Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 373 Lin Daiyu at the Wind and Rain Mountain God Temple
The dilapidated eaves of the mountain god temple stood out like ghostly claws under the inky sky, and rainwater poured down the mottled animal head roof tiles.

Lin Daiyu kicked open the half-rotten temple door. The bamboo hat she wore covered most of her face, and the broadsword she carried on her shoulder made her look nothing like a young lady from an official family, but rather a hero who had long been accustomed to the storms of life.

He chopped off half of a window that had long since rotted and crumbled to the ground, lit a fire, and sat down in front of it to roast cold steamed buns.

To understand how Lin Daiyu, a well-bred daughter of an official family, ended up alone in the world, we must start with a letter from Lin Ruhai.

After the letter was delivered, Grandmother Jia arranged for Jia Lian to send her back to Suzhou to see her father, Lin Ruhai, one last time.

However, Lin Daiyu had already received a message from her friends in the martial arts world that although her father was now in dire straits, he still insisted on taking up his post and had not returned to his ancestral home in Suzhou to recuperate, but had stayed in Yangzhou.

Returning to Suzhou in this way would definitely delay the journey, but Lin Daiyu couldn't explain the source of this information to Jia Lian, so she dressed up Zijuan and let her pretend again. Lin Daiyu herself dyed her face with yellow ginger juice to make it waxy yellow, and used her internal energy to slightly change her body shape, making her appear a little taller and more robust. After changing into men's clothes, she took up her sword and truly ventured into the martial world alone.

One man and one horse, traveling day and night, headed towards Yangzhou.

She had a reason to get there quickly.

She was physically weak, but it was because she learned that set of techniques that she was able to undergo a complete transformation.

Originally, she wanted to convert her father to Christianity so that he could get rid of his serious illness.

However, Jia Baoyu's strange changes made her wary, and she dared not teach him recklessly. Therefore, she still had to go to her father's side in person and use her own true energy to nourish his body.

Even if this cannot fully cure the father, it should at least alleviate the situation to some extent and allow for a turning point.

Looking at the flickering campfire, I took the hot steamed bun, broke it open, and picked out the soft center to eat.

The faded yellow silk on the offering table was lifted by the draft, revealing the empty eye sockets of the clay statue of the god.

A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and Lin Daiyu frowned slightly.

Although she now possesses extraordinary strength and has become much bolder than before, this is, after all, her first time truly venturing into the world alone. Now, in this dilapidated temple, amidst such a scene, she feels somewhat apprehensive.

The horse under the eaves suddenly let out a sharp whistle like tearing silk. In the instant that thunder split the clouds, wind carried rain arrows through the leaky window.

The tattered gauze window paper danced wildly in the wind, casting shadows that resembled paper money fluttering all over the room.

An eerie and chilling atmosphere permeated the small mountain god temple, seemingly enveloping Lin Daiyu.

"Who?" Even though she didn't have much experience in the martial arts world, Lin Daiyu sensed something was wrong. She held her broadsword in hand and had already circulated her inner energy, ready to unleash a strike as powerful as a thunderbolt at any moment.

Lightning flashed across the dark night, and torrential rain washed over the dilapidated vermilion doors of the mountain god temple.

Two dark figures, accompanied by a putrid, eerie wind, burst open the palace doors. A blue-faced, fanged demon gripped a blood-dripping iron chain, its skeletal claws aimed straight at the girl standing before the campfire, carrying a broadsword.

Upon suddenly seeing the evil spirit, Lin Daiyu felt a chill run down her spine for a moment.

Under the emperor's nose, in the capital city, and in the home of the wealthy, where had she ever seen anything like this before?
Even the few martial arts figures he occasionally encountered when he went out later, though they were crude, were still considered upright.

This is only natural. The capital is the most virtuous place, and even most of the martial arts figures there are not involved in any bloody crimes. They are considered righteous in the martial arts world. Those evil figures would not come to the capital unless absolutely necessary.

Now that she has left the capital and is in this desolate mountain temple not far from Yangzhou, what she sees is naturally quite different.

After a moment of numbness, Lin Daiyu did not completely lose her composure. As her plain clothes billowed, the broadsword in her hand drew a fairly full, yet threatening arc.

She learned this broadsword technique from a traveling swordsman using a jade hairpin. The swordsman was about to marry off his daughter but was worried about not having a decent dowry for her. When Lin Daiyu heard about this, she took the jade hairpin and gave it to the swordsman. In return, the swordsman taught her this broadsword technique, which, while not profound, was definitely practical.

The broadsword may not be elegant, but it is a weapon commonly used by people traveling the martial arts world.

Most of these things are actually modified from a machete with a long pole. When in use, the blade is attached, and when not in use, the machete is removed and hidden.

However, after it was widely used in the martial arts world, more types of broadswords emerged, and some standardized designs and specific fighting techniques for using them gradually developed.

The broadsword and swordsmanship that Lin Daiyu uses now are products of her mature skills.

