The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 93 Mutual Gifts (Sixth Update)
After touching her own hair, Du Yuan chuckled and gently rubbed the leopard's head.

I did indeed receive a great deal of kindness from that person.

It would be inappropriate to receive no reciprocation in this situation.

But what should I give as a gift?

After thinking for a moment, Du Yuan realized with a slightly embarrassed expression that she really didn't have anything of value on her.

The Yin De Bao Qian (a type of coin) might count, but it was clearly nothing to the temple owner.

After much thought, Du Yuan had a sudden inspiration and handed her white jade bodhi to the leopard, saying:

"I have nothing of value to offer, so please take this as a return gift and send it back for me!"

If there's nothing valuable, then let's settle for a small token of our appreciation!
"Ow—!"

The leopard shook its head and flicked its tail as it snatched the white jade bodhi in its mouth, then, without a second thought, prepared to leave the city.

Seeing this, both Han Cheng and Han Zai hurriedly signaled their sons to follow.

The evening drum has been beating for who knows how long, and the morning drum is still far off.

If one wishes to leave the city, there are certain ways to do so.

Therefore, whether for public or private reasons, having your son keep up is naturally the best choice.

The two brothers looked at each other awkwardly as soon as they turned around.

Fortunately, their son was the sensible one and stood up one after the other, saying:
“Father, Uncle, my brother and I will escort this spirit beast out of the city together.”

This pleased both Han Cheng and Han Zai.

The two quickly walked up to Du Yuan.

"Master, the city gates are closed. My brother and I will set off now to escort this spirit leopard into the mountains."

"It's getting late, why don't we set off tomorrow morning?"

The two brothers hurriedly cupped their hands and said:
"The Han family has received much care from you tonight. How can we delay such a small matter? Rest assured, Daoist, my brother and I will take care of each other, and with the spirit beast by our side, there will be no problem."

"That's fine, go ahead."

After Du Yuan made way, the two brothers were overjoyed and followed the leopard out.

But as they reached the steps, both of them looked at Han Kai and sighed slightly.

This terrified the other person, who collapsed to the ground.

Han Song also seemed to have aged instantly, with one foot already buried in the ground.

Han Cheng glanced at them and knew that now was not the time to deal with family matters.

He then whispered to the person next to him:
"The night is chilly, and Uncle is getting old. Let my nephew help Uncle back to rest. You all should also come and serve him."

House arrest, the meaning is quite clear.

The guard beside him immediately obeyed the order. Han Song didn't say much, but simply nodded and bowed to Du Yuan to apologize.

"You flatter me, Daoist Master."

Tonight, he put it nicely that he wanted to find a new path for the clan, but to be honest, it was just a power struggle without any regard for the consequences.

The most ridiculous thing is that the Han family had just lost a chance due to internal strife not long ago.

Du Yuan shook her head and said:
"This is a matter for the Han family itself. As an outsider, I have no right to laugh or laugh."

Han Song grew increasingly bitter. After bowing slightly, he sighed, picked up his grandson, and left dejectedly.

His lineage essentially brought about its own demise.

After they all left.

Du Yuan then looked at the remaining people present.

Anyone whose gaze falls upon them.

Whether they were heads of large families or ordinary servants, they all hurriedly bowed their heads in worship.

After looking around, Du Yuan said directly:

"I asked the governor and the vice-prefect to invite you all here, mainly for the matter of Prince Anqing."

"Qingzhou has enjoyed peace and tranquility for many years, and I cannot bear to see the people suddenly lose this hard-won peace and happiness. Nor can I bear to see the people lose this peaceful world because of a group of demons and monsters!"

The crowd lowered their heads even further. "Although I can rid myself of these demons and monsters, the unrest in people's hearts and the disturbances in the area are not something I can quell alone."

After saying this, Du Yuan cupped her hands in greeting to the crowd and said:

"Therefore, I hope that you all can do your part for Qingzhou!"

Everyone was overjoyed to hear this.

