The banquet had dragged on too late, and it was now the hour of Shen, around 3 to 5 PM. Yi Chen, with the Dragon-Slaying Sword on his back, hastened his departure. He needed to hurry if he was to return to Hidden Dragon Temple before dark.

Before leaving the town, Yi Chen remembered the two little ones, Qingfeng and Mingyue, who loved candied haws. He ended up buying the entire stick of candied haws from a vendor.

Just as he was about to leave Qingyuan Town through the archway, carrying the stick of candied haws, he happened to see an old acquaintance – Coach Ji, reeking of medicinal plaster and with his arm wrapped in white bandages, apparently broken.

“Coach Ji, how’s your injury? Nothing serious, I hope,” Yi Chen stopped to greet him.

“Ah, if it isn’t Taoist Master Yicheng. My left arm took a severe blow from that jiangshi, resulting in a slight fracture. It should heal with some rest; it’s nothing serious.”

“Getting injured has been pretty much part of my life since childhood. It doesn’t bother me much.”

“I’m used to it. When I was young, I got kicked by a cow, chased by a wild boar in the mountains, got cramps while swimming in Qing Shui River. But ever since I mastered the Fiery Heart Technique, such incidents have barely happened.”

Coach Ji smiled brightly, his stocky midlife frame and bandaged appearance notwithstanding, he still resembled a cheerful young boy.

At this moment, a young man following Coach Ji muttered under his breath, “Boss, you also got struck by lightning last year during a rainstorm.”

“Shut your mouth, you talk too much,” Coach Ji couldn’t help but scold.

Yi Chen: “……”

“Coach Ji, there’s something I’ve wanted to say since we first met, but I wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate.”

“Feel free to speak, Taoist Master. I’ve indeed encountered more than my fair share of misfortunes since I was young.”

Coach Ji was all ears. He had heard from his subordinates about Taoist Master Yi’s prophetic abilities, who had accurately predicted the appearance of a red-clothed jiangshi near Mayor Wu’s residence and intercepted it.

He vividly remembered the hesitant expression Yi Chen had the first time they met, suggesting that Yi Chen might have noticed something about him.

“Please, go ahead.”

“The I Ching says: ‘Destiny ranks first, followed by luck, then feng shui, accumulating virtue comes fourth, education is fifth, the influence of one’s name is sixth, appearance seventh, respecting the gods eighth, making noble friends ninth, and health maintenance tenth.'”

“If Coach Ji trusts me, perhaps considering a change of name might be beneficial.”

“Ji Baochang, this name is too burdensome. I can handle it, but your fate may not.”

“To be honest, the fact that Coach Ji has lived this long is probably the result of your family’s accumulated virtue.”

“Consider changing your name. In the future, do more good deeds, and things should improve.”

With a hearty laugh, Yi Chen, without waiting for a response from Coach Ji, took the candied haws, shouldered his sword, and strode away towards the direction leading out of Qingyuan Town, leaving behind echoes of a Taoist chant in the air.

A tiny bit of kindness makes life easier for others.

A tiny bit of evil, I advise you not to commit.

Deceiving others brings misfortune; helping others brings blessings.

Heaven’s law is clear; retribution comes swiftly.

Heed my words, and gods and spirits shall bow before you.

“Such words of warning to the world, carrying profound meanings. Taoist Master, truly a high man of the Tao,” Coach Ji couldn’t help but exclaim as he watched Yi Chen’s departing figure.

He decided to change his name immediately upon returning, substituting ‘chang’ (常) with ‘dan’ (旦), believing it would pose no issue.

…

…

The chant Yi Chen recited was an admonishing verse from the immortal Lü Dongbin of his previous life. His memory of such chants was limited; reciting one meant one less in his repertoire.

Naturally, he made a quick exit to preserve his image as a man of high Taoist virtue.

Strategically positioning himself, if he could continue to build his reputation and establish his character in this way, everyone would eventually regard him as a high man of the Tao. Wouldn’t that ensure a steady flow of wealth?

In the future, if someone sought him for auspicious or somber occasions, would they dare to offer only ten or twenty silver taels?

They wouldn’t even dare to speak such offers.

This strategy is about empowerment, reorganization, value transformation, strengthening recognition, refinement, influence – leading the high-end market of managing life’s major events.

Turning his influence as a high Taoist master into brand value, once his reputation spreads far and wide, not inviting Taoist Master Yi from Hidden Dragon Temple to officiate at significant events would be considered lacking in prestige, leading to ridicule by peers.

This is the essence of building brand identity and telling the Taoist Master’s story attractively.

Some still linger in the mindset of exploiting human weaknesses to sell cockfighting tickets, barely making a few silver taels. Taoist Master Yi’s vision has already elevated to developing a personal brand and cultivating the market.

That’s what vision is about.

Earn money from those who have it.

Once the brand image is firmly established, just for Taoist Master Yi to make an appearance would cost at least a hundred thousand taels!

How many cockfights would it take to earn that?

…

…

As the sun set, painting the sky with blood-red hues, Yi Chen walked along, dreaming of a bright future. The path became narrower, and dense woods lined both sides of the mountain road.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound.

A spotted deer darted out from the dense foliage on the left, its hooves stirring the wind as it crossed the path and sprinted into the woods on the right, running as if for its life.

