And thus, the High Sage Chen Yun subdued the Ghost King Wei Shun, two other Ghost Generals, five Ghost Generals, and eight thousand Ghost Soldiers. He put away his six-foot-tall golden body and restored it to its original form.
He slowly stood up and slapped theopard demon king on the forehead, "Fellow Daoist, please show your true form."
Instantly, the leopard demon king Bao Xin revealed his true form, lying on the ground and allowing Chen Yun to ride on his back.
Chen Yun turned his eyes and said, "Brother Wei, please lead your disciples to follow me back to Qingcheng Mountain."
Ghost King Wei Shun dare not slacken, hurriedly said: "Follow the master's will."
The group of small demons and ghost soldiers and generals followed suit.
Chen Yun rode on the back of the golden leopard, remotely bowing and kowing to Xue Wenjie and Xu Zhigao, saying: "The affairs here have already been resolved. I will now lead them all back to Qingcheng Mountain."
Everyone could tell he wanted to say goodbye.
Xue Wenjie hurried forward and said, "Master, your martial arts are boundless. I wonder when I will see your majesty again. daringly, I humbly request you to take me as a disciple."
Chen Yun laughed loudly, "Brother Xue, your opportunity is not with me."
Xue Wenjie pleaded in despair, "Please enlighten me, Master. Where is the opportunity for my disciple."
Chen Yun pointed south with his hand, "There might be your opportunity in Min territory."
Xue Wenjie was overjoyed, "Thank you for the guidance, Master."
At this moment, Xu Zhigao also rode up.
As soon as he reached them, Xu Zhigao dismounted and fell to his knees, bowing his head and saying, "Thank you, Master Chen, for your great magic in subduing demons and evil spirits. I beg you to stay for two or three days so that I can properly entertain you and express my gratitude."
"General Xu's kindness is appreciated, but I have already accepted it in my heart," Chen Yun smiled and said, "However, the secular world is full of troubles. As an idle cloud and wild goose, I cannot bear these troubles."
Xu Zhigao knowing that his decision to leave was firm, could only say, "We will respectfully send off Master Chen."
Chen Yun no longer paid him any mind, instead looking towards Wu Kexiu, Long Nv Sanjiu, and Ding Xu, saying, "I will not get down from here. If you have time, you can come to my Qingcheng Mountain to chat with me and bid farewell."
"Farewell, Master Chen."
"We will definitely visit when we have time."
Wu Kexiu, Long Nv Sanjiu, and Ding Xu, among others, all loudly replied.
Chen Yun did not speak again, but he slapped the forehead of the golden leopard.
The golden leopard immediately raised a gust of demon wind and soared into the clouds.
More than a hundred small demons followed closely behind the Demon King, all buffeted by the gust of demon wind.
Ghost King Wei Shun, turned into a black qi, along with ghost generals, ghost generals and ghost soldiers all followed to Qingcheng Mountain.
In an instant, the sky was filled with whirlwinds of demons and hissing cold winds, with dark clouds swirling and surging towards the southwest.
Xu Zhigao looked up at the sky and couldn't help but compose a poem to praise: "Revived from death and understanding the profound mysteries, Guangling's might is still playful. Standing six feet tall in gold body unblemished, great laws penetrate both heaven and earth. Thousand thousand bracelets are filled with radiant purple, and the reinforced mace can be wielded freely. Demons and devils are all empty-handed as they hold their illusions in place, and finally, southern birds of flight - Master Chen the Daoist."
After Xu Zhigao finished his poem, he suddenly turned his head towards the city gate.
Zhu Jin was terrified, and had no more courage to resist.
Standing up with a pitiful smile, he said, "Governor Xu, one should face the consequences of their own actions. Zhu has killed your elder brother, and I should commit suicide to atone for my crime. I beg you to spare my family's lives!"
With that, Zhu Jin drew his sword and took his own life by suicide.
However, Xu Zhigao never agreed to Zhu Jin's request, and immediately ordered his troops to enter the Guangling City and killed Zhu Jin's entire family after he committed suicide.
