Chapter 84

Chapter 84

The labor boss involved in the illegal trafficking was escorted into a police car by the cooperative officers. The monsters, on the other hand, were unharmed.

The scene was surreal, leaving the local Daoist priests from Xin Nan utterly bewildered. A few Daoists from the capital, seeing their confusion, kindly explained that they had originally intended to capture a spy from the Cultivation Teaching but accidentally stumbled upon this criminal activity.

The Xin Nan Daoists: "Ohhh! Ohhh!"

So that was the case. These monsters had truly been victimized.

After their initial realization, they fell back into silence as their minds processed the details: "..."

Despite understanding the truth, the story still felt odd to them, whether it was the monsters deceived by the black-market agents to work at the construction site or the Daoist priests who rescued them from such exploitation...

One of the Daoists from the capital, his face lined with experience, patted their shoulders. Friends, we're all in the same boat. No one besides the Taicang Sect would find this normal.

Amidst the silence, the innocent little wild dog spirit's expression suddenly turned grave. It abruptly turned its head to stare at a passing van on the roadside. Before anyone could react, it let out a low growl and darted after the vehicle at an astonishing speed.

As mentioned before, the speed of an untethered wild dog was breathtaking to humans. The Daoist priests and officers standing by were stunned. They could even hear the policemen exclaiming in awe, "Damn, there are experts among the people! This speed is Olympic-level, right?"

Monks: "..."

Unity Yi wore an expression as if he had discovered a new world. "Yes, Master! Would it be cheating if we let Dog Egg participate in the Olympics?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Xi actually began to ponder seriously.

What the hell is wrong with your train of thought?! The monks were speechless, yet at the same time, they were extremely anxious. Monsters' natures were unpredictable, and that wild dog suddenly rushing out seemed to have malicious intentions!

The minivan was soon caught up with by Dog Egg. Seeing the danger, the monks hastily whipped out their talismans and rushed to the scene. Confused police officers also ran over to see what was happening. The anxious monks surrounded the wild dog demon, who was now engaged in a fight with the humans who had exited the van. They were just about to yell at the monster to cease its havoc!

Little did they expect to suddenly hear the police shouting behind them, "Grab them!"

Then, like a swarm of bees, they rushed forward, pulling out handcuffs to restrain the humans who had been fighting with the Wild Dog Spirit. The Taoist masters were utterly confused, making question marks with their eyebrows.

Some of the officers went past them to help the Wild Dog Spirit up, praising him emotionally, "Thank you so much! These people might be the gang that's been illegally stealing dogs in our Xin Nan lately!"

Looking into the van, the Taoist masters saw it was filled with various dog-stealing tools, and there were even two golden retrievers lying unconscious in the trunk, "..."

The police held down the wailing dog thieves, who were now howling like construction workers being scolded. "We've received dozens of reports from citizens in this city about these thefts. The losses are enormous, and our police department has been closely monitoring the situation. Unfortunately, their operations have been swift and secretive, so we haven't been able to find any leads. How did you, young man, discover them?"

Egg Dog approached to examine the two golden-furred creatures and, upon realizing they were merely knocked out from anesthesia, he let out a relieved smile. "I caught their scent."

During its days as a stray, it had encountered similar groups and could identify them from afar just by their smell.

The police praised it in amazement. "Really? You could smell them from more than ten meters away? Your sense of smell is incredible!"

Egg Dog chuckled.

The Taoist priests: "...."

Wasn't a dog's sense of smell supposed to be excellent?

One of the officers joked, "Brother, with a talent like that, you might even surpass our team's sniffer dogs."

Then he realized it wasn't appropriate to compare a human to a dog, so he prepared to apologize to this helpful citizen.

To his surprise, the citizen didn't seem offended at all but instead waved his hands anxiously. "How could that be! How could that be! Sniffer dogs have specific breeds, how can I compare to them? You're too kind!"

The police officers: "....???"

******

The police officer, who was in charge of religious affairs at the bureau and had previously registered with the Taoist Association to combat cult activities, was surprised to see them return so soon. "Master Nian, why are you back?"

Could it be that there had been progress in the operation against the Cult of Cultivation?

The Taoist masters all wore expressions of = =.

