I changed the world.

As the largest Taoist temple in the entire Jiangdong Province, Yunxiao Temple has always been a leading force in the Southeast Taoist community. Located on Yunxiao Mountain outside Dinghai, Yunxiao Mountain is one of the thirty-six Taoist grotto-heavens, and has been bestowed imperial titles throughout history. The current abbot of Yunxiao Temple, Master Xiao Daoguang, is over ninety years old, highly respected, and has a large following throughout the region. What is particularly remarkable is that, despite his advanced age, the abbot still insists on meeting with believers every month and giving lectures on Taoist classics. His harmonious and virtuous teachings are widely admired, and he is currently unanimously elected by various branches of the Jiangdong Taoist community as the president of the Jiangdong Taoist Association.

Today is neither the weekend nor a special day, but even so, Yunxiao Temple is as popular as ever. From the time the temple opens at 8:00 a.m., a large number of worshippers have been flocking into the temple to offer incense.

..............................

In a quiet room within the temple, a middle-aged woman with a plump face was getting up to say goodbye to the old abbot, Xiao Daoguang.

"I made a special trip here today. Firstly, it's been so long since I've seen the old sage, and I've missed him dearly. Seeing you so healthy and vigorous is truly a blessing from Heaven!" the richly dressed woman said with a beaming smile.

"Secondly, it's because my son's new house is completed, and we always need to get a handwritten note from the old immortal to ward off evil spirits before we can feel at ease. Now that our wish has been fulfilled, we won't bother the old immortals any longer in their peaceful cultivation."

"This old man will see Madam Huang off..." Seeing the woman get up, Xiao Daoguang smiled and was about to get up to see her off as well.

"Please sit down, venerable sage..." Upon seeing this, the woman hurriedly said, "I dare not trouble you to see me off from here, this is not my first time visiting you..."

“In that case… Jingyuan, please see Madam Huang off for me.”

“Yes, Master.” A middle-aged Taoist priest who was attending to the woman bowed and then led her and her maid out the door.

About five minutes later, the middle-aged Taoist priest returned.

"Was it properly delivered?" Xiao Daoguang asked.

"Master, rest assured, your disciple personally escorted you out of the temple."

"That's good. The Huang family has always been devout followers of our religion and are honored guests. Please do not neglect them." The Huang mentioned by Xiao Daoguang was Huang Zhongxuan, the husband of the woman from earlier and the vice-chairman of the Jiangdong Provincial Council.

"This disciple knows what is important and what is not."

"Hmm... Is there anything else?" Xiao Daoguang nodded, and seeing his disciple's hesitant expression, he asked again.

"There is indeed something. Two people want to see Master. The one in the lead claims to be the Assistant Director of the Special Crime Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, and his surname is Wang."

"Oh? The Special Crime Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice..." Xiao Daoguang muttered to himself.

"If Master doesn't want to see him, this disciple will find an excuse to send him away..."

“No need,” Xiao Daoguang said calmly, “Bring him over.”

..............................

When the two men in official robes arrived at the meditation room, led by the middle-aged Taoist priest, they saw Xiao Daoguang sitting on a meditation chair with his eyes slightly closed and his hands on his knees.

"Master, Mr. Wang has arrived," the middle-aged Taoist priest whispered to Xiao Daoguang.

Facing this religious leader whose fame spread throughout the southern part of the empire, the older man at the head of the two showed no disrespect whatsoever, and greeted him with a smile and a cupped-hand salute: "Greetings, sir. I am Wang Yunzhou, courtesy name Zizhan, assistant director of the Special Crime Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice."

"Oh," Xiao Daoguang belatedly opened his eyes and laughed, "I'm getting old, and my energy is failing."

As he spoke, he made a move to get up, but Wang Yunzhou quickly exchanged pleasantries and helped the old abbot back to his seat.

So Xiao Daoguang sat down, cupped his hands in greeting to Wang Yunzhou, and then gestured for him to sit, pointing to the side: "Sit."

