Chapter 14: Chapter 14 The Way Home, The Terrifying Red House

The banquet dragged on too late, and by now it was already the hour of Shen. Yi Chen, carrying the Dragon-Slaying Sword, hurried off. If he didn't move quickly, he wouldn't make it back to the Hidden Dragon Temple before nightfall.Before leaving the town, Yi Chen remembered that the two adorable kids, Qing Feng and Ming Yue, liked candied hawthorns on a stick, so he bought out the entire stick from the street vendor.

Just as he was about to leave Qingyuan Town with his sticks of candied hawthorns, he happened upon an old acquaintance, Ji Bochang, who was redolent of medicinal plasters and had his hand wrapped in white cloth—a likely sign of a break. S~eaʀᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Ji Bochang, I hope your injuries aren't too serious," Yi Chen said, pausing to greet him.

"Ah, it's Taoist Yi Chengzi. My left shoulder took a nasty hit from that zombie, and the bone's a bit cracked, but with some rest, I'll be fine—it's not a big deal."

"I've been getting hurt since I was a kid; it's nothing new to me."

"I'm used to it by now. When I was young, I'd get kicked by cows, chased by wild boars in the mountains, and get cramps while swimming in the Qingshui River. But ever since I mastered the Fiery Heart Technique, these incidents have mostly stopped happening."

Ji Bochang smiled brightly and openly, his short stature and middle age notwithstanding—he still laughed like a big boy, even with bandages on.

At that moment, a young man beside Ji Bochang muttered under his breath, "Boss, you got struck by lightning during last year's rainstorm though."

"You're such a talkative brat," scolded Ji Bochang, unable to hold back.

Yi Chen: "..."

"Ji Bochang, when I first met you, there was something I wasn't sure whether I should say or not."

"You needn't have any reservations, Taoist. Speak freely," Ji Bochang said, his eyes brightening. He felt that he had indeed been particularly unlucky throughout his life.

He had heard from his underlings about this Yi Taoist who could divine with great accuracy, even predicting on the spot that the red-dressed female zombie would appear near Mayor Wu's residence and intercepted it accordingly.

He still remembered Yi Chen's hesitant expression when they first met; surely Yi Taoist must have perceived something.

"Very well," Yi Chen said.

"'The Book of Changes' says, first is fate, second luck, third comes geomancy, fourth is accumulating virtue, fifth is scholarship, sixth reputation, seventh appearance, eighth is respecting deities, ninth making noble connections, tenth cultivating health."

"If Ji Bochang trusts in me, you might consider changing your name," suggested Yi Chen.

"Ji Bochang, your name is too grand; I can handle it, but perhaps your destiny cannot."

"To be frank, the fact that you have lived this long, I believe is the result of your family's accumulated virtue."

"Change your name, and in the future, do more good deeds. I believe your luck will improve."

Yi Chen laughed heartily, not waiting for Ji Bochang to respond. With the candied hawthorns in hand and the Dragon-Slaying Sword on his back, he took big strides in the direction away from Qingyuan Town, leaving nothing but verses of a Daoist song echoing between heaven and earth.

A whit of kindness, be convenient to others.

A whit of evil, advise you not to commit.

To bully brings misfortune, to help brings fortune.

Heaven's law is clear, retribution comes swift.

Hear my words, deities admire, demons cower.

"These timeless words of warning have a profound meaning. Taoist, you truly are a great and enlightened being," Ji Bochang said, watching Yi Chen's receding figure. He decided then and there to change his name—replacing the character 'Bo' with 'Dan' should cause no harm.

.....

.....

The verses Yi Chen recited were admonitions from Lu Dongbin, the revered Pure Yang ancestor of his former life. Yi Chen's memory of the verses was limited; as he recited one, he lost another.

Naturally, he made his exit quickly; that way, his image as a great enlightened being wouldn't crumble.

Planning ahead, such a strategy only needed a few more applications, build up the reputation, establish the persona. Once everyone starts calling him a great enlightened being, wouldn't the wealth roll in thereafter?

In the future, if anyone asks him to officiate at a wedding or funeral, would they offer just ten or twenty taels of silver and expect a distinguished person like him to accept it? You wouldn't even dare to suggest it.

This approach is about empowerment, restructuring, value transformation, reaffirming recognition, refinement, influence. It is about becoming a leader in the premium sector of hosting life events.

By turning his influence as a great enlightened being into brand value, once his reputation is established, wealthy folks even from ten miles away or further will feel compelled to invite Taoist Yi Chengzi from Hidden Dragon Temple to preside over their events with a resounding call—if not, they'd lack prestige and filial piety.

They'd be laughed at by their wealthy peers.

This is the power of crafting a brand identity and telling captivating Taoist stories.

While others are still stuck in small circles exploiting human frailties to sell tyrant chickens, making mere silver coins, Yi Taoist has raised his ambitions to personal branding and market cultivation.

This is the vision.

Whosever's got the money, that's whose money we earn.

Once the brand image is solidly established, just for Taoist to make an appearance, it should be worth at least a hundred thousand!

How many tyrant chickens would you have to sell to earn that back?

.....

.....

The sun dipped low, and its remaining light bled like blood across the sky.

Yi Chen walked along, dreaming of a splendid future. As time passed, the path grew narrower and the mountain road was flanked by dense woods.

Suddenly, a rustling sound broke the silence.

A sika deer bolted out from the left side of the thicket, its hooves stirring the wind, dashing across the mountain path to the right, running as if for its life.

