Chapter 18-Part 6

Teng Yuyi knocked on the side of the carriage and instructed Huo Qiu outside, “See if those two strong men from Caifeng Tower are nearby. If they come again, distract them.”

Huo Qiu responded affirmatively.

After Huo Qiu returned, Teng Yuyi said to Jue Sheng, “Daozhang, remember the promise you made to me. We’ll meet back here shortly.”

Jue Sheng nodded readily.

Without Teng Yuyi’s help, even if they had managed to get into Caifeng Tower, they wouldn’t have learned so much.

No wonder his senior brother always said that burying oneself in studying talismans and techniques at the temple was not enough. To truly gain skills, one had to go out and experience the world.

Tonight’s events had given him much to ponder.

He watched with admiration as Teng Yuyi got out of the carriage. Suddenly, he realized that his senior brother had not yet shown up.

Could it be that he intended for them to handle this on their own?

Teng Yuyi wandered nearby for a while, then brought Juan Erli and Bao Zhu back. The area in front of Caifeng Tower was bustling with people. As she approached, she saw a crowd gathered around the strange old Taoist priest.

It was unclear what the old Taoist had said, but the madam at the entrance and the attendants hadn’t driven him away. A banner with the words “Yin and Yang in Harmony, Omniscient and All-Knowing” was planted in a flower bed beside the building.

The old Taoist was muttering spells, causing the crowd to gasp in amazement.

Teng Yuyi squeezed through the crowd and saw a small paper figure about four or five inches tall on the ground. The paper figure, somehow enchanted, was walking around with lifelike movements, almost like a real person.

The paper figure stretched its arms and bent its waist toward a man in his forties, as if demonstrating something. The man, thin and gaunt, had a sorrowful expression. Judging by his clothes, he seemed to be an attendant from Caifeng Tower.

Tears streaming down his face, the man said, “Daozhang, you are truly a god. This paper figure looks exactly like my late mother…”

With that, he kneeled down and wept bitterly, clutching his chest.

“Mother! I didn’t know you were suffering so much in the afterlife. It’s all my fault for not being a good son. I didn’t take good care of you while you were alive, and I haven’t honored your memory properly after you passed. I don’t deserve to live. Let me join you, Mother.”

The paper figure opened its arms and hugged the man’s lowered arm, its shoulders trembling as if it were crying too.

The old Taoist sighed dramatically, “Do you understand your mother’s message? She doesn’t blame you. She wants you to live well. Since your mother cares for you so deeply, you should honor her memory with more offerings.”

Before he finished speaking, the paper figure moved again, releasing the man’s arm and bowing to the old Taoist.

The crowd was in an uproar, and the man wept even more. Some onlookers, moved by their own sorrows, began to cry as well.

“Yinnu, you’re lucky tonight to have met such a high master,” someone in the crowd said.

“Not only did he reunite you with your mother, but he also burned so many offerings for her. Stop crying and thank the Daozhang.”

Yinnu wept, “Daozhang, your kindness is like being given a new life. In the future, if you ever need anything, just ask. I may be poor, but I will do anything for you.”

The old Taoist helped him up, saying, “I’m just a humble Taoist using my skills to offer some perspective. You and your mother were fated to meet again; it was meant to be.”

Yinnu took out some coins from his pocket and insisted on giving them to the old Taoist.

The Old Taoist was shocked, “No, no.”

“Daozhang, if you don’t accept it, you are deliberately trying to embarrass me.”

The old Taoist feigned modesty, “I find joy in practicing the Dao. If you really want to give me this pickled food, why not offer it all to your mother? I’ll recite a spell to help her eliminate the sins of her past life, which would be a good deed.”

(T/N: This metaphorically means money/offering/worldly possession and not actually a real pickled food.)

After this display, the crowd became even more convinced that the old Taoist was a living immortal, calling him “Old Immortal” and eagerly surrounding him.

In no time, people started asking him to tell their fortunes, predict their futures, and evaluate their homes. Even the madams and courtesans from Caifeng Tower came out to join the excitement.

The old Taoist, facing the enthusiastic crowd, pressed his hands down, “No rush, no rush. I performed this ‘Xuanjian Guidance’ ritual for Yinnu because he was the first person to encounter me. I know you all have your troubles, but you must follow the law of fate, right?”

The crowd quieted down, no longer daring to make a commotion, and watched the old Taoist with eager eyes.

Teng Yuyi quietly asked Huo Qiu, “Do you see anything suspicious?”

Huo Qiu stared at the old Taoist and slowly shook his head, saying, “I am not skilled enough to see through his tricks.”

The old Taoist squinted and scanned the crowd. Just then, a woman in fine clothing and an elaborate hairstyle came out of Caifeng Tower upon hearing the news.

The old Taoist’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t hide his joy.

“This lady, please. Come with me. There’s a pavilion over there with windows on all sides. It’s open and quiet. If there’s anything you find inconvenient to discuss in public, you can tell me in private.”

Teng Yuyi felt that this old Taoist was slick and his smile was too fake. Now that he had chosen this woman, it made her even more suspicious of his intentions.

The woman was dressed in colorful clothes and had just come out of Caifeng Tower, so anyone could guess that she was one of the madams of the tower. It was strange that the old Taoist didn’t pick anyone else but chose this madam…

She wanted to stay and see what tricks the old Taoist would play, but she was also anxious to find Lin Chengyou.

If she couldn’t find him soon, the whole night would be wasted.

Teng Yuyi led Juan Erli and Bao Zhu inside.

As she passed by the old Taoist, she couldn’t help but take a closer look.

The neck exposed behind the old Taoist’s dark robe was much paler than his face.

However, this was common. Those who travel outside all year round have their bodies covered by clothes, while their faces are exposed to the sun and rain. Compared to the skin on their bodies, their faces often appear much more weathered.