Judge of Souls - Chapter 76

Chu Xuanliang went to the back of the Taoist temple to find that restless female devotee.

To be precise, perhaps she wasn’t actually a devotee of Qianyuan Temple.

Upon seeing someone appear, Qin Ru stood up. She seemed anxious and couldn’t hide her disappointment as she said, “Why is it another young person? I want to see the master of your temple! Stop trying to appease me. Let me say it again, I want to see your master!”

Chu Xuanliang said, “Not everyone can see my master. He’s currently in seclusion. If you have something to discuss, you can talk to me first.”

“You? I’ve already consulted more than ten Taoist priests! Baiyun Temple, Qingshan Temple—none of them could help!” Qin Ru suddenly changed her tone and said, “You’re the most capable among them, right? Then you’ll do. Come to my home with me. If you can’t solve the problem, then ask your master to come out of seclusion. Is that a problem?”

Chu Xuanliang heard the names of neighboring temples and asked suspiciously, “Baiyun Temple? What did they say after they went? You found people from Baiyun Temple, didn’t you?”

Qin Ru replied, “They didn’t say anything—they were just scammers! They even tried to get a deposit from me! You—I don’t care if you can help or not, but if you can get your master to come out, I’ll give you one million yuan right away. How about that?”

Chu Xuanliang had initially been willing to go, but after hearing about Baiyun Temple’s evasion, he became cautious. Comparing her conditions with what he knew, he suddenly understood and said, “You’re the one who’s been repeatedly trying to meet Jiang Feng, aren’t you?”

Qin Ru was stunned for a moment. “You’re Jiang Feng’s friend?”

Chu Xuanliang asked, “How do you know about him? He’s not part of our Taoist sect. Don’t bother uninvolved people.”

Qin Ru exclaimed emotionally, “So none of you will help me? My daughter is only fourteen years old! How can you all be so cruel? Ganging up to watch someone die! This is deliberate murder!”

Chu Xuanliang realized that if Jiang Feng had chosen to stay uninvolved, he must have had his reasons. The people from Baiyun Temple had made the same choice, which told him this matter was likely complicated.

Seeing that this woman couldn’t be reasoned with, he simply refused, saying, “You can bring your daughter to the temple. The temple statues are blessed with magical power. If there really is a problem, coming to worship might help a little.”

“I’m offering one million yuan! One million! Just to have you come to my house for one visit! Is that still not acceptable?” Qin Ru asked incredulously. “Are you crazy? Your temple relies on those stingy people donating ten yuan at a time—how long would it take you to earn a million?”

The junior brother said, “It’s not that our lovely devotees donate ten yuan at a time. It’s that although you’re over fifty, your intelligence and memory seem stuck at a child’s spending level.”

The young Taoist added, “And is it really just ten yuan? It’s actually love!”

Chu Xuanliang’s impression of her had already reached rock bottom. “If you had explained the situation properly, I would go even for one yuan, let alone one million. But for things that displease me, I don’t need that million.”

Seeing she couldn’t persuade him, Qin Ru bit her lip and said, “Aren’t you religious people supposed to be compassionate?”

“No, we Taoists believe in following our natural inclinations,” Chu Xuanliang replied with a wry smile. “This benefactor, the Buddhist temple is out the door and to the left. Take care—we won’t be seeing you off.”

“No! I won’t be dismissed so easily!” Qin Ru sat down angrily on a nearby chair, crossed her arms, and declared, “My daughter’s life is at stake here. If you don’t give me an explanation today, this isn’t over!”

Two bodyguards stepped forward to stand in front of her, as if the Taoist priests might actually harm her.

The young Taoist nearby assumed a defensive stance and said, “Mere mice dare to cause trouble at our Taoist temple? Senior Brother Xuanliang!”

Chu Xuanliang immediately pulled out a pair of paper figurines from his waist, blew on them in the air, and then made a hand seal to draw a talisman.

Qin Ru was still feeling defiant when she suddenly felt something lifting her bottom, and she actually rose into the air. In the blink of an eye, she was thrown out the door.

