Chapter 12

After splitting into two groups, the main group walked for more than two hours and finally caught sight of Jade Void Palace. Zhong Shiwen arranged for a servant to go ahead and inform the palace, as the sudden increase in people by almost half would require Daoist Master Yuxu to make some preparations. The rest of the group slowed down and walked at a leisurely pace.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of Jade Void Palace, where Daoist Master Yuxu was already waiting with several young disciples. Zhong Shiwen and Zhong Ziqi hurried forward, and Zhong Shiwen bowed and said, "I am deeply honored by your personal welcome, Master. I am truly flustered."

Daoist Master Yuxu waved his hand and said, "Nephew, you are too kind."

"Disciple greets Master," Zhong Ziqi also stepped forward to greet him.

Daoist Master Yuxu kindly helped her up and said, "Did you come without telling your father again? Be careful, he might forbid you from leaving the manor for ten days when you return."

Zhong Ziqi wrinkled her nose and said, "Disciple is not afraid. If Father doesn't let me leave the manor, I'll climb over the wall and come out."

At this moment, Wang Xiaojun also stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I am Wang Xiaojun, and I greet Daoist Master Yuxu. I am deeply grateful for your hospitality in accommodating us and our companions." The other time travelers followed suit, bowing and expressing their thanks. Daoist Master Yuxu quickly helped Wang Xiaojun up and said, "There is no need for such formality. I and Mr. Zhong are old friends. Friends of Mr. Zhong are naturally my friends. It is an honor for you to stay at my temple. Please come in." He then took Wang Xiaojun's hand and led everyone into the temple.

Upon entering, Wang Xiaojun looked up and saw the main hall, the Three Pure Ones Hall, with its flying eaves and intricate architecture, exuding a grand presence. A large bronze incense burner in front of the hall emitted a steady stream of incense smoke. On either side were two side halls, also quite magnificent. Each side hall had a moon gate leading to the rear hall. The group first paid their respects to the Three Pure Ones in the main hall, then followed Daoist Master Yuxu through the moon gate to the rear hall.

The courtyard of the rear hall was spacious, with over twenty rooms built along three sides of the wall. The courtyard was filled with trees, making it cool even in the height of summer. Several young disciples were sweeping the courtyard and hurriedly greeted Daoist Master Yuxu when they saw him. While instructing the disciples to prepare lunch, Daoist Master Yuxu arranged accommodations for the time travelers. The Jade Void Palace originally had twenty-two Daoists, so there were plenty of rooms available. Even with the thirty-one time travelers, including the soldiers who would arrive in the afternoon, the accommodations were not cramped. After everything was settled, Daoist Master Yuxu invited everyone to wash their hands and faces and served them tea. He then called Zhong Ziqi and Zhong Shiwen to his private chamber, presumably to discuss something.

The time travelers paid no attention to their actions and began to settle in, unloading their luggage. After a short rest, Wang Xiaojun called everyone to his room for a meeting. Although nearly twenty people in the room made it a bit crowded, everyone was in high spirits, and no one complained. Wang Xiaojun first briefed everyone on what had happened behind the mountain.

It turned out that the PLA soldiers were from the 38th Group Army, known as the "Army of Ten Thousand Years." They were participating in a training exercise at a base in Inner Mongolia when they were transported to this era by the same type of purple cloud. It seemed that this time travel event was not isolated, and there might be others who had been transported as well, though whether they would meet was a matter of luck. The PLA soldiers had been transported with fifteen people and three vehicles: a Type 99A main battle tank, a Type 89 armored command vehicle, and a Type 85 armored recovery vehicle. They belonged to different units of the "Army of Ten Thousand Years" and were coincidentally transported together. At the time, the recovery vehicle was carrying an artillery expert who was calibrating the new tank gun. The armored command vehicle was temporarily assigned to transport a doctor to a field hospital and happened to pass by the tank, resulting in them all being caught in the event. Unlike the car club time travelers, they were transported to a valley, estimated to be northwest of the car club's location. The distance between the two groups was not too far, but the PLA soldiers had been delayed for three days—mainly trying to drive the vehicles out of the valley, which failed due to the steep slopes exceeding the vehicles' limits—before they started exploring. They initially headed north and then east, which is why they hadn't met the car club. A four-man exploration team from the PLA encountered about ten bandits at a small hill, and after warnings failed, they were forced to open fire in self-defense, killing all the bandits. The team leader, Captain Qian, later remarked that they were fortunate it was a live ammunition exercise, as the automatic rifles would have been useless with dummy rounds.