The slash first sliced ​​open the body of a demon.

The splattered blood was mottled on the wall, and the remaining force of the knife struck the wall, cracking it open.

The demon's body, broken in two, was still writhing, dragging its belly full of filth, as it continued to crawl toward Lin Daiyu.

Those deathly gray eyes stared at Lin Daiyu, making her feel uneasy all over. Subconsciously, she lost some of her courage and took a few steps back.

Another blue-faced demon seized the opportunity to attack, his sharp claws reaching straight for Lin Daiyu's heart.

Lin Daiyu's hair stood on end, her slender waist bent backward like a crescent moon, and she raised her foot to kick the blue-faced ghost in the chest.

With a crisp sound, Lin Daiyu's foot sank into the rotting chest cavity of the blue-faced demon.

The chain in the green-faced demon's hand immediately locked Lin Daiyu's leg, while another evil demon stood up with its split, mangled body and opened its mouth to bite Lin Daiyu's thigh.

Bang!
The true energy exploded, along with Lin Daiyu's shoes and socks, the blue-faced demon's chest cavity also burst open.

In an instant, she used her shoes and socks to carry her true energy, which, like a burst of hidden weapons, tore apart the blue-faced ghost's body. Then, she twisted her body on the spot, avoiding the near-fatal attack.

After escaping, Lin Daiyu showed no mercy, unleashing her inner energy and slashing repeatedly with her sword, quickly turning the two evil spirits into dust.

She was simply inexperienced, and because the two evil spirits were so disgusting, she lost her rhythm. Otherwise, with her accumulated skill, she could have easily pulverized the two evil spirits in an instant, even with a few chops.

At this moment, the blood and flesh, blurred into a pool, still occasionally twitched, emitting a pungent stench, but it could no longer harm her.

The rain outside grew even heavier, making Lin Daiyu hesitate, wondering if she should leave immediately and venture into the vast darkness of the night.

After much hesitation, she finally decided to brave the wind and rain outside, ride her horse to the nearest town, and then rest.

"Don't go out!" a voice rang out.

Lin Daiyu was taken aback. Holding the broadsword, she moved her bare right toes and warily scanned her surroundings.

"Don't look anymore, it's here... in the jade pendant in your bosom." The voice continued. Lin Daiyu took out the jade pendant that Jia Baoyu had given her from her bosom. At this moment, in the darkness of the night, amidst the crackling of lightning, this rare and beautiful jade was emitting a hazy spiritual light.

Inside the space of the Heaven-Mending Stone, Qiu Chuji used the Qi of Creation to create a megaphone and spoke to the outside world in the loudest voice: "You have learned the cultivation method I passed on, so you should be considered my disciple in name only!"

Qiu Chuji witnessed Lin Daiyu's battle against the two demons alone.

Although Lin Daiyu's performance was not particularly good, she handled the crucial moment decisively, which was acceptable for a pampered newcomer. That's why Qiu Chuji chose to take the initiative to reveal himself and communicate with her.

Qiu Chuji could see more possibilities in Lin Daiyu.

"Daiyu greets Master!" Lin Daiyu was indeed clever; she immediately understood what was going on and called out.

Those two evil spirits were clearly after her. Although she didn't know why, she knew that at this time, having an extra helper or a backer would be a good thing.

She had no doubt about what Qiu Chuji said.

After all, it was common knowledge in the Jia family that Jia Baoyu was born with a jade in his mouth, and given Jia Baoyu's social circle, he shouldn't have had the opportunity to come into contact with such a skill.

The Jade of Spiritual Enlightenment truly possesses spiritual power and can impart cultivation techniques... This seems highly credible.

As for Jia Baoyu's strange transformation, Lin Daiyu had also learned that internal skill and roughly knew that it was not just a matter of the skill itself, but also that Jia Baoyu's own choices were key.

To put it bluntly, Jia Baoyu never considered striving, fighting, or resisting; he chose the path of "lying down and doing nothing," so the cultivation technique truly granted him the qualification to "lie down and do nothing."

To be honest, if Jia Baoyu were a man, his wavering between the two princes would certainly lead to a bad end if he bet on the wrong one. But since he is now a 'woman', even if the third prince ultimately loses, the fourth prince will still accept him and continue to provide him with wealth and honor. There will be a barrier in their hearts, but it won't prevent them from having intimate physical contact.

After all, when it comes to the soul... what is so particularly attractive about Jia Baoyu's soul?

Isn't it just because she's good-looking?
"Wow! You're so clever!" Qiu Chuji exclaimed. Although he had several disciples, they were all rebellious and troublesome. It was rare to find someone as sensible as Lin Daiyu, which felt quite refreshing.

"This title of 'Master' is well-deserved... Your cultivation of true qi is quite good. I will now teach you the method of transforming true qi into protective energy, so that you will have more protection on your journey ahead." After saying this, Qiu Chuji pointed out a finger in the space of the Heaven-Mending Stone.

