One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

In the pavilion in the backyard.

Fat Tiger sat upright on the old square wooden table. Although it tried its best to maintain the aloofness and majesty that a "wise senior cat" should have, its tail, which was impatiently slapping the table behind it, and its pink little nose, which was twitching uncontrollably, slightly ruined its temperament.

A sizzling sound of hot oil popping came from the kitchen, accompanied by a strong aroma of scallions, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce, which drifted out on the night breeze.

Not long after, Jiang Shou came out carrying a large stainless steel tray.

On the tray were two large blackfish, each more than half an arm's length long. The blackfish were pan-fried in hot oil until golden brown on both sides, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with crispy edges on the skin, and a layer of rich braised sauce was poured over them. These two large fish together must weigh at least six pounds.

Jiang Shou placed the tray on the wooden table and wiped his hands on his apron.

"Senior Fat Tiger, please don't mind." Jiang Shou smiled and pushed the plate towards Fat Tiger. "These two are for you. I had a late-night snack down the mountain, so I won't keep you company."

Fat Tiger glanced down at the two large black fish that were still steaming, and swallowed hard.

It had intended to maintain its composure and act like a senior, waiting until this foolish human had left before enjoying its meal. However, having waited all night on the roof beam, hungry, the aroma of the fish and oil was simply too irresistible.

To hell with his seniority.

"Whoosh—" An orange afterimage flashed by.

Fat Tiger unceremoniously snatched the middle section of one of the large blackfish in his mouth, dragged it directly to the edge of the tray, pressed the fish's head down with his front paws, and began to devour it with gusto, "crunch crunch." The way he ate it was exactly like a refugee who hadn't eaten for three days.

Jiang Shou stood aside, watching the little gluttonous cat eating with its mouth full of oil, and chuckled to himself.

"Eat, eat, the more the better." Jiang Shou's mind was racing with calculations. "As long as you still crave this food, I can use braised fish, steamed fish, sweet and sour fish... to slowly and gradually corrupt your soul. Sooner or later, I'll make you obediently accompany me on my treasure hunt."

After half an hour.

Jiang Shou cleaned up the mess of dishes, washed up, and returned to his room.

It was late at night. He returned to his room, opened the window to let the mountain breeze in, and then sat cross-legged on the wooden bed.

Since Jiang Shou began practicing the "Supreme Guardian of Oneness: Inner Landscape Chapter", he found that he no longer needed to fall asleep at night like ordinary people.

As long as you calm your mind and guide the true essence emitted by the [Dao Seed] in your dantian to circulate through the eight extraordinary meridians of your body, you will enter an extremely mysterious and ethereal state.

In this state, the body's fatigue is gradually soothed and repaired by the gentle, nourishing energy. Even after meditating with eyes closed all night, one will feel refreshed and invigorated when opening their eyes the next morning, their entire body brimming with boundless energy. Compared to sleep, the feeling of mental fullness brought about by this cultivation is far superior.

"Cultivating immortality is indeed the first step to transcending the mortal body."

Jiang Shou took a deep breath, cleared his mind of distractions, and focused his spirit into his dantian. He quickly entered a state of cultivation where he was oblivious to his surroundings.

After several cycles, the sky outside the window was already beginning to brighten.

……

The next morning.

As usual, Jiang Shou completed the breathing exercises of the Shouyi Mind Method in the courtyard. After washing up, he went into the main hall to offer incense to the Three Pure Ones Patriarch and his grandfather.

He changed into a clean tracksuit and walked out of the Taoist temple gate.

I hopped on the blue three-wheeled motorcycle and turned the key.

"Put-put-put-put..." With the roar of the engine, Jiang Shou headed straight for the county town, facing the morning breeze.

His destination today was clear: the county public security bureau detention center.

Although the seasonal ordinance yesterday morning advised "doing good deeds," Jiang Shou wasn't exactly a pushover. Wang Daqiang was a generous man, having given him incense money and a golden signboard. Now that Wang's family had suffered such a major misfortune—his mother was in the ICU, and he himself was detained—it was only right and proper for him, the abbot who had received favors, to go and check on the situation and see if he could offer any assistance. Doing good to someone he knew well would be a win-win situation.

Forty minutes later, the tricycle stopped outside the gate of the county detention center.

