Chapter 93

Zunbao followed the direction of the sound and saw a red curtain hanging with the words 'Thirty-Sixth Generation Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master' written on it. Below it, a middle-aged Taoist in a dark robe was speaking eloquently and incessantly. Two men sitting in front of him looked anxious, suggesting that the matter they faced was quite serious.

Zunbao slowly approached, listening to the Taoist: "... The price for setting up the altar and performing the ritual is one silver dollar, which is already very low. Then, the purification, mouth cleansing, enlightenment, mirror opening, and incense lighting each cost one silver coin. Using the Five Elements flags, the Three Pure Ones token, the money peach wood sword, and the complete set of ritual tools each cost two silver coins, and there are still more..." He seemed to be counting on his fingers, indicating that there were many preparations to be made, and each would cost money.

The two young men in front of him immediately became impatient. One of them, dressed in green, suddenly interrupted: "Hey, I know some of the rules here. Don't list them one by one. Give us a total price. If it's reasonable, we'll entrust this matter to you. If not, we'll find someone else, okay?"

The man in the ink-and-water robe who came with him quickly chimed in, "Right, right!" Although he said this, his tone was clearly less forceful.

The Taoist, hearing this, laughed and thought for a moment before holding up his hand and flipping it: "Ten silver dollars, and I'll ensure your home is safe and free from any taboos!"

"Ten silver dollars, then..."

"Too expensive!"

They spoke simultaneously, but with different meanings.

Zunbao, listening to their conversation, guessed that the man in the ink-and-water robe was clearly willing to pay the ten silver dollars, but the green-robed man thought it was too expensive and thus intervened. However, it seemed that the green-robed man's word was law. Seeing him speak, the ink-and-water robe man swallowed his half-spoken words and stared at the man beside him, "Uh, Brother Tang Yuan is right, right..."

Tang Yuan nodded and said to the Taoist, "My friend's family is indeed in trouble and needs a master to set up the altar and perform the ritual. This is true. However, the money... hmm. A fixed price. Five silver dollars, with one as a deposit. If you can really solve the problem, we'll pay the rest on the spot!"

Hearing this, the Taoist hesitated, "This..."

"Don't haggle!" Tang Yuan didn't wait for him to speak, immediately interrupting, "Either you do it or you don't. No more talk!" He smiled, "I know that the usual price for setting up an altar and performing a ritual in this city is three silver dollars. Five silver dollars is already very generous. Don't pretend you don't know. Think about it!"

"Alright!" The Taoist, hearing this, realized that the visitors were quite knowledgeable about the trade. Afraid that even the five silver dollars might be lost, he quickly agreed, "Then it's settled! You go back first, and I'll get ready. Come to pick me up at dusk, okay?"

"Alright!" Tang Yuan agreed immediately, "Here—" He slapped a silver dollar on the table. The man in the ink-and-water robe seemed to have more to say, but Tang Yuan pulled him, and he remained silent, allowing Tang Yuan to settle the matter.

After paying the deposit, the two men left after some instructions. Zunbao, weaving through the bustling crowd, followed them from a distance. The two men didn't leave the Eighteen Alleys in a hurry but instead entered a teahouse on the street, ordering two bowls of hot noodles.

The local hot noodles were a type of noodle that was cooked and then dried. Before eating, they were placed in a bowl, and sesame oil, sesame seeds, peanuts, salt, and oil-soaked flour were added. Hot water was poured over, and after three to five minutes, they were ready to eat. The noodles were fragrant, smooth, and easy to prepare, making them a common dish in the area. Most teahouses served this, and the wealthy would add two donkey meat buns for a rare treat.

The two men casually ordered hot noodles and buns, suggesting that their family was not poor.

Zunbao slowly walked to the teahouse steps and sat down, appearing to bask in the sun lazily but actually eavesdropping intently on their conversation. The man in the ink-and-water robe sighed repeatedly, clearly worried, while Tang Yuan comforted him.

Tang Yuan said, "Brother Lou Kang, you don't need to worry too much! We'll follow the plan we discussed. If one doesn't work, we'll find ten; if ten don't work, we'll find a hundred... Eventually, we'll find a capable master to solve the problem and restore peace to your home."

Lou Kang sighed, "Brother Tang, to be honest, that's exactly what I'm worried about! Although my family has been in business for generations and doesn't know much about the occult, we do have some skills in reading people. Among all the temples, only the one we found seems somewhat competent. The others are even worse... I'm afraid if this person can't control the spirits in my home, what will we do then?"

Tang Yuan thought for a moment and suddenly said, "As the saying goes, 'Soybean curd is made with brine, and every problem has a solution.' How do we know it won't work until we try? Let's wait and see what this Taoist can do. If it doesn't work, we'll try others... We'll find someone who can handle it."