A passing colleague hurriedly clarified, "No, these Taoist masters have performed a heroic act by helping us catch a construction site boss who illegally employed undocumented workers, as well as a group of criminals who were stealing dogs in Xin Nan. We specially invited them back to give their statements."

The original officer: "?????"

When did the Xin Nan Taoist Association start adopting the path of righteousness and bravery?

The Taoist masters from Xin Nan were clueless as well, and could only look silently at their fellow Taoists from the capital. The members of the Beijing Taoist Association were speechless, and could only turn their gaze towards Taicang Sect, the root of the problem. However, Taicang Sect seemed detached from the situation, with Unity Righteousness even calling out, "Master, fellow Taoists, let's take a group photo together! Two Taoist associations collaborating to combat illegal dog thieves – what a positive publicity stunt for Weibo! We might gain a huge following from this!"

As Xin Nan Taoist Association watched him pull out a beautifying camera in a daze, they murmured, "....Weibo promotion... gaining followers... So this is how Taoists from the capital operate. Indeed, they are quite unique."

Capital City Daoist Association member: "..............."

We aren't, we don't, we're also decent religious practitioners, we're incredibly wronged.

Most of the rescued stolen dogs wore collars with tags. The police called the numbers on the tags to notify their owners, who soon arrived in droves to reclaim their beloved pets. They wept tears of joy as they held their long-lost companions close.

The stray dog spirit stood by, watching its kind being embraced and petted by their owners without any sign of rejection. Its eyes shimmered with envy: "I miss my owner too. I snuck back to see them once, and they got a new Corgi. They treat that Corgi so well."

Though it had been abandoned, it still yearned for that warm home. Unfortunately, there was no longer a place for it in that family.

The Wild Dog Spirit wiped a tear from its eye, melancholically remarking, "If only I had a breed, maybe I wouldn't have been abandoned."

"Hey, how is that your fault? What's wrong with being a village dog?" Unity Right embraced it warmly. "Dog Egg! Trust me, once we're in the Taicang Sect, even village dogs will have their day!"

******

Under Dog Egg's leadership, Xin Nan's spirits now answered to a new master. Naturally, they no longer informed the Cultivation Teachings of their activities. In fact, they provided the Daoist Association with unexpected information—

The leader of the Cultivation Teachings had been residing in a secluded mountain villa for several days and often invited believers to visit the external Taoist temple. Many birds and beasts in the mountains had encountered him.

The suspect's whereabouts were now easily narrowed down. The Taoist Association members had initially planned to collaborate with the police to thoroughly investigate the cult leader's properties one by one.

All of this originated from the incident at the hot spring hotel, where a rat spirit was caught peeping. United Right couldn't help but remark to his fellow Taoist masters, "Master Quan might be old, but he's still full of vigor. That display of flesh was well worth it!"

Master Quan: "..."

One of the Taoists, noticing his expression, awkwardly changed the subject, "Do you guys think it's strange that so many monsters appear in such a small place like Xin Nan? It's understandable with wild animals, but why even oxen, crabs, and stray dog spirits?"

United Right listened with displeasure, "What's wrong with stray dogs? We're in modern times, don't Taoist masters enjoy eating river crabs anymore? Why the discrimination based on species?"

Priests: "..."

Everyone had no choice but to explain to him that various novels throughout history portrayed all sorts of demons, giving the false impression that animals turning into spirits was quite common. However, as insiders, they knew that it wasn't an easy feat.

Putting aside other factors, in the ancestral libraries of the various Taoist temples, which were passed down from previous generations, there hadn't been any mention of anything related to spirits or demons for over a hundred years.

Yet, someone commented, "But there have been more incidents of demonic disturbances in recent years. The exorcism ritual I conducted a few months ago was related to this."

After much discussion, they couldn't come to a conclusion. When they asked those young demons, they were even more clueless, claiming that their sudden enlightenment had been a confusing process for them too.

In a daze, they were then tricked into doing some informal labor.

When the group returned to the hotel with the pack of wild dog spirits, they were exhausted both physically and mentally.

Unity Justice even invited everyone to go soak in the hot springs. Old Quan Daoist, still simmering with anger over Unity Justice's earlier comment about selling meat, glared at the rat spirit beside him. "Soak what? Haven't you had enough of ogling him?"