"Thank Mr. Zeng for that," said Captain Yang Xin, the reconnaissance officer from the mechanized infantry battalion, who had accompanied Captain Qian and the tank driver, Private Wu Peng, on the exploration. "At first, we didn't realize we had traveled through time, so when we encountered the bandits, we didn't think they would recognize our military status. In the previous era, it was unheard of for bandits to rob armed soldiers. So we initially fired two shots to scare them, and then planned to involve the local authorities." He smiled and continued, "But the two shots only scared them for a couple of minutes before they charged at us with knives and guns. Honestly, we were a bit hesitant about whether to fire or not. Just as we were hesitating, Mr. Zeng ran over from the road and shouted, 'They don't recognize rifles, they are real bandits, and they will kill you.' That's when we came to our senses and opened fire. It was very dangerous; if we had hesitated a bit longer, we would have had to engage in a close-quarters battle with twelve of them."

Hearing this, everyone understood the danger. If Zeng Zhilin hadn't warned them in time, the four PLA soldiers would have been in grave danger. The car club members, who were less than a hundred meters from the incident, would likely have been the bandits' next target. As everyone was reflecting on this, a disciple from Daoist Master Yuxu came to invite them to the main hall for lunch.

After lunch, Daoist Master Yuxu had the disciples bring out several boxes of Daoist robes for the time travelers to choose from. While everyone was picking out their robes, Daoist Master Yuxu invited Wang Xiaojun and Zhong Shiwen to his private chamber for a discussion.

After they sat down, Daoist Master Yuxu asked Wang Xiaojun, "Prince Wang and your companions are now wearing Daoist robes, but as previously mentioned, you are only staying temporarily at my temple, so you don't need to attend my sermons like regular disciples. Of course, if any of you are interested in Daoist classics, you are welcome to attend my sermons at any time. Your daily meals and accommodations will be well-arranged by my disciples. If you have any complaints, please let me know without hesitation. You are free to do as you please, but when you go out, please wear the Daoist robes to avoid trouble."

Wang Xiaojun quickly thanked him, saying, "Master, you are too kind. I will convey your hospitality to my companions. Please rest assured, we will be careful and will not cause you any trouble."

Daoist Master Yuxu hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Forgive me for being forward, but I have a question. I noticed that you and your companions all have abundant internal energy, as if you have been practicing for a long time. Have you practiced any martial arts or qigong before?"

Wang Xiaojun was surprised by this question. He knew that while some of the time travelers, like his cousin and Zeng Zhilin, knew some martial arts, and the PLA soldiers might have some combat skills, none of them had practiced internal qigong. He realized that the time travel must have changed their bodies, giving them a similar appearance to those with abundant internal energy. However, he couldn't explain this to Daoist Master Yuxu, who wouldn't understand. After some thought, he said, "To be honest, Master, while living overseas, we all followed our clan's rules and practiced some qigong for health and fitness. As for martial arts, only a few of us have any experience, while most of us do not."

"Ah, I see, I see," Daoist Master Yuxu nodded, stroking his beard. "No wonder I noticed that while you all have strong internal energy, only a few of you have martial arts skills. It's a pity that most of you haven't practiced martial arts. Otherwise, I, though not very skilled, could have shared some insights with you."

"Master, you are too modest. Our skills are quite basic and cannot be compared to yours," Wang Xiaojun replied humbly. Then, thinking of the bandits they encountered that morning, he asked, "Master, are there any bandits or outlaws in the area around Treasure Gold Mountain?"

"Bandits? Prince Wang, are you referring to the bandits you encountered this morning?"

"Yes, exactly."

