Free Web NovelChapter 362: Chapter 204: Silver Taels Are a Good Thing, Good Wherever Spent
Daoist Longchuan looked to Lu Yuan, wanting to know if he would insist on standing up for this uncle he had never met.
Since Lu Yuan knew he was the one who had caused this mess, he had no reason to wash his hands of it.
Inside Guyang Temple, Su Liyan was exercising great restraint. She couldn’t revert to her true nature and stir up trouble inside the Daoist Temple.
Her mother had forbidden it. Besides, these Daoists usually helped common people by exorcising evil spirits.
Instead of backing down, Lu Yuan advanced, pushing against the Elder’s coercive aura as he walked forward, step by step.
The Elder thought, ’Some people truly don’t know their place. So what if he’s a County Magistrate? He’s so young. He probably got the position by selling someone—or something—out.’
Seeing Lu Yuan draw closer, the Elder intensified his aura, creating what felt like a wall of wind between them to block his path.
"Lord Lu, interfere any further, and you can’t blame Guyang Temple for being discourteous," the Divine Martial Hall Elder said, then waved a hand to command several nearby Daoists.
Two Daoists pinned the middle-aged uncle down, preventing him from breaking free.
Four Daoists fanned out, forming a line about half a meter in front of the Elder.
Seeing the situation escalate, the onlookers, while satisfying their thirst for drama, unconsciously backed away several meters, leaving a larger space for Lu Yuan and the others.
Some were even pressed into corners, but that didn’t stop them from leaning against walls or clinging to pillars, craning their necks to watch the show.
Lu Yuan sneered. ’His aura couldn’t stop me, so now he sends his lackeys? What a fine Elder of Guyang Temple.’
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Daoist Longchuan tugged at Lu Yuan’s sleeve, trying to stop this farce.
Daoist Longchuan glanced at Su Liyan, who stood calmly to the side, seemingly unconcerned by the unfolding events.
Daoist Longchuan was shocked. ’This Lu Yuan... he wouldn’t really dare to clash with this gang of arrogant, stinking Daoists from Guyang Temple, would he?’
As a fellow Daoist himself, Daoist Longchuan looked down on this group and wanted no association with them.
If things escalated, the Elder would just throw these Daoists under the bus. Guyang Temple would post a notice: "The Daoists who engaged in the fight were temporary hires. They mistakenly struck a Court official and have since been expelled from our temple."
The statement would say something to that effect.
That way, the local officials wouldn’t press the matter, since Guyang Temple was, after all, quite prestigious.
Seeing Lu Yuan still advancing, the four Daoists shouted in unison and swarmed him.
Lu Yuan struck out with both palms. A powerful gust of air not only shattered the wind wall but also sent the four Daoists flying.
As one of the flying Daoists was about to slam into the Elder, the Elder caught him with a single hand.
The other three were sent sprawling, their four Celestial Master Swords clattering to the ground.
The Elder shoved the Daoist aside. "Useless fools. I tell you to eat more, but you’re all so skinny a gust of wind could blow you over."
Scolded by the Elder, the Daoists didn’t dare say a word. They helped each other up and retreated.
The scene that had just unfolded drew a wave of laughter from the crowd.
"Looks like the Daoists of Guyang Temple don’t have any real skills! They got taken down in one move!"
"Ain’t that the truth. I could probably do better than them."
The Daoists of Guyang Temple had been humiliated in public, and the Elder was furious. He had to defend the temple’s reputation, no matter what. So what if his opponent was a County Magistrate?
The Elder knew he had to bite the bullet and handle this himself. He was going to teach this meddling County Magistrate a lesson.
The Elder drew his Duster. With a flourish, the once-limp horsehair strands in his hand instantly became as hard as steel.
"Master, be careful!" Daoist Longchuan called out, warning Lu Yuan.
The Elder struck first, swinging the hardened Duster in a horizontal slash, trying to force Lu Yuan back.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan knew he had to meet the attack. ’First, I’ll beat him into submission,’ he thought. ’Then we can talk reason.’
Lu Yuan took a half-step back to dodge the attack. At the same time, with a pinch of his fingers, he shot a ball of ethereal blue flame that landed on the Duster.
The tiny spark on the Duster instantly erupted into a raging fire.
When the Elder saw the Duster in his hand burst into flames, he frantically started swatting at it, trying to put out the fire.
A Duster was a status symbol for this kind of Daoist. For a well-traveled Celestial Master, however, it was mostly useless.
But for Daoists who spent all day cooped up in a temple, their personal Duster was a prized possession.
Some time ago, when the Celestial Dynasty Palace and Le Shen Temple had dispatched Grand Celestial Masters to support the war effort in the Northern region, each one had carried a Duster.
