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

Chapter 7 The Monks and Taoists Who Were Scared Away
After a night of lively conversation, Du Yuan woke up in the morning to find that the caravan members seemed to look at him with increasing awe.

This puzzled Du Yuan.

He knew that he needed to sleep and eat just like them, so shouldn't he think of himself as no longer an ethereal celestial being, but just a person with some ability?

I don't understand, but I don't feel comfortable asking.

However, Du Yuan soon found out why.

Because while he was washing up, he overheard Zhao Laosan whispering to a few young men:
“You don’t understand. I’ve heard the old folks in the village say that the master hasn’t yet transcended the mundane world, but rather that he has reached the great realm of seeing mountains as mountains and water as water.”

what?
Is that what you all think?
I was wondering why you guys were acting so strange!

However, the elderly in your village are quite knowledgeable; they know exactly what a mountain is and what water is.

Throughout their lives, they have seen countless statues of gods and temples, met many Taoist priests and monks, and traveled through countless mountains and rivers.

But he never saw a real demon, nor a real master.

Therefore, once a myth appears, it will be elevated in their minds.

After chatting for a long time last night, Du Yuan learned quite a bit.

But most importantly, he got a way to get a travel permit from the caravan.

That is Qiaoshui Town, which is not far away.

The richest man in Qiaoshui Town is a well-known local gentry.

Although they are not quite a prestigious family, they are close to being a prominent clan, and they wield considerable influence in Qing County.

After getting directions, Du Yuan prepared to go.

Before separation.

Du Yuan earnestly warned the caravan and the horse demon:

"You should know that you have met because of the karmic connection from your past lives. Therefore, you should support each other, not depend on each other."

"People should not use this to bully horses, nor should horses use this to bully people."

“You must carefully consider and grasp the appropriate measure; only in this way can your family prosper for generations and accumulate blessings for many years to come.”

Everyone, including the horse demon, deeply admired and accepted his teachings.

"Respectfully obey the Master's teachings!"

Finally, Du Yuan still said with concern:
"It's not enough to just remember it verbally; you must remember it in your heart, and you must also make sure that your descendants remember it. Otherwise, this good thing will turn into a disaster!"

Everyone said they definitely wouldn't dare.

Only then did Du Yuan cup his hands and say:
"Then I'll take my leave."

The caravan and the horse demons mixed in with the caravan all bowed and said:

"Respectfully seeing off the master!"
-
Although Du Yuan quickly found the path the caravan members had pointed out, following their directions, she was still able to find it.

However, this path is really barely passable.

The road was completely different from what Du Yuan had imagined.

Therefore, after walking for a long time, Du Yuan still couldn't find the so-called Qiaoshui Town.

If he hadn't found the irrigation ditch the caravan had mentioned, Du Yuan would have doubted that he was lost.

Fortunately, after walking a few hundred meters further, Du Yuan spotted several hurried passersby in the distance.

Upon seeing a living person, Du Yuan quickly stepped forward and asked:

"Fellow villager, fellow villager, may I ask if Qiaoshui Town is ahead?"

The people who had been stopped by Du Yuan looked rather grim upon hearing this, but they still asked:

"It's about two or three hundred steps ahead. What are you doing here?"

Seeing that they had found the right place, Du Yuan cupped her hands and said:

"I need to go to Qiaoshui Town."

Upon hearing that Du Yuan was indeed going to Qiaoshui Town, the group's expressions all changed.
"Oh dear, young man, you mustn't go there!"

"Yes, yes, you can't go, you can't go!"

"Why can't we go? Has it been attacked by bandits?"

Du Yuan's expression also changed. She had heard that ancient villages and towns were most afraid of mountain bandits. Because these people would rob and then disappear into the mountains, making it impossible for the county government to catch them, let alone reach them.

"No, it's just that, well, anyway, I can't go!"

They wouldn't say what exactly happened, they just kept trying to persuade Du Yuan not to go.

After some persuasion, Du Yuan and the others gave up.

Because one of them refused to talk about it, and the other didn't know and therefore didn't want to go.

The two parted ways. They hurriedly left with their belongings, while Du Yuan continued on her way, completely bewildered.

When they finally saw the town of Qiaoshui.

Du Yuan realized that this was more of a slightly larger village than a town.

Divided in two by a stream, the village on the north side of the stream is larger, but mostly consists of thatched huts, while the village on the south side of the stream is smaller, but can be seen with brick and tile houses and a large mansion that is quite conspicuous here.

Du Yuan thought that the mansion must be the home of the richest man in Qiaoshui Town that the caravan had mentioned.

Just as Du Yuan was thinking about how to visit them, she saw several monks and Taoist priests rushing out from the village entrance.

An old woman followed behind, clearly unwilling to let these people leave.

Behind the old woman were a timid little boy and a well-dressed man.

What puzzled Du Yuan was that, in this situation, there should have been quite a few villagers coming out to watch the spectacle.

Why isn't it available now?

Then I thought about the strange behavior of those other people.

Du Yuan frowned slightly and stepped forward to ask.

Before they even got close, they could hear the monks and Taoists cursing:
"No, no, we don't want to lose our lives!"

"Let go, you old geezer, let go now! At worst, we'll just refund your money."

As he spoke, he broke free from the old woman and threw a large string of copper coins on the ground.

Immediately, the monks and Taoists ran away as if they had seen a ghost.

The old woman, who was suddenly freed, fell to the ground. Even though she fell hard, she still tried to grab the monks and Taoists.

"Masters, masters, please, you can't leave like this!"

But the more she acted this way, the faster those people ran.

They disappeared in a flash, even Du Yuan couldn't see them anymore.

Du Yuan was increasingly confused, but then she saw the old woman who was holding her child and wailing because those people had left.

Du Yuan, still unable to bear it, stepped forward and picked up the copper coins the monks had scattered, handing them to the old woman before helping her up and saying:
"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

The old woman seemed not to hear what Du Yuan said, but stared intently at Du Yuan's short hair.

Then he grabbed Du Yuan's wrist and knelt down again, shouting:

"You're a monk too, aren't you? You came here specifically because you heard about what's happening here, didn't you? I beg you, please help me!"

"Oh? Old man, what's wrong? Get up quickly, get up quickly."

The old woman wouldn't listen; she just kept kowtowing in front of Du Yuan, begging him to agree.

At the same time, Du Yuan also noticed that many eyes were vaguely visible from the thatched huts around them.

It turns out that not all the villagers had left, but most of them were hiding in their homes.

Thinking back to the previous situation, Du Yuan felt a sense of unease.

I instinctively wanted to leave, but then I saw the old woman kneeling on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

Thinking of her grandmother, Du Yuan couldn't bring herself to move.

As the only grandchild in the family, what would the grandmother who raised him be like if he disappeared?

Du Yuan dared not think about it, and had no way to leave.

After letting out a long sigh, Du Yuan helped the old woman up and said:

"Grandpa, please tell me what happened."

(End of this chapter)