The reborn policewoman's dog solves numerous major cases, shocking the nation.

Chapter 188 The old Taoist priest broke down, it's that dog again!!
Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain, on a small road leading to the town.

An old Taoist priest, dressed in a tattered robe and carrying a patched cloth bag, with white hair and beard, was walking slowly with weary steps.

It was after a long and arduous journey from the capital that Qingfeng Laodao finally returned to his doorstep.

"Sigh, what a run of bad luck..."

The old Taoist priest sighed as he walked.

He touched his empty arms, his heart aching with pain.

He had accumulated sixty years of magical power, only to be reduced to nothing in a single day.

Several of my treasured talismans, which I've kept for decades, were stolen by that damned husky!

The old Taoist priest was furious at the thought of that dog.

You're just a dog, and it's one thing to have developed intelligence, but how come you're so cunning and scheming?

And the final transformation scene was even more terrifying than the ancient monsters recorded in the ancestral master's notes!
This world is becoming increasingly incomprehensible.

He shook his head, preparing to return to his dilapidated Taoist temple first, have a drink of water, rest his feet, and then consider whether to close the mountain for a hundred years or simply ascend to immortality.

He staggered around a bend in the mountain and saw his familiar Taoist temple, which looked particularly dilapidated in the setting sun.

However, when he saw the scene at the entrance of the Taoist temple, he was struck dumb, frozen in place.

On the stone steps of his dilapidated Taoist temple sat a familiar figure.

A girl.

At the girl's feet lay a more familiar figure.

A black and white husky.

The husky was sticking out its tongue, squinting its eyes, and looking at him with a very familiar, cheeky smile.

The old Taoist priest rubbed his eyes hard and then pinched his thigh.

It hurts! It's not an illusion!

He opened his mouth, but couldn't catch his breath and almost fainted on the spot.

Holy crap!!!

A roar filled with shock, anger, and disbelief echoed endlessly beneath the silent Qingchuan Mountain.

"You...you dog! What are you doing here?!"

He felt that his Dao heart had been completely shattered into dumpling filling today.

Why did I run away from that troublesome capital city? I wanted peace and quiet! I wanted to avoid seeing it and having to stop worrying about it!

The results of it?
After a long and tiring journey, I finally arrived home, only to find that the culprit—this husky that had ruined most of my sixty years of cultivation and stolen several of my precious talismans—was already waiting there like a big shot!
Where the hell can I complain to about this?!
"Woof. (Old man, how have you been?)" Chu Sheng stood up slowly, stretched, and showed a delighted expression of "meeting an old friend in a foreign land".

The myna bird that had been disguised as an ordinary bird on Su Yueling's shoulder immediately flapped its wings and flew down. It cleared its throat and translated in its high-pitched voice: "Our boss said, Daoist Master, how have you been? It's been a few days since we last met. You still look as dashing as ever."

"You big dummy!" The old Taoist priest was so angry that his beard stood on end. "Speak! What are you doing here? This humble temple is too small to accommodate such a big Buddha as you!"

He had already made up his mind: no matter what this bastard said, even if the King of Heaven himself came, he would kick them both off the mountain today! If he stayed with this dog any longer, he would be driven to his death sooner or later by anger!

Upon seeing this, Su Yueling quickly stood up and respectfully bowed to the old Taoist priest: "Taoist priest, please don't misunderstand, we have no ill intentions. We are here on official behalf."

"Official?" The old Taoist priest frowned, his heart skipping a beat.

He knew that getting involved with the authorities was never a good thing.

Last time, he almost lost his life to repay a favor to that old leader in Beijing. And now he's doing it again? Su Yueling took out a document with a bright red seal and Qi Gaowei's signature from her bag and handed it over.

"Master, as you have seen, there are now some enemies in this world that we cannot understand."

"In order to deal with future crises, the higher authorities have set up a special investigation team, hoping to find out the truth about the disappearance of spiritual energy in our world from the root and see if it is possible to find a way to restore it."

"And you are the only senior expert we have been able to find who has in-depth knowledge of this field. Therefore, we hope that you can cooperate with our investigation."

Su Yueling delivered her prepared remarks with neither arrogance nor servility.

This was the safest reason that Chu Sheng and Qi Gaowei came up with after discussing it.

You can't just say, "This husky in front of you has taken on an SSS-level quest called 'Spiritual Awakening' and needs you to be its guide in the newbie village, right?"

After listening, the old Taoist priest rolled his eyes in annoyance, not even bothering to look at the document.

"Cooperate? Cooperate my ass!" He plopped down on the stone steps, rubbing his aching back. "Last time I cooperated with you, I lost eight or nine tenths of my sixty years of cultivation, and almost died there! What, this time you want me to give up my old life for you?"

"I'm telling you, no way! From today onwards, I'm closing the mountain! I won't see anyone! You'd better get off the mountain right now and stop getting in my way!"

The old Taoist priest adopted a nonchalant attitude, as if he were a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

He finally understood that all this talk about national righteousness and extraterrestrial evil was just nonsense.

I'm just an old man nearing the end of my life. If I can peacefully pass away while keeping up with the legacy passed down by my ancestor, that would be enough to honor my ancestors.

Chu Sheng was not surprised at all upon seeing this.

He had anticipated that the old man would react this way.

He winked at Su Yueling, who understood and took out another item from her bag.

It wasn't a document, nor was it some grand principle; it was a thin bank card with a magnetic stripe.

"Master," Su Yueling handed the card to the old Taoist priest, her tone sincere, "we know that you went through a lot last time. This is a small amount of research funding specially approved by the organization... one million. It's a small compensation for your cooperation with our work. Any other expenses incurred later can be reimbursed."

one million?

The old Taoist priest's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.

His hand, which was about to swat away the bank card, paused slightly in mid-air.

He was torn between his inner thoughts and his own conscience.

For a monk, regarding money as dirt is a basic principle...

The problem is, he's poor!

We're so poor we can barely afford to eat!

In this degenerate age, cultivation is inherently difficult. To draw talismans, one must use genuine, top-grade cinnabar containing a trace of yang energy; to refine elixirs, those aged medicinal herbs are all incredibly expensive. Even the calming incense used for meditation must be specially made.

Which of these is free?

In the past, I went out of the mountains to repay a favor to that important person; it was voluntary work, without any compensation.

My dilapidated Taoist temple is almost blown down by the mountain winds, and I can barely collect any incense money all year round.

Not to mention, he also has a mentally challenged apprentice on the mountain to support.

I'm an old man, and I don't know when I'll kick the bucket. I have to leave some savings for that silly boy so he won't starve to death in the future.

(End of this chapter)