Jiang Shou walked to the window in the reception hall and handed over his ID card: "Comrade, I would like to request a visit to Wang Daqiang. You mean the boss of Daqiang Building Materials?"

The police officer inside the window tapped on his keyboard, checked the information, and looked up at Jiang Shou: "Who are you to Wang Daqiang?"

"I am his... friend," Jiang Shou replied.

"No." The police officer returned the ID card expressionlessly. "According to regulations, during detention, only immediate family members, besides the lawyer representing the individual, can apply for visitation. Friends are not allowed."

"This..." Jiang Shou stood there helplessly, holding his ID card.

He's a Taoist priest; he can't exactly go and take the bar exam. As for his immediate family, Wang Daqiang's mother is still in the hospital, and his wife was cheated on and even had her head broken; there's no way she'd come to see him.

Jiang Shou retreated to a corner of the hall, stroking his chin and pondering for a while.

Suddenly, a figure in light blue clothes swaying with the waves flashed through his mind.

He took out his phone and found the number he had saved before. Although he hesitated for a moment, he still pressed the dial button.

The phone rang several times before it was answered.

"Who is this?" Xia Qiu's slightly tired voice came through the receiver, as if he had stayed up all night again.

"Captain Xia, it's me, Jiang Shou."

There was a noticeable two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"What...is there?" Xia Qiu's tone was somewhat complicated, with a businesslike stiffness, but she did not hang up immediately.

Jiang Shou cleared his throat and said directly, "Captain Xia, I'm currently in the reception hall of the county detention center. I'd like to visit Wang Daqiang, who was arrested a couple of days ago for intentional assault, but friends aren't allowed in according to regulations. Could you... do me a favor and make things convenient?"

"Wang Daqiang?" Xia Qiu frowned. "You know him?"

"He's a pilgrim at my Taoist temple," Jiang Shou said honestly. "He's a very honest man. With such a big change happening in his family, I wanted to go in and see how he's doing."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

Xia Qiu is a principled detective, and normally she would have flatly refused such a request for a backdoor visit. But… this young man had just helped them solve the unsolved case of the headless female corpse at the Dongcheng Porcelain Factory two days ago. The detective team truly owed him this favor.

"Wait there."

After a long silence, Xia Qiu uttered only these four words before hanging up the phone.

Jiang Shou put away his phone, leaned against a pillar in the reception hall, and breathed a sigh of relief.

About half an hour later.

A police car pulled up outside the detention center. Xia Qiu, dressed in plainclothes and carrying a file folder, walked in.

She glanced at Jiang Shou standing in the corner, didn't waste any words, walked directly to the window, showed her police ID, and spoke a few words with the police officer inside.

A moment later, the police officer at the window handed over a note.

Xia Qiu handed the note to Jiang Shou, her eyes cold: "You only have fifteen minutes. You're not a lawyer, so you can't discuss any details about the case, understand?"

"Understood, thank you Captain Xia." Jiang Shou took the visitation pass and nodded with a smile.

Xia Qiu looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately held back and turned to walk out of the hall.

……

At this moment, in cell number three of the detention center.

The air was filled with an indescribable odor, a mixture of sweat and toilet smell.

This room was a large dormitory-style room, housing fifteen people. Several bald men were gathered together, passing the time with playing cards and telling dirty jokes.

And in the innermost corner of the dormitory.

Wang Daqiang was lying on the hard wooden bed.

That once shrewd, plump face now appeared gaunt, its chin covered in unkempt stubble. His eyes were dark-rimmed, sunken, and bloodshot, staring blankly at the gray ceiling.

His wife cheated on him. The son he cherished for two years turned out to be someone else's bastard. His most dutiful mother is now lying in the intensive care unit, her life hanging in the balance.

He himself, because of a moment of impulse, committed a crime and was locked in this iron window, not even knowing whether his mother was dead or alive.

th.

Wang Daqiang's mind is now completely blank. He's lost his building materials supermarket business, his desire to make money, and he can't even feel anger anymore. All that's left is a numb, deathly apathy.

"Wang Daqiang".

Outside the iron gate, the police officers knocked on the iron fence with their batons, producing a crisp clanging sound.

The people playing cards in the cell stopped and turned to look at the corner.

Wang Daqiang turned his head blankly, his eyes vacant.

"Get up, someone's visiting." The police officer opened the iron gate.