Daoist Master Yuxu thought for a moment and stroked his beard, saying, "I know that about twenty miles northwest, on Rosy Cloud Ridge, there is a group of bandits who have taken over the mountain. They have four or five leaders and several hundred followers who often raid the villages below. The government has sent troops to suppress them several times, but due to the rugged terrain, they have not been successful. In fact, the more they try to suppress them, the more bandits there are. I believe the bandits you encountered were likely sent by this group to raid the villages."

Wang Xiaojun frowned and said, "That's quite a large group. I'm worried that killing a dozen of them might provoke retaliation. If that happens and it brings trouble to the temple, it would be my fault."

Daoist Master Yuxu asked, "What did you do with the bandits' bodies?"

Wang Xiaojun replied, "We carried them into the forest."

Daoist Master Yuxu waved his hand and said, "Prince Wang, there's no need to worry. I've heard that the bandits on Rosy Cloud Ridge raid villages without a fixed location. Sometimes they stay away for days. Some even leave the mountain to join other bandit groups. They won't suspect that the missing dozen were killed by your companions."

Hearing this, Wang Xiaojun felt relieved. After all, if hundreds of bandits attacked, even with automatic rifles, the limited ammunition would be a problem. No one could guarantee that the bandits would be defeated or retreat before the ammunition ran out.

The three of them chatted for a while longer, and Zhong Shiwen, seeing it was getting late, got up to leave. Wang Xiaojun escorted him to the temple gate, bowed, and invited him to visit often. Zhong Shiwen readily agreed. Zhong Ziqi, however, stayed behind, saying she wanted to learn some moves from her master. Whether she was sincere or not was unknown.

Wang Xiaojun returned to the temple, picked out a suitable Daoist robe, and put it on. Checking the time, he sent Yang Xin and Liang Ziyue to the agreed location to wait for Captain Qian and his group.

After Yang and Liang left, Wang Xiaojun visited the rooms where the time travelers were staying to see if they needed anything. He then called Zhao Dawei, Fan Wucheng, and Song Feiyang to his room to discuss selling the alcohol or, more accurately, the alcohol bottles.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Dawei said, "I think we should be directly involved in selling the alcohol and not leave it entirely to the Zhong family."

"Agreed," Fan Wucheng added. "We have a long way to go, and selling alcohol is the first step to making a living. Moreover, in this era, the value of bottled alcohol is significant, and only wealthy people can afford it. Building good relationships with them will benefit our future business."

"I suggest we hold an auction to attract rich merchants and officials from Liangxiang County, Fan County, and even Youzhou City. This will maximize our profits," Song Feiyang suggested.

Wang Xiaojun nodded and said, "Yes, holding an auction is a good idea. We will definitely send people to participate in the sale. Of course, we can't exclude the Zhong family. Even a strong dragon doesn't suppress the local snake, and we are not even a strong dragon. However, there's no need to rush. Let's wait until we are fully settled in the temple. In the meantime, the three of you should plan the auction and present a proposal for the group to discuss and approve."

The three of them nodded in agreement and promised to come up with a detailed plan. Wang Xiaojun encouraged them and saw them to the door. Seeing them return to their room to discuss, he called Wang Feng, who was chatting with Zhong Ziqi in the courtyard, into his room.

Wang Feng eagerly came to him and asked, "Brother, what's up?"

Wang Xiaojun gestured for him to sit down and said, "Today, while talking with Daoist Master Yuxu, he mentioned that we look like we have practiced internal qigong. I think this is a result of the time travel and is beneficial to our bodies. According to the master, if we practice martial arts, we will surely make progress. I believe it's too late for most of us to start, but you and Dazhi have some martial arts experience. If you're interested, you could ask the master to be your teacher and learn some new skills. This would not only leverage your physical advantages but also benefit the team's safety."

Wang Feng was delighted and said, "No problem, I would love to. I feel much better physically now, and if I can learn from Daoist Master Yuxu, I will definitely improve. However, in ancient times, people are very particular about lineage, and I'm not sure if he will accept me as a disciple."

Wang Xiaojun patted his shoulder and encouraged him, "It's all about effort. If you are sincere, you will surely impress him."

Wang Feng nodded firmly and said, "Brother, you're right. From now on, I will work twice as hard to become a disciple and learn martial arts." With that, he stood up and rushed out of the room to pursue his goal.