Headless Immortal

Chapter 83 The Wise and the Scholar

"The great commotion last night was caused by a group of monsters."

Senior Brother Yang Shen frowned and asked with concern, "Junior Brother, are you injured?"

"Thank you for your concern, senior brother. It's nothing."

Cheng Yan clasped his hands in a respectful bow, his sincerity tinged with a hint of guilt, and said, "I told my grandfather about Qingquan Temple, but..."

After a detailed explanation, Yang Shen's brows relaxed, and he waved his hand with a smile, saying, "Junior brother, don't worry about it; it has nothing to do with you."

"But...should we consult the academy again regarding the school's location?"

Yang Shen explained, "The headmaster had anticipated this, which is why he sent us to Meilan together."

Brother Ma crossed his arms and sneered, "Magistrate Meilan has a good plan; she wants both fame and money."

Yang Shen, with his large face, showed no emotion and laughed, saying, "With such a bunch of monsters around, I imagine the witchcraft and sorcery of Meilan County won't just sit idly by."

"Junior brother, you can go ahead first, we'll be there shortly."

Cheng Yan bowed and left with Hui Bao.

'Beep.'

The cry of an eagle came from above the eaves of the post station.

The gray creature on the shoulder grinned and waved its paws, squeaking.

Cheng Yan looked back and couldn't help but chuckle, waving at the falcon.

He recognized the spindle-headed night hawk. It had been perched on the roof of the carriage on the way back to the county town, flapping its wings to keep watch when they rested. It must be almost a spirit, just like Grey Treasure, and had been taken in by Uncle Cat.

The toothless man nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Quite arrogant."

Cheng Yan laughed heartily, saying that eagles should be proud animals.

……

Ma Ye's lowered eyelids twitched: "He's hiding something."

"Oh?"

Yang Shen, with his round face and squinted eyes, showed no emotion, nor did he seem surprised.

"Everything is understandable, except for one thing."

"what?"

Ma Ye slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at Yang Shen, who was carefully removing the cocoon, and said, "Why did that white-haired, green-toothed gibbon save them?"

"There are only a few reasons for saving people. Judging from how he covered up for the ape monster, and how he always managed to distance himself from it in his words and actions, and how he always tried to suppress his excitement when talking about it, it seems that this junior brother must know the monster."

Yang Shen wrote a note with a jade brush, opened the top of the cocoon, and swallowed the note with its sharp, fang-like mouth.

He covered the cocoon again, put it back in the jade box, and locked it in the book box once more.

“Since the headmaster has agreed to let us go together, we should trust him.” Yang Shen glanced at Ma Ye and said with a hint of amusement, “This is a test that the headmaster has given to you and me. If we succeed, we will enter the top-tier academy. If we fail… well, we can just stay where we are and consider it as an opportunity to broaden our horizons.”

"Let's go, Junior Brother Ma."

Ma Ye curled his lip and said, "Confucius said: 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.'"

With that, he lifted his leg and walked towards the door.

……

Lao Cheng led the black cat Lu Xun to a side hall of the county government office.

The imposing shouts from the county government's main hall sounded somewhat muffled.

The moment I stepped inside, I was greeted with a barrage of gazes.

"Master."

Cheng Yan, who caught up with him, was quite surprised and called out softly, "Uncle Cat."

The black cat approached, leaped onto the brocade hard bag on Cheng Yan's back, and found a comfortable spot to settle down.

Grey Baby also lay sprawled out, its little paws gripping its thick tail, its tiny black bean-like eyes squinting.

Old Cheng nodded slightly before leading Cheng Yan inside.

"The squad leader."

Huang Mu, the old temple keeper dressed in colorful clothes, stood up and bowed with a smile.

"Your seventh master." "Seventh master." Cheng Yan bowed obediently.

He recognized most of these people; the one dressed in colorful clothes, thin but vigorous, was the temple keeper of the old temple in Meilan County.

He didn't know who the old temple was dedicated to, but he heard it was very effective, and fishermen who went out to fish would go there to draw lots.

Then look at the sorceress, who is rather short and stout, wearing a dark indigo long robe, with silver-gray hair and beard.

