Dao Qi Wu Zang Guan Guan: I became a Daoist Master in the 1990s

Chapter 90 Master's Teachings
Although it was still early morning, the small shop was packed with square tables and benches, bustling with noise.

Waiters carried huge red lacquered wooden trays, piled high with bright red tripe, tender yellow duck intestines, snow-white pig brains, and emerald green lettuce tips. They nimbly moved through the narrow aisle, loudly announcing the names of the dishes with a slick rhythm.

"Make way! Make way! Tripe and duck intestines are coming—watch out for the oily soup!"

Qi Yun found a corner against the wall and sat down.

The tabletop was greasy and shiny, with a bronze-colored nine-compartment old stove in the middle, the charcoal fire burning brightly, and dark red flames licking the bottom of the pot.

Inside the pot, the bright red beef tallow broth was bubbling violently, with countless peppercorns and dried chilies floating in the boiling soup, releasing a pungent aroma that made one's scalp tingle.

The rich aroma of butter, combined with the domineering scent of numbing spiciness, is like countless tiny hooks, piercing straight into one's nostrils and causing the salivary glands to secrete saliva like crazy.

He ordered a spicy broth hot pot base and a serving of tripe, duck intestines, beef aorta, sliced ​​pork belly, lotus root slices, and bean sprouts.

The waiter quickly brought over a dipping sauce: half a bowl of fragrant sesame oil, sprinkled with minced garlic, chopped green onions, and chopped cilantro, then a spoonful of boiling hot chili oil broth was poured over it, and with a "sizzle," the aroma exploded.

The tripe has arrived. The palm-sized leaves have a rough, grayish-black surface covered with dense, raised granules, and they look so fresh they seem to still be trembling.

I picked up a piece with my chopsticks and tossed it up and down in the most turbulently boiling soup.

Watching the grayish-black leaves quickly curl, change color, and become brittle in the red soup.

Scoop it out, roll it in the oil sauce, and put it in your mouth.

"Crack!"

The moment the tooth cuts through is incredibly crisp and satisfying!

Immediately afterwards, the rich aroma of butter, the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns, and the burning spiciness of chili peppers, like three torrents, combined with the unique freshness of tripe with a hint of offal, exploded in the mouth!

Crisp, tender, fresh, fragrant, numbing, and spicy—layer upon layer, surging and overwhelming, so hot it makes your tongue tingle and your lips dance with numbness, yet it's irresistible!

The duck intestines are pink and tender, coiled into circles like pure white silver threads.

When blanched in the pot until slightly curled up like a flower, it has an extremely crisp and chewy texture, with a unique resilience and sweetness, carving out a fresh path in the torrent of spiciness.

The yellow throat is snow-white and thick. After being cooked, it is crisp, chewy, and absorbs the essence of the broth, bursting with rich flavor with every bite.

The sliced ​​pork is cut to a uniform thickness, with beautiful pieces of fat. After tumbling a few times in the red broth, it is coated with a bright red sauce when it is taken out. It is soft, tender, and melts in your mouth. It is fatty but not greasy, and lean but not dry. The aroma of the meat blends with the strong flavor of the broth, creating a truly satisfying experience.

The lotus root slices are crisp and the bean sprouts are refreshing. They cook quickly in the boiling red broth, and the spicy flavor rolls into your stomach, providing a refreshing contrast to the meaty feast.

Qi Yun ate until his forehead was sweating, his nose was sweating, and his lips were red and shiny from the spiciness, but he felt that all the pores in his body were open, and his internal organs were soothed and comforted by the hot and fragrant food.

The cold rain outside the window was shut out by the boiling red soup and the noisy voices, leaving it in another world.

He focused intently on cooking and eating, savoring the most primal and comforting warmth and strength that the food brought.

The red broth was bubbling vigorously, with tripe and duck intestines churning in the nine-compartment grid.

Qi Yun ate until his nose was sweating and his forehead was shining.

Fine rain fell outside the window, casting a gray, oppressive shadow over the streets and alleys.

Just as he was picking up a piece of hot, curled tripe, he caught a glimpse of a figure moving across the street.

A blond-haired man with an arm in a sling was cornered against the wall by two burly men.

The bald man raised his hand and slapped her hard; the crisp sound could be clearly heard even through the glass.

The blond-haired man screamed and staggered to the ground.

Another grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into a narrow alley like a dead dog.

