Free Web NovelChapter 370: Chapter 208: You Brat, Trying to Make a Move on Your Sister-in-law?
The Observatory Master continued, "No one in our temple knows how to use these medicines, so they are useless to us. Yesterday, I saw that you are quite skilled in medicine, Benefactor. Please accept these as a token of our gratitude."
Lu Yuan didn’t stand on ceremony or refuse. He said, "Thank you for the gift, Observatory Master. In that case, I’ll accept it."
The Observatory Master took out two medals from his robes. One was a Bronze Medal, which Lu Yuan had seen before—it was identical to the one Daoist Longchuan had been fiddling with the other day. The other was a square gold medal that looked exceptionally dazzling in the brightly lit hall.
Seeing this, all the Daoists sitting in the hall rose to their feet, their expressions turning serious.
Lu Yuan saw this and wasn’t sure if he should stand or remain seated. ’Since the Observatory Master is still sitting, I guess I’ll just stay put.’
The Observatory Master said, "Benefactor, the other day, you didn’t complete the subsequent stages of the Celestial Master certification. However, based on the strength you displayed yesterday, I can personally vouch for you. You are worthy of this Grand Celestial Master’s medal."
After thanking him, Lu Yuan took the Bronze Medal from the Observatory Master’s hand and examined it. ’Heh, that was easy,’ he thought. ’They’re even giving away the Grand Celestial Master status for free. With this Bronze Medal, it’ll be convenient to find lodging at other Daoist Temples in the future. I’ll keep it for now.’
The Observatory Master held up the gold medal and said, "There are only nine of these medals in total, and this is the only one in all of Qilu Province. It has always been kept here at our temple. It was left behind by a Daoist Sect Ancestor. In times of crisis, any Daoist Temple that sees this medal must offer unconditional assistance."
Su Liyan sent him a telepathic message, "Hubby, I remember my mother saying that Taoism has three ancestors: the Ancestor Yellow Emperor, the Dao Ancestor Laozi, and the Sect Ancestor Zhang Daoling. Legend has it that each Sect Ancestor left behind three of these medals to be passed down. The first generation of medal holders were all highly respected and extraordinary individuals within Taoism."
Hearing his wife’s explanation, Lu Yuan realized that this gold medal, passed down through generations, had effectively become a command Token.
Lu Yuan tried to decline. "Observatory Master, I can’t possibly accept such a great honor!"
The Observatory Master thrust it into Lu Yuan’s hand, saying, "Without your help, Benefactor, Guyang Temple would have ceased to exist yesterday. I was worried this gift was too modest and that you wouldn’t even think it worthy."
"In that case, it would be rude to refuse." Lu Yuan accepted it with both hands and tucked the medal into his robes.
"Greetings, Elder!" all the Daoists in attendance said in unison, making a fist with their right hand, covering it with their left in a formal salute.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan stood up and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
Su Liyan stood up along with him.
The Observatory Master of Guyang Temple also stood and explained, "Please don’t be alarmed, Benefactor. The one who holds this gold medal is an Elder in the Daoist tradition. All Daoists must address the holder as Elder upon seeing them. It comes with no obligations."
Lu Yuan understood. He now possessed an incredibly high status within Taoism. As the medal holder, he had become something like a feudal lord in his own right within the Daoist world.
Lu Yuan gestured with his hand. "All you Daoists, please be seated!"
"Yes, Elder!" The way the Daoists of Guyang Temple acted made Lu Yuan feel that the gold medal in his robes was truly precious.
Lu Yuan chatted with the Observatory Master for a while longer before mentioning that he had urgent business and needed to leave the Provincial City.
Seeing that Lu Yuan was insistent on leaving, the Observatory Master didn’t try to detain him further.
Despite his injuries, the Observatory Master, accompanied by seven or eight other Daoists, personally escorted Lu Yuan and his party to the foot of the mountain.
Lu Yuan was very touched by this. Just as they were about to depart, he took out a folded stack of silver notes from his robes and handed them to the Observatory Master.
Lu Yuan said, "Observatory Master, I don’t take things for free, nor will I be a Daoist Elder for nothing. Consider this silver a donation for incense at Guyang Temple."
The Observatory Master accepted the silver with both hands. He didn’t dare look too closely, but he caught a glimpse of the first silver note—it started with the character for "Five." His voice trembled as he said, "Elder, you are too kind. On behalf of Guyang Temple, I thank you."
After speaking, the Observatory Master quickly stuffed the silver notes into his robes as if afraid someone would snatch them away.
Lu Yuan waved goodbye and, along with his wife and trusted followers, headed for the Post House where their cars were parked.
On the road to Yandu, Su Liyan sat in the car’s front passenger seat.
