A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Xidu Prefecture was the capital of Yongzhou.

Yongning Temple is not only the largest temple in Xidu Prefecture, but also the largest temple in the entire Yongzhou. It can be said to be the highest representative of Buddhism in the secular world.

The fact that the guest monk at Yongning Temple was actually their spy, a position of such importance, led Duan Rong to immediately suspect that this person had become involved with the Faxiang Sect.

But Yang Ruoshui told him that was not the case; the person who had entangled with the Faxiang Sect was not this person, but Cunmutang, which greatly surprised Duan Rong.

Duan Rong looked at Yang Ruoshui and asked, "How did Cunmu Hall become involved with the Faxiang Sect?"

Yang Ruoshui said, "Cunmutang is a workshop that makes wood carvings, stone carvings, as well as gilding and painting. Faxiang Sect is a Buddhist sect, and many of its statues and ritual implements need to be repainted and gilded regularly to ensure their brilliance and splendor..."

Duan Rong's eyes lit up slightly. He immediately understood the logic behind it and said, "A craftsman from Cunmu Hall has entered the Faxiang Sect?"

Yang Ruoshui said, "That's right. Over the years, two people from Cunmu Hall have been admitted to the Faxiang Sect and become craftsmen within the sect."

Duan Rong frowned and asked, "Craftsmen within the sect?"

Yang Ruoshui replied, "Yes, sir."

Duan Rong asked, "You just mentioned taking an exam. How does one take the exam?"

Yang Ruoshui said, “My lord, you are unaware of the customs of Yongzhou. This place is devoutly Buddhist, and statues and ritual implements are very important items. These items are consumed in great quantities and all need to be made by people. Not to mention the numerous religious ceremonies in the temples that require these items, even throughout the year, ordinary people bring home countless statues and ritual implements. Therefore, workshops like Cunmutang are numerous in Yongzhou, and they receive many orders from temples year-round.”

"The same is true in the Faxiang sect, but unlike temples, sects do not outsource their statues and ritual implements. Instead, they employ artisans who make these things within the sect itself."

Duan Rong said, "So, sects need to select craftsmen?"

Yang Ruoshui said, “That’s right. This matter is overseen by Yongning Temple, and every two years, outstanding craftsmen are selected from the Yongzhou area to enter the Faxiang Sect. Any workshop of any size has a quota for recommendation. As long as someone from the workshop passes the exam, they can be exempted from taxes.”

Duan Rong rubbed his thumbs together, and an idea had already taken shape in his mind.

In that case, he could easily use Cunmutang to pass the examination and enter the Faxiang Sect as a craftsman.

This was no challenge for him. By absorbing the spirit of the artifact, he could reach a high level of skill in a short time, no matter how complex the craft. Passing the test would be no problem at all.

Duan Rong pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "When is the next assessment?"

Yang Ruoshui scratched his head and said, "I don't remember the exact details either. It should be sometime this year. You'll have to ask Wang Xun for the specific date."

Duan Rong said, "Make arrangements for me to meet with Wang Xun and that guest monk from Yongning Temple."

Yang Ruoshui looked troubled upon hearing this.

Duan Rong noticed Yang Ruoshui's expression and asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Yang Ruoshui said, "If you wish to see Wang Xun, the owner of Cunmu Hall, I can contact him tomorrow. However, it will be difficult to see the guest monk of Yongning Temple."

Duan Rong asked, "Why?"

Yang Ruoshui said, "Yongning Temple is the largest temple in Yongzhou, with strict rules. Although he is a guest monk, he cannot leave the temple at will. We have channels to exchange information, but it is extremely difficult to meet him."

Duan Rong said, "Never mind. It doesn't matter whether I see the guest monk at Yongning Temple or not. Let me meet Wang Xun, the owner of Cunmu Hall, first."

"Yes, I will contact him first thing tomorrow morning." After saying that, Yang Ruoshui glanced at the dark sky outside the dilapidated temple and said, "It's still dark, sir, why don't you rest for a while?"

Duan Rong hummed in agreement.

Yang Ruoshui said, "My lord, please sleep here." Yang Ruoshui stretched out her hand, gesturing towards her bed next to the shrine.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "No need. That's your place, I won't take over." After saying that, Duan Rong walked directly to the corner of the dilapidated temple, where there was indeed a small pile of dry straw, so he simply lay down on it.

After Duan Rong fell asleep, Yang Ruoshui went to the shrine and lay down again, but he couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

After Duan Rong lay down, he had a thought, and with a sweep of his divine sense, he shattered the illusory world of the beggars in the dilapidated temple.

At that moment, the beggars trembled, smacked their lips, squinted at the scene, and realized they had just had another broken dream. They turned over and went back to sleep.

The dilapidated temple was once again filled with a mixture of snoring, burping, and farting sounds.

As soon as that familiar voice rang out, Yang Ruoshui slowly felt sleepy and soon fell into a deep sleep...

The next morning, while the beggars were still asleep, Yang Ruoshui tightened his belt and got out of his bed.

