Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool

Chapter 363: Chapter 205: Let Me Teach You a Few Massage Tricks

The Observatory Master of Guyang Temple accepted the six thousand taels in silver notes, his face wreathed in smiles.

The Observatory Master spun around and berated the Elder of the Divine Martial Hall. "This Guyang Temple truly isn’t big enough to house a real deity like you! How dare you be so rude to our patron? I’m stripping you of your position as Elder. Now, hurry up and apologize to him."

The Elder of the Divine Martial Hall reluctantly walked forward.

The Observatory Master went up and gave him a swift kick, roaring, "Get a move on! Now!"

Despite his age, the Observatory Master was in excellent health, his movements still swift and nimble.

After getting kicked by the Observatory Master, the Elder draped his scorched duster over his arm, bowed three times to Lu Yuan, and said, "Patron, I was reckless just now. Please, forgive me."

Lu Yuan shot him a glance and said coldly, "It’s nothing."

The Observatory Master said, "Patron, you are truly a magnanimous man. Now that this matter is resolved, shall we continue with the rest of the assessment?"

Lu Yuan replied casually, "Forget it. I’ve lost interest. I’m heading back."

The Observatory Master had been planning to go easy on Lu Yuan in the upcoming assessments to curry favor with him, but his plan came to nothing.

With that, Lu Yuan took Su Liyan’s hand and turned to leave.

"Patron, please wait! Why not stay for a temple meal before you go?" The Observatory Master genuinely wanted to befriend Lu Yuan.

Daoist Longchuan gestured for Lu Yuan to stay.

He was, in fact, a bit hungry after the fight, so Lu Yuan agreed.

"Patron, please make your way to the dining hall. I will go give the order to prepare your meal at once," the Observatory Master said.

But Lu Yuan said, "Alright, you may return to your duties, Observatory Master. We’ll head down the mountain after we eat. There’s no need for such formalities."

Seeing this, the Observatory Master offered a few more words of flattery before leading the group of Grand Celestial Masters out of the Divine Martial Hall. He made special arrangements for two Daoists to prepare the meal.

In the dining hall, Lu Yuan, his wife, and Daoist Longchuan sat together at a table.

Daoist Longchuan first poured Lu Yuan and Su Liyan a cup of tea, then sat down and began to talk effusively.

"Master, your Martial Arts and Techniques are truly incredible! You beat that Grand Celestial Master so badly he didn’t know what hit him." Daoist Longchuan chattered away, gesturing emphatically from time to time.

"Daoist Longchuan, where have you been this past year?" Lu Yuan asked.

"I, uh, I’ve been wandering about, helping people exorcise evil spirits, and I ran into a few opportunities... my power surged, and I managed to squeeze into the ranks of the Grand Celestial Masters." Daoist Longchuan could have bragged a little if he were talking to an ordinary person, but he had no confidence to do so in front of Lu Yuan.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Lu Yuan’s power had already reached the level of a Grand Celestial Master; even veteran Grand Celestial Masters were no match for him.

Some people spend their entire lives stuck at the level of a Celestial Master.

A young man like Lu Yuan having the power of a Grand Celestial Master was a rare sight in the entire Divine Ling Empire; such prodigies were few and far between.

Su Liyan sat to one side, rarely speaking, appearing somewhat cold and aloof.

When the meal arrived, Daoist Longchuan urged Lu Yuan and Su Liyan, "Go on, eat up. This isn’t a meal just anyone gets to eat, you know."

Lu Yuan asked in confusion, "What’s so special? It’s just a vegetarian meal. Besides, Daoist Temples give out vegetarian meals to the poor and destitute every day."

The meals the Daoist Temple doled out each day were limited; otherwise, the sheer number of vagrants would eat the temple into bankruptcy.

Daoist Longchuan said while stuffing his face, "Master, you don’t understand. The meal the Observatory Master had you stay for is full of delicacies! Look, this mushroom and flying dragon stew is something only the Royal Race gets to eat."

Lu Yuan took a closer look and saw that the meal indeed had both meat and vegetables. ’Mr. Jin wrote that the Quanzhen Sect doesn’t eat meat,’ he thought. ’So how can this Daoist Temple be serving such forbidden wild game?’

Noticing Lu Yuan’s confusion, Daoist Longchuan spoke up. "Don’t overthink it. It’s not like we can eat this whenever we want. We’re strictly vegetarian during important Rituals, and on the first and fifteenth of every month. There’s a ritual tomorrow—the Daoist Field of Death—so the temple arranges a fine meal beforehand."

Daoist Temples from all over send a few of their Daoists to attend the Daoist Field of Death. In the days leading up to it, Guyang Temple, as the host, shows its utmost sincerity in welcoming guests from every corner.

So, chicken, duck, fish, and other meats are served.

The dishes Lu Yuan was eating were delicacies usually reserved for the Royal Race, which was precisely why Daoist Longchuan had insisted he stay for the temple meal.

Lu Yuan and Su Liyan tasted a few bites. It was indeed delicious.

Daoist Longchuan, on the other hand, ended up eating most of the meal himself.

After the three of them finished their meal, they headed down the mountain. Along the way, they happened upon the few Daoists from Dou Shi Temple.

"Martial Uncle!" the Daoists called out to Daoist Longchuan from a distance.

"Master, heh, I’ll take my leave here. My martial nephews have arrived," Daoist Longchuan said, cupping his hands in a farewell gesture to Lu Yuan.

Daoist Longchuan hadn’t been back to Dou Shi Temple in over a year. Upon seeing his martial nephews, he didn’t even stop to greet them, simply darting into the woods by the side of the road and vanishing.

Lu Yuan and Su Liyan exchanged a smile. Daoist Longchuan was acting just like a child who’d run away from home after getting into trouble, even hiding from his own martial nephews.

It then dawned on Lu Yuan. ’Dou Shi Temple also has a facility for Celestial Master certification. Why didn’t Daoist Longchuan go back to his own temple for the Grand Celestial Master assessment?’

’They might have even gone easy on him.’

’It’s like an undergrad applying to their own university’s graduate program. As long as you pass the national entrance exam, the follow-up interview is pretty much a sure thing.’

After Lu Yuan and Su Liyan returned to the Post House, Su Liyan gently helped him off with his outer robes. Understanding the cue, Lu Yuan lay face down on the heated brick bed.

Su Liyan first dipped a towel in hot water and began to wipe his back. It wasn’t easy to get a proper hot bath while traveling.

"Dear, you must be tired from the fight. Let me give you a massage to help you relax. Then I’ll do some stretching to loosen up your muscles," Su Liyan said.

This stretching was a technique Lu Yuan had taught her before.

Lu Yuan agreed, completely relaxed. "Alright. It’s not like I had to exert myself much. I can handle the Daoists in Guyang Temple’s Divine Martial Hall with ease."