Qi Yun raised an eyebrow, his chopsticks stopping in mid-air.

That blond guy was clearly the one he had "sobered up" last night.

"Tsk, what a coincidence," he muttered to himself, his voice blending into the noise of the hot pot restaurant like a peppercorn dropped into a soup pot.

After thinking for a moment, he wiped his mouth and paid the bill.

A few greasy bills were handed out, and in return, a few even smaller coins were received.

He carried a canvas bag on his back, with the newspaper head covering his long sword sticking out.

Pushing open the door, the damp, cold air, mixed with raindrops, hit my face.

He strolled along, unhurriedly, toward the alley. The alley was sandwiched between two old buildings, so narrow that only two people could pass each other sideways.

Piles of broken baskets and buckets, damp and musty debris.

As you go deeper in, the sound becomes clearer.

The fist slammed into flesh with a dull thud.

Interspersed with shouts and curses:

"You son of a bitch! Where's the money?!"

"Give me...give me two more days! Brother Long, I'll definitely pay you back in two days!"

The blond-haired man's voice was choked with sobs as he curled up on the ground.

"Two days? It won't be this number after two days!"

"You can't even come up with the money now? Are you going to rob a bank in two days?" Another voice gruffly chided.

"I...I've got a solution! Really!"

"Think of a way? I'll figure one out for you!" The bald man's voice turned fierce. "If you still can't come up with it in two days, I'll take one of your kidneys to settle the debt!"
Don't blame me for being ruthless later! Enough with the nonsense!

"Pfft!" A mouthful of phlegm was spat on the ground.

After the two finished cursing, they turned to leave and bumped into Qi Yun, who was standing behind them.

Raindrops fell silently on his shoulder.

The bald man was taken aback, then glared at him and said, "Look at my hammer! Get out of the way! Don't block my way!" With that, he walked forward.

Qi Yun didn't move. The alley was narrow, and with him blocking it, the two of them couldn't get out.

Seeing that he didn't move, the bald man's temper flared up. He reached behind his back and with a "whoosh," a gleaming silver baton shot out, pointing directly at Qi Yun's nose: "Tired of living? Want to die? Just say so! I'll grant your wish!"

Qi Yun stared at the tip of the baton, his gaze drifting. He thought to himself: "How long has it been since I got back? I've already been scolded more than I would have in two months in ancient times."

The people over there, no matter what, at least exchanged a few polite words at the beginning, but this place is different!

Seeing his dazed look, the bald man was terrified and became even more impatient. He cursed, "Fuck your mother! Are you deaf?" He swung his baton with a whoosh and brought it down on the man's head with vicious force.

Qi Yun made a move.

It's not a flash, it's a welcome.

His left hand moved as fast as a shadow, lightning-fast, grabbing the bald man's wrist that was holding the stick, and snapping his thumb against his pulse.

The bald man felt a sudden numbness and tingling in half of his arm, and almost dropped the baton.

With a twist and a pull, Qi Yun lifted the bald, muscular man off the ground, swinging him around like a tattered sack before slamming him hard against the slippery brick wall!

With a muffled thud, the bald man's eyes bulged out, and without uttering a sound, he slid softly to the ground, unconscious.

The other man was so frightened that he screamed, pulled out a switchblade from his pocket, snapped it open, lunged forward, and stabbed Qi Yun in the abdomen.

Their movements were quite fierce.

Qi Yun shifted his footwork to dodge the blade, then with his right hand forming a knife-like gesture, he struck first, pecking at Qi Yun's soft spot under his ribs like a venomous snake spitting its tongue.

The man was struck dumb; his knife clattered to the ground, and he hunched over, his face contorted in pain.

Qi Yun thrust his knee upwards, hitting him squarely in the chin.

"Crack!" The sharp, piercing sound was deafening.

The man flew up backward, crashing heavily into the sewage. His mouth was full of blood and broken teeth. He groaned twice and then fell silent.

Only the sound of rain and the heavy, frightened breathing of the blond-haired man remained in the alley.

He looked at the two limp, fierce-looking men on the ground, then at Qi Yun standing backlit, whose face, which had reeked of alcohol last night, was now as white as a morgue sheet.

"Dao...Daoist Master!" He recognized Qi Yun and was so frightened that he almost jumped out of his skin, shrinking back on all fours. "Last night...Last night I was blind! I was wrong! I was really wrong! Please be magnanimous and let me go!"
"I...I was completely fooled by that fake Taoist priest...that's why..." Her voice trembled uncontrollably.

