards, including Minister Wu, pale, while the young master of the Manchu Qing dynasty covered his ears in pain.

(End of this chapter)