The old woman had few wrinkles on her round face, two deep nasolabial folds, and very obvious frown lines on her forehead. Her eyes had very little white showing, and her black pupils were as bright as lamp beans. Her drooping eyebrows were bare, with no eyebrows growing on them.

In Chinese etiquette, one should address one's grandmother as "auntie".

Zheng Hua waved with a smile, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then her gaze fell on Cheng Yan's shoulder. Behind him were the old cat lying in its lap and Grey Treasure, who was staring at everyone with its beady eyes.

They weren't really relatives, but usually when something happened in a family, they would consult a shaman or temple priest, so they addressed each other according to seniority. Since they were from the same village and were familiar with each other, and were basically old people who had watched him grow up, they were not relatives but were familiar with each other, so they were no different from relatives.

The remaining two were both burly martial artists.

I recognize all the idioms.

The man, wearing a felt hat and a gray-black robe, slowly raised his head.

Cheng Yan was suddenly startled. It was as if a magnificent tiger, seemingly asleep, was lying before him. He opened the tiger's eyes and looked over. In an instant, the tiger disappeared, and the man in the gray-black robe stood up and smiled, saying, "It's been many years, Xiao Yan. Not bad, your spirit is bright and clear, which is a sign of refining true qi."

"When did Uncle Li get back?"

"I've been back for a while now. I heard that Qingquan Temple is going to be sold, so I'm thinking of buying it to open a security escort agency and a martial arts school."

Li Song cupped his hands to Lao Cheng and asked, "Uncle Cheng, are you still in good health?"

"Absolutely fantastic!"

Another man, carrying a sword, wore a light gray robe and a fur hat that covered his messy hair. He reeked of alcohol and looked like a down-on-his-luck swordsman. He huddled in a corner, silent and unresponsive, seemingly lost in his own world.

Cheng Yan didn't approach them. These people claimed to be introducing him to them, but in reality, his grandfather had Uncle Cat make an introduction. He knew what was going on.

A few moments.

Two senior students from the academy arrived at the side hall.

"Senior brother." Cheng Yan hurriedly got up and went to the door to greet him.

Yang Shen maintained his usual smile, like a nice guy: "Senior Huang, Senior Zheng, Brother Li."

"So he was a top student from Bailudong Academy."

Everyone carried the decorated sedan chair, and everyone gave it face.

After arranging for his two senior brothers to sit down, Yang Shen cupped his hands in greeting to the old cat on the brocade bag beside him.

It doesn't take a while.

A senior monk dressed in a plain white robe led a young novice to a side hall. The senior monk had a thin, long face, kind eyes, and held a staff. He wore light-colored prayer beads.

The little monk beside him seemed rather dull and somewhat wooden.

The young monk carried a bamboo basket on his back and held a wooden fish in his hand, but stopped striking it when he saw that there were many people around.

Lao Cheng introduced, "This is Master Jueming of Donglin Temple."

"Amitabha." Jueming led the young monks to bow to the crowd.

The temple shaman and temple caretaker rose to return the greeting.

“The top students from Bailudong Academy have arrived, and the masters from Donglin Temple have also arrived. Who else are we waiting for?” Li Song asked first, knowing that both of them were his competitors. Bailudong Academy wanted to build a school, and Donglin Temple planned to build a branch.

"And there's also the high-ranking monk from Lushan..."

Just as Lao Cheng was about to speak, Qian Xiong arrived with Lu Shan Zong Gao Gong.

The Taoist priest in the yellow robe chatted and laughed with Constable Qian.

He was accompanied by two apprentices, one tall and one short, each carrying a bulging basket on their backs.

The Taoist priest stepped into the hall, glanced at the old cat, then looked away and bowed to the others, laughing as he said, "I'm late, please forgive me."

The black cat on the bag suddenly raised its head.

He knew this high-ranking official.

Wasn't that the Taoist priest who exorcised demons at the Song family back then?

Without paying much attention, Lu Xun continued snoring, his consciousness sinking into the strange space to examine the newly acquired head.

(End of this chapter)