Qi Yun ignored his pleas for mercy, stepped forward, and casually kicked the two "objects" blocking his way against the wall, as if clearing away two pieces of troublesome garbage.

He walked up to the blond-haired man and looked down at him.

“Benefactor! It seems we are truly destined to meet.”

"Rest assured, I am not a petty person. What happened last night is over."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the blond-haired man's face, his brows furrowing slightly. "However, it seems that the karmic ties between us haven't been completely severed yet."

The blond-haired man looked up blankly, his face covered in snot and tears.

Qi Yun could see more clearly now than last night. The other person's forehead was shrouded in an inescapable darkness, and there was an abnormal bluish tinge in their eyes. Below the left corner of their eye, a very thin, almost transparent gray line was faintly visible.

More importantly, a faint, almost dissipating chilling aura was lingering around this person.

This item was not present during our fight last night.

"Where did you go last night?" Qi Yun asked.

The blond-haired man was taken aback, and subconsciously replied, "The...the hospital! My hand was broken, and I didn't get home until late at night..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly remembered something, his whole body jolted, and he struggled to get up, then knelt down in the muddy water in front of Qi Yun with a "plop".

"Master Daoist! You're a living deity! Please save my life!"

His voice was shrill and filled with desperate cries, "Save my old man!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Yun immediately realized that the other party also knew something.

He didn't make him kneel. Instead, he reached out and lifted him up like a chick: "This isn't the place to talk. Let's find a clean place and talk it out carefully, slowly!"

In a nearby small park, there is a leaky octagonal pavilion.

Qi Yun sat on the cold cement bench.

Wang Xiang huddled on the opposite side, rain dripping down his hair.

“My old man… is called Wang Dashan,” Wang Xiang wiped his face, his voice hoarse, “at the Chongqing People’s Hospital… in the morgue… carrying people.”

He swallowed hard, his eyes wide with fear. "Five days ago, he suddenly...he went crazy! He kept saying he was having nightmares!"
I was lying in bed unable to move, but I heard footsteps outside!

He said... he was being targeted by a ghost! And... it was exactly the same dream that one of his former colleagues had before he died!

Wang Xiang's voice trembled: "At first, the people in the room didn't believe it, thinking that he had gone mad from dealing with dead people every day."

But he... his body was visibly collapsing, his eye sockets were sunken, and he was skin and bones!
My mom panicked and ran to the hospital to inquire... Good heavens!

There are actually people spreading this strange story!
But... but this is too far-fetched. Or is it just that the stress... scared him into getting sick?

He gasped for breath, his voice trembling with tears: "There's no other way, I have to try whether I believe it or not!"

We hired several monks and Taoist priests, and the money was poured out like water!

It's utterly useless! What's most hateful is that the previous Taoist priest patted his chest and guaranteed it, swindling a large sum of money from him!
It was to fill this hole that I... that's why I borrowed that damn high-interest loan!
And what happened? That damned Taoist priest vanished without a trace that very night!

Last night…last night I was upset about this, which is why I drank too much…and offended you!

After Wang Xiang finished speaking, he looked at Qi Yun with pleading eyes: "Master Daoist!"
You're different from them! You're a true miracle worker! Please save my old man! Money... I'll figure out a way to get the money! I'll borrow it! I'll sell my blood!

Qi Yun looked at his desperate, tenacious spirit and shook his head: "The loan sharks have pushed us to this point, where else can we borrow from?"

These words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly dimming Wang Xiang's eyes. He swayed and slumped onto the stone bench.

Qi Yun stood up, the hilt of the sword in his canvas bag visible through the rain.

He gazed at the gray sky outside the pavilion, his voice low, yet heavy as it struck the sound of the rain:

"However, my master taught me that the purpose of walking in the world is to slay demons and protect the people, not to perform for the rich and perform tricks!"

Since evil spirits are at work, how can this humble Taoist priest sit idly by?

He turned his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, fixing on Wang Xiang's face:
"Let's go. Let's go to your house and let me take a good look at what kind of rules and regulations they have."

　The latest plot is necessary to transition the ancient pacing and lay the groundwork for the subsequent storyline. The appearance of the characters is essential, and they will all be useful later on. Therefore, it is not filler, but in order to take care of everyone's reading experience, there has been a large number of updates. So I hope everyone can understand!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)