The two people in question could not possibly be Si Yan and Han Qi. Han Qi is a ghost, and staying together with Si Yan does not count as two people.
The identity of the other two people becomes apparent: his big brother Yang Gui Jin, and the old Chu who takes care of him.
Could it be that something has happened to Zhenyang, making it impossible for Yang to protect the two people beside him?
"It's Yang Gui Jin and Old Chu. Old Chu wouldn't take no for an answer and insisted on seeing you. When I said you weren't here, he kept asking where you were and wanted to find you."
"What exactly has happened, and he won't say." Tang Quan seemed very troubled.
"For a moment, I remained silent. Puyang Xing seemed to find it strange and asked me who I was."
I softly spoke up, mentioning that Yang Gui Jin and Old Chu were looking for me, causing a glint of unease to form in Puyang Xing's eyes.
"Master Yang... must have encountered some trouble. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent my big brother out."
Puyang Xing's words reminded me of the time when Master Yang thought he would die at the leader's hands and entrusted Yang Gui Jin to me.
"It seems... many things have happened since I left Qianyang."
"Qianyang can never go back." Puyang Xing sounded very certain.
I hummed in agreement and then said, "Uncle Tang, I will contact you later. For now, keep Old Chu calm."
Tang Quan said "Alright," and then the phone was hung up.
Puyang Xing's eyes showed a hint of contemplation, and suddenly, a glimmer of brightness flashed in her eyes.
My eyes too constricted, and though neither of us spoke, I knew that we had probably come up with a point.
Instead of randomly seeking out matters to train my abilities, it would be better to take advantage of this situation that involves my family. This way, I might even find clues about my parents!
I directly shared my thoughts, and Puyang Xing nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Indeed, we have a kind of intuition.
We briefly discussed the matter, and Puyang Xing told me to inform Uncle Tang of the location of the kiln market, indicating the station as our meeting point. She said she would go to pick up the person when we arrived.
Puyang Xing was sufficiently vigilant, and I followed her instructions to tell Uncle Tang.
Then, we took a taxi to Yiquan Mountain.
The supervision site of the official kiln market, called Duoyu Dao Guan, was something Puyang Xing had learned through some friends she had made during her initial investigation of the village of Red Ghosts.
Unlike Changfeng Dao Guan, Duoyu Dao Guan had two gates in front of its foot at the base of the mountain, which made it impossible to drive up and forced us to walk up the steps.
On the way, there were groups of two or three pilgrims, and the maples by the sides of the mountain path were slightly red.
The Taoist temple was not located at the summit of the mountain; rather, halfway up the slope stood a pavilion built against the mountainside.
The temple buildings were constructed one upon the other, with varying heights, and in front of the main hall, there was a large dammed lake.
The pavilion was too far away for us to walk to, so we had to rely on the ferry boats that circled the lake for transportation.
Duoyu Dao Guan gave a more secretive yet more worldly impression compared to Changfeng Dao Guan.
We boarded the ferry and reached the front of the pavilion. The mountain gate was majestic, with the characters "Duoyu Dao Guan" on the signboard, written with a sharp pen that seemed about to pierce through the wooden board.
There was a room on the right side of the Taoist temple, where many pilgrims were gathered. They looked at the counter and the goods hanging on the wall.
Mostly there were peachwood swords, fans, tinkling bells, and even copper mirrors and compass mirrors.
The shop had light boxes, but they were not turned on despite the bright sky, and the words were still clearly visible.
"Duoyu Dao Guan Offerings of Enlightenment."
My eyebrows furrowed, and I would have thought I had come to the wrong place if it weren't for the thick aura emanating from the mountain gate.
Puyang Xing whispered to me, telling me to remain calm.
She led me up the steps in front of the main gate of the Taoist temple and then into the main hall. Inside, the layout was even more solemn, but there were also more pilgrims.
Upon reaching the front of the main hall, she said to wait here.
I no longer said anything and quietly waited.
The clothing I was wearing had long since ceased to be the green robe; my previous outfit had been destroyed, so I was now wearing casual wear bought from town.
Aside from the constant stream of pilgrims, I also sporadically saw some Taoists, noticing some differences.
The Taoists at Changfeng Dao Guan would converse with the pilgrims, even leading them, but here, the Taoists seemed out of place with the pilgrims. They moved and acted as if on their own.
Someone noticed me and Puyang Xing, but they didn't come close.
Time passed slowly, and as the sky grew dark, the pilgrims gradually dispersed, and the main hall fell into silence, as did the training grounds.
Some Taoists emerged from various halls and houses, all gathering in front of the main hall.
They wore different garments, mostly in muted colors, like green robes that had been washed to fade, with a few wearing scattered pieces of blue robes.
As the sun was about to set behind the mountain peak of the temple, the red hue appeared quite jarring.
All the Taoists were staring at me, their gazes filled with scrutiny.
Suddenly, one person stepped forward. He was still wearing a blue robe, but it was a deeper and more faded shade, with a fifty-year-old face that was rugged and bore deep crow's feet at the corners of his eyes.
"I am Xie Luo, the supervisor of Duoyu Dao Guan. May I inquire what brings you to visit? Duoyu Dao Guan does not welcome the inhabitants of the nine schools or those from auxiliary schools to stay overnight."
Supervisor.
It shouldn't be the position of the head supervisor here, otherwise, the head supervisor would wear a blue robe, his strength too low to come face to face with me.
What slightly furrowed my brow was that they couldn't tell I was a Taoist.
However, I soon let it go. After all, they weren't at the level of Han Zizi or even a Yin-Yang master like Mao You San.
I was dressed inconspicuously, and Puyang Xing carried a red and white-striped night pot on her waist, exuding a strong alluring aura. It was the Taoists who could tell that there was a demon lurking.
Of course, they couldn't see the fate below the demon.
It was through Puyang Xing that Taoist Xie Luo judged our identities.
Puyang Xing slightly furrowed her brow, showing a hint of discomfort, and stepped forward. "I am indeed from an auxiliary school, but he is not. A couple of days ago, we passed through a dangerous place and were attacked by ghosts from the official kiln. We have suffered quite a bit and have come here to Duoyu Dao Guan to buy some peachwood swords. We don't need to stay overnight; we'll leave right after."
At once, Taoist Xie Luo's gaze on me became more critical, and the gazes of the other Taoists showed a hint of indifference.
"Vagabond Taoist? Which mountain gate is your master from?" Xie Luo asked me in a deep tone.
Actually, my discomfort was more pronounced. I didn't expect this group to be so difficult to deal with and to have such a strong sense of exclusion.
I didn't even want to get anything from here; I was about to turn around and leave.
Puyang Xing gave me a subtle hint, and I only suppressed that feeling in my heart.
I slightly clasped my hands together and replied, "Qianyang, Changfeng Dao Guan. Zhang Xu."
Xie Luo slightly furrowed his brow, with more scrutiny in his eyes.
"Qianyang's territory, the regulation Taoist temple, if there is something you need, it indeed requires assistance. However, why are you walking with a woman from an auxiliary school?"
My eyebrows furrowed, and my intuition told me that the people at Duoyu Dao Guan were asking too many questions.
They're asking so many questions now, and I fear they'll ask even more if I try to take something.
I was too simplistic in my comparison; Changfeng Dao Guan in Qianyang was truly much more gentle compared to this.
Changing temples wouldn't necessarily mean I couldn't get what I needed.
"Personal matters are personal. Taoist Xie, I understand that Duoyu Dao Guan does not welcome outsiders. I'm leaving."
