Gou Zai Xianwu Wenjing Search for Opportunities

The scene in the mirror ends here.

Lin Yuan never expected that Zhang Dengyun had actually committed suicide, and he was even more surprised that the masked man actually wanted to save Zhang Dengyun.

Clearly, the masked men had been keeping an eye on the Zhang family, but hadn't made a move yet, perhaps out of fear of another group, or perhaps out of fear of the Marquis's mansion.

It seems that several groups of people, both openly and secretly, are keeping an eye on the Zhang family.

Lin Yuan guessed that Zhang Dengfeng must have taken something and then fled. He must have sent a message to his family before fleeing, but he didn't know why he didn't send a message to his father.

However, given his advanced age, there was no need for Grandpa Zhang to flee.

I wonder if he sent a message to Xu Niang.

Lin Yuan thought for a moment, then decided to let the mirror help him filter: "Mirror, mirror, which of his experiences are most useful to me right now?"

The clouds in the mirror gathered and dispersed, and the scene changed:

The mountains were shrouded in mist. Zhang Dengyun walked on the stone steps of the mountain path, followed by Zhang Zhenjian. There was another person in front of him, Zhang Dengfeng.

The three climbed the mountain and soon arrived at a high platform. There stood a gatehouse with a plaque that read "Linyuan Taoist Temple".

Zhang Dengfeng turned around and instructed, "When we arrive, don't say too much when you see Master Qian."

"Yes." The two nodded.

After the gatekeeper announced their arrival, he led the three into the incense room.

After a while, a tall Taoist priest walked in, looked around, and said, "You're the ones sent by the eldest mistress of the Marquis of Jiuling's mansion?"

Zhang Dengfeng's lips twitched. He stood up, handed over a brocade bag, clasped his hands in a salute, and said with a smile, "Master Gao, my name is Zhang Dengfeng. It was Madam who sent me."

Master Gao looked him over and said, "The Taoist Master went to the Immortal Temple today. If you need anything, just tell me and I will pass it on to the Taoist Master."

Zhang Dengfeng said, "Master Gao, my nephew Zhang Zhenjian is someone I've watched grow up. He has excellent talent and character. I can't bear to see him sink into depravity in the mortal world. I hope you can give him a chance to serve you."

The Taoist priest weighed the brocade pouch in his hand, but didn't accept it. He asked calmly, "Do you want to vouch for me, or recommend me?"

"A guarantee is sufficient."

Master Gao smiled crookedly and immediately put away the brocade pouch: "Please, all of you, have a seat. This child seems quite good to me. How old is he?"

"Fourteen." Zhang Zhenjian bowed.

Master Gao nodded and said, "The recommended spot can directly make one a serving disciple, but these spots are already scarce. Master Qian can only offer a guarantor spot."

As a guarantor, as the name suggests, it is simply to guarantee his identity and give him the opportunity to participate in the Autumn Festival of Serving Disciples.

Whether he can pass the autumn examination depends on himself. The autumn examination is different every year, so you all need to prepare well.

"Of course." Zhang Dengfeng's lips twitched again, and he handed over another brocade bag. "Please take care of things, Daoist Gao. May I ask how the autumn competition will be conducted this year?"

Master Gao accepted the brocade pouch a second time, chuckled, and whispered, "This year's competition is on the Thousand-Foot Ladder. Each person carries a large stone on their back, and the first to climb it will pass. The exact number of successful candidates hasn't been decided yet, but in previous years it was around ten."

"How many guarantors are there this year?" Zhang Dengfeng asked again.

"In previous years there were only thirty or fifty people, and this year should be about the same," Master Gao said. "Give me Zhang Zhenjian's identity document. I will explain the situation to Master Qian later. As long as Master Qian nods, we will hand over his document."

"I brought the official document." Zhang Dengyun quickly stepped forward and handed over the document, which bore the county government's seal.

"Good, go back and wait for news." Master Gao glanced at the document, nodded, and then instructed, "Practice martial arts more during this time, and remember to build good relationships with the scions of powerful families. In previous years, they would always join forces to block the Taoist temple, and the temple might not be able to manage it then."

After saying this, Master Gao gave a meaningful smile.

"Thank you, Daoist Master!" Zhang Dengfeng said, and then descended the mountain.

On the way back, Zhang Dengfeng said, "Jian'er, you can't be lazy these days. You need to practice martial arts more diligently."

"Yes, Uncle."

Zhang Dengyun said worriedly, "Brother, Jian'er is only at the mid-stage of the Body Tempering Realm. The Autumn Competition in August is just a few months away. Even if he trains hard, I'm afraid he won't be able to stand out."

"I'll talk to the Marquis's mansion later and have Jian'er interact more with the other contestants this year. But there are many contestants from the mansion, so I'm afraid there won't be enough spots, and there will be infighting," Zhang Dengfeng said with exasperation. "Ultimately, you have to be strong yourself!"

Zhang Dengyun sighed and said, "I heard that the Marquis's mansion has Blood Ginseng to refine Blood Pills? It is said that this elixir can help people complete body tempering and break through to the Martial Master realm in a short time. Even women who do not practice martial arts can become Martial Masters directly by taking the elixir."

Zhang Dengfeng snorted coldly and said angrily, "Where did you hear that from?"

Zhang Dengyun was startled: "Brother, what's going on? I overheard the clerk in charge of the granary talking about it while drinking..."

"What else did he say?"

He said that many noble families use this, and that it's extremely scarce and hard to buy, only available to the elite. I thought the Marquis's mansion should have it.