She was examining the gold medal the Observatory Master of Guyang Temple had given to her husband. On the back, a few lines of small characters were engraved.
Su Liyan couldn’t read the characters, so she asked, "Hubby, what does it say on the back of the medal?"
Lu Yuan answered while driving, "I’m not entirely sure either. The eras have changed, and I can’t read all the ancient script. But I can guess that it was left by Sect Ancestor Zhang Daoling."
"Oh, then this must be one of the three medals passed down by Sect Ancestor Zhang Daoling. You should keep it safe, Hubby," Su Liyan said.
Lu Yuan agreed, adding, "Put it in the Space Storage Box I gave you."
Su Liyan took out the Space Storage Box and placed the Token inside.
This Space Storage Box was connected to Lu Yuan’s System Space, so the Token was now safely stored there.
Not even the fastest imperial courier could compare to the speed of Lu Yuan’s car.
In less than two days, Lu Yuan and his group drove their hatchbacks into King Yan’s fiefdom.
Lu Yuan said as he drove, "Honey, give Gu Gaoxu a call. Tell him we’ll reach Yandu before lunch today, and ask him to get some lunch ready for us."
Su Liyan took out the phone and dialed Gu Gaoxu.
A voice came from the other end of the line. "Brother Lu, why aren’t you here yet? Did some pretty girl delay you on the road?"
"It’s me, Su Liyan," she said after a brief, awkward pause.
"Oh, it’s Sister-in-law! I thought it was Brother Lu. Where’d he go? If he dares to go out carousing, I’ll take care of him for you." Gu Gaoxu wasn’t the least bit embarrassed, his tone as unrestrained as ever.
Gu Gaoxu was all talk, of course. He knew that even three of him would be no match for Brother Lu.
The bulky cell phone didn’t have a speaker function. And while the official road was wide, the dirt path was still bumpy and uneven, making it difficult for Lu Yuan to take the call while holding the steering wheel.
Su Liyan said, "He can’t take the call right now. He said that we’ll arrive before noon today."
Her face flushed red, and she hesitated, too embarrassed to actually ask him to prepare lunch for them.
"Got it, no problem! We’ll be waiting for you!" Gu Gaoxu chirped over the phone. He understood the unspoken request to get everything arranged.
「Before noon that day.」
Gu Gaoxu, mounted on a large horse, came to welcome them more than ten li outside Yandu City. He brought dozens of armored cavalrymen with him, their banners snapping in the wind. It was quite a spectacle.
Gu Gaoxu had learned from the phone call that Brother Lu would be arriving in Yandu around noon, so he had been waiting on the official road for some time.
Gu Gaoxu gazed toward the end of the road where a cloud of dust was rising. ’That must be Brother Lu,’ he thought.
Who else had the ability to kick up so much dust? It looked like an entire cavalry squadron.
In the blink of an eye, Lu Yuan and his group sped up in their car, stopping right in front of Gu Gaoxu and his men.
Lu Yuan even came to a drifting stop, kicking up clouds of sand and dirt and frightening the horses into a flurry of neighs.
Fortunately, they were all warhorses that had experienced countless battles, so they managed to avoid the chaos of being thrown into a panic, sending their riders tumbling.
Gu Gaoxu, who had wanted to show off with his dozens of cavalrymen, almost lost face himself and had to yank hard on his horse’s reins to keep it under control.
Lu Yuan’s followers parked their cars behind his and got out.
Gu Gaoxu vaulted off his horse and strode over, chuckling. "Whoa, good heavens, what is this treasure?"
Lu Yuan got out of the car, intending to greet him, only to find that Gu Gaoxu was completely ignoring him.
Gu Gaoxu walked right past the newly disembarked Lu Yuan and Su Liyan and made a beeline for the car.
Even though the car was covered in a layer of dust, it didn’t stop Gu Gaoxu from stroking and rubbing it like someone who had never seen anything so amazing.
And indeed, he hadn’t!
He had seen plenty of bicycles and tricycles, but this was the very first time he had ever seen a car.
Lu Yuan and Su Liyan stood to the side, watching Gu Gaoxu’s seemingly exaggerated yet understandable reaction, and couldn’t help but smile.
Lu Yuan coughed twice before Gu Gaoxu finally started to move toward him.
Even then, Gu Gaoxu kept his head tilted, his eyes glued to the car, with his back to Lu Yuan.
He reached out his left hand in Lu Yuan’s general direction, trying to feel his way as he walked backward.
Gu Gaoxu muttered, "Brother Lu, what is this treasure? Quick, tell me all about it!"
As Gu Gaoxu backed up step by step, his hand was about to touch Su Liyan’s chest.
Lu Yuan quickly slapped Gu Gaoxu’s hand away and roared, "You brat, are you trying to grope your sister-in-law?!"
