Chapter 43

After the two female students left and the tourists dispersed, Zhang Tianyuan didn't even think to use the six-character mantra to appraise the bracelet. He simply put it on his wrist, finding it convenient to wear.

When people do good deeds, they always feel a sense of ease and comfort.

Ancient people spoke of the joy of being kind and generous. Although the word "joy" refers to willingness, in Zhang Tianyuan's view, it can also be understood as pleasure.

With a better mood, the journey felt much lighter.

Li Bai once wrote, "The cries of gibbons on both banks never cease, while the light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains," to express his joy. For Zhang Tianyuan, it became, "The birds on both cliffs never stop chirping, while my feet have already reached the peak."

He passed through a dense grove of trees, treading on a rarely trodden path, heading towards the small temple he was going to visit.

As he approached, he suddenly heard people talking, and the voices were quite loud, as if they were arguing. He was puzzled; there were only three Taoist priests in the temple, and they usually got along very well. Why would they be arguing?

He quickened his pace, and Zhang Tianyuan circled around the grove of trees, already able to see the scene inside the temple. It turned out that there were outsiders in the temple, not just the three Taoist priests.

In addition to the three Taoist priests, there was a middle-aged man with a potbelly, his hair slicked back and shiny, wearing several rings on his hands and two expensive watches on his wrist. Behind him were two men in suits with sunglasses, both very muscular, clearly trained.

There was also someone who looked like a manager of the mountain, wearing a work badge.

As he got closer, the voices became clearer.

The staff member said to the three Taoist priests, "Masters, don't blame us. This small temple was originally scheduled for demolition, but since you didn't agree, we kept it. We thought it could at least be a scenic spot on the mountain. But what you did today was not right. Mr. Du came here to taste the monkey wine, and you served him your own brew. That's deceiving consumers and customers."

An older Taoist priest clasped his hands and said, "Boundless Heaven! I did not lie. I said it was our own brew of monkey wine, and Mr. Du must not have heard clearly. If he doesn't like it, we can refund the money."

"Listen to that, the old fraud even talks about a refund. Do you think I need that money? You deal with this. This is clearly consumer fraud, which is fraud," Mr. Du said angrily to the staff member.

The staff member, who seemed to be in cahoots with Mr. Du, looked at the old Taoist priest and said, "If this goes to court, you will all go to jail. Then not only will the temple be gone, but your future livelihood will be in trouble."

"What should we do?" a young Taoist priest panicked.

"There is a way, as we have already said. You can sell the temple. Mr. Du has plenty of money. He can give you 100,000 yuan, and you can spend it as you like. This way, you won't have to worry about going to jail, and you will have money to spend. Isn't that a good deal?" the staff member said with a smile, appearing kind but with a despicable heart.

"This is absolutely unacceptable. This small temple, though small, is a precious relic that has survived for a thousand years. Don't think I don't know what Mr. Du wants. He wants to build a hotel here and demolish this place. That is absolutely out of the question," the old Taoist priest insisted.

"Master, but what if we go to jail?" the young Taoist priest panicked.

The old Taoist priest frowned slightly. He hadn't left the mountain for many years and didn't understand the law. He wasn't sure if they would really go to jail. True Taoist priests or monks are now very rare. They are the true recluses.

Unlike some monks and Taoist priests in certain temples who not only perform arts but also run their temples like companies, acting as chairmen, creating a chaotic mess. If there were really Buddhas or Taoist deities, they would be furious.

In this world, some things can be ignored, but some things must be addressed!

Zhang Tianyuan had received much kindness from these three Taoist priests when he was studying in Nandu. The time he spent here was the happiest of his life, a beautiful memory that he could not allow these despicable people to destroy.

He understood that Mr. Du simply wanted to seize the land and demolish the temple. This was outrageous. Even if the temple wasn't a relic, it should be protected. If the owners didn't want it demolished, there was no reason to force them.

The staff member of the mountain was also aiding and abetting, probably having taken a bribe. A solution had to be found.

He suddenly thought of Professor Wang. With Professor Wang's influence in Nandu, he had connections with many officials. If he intervened, the temple would definitely be saved.

So, Zhang Tianyuan called Professor Wang and briefly explained the situation. When Professor Wang heard that the temple was a thousand-year-old building, he immediately agreed to help and said he would bring people over right away.

However, Zhang Tianyuan needed to help the three Taoist priests first.

He stepped forward, coughed twice, and quickly drew everyone's attention.

When the old Taoist priest saw Zhang Tianyuan, his face lit up with joy: "Boundless Heaven, it's actually Layman Tianyuan!"

He was happy for two reasons: one, seeing an old friend naturally made him happy; and two, he knew that Zhang Tianyuan was educated and could handle the situation.

The two young Taoist priests, who were only in their teens, didn't have as many formalities and called Zhang Tianyuan "brother" directly.

Zhang Tianyuan smiled and said, "Taoist Priest, leave this to me. You don't need to worry."

"What are you?" Mr. Du glared at Zhang Tianyuan and asked.

"Oh, so Mr. Du is a 'thing'! But it doesn't matter, as long as the staff member understands what I'm saying."

"You!" Mr. Du gritted his teeth, clearly angry.

The staff member, seeing Zhang Tianyuan's confidence and the high-quality custom-made clothes he was wearing, knew he was not an ordinary person, probably a young master from somewhere. He didn't dare to offend him and tugged at Mr. Du's sleeve, trying to calm him down.

Now, truly influential people don't wear designer brands; they usually have custom-made clothes from high-quality materials. Those who wear designer brands are usually nouveau riche or people who like to show off.

A clear example is Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich. No one has ever seen him wear a designer brand. His clothes look simple and even plain, but if you ask about the price, it would shock you.

The staff member had good judgment and could tell that Zhang Tianyuan's clothes were of high quality. These clothes were designed by a famous designer and custom-made by a private tailor from Liu Mengxun's family. Although Liu Mengxun didn't tell him the exact cost, he knew it was very expensive.

Zhang Tianyuan smiled and asked, "Mr. Du came to drink monkey wine. Do you know what monkey wine actually is?"

"It's just wine made by monkeys, right?" Mr. Du said irritably, not seeing anything special about Zhang Tianyuan, given that he was wearing international designer brands.