The years when I explored the fairyland.

Chapter 8: Ready, wooden sign
Time always passes by unknowingly. I don't know when the morning light has already seeped in through the vents.

Chu Zhou woke up from his meditation and couldn't help but stretch his muscles.

Although he hadn't slept all night, he didn't feel tired at all. Instead, he was full of energy.

Looking at the table full of papers, messy handwriting and drawings, as well as the two optimized and improved skills and secret techniques, I feel that last night's experience was quite magical!
It is a common sense that if you want to make a breakthrough in a certain field, you must be a master in that field.

Only after studying business for decades and truly mastering it, will it be possible to make further progress.

But what about Chu Zhou?

He was a layman in all the secret techniques of martial arts, but he was able to achieve this just by attending one class.

This is a bit incredible.

However, Chu Zhou had to admit that as a golden finger, it was still quite interesting!

Then, in the dilemma of certain death, he found a glimmer of hope, which is always worth being happy about.

Of course, if he wants to seize this glimmer of hope, today, the seventh day of the funeral, he needs to do a lot of things.

……

Seventh day of the funeral
early morning,

Sloppy, sloppy...

Chu Zhou was holding a large bowl filled with porridge, and was eating happily with a pair of chopsticks.

"Little Taoist priest, try this again. I pickled it at home. It tastes pretty good!"

The person who spoke was a woman in her forties, wearing coarse linen clothes, slightly plump, with a bright voice. She was the specially hired cook of Xuanzhen Temple.

Her surname is Li, and her specific name is unknown, because Chu Zhou usually calls her "Mrs. Li"!
Like Fan Zhong, she was actually a tenant of Xuanzhen Temple and had signed a death indenture.

Because of his pretty good cooking skills, he was hired by Taoist Xuanzhen and was given a monthly salary of two cents of silver.

"Hmm, leave it there, let me try it!"

Chu Zhou responded vaguely, then looked down and found that it was pickled radish.

He picked up a piece with chopsticks, put it in his mouth and chewed it. He felt the crispness and it tasted very good with the porridge.

Because he hadn't slept the whole night, Chu Zhou got up early this time and had some free time to have a good breakfast.

He gulped down the entire bowl, and couldn't help but pat his belly, letting out a satisfied sigh: "Great!"

Looking at Mrs. Li standing beside him, he smiled a little embarrassedly: "It tastes really good, Mrs. Li, another bowl please!"

"Ok!"

Mrs. Li took the big bowl and went to the kitchen, while Chu Zhou sat on a small stool, supporting himself with his hands, looking into the distance.

Because of the terrain, he could see the village in the distance through the wall of Xuanzhen Temple, with clumps of smoke rising from cooking fires.

There were farmers carrying farm tools to the fields, children chasing each other and playing, and women carrying wooden basins to the nearby river to wash clothes.

Looking at it, and breathing in the fresh air of the morning, Chu Zhou felt as if he had escaped from a conspiracy and intrigue and saw the world of mortals.

"Little Taoist Priest, your porridge!"

"Thank you!"

Chu Zhou took it and started eating with big mouthfuls. As for Mrs. Li, she went to do her work, while another person walked into the courtyard.

"Uncle Fan, would you like to eat something too?"

"Ok!"

A moment later, Fan Zhong also came with a big bowl, squatted beside Chu Zhou, and started eating with a slurp.

But this time, eating was secondary and conversation was the main focus.

"Young Master, I have already found out everything about the Sihai Gang."

"How to say?"

"The Sihai Gang is one of the most prominent gangs in the southern part of the city. Its main businesses include gambling, money lending, fishing and protection fees.

Their reputation is still good, mainly because the streets under their control are all very law-abiding. After collecting protection fees, they will settle the matter and are able to keep the situation under control. Not many people dare to cause trouble.

However, those streets can only be regarded as an extension of the influence.

Their home ground is the dock outside the city, where there are many fishermen who have to give accounts to the Four Seas Gang.

The Four Seas Gang originally developed from those fishermen."

"Is there no one behind them?"

"How can that be possible! How can it last long if there is no one to support it?"

"So, it's someone in the county government?"

“This, it seems, is not the case.”

Fan Zhong finished the last mouthful of porridge before he said, "I haven't found out the details, but there are rumors that the Sihai Gang seems to have some connections in Chishui Prefecture, and also that they have a good relationship with the Pai Gang on Baisha River."

"What about the specific strength?"

“It is said that there are four major branches under the Sihai Gang, and the strength of each branch varies. The strongest can mobilize hundreds of people, while the weakest can only mobilize thirty to fifty people.

The four hall masters are almost all masters who have passed the second level of training. As for Master Zou Wu, not many people have seen him take action. The details are unknown, but he should be stronger."

After a pause, Fan Zhong showed hesitation on his face, but still said: "Young master, how about we find a helper?

What do you think of Master Wei, the owner of the Iron Spear Martial Arts School?
He has some relationship with the old master, and he is also a dirty martial artist with strong strength.

Even if I really offer up most of my property, as long as the young master is here and Xuanzhen Temple is safe, it is acceptable."

What Fan Zhong said actually made sense. If there was no main quest, and if there was no chance to break the impasse, Chu Zhou would not object to going to the Iron Spear Martial Arts School. No matter if it succeeded or not, let's just run a lap first.

Moreover, he was not the original body, and he did not have much real feeling about the sudden wealth and land.

But now, I have to try it anyway!
However, the real reason could not be revealed. After a brief thought, Chu Zhou said, "According to my estimation, if those people really want to take action, they should wait until tomorrow, after Master is completely buried, before they take action.