Wang Yunzhou then sat down across the tea table, while the other person sat further away. The middle-aged Taoist priest poured tea for the two of them and then stood back behind Xiao Daoguang.

Seeing him sit down, Xiao Daoguang asked again, "What brings you here, esteemed official?"

Looking into the other person's calm eyes amidst the smile, Wang Yunzhou knew that this person was no ordinary individual. If possible, he would have liked to leave now, but unfortunately, he had official duties to attend to, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue.

“Indeed, one would not visit a temple without a reason. I am preoccupied with official duties today, and thus I have no choice but to take the liberty of coming here and disturbing your peaceful cultivation. I hope you will not take offense.” With that, Wang Yunzhou cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Seeing that Xiao Daoguang was listening attentively, Wang Yunzhou continued, "You must have heard about the discovery of the tomb of the Celestial Master Song in Linzhou yesterday, right?"

"Of course I know." Upon hearing this, Xiao Daoguang suppressed his smile, solemnly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "Master Song is one of the four great masters of our sect. The appearance of his physical tomb is truly a great event for the Xuanmen sect."

"Although I am not a disciple of the Xuanmen sect, I still admire the Heavenly Venerable." Wang Yunzhou also cupped his hands in a perfunctory manner, then smiled and said:

"Recently, there have been rumors circulating online about the excavation site of the tomb of Song Tianshi, where the Tianshi is said to have manifested his divine power. I wonder if the real person has heard of this?"

"This matter is indeed true. I have already inquired about the details with my colleagues present, and there is video evidence to corroborate it. This matter is undoubtedly true."

"It is rather hasty for you to make such a judgment. In my personal opinion, whether this matter is true or not requires further consideration..."

"There were dozens of witnesses to this, in broad daylight, in full view of everyone. What else is there to remember?" The smile on Xiao Daoguang's face gradually faded.

"You're mistaken, sir. With the current level of technology, even what you see with your own eyes may not be true..."

But Xiao Daoguang raised his hand to stop him from speaking, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Wang Yunzhou: "Your words have some unspoken meaning, so please speak frankly."

If possible, Wang Yunzhou would not want to offend the old man in front of him. After all, given the old man's status and age, he could sit down and discuss matters with even members of the royal family.

Limited by his duties, he sighed inwardly, but his smile grew even wider as he cupped his hands and said, "I am preoccupied with official business. If I have offended you in any way, I hope you will forgive me."

Seeing Xiao Daoguang nod slightly, Wang Yunzhou continued, "This matter of the Celestial Master's manifestation has received a lot of public attention. The bureau's intention is to hope that all parties can handle it as gently and discreetly as possible..."

"Gentle and low-key?" Xiao Daoguang's expression remained unchanged, his tone indifferent as if he were pondering the meaning behind the words.

“Yes, overall, we still hope that the major media outlets and the high-ranking immortals of the Xuanmen will not exaggerate this matter and try to avoid disturbing public opinion…” Wang Yunzhou said while carefully observing Xiao Daoguang’s expression. As a senior elite of the Special Crime Investigation Bureau, he naturally knew many ways to judge other people’s emotions through subtle expressions. For example, he could see that the middle-aged Taoist standing behind Xiao Daoguang was quite indignant.

However, with his discerning eye, he could not detect even the slightest fluctuation on the old abbot's face, as if he were facing a deep, still pool. He could only continue, "I have long heard that you are a person of high moral character and great prestige, and reasonable in understanding. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of coming here today for this very reason."

Xiao Daoguang closed his eyes and remained silent, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere. After a short while, he slowly spoke, "Whose idea is this?"

"Is this the intention of your bureau chief? Minister Ma of the Ministry of Justice? Or perhaps, a cabinet member?"

The old abbot spoke calmly, without a hint of sharpness, yet the question caused a slight sweat to bead on Wang Yunzhou's forehead: "This matter concerns the higher-ups, and I beg your forgiveness that I cannot speak frankly about it."