Chapter 206: Chapter 95: Sundry Affairs of the Monastery

Wang Ping had just finished making the Talisman when he saw a flash of Evil Qi streak across the sky. It came from Dongshui Mountain, where Zuo Xuan was. She was dispelling the Evil Qi from her body.

"Artifact Cultivators really are something else," Yu Lian commented.

Wang Ping remained noncommittal. He couldn’t just rashly check on Zuo Xuan, lest he disturb her mental cultivation. Just as he was about to take stock of his gains from the trip to Hu Mountain Country, Yu Lian suddenly yelped, "Ah! We forgot something."

"What is it?" Wang Ping asked with a frown.

"Didn’t we say we were going to check on that young master from Ning’an County on our way back?"

Wang Ping breathed a sigh of relief at her words. Only then did he remember the young master he had placed a Curse Talisman on. He let out another breath and said, "His fate is in his own hands."

"I’m so curious. When are we going to Anning County next?"

"I don’t know."

As their conversation ended, a young attendant walked into the garden. He stood outside the courtyard gate, bowed, and said, "Grandmaster, Sixth Master is outside and requests an audience."

"Let him in."

As Wang Ping replied, he took the Purgatory Banner from his person and hung it under the eaves at the entrance to the small courtyard. Then he placed the Water Moon Bell beneath the door of his room.

Yang Hou, dressed in a cotton Daoist robe suitable for winter, walked through the main gate and immediately performed a fist-and-palm salute. "Martial Uncle..."

"Have a seat."

Wang Ping adopted an approachable demeanor. Yu Lian patted his back with her tail, then flew off toward Baisui Lake to find Hu Qianqian.

Yang Hou bowed in the direction Yu Lian had left before sitting down. Wang Ping pointed to Shen Xiaozhu, who had just finished sweeping the courtyard. "This is a new disciple I’ve taken in, Shen Xiaozhu. After you leave, have someone register her identity at the Daoist Scripture Hall."

"Yes..." Yang Hou first accepted the order, then bowed to Shen Xiaozhu. "Junior Sister Shen."

"Senior Brother..."

Shen Xiaozhu returned the bow very seriously.

Wang Ping paid no mind to the pleasantries between the two juniors. He took out a brazier and lit it, then brought out a kettle and a tea set. Seeing this, Yang Hou immediately took the kettle, intending to fetch water.

Shen Xiaozhu cleverly stepped forward and took the kettle from him. She knew where the water vat was.

"Let your junior sister do it."

Wang Ping couldn’t stand such polite formalities. He had Yang Hou sit back down and asked, "You must have come for something important, right?"

"There are a few things."

Yang Hou met Wang Ping’s gaze for a moment before lowering his eyes. "The first matter concerns three clans in Yongshan County. They recently got into a conflict, which led to the deaths of several hundred innocent commoners. Following our usual rules, we expelled these three clans from Shang’an Prefecture."

"Two of the clans resisted and have already been completely eradicated by us."

After saying this, Yang Hou watched Wang Ping’s expression. Seeing no reaction, he added, "Our subsequent investigation revealed that someone was instigating them. These people are connected to a case you previously investigated, Martial Uncle..."

He paused as Shen Xiaozhu walked over with the kettle.

Wang Ping gestured for Shen Xiaozhu to put the kettle on the brazier, then said to Yang Hou, "Continue."

"Yes!"

Yang Hou quickly explained the rest. "Martial Uncle, your previous investigation into the Daoist Scripture Hall’s creation of fake Secret Techniques involved several hundred Qi Cultivators and Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Behind them are countless prominent families from Nanlin Road, and even some itinerant Cultivators who have entered our territory."

"Is it a lot of trouble?" Wang Ping asked.

"A bit. Some of our disciples who are alone have been ambushed by them. Many of them have fled into the mountains to become bandits, and some have even gathered forces thousands strong."

"A death wish!" Wang Ping said coldly. "The world is not yet in chaos. For them to raise the banner of rebellion now is simply suicide."

Yang Hou nodded in agreement. "Yes. The Daoist Scripture Hall has issued a clear order to eliminate the bandit threat before spring. Dan Chen Daoist will personally oversee this matter."

Seeing Wang Ping nod nonchalantly and turn his attention to the kettle, he brought up the second matter. "The second thing is the fundraising for the Daoist Scripture Hall. We invested one million taels in the initial phase, but according to the construction plan provided by the Daoist Scripture Hall, the money we’ve raised is less than a tenth of what’s needed."

"What about the money from the wealthy households?"

"A donation drive is already underway. I heard the Daoist Scripture Hall originally intended to have Wulang handle it, but now he might even lose his position as Patrol Envoy." As the one directly in charge of internal affairs, Yang Hou knew what Wulang had done in Hu Mountain Country.

Wang Ping needed to investigate Wulang’s whereabouts, and he would need to make use of him in the future.

"That’s good news," Wang Ping said, showing an appropriate amount of pleasure.

Yang Hou nodded and said with a hint of speculation, "This matter will most likely fall into Dan Chen Daoist’s hands in the end. I doubt he’ll refuse it either."

Wang Ping nodded again.

Next, Yang Hou took out a ledger and gave a detailed report on the excavation projects for the Alchemy Room and the Fire Institute mountain. Those two were money pits.

In the time it took to brew a pot of tea, Yang Hou had more or less finished his report. Seeing Yang Hou’s troubled expression over their finances, Wang Ping asked, "I have some Thunder Law Altars on hand. Can you think of a way to liquidate them?"

"Thunder Law Altars?" Yang Hou looked slightly puzzled.

Wang Ping gave a simple explanation while sipping his tea, then added a reminder, "It would be best to find a place to sell them where the Yuqing Sect has little influence. Otherwise, it could get troublesome."

"I know of them. Their normal price should be around three hundred thousand taels of silver. Selling on the black market would be about twenty percent below the market price," Yang Hou answered cautiously. "To ensure secrecy, we’d have to use a black market where we aren’t known, and they won’t offer a high price to strangers."

"Let me think about it..."

Thinking of the puppets he planned to create later, Wang Ping felt a headache coming on about his own savings. Selling the Thunder Law Altars too cheaply wasn’t worth it. They were incredibly difficult to refine—so difficult that puppets were completely incapable of refining them successfully, at least not ordinary ones.

"Then forget it. Let’s leave it for now."

"Yes!"

Yang Hou also breathed a sigh of relief. He disliked dealing with people from the black market. He paused for a moment before bringing up another matter. "We have some Foundation Establishment Disciples whose lifespans are nearly exhausted due to excessive use of Elixirs. I was thinking... if their contributions are sufficient, we could let them attempt to break through using the Essence Wood Technique."

"Change the name. Call it the Qianmu Technique. Those who have made significant contributions to the monastery can be allowed to try it." Wang Ping didn’t object. Disciples who used the Essence Wood Technique to break through had to distance themselves from the mortal world until they succeeded. If they really managed to break through, they would become natural-born fighters for the sect.

Although this would consume a certain amount of resources, it was definitely a profitable venture in terms of returns.

"Yes, I’ll go arrange it right away." A look of joy appeared on Yang Hou’s face. Ever since Wang Ping had brought back the Essence Wood Technique, he had lost all interest in the Water Spirit Vein.

Yang Hou was in an excellent mood when he left.

After Yang Hou left, Wang Ping taught Shen Xiaozhu the Chang Chun Technique. She didn’t actually need to learn this Cultivation Technique to sense the flow of qi; Wang Ping’s main purpose in teaching it to her was to test her temperament.