Lu Yuan himself had shattered one of those Dusters with his Celestial Master Sword when fighting a Grand Celestial Master from the Celestial Dynasty Palace.
But how could a fire like this be put out with a few simple pats?
The panicked Elder had lost all his earlier arrogance, along with any will to fight.
As he tried to smother the flames, the Elder complained, "You... what kind of sorcery is this? Why won’t the fire go out?"
Lu Yuan found this utterly ridiculous.
’Sorcery? Every one of these moves comes from the *Celestial Master* manual. This old man may have the power of a Grand Celestial Master, but forget about mastering these Celestial Master’s Techniques—he’s clearly never even seen them before.’
Lu Yuan stood aside, making no further moves, simply watching the fire relentlessly ruin the man’s precious Duster.
A jet of water shot past Lu Yuan from behind, dousing the Duster in the Elder’s hands.
Only then did the flames on the Duster slowly sputter out.
Lu Yuan turned around. The crowd behind him had parted to form a path for several approaching figures.
Lu Yuan could tell their strength with a single glance—all were at the level of a Grand Celestial Master. The man leading them had eyebrows that were completely white.
"Observatory Master!" all the Daoists and Celestial Masters present exclaimed, bowing their heads with cupped hands in a show of great respect.
Daoist Longchuan quickly tugged on Lu Yuan’s arm. "That’s the Observatory Master of Guyang Temple," he whispered.
After speaking, Daoist Longchuan took a few steps back and joined the others in bowing.
"Patron, why have you injured the people of my temple?" the Observatory Master asked.
Lu Yuan wasn’t an unreasonable man. He answered without being servile or arrogant, "Your temple’s Daoists were the ones who were disrespectful first. I merely taught them a small lesson."
Lu Yuan casually rolled his wrists, looking completely relaxed.
The Elder of the Divine Martial Hall, despite his age, couldn’t even defeat a young man and was now being told he’d been "taught a small lesson." It was a complete and utter humiliation.
The Observatory Master of Guyang Temple didn’t press the matter. He ordered his men to release the middle-aged uncle who was still pinned to the floor.
The Divine Martial Hall Elder then walked to the Observatory Master’s side and muttered a few words to him.
The Observatory Master pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. "Regarding the damaged crystal, our temple’s handling of the matter was indeed improper. However..."
"Name your price," Lu Yuan cut in, interrupting the Observatory Master.
The Observatory Master of Guyang Temple was stunned for three seconds. "What did you say?"
"I... said! Name... your... price!" Lu Yuan said slowly and loudly.
Daoist Longchuan tugged on Lu Yuan’s sleeve yet again—he’d lost count of how many times he’d done it now. "The Observatory Master isn’t deaf," he whispered. "You can speak normally."
Hearing this, Su Liyan covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
The Observatory Master coughed violently a few times, looking as if he might choke. He said slowly, "Patron, this crystal is extremely expensive. I’m afraid..."
"Four thousand silver taels." Lu Yuan’s expression didn’t flicker as he held up four fingers.
A hush fell over the hall. No one dared to speak. It was so quiet that the sound of breathing was clearly audible.
Lu Yuan had estimated the crystal’s value. For a Celestial Master to earn four thousand silver taels, they would have to work hard for twenty years and be blessed by the God of Wealth.
It wasn’t unheard of to make four thousand silver taels in twenty years; the Celestial Masters at the Zhao Mansion’s Martial Hall in Taiping City could earn that kind of money.
Lu Yuan scanned the silent room. ’This Observatory Master isn’t just hard of hearing, he’s slow on the uptake, too,’ he thought. ’Probably at risk for Alzheimer’s.’
’Could it be... my offer was too low?’ Lu Yuan wondered. He then said aloud, "Ah, forget it. I only have three two-thousand-tael silver notes on me. Take it or leave it."
’My wife did say that since I was the one who broke the crystal pillar, I should pay for it.’
Upon hearing this, the Observatory Master handed his scorched Duster to a nearby Grand Celestial Master and scurried forward, beaming, with both hands outstretched to receive the notes. "Patron, you are blessed with great wealth and fortune! A man of outstanding talent, magnificent bearing, and uncommon eloquence! Truly a pillar of our great nation..."
The Observatory Master knew perfectly well that while the crystal was valuable, three thousand silver taels would have more than covered it.
This young man had offered four thousand right off the bat, making the Observatory Master wonder which prominent family he hailed from.
Then, before he could even respond, the young man had raised the offer to six thousand silver taels.
’What was there to even think about? I have to take it now,’ he thought, ’before this windfall flies away!’
The other Grand Celestial Masters were also all smiles.
Lu Yuan watched the Daoists, who had been so arrogant just a moment before, now bowing their proud heads. ’Silver is a wonderful thing,’ he thought. ’It solves problems wherever you throw it.’
