good season

Zhao Shiqing's eyes were sharp as arrows; if eyes could kill, Zhao Xingzhou would have been pierced through the heart by now.

The old man felt wronged. Had he said something wrong? He had only asked one more question out of politeness. What was wrong with that?

Does this little girl really think he's some kind of shameless old scoundrel?
"Old Man"

He was about to explain when Wan Ruyi spoke up: "My surname isn't Zhao, it's Wan!"

Yes, her surname is Wan. The second young lady said that her surname is Wan.

Zhao Xingzhou quickly tried to justify himself: "I see. I thought you were this girl's elder."

Wan Ruyi didn't know how to respond, so she looked at Zhao Shiqing.

Zhao Shiqing chuckled and said, "Grandpa, stop beating around the bush. Shouldn't we talk about the debt?"

Zhao Xingzhou snorted coldly: "A mere tens of thousands of taels is nothing to me."

Zhao Shiqing pouted: "Since you don't care, then just leave it in my hands, old man, pay me back!"

Zhao Xingzhou flicked his wide robe sleeves, creating a gentle breeze.

"I am a Taoist practitioner. Taoist practitioners do not discuss worldly matters, much less carry such material possessions with them."

Zhao Shiqing looked at her friends and said, "He said 'that stuff'!"

Lingbo clapped her hands: "In operas, those scum who live off women call money 'aduwu'!"

The loach suddenly realized: "The last person who was talking about money is now lying in bed, pooping and peeing everywhere!"

Shen Wangxing finally chimed in: "Those who don't pay their debts deserve to be left with excrement and piss!"

After struggling for a long time, Wan Ruyi finally came up with a sentence: "That's right, if you don't pay your debts, even Buddha won't protect you."

Zhao Xingzhou finally understood what it meant to be "so angry that he was practically fuming".

He simply said he didn't have any money with him, and these little brats cursed him for defecating and urinating, called him a spineless coward who lived off a woman, and said that Buddha didn't protect him. He said he practiced Taoism, so what did Buddha have to do with him?

"I won't stoop to your level!"

Zhao Xingzhou looked arrogant. He had originally wanted Zhao Shiqing to treat him to a big meal, but now that he was angry, he decided to strip them of the right to treat him to a meal!

Hmph, they'll regret this!
But now, Zhao Shiqing clearly has no regrets. She can also see that Zhao Xingzhou doesn't suspect Wan Ruyi. The reason he asked that question just now seems to be that he really thought Wan Ruyi was his elder.

Now that the danger is over, let's collect the debt!

Since we're going to collect the debt, we can't let the old man get away with it.

Zhao Shiqing put on a smiling face and humbly asked, "Grandpa, please don't be angry. We are just kids who don't know any better. You are a magnanimous person, so please don't take it to heart."

The young girl was pleasing to the eye and spoke in a pleasing manner. Zhao Xingzhou was happy to take the opportunity to back down, stroking his beard and nodding: "Hmm, it is good to admit one's mistakes and correct them. You are a promising young girl!"

Zhao Shiqing smiled broadly: "Grandpa, you said we were scammed, could you explain in detail?"

Hearing her ask this, Zhao Xingzhou immediately perked up and pointed to the signs on the side: "This place called Dong Xian's Gaze Back, and this place called the Toilet Area, and these donation boxes everywhere, all of them have one word written on them: Fake!"

Zhao Shiqing hurriedly asked, "Where is it fake?"

Zhao Xingzhou sneered: "Dong Xian became an immortal a year ago, so how many years has he cultivated? Three years!"
Can a mortal who has only cultivated for three years become an immortal?
This is utterly ridiculous! They're treating everyone in the world like fools!

No sooner had the words left his mouth than an angry voice rang out: "It's you, you old liar! You're smearing Dong Xian again! I can see you're wearing a Taoist robe, so you're obviously a Taoist practitioner too. You say it's false that Dong Xian only cultivated for three years to become an immortal? In my opinion, you're just jealous. You can't become an immortal yourself, so when you see someone else become one, you feel resentful and deliberately smear him!"

A crowd had gathered around them without them even realizing it. Hearing the woman's words, everyone began to criticize Zhao Xingzhou. Someone called over the Dong family members, who had already learned what had happened on the way. Upon seeing Zhao Xingzhou, they shouted, "This is the Dongxian Temple, a celestial abode! How dare you deceive people here? You'd better get out of here, or else..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Shiqing interrupted, "Otherwise you'll just start beating him? He's an old man and a Taoist priest. If Scholar Dong finds out, he'll probably be so angry he'll smash his coffin lid open."

The Dong family was taken aback, not expecting anyone to meddle in their affairs. Seeing that Zhao Shiqing was a young girl, he scolded, "Young lady, don't talk nonsense. Immortal Dong has already ascended to the Ninth Heaven."

