Wandering Gods of Day and Night

Facing the curse of the temple master, Zhou Xuan coldly stood by and said,

"Temple master, what does it matter if you curse me? I kept one of your eyes in my Secret Realm so you could see for yourself—whether I can make it out of this murky water of Mingjiang Prefecture.

Now I feel keeping your eye was worth it. In a few days, you'll witness what true leadership from the City God's Master looks like."

"Qing Feng has no vision. He is no fit to be the main Master of the City God."

The temple master's eye, already lashed and cracked open by the other eyes within the City God Taoist Temple, still burned with fury today. Though in immense pain, he couldn't hold back his words.

"For the City God to grow, it needs money and the support of important figures. Over the years I've managed the City God, I've doubled the size of the Tangkou. Even the Bone Elder Association can no longer completely dominate us…"

"Big but useless. What's the point? Don't forget why the City God's Tangkou was established in the first place."

Zhou Xuan spoke icily, "It was for Demon Extermination and Tao Protection. Shui Yong, the original City God, severed his own Dharma Body to remain in the human world—all so you could better protect the Tao.

Protecting the Tao means wherever there's injustice, wherever ghostly chaos arises, it must be swiftly dealt with to safeguard peace. It wasn't meant for you to blow up the City God's size just to compete over scale."

"In your hands, the City God has become a kidnapper's lapdog. Such a Tangkou, the larger it gets, the greater the harm. You're nothing but a tumor on Mingjiang; only Qing Feng has never forgotten the original purpose of the City God."

"Hmph..."

The temple master snorted coldly, but his air of superiority noticeably waned.

Zhou Xuan could not be bothered to continue engaging with him. Instead, he returned to the inn with Zhao Wuya.

At Hui Feng Medical College, the students were still bustling with activity. Zhou Xuan and Zhao Wuya simultaneously unleashed their Perception to absorb Dragon Qi.

While they both absorbed, the efficiency was worlds apart. After trying for half a day, Ya Zi only sucked in disappointment. He howled,

"Landlord, I beg you, stop absorbing. When I'm next to you, I can't get anything."

When Zhao Wuya wandered the campus alone, absorbing Dragon Qi was exhilarating. But standing beside Zhou Xuan, out of ten wisps of Dragon Qi, Zhou Xuan would take nine and a half. Their absorption efficiency wasn't even in the same league.

"Ya Zi, stop whining. I didn't tell you not to absorb. If you can't manage it, that's not my fault."

"Horrible! Your Perception is bullying me. I'm going to report this to Great Master."

Zhao Wuya was utterly frustrated.

"Why are you so upset? Today I just want to build up a body full of Dragon Seeking Qi. I'll absorb more now, and later, I'll tone it down and share a bit with you," Zhou Xuan said.

Zhao Wuya sighed, shoving his compass back into his canvas bag. At today's rate, the Dragon Qi he absorbed wasn't worth the physical energy spent while using the compass.

Zhao Wuya was nonchalant about cultivation—if he could train, great; if not, that was fine too.

"Whatever, I won't argue with you."

He pulled out a jar of ice musk oil from his bag, applied it neatly on his hair, then took out a paper-wrapped package secured with twine. Inside was a cream-filled cake,

which he began scooping with a steel spoon to eat.

Within two or three bites of the cream cake, Zhao Wuya's previously put-off complexion lit up with a rosy flush.

"Ya Zi, did your fortune-telling business start up recently?"

"Nope."

Zhao Wuya said, "I keep wanting to do fortune-telling, but I just can't bring myself to do it."

"Yet when it's a girl's palm you're reading, I think you 'bring yourself' to do it just fine."

"That's student enthusiasm. Honestly, I'm a bit shy."

"If your fortune-telling hasn't started, how do you manage ice musk oil and cream cakes? Your spending is quite something."

The ice musk oil Zhao Wuya used came from Mingjiang Prefecture's Big Powder Store. It wasn't cheap—a single jar could fetch a hefty sum.

As for the cream cake, that was no everyday treat either. It was the favored snack of wealthy young ladies—not something ordinary folks could afford.

"Not doing business doesn't mean I'm broke."

"Does Dragon Seeking Tangkou send you regular payouts?"

"Dragon Seeking Tangkou doesn't have a budget. They're just a bunch of hillbillies running roughshod through the mountains."

Zhao Wuya took out another cream cake from his bag and gestured for Zhou Xuan to have some.

Zhou Xuan accepted the cake; after all, as long as his Perception continued, he could gather Dragon Qi.

He ate the cake in big bites, his eating style far less refined than Zhao Wuya's.

Zhou Xuan asked, "If it's not Tangkou money, and your fortune-telling business hasn't picked up, then where do you get the cash to indulge yourself every day?"

"Landlord, what's this?" Zhao Wuya raised the steel spoon used to eat the cake.

"A stainless steel spoon," Zhou Xuan replied.

In Jing Country, some stainless steel items had appeared, but they were expensive luxuries beyond the reach of common people.

"All the stainless steel products in Mingjiang Prefecture, Ping Shui Prefecture, and Yellow Field Prefecture are made in my father's factory."

"…" Zhou Xuan.

So Ya Zi's a second-generation steel tycoon?

"With noble roots in the Mysterious Sect, Dragon Seeking Young Master indeed lives up to his reputation." Zhou Xuan finally understood why Zhao Wuya was so laid-back about Dragon Seeking.

Supplying stainless steel to three prefectures—imagine how wealthy his family was. How could he possibly be expected to labor tirelessly for Dragon Seeking and risk exhausting their precious young master?

"My family has a little foundation. Supporting my eating and drinking habits isn't a problem."

Zhao Wuya spoke while finishing his cake. He folded the wrapper neatly, went to wash the steel spoon at a laundry pool in front of a building, polished it with a handkerchief until it gleamed, and put it back into his bag.

"Rich kids are indeed this elegant."

Zhou Xuan chuckled.

"Landlord, don't think just because my family earns a lot that we don't contribute. We provide significant offerings to Dragon Seeking Tangkou. Those mountain-dwelling bumpkins do nothing but wander around aimlessly, and we're practically being eaten out of house and home by them."