Duan Rongtian got up just as dawn was breaking, and he was sitting at the entrance of the dilapidated temple watching the passersby.

After Yang Ruoshui got up, Duan Rong glanced back at him, but neither of them spoke.

Yang Ruoshui tightened his belt, took out a pair of clappers from under the shrine, tucked them behind his back, and left the dilapidated temple. Duan Rong followed immediately.

If Duan Rong hadn't come along, Yang Ruoshui would have contacted Wang Xun of Cunmutang herself. But since Duan Rong had come, he must have wanted to see how Wang Xun communicated. The two understood each other implicitly, walking one after the other without exchanging a word.

The western part of the city has the strongest local flavor, with various breakfast stalls along the street steaming with hot water. People eating breakfast at the stalls come and go like a flowing banquet.

Duan Rong followed Yang Ruoshui, crossed two streets, and turned into a somewhat secluded alley.

The two walked to the courtyard with a large sycamore tree. Yang Ruoshui suddenly stopped and glanced around. She saw that the courtyard gate was not yet open.

Duan Rong then realized they had arrived. He carefully examined the courtyard. From the outside, it appeared to be an ordinary courtyard, though quite large, with a sycamore tree in the courtyard whose branches and leaves had extended over the wall.

On the stone wall next to the courtyard gate, there was a wooden sign with peeling paint, on which were written the three characters "Cunmutang".

Duan Rong shook his head slightly, feeling that simply hanging a sign there was a bit too shabby.

Yang Ruoshui understood Duan Rong's meaning and said, "These workshops rely on the temple's business. The wooden signs and such don't matter; what matters is the level of craftsmanship..."

As Yang Ruoshui was speaking, the courtyard gate suddenly creaked open, and the gatekeeper came out dragging a broom, yawning, and began to sweep the dust off the courtyard gate.

As soon as Yang Ruoshui saw the courtyard gate open, she pulled the clapper from her waistband, exclaimed "Oh dear!" and ran over. Standing at the gate, she opened the clapper and began to sing a traditional folk song. "Clap the bamboo clappers, jingle jingle, listen carefully, shopkeeper inside. Today I won't talk about anything else, but only about your Cunmu Hall."

The gatekeeper was sweeping the floor when he heard Yang Ruoshui singing. He immediately hit her with his broom and yelled, "Go away, go away, go away! Our manager hasn't gotten up yet!"

Yang Ruoshui nimbly dodged, but continued singing with a beaming smile: "The master craftsman in the hall is skilled, his ink line is straight and long. A push of wood shavings creates silver waves, a saw's sound releases the fragrance of wood. His knife carving is exquisite and powerful, his mortise and tenon joints fit together perfectly..." The gatekeeper beat him while Yang Ruoshui dodged. Despite being a cripple, he was very agile, dodging and weaving, but his clappers and singing never stopped.

The gatekeeper, having no other choice and having already swept away most of the dust at the gate, spat on the ground, turned and went into the courtyard, closing the gate behind him.

As the gatekeeper dragged his broom into the courtyard, he saw a tall, square-faced, sallow-skinned middle-aged man standing at the entrance of the main room, his fierce eyes staring at him.

The gatekeeper was startled and called out, "Good morning, master!"

This man was none other than Wang Xun, the owner of Cunmu Hall.

Wang Xun looked at the gatekeeper and asked, "What was going on outside just now? It was so noisy."

The gatekeeper said, "There's a lame beggar who's been singing folk songs all morning. It's not a holiday, he's just making a ruckus. We can't get rid of him."

Wang Xun gave a soft "hmm" and then turned and went into the main room.

Outside the courtyard gate, Yang Ruoshui put away her clappers, looked at Duan Rong, and said, "Let's go."

Duan Rong asked, "Is that all?"

Yang Ruoshui said, "Not yet, it depends on the situation."

With that, the two left the alley one after the other and returned to the dilapidated temple. At this time, the beggars who had overslept began to get up one after another.

Yang Ruoshui stayed in the dilapidated temple to oversee things, while the other beggars went out to various streets and alleys to beg for food.

Duan Rong then stayed in the dilapidated temple with Yang Ruoshui, because the matter of contacting Wang Xun seemed to be unresolved, and Duan Rong was waiting to see what Yang Ruoshui would do next.

By noon, the sun was high in the sky. Yang Ruoshui suddenly stood up, glanced at Duan Rong, and walked out of the dilapidated temple. Duan Rong understood and immediately followed her out.

The two returned to the secluded alley of Cunmutang. Standing outside the courtyard wall, they saw a black strip of cloth tied to a branch of the sycamore tree inside the courtyard. In the sunlight, it was faintly visible as the branches and leaves swayed.

Yang Ruoshui said, "It's settled." Then she turned and left.

As Duan Rong walked behind, he asked, "What does the black cloth strip represent?"

Yang Ruoshui said, "We can meet."

The two returned to the dilapidated temple, and Yang Ruoshui said, "Come with me out of the city this evening."

Duan Rong understood, simply grunted in agreement, and didn't ask any further questions.