The implication is that there is no coffin lid.

But the speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart. Zhao Xingzhou pointed at his nose and roared, "That scholar Dong did not ascend to immortality at all, and you unfilial descendants didn't even give him a coffin. Tell me, where did you hide his body?"

The clever loach realized what was going on and exclaimed in shock, "Could it be that the Dong family killed Scholar Dong and, fearing execution, lied and said that Scholar Dong had ascended to heaven?"

Lingbo also said, "Yes, look at him, he's obviously lying."

Upon hearing this, the onlookers all turned to look at the Dong family member. The man was Dong Xiucai's nephew. Seeing everyone looking at him, he panicked and shouted, "Don't be fooled! These kids are in cahoots with that old swindler. They just want to smear Dong Xian!"

Zhao Xingzhou angrily said, "You are the ones who are swindling people here, yet you turn around and accuse me of being a swindler. Fine, fine, then let's go see the officials and have them investigate thoroughly to see if that Scholar Dong is dead or has ascended to heaven!"

Upon hearing that they were going to see an official, Dong's nephew's face changed drastically. He cursed, "Where did these swindlers come from, causing trouble here? Don't they know where they are? Get out! Get out now! All of you, get out!"

The onlookers, who had initially believed in Dong Xian's ascension and thought Zhao Xingzhou and Zhao Shiqing were frauds, became suspicious upon seeing Dong's nephew's current state.

Nephew Dong's behavior clearly indicates that he has something to hide!

"Could it be that this old swindler was right after all? Dong Xian, no, I mean Dong Xiucai, didn't ascend to immortality at all."

"That's quite possible. It seems that the ascension was something the Dong family themselves said, and no one else saw it."

"That's right, I was even saying that a deity in my family ascended to heaven."

Upon seeing this, Zhao Shiqing immediately shouted, "Since he has ascended, then produce evidence to prove that Dong Xiucai has truly ascended. Don't talk about witnesses; public opinion can be deceiving, so don't believe it!"

At this moment, the rest of the Dong family heard the news and rushed over. Among them were two teenagers who were carrying sticks, ready to drive the people away.

"Who's causing trouble here? Want to get beaten up?"

The devout men and women were startled; their fierce and menacing appearance was completely different from the Dong family's usual smiling demeanor.

Seeing that they had frightened everyone, the Dong family breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to surround Zhao Xingzhou, Zhao Shiqing, and the others. Dong Xiucai's second son, with a stern face, said to Zhao Xingzhou, "Was it you who was spouting nonsense here yesterday?"

Yesterday they heard that someone publicly accused the Dong family of fraud, but when they arrived, the person had already disappeared. They thought the person wouldn't dare to come back, but unexpectedly, not only did he come today, but he also brought helpers.

Zhao Xingzhou snorted coldly: "It is indeed this old man!"

Dong Lao Er waved his hand and said, "Grab him! This man is a swindler!"

The two young men wielding long staffs rushed forward, aiming their clubs at Zhao Xingzhou. Seeing this, Zhao Shiqing shoved Zhao Xingzhou aside. The young man, having missed his target, was embarrassed. Seeing Zhao Xingzhou protected by a young girl, he swung his staff at Zhao Shiqing. Mudskipper, seeing this, panicked. She flashed behind the young man and delivered a flying kick. Caught off guard, the young man was sent flying, staff and all.

The young man was helped up, but he not only had a bruised and swollen face, but also lost a front tooth.

Chaos erupted immediately, and Dong Lao Er shouted, "Catch these swindlers!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Shiqing and Ling Bo pounced on him, each grabbing one of Dong Lao Er's shoulders and pinning him to the ground.

Seeing that Dong Lao Er was subdued, Zhao Xingzhou perked up and said to Mudfish, "Go report to the authorities and say that the Dong family is swindling people. Let them come and arrest the swindlers!"

Mudfish looked at Zhao Shiqing, who nodded. Mudfish then dashed away through the crowd.

Although Tong'an is a county town, it is only a hundred miles away from the capital. Therefore, the county government here is quite responsible. After all, it is a necessary place to enter the capital. If someone were to commit fraud and offend important people in the capital, it would cause a lot of trouble.

Therefore, people from the county government arrived quickly, led by a constable surnamed Li.

Zhao Shiqing released Dong Lao Er. While the Dong family was pleading their case to Constable Li, Zhao Shiqing and Ling Bo pulled Wan Ruyi along and mingled into the crowd of onlookers. They quietly left Dong Xian Temple. When Shen Wangxing saw them leave, he lost interest in watching the excitement and chased after them. Once outside, they saw Mud Loach waiting there.

Zhao Shiqing: "Let's go find a place to have tea."

This isn't Liangdi; they can report it to the authorities, but it's best not to get involved.

