Wait a minute, where is my master?

"Mayor Shi of Kao Mountain Town, I present my respects to the Immortal Master. Mr. Fan, do you know this gentleman?"

Elder Shitou, with a loud voice, first paid his respects to Jin Xu and then turned to ask Fan Youzeng.

Jin Xu furrowed his brows, somewhat unaccustomed to having a face-to-face conversation with a loud elder, but he still spoke gently, "Elder, I have come here this time..."

Little Taoist slowly explained his purpose for coming, with Fan Youzeng chiming in to assist.

Upon hearing that the other party was a Righteous Path Cultivator who dealt with exorcising demons, and that he was here to temporarily house these several hundred people until someone would pick them up in a few days, Mayor Shi was secretly pleased.

"This Taoist Master is so kind-hearted; it seems there should be no problem in asking him to leave some protective measures for our Kao Mountain Town."

Thinking this, Elder Shitou readily agreed to Jin Xu's request and turned to loudly assign tasks.

The men of Kao Mountain Town were responsible for setting up simple tents to provide shelter from the wind and rain for these several hundred people, giving them a temporary place to stay.

The women and children were to boil water, cook porridge, stick flatbreads, and chop some pickled vegetables to prepare food for the group.

Fortunately, it was August and the weather was not cold; there was no need to prepare any warm clothing, otherwise, Kao Mountain Town really couldn't have come up with so many cotton clothes.

Mayor Shi had a good reputation in Kao Mountain Town; at his call, the town's residents all sprang into action.

After assigning the tasks, Elder Shitou subconsciously went to touch the tobacco pipe at his waist, wanting to take a few puffs, but then he remembered that he had left his pipe on the stone mill in the courtyard.

He waved his hand unnaturally and turned around with a smile to Jin Xu, "Little Taoist, do you think this arrangement is acceptable?"

"It's very good, Elder. And here, please take this."

Jin Xu politely replied, and reached toward his storage magic treasure.

The warmth of the townspeople was beyond the little Taoist's expectations, but he had long been prepared to give something in return.

Jin Xu reached into one of the twenty-four Mystic Treasure Pearls and pulled out a cotton cloth package.

The heavy package seemed quite substantial. It was filled with gold and silver treasures that the little Taoist had confiscated from Ten Bamboo Cave.

After the Demon Kings were annihilated, it was the Spider Demons who reminded him that he could loot the demon lair.

Unfortunately, anything related to cultivation had apparently been kept close by the Demon Kings, and only these worldly gold and silver items were found in the cave.

At that time, Jin Xu looked at the treasures and reminisced about the words of the Spider Demons, "It's a shame they were all turned to ashes by the Taoist, otherwise we could have seen if there were any interesting items in the Demon Kings' storage magic treasures."

He fell into deep contemplation.

Whew~ What a huge gain!

His usual approach left nothing behind, and unconsciously, so much was wasted—not even a well at home could justify such spendthrift.

The little Taoist had then decided that in the future when he took action, he would try to leave a complete corpse, or at the very least, leave the part that contained the storage magic treasure.

"Immortal Master, you are really spoiling me too much. You exorcise demons and vanquish the Demon Clan. Our town offers a little help; how can we accept your reward?"

Elder Shitou hastily waved his hand to refuse, not wanting to accept the gift.

Although he might be a bit selfish, accepting this gift would imply they were not merely helping the little Taoist, but rather making a quid pro quo exchange, which would dissolve their good relationship.

Mayor Shi hadn't yet made his request for some protective methods to be left for the town; he was worried about what he would do if the other party refused his request after accepting this gift.

The little Taoist was puzzled by the elder's enthusiasm and lack of expectations for return, glancing at Fan Youzeng who returned a puzzled look as well.

It seemed he also didn't understand what Elder Shitou was plotting.

"This ally isn't working out."

Jin Xu complained internally and bluntly said, "Elder, is there something else you wish for, or do you think this gold and silver are too little?"

"Immortal Master, you jest, it's not that at all. However, since you've asked, I shall speak frankly. There was a notebook left by a former mayor of our Kao Mountain Town, and in it..."

Elder Shitou passionately recounted the two hundred-year-old prophecy to the little Taoist and then pleaded with Jin Xu to leave some methods to protect their village.

After hearing the other party's words, Jin Xu understood; it was because of this matter that the other party was so enthusiastic.

However, with the magic he currently mastered, he could indeed create ten fountains for Kao Mountain Town or burn the mountain behind the town bare.

As for the protective measures, it wasn't that Jin Xu didn't want to leave them; he genuinely did not know how...

"Elder, you should keep this gold and silver. I can't manage the protective measures, but you can rest assured that there should be no trouble from the Demon Clan within five hundred miles,"

Mayor Shi felt disappointed upon hearing the first half of the sentence, but Jin Xu's latter words gave him pause for thought.

"How can this Immortal Master be so sure that there will be no disturbances from the Demon Clan within five hundred miles? Could it be…"

Old Man Shi didn't dare to ponder deeply and obediently accepted the bundle of gold and silver treasures.

Seeing that the townspeople had found a place to stay.

The Taoist took out a Communication Jade Token and sent Xia Yunzhao the position of this place, mentioning that upon the arrival of the night watchman, they could seek a private academy tutor named Fan Youzeng.

Then, he took out a small bottle of Bone Marrow Cleansing Spirit Liquid and gave it to the Spider Demon Zhu Qingmei as a token of gratitude for her assistance and said that if she had the time, she could secretly watch over the nearby villages.

Zhuzhu did not fully understand the value of the Spiritual Liquid, but she felt the Spiritual Energy within and knew this item was extraordinary; she was extremely grateful.

She promised to watch over the nearby villages attentively.

With everything properly arranged, Jin Xu picked up Little White, and Little White picked up the undercover Ox Demon; the three of them made a right angle in the air and flew toward the riverside.

Having not returned all night, he didn't know how the fish at home was doing or whether it had developed a new recipe capable of defeating the greatest chef in the Nine Provinces.

...

A moment later, by the riverside.

Above Xuanxu Temple.

A streak of light flashed across and gently landed on the ground.

The landed Jin Xu set down Little White, and Little White threw the Ox Demon onto the grass.

The Taoist looked ahead, appraising the area.

One night had passed, the temple was still the same temple, and the river was still the same river; everything seemed unchanged.

But now, there were three Cultivators at the temple's entrance.

These three, dressed in Confucian attire of varying ages, one with a beard, the others a bit younger.

They were sitting neatly in front of the temple's entrance, each holding a white porcelain bowl, their faces bitter, their eyes revealing deep despair.

"Temple Master, someone is here."

"I see it. Pick up that undercover first,"

"Oh, yes, Temple Master."

As Jin Xu and Little White conversed, the three noticed their arrival and called out in unison, yet quietly,

"Fellow Daoist, run! There's a fish demon here that forces you to eat filthy things!!!"

Before the words faded, the bearded Cultivator whispered,

"Please, fellow Daoist, go to Qingmu Academy and inform Mr. Song to save us. Upon success, we shall be greatly indebted to you!"

Then, the three saw that the Taoist didn't run away.

Instead, he continued walking towards the temple with an inexplicable expression on his face.

...