Passersby looked at them with bewildered expressions, then examined the delicate features of the rat spirit, wondering what on earth this old man was talking about.

Upon noticing the reactions of others, Old Quan's face flushed red, and he hurriedly turned around to leave.

Recalling his own act of peeking, the rat spirit, now feeling rather embarrassed, quickly chased after him to apologize. "Daoist Quan, please don't be angry. I didn't mean to secretly watch you undress..."

The onlookers: "!!!!!!!!"

Those Association members who remained in the lobby could hear a commotion as many people approached from that direction, chattering away.

"...Did you hear that just now?"

"I did... an age-gap couple... and one of them is a Daoist... It's really quite shocking..."

"Age seems insignificant compared to gender in this case."

The Taoist masters in the hall: "..."

*****

Taoist Quan definitely wouldn't go soak in the hot springs now. The rat demon had vanished after following him away.

Wei Xi entrusted his staff to his senior disciple and returned to the room with his second disciple. The moment the door closed, the noise from outside was completely blocked out.

It was still the same room, but this time, he subconsciously glanced at his disciple as he entered, sensing a subtle change in his subconscious.

The disciple had been holding his phone all the way here. Now, as he reached up to turn on the light, his gaze on Wei Xi seemed contemplative. Wei Xi looked at the phone and asked, "Que'er, what are you looking at?"

There was a moment of silence, then the disciple's eyes slowly slid from Wei Xi's eyes to his lips before he turned his head away. Casually locking the screen, he said, "Nothing. Are we going to soak in the hot springs or not?"

Wei Xi still wanted to take a look since the hotel's hot springs were reportedly famous, according to the guests.

The disciple hummed in response and swiftly retrieved two bathrobes from the closet. He approached Wei Xi, his gaze deep as he asked, "Do you need help changing?"

Wei Xi froze for a moment.

His disciple waited for two seconds but didn't receive an answer. He then reached out to pull Wei Xi's zipper. Looking up at his disciple's lowered gaze, Wei Xi felt his ears heat up for some reason. For the first time, he instinctively refused, "I'll do it myself."

Surprisingly, the disciple didn't insist and obediently withdrew his hand, his attitude appearing colder than before.

The jacket fell limply to the floor with a familiar sound. After Wei Xi took off his clothes and put on a bathrobe, he turned around only to find that his disciple had already finished preparing and was quietly leaning against a low table, watching him.

The hotel bathrobe was rather loose and of average size, barely covering much. Moreover, the disciple didn't seem to have worn it properly; the sash was loosely tied around his waist. Sitting on the table, one leg bent while the other stretched casually, his upper body slightly bent forward. In his hand was an unopened can of ice-cold beer, his sleeves rolled up, revealing his slender lower arms and most of his chest.

Numerous grotesque scars spread across his skin, intertwining in an irregular pattern, half hidden and half exposed, creating an indescribable arrogant beauty.

Although Wei Xi found the way he wore his clothes strange and thought this posture seemed tiring, his gaze darkened. At this moment, he inexplicably felt lured, his appetite so intense that he wanted to pounce on the other man's well-defined collarbone and take a bite.

Upon meeting Wei Xi's gaze, the disciple didn't speak. Instead, he scanned Wei Xi, who was also wearing a bathrobe, from head to toe before lowering his eyes, taking a sip of beer, and putting the can aside. He then walked straight to the door, "Let's go."

Taking two steps forward, Wei Xi didn't move but headed towards the low table where his disciple had been sitting. He picked up the abandoned beer can.

Seemingly realizing that Wei Xi wasn't following, the disciple turned back to look at him.

Eyes met, Wei Xi spun the beer can around and then gazed straight into his disciple's eyes. In a moment of inexplicable enchantment, he pressed his lips to where the disciple had just sipped, then slowly took a drink.

Their gazes remained locked. The beer, freshly taken from the fridge, was colder than winter's chill, yet it seemed to ignite a flame in the disciple's eyes.

Moments later, the disciple abruptly moved, striding over with a stern expression and pressing Wei Xi's head back by the nape of his neck.

Wei Xi instinctively wrapped his arms around the disciple's neck and opened his mouth to welcome his tongue.

