We made you practice martial arts, and you've mastered the Great Golden Body?

The interior of the main hall of the Lin'an County Government Office.

"What?! Another demon-catching mission!" The magistrate of Lin'an City suddenly stood up, looking down at the calm, still-watering Fahai, and immediately felt a headache coming on.

“Master Fahai, the problem now is not that I don’t want to cooperate with you, but that I really can’t help you with your request.”

Last time, when Fahai wanted to capture the snake demon, he wanted Fahai to say a few good words for him in front of the emperor, so as to pave the way for his future career.

Therefore, even if it meant distributing realgar wine to all the residents of Lin'an for free, he would swallow this huge loss, even if it meant getting his teeth broken.

It wasn't that the magistrate of Lin'an was stingy with money, but rather that this move was simply too expensive.

Although it was only a matter of distributing a bowl of realgar wine to each resident, the sheer quantity led to a qualitative change. Add to that the costs of manpower and transportation, venue fees… and just organizing one event cost several thousand taels of silver.
If it weren't for the last demon-catching operation, all that silver would have gradually ended up in the magistrate's pocket in Lin'an City.

Thinking of all this, the magistrate of Lin'an felt a sharp pang of heartache. All that gleaming silver was his money!

Now, Master Fahai, with just a few words, wants him to cooperate with the other party once again for a city-wide demon-catching operation.

no! Absolutely not!
Unless Fahai takes some concrete action, he might not agree to this seemingly absurd request.

Otherwise, there won't be a single door, let alone a crack in it!

“I understand your concerns, and I have indeed caused you a lot of trouble during this time.” Fahai nodded in agreement, after all, he was no ordinary monk, but the abbot of Jinshan Temple.

I have some experience in handling matters of this size, though not much, it is enough to solve most problems.

"It's good that you know." Upon hearing this, the magistrate of Lin'an City breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Master Fahai's response.

In fact, his tough stance was a gamble, a gamble on Fahai's character.

There was no way around it; the officialdom was like a battlefield. Fahai was no ordinary monk; he was someone who could become the national advisor.

According to rumors, the Song Dynasty emperor once invited Fahai to serve as the imperial advisor, but Fahai declined, citing important matters to attend to in exorcising demons.

Every move of such a person is of paramount importance.

Especially if Fahai were to say a bad word about the magistrate of Lin'an City while chatting with the emperor, even if it was just some prejudice, then the magistrate's official career would be over.

Some might ask, is it really that serious?
Of course!

After all, this world is full of all sorts of monsters. Not all monsters are like Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing. Most of them improve their cultivation by devouring the blood and flesh essence of humans.

The emperors of this dynasty, starting from the Shang Dynasty, changed from "Human Sovereign" to "Son of Heaven," a significant drop in status.

The protective power of the emperor's fortune naturally weakened considerably, and the Song Dynasty was known for its wealth, ceding territory and paying reparations regardless of victory or defeat.

When people's hearts are not aligned with the will of the people, the already weak protective energy becomes nothing more than a dispensable decoration.

It can only defend against monsters with a hundred years of cultivation. As for dealing with monsters with a thousand years of cultivation, that's wishful thinking.

Before Shen Bailian appeared, Fahai was basically a top expert among those with the highest combat power, and he was also the most skilled at catching demons.

Naturally, he became a favorite of the Song Dynasty emperor.

Therefore, the magistrate of Lin'an City only dared to grumble in his heart, and did not dare to show any signs of non-cooperation on the surface.

After all, he had considered reporting the matter to higher authorities, and in fact, he did.

But the only reply they received was: "All actions must be in accordance with Master Fahai's command."

“During this time, I have indeed caused you a lot of unnecessary trouble and delayed many of your affairs.” Master Fahai’s words seemed to have a hidden meaning, and he looked at the magistrate of Lin’an City with a completely different gaze than before.

But the magistrate of Lin'an City just smiled and didn't understand the hidden meaning at all.

During this relatively peaceful period, Fahai was not always in seclusion. Instead, he would occasionally slip out to talk with Shen Bailian, discussing philosophy, martial arts, and the way of life.

Therefore, Fahai gained a more concrete and intuitive understanding of the magistrate of Lin'an City.

