"Huh???
The Celestial Master is dead?"
Lu Yuan stared at the guard in astonishment.
Beside him, Su Liyan also turned her head, looking at the guard with a hint of curiosity.
The guard immediately nodded and said:
"For some reason, that Xingzi has gotten even more ferocious.
The two Celestial Masters who came down from the Provincial City couldn't handle it. Instead, one died and the other was injured."
So the guard said.
Lu Yuan, however, found the guard's reaction a little strange.
Logically, with something like this happening, everyone in the residence should be terrified.
But from the looks of him, the guard didn't seem too fazed.
'Even if the Xingzi really did kill Aunt Zhao, it wouldn't be his problem. Worst case, he could just take off his uniform and find another job. But shouldn't he at least pretend to be worried right now?
This is…'
While Lu Yuan was pondering this oddity, the guard saw his expression and assumed he was scared, so he quickly offered some reassurance:
"Don't be afraid, Young Master.
This business was indeed very dangerous, but our madam is a good person, and fortune favors the good!
Daoist Longchuan of Taixing Mountain happened to be passing through Taiping City, and our madam hired him at a high price.
With Daoist Longchuan here, that Xingzi will certainly be slain tonight!"
Hearing this, Lu Yuan finally understood and nodded. 'So that's why.'
'No wonder this guard wasn't panicking at all.'
'Daoist Longchuan…'
The man was truly formidable. Even Lu Yuan, a Scholar who rarely left his home, had heard of Daoist Longchuan's great renown.
This Daoist Longchuan was also a Celestial Master.
However, there are differences even among Celestial Masters.
Daoist Longchuan was an orthodox Celestial Master from the Dou Shi Temple on Taixing Mountain!
This world placed great importance on the distinction between orthodox and unorthodox.
It was like his wife—because she wasn't fully human, nor fully demon, people whispered about her behind her back.
It was also like in ancient times, when only the legitimate son from the primary wife was truly considered a son.
It was the same for Celestial Masters.
Celestial Masters borrow the power of gods, but these gods were also divided into various ranks.
For example, the Five Doctors Guild worshipped a Spirit Tree on Taixing Mountain.
It was considered an ordinary Spiritual Object.
But who did Daoist Longchuan's Dou Shi Temple worship?
Shi Gandang!
That's right, Shi Gandang existed here too, and was called by the exact same name.
The only difference was that on Earth, he was called the Mount Tai Shi Gandang, while here, he was the Taiping Stone Guardian!
But they were fundamentally the same.
And who was Shi Gandang?
In the past, when building a house in the countryside, it didn't matter if your family was rich or poor, or if you were building a large house or a small one.
As long as it was a house, you had to place a stone tablet engraved with the name 'Mount Tai Shi Gandang' to protect the residence.
And that was even more true here in Taiping City.
Every household did it; Lu Yuan even had one at home.
Given all this, as the orthodox Celestial Master of Dou Shi Temple, Daoist Longchuan was naturally on another level of power.
...
After following the guard into the large courtyard, Lu Yuan discovered that Yellow Talismans were plastered everywhere.
This was the proper Technique of a real Daoist.
Lu Yuan had recently been reading the book *Celestial Master* that the system had given him, so he recognized the Yellow Talismans in the courtyard.
He couldn't help but ask, surprised:
"Why are there Yellow Talismans in the courtyard? Are they planning to catch the Xingzi inside the house?!
That Xingzi would dare to enter the city?!"
The guard was about to explain:
"It seems this matter is about..."
He trailed off, freezing for a moment, then looked up with a simple, honest smile.
"I actually don't know. I'm just a guard who watches the gate. It's not my place to inquire about these things.
If you want to know, Young Master, you should wait for the madam to return and ask her."
Lu Yuan could understand the man's predicament, so he didn't press the issue. Instead, he walked over to one of the Talismans to examine it closely.
Having read *Celestial Master*, Lu Yuan could, of course, recognize Talismans.
As he was pondering it, Su Liyan, who had followed him over, took one look.
And immediately explained to her husband:
"This is a Soul-Stabilizing Talisman. Daoist Longchuan is afraid someone might try to steal Aunt Zhao's soul."
