One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

Qiyun Inclusive Finance Center.

Manager Liu was all smiles, as attentive as a madam in an ancient brothel. His bald patch in the middle of his Mediterranean hairstyle seemed to glow under the office's incandescent lights.

"Oh, Mr. Jiang! You're so trustworthy! Please, have a seat!"

Seeing Jiang Shou transfer 250,000 RMB directly to the company's corporate account via mobile banking without even blinking, Manager Liu's round, chubby face was beaming with a smile that almost obscured his eyes.

"Oh my! Mr. Jiang, the payment has arrived! Your financial strength and credit are truly a model for the youth of Qiyun County!"

Amidst the constant compliments from Manager Liu, who repeatedly called him "young and promising" and "a talented young man," Jiang Shou completed the formalities for nearly half an hour.

When Manager Liu bowed and scraped as he handed Jiang Shou the settlement certificate and the release papers stamped with the official seal, the 250,000 yuan loan that had been weighing on the head of the junior abbot of Shouyi Temple was finally completely settled.

"Once the formalities are completed, there shouldn't be any other hidden fees, right?" Jiang Shou casually stuffed the documents into his backpack.

"Of course! Of course! No one will disturb your peaceful retreat at Cuiwei Mountain anymore!"

Amidst the flattery of Manager Liu, Jiang Shou walked out of the loan company's door, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Debt free.

Jiang Shou straddled the three-wheeled motorcycle, feeling that the engine sounded like singing today.

"Go to the seafood market and get some good stuff for Fatty Tiger." Jiang Shou drove straight to the seafood wholesale market where his father, Jiang Huaiyuan, worked.

Today, instead of going to his own stall to buy the cheap grass carp and black carp, he went directly to the high-end seafood section of Old Hu's shop next door.

"Uncle Hu, give me two pounds of fresh, live tiger prawns, a box of top-grade Arctic surf clams, and two pounds of thick-cut salmon sashimi." Millionaire Jiang Shoucai began his shopping spree with great gusto.

"I'll have to treat Little Fatty Tiger to a good meal today, to corrupt the soul of this arrogant cat," Jiang Shou thought to himself with glee.

After buying his things, Jiang Shou strolled over to his family's stall, greeted them, and stuffed the expensive box of Arctic surf clams into his father's freezer for him to have with his drinks. He then headed towards Cuiwei Mountain with the remaining shrimp, salmon, and some sauces and fruits.

……

After leaving the county town, we drove onto the provincial highway leading to the western suburbs.

It was afternoon, and the sunlight was a bit dazzling. Jiang Shou was riding his bicycle when he saw an old man wearing a straw hat in the distance, pedaling a long uphill road with great difficulty on an old tricycle loaded with sacks of agricultural products.

The old man was sweating profusely from exhaustion, and the chain of his tricycle was making a creaking sound as it struggled to keep up with the weight, threatening to roll backwards.

Jiang Shou's eyes darted around.

"Doing good deeds...isn't this a merit bestowed upon us?"

Jiang Shou immediately twisted the throttle and chased after him, parking his motorcycle tricycle next to the old man's pedal tricycle.

He held the motorcycle handlebars firmly with one hand, and reached out with the other hand to brace it against the iron bar at the back of the old man's tricycle.

With a slight shift of the true energy in his dantian, Jiang Shou's arm erupted with astonishing power.

The old man, who was about to pedal away, suddenly felt as if a small motor had been installed on the back of his tricycle, making it instantly light and effortless as he rushed up the long slope.

"Oh, young man, thank you so much!" The old man wiped his sweat and thanked him repeatedly as they reached the flat ground.

"You're too kind, sir. It was just a small favor!"

Jiang Shou waved with a smile, twisted the accelerator, and sped away.

After driving a few hundred meters, Jiang Shou couldn't wait to free one hand and touch the Suihanling badge that was stuck to his chest through his clothes.

It was ice-cold and unresponsive.

Jiang Shou took out the wooden plaque and glanced at it. The divination result was still the same: "It is advisable to do good deeds to transform the situation."

