The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 35 Imperial Edict to Guard the Earth
Du Yuan, who had already traveled quite far from Qing County, was unaware that the people of Qing County planned to erect a monument for his well.

He was just walking along when he suddenly heard the sound of a galloping horse behind him.

Looking back, they saw that it was Qian Youcai leading two thugs who had chased after them.

"Taoist Master, Taoist Master, judging from your direction, are you heading towards the prefectural capital?"

As he was speaking, Qian Youcai jumped off his horse.

"If that's the case, I'd like to accompany you. I'd like to invite you to stay at my Qian family home for a while, and also let my father and brothers pay their respects to your prestige!"

Du Yuan nodded at him and smiled:
"Has anyone from your Qian family come to replace you?"

"Uh, not yet. Even at the fastest horse, it will take a day to get to the prefecture. I'm afraid my father and brothers haven't received the news yet."

"Then you'll still keep me company? What, have you forgotten how your ancestors beat you?"

Qian Youcai was instantly drenched in sweat.

He hadn't actually forgotten, but he felt that his ancestors probably also hoped he wouldn't let Du Yuan, with her kind of destiny, slip away.

But now that Du Yuan has said it herself, he is truly afraid.

After all, as soon as he heard that Du Yuan was leaving, he hastily made a few arrangements for her funeral and hurriedly led his men to catch up with her. He hadn't gone to the ancestral tablets beforehand to ask what the ancestors thought.

Seeing this, Du Yuan shook her head, stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and said:
"You, you, didn't I tell you that your Qian family must cultivate virtue and conduct yourself properly from now on, and not let short-term gains cloud your judgment? Look, how long has it been since I told you, and you've already forgotten?"

Qian Youcai, filled with shame, knelt on the ground and said:

"Master, please calm down. You are aware of your mistake."

"It's not enough to just admit your mistake verbally; you must remember it in your heart."

Qian Youcai didn't say anything, he just kept kowtowing.

Du Yuan could only sigh and step forward to help him up, saying:

"I know it's difficult to change it all at once, but I have to change it no matter how difficult it is."

Wanting everything will definitely lead to trouble!
Qian Youcai dared not look at Du Yuan's face, and could only cover his face and turn away:

"Master, I am truly ashamed. However, although I cannot accompany you, you must accept these silver coins. I know you look down on this mortal world."

"But this is just a small token of my appreciation, a small way for my Qian family to repay your kindness."

"Besides, you said you were going elsewhere to relieve suffering, but you, who always associate with us ordinary people, must have some use for money."

Du Yuan did not refuse, but directly accepted the bag of silver.

It would definitely come in handy to stop for a meal or lodging along the way.

"Well, I have a heart."

"Also, Daoist Master, if you really go to the prefecture, please remember to stay at the Qian family's house in the east of the city for a while."

"If I have time, I will go. Goodbye."

The two parted ways.

Watching Du Yuan's figure disappear into the dense forest, a martial artist couldn't help but ask:

"Second Young Master, why don't you give the Taoist priest a horse?"

Qian Youcai shook his head and said:

"The Taoist priest always walks among us mortals, so he can always find a use for his money. But what use is a horse? With such supernatural powers, would the Taoist priest really need a horse that he has to take care of himself and that would be a burden to him?"

The two warriors immediately agreed.

They felt that the second young master was the one who thought things through. Otherwise, they would most likely have ended up sending a useless horse.
-
On the official road, Du Yuan looked at the long mountain road with a hint of despair.

Although he possessed supernatural powers and could control weapons to injure people from a distance.

However, his legs are still no different from those of an ordinary person!
"Why did you only ask for silver and not a horse?"

Now, the mountain road is long and arduous, and what should have been a heart full of joy—a heavy load of silver—is now just a heavy burden.
He really wanted to throw the bag of silver away. After all, although he had no other money, it wouldn't be difficult for him to get more in his current situation.

After thinking about it for a while, Du Yuan gave up on the plan.

This is a gift from someone, it has a sentiment behind it, how can we throw it away because of something like this?
Exactly, isn't the prefectural capital too far from Qing County?
How come I've been walking all day and everyone I asked on the road said it's still early?
Du Yuan made up her mind that next time she would quickly acquire a supernatural ability to travel. She had actually forgotten about something so important in Qing County.

A misstep.

Shaking his head, Du Yuan began to look around for a place to stay. He remembered that a kind person he had met on the road had told him to follow the main road and he would definitely find a place to stay before dark.

He looked around and actually found it!
There was a house clearly visible in the shade of the trees at the foot of the mountain!
This made Du Yuan overjoyed, and she rushed over. But when she arrived at the place, she realized that it seemed to be a temple.

Instead of the inn or similar place he had envisioned.

It has been in disrepair for many years, but it is still habitable.

The statues on the altar were even more dilapidated than the temple itself.

Du Yuan couldn't even recognize which deity's image it was.

They can't even tell whether it's Taoist or Buddhist.

After examining it for a long time, Du Yuan chuckled and bowed to the statue, saying:

"Passing by this precious place, I'm sorry to bother you for a moment."

As he spoke, he glanced again at the dirty and messy altar and said:
"Well, as a sign of respect, let me take care of the altar for you!"

Without hesitation, Du Yuan immediately began to tend to the altar at the foot of the statue.

Because they didn't have any decent tools on hand, and couldn't find any suitable ones at the temple.

Thinking that she still had spare clothes on her, Du Yuan simply started doing it.

But when they finally got to deal with the stagnant substance in front of the altar, which was completely indistinguishable from its original form...

Du Yuan felt an indescribable resistance.

It's unclear whether it came from the accumulated sediment or from somewhere else.

It just felt extremely difficult to understand.

However, it's not that we can't continue.

Moreover, there's no reason to give up halfway through a task.

With a slight raise of her eyebrows, Du Yuan focused more intently on tidying up the messy altar.

After all the incense burners were removed.

Du Yuan didn't stop; instead, she took out a stick of incense from her bundle.

He bought these from passersby on the street. As a Taoist priest, he felt he was not worthy of his status if he didn't have something that matched his identity.

After lighting it, Du Yuan bowed three times to the nameless statue.

Incense is placed in the burner, and blue smoke rises straight up.

At this moment, Du Yuan suddenly felt dizzy, her body already exhausted from cleaning the altar.

I almost fainted at that moment.

To avoid actually collapsing in this desolate wilderness.

Du Yuan bit his tongue hard, and the moment the taste of rust exploded between his lips and teeth, his vision suddenly cleared. He staggered and grabbed the edge of the cracked lacquer on the offering table, the ground undulating like waves beneath his feet.

But he remained fixed on the damaged statue in the shrine.

In a daze, Du Yuan felt that the statue was becoming clearer and clearer, and then becoming more and more blurry.

It was as if the broken statue before my eyes was still there, and as if I saw the majestic divine peak standing between heaven and earth, with its feet on the vast mountains and rivers.

Before I could take a closer look, it all shattered into countless fireflies in the next wave of dizziness.

In his half-dreaming, half-awake state, he heard a voice that seemed to come from the sky, yet also seemed to be right next to his ear:
"Thank you."

Immediately, a small seal appeared out of thin air in Du Yuan's palm. Upon closer inspection, the inscription was written in an ancient and clumsy style, and it was not in any script that Du Yuan recognized.

But Du Yuan recognized what was engraved on it—"Imperial Edict to Guard the World!"
(End of this chapter)