In short, he was extremely good at disguising himself.

As for why the registrar and others believed that Fahai was in seclusion, it was because Fahai didn't want these followers to discover his whereabouts.

That's it.

Upon closer inspection, Fahai indeed discovered some overly obvious traces. Although the magistrate of Lin'an City was wearing official robes, he was surrounded by the aura of a red-painted skull.

Based on the magistrate of Lin'an County's consistent conduct, he is an honest and incorruptible official and would never do such a luxurious and extravagant thing.

It can only be said that what the eyes see is not always the truth.

"Thank you for your understanding, Master Fahai." The magistrate of Lin'an followed suit, and looking at Fahai's posture and listening to his tone, he felt a surge of joy.

This matter is finally coming to an end. Master Fahai will return to his Jinshan Temple to become the abbot, and he can return to his normal life.

No more sneaking around like a thief to enjoy yourself.

however.

"But the situation is urgent. Please, Your Excellency, lend me another hand." At this moment, although Fahai was extremely disgusted with the two-faced magistrate of Lin'an City, he suppressed his disgust at the thought of having to ask the other party to cooperate.

"The situation is urgent?" The magistrate of Lin'an City frowned, a thought suddenly flashing through his mind. He exclaimed in surprise, "Master, could it be that a demonic calamity is about to strike the city?"

"Demon calamity" literally means harm caused by demons.

Historically, the number of times demonic disasters have occurred can be counted on one hand, with an extremely low probability. The most famous demonic disaster is that of Su Daji, who brought disaster to the country and its people.

Although the Shang Dynasty would not have perished because of a monster, Su Daji was definitely an indispensable link and an extremely important trigger.

Each demonic calamity destroys at least one city.

The magistrate of Lin'an City also suddenly thought of it, because in recent months, strange things have been happening frequently in various parts of Lin'an City. The most bizarre thing was that a large area of ​​thick fog appeared over the entire West Lake some time ago, which was difficult to disperse even by strong winds.

It lasted for a full hour.

An hour later, in the blink of an eye, the thick fog suddenly dissipated.

The original rumor was that the thick fog was caused by monsters or mythical beasts lurking deep within West Lake, who did not want to reveal themselves to ordinary people, thus summoning the fog.

What happened next was quite outrageous.

Some say it's because the magistrate of Lin'an City did something evil, causing Heaven to send a warning, ordering him to take off his official robes and retire to his hometown, only in this way can Heaven's anger be appeased... There are also rumors that a demonic disaster is about to occur in Lin'an City.

It's fair to say that all sorts of rumors are flying around.

Regardless, this incident resulted in no fishermen daring to fish on West Lake for a full two weeks, causing a sharp increase in the price of aquatic products throughout Lin'an City.

It almost caused widespread panic.

"No." Fahai immediately shook his head, dismissing the strange idea that had been swirling in the mind of the magistrate of Lin'an City. A demonic calamity? How could he even think of that?

"That's good, that's good..." Upon hearing this, the magistrate of Lin'an City breathed a sigh of relief.

"But it's about the same."

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, the magistrate of Lin'an City suddenly raised his head and looked at Fahai in confusion. His heart, which had already hit rock bottom, was gripped tightly once again.

"Master Fahai, what do you mean by that?"

“It’s very simple.” Fahai pondered for a moment, carefully considering the details he could and couldn’t reveal: “Next, I will be going all out, and I might not be able to protect the civilians in Lin’an City. So, if possible, I need you to evacuate the civilians in the city…”

Fahai explained his demands in detail, and the magistrate of Lin'an City frowned even more, forming a deep frown in a short time.

In his view, Fahai's original intention was good, after all, he was thinking about the safety of all the residents of Lin'an City.

However, it has one major drawback: while it is theoretically very feasible, its feasibility in reality is extremely low.

The biggest obstacle is the lack of sufficient funds to resettle refugees.

Moreover, even if they had enough money, how could they persuade these ordinary people to leave the homes they depended on for survival?

The biggest difference between Han Chinese and nomadic peoples lies in the fact that one of them returns to their roots.

"Master Fahai, I cannot agree." The magistrate of Lin'an City looked at Fahai, who was still speaking, and shook his head sadly, directly rejecting Fahai's proposal.