As dusk fell, Yang Ruoshui went out and gave Bai Gouzi a few instructions, then she and Duan Rong followed the crowd out of the west gate.

The two walked along the official road for a while until it was completely dark and there were hardly any pedestrians around. Then they turned off the official road and came to a somewhat dilapidated mountain god temple.

Yongzhou is predominantly Buddhist, and the worship of mountain gods and local deities is relatively less frequent.

The mountain god statue was covered in dust, and the ever-burning lamp on the incense table was very dim.

Yang Ruoshui casually sat down on the ground not far from the incense table and said, "We'll have to wait. He probably won't arrive until midnight."

Duan Rong hummed in agreement and found a place to sit down.

The two sat in the dilapidated mountain god temple. Outside, the cold wind howled, and they could not hear the watchman's clapper counting from outside the city, so they did not know what time it was.

After an unknown amount of time, suddenly there was a sound of hurried footsteps, and a tall figure stepped in.

As soon as Wang Xun entered, he glanced at Duan Rong, then looked at Yang Ruoshui with a cold expression and asked angrily, "When have you ever been allowed to bring strangers when we meet?! Are you trying to force me to start a killing spree?!"

Seeing Duan Rong dressed like a beggar, Wang Xun assumed he was one of Yang Ruoshui's henchmen. His meeting with Yang Ruoshui was a highly confidential matter, crucial to the secrecy of his identity; how could he allow others to know?!
Wang Xun suddenly moved swiftly, like a ghost, and struck Duan Rong on the head with a palm.

"Wang Xun! Stop! Don't be rude!" Yang Ruoshui panicked and shouted immediately. He hadn't expected Wang Xun to be so reckless, attacking as soon as he entered.

Moreover, Wang Xun is at the fourth level of the Inner Breath Realm. What if he injures the master?

In fact, the moment Wang Xun entered, Duan Rong's divine sense penetrated his dantian. The palm strike that Wang Xun made towards himself, which appeared incredibly swift to Yang Ruoshui, seemed as slow as a tortoise crawl to Duan Rong.

Wang Xun struck down with his palm, only to find his vision suddenly gone. He had no idea how Duan Rong had vanished.
Not only did he fail to notice, but even Yang Ruoshui, who was not far away, did not notice. At this moment, Yang Ruoshui stared at the empty space under Wang Xun's palm as if she had seen a ghost.

Both of them stood there, stunned, their faces blank.

Just then, Yang Ruoshui suddenly heard a soft cough behind him. Startled, he jumped up and turned around, only to see Duan Rong standing there.

At this moment, Wang Xun also looked at Duan Rong, and the anger on his face had dissipated. Duan Rong's martial arts level had exceeded his comprehension. Such a person could not possibly be a beggar under Yang Ruoshui's command. In addition, considering Yang Ruoshui's shout of "Don't be rude!" earlier, Wang Xun had vaguely guessed Duan Rong's identity, and cold sweat involuntarily dripped down his forehead.

Duan Rong looked coldly at Wang Xun and said, "With your fiery temper, always resorting to violence, how can you be a spy?!"

Yang Ruoshui said, "Wang Xun, this is an official from the sect! He came with a black-patterned token from the Ministry of Justice. You should apologize to him!"

Wang Xun naturally knew what the Black Pattern Token meant. He slapped himself across the face, then knelt down and said, "I was reckless and failed to recognize the true Buddha. I have offended you, sir, please punish me!"

A flicker of anger flashed in Duan Rong's eyes. His anger stemmed from his feeling that Wang Xun was unreliable. After all, he needed the Cunmu Hall to enter the Faxiang Sect, and if this person proved unreliable, the consequences could be dire.

On the contrary, Duan Rong felt that Yang Ruoshui's actions were quite methodical.

Duan Rong ignored Wang Xun and turned to Yang Ruoshui, asking, "With such a temperament, how could he have managed to run Cunmu Hall to this extent? Even the Faxiang Sect has hired his craftsmen?"

Duan Rong was questioning Wang Xun. Wang Xun knelt there, not daring to move, only feeling remorse in his heart, wishing he could slap himself a few more times.

Yang Ruoshui clasped his hands and said, “My lord, Wang Xun is indeed a hot-tempered man. But when it comes to doing things, he is meticulous despite his rough exterior. Moreover, the responsibility for today’s events is not entirely his. It is because you, my lord, are dressed like a beggar that he misunderstood. We have been doing undercover work here for many years, and we have seen many lords from the sects, but none of them are like you, my lord, who are filthy and smelly. You are more like a real beggar than a real one. No wonder he misunderstood.”

Yang Ruoshui's words were quite well said. They were neither servile nor arrogant, but rather firm within their gentleness. Wang Xun, kneeling there, was deeply moved. He had usually looked down on Yang Ruoshui, but unexpectedly, at this crucial moment, he had spoken up for him.

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong's expression softened slightly. He looked at Wang Xun and said, "Wang Xun, stand up and answer."

"Yes, sir." Wang Xun kowtowed before getting up, glancing gratefully at Yang Ruoshui beside Duan Rong. (End of Chapter)