Zhao Shiqing whistled, and Xiao Guai flew over from somewhere. Zhao Shiqing pointed inside, signaling him to go and watch the fun, but Xiao Guai flapped his wings and flew away again.

Not far from Dongxian Temple, there is a teahouse. A few people went up to the second floor, from where they could see the main gate of Dongxian Temple.

They thought they would have to wait a long time, but after they had only sat down and drunk a cup of tea, they saw Zhao Xingzhou walk out leisurely, his swaggering gait showing a hint of smugness.

Zhao Shiqing asked in surprise, "They let him go so quickly? Shouldn't they have questioned both sides? There wasn't enough time."

Mudfish said, "Now that he's out, I'll go and call him over."

Zhao Shiqing nodded, and a moment later, Mudfish led Zhao Xingzhou into the teahouse.

Zhao Xingzhou pointed at Zhao Shiqing and said, "Young friend, why did you leave without saying goodbye to me?"

Zhao Shiqing didn't answer his question. Instead, she asked, "Officer Li is still inside. Why did you come out first?"

Zhao Xingzhou stroked his beard and said, "It's a small matter, there's no need for this old man to take action personally."

Zhao Shiqing rolled her eyes. "Keep bragging. If it weren't for me, you would have been beaten to a pulp by the Dong family just now."

Lingbo asked curiously, "Grandpa, do you know something? Otherwise, why are you so certain that the Dong family are frauds?"

Zhao Xingzhou ate a dried fruit, took a sip of tea, and then said with a look of disgust, "This tea is no good; it's not this year's new tea."

Zhao Shiqing waved to the waiter: "I'll pay extra and bring out this year's new tea!"

A moment later, the new tea arrived, and Zhao Xingzhou took another sip before nodding in satisfaction.

Shen Wangxing looked at him and whispered to Mudfish, "Look at this old man's behavior, doesn't he resemble Little Yueyue?"

The loach nodded vigorously: "It's just like it, it's so similar, they're both so fussy."

Although the two lowered their voices, Zhao Xingzhou, with his sharp ears and keen eyesight, heard them clearly: "Who is Xiaoyueyue?"

Zhao Shiqing's heart was on high alert again. Ever since Xiao Zhen told her that secret, she felt her heart pound with fear whenever she heard Xiao Yueyue's name.

With Shen Guanyue and Wan Ruyi, an honest person like her simply couldn't handle it.

"Little Yueyue is a child in our village. She's a picky eater and has a lot of problems."

Zhao Xingzhou was clearly dissatisfied with her explanation. "I'm not picky about food. That kind of stale tea is simply inedible."

He found these children incomprehensible, and when he looked up, he met a pair of eyes.

It was that Lady Wan.

Wan Ruyi was looking at him curiously.

Zhao Xingzhou was stunned; he had actually seen naivety in the eyes of a middle-aged woman.

That inexplicable sense of familiarity washed over him again. Before Zhao Xingzhou could think about it, he heard Zhao Shiqing urging, "Grandpa, the tea has been changed. Shouldn't you start your lecture now?"

Zhao Xingzhou looked away from Wan Ruyi's face and said, "The Dong family is guilty and obviously hiding something. Just wait and see, Officer Li will definitely find out the truth."

Zhao Shiqing pouted, "You spoke so well, but don't do it again next time."

At this moment, Lingbo leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Second Miss, Master Zhao was peeking at Aunt Wan again just now."

Zhao Shiqing also noticed that Zhao Xingzhou seemed to be very interested in Wan Ruyi.

This is not a good thing; Wan Ruyi's identity cannot withstand scrutiny.

We must divert Zhao Xingzhou's attention.

Just as she was about to ask Lingbo to produce the IOU, she heard Zhao Xingzhou say, "How come you have the surname Wan? You shouldn't have the surname Wan!"

Coming, coming, coming again!

Wan Ruyi looked bewildered. She wanted to say that the Second Miss had given her the surname Wan, but before she could speak, Zhao Shiqing interrupted, "Why are you always staring at Aunt Wan? Don't you know there's a difference between men and women?"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Xingzhou waved his hand at him and said, "Kids, don't interrupt."

He then said to Wan Ruyi, "Were you abducted? Tell me the truth, and I'll stand up for you!"

Zhao Shiqing.
Zhao Xingzhou continued, "Your surname is Qi, yes, you must be surnamed Qi, you are a member of the Qi family!"

Zhao Shiqing.
"Grandpa, how did you know her surname was Qi?"

Zhao Xingzhou: "Because of her appearance, she looks like someone whose surname is Qi!"

Zhao Shiqing's expression changed. As a member of the imperial family, she naturally knew who the Emperor Emeritus's birth mother was.

Empress Dowager Qi!
Xiao Zhen said that Princess Jiayi and Princess Jia'an both resembled their grandmother, referring to Empress Dowager Qi, the late Empress Dowager Xiaojing. (End of Chapter)