She rubbed her bruised bottom, completely dumbfounded. She was so stunned she didn’t even know to be angry, just blinked woodenly.

Chu Xuanliang looked at her coldly and said, “You dare to cause trouble at our Taoist temple? Have you bought your underworld insurance yet?”

The two bodyguards were also dumbfounded.

This scene that defied physics and science was, honestly, something they wouldn’t have believed if they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes. They had always thought their employer was just superstitiously feudal.

Now… they still weren’t entirely convinced.

This must be magic tricks, yes.

The junior brother said, “You two strong men, do you need my help to leave, or will you go out on your own?”

The two men finally understood after a moment and hurriedly said, “We’ll leave on our own! Sorry for the disturbance… our apologies…”

The two bodyguards helped Qin Ru up, put her hat and sunglasses back on, and half-carried her away.

Qin Ru kept looking back at Chu Xuanliang, seeming to be thinking and remembering, still unable to process what had just happened.

****

After driving them away, they thought Qin Ru wouldn’t appear again for some time. Who would have thought that less than two hours later, she would reappear at the temple gate.

This time she brought her family—five people in total. Two bodyguards, a middle-aged man, and a girl wearing a skirt.

The girl had bandages wrapped around her wrists and looked exhausted.

Having learned her lesson, Qin Ru had tempered her attitude considerably. She stood slightly behind Mr. Zhu, appearing pitiful.

This was quite clever of her.

Mr. Zhu grasped Chu Xuanliang’s hand, his eyes brimming with tears as he said, “Taoist Master! If you can save my daughter, I’ll pay any amount. Really, she’s my only one.”

Chu Xuanliang feared emotional appeals the most. “Let go of my hand first, and speak properly.”

Mr. Zhu said anxiously, “Years ago when Qianyuan Temple was being renovated, I contributed too. I know my wife spoke inappropriately earlier and offended you, but please don’t take it out on the child. The child is innocent, right?”

“Of course,” Chu Xuanliang said. “I only asked her to bring the child to the temple. I never said I wouldn’t help.”

Mr. Zhu sighed in relief. “That’s good, that’s good.”

Mr. Zhu pulled the girl forward. “Yanyan, be good now, don’t be afraid.”

Chu Xuanliang glanced at her, naturally noticing the old ghost hiding far from the statues and the Taoist priests. But he remained expressionless and didn’t mention it.

Just as he was about to take Zhu Yan to the back courtyard, the young Taoist came running to report, “Master heard about the Baiyun Temple matter and said he can see her.”

This was perfect! The group changed direction to go to Taoist Master Xuanyi’s quarters.

Taoist Master Xuanyi personally instructed that Zhu Yan should enter the room alone. Though Qin Ru was worried upon hearing this, she didn’t voice her concerns.

Shortly afterward, Chu Xuanliang saw the old ghost that had been hiding in the distance also fly into the room.

Ten minutes passed with no sound from inside.

Qin Ru pressed her ear against the door but heard nothing. No one knew what was happening inside.

Finally, Taoist Master Xuanyi called out, “Xuanliang.”

Chu Xuanliang responded, “The disciple is here.”

Taoist Master Xuanyi’s voice carried a sense of weariness, “Don’t meddle in this affair. Take them away.”

Chu Xuanliang turned to the group and gestured as if to say “that’s it”. “Please leave now.”

Zhu Yan walked out from the room, looking bewildered at everyone. “It’s fixed already?”

Qin Ru immediately grabbed her, checking her hands and feet as she asked, “What did you do in there?”

Zhu Yan replied. “Nothing at all. At first the old man was talking to himself, and then he told me to come out.”

Qin Ru: “Is your skin still itchy?”

“No more itching,” Zhu Yan shook her head and said happily. “This temple really works! As soon as I entered the temple, the itching stopped!”

Qin Ru’s face brightened with joy. Mr. Zhu’s face, however, turned pale.

After all, they couldn’t come to this temple every time. His daughter wasn’t going to become a female Taoist.