The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 64 It seems the Taoist priest is still not as good as the Buddhist priest.
Watching Du Yuan calmly withdraw her hand, and listening to the wailing of the vengeful ghost that had already dissipated.

Both the shopkeepers and the wandering spirits looked at Du Yuan with increasing reverence.

It possesses a compassionate heart to guide and liberate spirits, as well as a fierce gaze to subdue evil spirits.

This is a true living Buddha!
Du Yuan, having put down her porcelain bowl, asked them:

"You say they were taken away by magic?"

Throughout those few sentences, Du Yuanke kept this crucial point in mind.

The lonely spirit Zhang Ergou hurriedly said:

“That’s right. Living Buddha, although I still can’t remember the specifics, I do remember that there were originally sixteen of us! And because I arrived the earliest, I clearly saw that we were all pulled into a basin of water by an unnamed force.”

At this point, another wandering spirit suddenly remembered the key point:
"I remember quite a few things too. There was a Taoist priest and a young Taoist boy. Yes, a Taoist priest and a young Taoist boy. Although I was in a daze in that water basin, I do remember that a Taoist priest was casting spells and chanting incantations above our heads several times. And each time, there was a young Taoist boy watching over us!"

Taoist priest and his apprentice?
It seems they were the ones behind this!
Du Yuan nodded and asked:

"Do you know anything else?"

The wandering spirits hurriedly began exchanging what they knew with each other.

After a moment, they bowed to Du Yuan, somewhat embarrassed, and said:
"We don't know how many Living Buddhas there are, because they are always in a daze in that water basin. Occasionally we catch a glimpse of them, but it's just a fleeting glimpse, and we can't see them clearly."

"However, we saw that Taoist priest and his disciple enter a courtyard guarded by armored soldiers. Oh, and I also heard the disciple say that there was a lake there!"

There's a lake, armored soldiers, and a courtyard?
These three together shouldn't be hard to find.

There may be many courtyards by the lake, but very few are guarded by armored soldiers.

Based on Du Yuan's current understanding of the world, there are certainly not many who can mobilize armored soldiers.

After all, even the guards of a powerful clan like the Han family dared to carry crossbows, but not armor.

This must be a classic case of hoarding armor, tantamount to treason.

Thinking of this, Du Yuan nodded calmly and said:

"I understand, and I will handle it."

Seeing that the Living Buddha had agreed to this matter that had been weighing on their minds, the few lonely souls were immediately relieved, and their figures became even more ethereal and elusive.

The shopkeeper had never seen such a scene before. Surprised and suspicious, he reached out to stop them, but then, knowing it would be futile, he hurriedly looked at Du Yuan.

As for the few lonely souls, they were stunned for a moment before smiling with relief and bowing to Du Yuan and the shopkeeper to express their gratitude.

Du Yuan, who had witnessed a similar situation at the Qian family's old residence, said to the shopkeeper:
"They have renounced worldly desires and it is time for them to leave."

The shopkeeper immediately realized what was happening.

After the five wandering souls completely disappeared, the shopkeeper felt a little empty inside.

Because he didn't get any benefits, but instead had to help these five lonely souls settle their last worldly desires.

Although he agreed on his own initiative, the other party didn't really show any appreciation, which was still a bit upsetting.

'Well, at least it's a good deed. Heaven will remember it, and even the Living Buddha is watching!'

Thinking about it this way, the shop owner felt much more at ease.

But as soon as he turned around, he was surprised to see four and a half copper coins placed on the table.

Du Yuan's voice rang out at the opportune moment:
"Don't worry, they won't forget something this important."

The shopkeeper scratched his head sheepishly and said:

"Living Buddha, haven't I been a little too greedy after all?"

Du Yuan laughed:

"It's only human nature, what's wrong with that? And if you really encounter someone who wants to freeload, don't be soft-hearted, just give them a good talking to!"

"Otherwise, why should good people suffer injustice for no reason?"

The shopkeeper smiled repeatedly:

"Disciple, please remember this."