Oh?
Lu Yuan paused, turning to look at Su Liyan. He suddenly remembered that his wife knew about these sorts of things too.
His mother-in-law was the village witch, after all.
Listening to his wife, Lu Yuan nodded.
'If that's the case…'
He thought back to the man from the Liu Family, who had had something 'planted' in him.
'Hmm… this isn't just about the Xingzi. Someone is secretly using magic to harm Aunt Zhao.'
After pondering for a moment, Lu Yuan said nothing.
Finally, he followed the guard into the main hall.
After they entered, two servant girls served them tea in turn before departing.
Now, only Lu Yuan and Su Liyan remained in the main hall.
Along with the guards outside, who were busy setting up the Technique.
Lu Yuan thought for a moment, then suddenly looked over at Su Liyan, who was sitting quietly beside him and also looking outside with curiosity.
"Wife, it looks like we won't be able to leave today.
Our aunt is in so much trouble; we have to stay here and help her."
The original plan was to bring his wife to visit Aunt Zhao today.
Chat for a bit, and then set off for his father-in-law's place in the evening.
They would have arrived tomorrow morning.
But now, with this situation unresolved…
'Aunt Zhao is still suffering, and I'm just going to go back and hold a banquet?'
'I can't do that!'
'No matter what, I have to stay here today and see Aunt Zhao through this crisis.'
As for what Lu Yuan said, Su Liyan naturally had no objections and immediately nodded repeatedly.
"Whatever you say."
Su Liyan already had a good impression of this Aunt Zhao whom she had never met.
She had been very good to her, sending her so many pieces of jewelry, beautiful clothes, and even some rouge and powder.
Of course, most importantly, she was also good to her man.
'The woman is in trouble, and the two of them were about to go back for a banquet? That would be utterly shameless.'
'It was just… when her man said they should 'help'…'
Su Liyan knew her husband had been reading a book recently.
It seemed to be a book called *Celestial Master*.
She figured it was about dealing with Xingzi.
Her man had said he'd found it by chance among his pile of books.
'As for what was inside…'
Su Liyan wasn't too sure.
It wasn't that her man hid it from her; the book was right there on his desk.
She could look at it whenever she wanted. He'd only said that no one else was allowed to see it.
'But she could look all she wanted. Her man doted on her so much~'
The problem was, Su Liyan was mostly illiterate…
After all, in these chaotic times of war and famine, few people in any given village knew how to read.
What's more, Su Liyan's family was poor, and she was a girl, so it was even more unlikely she would have been sent to school.
So, Su Liyan had no idea if the book her husband was reading was any good or not.
Or if the methods it taught were legitimate.
However…
'Based on some of the Techniques her man had demonstrated at home these past few days, well…'
'How should I put this…'
Su Liyan really didn't want to say it out loud.
After all, in her heart, her husband was the best, most amazing, and most admirable person in the world.
'But if she had to be completely honest…'
'It was just that…'
'Her husband's half-baked Techniques would probably be a bit of a liability if they stayed here.'
'What if that Daoist Longchuan turned out to be useless…'
'But, it didn't matter. As long as she was here, nothing bad would happen.'
'If it came to that, though, she was afraid she'd have to reveal her true strength.'
'Especially since she could only unleash her full power in her atavistic state.'
'But speaking of that atavism…'
Su Liyan grew a little agitated. Once she entered her atavistic state, it was very difficult to control her emotions.
It was fine if it was just the two of them, alone with her husband.
But if other people were around, she would often… start cursing the moment she opened her mouth, and her actions would become ruthless…
'Her behavior would become vicious…'
'What if her husband saw her like that and didn't like her anymore…'
'But, despite that, if it came to a critical moment, she would have to do it.'
'After all, no matter what, nothing could be allowed to happen to her man.'
'She had to protect him.'
Just as Su Liyan made this decision, Lu Yuan spoke again:
"In that case, I'll stay here by myself tonight.
After I see Aunt Zhao tonight and have dinner, go find an inn outside. You can stay there for the night.
I'll come get you tomorrow morning."
Su Liyan: "..."
Bad.