The reward that Jiang's father prepared for Xu Zifan was 50 million in savings and a courtyard house. 50 million was a drop in the ocean for him, but the courtyard house was a priceless treasure that money could not buy. It was passed down from his ancestors and was just right to give to his savior.
Xu Zifan saved his whole family and even caught the enemy who killed his grandmother. He not only gave them these rewards, but also discussed with his family the idea of sharing the Jiang family's connections with Xu Zifan, feeling that this was the only way to repay their kindness.
On the very day that Jiang's father gave Xu Zifan his reward and celebrated the completion of the matter, Xuan Tong brought Xiao Feng to their door.
Xuan Tong, looking displeased, sat down without uttering a word after being invited in. Xiao Feng, on the other hand, had a cold face and his gaze was like a knife. "What? Is the problem solved? Mr. Jiang, you invited my master first. How can you not even inform my master before letting this person finish the job?"
Mr. Jiang said distantly yet politely, "I'm sorry, the matter was urgent. My son, Xiaodong, was in danger again. Master Qingfeng found the root of the problem, and we rushed over to resolve it as quickly as possible. Master Xuantong, I'm truly sorry this time, I..."
"Mr. Jiang!" Xiaofeng interrupted him, frowning and shouting, "Are you saying my master is inferior to that Qingfeng and can't find the crux of the problem?"
Mr. Jiang frowned and straightened his face. He respected metaphysics masters and didn't want to offend people he shouldn't, but he was also the head of the Jiang family, not someone to be subservient to. What kind of nonsense was barking at him like that?
Mr. Jiang said coldly, "I have already sent my secretary to apologize and offer compensation. May I ask what brings Master Xuantong here today?"
Master Xuantong could tell that he was already annoyed, so he flicked his whisk to stop Xiaofeng from speaking and said, "I was a step too late in dealing with Jiang Dong's danger, so there's nothing to say. However, the Jiang family is a large family, and they will encounter many more problems in the future. I think Mr. Jiang should not take this lightly."
Mr. Jiang nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, Taoist priest. I will be careful."
Xiaofeng said with a hint of arrogance, "Mr. Jiang, some things can't be avoided just by being careful." He glared at Xu Zifan, "Is this Qingfeng Daoist leaving? Has Mr. Jiang considered hiring someone to protect the Jiang family?"
"Offering?" This was the first time Jiang's father had heard this term, but he quickly understood its meaning. It turned out that Xuan Tong had come to their door wanting to be their family's offering. This was arrogant and wanting something for nothing just because he had some skills. Judging by the character of the master and his disciple, he would politely decline, not to mention that their family also had Xu Zifan.
Jiang Tianxin tapped the table and said, "Thank you for making this trip, Master Xuantong. I have already joined Qingfeng Temple, and the Jiang family will be under the protection of Qingfeng Temple in the future, so I won't trouble Master Xuantong any further."
Xuan Tong and his disciples only knew that they had gone to the Jiang family's ancestral graves, but they didn't know exactly what had happened, so they inevitably had a skeptical view of Xu Zifan. Even though Xiao Feng had been plagued by misfortune that day, he immediately scoffed upon hearing this, looking at the Jiang family as if they were fools.
Xuan Tong felt offended by the Jiang family. Since they didn't know how to be appreciative, he naturally wouldn't give them any more face.
Xuan Tong stood up and flicked his whisk. "Xiao Feng, no need for further words, let's go."
Xiaofeng scoffed disdainfully, "You'd better not regret it. You won't be so lucky next time you have to beg my master."
It was clearly the master and apprentice who coveted the Chiang family's wealth, yet they made it seem like they were giving it away as charity.
Jiang Tianxin looked away with disdain. "Master, are all people in the Xuanmen sect so arrogant? By the way, do you know any other people in the Xuanmen sect?"
Xu Zifan shook his head. "I don't know them, but I finally understand why that old fox insisted on keeping us tied to the Special Affairs Bureau. People in the Xuanmen are truly rare animals. There are few people in the Special Affairs Bureau, and even fewer masters in the folk. Isn't that making them so arrogant? We don't need to pay attention to these kinds of people. They are nothing to fear. One of the rules of our Qingfeng Temple is that we will never allow anyone to bully us."
"I understand, Master."
[Shaohua: Host, is this a newly added rule?]
[Xu Zifan: Okay, could you write this down for me? I'm afraid I'll forget it in a few days, and that would be embarrassing.]
[Shaohua: Good host.]
Everyone sat down again. Father Jiang poured a glass of wine for Xu Zifan and said with a smile, "I really didn't expect that Xin Xin, who didn't believe in it at all before, would actually become a disciple of the Taoist priest. From now on, Xin Xin will be in your care. I was worried that the reward for sending the Taoist priest would be too little, but now it's all right. We are family from now on. Just let us know if you need anything, and we will do our best to help."
Xu Zifan clinked glasses with him and smiled, "Mr. Jiang is right. I get along well with Jiang Dong and Xin Xin. There's no need to be so formal in the future."
His first job was incredibly profitable. Not only did he find the enemy who wiped out his family, but he also recruited an apprentice with an antidote, and earned a huge sum of money and connections. It was like a windfall. Unfortunately, there aren't that many deep-seated grudges in the world, and he probably won't encounter such a thing again.
With the funds, Xu Zifan took Jiang Tianxin to the government to buy Qingfeng Temple and began preparations to rebuild the Taoist temple and resume its incense offerings.
He took on a disciple to ward off bad luck, but he hadn't yet achieved any cultivation and didn't want to use spirit stones. He had nothing to teach the disciple, so he felt a little guilty. He simply put Jiang Tianxin in charge of rebuilding the Taoist temple while he focused on his own cultivation.