As the saying goes, today's cause will lead to tomorrow's result. The Nantang Li dynasty later suffered the misfortune of their nation's downfall due to their cruelty today.
...
...After several days, Qingcheng Mountain.
Wang Siyan, Zhang Qian, Lin Chen, and the disciples, spirits, magical weapons, and powerful generals all looked at Chen Yun who had just come down from the golden leopard's back. They were all moved to tears.
"Welcome back, Master to Qingcheng."
"Welcome back, Master to Qingcheng."
Gong Ji and Jiaodao Ren, Qin Ming, and others all went forward to greet him.
Chen Yun comforted everyone one by one, and also introduced the Leopard Demon King, Wei Shun, and others. He instructed Jiao Dao Ren and Qin Liang to respectively recruit these demons.
Lastly, he inquired about the cultivation of the disciples, Mei Junyan and others.
...
In the bedroom.
Chen Yun and Wang Siyan walked in together, one in front and one behind.
Just as they entered the room, Wang Siyan closed the door from behind and hugged Chen Yun tightly from behind, "My dear Yunnie, I've missed you so much."
Chen Yun gently held her hand on the back, "Everything is fine now, I'm back after all, aren't I?"
Wang Siyan cried, "I've been apart from you for 18 years, how could you be so heartless?"
Chen Yun knew that the other party was worried about his safety, so he pulled her hand away and slowly turned to embrace her, "I went to Lingjiushan with Master Lu. There, a day is equivalent to 1600 years in the mortal world. Although my companions and I only stayed for a moment, sixteen years have passed in the mortal world. Therefore, I have delayed my return."
Wang Siyan lifted her head, with tears still in the corners of her eyes, and said in a slightly whining tone, "I haven't seen you for 18 years; my face must have wrinkles."
Chen Yun reached out and touched her face gently, smiling dumbly, "You are now a medium-level sorcerer, with a lifespan of several hundred years. How could you age so quickly?"
Indeed, despite not seeing each other for 18 years, Wang Siyan's appearance now is almost the same as before.
If there were any changes, it would be that her eyes have become deeper, which is due to 18 years of experiences making her thoughts more complex.
Wang Siyan still hugged Chen Yun without letting go, and slightly raised her head to say, "My dear Yunnie, I'm afraid you'll be gone for another 10 to 20 years next time. How about we have a child?"
"Yes, we should have a child," Chen Yun nodded in agreement. "But not today."
Wang Siyan was stunned, "Why?"
Chen Yun gently caressed her hair, "I have one more matter to deal with. It may take a few days for my enemies to come calling."
Wang Siyan was very compliant, "Okay, I'll listen to you, Yunnie."
She never asked for a specific reason.
This is where Wang Siyan's intelligence lies. She knows what to ask and what not to ask. If Chen Yun wants to say something, he will naturally disclose it voluntarily.
The two embraced and whispered to each other for a moment.
Just now, they sat down by the table.
Suddenly, Wang Siyan smiled, "In the 18 years you were away, it was thanks to Master Zhang and Master Lin who went to great lengths to earn some silver. Otherwise, those magical weapons and spirits couldn't have been afforded."
Chen Yun was taken aback, "Can't afford them?"
Wang Siyan reported the situation, saying, "Yes, that's right. There are 3000 magical weapons and warriors. Each day, they require more than ten pounds of Zhuanshixiang incense offerings. Spirit animals also need fresh fruits and blood food. Daily expenses can be quite high."
The Zhuanshixiang incense was already very expensive, but with the turmoil in the world now, its price has skyrocketed even further. It's about ten taels of silver per pound.
That's about 3,000 to 4,000 taels of silver per year.
Adding to that, the spirit animals and several demon disciples have large appetites.
Chen Yun estimated that the annual expenses for the temple were at least 5,000 to 6,000 taels of silver.
To be honest, the thousand-plus taels of gold I left behind were not enough to cover the expenses.
As for how Zhang Qian and Lin Chen made money to support the magical weapons, warriors, and disciples of the temple,
It's likely that Zhang Qian and Lin Chen made money from selling the soap they made using the method Chen Yun had taught them previously.