The feasibility is extremely low.

Moreover, if he did that, he, as the county magistrate, might not only gain no benefit, but also have his backbone broken.

"If Your Excellency is worried about not having enough money, all expenses will be covered by Jinshan Temple. Your Excellency only needs to give the order."

"!!!" Upon hearing such bold words, the magistrate of Lin'an City was immediately astonished, his eyes shining brightly like two flashlights.

Listen to this, everyone listen to this! Is Fahai even speaking human language?

To accommodate all the common people in the entire city of Lin'an, even if they all lived in thatched huts and were given only one meal a day for several days, would require at least five figures in silver.

But Fahai simply touched his upper lip to his lower lip and said it so easily.

Long ago, the magistrate of Lin'an City knew about these temples, especially Jinshan Temple, which was the most popular and extremely wealthy. Seeing it today, he can see that it truly lived up to its reputation.

At this moment, even the magistrate of Lin'an City felt that decades of official corruption and money-making were not as valuable as meditating, chanting scriptures, and collecting incense money.

However, he only thought about it in his heart, after all, being a monk is not an easy thing. Not only do you have to meditate and chant scriptures every day, but you also can't eat meat.

Most importantly, one must not get close to women.

How could a vigorous old man like him possibly stand it?
Yes, it's all about youthful vigor. Although people in the imperial court can't cultivate immortality, and the magistrate of Lin'an City is too lazy to endure the hardships of martial arts training, due to the special nature of the world's spiritual energy, this world has countless kinds of spiritual herbs and heavenly medicines.

Within Lin'an City, the magistrate was practically a local emperor. The care he received from various famous medicinal herbs and treasures made his body more robust than that of ordinary young men.

Those beautiful maids were not merely pretty vases, but rather the source of his nightly revelry.

If he agrees to Fahai's request, then all the silver in the entire process will have to pass through his hands. At that time, if he takes 50% or 60% of it, he will get tens of thousands of taels of silver afterward.

And they don't have to bear the risk of embezzlement.

Just thinking about it makes one's mouth water.

"No, I cannot agree to your request." After pondering for a moment, the magistrate of Lin'an City shook his head and refused Fahai's proposal.

Although he was greedy, he was by no means stupid.

If what Fahai said is true, how could that money still end up in his hands? His superiors would probably be scrambling to come to Lin'an City.

Tens of thousands of taels of silver, all in cash—who wouldn't be envious?

Upon seeing this, Fahai's eyes revealed a look of surprise. What was going on? This was completely different from the magistrate of Lin'an City that Shen Bailian had described.

As the saying goes, money makes the world go round.

Faced with this pile of silver, the magistrate of Lin'an City actually refused it outright!
The atmosphere froze instantly, with Fahai and the magistrate of Lin'an City arguing back and forth, each with their own valid points.

"Um..." The registrar, who had been almost invisible until now, sensed the almost frozen atmosphere in the hall and said cautiously, "Your Excellency, Master Fahai, I have a question."

"Hmm?" Fahai looked at the registrar.

"Why haven't you left yet?" The magistrate of Lin'an City was taken aback, and a look of surprise suddenly appeared on his face. He had indeed not paid much attention to this registrar.

"Hehehe..." The registrar chuckled awkwardly, offering no explanation.

He stayed here hoping to learn some inside information to save his life, but of course, he couldn't say such things in front of the magistrate of Lin'an.

Therefore, it's better to say nothing and be right than to say more and make more mistakes.

"Go ahead and ask what the problem is," Fahai said calmly.

“Then I will speak.” The registrar looked at the magistrate of Lin’an City, and only after the magistrate nodded in agreement did he feel relieved and continue, “I feel that the two gentlemen may be caught in a situation where those involved are blinded by their own involvement.”

"Since it's not easy to move the civilians out of Lin'an City, why not save some effort and move the main battlefield elsewhere? With Master Fahai's abilities, this shouldn't be a big problem, right?"

"That's right!" Upon hearing this, the magistrate of Lin'an City suddenly rubbed his forehead, realizing the truth.

"But..." Fahai wanted to say something more.

"There are no 'buts', it's settled!" The magistrate of Lin'an City made the final decision. (End of Chapter)