Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

The next day, dawn broke gently.

Yi Chen was still in his slumbers when a burst of urgent knocking woke him up.

"Master, open the door, there's big trouble again."

Yi Chen: "..." Can't this unlucky disciple use a different phrase for once?

"I'm coming, I'm coming, stop damn knocking, the chickens haven't even woken up yet, what's all the fuss about? Is the county magistrate bewitched by a female ghost or did a horse catch a cold?" Yi Chen grumbled as he threw on his clothes and walked over to open the front door.

Who doesn't have a bit of a temper when they're woken up?

As the door swung open.

The first thing Yi Chen saw was Chief Zhang's big face, and standing behind him... was the county magistrate.

County Magistrate Zhou's face was black as a pot lid.

Behind County Magistrate Zhou stood a row of people.

Abbess Shuiyue, Lotus Master, Daoist Qingxu, and a square-faced middle-aged man wearing a Flying Fish suit embroidered with the words "Zhen An" on his chest.

Sheesh, that's quite a crowd.

Didn't expect the county magistrate to be here, too.

Even Yi Chen, with a face as thick as city walls, couldn't help but blush at this moment.

Talk about meeting a ghost, why would the county magistrate come too?

Fortunately, he had excellent mental composure and quickly adjusted himself.

With awkwardness, as long as you're not embarrassed, then the embarrassment is on others.

Yi Chen's adjustment was on point, after reciting a courteous phrase to wish everyone well, he led everyone to the guest hall in the backyard with a face full of righteousness.

"Qing Feng, Ming Yue."

"Hurry up and prepare some good tea for our distinguished guests, and bring some chestnut dishes over."

"This year's chestnuts are especially plump, you must all try them." Yi Chen warmly invited the guests to take their seats, the chestnuts from the mountain plentiful thanks to the help of those fine lads from the Fierce Tiger Gang, perfect for serving guests since his disciples weren't keen on eating them.

Qing Feng and Ming Yue were woken up by the knocking, came out to check, and were promptly put to work by the observant Yi Chen.

Soon after they served the tea and chestnuts, they returned to their rooms to continue sleeping.

After taking a light sip of tea, County Magistrate Zhou quickly explained the situation as though his butt was on fire.

"So you're saying there's a problem at Lanxiu Pavilion now?"

"Yes, currently a malevolent spirit is running rampant, I've taken a look at Lanxiu Pavilion and it's filled with ghostly energy. I alone am weak and without support, and the fellow Daoists of Fengyun County all say that Taoist Yi Chengzi is of high prowess in Taoist arts. I, Lin Zhengyi from Ping'an County's Zhen An Office and holder of a hundred households, specially invite Daoist friends to lend a hand."

The one speaking was the middle-aged man in the Flying Fish suit.

"This..." Yi Chen glanced at Lotus Master and the others, hesitating.

"Do not worry, Daoist, if you all are willing to lend your support, once this affair is concluded, my Zhen An Office is willing to offer a horse of inferior dragon lineage as a gesture of gratitude," the man said.

"If the Daoist doesn't need it, then it can be exchanged for a hundred Contribution Points, which can be used to trade for pills, magic artifacts, and other treasures of my Zhen An Office."

"Sheesh, rest assured, Hundred Households, whether it's the dragon horse or treasures is of no consequence, my main concern is my enmity with malevolent spirits," Yi Chen stated righteously.

"Add a thousand taels of banknotes as well."

"Disciple, bring my Dragon-Slaying Sword, I can set out right now."

Yi Chen figured out why Daoist Qingxu, the old hand, had been drawn here,

only to discover that the Zhen An Office was surprisingly generous this time, willing to offer a horse with inferior dragon lineage.

He was familiar with such a horse; it was a hybrid dragon horse bred by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau's Imperial Beast Yard, with a hint of flood dragon lineage in its veins, not only resilient but capable of traveling a thousand li by day and eight hundred by night.

This horse with inferior dragon lineage was tightly controlled within the royal court; ordinary people simply couldn't breed such fine stock, so in the black market, being sold for ten thousand taels of silver was not an implausible tale to tell.

Even if he had no use for it, he could always sell it at a discounted price.

It was, after all, a horse with formidable monetary attributes.

As for those Contribution Points from the Zhen An Office, they were even more valuable.

The Zhen An Office was the oppressive force of the Great Yue Dynasty, brimming with experts and countless treasures. The items there weren't bought with gold or silver, but with Contribution Points distributed by the office.

