I am a wandering immortal in the mortal realm.

The Taoist priest finished the ritual the next morning.

Thank God, nothing serious happened.

The rest of the time is for the body to remain in state and for mourning to continue until the seventh day after the death of the deceased, at which point the body can be buried and the coffin removed.

Zhuang Ping stayed up all night and was in very poor condition. He seemed to have suffered some major shock. Not only was his beard unkempt, but his eyes were also covered in dark circles, and he had almost lost half of his energy.

Shen Yuan was surprised, but Zheng Baozhu, being straightforward, asked first, "Brother Ping, what's wrong with you? You seem to have lost your soul all night!"

Zhuang Ping forced a dry laugh and said, "It's nothing, it's nothing, I'm just a little tired." He then rubbed his forehead, seemingly trying to cheer himself up.

Upon seeing this, Zheng's father pursed his lips.

Yesterday, seeing that Zhuang Ping didn't even care about his own father, he was initially angry, but now, seeing the other party's appearance, he figured that he must have been worrying too much, and all his anger dissipated.

So he sighed softly and didn't think about giving any more admonitions.

"Ping-ge'er, if you feel tired, go to the backyard to rest. I'll take care of everything here."

Zhuang Ping shook his head and said, "Uncle Zheng, I'm fine. It's you who should be more careful, given your age and the fact that you're still staying up all night with us!"

Hearing this, Zheng Baozhu also advised, "Yes, Father, the Taoist priest has already finished the ritual, and the guests have all left. It seems there's nothing else going on here. Why don't you go back and get some rest? I'll call you if anything comes up!"

Father Zheng shook his head, walked to Shen Yuan's side, and said, "Daoist Master, thank you for your hard work these past two days!"

Shen Yuan smiled, still maintaining his upright and honest demeanor: "You're too kind, layman. It's just my duty."

Father Zheng nodded and asked, "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony with the Taoist priest. Should I give you the payment for the ritual now, or settle it after the seventh-day memorial service?"

Shen Yuan was about to say that anything was fine, but then Zheng Baozhu said, "Of course, the sooner the better. The Taoist priest is still waiting for the money. Anyway, Yiyuan Temple isn't far away. Father, are you worried that the Taoist priest will take the money and not come on the day of the funeral?"

"That's not what I meant at all!" Father Zheng frowned, then scolded, "Go play somewhere else. Who gave you the right to meddle here?"

Zheng Baozhu pouted and took small steps away.

Father Zheng composed himself and nodded, saying, "Since you have difficulties, Daoist Master, I will pay you the reward today. It was originally agreed to be one tael, but since you were frightened yesterday because of your master's family, I will increase it by five qian. How about that?"

Zhuang Ping's expression darkened upon hearing this: "Why the sudden price increase? There's no such rule!"

Zheng Baozhu immediately chimed in, "Brother Ping, how dare you say that? The Taoist priest almost got beaten up by your brother-in-law yesterday. He's just here to perform a ritual, not to be your family's punching bag!"

Zhuang Ping choked, muttering guiltily, "But nothing's wrong..."

"Enough!" Father Zheng reprimanded, and the hall fell silent. He glanced at Zhuang Ping and said, "Ping-ge'er, you know in your heart who was right and who was wrong yesterday. One should be kind and honest. Even if your father were here, he would surely think the same as me."

"My father is already in his coffin, so of course whatever you say goes..." Zhuang Ping muttered softly. When he saw Zheng's father glancing over again, he immediately became respectful and said, "Yes, yes, Uncle Zheng is right."

After saying that, he seemed to have some difficulty, paused for a moment, and then whispered to Zheng's father, "Uncle Zheng, come here for a moment, there's something I'd like to discuss with you!"

Zheng Baozhu immediately became wary and kept giving her father meaningful glances.

But Zheng's father seemed not to see them, only glancing around at everyone, nodding, and following him to the backyard.

Zheng Baozhu stared at the two figures as they walked away, stomped her foot, and said angrily, "That damned Zhuang Ping, he must have gone to my father to complain about being poor again!"

Shen Yuan asked curiously, "I see that Master Zhuang's family is not poor, so why did he complain about being poor to your father?"

This question seemed to have scratched an itch for Zheng Baozhu, who immediately launched into a conversation: "Daoist Master, you don't know what kind of person my neighbor is. He's not poor from eating or dressing, he's poor because he doesn't know how to manage his money. Whenever a bird flies by his door, he'd love to dig up some bird droppings to fertilize it..."

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she had already told the Taoist about all sorts of strange things that happened to her neighbor Zhuang Ping, and she only stopped talking when Zheng's father returned to the hall.