After saying that, the shopkeeper counted out another one and a half copper coins and handed them to Du Yuan:

“Living Buddha, I just noticed that this is probably all the belongings those two have. Do you think you can find a way to send them back?”

Although the shopkeeper didn't know exactly how useful this "virtue money" was, he knew in his heart that life would always be difficult without money.

By analogy, the situation of wandering souls is probably much the same, and perhaps even worse.

Du Yuan gently pressed the copper coin handed to her by the shopkeeper back into his palm, saying, "It would be better to accept it! You are helping them to settle their worldly desires. This is a great cause and effect. You have given something, but they have nothing to repay you with. This may not be a good thing."

As far as we can see, God is truly watching.

The shopkeeper nodded blankly and took back the one and a half coins of good karma.

However, he quickly handed over the other three intact ones, saying:
“Then, Living Buddha, you must accept these three coins, otherwise I have no other valuable gift to repay this debt of gratitude!”

This answer, which he immediately applied to himself, made Du Yuan point at him and laugh.

"Okay, I'll take it."

“Living Buddha, whenever I gain anything in the future, I will give half of this Yin Virtue Treasure Money as an offering to you. But how do you think I should give it to you?”

Du Yuan wanted to say that he could just hold it for her, but seeing his expression, she knew that wouldn't work.

So Du Yuan pointed in the direction of the temple and said:

“Go forward and follow the road that the Han family is building. You will see a temple. You can place it in the temple.”

After saying that, Du Yuan pointed to the cardboard coins in his hand and said:

“You’ve helped them fulfill their worldly wishes, and you’ll inevitably encounter many situations where you need connections and money. So, you can take this to the Han family or the Qian family to exchange for silver or something else. How much you exchange is up to you to discuss.”

"Disciple, please remember this!"
-
As dawn broke, Du Yuan bid farewell to the shopkeeper and headed towards Qingzhou once more.

Meanwhile, outside Qingzhou City, a Taoist priest with an extraordinary demeanor stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he looked at Qingzhou.

After being led into the city gate, the Taoist priest immediately approached a porter who was resting by the roadside and asked:

"Did something terrible happen in Qingzhou City last night?"

These seemingly inquiring words were tinged with absolute certainty.

But to the Taoist's surprise, the porter said in a daze:
"Trouble? Daoist, nothing happened in Qingzhou last night!"

"All is well?"

The Taoist priest, still incredulous, pressed for an answer, which the other party confirmed:

"Of course it's fine, otherwise it wouldn't be so quiet today."

The Taoist priest, whose expression changed slightly, hurriedly asked several more people.

The answers they received were all the same: nothing was wrong. Only the last porter pondered and said:

"But I heard from a friend that the Qian family in the north of the city was robbed last night, and it was quite a commotion; even their house signboard was knocked off!"

The Taoist priest, lost in thought, nodded slightly and left.

But after taking a few steps, he asked again:

"Where is the Prince's residence?"

"The Prince's Mansion? It's located slightly east of the north of the city. You'll recognize it at a glance, as that entire area is occupied by the Prince's Mansion. However, Daoist Master, ordinary people can't go there. There are soldiers guarding it!"

The Taoist stroked his beard and smiled:
"This humble Taoist is no ordinary person."

After saying this, the Taoist looked down with immense arrogance at all the mediocre people around him.

But after turning halfway around, he saw a man who appeared to be a monk bow to him and say:
"How are you, fellow Daoist?"

In response to Du Yuan's greeting, the Taoist priest sized up this strange fellow Daoist and then sneered:

"You and I are kindred spirits? Isn't that like the bright moon in the sky compared to the light of a firefly? We've only brought shame upon ourselves!"

Having said that, the Taoist priest arrogantly walked away with his hands behind his back.

Du Yuan just smiled and didn't take it to heart.

Only the porters who were being questioned scratched their heads and said to their companions:

"Why do I feel like that Taoist priest said something backwards?"

His companion's eyes lit up as well:

"Yes, yes, that's what I think too!"

At this point, they all exclaimed in unison:

"It seems this Taoist priest is still not as good as that Buddhist priest."

(End of this chapter)