"Holy crap, this isn't considered a good deed?" Jiang Shou mentally ranted with extreme snobbery. "Does this stupid cheat have a minimum spending requirement? Helping an old man push a cart isn't enough; you have to save the world to get paid? That's ridiculously high!"

……

When the three-wheeled vehicle reached the vicinity of the Halfway Pavilion on Cuiwei Mountain, Jiang Shouyuan spotted a black BMW sedan parked by the roadside.

On the mountain path ahead, a middle-aged couple were walking uphill side by side.

Jiang Shou's senses were now extremely sharp. Even though they were dozens of meters apart, and with the howling of the mountain wind and the sound of the motorcycle engine, he could still vaguely catch a few words in the conversation between the man and woman.

"...This mountain path is so remote...Shouyi Temple...that Jiang the Half-Immortal from back then...could he really manage?"

It was a woman's voice, tinged with weariness and anxiety.

Upon hearing the words "Shouyi Temple" and "Jiang Banxian," Jiang Shouxin understood.

"It seems they must have heard of the old man's reputation back then and came to Shouyi Temple specifically to offer incense and pray for something."

Three minutes later, the couple turned onto the mountain path leading to the Taoist temple.

Jiang Shou's three-wheeled motorcycle caught up with them. Hearing the engine behind them, the couple moved to the side and stood to let Jiang Shou's motorcycle pass first.

As they passed each other, Jiang Shou glanced at them casually. The couple were both around forty-five years old, well-dressed, and had a slightly wealthy air about them; they looked like businessmen.

Jiang Shou nodded politely to them, twisted the accelerator, and drove ahead to the Taoist temple gate, where he parked the car.

He carried the seafood quickly through the main hall, stuffing it all into the refrigerator in the kitchen. After quickly washing his hands and straightening his clothes, he hurried back to the front yard.

Just as the two newly replaced elm double doors were opened, the middle-aged couple, who had just climbed the steps of the Taoist temple, arrived at the door, panting.

The couple were visibly taken aback when they saw Jiang Shou, who had just passed by on a tricycle, suddenly open the temple gate from the inside.

They had initially thought he was just an ordinary pilgrim who was passing by on his way up the mountain or a young man from town. But now, seeing how familiar he was with the place and waiting for them at the entrance, could he be Jiang Banxian's disciple?

Jiang Shou stood inside the threshold, nodded slightly to them, and asked calmly, "Are you two lay Buddhists here to pay homage to the Three Pure Ones at Shouyi Temple?"

The middle-aged man snapped out of his daze and quickly nodded, "That's right. Besides offering incense, we have some urgent business and would like to see Master Jiang."

Jiang Shou looked at them and replied softly, "You two are a few days too late. Master Jiang has already passed away."

"Huh? They're gone?" The middle-aged couple exchanged a glance, their faces full of surprise, followed by undisguised disappointment.

Seeing this, Jiang Shou stepped aside and invited, "Why don't you two go inside and offer incense to the Three Pure Ones for blessings? If you encounter any difficulties, I am the grandson of the old immortal master, and the current abbot of this temple also knows a little about feng shui and physiognomy, so perhaps he can help."

They looked Jiang Shou up and down. The young man was indeed clean-cut and handsome, and standing in front of that ancient lacquered wooden door, he really did have a touch of otherworldly elegance.

But... he's just too young! In his early twenties, even if he started learning from the womb, how much of the old master's skill could he possibly acquire? The incident that happened to their family was no ordinary evil; even an ordinary Taoist priest wouldn't stand a chance!

The middle-aged couple exchanged another glance.

"Let's... go to the temple to pray and offer incense first." The man forced a polite smile, making no mention of the difficulties he was facing.

After all, Jiang Shou looked very different from the "ethereal and otherworldly" image of an old immortal in their minds.

Jiang Shou saw through it but didn't say anything, nor did he force the issue.

A gentle smile played on his lips as he turned slightly to the side, gesturing for the others to proceed.

"Please come in, laymen."