Uncle Nine: You were supposed to drive corpses, so you summoned the Monkey King!

Lin Chen opened his eyes.

The morning light shone through the cracks in the window.

Lin Chen exhaled a long breath of stale air. This breath lingered in mid-air without dissipating.

The power of the Shangqing Great Cave True Scripture has been revealed.

The magical power that was originally only as thick as a hair in his dantian has now grown significantly stronger.

The flow of magical power is extremely fast.

Lin Chen clenched his fist.

The boost of two points to all attributes is too significant.

Even without using his magic, Lin Chen could kill a bull with a single punch using only his physical strength.

I pushed open the door and walked into the yard.

The air still carried the lingering smell of burning from last night.

Half of the main hall collapsed. The floor was covered with broken wood and tiles.

Master Simu was squatting in the ruins, holding an abacus in his hand.

The old Taoist priest muttered to himself as he manipulated the abacus beads.

"This century-old golden nanmu pillar is worth at least fifty silver dollars."

"This blue and white porcelain tea set is an heirloom from my family."

"I've lost everything! This deal has wiped out my entire savings."

Master Ikkyu strolled over from next door.

The old monk changed into a clean gray robe, and there was still a dog-skin plaster on his face.

"Amitabha, Brother Four Eyes, money is just an external thing."

"You're lucky to be alive, why would you care about this junk?"

Upon hearing this, Master Four Eyes threw his abacus to the ground.

"You old bald monk, it's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering!"

"It's not your house that's collapsing because of the relationship, is it?"

"If it weren't for my disciple's superhuman strength, you would be meeting your Buddha by now."

Master Ikkyu clasped his hands together, not getting angry.

"That was thanks to young friend Lin Chen, what does it have to do with you?"

"Your summoning spell last night didn't even last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before it gave up."

Master Four Eyes, his face flushed and neck thick, jumped up to pull out the bronze sword.

The two started arguing and circling around the yard again.

Lin Chen looked at the two old clowns.

Lin Chen did not try to mediate the fight.

Something popped into my head.

Last night, when the invocation of the gods ended, the soldier gave me countless instructions.

Two roast chickens? This is no joke.

The art of summoning deities borrows the divine thoughts of celestial beings.

This cause and effect must be resolved.

They've done us such a huge favor, how can we not even pay for a roast chicken?

The next time we encounter danger, the divine intervention will probably fail.

If the soldier gets impatient, he might actually appear in someone's dream and start cursing.

Lin Chen walked up to Master Simu.

"Master, stop arguing, I need to go down the mountain."

Master Simu stopped and glanced at Master Yixiu.

"Why are you going down the mountain? To buy building materials in town?"

Lin Chen rubbed his hands together and stretched them out in front of Master Simu.

"I'd like to buy some offerings, Master. Could you give me some silver dollars?"

Upon hearing that money was required, Master Simu clutched his money bag.

"What do you need money for? Doesn't the temple still have glutinous rice and vegetables?"

Lin Chen rolled his eyes.

"Master, last night I invited a god to possess me; that was by borrowing the divine power of heavenly soldiers."

"They told me before they left that they wanted two roast chickens."

"If this debt isn't repaid, your apprentice will have to fight zombies hand-to-hand next time."

Master Simu was stunned.

He himself also practices the art of summoning spirits and understands the rules involved.

Generally, when a patriarch is invoked to possess a spirit, a grand altar is set up afterward, and pigs and sheep are slaughtered as a way of fulfilling the vow.

Lin Chen bypassed his ancestor and directly invited the heavenly soldiers from the Southern Heavenly Gate.

Two roast chickens were really too good for him.

Master Four Eyes gritted his teeth and pulled out three silver dollars from his pocket.

He reluctantly placed it in Lin Chen's hand.

"Spend wisely! Prices are very high these days."

"After buying the roast chicken, I'll also buy some lime; this lobby needs repairs."

Lin Chen put away the silver dollars and turned to walk out.

Jiale was carrying a basin of water for washing his face out of the backyard.

Upon hearing that Lin Chen was going down the mountain to town, Jiale put down the basin of water.

"Junior brother! Wait for me! I'm coming too!"

Jiale ran over with a wide grin.

"Master, I'll help my junior brother carry some things!"