The six families, plus the governor representing imperial power, already overshadowed the long-dormant Prince of Anqing.

Now that a Taoist priest is leading the way, this trip will surely be a piece of cake!
The imperial clan plotted a rebellion, but before they could launch their uprising, the area had already been pacified.

Such achievements are truly inspiring.

And just as they were thinking about the emperor's reward, they heard the Taoist priest suddenly say:
"Please also know that if war breaks out, it will be a calamity. If you can work with me to extinguish this calamity in advance, you will naturally receive a great merit from Heaven!"

"It is indeed something that cannot be seen or touched, but its uses are truly endless!"

The first two sentences were Du Yuan speaking to herself. The last two sentences were meant for them.

Powerful families may not necessarily like times of peace and prosperity, but they certainly like things that are beneficial to them.

If all they did was give grand speeches, they were simply forced to comply because they were intimidated by themselves.

But after that, they really had to work together!

After all, in such an era, only an outsider like Du Yuan would care whether a group of peasants could live in peace.

Du Yuan is capable of doing this, and has a good chance of succeeding.

If she ignores it, Du Yuan fears she will never be able to get over it in her heart.

Just as Du Yuan had expected, the moment those words were spoken, the eyes of everyone present nearly turned red.

They never expected there to be this layer!

Yes, since gods and ghosts have come out, they must have accumulated some merit.

And to have averted a war disaster for so many people in Qingzhou and even the whole world, what a great merit that must be.
Even if the Taoist priest has made great contributions, shouldn't they be allowed to share in the rewards?
Isn't this a hundred times better than the emperor's meager reward?
However, before their euphoria had subsided, their expressions suddenly changed—a chill shot from their tailbone straight to the top of their head, startling them so much that their backs felt cold and their limbs trembled.

A more chilling thought seized them: if merit truly exists, then what they had done in the past—had they accumulated good deeds or incurred a series of karmic debts?
After much deliberation, breaking out in a cold sweat, the answer became obvious—the latter was probably the most likely explanation!
This leads to the conclusion that if one were to make a single wrong decision tonight and actually follow that demon, wouldn't one almost have to use their life, or even the fate of their entire clan, to fill that bottomless pit of sin?
Therefore, the heads of the five major clans, all sweating profusely, bowed and said:
"We will do our utmost to ensure the peace and prosperity of Qingzhou!"

If before they wanted to take more, now they're trying to balance their own accounts and save their lives.

Werder and Werder, both are indispensable.

Human hearts are truly unpredictable and mysterious.
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Outside the temple.

The two young masters of the Han family who were following the leopard saw the Han family members who were guarding outside the temple coming to meet them.

They all hurriedly jumped off their horses, not even having time to say a word, and rushed off to chase the leopard.

This leopard is really fast. It's fine when we're in the city. But once we're outside the city, even if they're riding fine horses, they can only avoid being left behind if the leopard stops specifically to wait for them.

He thought to himself, "No wonder it's a spirit beast that both the Taoist priest and the high god like so much."

It's indeed impressive, but the presentation is a bit disappointing.

I'll get it more meat later to fatten it up and nourish it.

Completely unaware that it was about to have an extra meal, the leopard trotted happily into the temple.

Instead, he placed the white jade bodhi seed that Du Yuan had given him in return on the offering table.

After finishing, it squatted on the ground, barked a few times at the temple, and wagged its tail to show off its accomplishment.

The white jade bodhi naturally flew into the air, seemingly being played with out of thin air.

Upon seeing this, the two members of the Han family, who were about to enter, both stopped.

He hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting and said:
"Your Excellency, this is a return gift that the Taoist priest asked us to deliver to you!"

The temple master did not reply, but the white jade bodhi seed continued to fall, and a mountain breeze quietly rose.

It soothes and nourishes all things, bringing exceptional comfort.

This made both of them realize that the god was very pleased.

So what exactly is this white jade bodhi?
The other authors in this group are also veteran authors; you can check them out—they're all promising new books.

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(End of this chapter)