Following closely was a nimble yellow figure – a fierce tiger with striking markings. Perhaps sensing Yi Chen was not to be trifled with, the tiger chose not to stop and attack. Instead, it leapt powerfully, its tail flicking as it continued the chase.

Unfortunately, the swishing tail of the tiger, in its attempt to maintain balance, struck precisely against the stick loaded with candied haws that Yi Chen was carrying, scattering them all over the ground.

Yi Chen was stunned.

In a moment of distraction, he lost all the candied haws?

How was he to explain this to Qingfeng and Mingyue, the two little darlings?

Should he say that he had indeed bought some delicious treats, but then encountered a fierce tiger on the way home, and as a result, lost them all?

“Am I to hit you now? Don’t run.”

“You, little tiger, have chosen a path leading to your demise.”

Yi Chen, looking at the candied haws mixed with dirt on the ground, became as changeable in expression as a strobe light. Roaring in anger, a faint purple aura emerged around him as he chased into the dense forest after the tiger.

Since his advancement in cultivation, he hadn’t suffered such a loss.

To offend him and think of escaping?

Though the candied haws were gone, Yi Chen remembered clearly how much Qingfeng and Mingyue loved orange cats.

Sometimes, when female devotees brought orange cats to the Hidden Dragon Temple, Qingfeng and Mingyue would use their cuteness to strike up conversations and take the chance to pet the cats.

Tigers are cats too, just significantly larger.

Since the candied haws were gone, he decided to subdue this fierce tiger and bring it back as compensation.

It’s all the same love for cats.

This wild one would definitely have more spirit!

He imagined Qingfeng and Mingyue would like it… probably.

Elevating his perspective, he surveyed the entire dense forest.

A peculiar scene unfolded.

The spotted deer, leading the way, was closely followed by the fierce tiger, with Yi Chen trailing right behind it. The distance between the three was rapidly closing.

Although Yi Chen was not as agile as the deer or tiger, his formidable strength made him akin to a human bulldozer. He would bypass trees where possible and simply smash through any he couldn’t, kicking up dust and debris along the way.

Leveraging his immense strength, he managed to close the distance with the tiger.

Closer.

The gap between them was significantly reduced.

A smug smile began to form on Yi Chen’s lips.

However, he failed to notice that a faint mist had begun to spread throughout the forest, thickening at an unnaturally rapid pace.

Crack!

The tiger finally caught up to the deer, delivering a powerful blow to its head, instantly breaking its neck.

At the same time, Yi Chen stamped his foot hard on the ground, releasing an explosive burst of pale purple Pure Yang Internal Energy. He leaped high into the air and landed in front of the tiger with a thud.

Two crisp smacks.

With two hefty slaps, the tiger saw stars, its vision doubling.

Then, it felt a pair of fan-sized hands gripping its throat, sealing its fate.

“You little rascal, quite the runner.”

“Disobey and I’ll end you.”

“You spilled Taoist’s candied haws, now how will you compensate?”

Yi Chen sneered menacingly.

He had already figured out how to deal with the tiger – tame it thoroughly upon returning, erasing its wild nature. Hidden Dragon Temple would gain a formidable addition, elevating its prestige.

Imagine, in the thin morning mist, as the sun casts a gentle light, a young Taoist boy casually sits atop the tiger, emerging from the front courtyard of Hidden Dragon Temple. The morning rays illuminate his face beneath the gleaming temple sign – such an imposing scene. Hiring an artist for a ‘chance’ encounter to capture this moment would be wickedly clever.

In this era, unlike his previous life, tigers were not scarce, and there was no concept of wildlife conservation.

Life is hard; a tiger performing tricks is perfectly reasonable.

What’s that? Wild and untamable?

Ever heard of tiger bone wine? Tiger skin, tiger penis, tiger meat – all highly sought after, definitely a profitable venture.

The tiger, leaning against a large tree with its hind legs on the ground, shivered uncontrollably.

The spreading mist suddenly accelerated, becoming even denser.

Yi Chen finally sensed something amiss.

He found it strange that the tiger, the king of beasts, was so cowardly, merely trembling without any resistance. Not the slightest bit thrilling.

Holding the tiger by the scruff of its neck, he looked around. A bizarre red mansion suddenly appeared in front of him.

Hiss!

The sight of this red mansion sent chills down Yi Chen’s spine, enveloping him in a sinister and eerie atmosphere.

He was absolutely certain he had not seen this red mansion before.

Danger! Danger! Danger!

His instincts screamed warnings, and even the subdued pale purple Pure Yang Internal Energy inside him started to stir slightly.

Something was very wrong, terribly wrong.

Yi Chen stared at the red mansion ahead, his expression grave.

This was his first encounter with such an abnormal event, perhaps due to his consecutive advancements and surge in power, there is a slight change in his mentality.

He had lost the initial reverence and caution.

“I got too cocky, eh? Forgot the wisdom of avoiding deep forests and not traveling at night.” Yi Chen sighed.

He had a premonition that he was about to face a significant problem.

But no panic; Yi Chen decided to try a workaround – pulling the tiger by the neck, he attempted to retreat.

As expected, attempting to exploit a bug failed. The eerie red mansion appeared in front of him once again, as if following his every move.

To the left, the same.

To the right, the same.

Hisss, such advanced tracking…

(End of the chapter)