So, if it is really impossible, I will go!"

Seeing that Fan Zhong wanted to say something, Chu Zhou said, "Uncle Fan, believe me, since I want to inherit the Xuanzhen Temple from my master, I must have some skills to show off.

So, I have to try, I have to try, I can't let anyone look down on me.

Otherwise, even if Master Wei is willing to help, our future will not be easy."

After hearing this, Fan Zhong's eyes lit up. He nodded seriously and said, "I understand. Then, young master, I'll get busy first?"

"Go ahead, yes, call Xu Cheng and Yi Huai over, I have something to ask them!"

"it is good!"

After saying that, Fan Zhong wiped his mouth and immediately went to look for someone, while Chu Zhou stood there with his eyes narrowed, his thoughts wandering, and no one knew what he was thinking about.

But a moment later, Xu Cheng and Yi Huai came over: "Brother, are you looking for us?"

"Yes, I need you to help me buy some things."

As he said this, he took out a few pieces of silver and handed them to Xu Cheng, saying, "I have a list here, you buy according to the list, I'll go in a while, and you must prepare everything before noon.

Well, if you can't find it, you have to tell me before noon."

"it is good!"

Xu Cheng responded and put the silver into his own hand. Even though he was only twelve or thirteen years old, he was not qualified to be spoiled.

Before, when I followed Taoist Xuan Zhen, I was ordered to do this and that every day, and I gained all the experience I needed.

They have done a lot of purchasing like this!
When Yi Huai saw that his senior brothers all had tasks, he became anxious: "Senior brother, what about me?"

"Don't you like running to the mountains? This time, I need you to go to the mountains, bring Ah Da with you, and help me find some dark wood."

To the north of Xuanzhen Temple is a long mountain range also known as the Dulong Mountain Range. According to legend, a real dragon fell here, hence the name.

Unlike Xu Cheng who is quiet and intelligent, Yi Huai is a restless person. He runs around and plays everywhere every day and likes to go to the mountains the most.

Of course, he didn't dare to go deeper, but he was familiar with the nearest hills.

Because of this, he was often beaten by the old Taoist Xuan Zhen, but the little guy was quick to admit his mistakes but refused to change his bad habits.

However, Yi Huai had no idea about the so-called "sunken wood", so Chu Zhou had to waste some time explaining it to him.

He gave Yi Huai a deadline before noon. If he couldn't find him, Chu Zhou would have to go there himself in the afternoon.

So, after the two little guys received the task, they ran away in a hurry. When Fan Zhong saw them, he wanted to say something but hesitated, and in the end he didn't ask anything.

Regardless of what kind of person Taoist Xuanzhen is, it cannot be denied that he is a real veteran of the world. He has experienced many ups and downs, met many people, and has a sharp eye.

Therefore, those who could stay by his side, whether it was Fan Zhong, the cook, or the helper, were all reliable.

Fan Zhong knows what to ask and what not to ask, and he only gives suggestions when encountering problems and never makes decisions on behalf of others.

Do your duty!

He understood the meaning of these four words.

It must be said that the team left by Taoist Xuan Zhen is really good, otherwise, Chu Zhou would have far more headaches than he has now.

Because it is the last day of the funeral, everyone who should have come before has already come, so today seems even more deserted.

Chu Zhou was also happy to have some free time. While kneeling there burning paper, he was thinking about his plans.

At noon, Xu Cheng came back, driving the temple's donkey cart and bringing back a lot of things, which he finally put in the master's room.

Chu Zhou clicked on it and found that there was less cinnabar.

According to Xu Cheng's explanation, this thing was not very useful, and there were not many in stock, so he bought all the remaining ones.

However, cinnabar is commonly used in drawing talismans, and there is still some left in the Taoist temple, which is enough.

After all the things were moved, Yi Huai came back, followed by a strong man pushing a wheelbarrow.

The mountain road is difficult to navigate, so this kind of wheelbarrow is the most useful. It is loaded with a pile of wood, some newly cut, some withered, and of different varieties.

To be honest, although Chu Zhou explained what the sunken wood was, Yi Huai was really unsure. So, he simply followed the request and brought back everything he could find, ready to let his brother choose for himself.

Chu Zhou rummaged through the items and felt satisfied, so he sent the two little guys away, asking them to watch in the front while he hid in the room.

No one knew what he was busy with all afternoon, but occasionally when passing by, one could hear the tinkling sound of loquat trees.

It was almost dark when Chu Zhou walked out of the room. He held a palm-sized wooden sign in his hand and rubbed it gently.

The wooden plaque was not big, and seemed to have been soaked in some kind of paint, so it was completely black. One side was engraved with complicated runes, dotted with cinnabar ink, and the runes were bright red like blood, which was very eye-catching.

There is a ghost head painted on the other side. The technique is a bit poor and it looks quite abstract, but it is barely acceptable.

As for the finished product, Chu Zhou is quite satisfied. As for whether it is useful or not?

We’ll know tonight!

Because it was the last day, after dark, Chu Zhou sent everyone away again and issued a strict order: the master would return to spirit at midnight today, and no matter what they heard, they were not to come out.

Children are most afraid of supernatural things, and the two little guys nodded quickly.

Finally, Chu Zhou was the only one left in the hall. He stood beside the coffin, looking at the old Taoist Xuan Zhen who was already smelling a little, and said softly: "Master, Master, no matter what, please lend me a helping hand."

That’s right, the evil ghost he was targeting was the one raised by Taoist Xuan Zhen!
　The new book is launched, it’s not too much to ask for a vote!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)