Zheng Baozhu glanced at him curiously, but saw that her father's expression was calm, and she couldn't tell anything from him.

Zheng's father went straight to Shen Yuan, took out the silver he had prepared in advance from his pocket, and handed it to him, saying, "Please trouble you to count it, Daoist Master."

Shen Yuan was surprised, but he didn't stand on ceremony and took it without hesitation.

He is now penniless, and although he does not accept ill-gotten gains, he can still accept the fruits of his labor with a clear conscience.

Because he possessed the original owner's memories, he could tell the silver was the full amount just by lightly weighing it in his hand.

Shen Yuan smiled gently, then bowed deeply: "Thank you, Layman. I am unworthy of such thanks!"

"Master, please don't say that!" Father Zheng waved his hands repeatedly.

Zheng Baozhu asked, "Daoist Master, now that you've received the money, what are you going to do next? Are you going straight back to the mountain?"

Shen Yuan thought for a moment and said frankly, "I'll probably go to town to buy some things and also visit the Jade Emperor Palace."

"The Jade Emperor's Palace?" Zheng Baozhu was slightly taken aback. "Competitors are enemies, what are you going there for?"

Shen Yuan smiled and said, "We are all like-minded people. Besides, I am going to build a mansion and open a temple on Linquan Mountain, so it is only natural that I should pay a visit."

"That's true." Zheng Baozhu pondered for a moment, then suddenly her eyes lit up, and she said with a grin, "Then, Daoist Master, would you like me to guide you? What do you think of this humble woman?"

"I don't think it's very good!" Mr. Zheng grabbed his daughter by the back of her collar and said irritably, "Your mother called you to help, and her voice is almost hoarse from shouting, but you didn't budge an inch, all you did was chatter on and on!"

"Ouch, Dad, be gentle, be gentle!"

Zheng Baozhu struggled, her eyes lingering on the Taoist priest with reluctance.

The Taoist priest gazed at the sky until the sound completely disappeared from his ears, then lowered his head and bid farewell to everyone in the hall.

"I will return in five days. If any problems arise in the meantime, please send someone up the mountain to inform me..."

"Please take care, Taoist priest. I won't see you off any further!"

……

After leaving the farmhouse and walking through two streets, you arrive at the largest market in Linquan Town.

Upon ascending the throne, the new emperor re-established the ward and market system in order to regulate administration and stipulated that there should be one market per ward, striving to make things convenient for the people.

In a small town like Linquan, which is subject to regulations and can be divided into neighborhoods, a designated area has naturally been set aside specifically for a market.

It must be said that David did put in a lot of effort in improving people's livelihoods.

It was probably not long after the establishment of the new dynasty that the people lived in peace and everything was going well.

Shen Yuan was only at the market entrance when he felt that vibrant energy.

I wonder what it will be like a hundred years from now, when land is annexed and people's livelihoods are in ruins.

Shen Yuan sighed softly and stepped inside.

First, I went to the butcher to buy a piece of pork, then I went to the shop to buy an iron pot, and finally, I bought quilts, bedding, needles, thread, and other necessities...

Because he was wearing a Taoist robe and was handsome, the shopkeeper was pleased with him and automatically reduced the amount of money without him even having to say anything.

Even so, more than half of the 1.5 taels of silver he had just received for the religious ceremony was gone in an instant.

"Alas, it's hard to part with charitable donations!"

Shen Yuan looked at his purse, which had shrunk to an extreme size, and felt heartbroken.

We simply don't have enough money to afford to squander it.

There were many things I wanted to buy, but now I've given up on that idea.

After finding out the direction of the Jade Emperor Palace, he rolled up his things in a cloth, carried them away, and left.

……

The Jade Emperor Palace is located at the easternmost end of Linquan Town. The area is quiet and secluded, with an excellent location. It is mostly inhabited by wealthy families, so the incense has always burned brightly there.

This stands in stark contrast to the monistic view of isolation.

When Shen Yuan arrived at the entrance of the Jade Emperor Palace, it was already afternoon. The Taoist priest who was in charge of receiving guests came to greet him from a distance.

"This layperson looks unfamiliar. Are you here to offer incense?"

Shen Yuan thought to himself, "Does this young Taoist priest have bad eyesight? Could it be that he didn't see the Taoist robe I'm wearing?"

He remained expressionless, bowed respectfully, and said, "You are too kind, Daoist Master. I am not a lay Buddhist, but a Daoist!"

"A Taoist...a Taoist priest?"