Thinking about this, Chen Yun couldn't help but silently sigh. He finally understood why the orthodox Daoist sects have so few warriors. It's all because of money.
The orthodox Daoist sects cannot resort to cunning theft and robbery from ordinary people.
The "Women's Heavenly Law" is very strict in this regard.
For instance, if any of the supreme deities of heaven and earth accept more than one copper coin of tribute from ordinary people outside of the eight major festivals stipulated in the "Women's Heavenly Law," they can be sentenced to death by beheading.
Because of this, the orthodox Daoist sects basically only have two or three ways to make money.
The first is that some sects have land granted by the government that they can rent out to tenants or grow crops to earn some silver. This usually doesn't bring in much money.
The second is that, like the Mao Shan sect, which needs to maintain the five camp soldiers and numerous brigands with "incense," they will often send disciples to the mortal world to eliminate demons and ghosts on behalf of others in exchange for payment.
As for the third method, it still relies on the court to receive a fixed salary each year.
However, as the Mao Shan sect is large and prosperous, they can still barely make ends meet.
If this were the case for smaller sects, if they truly support too many magical weapons and warriors, they might have problems feeding their people. They could go bankrupt directly.
Chen Yun suddenly recalled bringing back eight thousand ghost soldiers, and couldn't help but smile wryly. "Si mei, this time I've brought back eight thousand ghost soldiers and over a hundred small demons. You should calculate how much silver that will cost annually?"
Wang Siyan helplessly smiled and said, "About twice or three times the original amount."
Chen Yun sighed, "Then that would mean I would have to spend over 10,000 taels of silver each year?"
Wang Siyan replied, "It would be necessary."
Even if Chen Yun were to have come from modern society and has high cultivation to the level of a High-level Magic Practitioner, he would still find it somewhat troublesome at this moment.
Magical weapons and warriors must have been of great assistance to him.
Especially as he is about to enter the secular world to participate in the war of deification.
The disciples and apprentices are also like this.
Chen Yun knew that as the "family head" of the temple, he must find a way to earn more money for the temple.
"Money-making matters can be discussed another day," Chen Yun thought it over and said, "After I deal with the strong enemies, I'll think of a way to make money properly. Just know that you've been working so hard for the temple all these years, and it's been tough on you."
Wang Siyan smiled and said, "It's my pleasure to be of service to Yunnie."
Chen Yun was about to thank her again.
Wang Siyan seemed to think of something, "Oh, by the way, Yunnie."
Chen Yun turned to look at her, "What is it?"
Wang Siyan looked confused, "Your apprentice, Mei Junyan, has been acting rather mysterious lately. I sense a hint of malevolent energy in her. Moreover, she seems to have an abnormal state of mind."
Chen Yun furrowed his brow, "Malevolent energy? An abnormal state of mind?"
Wang Siyan nodded slightly, "Yes, she sometimes speaks to herself as if she were talking to someone else. However, when I asked Master Jiao to investigate, there was no sign of other people's existence. Later, I referred to many medical books and found that Mei Junyan's symptoms were very similar to the malevolent illness of Shi Yu."
The term "Shi Yu" roughly means personality dissociation.
Chen Yun heard this and felt a sense of surprise, "Shi Yu?"
"Yes!" Wang Siyan's eyebrows were scrunched up more and more, "Master Jiao said that there are two 'spirits' inside Mei Junyan's body, competing for control over the body."
Chen Yun was speechless for a moment, thinking to himself that it's just his luck to have a named disciple who's mentally ill.
But he can't spare the time now. He'll deal with that strong enemy after they are defeated.
Wang Siyan was still recounting what she had learned, "Master Jiao also told me that Mei Junyan might have stumbled upon a magical object that can take her to another world by chance."
Each person has their own destiny, and Chen Yun is certainly not going to snatch away his disciple's opportunity.
He was just curious about what was going on with Mei Junyan and which other world the precious object she obtained could take her to.
(Chapter complete)