Zhang Dengfeng grabbed his younger brother by the collar, pulled him face to face, and whispered in his ear:

"Let me be frank with you, even if Jian'er can't pass the autumn competition, you still can't touch this damn thing! This ghost pill is extremely evil, so don't ask about it anymore, and definitely don't touch it."

If he fails the autumn examination, I'll use my connections to send him to the Imperial Academy in the capital. After he graduates, he can be considered for officialdom, even if he's a low-ranking scholar from a poor family, he can still become an official.”

"I'll do as you say, Brother." Zhang Dengyun was drenched in sweat.

The scene in the mirror ends here.

After reading it, Lin Yuan discovered that it was news about the Lin Yuan Immortal Temple.

However, why does the gate tower say "Linyuan Taoist Temple"? According to Master Gao, Master Qian went to the Immortal Temple. In other words, Linyuan County not only has a Linyuan Taoist Temple, but also a Linyuan Immortal Temple. These two temples are not together.

It is likely that the two were hierarchical institutions, with the Taoist temple managing secular affairs and the Taoist temple managing scholars and immortals.

This information was indeed useful to him; it was the intelligence he had been wanting to know. It seemed that there were only two ways to become a serving disciple at the Immortal Temple: one was through recommendation, where places were scarce and one could enter directly; the other was through guarantor, which was considered registration and required passing the autumn competition to enter.

Thirty to fifty people vying for a dozen or so spots may not seem too difficult, but the fact that the scions of powerful and wealthy families join forces to block the path greatly reduces the chances of a young person without a background passing the test.

No wonder Zhang Zhenjian eventually went to study at the Imperial Academy; it seems he still failed the autumn examination.

However, for Lin Yuan, his worry wasn't about passing the test, but rather that he didn't even have the chance to sign up as a guarantor.

In order to meet Master Qian, Zhang Dengfeng had to use the name of the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis of Jiuling Prefecture. Even so, he still had to make arrangements beforehand, which not only cost a lot of money but also required prior introductions of personal connections.

Lin Yuan definitely couldn't get a favor from the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis's mansion. If he could get a favor from the Li family of the Earl of Lishui Pavilion, he might have a chance. However, the highest level he could contact in the Li family was only the third steward.

The third steward was only the steward of the ancestral home, not the steward of the city's Earl's mansion.

It seems I need to break through to the Martial Master level as soon as possible and become a bronze-level retainer in the Li family. That way, it will be easier to get in touch with higher-ranking members of the Li family.

However, it was quite a coincidence that the Taoist priest Gao was the same tall Taoist priest from Zhang's herbal medicine shop last year, and it seemed that Master Qian was the same old Taoist priest.

That's quite a coincidence!

Unfortunately, the two only met once. At that time, he was just a student, and Master Qian and Master Gao didn't even look at him properly.

Obviously, even if you go to their door, you'll most likely not find them.

It seems we can only plan this out slowly.

Even ordinary people find it so difficult to become a menial disciple in a Taoist temple; it seems that the path of cultivation is indeed difficult!

Lin Yuan sighed, sat up from the bed, and suddenly remembered that the mirror mentioned the Blood Ginseng Blood Refining Pill. He seemed to have heard Wu Yong mention this name before, saying that even without practicing martial arts, one's physical body could break through to a higher realm.

This could very well be the magic pill, but why did Zhang Dengfeng call it "ghostly thing, ghost pill, and evil"?

I'll ask Wu Yong about it later.

After a while, Gou Dan came to call him for dinner.

The father and eldest brother have returned, and the four members of the Lin family are once again squatting in the courtyard, eating in four rows.

Lin Yuan has been practicing martial arts for a long time now. As his muscles have grown, his appetite has also increased. He ate two large bowls of bean rice in a row, which made his sister-in-law laugh and say, "No wonder they say that poor families can't raise martial arts masters. At the rate you eat, the family would have been empty long ago."

Lin Yuan thought to himself, "This is already a reduced portion of my food intake. The rice and beans at home make my throat sore and affect my appetite. Not only is there no meat, but I've had enough of the salted fish."

However, he didn't say anything on the surface.

After finishing his meal, Lin Yuan's father, seeing that he had eaten too much, said disdainfully, "Now that you're a government official, eating on the government payroll, and meals at the pavilion are free, don't bother coming back unless necessary!"

"Yes, I'll leave tomorrow morning." Lin Yuan nodded, then took out some loose silver and handed it to his father, "This is for you."

"Don't squander your money, kid! I'll save this for you to get married someday." The old man didn't stand on ceremony and immediately stuffed the money into his pocket.

"You should keep her for retirement. I don't approve of the wife you found. I'll find one myself from now on."

"Hey, you brat! You think you can marry that rich girl? Look at yourself in the mirror! We're just a poor, run-down family; they wouldn't even give us a second glance. It's not even dark yet, and you're already dreaming?"

Lin Yuan was amused: "Father, you can't talk about your son like that."

"I'm teaching you a lesson. Stop thinking about all that nonsense; the one you marry is the only one who matters!"

The eldest sister-in-law burst out laughing and choked on her food, but couldn't bear to, so she forced herself to hold it in. The eldest brother did the same.

"Father, where did you learn all this from?" Lin Yuan asked with a smile as his father got more and more excited.

"How did you ever curse at your father when you were a kid?" Dad suddenly got angry.

Lin Yuan thought about it and realized it was true. Back then, he hadn't fully broken free from the mystery of his birth, but he would occasionally blurt out a few words of wisdom from his past life to educate his father. So he could only say seriously, "Father, I'm telling the truth. Even if you really find me a wife, I have to like her, otherwise I won't marry her."

Old Man Lin knew that his youngest son had taken up a post and was now independent, not someone he could easily control. Unusually, he wasn't angry, but instead nodded and said, "Alright."