Since I've already fooled them, I might as well fool them a little longer.
His words to Jiang Tianxin were, "You've just joined the sect, so make some contributions so the founders can see them, and then they will bless you."
Jiang Tianxin believed it and accepted the task with exceptional sincerity and seriousness.
Xu Zifan couldn't find a cultivation method suitable for this world in the library. This world was lacking in spiritual energy, and the spiritual roots of humans were too mixed, which was very different from the cultivation world.
He simply found a book called "Chaos Technique" that could be practiced by anyone with any spiritual root, and modified it to create a completely new cultivation method based on the differences between the two worlds.
He was too lazy to think of a name, so he simply named it "Qingfeng Jue" and used it as the core practice of their Taoist temple.
While Jiang Tianxin was diligently reviewing the blueprints with the designer, confirming materials with the architect, approving all documents, and finding the best workers to start building the Taoist temple, Xu Zifan was setting up a tent next to the temple to "supervise" the construction, but in reality, he was quietly cultivating himself and making rapid progress.
Throughout the reconstruction of Qingfeng Temple, he only arranged a feng shui layout and made a few modifications to the blueprints, ignoring everything else. By the time the temple was completed, Jiang Tianxin had lost a lot of weight and gotten a tan. Meanwhile, he was fair-skinned, much stronger, and had achieved a certain level of spiritual cultivation, truly deserving the title of "Master."
Looking at the dark-skinned apprentice who was showing him around the new Qingfeng Temple, Xu Zifan thought with satisfaction: This apprentice was really worth taking on!
After Jiang Tianxin showed him around the Taoist temple, she looked at him expectantly and asked, "Master, what do you think? Will the Ancestral Master be satisfied?"
Xu Zifan nodded, looking around with his hands behind his back. "Yes, your ancestor will definitely be satisfied."
"Then... Master, can I start cultivating now? Should we move here? I've already arranged a car." Jiang Tianxin had waited for a very long time, and finally completed her task, feeling unusually happy.
Xu Zifan quickly refused, "No need to move in, we can just stay at your place."
The Jiang family has servants to take care of you, a cook to prepare delicious meals, and all sorts of entertainment facilities, including a swimming pool. How boring would it be to move to a Taoist temple? He had a premonition that his little disciple would definitely become a cultivation fanatic, and then he wouldn't even have anyone to talk to.
Jiang Tianxin was a little disappointed. She had seen the Taoist temple being built with her own eyes and thought she was going to move in. However, she believed her master's word was law, so she asked again, "Master, can I start cultivating now?"
Xu Zifan had made some progress and felt quite confident. He smiled and said, "You did well. Come with me to offer incense to the Ancestral Master. I'll teach you cultivation when we get back today."
"Yes, Master!" Jiang Tianxin was overjoyed. He entered the hall, respectfully offered incense to the portrait of the patriarch, and knelt on the prayer mat to kowtow three times.
Xu Zifan was also infected by the girl's positive attitude and was in a good mood. When he returned to the Jiang family, he asked the servants to clear the rooftop and took Jiang Tianxin up there to cultivate.
The two sat cross-legged facing each other, hands clasped together, eyes closed. Xu Zifan taught her how to breathe, and once she learned it, he circulated his spiritual energy into her body, slowly circulating the "Clear Breeze Technique," allowing her to feel it with her heart and remember it.
Normal people have to start from the basics step by step, but Jiang Tianxin's fate is special. Learning the exercises is as natural as breathing for him. He found the feeling of Qi in just one hour and firmly memorized the "Qingfeng Jue" so that he could practice on his own!
After that, they cultivated on the rooftop day and night, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. They usually practiced drawing talismans, setting up formations, physiognomy, and divination in Jiang Tianxin's study. Those with pure Yang and pure Yin constitutions seemed born for metaphysics, their seven orifices fully opened in this area, learning at a rapid pace.
Xu Zifan never encountered any difficulties teaching this disciple; she learned quickly and easily. As he had predicted, Jiang Tianxin was indeed a cultivation fanatic. If she had known he possessed the Bigu Pill, she probably wouldn't have wanted to eat at all.
He had originally returned to the Jiang family to enjoy life, but his disciple kept pestering him with questions, so he had no choice but to keep practicing as well. If Liu Zi hadn't suddenly come looking for him, the master and disciple might have been completely isolated from the world.
Liu Zi came to tell them about the truck driver's verdict. The police had asked the truck driver to go back for investigation, recovered the dashcam video of the hit-and-run, and notified the victim's family.
The deceased's family was naturally furious and filed a lawsuit. Now all the procedures have finally been completed. The truck driver caused the accident and fled the scene, resulting in death. This falls under the category of negligence. He was sentenced to ten years in prison and ordered to pay the deceased's family 600,000 yuan in compensation.
After Liu Zi finished speaking, he sighed, "Boss, this is the last case you entrusted to me before you left. I thought there was something going on here, and you must still be thinking about it, so I came to tell you. A man's life, only a ten-year sentence, and we went through so much trouble to catch him, damn it..." He wiped his face, stood up and was about to leave, "Alright, boss, I'm going back."
"That's how it is to be a policeman. You have to judge based on evidence. Don't overthink it. Just do your job." Jiang Tianxin patted Liu Zi on the shoulder and saw him out.
Xu Zifan looked at the female ghost who was frightened and floated away from the door, and coughed twice. "Come here and tell me what you're here for."
The female ghost floated in front of him, crying, "Master, my parents can't bear the loss of me. Their health is deteriorating, and they're in a daze all day. Can you help me save them? Please, Master..."