The Taoist priest was taken aback. He looked Shen Yuan up and down and saw that he was carrying a bundle and an iron pot. He looked like a commoner.

The only thing that resembled a Taoist priest was his Taoist robe.

But nowadays, Taoism is highly revered, and countless ordinary people wear Taoist robes; it's really not a rare sight.

The Taoist priest, suppressing his strange feelings, bowed and said, "Ah, it's actually a Taoist master! My apologies for not recognizing you!"

Shen Yuanyi returned the greeting.

After exchanging greetings, the Taoist priest in charge of receiving guests asked, "May I ask your name, elder brother, and where you practice your cultivation?"

"I, Shen Yuan, am now the abbot of Yiyuan Temple!"

"Yi...Yiyuan Temple?" The Taoist priest in charge of the reception asked in shock and uncertainty, "It wouldn't be the Yiyuan Temple on Linquan Mountain, would it?"

"Exactly!"

The Taoist priest swallowed hard, and when he looked at Shen Yuanshi again, his eyes were filled with complicated emotions.

Seeing that he was carrying a lot of luggage, and seemingly guessing what was going on, she asked, "So, Master Shen, are you here today to stay overnight?"

"I am already staying at Yiyuan Temple. I have come here today only to pay my respects, not to stay overnight!" Shen Yuan explained patiently.

The Taoist priest, relieved, said, "I cannot make the decision on this matter. I must go and inform the master. Please wait a moment, Master!" With that, he turned and went into the temple.

From beginning to end, he never even considered inviting Shen Yuan inside to rest.

Shen Yuan sighed softly, but was not annoyed. He found a step to sit down and put his bundle aside.

At this moment, in a quiet room in the rear hall of the Jade Emperor Palace.

Abbot Xuanqingzi was enjoying tea, with incense burning in a bronze cauldron in front of him, the smoke curling around him, filling the room with a pleasant atmosphere.

Hearing footsteps outside the door, he frowned and scolded, "What kind of behavior is this, all in such a panic?"

The Taoist priest who was in charge of receiving guests immediately stopped, bowed respectfully, and then explained his purpose to the abbot.

Xuan Qingzi paused, his hand holding the cup still, and asked in surprise, "The world is currently embroiled in fierce competition among Daoists. What is a Zhengyi Daoist doing at my Quanzhen Daoist Temple?"

The Taoist priest in charge of receiving guests replied, "This disciple also feels the same way. However, his behavior was polite, and he didn't seem to be deliberately causing trouble. Therefore, this disciple dared not act on his own initiative and had to come and report it!"

Xuan Qingzi nodded: "You did the right thing. I've heard people talk about this Master Shen before. He's said to have gotten first place in last year's Taoist examination. But I don't know what those Zhengyi Taoist priests were thinking. Such a promising talent was sent to this remote and impoverished place, almost like being exiled..."

He paused, then suddenly turned and asked, "Did he really say he came to visit?"

"Yes!" the Taoist priest asked in a low voice, "Does the abbot wish to see him?"

Xuan Qingzi was silent for a while, then shook his head: "Forget it, we're not familiar with him, it's best if we don't interfere with each other. You should find an excuse to send him away!"

"yes!"

The Taoist priest was somewhat disappointed. He bowed and responded, but as he turned to leave, he was stopped by Xuan Qingzi.

He couldn't help but look puzzled, when he heard his abbot say, "All Taoist sects under heaven are one family. Although there is now a distinction between Zhengyi and Quanzhen, etiquette cannot be neglected. Yiyuan Temple has been abandoned for more than ten years. This Taoist priest Shen must be going through a difficult time. Why don't you give him a few bushels of rice and persuade him to leave properly?"

"yes!"

……

A moment later, outside the Jade Emperor Palace.

"Master Shen, please forgive us, but distinguished guests have arrived at our temple today. The abbot is currently entertaining guests, so we are unable to receive them."

The Taoist priest, somewhat embarrassed, handed over the cloth bag in his hand and said, "However, the abbot instructed me to give you three liters of millet as a token of my appreciation. I hope you won't find it offensive, Taoist priest."

Shen Yuan glanced at the Taoist priest, then at the cloth bag in his hand, and suddenly chuckled softly, saying, "You're too kind, Taoist priest. However, I haven't come here today to beg for alms. Since the abbot is unavailable, I'll visit again another time!"

Having said that, he bowed respectfully, without even looking at the other person, turned and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the setting sun hanging over the mountain.

The Taoist priest stood there for a while, scratching his head in confusion. After a long while, he picked up his cloth bag and slowly walked into the temple.