Helping the Zhen An Office with a case was one of the ways to earn Contribution Points.

By the looks of it, Lotus Master and the others were clearly swayed by the price offered by Lin Baihu, which is why they had come together.

Since they had already offended the person behind the scenes, they might as well go all the way, collaborate with this officer of the Zhen An Office and uproot the problem altogether.

All of them were resolute in their conviction; once they made a decision, they no longer hesitated. Now, as they stood together, their bravery soared.

Yi Chen firmly believed that if only one person in their group could survive, that person would definitely be him….

If they won, they'd gain fame and rice to claim. If they lost, they could blame the team, and he'd likely be able to escape. Not to explore the evil spirit of the Lianxiu Building, that would be inhuman, wouldn't it?

And speaking of those glittering Deep Red Points, he couldn't bear the thought of not taking a look.

Looking at the composed and formidable appearance of the Chief of the Public Security Bureau, it was clear that he was a master in his own right, advantage mine.

Let's do it.

"Fellow Daoists, let's go!" After a brief consideration, Yi Chen silently cheered his teammates on in his heart.

They set off for Lianxiu Building shortly after.

Being cultivators, they traveled quickly, and within half an hour, they arrived at the entrance of Lianxiu Building.

Upon reaching the door, Yi Chen and his three companions couldn't help but inhale sharply, making their tiny, negligible contribution to global warming.

Now they understood why the highly cultivated Chief had sought help from the county officials upon witnessing the abnormality of Lianxiu Building.

No wonder the price was set so generously. Indeed, there was a good reason.

By now, Lianxiu Building had been enveloped in mist. Even Yi Chen, using his Yin Yang Cave Divine Pupil Technique, could only make out the alarming Yin Qi and a visibility of less than three meters. And that was after deliberately enhancing his vision.

If one hadn't specifically trained their spiritual vision, they would likely fare far worse than him.

The two large white lanterns hanging outside Lianxiu Building tirelessly exhaled white mist, making the surroundings even chillier.

Inside the building, the ghostly energy was chilling, and within the fog, the shadows of eerie figures could be seen drifting.

Master Lianhua furrowed his brow as he walked in front.

"Fellow cultivators, where should we start?"

"Looking at the astonishing fluctuations of Yin Qi, the evil spirit inside Lianxiu Building must have profound cultivation."

"We must make well-considered plans."

Master Lianhua looked back, sweeping his gaze over the group.

Abbess Shuiyue nodded in agreement.

Daoist Qing Feng found it highly reasonable.

Chief Lin Zhengyi's eyebrows were tightly knit, as if pondering how to tackle the situation.

Taoist Yi Chengzi…

Hey, where did Taoist Yi Chengzi go?

Suddenly, a thunderous blast sounded.

The vermillion gate of Lianxiu Building was smashed to pieces by a long green brick that Yi Chen had pried from the street. The door panels instantly shattered, and the long green brick, not losing any momentum after breaking the gate, flew towards the depths of the mist, propelled by its powerful kinetic energy.

Yi Chen walked over from the side, dusting off his hands.

"I just went to pry out a long green brick over there; sorry I didn't notice. Did you need me for something, Master Lianhua?"

Master Lianhua looked at the broken gate, then at Yi Chen's sincere expression, and fell silent for a long while, "There was something, but not anymore."

"Oh, that's good then." Yi Chen drew the Dragon-Slaying Sword and started slashing vigorously at the lanterns outside that kept emitting white mist.

Under the combined effect of the Dragon-Slaying Sword and the deep purple Pure Yang Inner Qi, the white lanterns suddenly exploded in a burst of flames, fell to the ground as black ash, and were blown away by the wind, disappearing without a trace.

Seeing this scene, Abbess Shuiyue fell silent.

Master Lianhua was stunned.

Daoist Qing Feng simply shook his head.

This was not logical, completely bypassing the process.

Bai Yunzi was considered a master of his generation, had he never taught Taoist Yi Chengzi any of the basic procedures for confronting evil spirits? What about probing? Why did you just rush in?

Lin Baihu couldn't hold back and asked the Yi Chen at the door, "I mean... Taoist Yi Chengzi... is this how you always... exorcise demons and slay evil?"

Lin Baihu carefully chose his words.

"Ah?"

"Is there a problem?"

"This is how we of the Hidden Dragon Temple exorcise demons and slay evil."

Yi Chen, carrying the Dragon-Slaying Sword, twisted his neck and retorted.

Silence….

"No problem, let's go inside."