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

Chapter 189 The Old Taoist's Failed Attempt to Show Off
Thinking of this, the old Taoist priest's heart began to tip violently.

He coughed twice, his face stiff, and said in an extremely strained tone, "Hmph, who do you take me for? You think you can bribe me with a little bit of gold and silver?"

As he spoke, he swiftly snatched the bank card from Su Yueling's hand and stuffed it into the pocket of his patched Taoist robe, his movements fluid and fast, like a fleeting shadow.

"Ahem... But," he cleared his throat, stood up, dusted himself off, and his previously aloof expression instantly became amiable:
"Since it is an official commission for the sake of all living beings, I, as a lay Buddhist, cannot stand idly by. Fine, fine, I will accompany you through this mess once again."

"Let's go, follow me up the mountain."

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back, took a measured step, and walked ahead towards the path leading up the mountain, as if the person who had just been so determined to refuse to do it was not him at all.

Su Yueling stood there, dumbfounded.

Chu Sheng lay on the ground and covered his eyes with his paws.

I don’t have the eyes to see, I really don’t have the eyes to see.

This monk's moral integrity is even lower than that of a husky.

……

The man and his dog followed behind the old Taoist priest along the winding dirt road, heading deeper into Qingcheng Mountain.

The further Chu Sheng went, the more surprised he became.

He could clearly sense that the density of those spiritual energy points in the air was increasing exponentially.

If the concentration of spiritual energy at the foot of the mountain was 1, then now it has reached at least 5.

Although it is still pitifully thin, for this degenerate world, it is practically a paradise.

"No wonder this old man has mastered some skills; he must have found a good spot," Chu Sheng muttered to himself.

After walking for about half an hour, the old Taoist priest stopped at the edge of a seemingly ordinary cliff.

Ahead, the clouds and mist swirled, obscuring the bottom, and apart from a few crooked pine trees, there was nothing else.

"We've arrived." The old Taoist priest stopped, turned around, and looked at Chu Sheng and Su Yueling with a profound and unfathomable gaze.

He stroked his few graying beards, a smug smile spreading across his face, as if he wanted to regain the face he had lost down the mountain.

"Hehe," he glanced back at Chu Sheng, his tone carrying the air of an experienced man pointing out the flaws in the world, "Little dog demon, although you have some skill, you are ultimately a self-taught practitioner. Today, I will open your eyes and let you see the orthodox mountain-protecting formation of my Xuanmen."

“If you have the guts, then come along. But I must warn you, this formation was set up by the master of my sect’s founder. It contains profound secrets and is unpredictable. If you are not sincere and your fate is not right, even if you wander outside for a hundred years, you will never find the location of the sect’s gate.”

After saying that, he struck what he considered a pose of otherworldly elegance, took a deep breath, and then, with confident strides, stepped off the precipice!
Chu Sheng and Su Yueling both held their breath, ready to witness a miracle.

According to the script, the old man's next step should be to step into the void, merge his body into the clouds, and disappear gracefully.

however……

"Ah—Holy crap—!!!"

A piercing scream, filled with terror and disbelief, shattered the tranquility of the valley.

The old Taoist priest's ethereal figure, like a stone, fell straight off the cliff edge and was instantly swallowed by the surging clouds and mist without a sound.

Chu Sheng: "?"

Su Yueling: "??"

A man and a dog stood on the edge of a cliff, staring at each other, their brains both blank.

What... what are they doing?
Did he slip?
Or is this actually a form of performance art? A rather unique array that requires free fall to activate? Time passed, second by second.

ten minutes later.

From below the cliff came a series of cursing sounds, accompanied by the rustling of climbing.

Immediately afterwards, a ragged, disheveled, bruised and swollen figure limped back down from the bottom of the cliff.

It was that same confident old Taoist priest from just now.

His appearance at this moment was nothing like that of a sage; he looked more disheveled than a beggar.

"Damn it... I remembered the wrong location..." The old Taoist priest muttered under his breath, rubbing his backside which was almost broken into eight pieces. His face was flushed red, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

How embarrassing! Absolutely so embarrassing!

He's been showing off his whole life, but today he's completely screwed up, and in front of a dog no less!
He glared fiercely at Chu Sheng, his eyes seeming to say: If you dare to laugh out loud, I'll fight you to the death today!
Chu Sheng suppressed a laugh, turned his head to the side, and shrugged his shoulders.

Su Yueling quickly lowered her head, pretending to study the ants at her feet.

The old Taoist priest coughed awkwardly twice, and this time he dared not pretend anymore. He honestly began to feel around on the edge of the cliff, muttering incantations to himself.

Finally, he found the right spot on an inconspicuous bluestone.

"Cough... This is it."

He glanced back somewhat guiltily, then took a deep breath and walked towards the edge of the cliff again.

This time, after he took a step, it was as if he had stepped into a rippling body of water. His figure twisted slightly and then disappeared into thin air.

Chu Sheng and Su Yueling exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

"Walk."

Chu Sheng let out a low "woof" and took the lead in following after them.

The moment he stepped into that spot, he felt a blur before his eyes, as if he had passed through a thin curtain of water.

The next second, the view in front of me suddenly opened up.

This is not a cliff at all, but a much more open mountain peak surrounded by clouds and mist.

An ancient and dilapidated Taoist temple stands quietly in the center of the peak, surrounded by several cultivated medicinal fields and a small bamboo grove, exuding a tranquil atmosphere of seclusion from the world.

The fresh, spiritual energy in the air became even more intense.

The old Taoist priest was standing at the entrance of the Taoist temple with a dark face. When he saw Chu Sheng come in so quickly, he snorted coldly in displeasure.

"Hmph, a dog's nose is quite sharp."

After saying that, he pushed open the two creaking wooden doors and led them into the Taoist temple.

The Taoist temple could only be described in four words: utterly destitute.

Apart from the statues of the Three Pure Ones enshrined in the main hall, which are relatively intact, the rest of the place exudes an air of poverty and shabbiness.

On the talisman-drawing table, several sheets of ruined talisman paper lay carelessly tossed about; on the bookshelf in the corner, several yellowed ancient books sat covered in dust; in the medicine barrel in the yard, some herbs that Chu Sheng couldn't even name were drying...

The entire Taoist temple is filled with a sense of age and poverty.

(End of this chapter)