As he indulged, Wei Xi couldn't help but smile inwardly. His disciple appeared to be angry, his demeanor icy just now, but the pressure with which he bit Wei Xi's lip was even more intense than earlier in the afternoon.

During their embrace, the phone that had been held between them all along was naturally discarded to one side. Before being dropped, the owner's thumb accidentally hit the unlock button, illuminating the screen to reveal WeChat Moments.

The latest post was from Xia Shouren:

_"Shocking! A timeless tactic for winning hearts, guaranteed to give you the upper hand. You must read this! Tip number one: feign reluctance but secretly desire. Only through cunning can one win someone's affection!"_

Damn it!

The second disciple of Taicang Sect seethed with anger.

Seizing the initiative and pretending to resist is all nonsense! The tactics of fierce beasts nowadays are more damn cunning than the intricacies of social networking! Xia Shouren should just go to hell.

*****

The next day, when Wei Xi was carried out of the room by his second disciple, who had returned to normal, he bumped into Tuan Jieyi, who was coming from the opposite direction.

Tuan Jieyi tugged at Little Fatty and asked, "Master, you said last night we'd soak in the hot springs together. Why didn't you show up?"

Wei Xi licked his lips, feeling a slight ache in his thighs, but still managed to flash a satisfied smile. "I forgot."

Tuan Jieyi's gaze met his, leaving him momentarily stunned. Beside them, Little Fatty mumbled, "Brother Tuan, why does your master look so... lewd?"

Tuan Jieyi snapped back to reality and slapped the back of Little Fatty's head. "You're damn perverted at such a young age, fantasizing about who? Shut up!"

Their master had remained silent, but seeing how happy Tuan Jieyi was hitting Little Fatty, the junior disciple fell quiet for a moment before speaking up. "Enough, let's go."

The rest of the Daoist Association had already gathered, including the local Daoists from Xin Nan. Everyone held the addresses they had obtained from the monsters, ready to set off for the main base of the Self-Cultivation Sect, Jade Succession Mountain.

The Self-Cultivation Sect had quite a reputation. Despite years in Xin Nan, it had somehow managed to survive countless attacks. At the foot of Jade Succession Mountain, many believers could be seen practicing qigong as early as dawn.

A group of elderly men and women were laughing heartily while striking their chests with sticks, led by a young instructor. The scene left the Xin Nan Daoist Association members present with grave expressions. "This is their most common method of proselytizing. They claim that practicing their sect's qigong can strengthen the body and prolong life. Ah, this qigong has already spread throughout Xin Nan. Now, instead of square dancing, the elderly in major squares are practicing qigong. Unfortunately, they willingly believe in it, making it impossible for the government to eradicate."

Aside from the qigong practitioners, there were many others carrying incense, candles, and joss paper up the mountain, all looking joyful.

Perplexed, a Daoist master stopped an elderly lady and asked, "Auntie, what's happening on the mountain?"

The auntie smiled and replied, "Aren't you going to attend a wedding feast? There's a celebration in the sect today!"

The inquiring Daoist was taken aback. "What kind of celebration?"

Auntie exclaimed, "Marriage! Yin marriage! The cult leader is arranging partners for the single deceased family members of the followers! All you need to do is bring along the birth dates and ashes of your loved ones, and they'll calculate the most compatible match. As soon as I heard this, I immediately brought my family's ashes here!"

After the aunt finished speaking, fearing that she might be late, she hurriedly ran away.

Many of the Taoist masters present turned pale with shock. How could they not know what the Cultivation of Life Sect was planning?

Gathering a large quantity of the ashes of deceased relatives undoubtedly signifies an intention to summon spirits. It seems that holding a ghost marriage might be secondary; the primary objective could be to summon these spirits to confront and counterattack those who have come to besiege them!

The fellow daoists exchanged glances, all of them feeling their hearts skip a beat with dread.

Amidst the crowd, they heard Daoist Tai Cang from the Taicang Sect, seemingly deeply affected, say, "Jieyi, did you hear that?"

United Righteousness replied, "Master, I heard it."

Daoist Wei continued, "A yin marriage would probably involve many female ghosts."

United Righteousness agreed, "Yes, there are more men than women now. The gender ratio in our company is imbalanced, leaving quite a number of bachelors without partners."

The Daoists from New South: "???????"

The Daoists from Beijing: ".................................."