No wonder he became a Landlord. With such honeyed words, he was the picture of filial piety.
A moment later, Landlord He walked out of the inner room with a swollen nose and bruised face, a look of grievance written all over it. Drifting behind him was the contented spirit of his father.
Having beaten his son, the father’s ghost had dispelled all his resentment, which would make the deliverance much easier.
"Thank you, Taoist Wang."
Tears streamed down Landlord He’s face as he spoke. "Had the Taoist Master not brought my father into the manor, I’m afraid I would have missed the last chance to see him."
"I’m deeply moved, truly, deeply moved~" Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs ɴovᴇl(F)ɪre.ɴet
Having said this, he clapped his hands, ordering the guards to bring out an exquisitely crafted wooden box. "Here’s a small token of my appreciation. Please don’t disdain it, Taoist Master."
The lid of the wooden box sprang open, and a golden radiance instantly burst forth.
Within the box, neatly arranged, were bars of gold—a thousand taels in all, so dazzling it was dizzying to behold.
"Landlord, what is the meaning of this?"
Wang Xiu’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Our Sanqing Immortal Sect has its rules. Are you trying to make this humble Taoist make a mistake?"
Landlord He shook his head and said, "What are you talking about, Taoist Master?"
"You risked your life to eliminate demons and subdue evil for our Maple City; this is the reward you deserve."
"Besides," he continued, "had it not been for your help, my father might have been locked out, left to die with unresolved grievances."
"I... I, He Daren, am known far and wide as a filial son. You saved my father, making you a great benefactor to our family!"
"What are a mere thousand taels of gold in comparison?"
[Detected someone bragging. Congratulations to the Host for gaining Mana +1.]
My goodness. Despite being beaten black and blue, the Landlord is still as smooth-tongued as ever.
To be honest, had Wang Xiu not recently fattened his purse and seen more of the world, he might not have been able to withstand this test.
"Landlord, I truly cannot accept this money!"
"Immortal Master, you must take it. I’m aware of the going rate for a True Disciple’s services; this small gesture is nothing."
"This mission was offered free of charge."
"How can we let the Taoist Master work for nothing? If you don’t accept this money, I won’t feel at ease, and neither will my father."
During the banquet, Wang Xiu and Landlord He went back and forth, pushing the offer away.
Wang Xiu’s lips were nearly worn through, yet he still could not persuade Landlord He, who stubbornly stated that if the deliverance wasn’t compensated, he would rather not have requested Wang Xiu’s services at all.
After all, who would dare employ a monk or a Taoist who works for free? What if they held a grudge and messed with your ancestral grave, causing a zombie to emerge twenty years later? Wouldn’t that be a disaster?
It wouldn’t even require much effort. If Wang Xiu found Landlord He distasteful, he could just occasionally summon his father’s ghost back to beat him up. That alone would be more than he could bear.
After dozens of rounds of polite refusal, Wang Xiu finally sighed and decided to compromise. "Since the Landlord is so insistent, it would be rude of me to refuse."
"I can accept this money."
Switching gears, Wang Xiu said with a smile, "I hope we can change the form of payment."
As expected! Immortals are people too, and who in this world doesn’t love money?
Landlord He breathed a sigh of relief, smiling ingratiatingly. "Please enlighten me, Immortal Master. In what form? Pearls and jades? Antiques and paintings?"
Wang Xiu shook his head slightly.
He smiled and said, "Pearls, jades, antiques, and paintings hold no meaning for cultivators like us."
"Since the Landlord insists on giving me a thousand taels of gold, I hope you can use that gold to buy grain and medicinal herbs to distribute as porridge and provide medical consultations in the surrounding cities."
"This way, the poor can have a full meal, and those afflicted with illness can receive treatment."
"In doing so, it would count as a merit accrued by this humble Taoist."
"It would also count as a merit for you. The virtuous are naturally blessed by the Heavenly Dao, with wealth flowing in abundantly. This will greatly benefit your future business dealings as well. What does the Landlord think of this idea?"
It wasn’t that Wang Xiu didn’t love money. In fact, if this had been the Wang Xiu from a few months prior, he might have been unable to resist such a huge sum.
But now, Wang Xiu was no longer the poor young man he once was. He was a man with 2,000 Spirit Stones tucked away and a Nourishing Soul Lotus in his pocket worth tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.
Even the Mingxue Executioner Sword on his back was a treasure worth at least several hundred thousand Spirit Stones. If converted into the gold of the mundane world, it would be worth hundreds of thousands of taels.
A thousand taels of gold was no longer enough to make Wang Xiu sell his spirit.
Rather than accepting this tip and risking punishment if discovered by the Sect, it was better to use it for charity. It would benefit the reputations of both the Sanqing Immortal Sect and the Divination Sect.
With a good reputation, he could make friends all over the world.
And with more friends, he could drink and be merry with more geniuses, listening to their boasts to level up!
This is all just so I can hang out with more prodigies, listen to them brag, and level up!
Looking at Wang Xiu’s completely open and candid expression, Landlord He was stunned.
Having been in business with his father since he was young, he was accustomed to deception and was naturally adept at reading people. He could tell Wang Xiu wasn’t joking.
This Immortal Master truly intended to all one thousand taels of gold for the sake of accumulating merit and performing good deeds.
After all, Landlord He had previously inquired about prices in the Cultivation World. The market price for one Spirit Stone was about one tael of gold.
A thousand taels of gold was no small sum, even for a Cultivator.
Was this Immortal Master really willing to it?
Could it be that this young Taoist before him was truly a noble gentleman of high moral character, concerned for the wellbeing of the world?
For a moment, Landlord He couldn’t help but feel a sense of shame. But at the same time, feelings of surprise and relief also emerged.
Yes, surprise and relief.
A Taoist willing to accept dirty money, while reassuring in a way, could take it once and would surely take it again.
They might even deliberately cause trouble where there was none, then concoct some clever reason to demand benefits. His father had heard many such stories during his early years of traveling far and wide on business. Some degenerates in the Buddhist Sects were particularly fond of such schemes.
But a Taoist who accepted a thousand taels of gold only to casually use it for disaster relief and free medical aid was, by comparison, many times more reliable.
"Taoist Wang’s benevolence is unmatched! It truly makes me feel ashamed!"
He Daren said from the bottom of his heart, "Rest assured, Immortal Master, tomorrow I will instruct my subordinates to set up porridge stalls in Maple City. I will personally ensure it’s done reliably!"
Wang Xiu nodded slightly, breathing a sigh of relief inwardly.
This is the first time I’ve ever met someone so desperately trying to shove gold into another person’s hands. If I hadn’t been so quick-witted, who knows how long he would have kept me here, padding out the word count!
It was getting late. After chanting The Scripture of Life and Death to guide Landlord He’s father’s spirit, Wang Xiu settled into a guest room at the He Manor. He planned to rest well before selecting a burial site for the elder Landlord the next day.
Meanwhile, with a single command from Landlord He, the once silent and desolate Maple City suddenly became lively.
Overnight, shelters sprang up in residential areas all over the city, attracting a great deal of attention.
According to insiders, the reason Landlord He had set up these shelters was because his father’s seventh day after death had passed, and he was preparing for the burial.
So, he intended to invite all the city’s elders and townsfolk to a feast. Rice porridge and steamed buns would be provided for free, and there would even be stewed pork with glass noodles!
The people who heard the news were immediately dumbfounded. Goodness, Landlord He is a real character!
His father died, and he’s throwing a city-wide party? Is he really that happy?