The spiritual light slowly seeped out of the Heaven-Mending Stone and landed on Lin Daiyu. In an instant, Lin Daiyu understood how to use this True Qi Transformation Technique.

If she had learned this technique earlier, she wouldn't have needed to destroy her shoes and socks at all. The moment the evil spirit grabbed her foot, it would have been blasted away by the qi, or, if its body was a little fragile, it would have been completely shattered.

"Master! Do you know what they are? Why did they come?" After receiving the message, Lin Daiyu recalled Qiu Chuji's words and understood the hidden meaning.

"They're just two zombies, their cultivation is a mess. They can only get around by taking advantage of the weather and location. They can't even get into places with a slightly more human presence."

"I'll teach you something more later, and I guarantee that you'll be able to handle a dozen or twenty more of them with ease."

"As for why they came? My disciple! You don't really think that those Jianghu people you arranged in Yangzhou are truly loyal to you, do you?" Qiu Chuji enlightened Lin Daiyu.

There's a saying: "When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

Similarly, while Lin Daiyu was arranging for martial arts figures to go to Yangzhou to help her father and investigate the salt merchants, she was actually exposing herself in the process.

Lin Dalang may be a minor Mengchang (a legendary figure known for his salt production), but those salt merchants from Jianghuai and Liangzhe were the real Tao Zhu (a legendary figure known for his salt production).

People who come together for mutual benefit are also likely to betray each other for the same reason.

Don't bring up the idea that Lin Daiyu was someone who rescued people from dire straits. People in the martial arts world... there are at least 300 days out of 365 in a year when they are in dire straits. Who helps them doesn't matter.

If Lin Ruhai's predicament were so easily resolved by a group of江湖人 (jianghu people), he wouldn't have been trapped for so many years, separated from his wife and children, and ultimately died in office.

Lin Daiyu, after being enlightened by Qiu Chuji, immediately realized that her secret had most likely been exposed.

After all, she used to hide her identity and associate with people from all walks of life. Everyone only guessed that she came from a wealthy family, but no one knew who she really was.

But once Lin Ruhai's incident happened, with a little thought, how could her identity still be hidden?

"Thank you for reminding me, Master. I will remember!" Without Qiu Chuji needing to say anything more, Lin Daiyu already understood what Qiu Chuji wanted her to pay more attention to in the future.

"It's good that you understand. Now tell me why I won't let you leave this temple?" Seeing that Lin Daiyu was clever, Qiu Chuji had more ideas to test her.

Lin Daiyu's feedback determined the level of training she received from Qiu Chuji.

If someone like Jia Baoyu only needs to use connections, Qiu Chuji would naturally lend a helping hand to help her through the difficulties.

However, if a more concrete master-disciple relationship were truly established, Qiu Chuji would consider bringing Lin Daiyu into the Small World after the journey in this world ends, giving her the authority to travel through various worlds using the Small World, allowing her to completely transcend herself, and even retrieve the accumulation and foundation of her past life, to refine her past life in this life, instead of living this life just for a dream of wealth and honor, only to wake up as the Crimson Pearl Fairy Herb.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Daiyu said, "Master means... that the real danger will only come after we leave this temple, on the way, or in a nearby town?"

Qiu Chuji said, "Indeed!"

"Although there are extraordinary beings in this world, the distinction between Yin and Yang is still quite clear. It is not easy for ghosts and spirits in the Yin world to interfere with the Yang world. With your current abilities, unless a large army is mobilized, there are not many forces that can truly harm you."

"So by the time you drag your weary body into the town, their traps have only just begun to be laid."

"At that time, their actions were truly ruthless. They used unseen weapons, such as swords and spears, to ruin your reputation, to smear you, or to send one or two pretentious young heroes to deceive you and take advantage of you... In short, as long as they could control you, they would stop at nothing." Qiu Chuji gave Lin Daiyu a brief explanation of the ruthless and insidious methods of the martial arts world.

What she had seen in the streets of Beijing before was nothing more than child's play.

Lin Daiyu felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this, and a sense of regret welled up in her heart.

She considered herself highly skilled, having previously moved freely within the Jia family's mansion without anyone noticing, which made her somewhat arrogant. That's why she set off alone, heading first to Yangzhou.

In retrospect, it was indeed hasty!
Putting aside other things, if she were staying at an inn, someone could be lying in ambush in her room beforehand. Without even lifting a finger, they could just jump out and cause a scene. If this were deliberately spread, it would be that she, Lin Daiyu, had eloped with an outsider, and it might not even be a one-on-one affair. In that case, both the Lin family and the Jia family would suffer a great loss of face because of her. Even if she killed those who were lying in ambush at that time, it would only further enhance her infamy and would not change the facts.

Even if you present the facts and reason with them, it's incredibly difficult to clear things up once the bad rumors spread!
The person who framed you will never really care how many bowls of cold noodles you have in your stomach.

Those who spread rumors don't actually want the truth.

(End of this chapter)