Lou Kang still looked worried, and Tang Yuan paused, "If nothing works, I'll think of a way. I'll ask someone to invite a master from the Southern Maoshan School to come. What do you think?"

"Really?" Lou Kang's face lit up, "You mean the Southern Maoshan School of the saying 'Northern Ma Huang, Southern Maoshan, Western Stone, Eastern Gaxiang'?"

"Exactly, the Southern Maoshan School!" Tang Yuan nodded, "My father and Master Zhang have an old friendship, so there's a good chance we can get Master Zhang to help. However, the journey between the north and south is long, and we don't want to make a big fuss unless absolutely necessary... I hope we can find a capable person nearby to solve this problem."

"I hope so too," Lou Kang thought for a moment and sighed again, "Let's eat our noodles first." Then came the sound of slurping.

From their conversation, Zunbao roughly guessed that the problem was happening in the Lou family's business, and Tang Yuan, who was close to Lou Kang, had come to help. It seemed that Tang Yuan was more familiar with the various trades and had traveled, so he took the initiative to find a Taoist to perform the ritual... As for the meaning of 'Northern Ma Huang, Southern Maoshan, Western Stone, Eastern Gaxiang,' Zunbao didn't know and couldn't guess.

As for what was happening in the Lou family, Zunbao still needed to investigate... His only skill was to make the Tianwu appear for the duration of a joss stick, which was enough to deal with minor spirits, but he didn't dare to be overconfident!

It was past noon but not yet the seventh hour. Zunbao sat under the eaves for a while, and the two men finished eating and walked out, heading west along the main street until they reached the edge of the western and northern cities. They entered a shop.

Zunbao looked up and saw the gilded characters on the shop: Lou Family Leather Goods!

He realized that the Lou family was in the leather goods business, which explained why they were considered merchants.

Most shops in Xianyang had a front shop and a back courtyard. The front was for business and negotiations, while the back was a small courtyard with a small building for the family, warehouses, and living quarters on the sides. There was also a gate for large vehicles to enter and exit.

Although the Lou family wasn't a major household, they were a small business that didn't worry about food and drink. If he could help solve their problem, he would earn at least ten silver dollars as a reward. Zunbao walked around the courtyard twice and finally stopped at the back gate, thinking, "Good, it seems heaven is helping me to earn some money for my first days here."

As he was thinking, he caught a glimpse of something on the roof, seemingly a half-grown dog. He looked up and saw a gray mist swirling on the roof, dense and unscattered, with limbs, claws, fur, and a tail clearly visible, like a four-legged beast.

"Huh, what's this?" Zunbao was about to focus on it when he heard a sharp voice, "Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here, lurking around?"

Zunbao was startled and turned around to see the gate open, with a servant holding a bucket of slop, glaring at him. He quickly put on a smile and approached, "Hey, young sir, greetings!"

"Who's your young sir?" The servant was unimpressed, "Speak up, what are you doing here? If you don't, I'll report you to the master and have you taken to the authorities."

"Please, no, no!" Zunbao quickly pleaded, "Young sir, I'm just a passerby, usually singing 'Lianhua Luo' to earn a meal—heard that something happened at your master's house, thought I'd take a look, see if I can... hehe... you know."

The servant immediately understood his meaning—beggars often used two bamboo boards to keep rhythm, called 'Shulai Bao,' and sang rhymes, called 'Lianhua Luo.' These were unique to traveling beggars, and they sometimes exchanged information for rewards or did odd jobs. They would introduce themselves with the phrase:

"Sing Lianhua Luo, hold Shulai Bao."

Zunbao's clothes did look like a beggar's. The servant looked at him for a moment and then his expression changed, "If you want to know, do you have a gift?"

A gift was a token of appreciation, something to offer when seeking information. Zunbao, reminded of this, quickly searched his bag and pulled out some fruits, "I don't have anything else right now, will these do?"

"No!" The servant, seeing it wasn't money, immediately turned hostile, "Who wants your fruit!" He raised the bucket to pour out the slop and turn back, but Zunbao quickly stepped forward and grabbed him, trying to persuade him:

"Young sir, young sir, don't be angry! I really don't have any money right now. These fruits are all I have. I'll give you a share when I have money, okay?" He held onto the servant's bucket tightly, "See, a few fruits are better than nothing, right? Take them, don't be picky, I'll make it up to you later!"

The servant, grabbed by Zunbao, realized the beggar was tall and strong. Seeing his urgency, he feared that if he refused, he might end up covered in slop, so he grumbled, "Fine! You look pitiful, I'll tell you. Remember, share the reward with me—let go, let go, don't get me dirty!"