Closely trailing the deer was a swift yellow figure—a fierce spotted tiger. Perhaps sensing that Yi Chen was not one to be trifled with, the tiger did not stop to attack him, but instead, with a powerful leap and a flick of its tail, continued its pursuit.

Unfortunately, as the tiger adjusted its balance with a swish of its tail, it hit the stick brimming with candied hawthorns that Yi Chen was carrying, scattering them all over the ground.

Yi Chen was stunned.

In a moment of distraction, the candied hawthorns were gone?

How was he going to explain this to Qing Feng and Ming Yue, the two adorable kids?

Should he say that their eldest senior brother bought them treats, but along the way, he encountered a fierce spotted tiger and they were lost?

"Damn it! Don't run."

"Spotted cat, you embrace a path to your demise."

Yi Chen stared at the candied haws scattered in the mud on the ground, his expression changing as fast as a lantern show. With an angry roar, a faint purple Inner Qi emerged from his body, and he too, chased into the dense forest.

Ever since his cultivation had significantly improved, he had not suffered such a loss.

You think you can offend me and run away?

Although the candied haws were gone, Yi Chen clearly remembered how Qing Feng and Ming Yue had a special fondness for orange cats.

Sometimes female believers would come to Hidden Dragon Temple carrying orange cats, and Qing Feng and Ming Yue would use their cuteness to strike up a conversation and take the opportunity to pet the cats.

The marbled tiger was also a cat; it was just significantly larger.

Since the candied haws were gone, the plan was to knock the marbled tiger unconscious and take it back to settle the account.

It was still indulging in the love for cats.

This wild one had even more strength!

He figured Qing Feng and Ming Yue would probably like it… right?

His vision elevated, overviewing the entire forest.

A bizarre scene unfolded.

A spotted deer took the lead, the marbled tiger following closely behind, with Yi Chen attached to the back end of the tiger. The distance between each was steadily decreasing.

Although Yi Chen was not as agile as the spotted deer or tiger, his strength was astonishing, like a human bulldozer. He would go around the trees if he could, but if he couldn't, he would smack down the trees as thick as a bowl with a slap of his hand.

A cloud of dust rose along the way.

With brute force, he miraculously closed the distance between himself and the marbled tiger.

Closer.

The distance between them grew even shorter.

A hint of triumph flashed across Yi Chen's mouth.

But what he failed to notice was a faint mist beginning to spread throughout the forest, growing denser with time at an unnatural pace.

Crack!

The marbled tiger finally caught up with the spotted deer, with a powerful head pat, the deer's neck snapped instantly.

At the same time, Yi Chen's right foot stomped the ground forcefully, and his faint purple Pure Yang Inner Qi explosively burst out. He leaped high into the air and landed in front of the marbled tiger in the posture of a crow flying on a plane.

Pia, pia—two crisp sounds.

Two big pockets went down, and the marbled tiger vaguely saw its own mother, seeing double of everyone.

Then, its fate was gripped by a pair of large hands like palm-leaf fans.

"Little bastard, quite the runner."

"If you don't behave, I'll kill you."

"You overturned Taoist Yi's candied haws; now you tell me how you'll make it up."

Yi Chen sneered.

He'd already figured out how to deal with this marbled tiger. He would take it back, train it well, wear off its wildness, and Hidden Dragon Temple would gain a strong addition, raising its prestige to another level.

Imagine, in the foggy dawn, the first light of morning shining through, a young novice with red lips and white teeth sitting backward on a tiger's back, coming from the front yard of Hidden Dragon Temple, starlight shining on the novice's face, under the gilded sign of Hidden Dragon Temple. This influence… and having a painter 'accidentally' record it. Heh heh heh.

In this world, unlike his previous life, there were plenty of tigers and no concept of wildlife conservation.

Life's tough. A tiger performing for its livelihood is perfectly logical.

What? You say wildness is difficult to tame?

Ever heard of tiger bone wine? And tiger skin, tiger whip, tiger meat—they're all hot commodities. There's no loss in it.

The marbled tiger leaned against a large tree, its hind legs on the ground, shivering all over.

At this moment, the mist's spread suddenly accelerated, becoming even thicker.

Yi Chen finally felt something amiss.

He found it odd. As the king of animals, why was this tiger so cowardly, only knowing to tremble? It should at least put up some resistance, move a bit, make things a bit exciting.

He grabbed the marbled tiger by the scruff of the neck, looking around, and the mist churned. In front of him, a strange red residence suddenly appeared.

Hiss!

The sight of this red ancient residence made Yi Chen's hair stand on end, as a bizarre atmosphere spread.

He was one hundred percent sure he had not seen this red ancient residence before.

Danger! Danger! Danger!

His instincts were frantically warning him, and even the quiet, faint purple Pure Yang Inner Qi inside him began to stir slightly.

Something was very wrong, terribly wrong.

Yi Chen watched the red ancient residence in front of him with a solemn expression.

It was his first encounter with such a strange occurrence, ultimately due to his strength skyrocketing twice in succession, resulting in a slight change in his mindset.

He had lost his original reverence and steadiness.

"People get carried away, huh? Into the deep forest you should not go, and the night road is not to be traveled," Yi Chen sighed deeply.

He had a feeling that this time he had stumbled upon a huge trouble.

But no panic. Yi Taoist decided to try and exploit a bug. He carried the marbled tiger by the scruff of its neck, turned around, and tried to retreat.

Sure enough, trying to exploit the bug failed. The eerie red residence appeared in front of him again, as if sticking to his shadow.

To the left, it was there.

To the right, also.

Hiss, it's so intelligent...