Master Simu waved his hand.

"Go on, go on, don't cause trouble outside."

The two walked out of the temple together.

Walking down the mountain road, Qingshan Town is more than ten miles away. The mountain road is difficult to walk, and it usually takes Jiale most of the day to go down the mountain to buy something.

Today, Lin Chen walked ahead, his steps light and quick.

With the Seven Star Steps and the increased agility, Lin Chen made great strides on the mountain path.

Each step covered two or three meters, and Jiale was panting heavily as he ran behind.

"Junior brother... slow down... I can't keep up."

Jiale was panting heavily, his hands supporting his knees.

Lin Chen stopped and looked back at Jia Le.

"Senior brother, your physical fitness is not good. You haven't been doing enough horse stance squats."

Jiale straightened up and wiped away his sweat.

"Who can compare to you?"

"I still haven't forgotten the scene of you riding that royal zombie and beating people up last night."

"Junior brother, tell me honestly, did you secretly eat some kind of elixir?"

Jiale stared intently at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen replied casually.

"There's no magic pill; it's all about practicing chopping wood and carrying water every day."

Jiale scoffed, disbelieving.

"Give me a break. I've been chopping wood for over a decade, and I can't even beat a lynx."

The two continued on their journey.

Lin Chen slowed down to match Jia Le's pace.

Jialezui never stopped along the way.

It was all a review of the details of last night's battle.

"Junior brother, you looked absolutely stunning when you thrust your sword down like that."

"Even Master Ikkyu said you have the demeanor of a grandmaster."

Lin Chen agreed, but his mind was already on other things.

Besides buying roast chicken, I also need to find out some news from the outside world when I go down the mountain this time.

If Master Qianhe's escort of the zombies goes wrong, the world will probably be in turmoil. With my limited strength, I'd need to summon a deity to deal with even a half-step bronze-armored zombie.

If we encounter even more powerful evil spirits, we still won't be enough; we must seize every opportunity to improve our strength.

After walking for more than an hour, an open space appeared ahead, with wisps of smoke rising from the rooftops in the distance.

We've arrived at Qingshan Town.

This is a fairly large town.

There is a river outside the town, with several covered boats moored along the riverbank, and a tall archway at the entrance of the town.

The words "Qingshan Town" are written on it.

Today happens to be market day, and the town is bustling with people.

The streets were lined with stalls.

The sounds of vendors selling vegetables, meat, and groceries mingled together with the sounds of bargaining.

Lin Chen took a deep breath of the familiar aroma of everyday life.

After spending more than a month in the mountains, surrounded by morgues and zombies every day, Lin Chen's tense shoulders relaxed when he saw so many living people.

Jiale rubbed his hands together, his eyes darting around on both sides of the street.

"Junior brother, what should we do first?"

"How about we go get a bowl of tofu pudding? It's on me!"

Jiale took out two copper coins and said.

Lin Chen patted Jia Le on the shoulder.

"Let's take care of business first, buy the roast chicken first, then we'll eat."

"The gods in heaven are still hungry."

The two walked along the street.

A rich aroma of meat wafted through the air.

Lin Chen sniffed and followed the scent.

At the end of the street, there was a food stall with a dozen or so golden-brown roasted chickens on a shiny, oily counter.

The fragrance is coming from here.

The stall owner was a chubby middle-aged man with an apron of indeterminate color tied around his waist.

Holding a cleaver, he was slicing braised meat for a customer.

"Boss, how much is your roast chicken?"

Lin Chen walked over, pointed to the largest one on the cutting board, and asked. The fat boss looked up and glanced at Lin Chen and Jia Le's attire.

"Oh, you two young Taoist priests have come down the mountain on business?"

"This is authentic beggar's chicken made with a secret recipe."

"Wrapped in lotus leaves, covered in mud, and baked in hot coals, each one costs one silver dollar, no bargaining."

Jiale's eyes widened.

"One silver dollar? You're robbing me!"

"That shop at the edge of town only sells it for half a silver dollar!"

The fat boss tapped the knife on the cutting board.

"Young Taoist priest, you get what you pay for."

"The chickens at the town entrance are diseased and died, but mine are free-range chickens."

"Smell this. Can you tell the difference?"