Qin Luo nodded with a smile.

He trusts his junior sister to manage the money.

At the end of her shopping spree, Ziyue spent one coin to buy a box of needles and thread, intending to use it to mend her old clothes when she got home.

After shopping.

Qin Luo and Zi Yue returned to Longhu Temple. There wasn't much in their baskets, but Zi Yue felt very happy.

Halfway there, the sound of gongs and drums came from behind, announcing, "The magistrate is traveling; all bystanders, please make way!"

Zhou Dapeng leaned back in a bamboo chair, lying leisurely. Two strong men carried the chair, while yamen runners cleared the way with gongs in front and held sun umbrellas in the middle.

The mountain path was already very narrow, so Qin Luo and Zi Yue had to stand on someone else's land to avoid each other.

Looking at the overweight county magistrate weighing about 300 pounds on the bamboo chair, Zi Yue couldn't help but feel sorry for the two strong men responsible for carrying the chair.

Upon seeing that it was Qin Luo, Cao Mang quickly reminded him, "My lord, those two are immortal masters from the Dragon Tiger Temple."

Zhou Dapeng suddenly woke up with a start.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

The bamboo chair fell to the ground. Zhou Dapeng straightened his clothes and hurriedly stepped forward to apologize, "Two immortal masters, I was ignorant and offended you. Please forgive me."

The yamen runners who were clearing the way with gongs were quite frightened. They were actually cultivators. What was even more outrageous was that the two immortal masters actually gave way to them. Who would believe it if word got out?

"It's alright."

Qin Luo didn't mind.

Zhou Dapeng asked curiously, "Two immortal masters, why are you walking?"

In his memory.

Powerful cultivators can fly, and even ordinary ones can fly on swords, so they don't have to walk.

Qin Luo said calmly, "Our master taught us to be down-to-earth and that walking is a form of cultivation."

"I see."

Zhou Dapeng thought they couldn't fly. "I am the magistrate of Jinyang City. I am on my way to visit Master Zhang at Longhu Temple. I wonder if I could accompany you two masters?"

"sure."

Qin Luo had no reason to refuse.

He and Ziyue continued on their way.

Ziyue carried a bamboo basket on her back, picking wildflowers along the way, her clear laughter echoing through the mountains.

Zhou Dapeng followed behind, but he was out of breath after only a few miles and was eventually carried into the Longhu Temple.

"Junior brother, these are for you."

Ziyue gave one of the two strings of candied hawthorns to Jinyan and also bought him a string of bananas.

"Thank you, senior sister."

This was Jin Yan's first time eating candied hawthorn. He used to watch the village children eat candied hawthorn often and was very envious.

Qin Luo arrived at the depths of the Taoist temple and stood outside the door. "Master, Magistrate Zhou has come to Longhu Temple and wishes to see you."

Zhang Fulong was fast asleep when he heard the magistrate had arrived. He was startled and didn't know what the magistrate was doing there. Afraid of giving himself away, he said in a deep voice, "Disciple, I am at a critical moment in my cultivation and cannot be distracted. I am entrusting the Taoist temple to you. Don't be afraid of the magistrate. I will take care of you if anything happens."

"Disciple understands."

Qin Luo turned and left.

Inside the room, Zhang Fulong had already packed his belongings. There was a secret passage in his room that allowed him to leave Longhu Temple.

Zhou Dapeng sat in the pavilion, pondering how to negotiate with Zhang Fulong, while Cao Mang stood beside him.

Ziyue brought them a cup of tea.

Zhou Dapeng was flattered. He picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and thoroughly enjoyed it, feeling as if he were floating on air. "Little fairy, this tea is not something that ordinary people can drink, is it?"

"Drink whatever you like."

"That bucket was full of tea."

Ziyue pointed to the wooden bucket placed in the corner of the Taoist temple. They would boil a large bucket of tea every day for the people who came to offer incense and pray for blessings. At this time, the yamen runners were drinking tea nearby.

Zhou Dapeng's face twitched. He had thought the county magistrate would receive preferential treatment, but he hadn't expected to be treated the same as an ordinary person.

Qin Luo arrived at the pavilion and sat directly opposite Zhou Dapeng, his face calm. "Magistrate Zhou, my master is in seclusion. You can speak to me if you have anything to say."

Zhou Dapeng invited Zhang Fulong to the county government office, but Zhang Fulong didn't have time. Now, he personally came to Longhu Temple to visit him, but Zhang Fulong still didn't have time. It seems that he doesn't take him seriously at all.

He can only talk to Qin Luo now.

“Immortal Master, the conferment of gods is forbidden within the Great Xia territory. The Great Xia Dynasty does not interfere with the immortal sects on the mountain, and similarly, the immortal sects cannot affect the people below the mountain. This is a rule that everyone has followed for thousands of years. Can the gate gods of Longhu Temple be abolished?”

Ordinary local deities live in the mountains and fields, and few people worship them, so the imperial court wouldn't care. But the door gods of Longhu Temple are all over Jinyang City, and there are many believers. If the imperial court and the Imperial Observatory knew about this, Zhou Dapeng, as the county magistrate, would definitely be punished.

Qin Luo had heard about it, but he was fearless. Anyway, his master was there to back him up. "I appointed the door gods, and I will bear all the consequences. If anyone disagrees, come find me."

Zhou Dapeng said in a deep voice, "Immortal Master, there are many immortal sects within the Great Xia territory, and none of them dare to challenge the Great Xia imperial authority."

Qin Luo remained calm, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light. "Our Longhu Temple is different from theirs."

This is what Zhang Fulong said to Qin Luo.

Zhou Dapeng swallowed hard. How dare the cultivators of Longhu Temple challenge the Great Xia Dynasty?

“Immortal Master, if the Imperial Observatory knew that the people of Jinyang City worshipped the mountain god of Longhu Temple, they would definitely massacre the city, and there would be no end to the suffering of the people.”

Zhou Dapeng sighed.

Even Cao Mang was shocked after hearing this.

Qin Luo's eyes held a swirling aura of yin and yang, seemingly capable of devouring everything. "If a city must be massacred because of faith, then I think the Great Xia Dynasty has no reason to exist."

Cao Mang felt a chill run down his spine after hearing this.

It was even more outrageous than the massacre of the city by the Imperial Observatory.

Zhou Dapeng was too scared to speak. The Great Xia Dynasty was the most powerful dynasty in the East, and even the old monsters of the top immortal sects would not say such a thing.