Upon hearing this, Zhang Jing secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. This young Taoist priest was very skilled and charged a lot of money. Ten thousand taels was not a big deal for the prefectural government, but the procedures were complicated and it would take two or three days to receive the cash.
"No problem." He chuckled. "However, it will take time for the yamen to approve the funds, and I'm afraid the Taoist priest will have to stay in Jiyang for another two days. How about this, since the Taoist priest has done a great deed for Jiyang, how about I send someone to accompany the Taoist priest to tour Jiyang for two days?"
Yuan Qi nodded, and Bai Youhui immediately said in a serious tone, "Then I'll have to trouble Prefect Zhang."
Although Bai Youhui was not an official, he was indeed a member of the Bai family, one of the four great families, and Zhang Jing did not dare to underestimate him, so he spoke to him very politely.
The magistrate of Taoyuan County also brought a large group of people. After listening to Yuan Qi's explanation of the specific situation, he personally led his men into the deserted village to see the peach tree spirit.
The magistrate of Taoyuan County was also a superstitious person. He felt that the peach tree spirit had protected Taoyuan Village for so many years and was a good person. So he had people bring incense and offerings and led his men to worship in front of the peach tree spirit.
They also asked the peach tree spirit to bless Taoyuan County with good weather and abundant harvests.
After receiving the incense offerings, the peach tree spirit seemed to have dissipated some of the anger it had suffered at Yuan Qi's hands.
The story of the county magistrate leading people to worship the peach tree spirit spread, but as the story was told, it became distorted, with people saying that there was a peach tree deity in Peach Garden Village who could protect people's safety and so on.
Upon hearing this, people from all around went to the peach tree spirit to burn incense and worship.
The peach tree spirit not only harbored the idea of achieving enlightenment, but from then on, whenever people sought his help with any matter, he would secretly do so, helping them fulfill their wishes. Over time, the peach tree spirit became even more legendary, and everyone called him the Peach Blossom Immortal.
But that's a story for another time.
Zhang Jing left all the aftermath to the magistrate of Taoyuan County. He returned to Jiyang with his men, Lord Qian, Yuan Qi, and others. Zhang Jing arranged for his teacher, Yuan Qi, and the others to stay in his private residence.
After resting for a day, Yuan Qi went out for a stroll.
Jiyang is not far from the sea, and there is plenty of seafood here. The group strolled around the streets and bought quite a few fresh trinkets. Bai Youhui found a piece of yellow coral in a shop. Although it was only half a foot tall, it was still a rare find. Coral grows in the deep sea and is not easy to harvest, so such a large piece was quite unusual.
Zhang Jing sent Xing Shuo as their guide, and Xing Shuo led the three of them into a seafood restaurant.
The restaurant had two floors, and there were many people queuing up to eat at the entrance. Xing Shuo was a constable in the government office, and the people in the restaurant knew him. As soon as they saw Xing Shuo arrive with his entourage, a waiter immediately came over to greet him warmly.
"Officer Xing, you're not busy today? Please come in."
Xing Shuo nodded and headed upstairs as if he knew the way well. Yuan Qi and the others noticed that the seafood restaurant was incredibly popular, packed with customers and with so many people queuing outside. If Xing Shuo hadn't led the way, they wouldn't have been able to get any food at all.
Bai Youhui also said to Yuan Qi, "Judging from my experience, this place must be delicious, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people queuing up. It's a good thing that Constable Xing brought us here, otherwise we wouldn't have had this chance to eat here."
Upstairs are all private booths, which are not only spacious, but there are also several private rooms on the side. However, the waiter couldn't find any private rooms available, so he asked Xing Shuo to make do and entertain guests in the private booths.
There weren't many options for people. There was an empty table on the second floor, which had been vacated after a group of guests had finished eating and left.
The table was quite large, enough to seat ten people, and Xing Shuo didn't waste any food, ordering a table full of dishes: "Everyone, eat as much as you like!"
At the top of the stairs, a young girl wearing a floral short jacket and blue-black trousers helped a blind middle-aged man up the stairs.
The middle-aged man was holding a pipa, which Bai Youhui noticed at a glance. He whispered to Qian Wenbing, "Look at that girl, she's quite pretty."
Qian Wenbing was still young, and he curled his lip in disdain, saying nothing.
Bai Youhui, having been rebuffed, asked Yuan Qi, "Seventh Sister, a singer has come by. Shall we order one?"
Yuan Qi looked over at the father and daughter and sensed that they weren't having a good day, so he simply hummed in agreement.
Bai Youhui waved to the little girl, who, with her sharp eyes, pulled her father over.
They hadn't taken two steps when a man in a white robe blocked their way.
The little girl immediately became frightened: "Master Bai, Third Master Bai..."
The young man in white robes was in his early twenties, with a roguish air about him. Judging from his attire, he was either rich or noble.
Master Bai touched the little girl's face: "Miss Hongfeng, what have you thought about what I said yesterday?"
Upon hearing this, the blind man immediately shielded his daughter behind him and humbly pleaded, "Third Master Bai, I only have this one daughter, she's only sixteen, she really can't be your concubine. You already have many wives and concubines, you won't miss this one. Please, Third Master Bai, spare my daughter."
Bai Youhui frowned and complained, "Third Master Bai? Damn it, he actually shares the same surname as me, Bai, and is also the third in his family! He's a real disgrace to me!"
Yuan Qi laughed and said, "It seems you're from the same clan."
Bai Youhui felt extremely unlucky to have encountered such a bullying and arrogant person.
He replied irritably, "I only know that the Bai family has a branch in Jiyang, but I don't know if it's the one in front of me."
He rolled up his sleeves, ready to teach this arrogant bastard a lesson.
Qian Wenbing chuckled to himself, "This guy's in for a world of trouble."
Xing Shuo then reminded him, "Young Master Bai is right. This Third Master Bai is from a branch of the Bai family in the capital. He is the most powerful and influential person in Jiyang, and even adults don't dare to offend him. If you can teach him a lesson and make him behave himself, I will be extremely grateful."
"This person has always bullied others by relying on his power, bullying men and women, and committing all kinds of evil deeds. The Bai family even protects him. Even if the victim goes to the yamen, he will definitely pay more money to settle the matter."
Bai Youhui stormed over in a huff. Coincidentally, Bai Youhui was also wearing a white robe today, looking quite flamboyant.
He grabbed Master Bai in a huff and punched him in the nose!
"I am the real Master Bai, who do you think you are?" Bai Youhui started cursing directly.
Master Bai felt a warm liquid flowing from his nostril. He raised his hand to wipe it and realized that he was bleeding. He glared angrily at Bai Youhui and said, "Where did this brat come from? Beat him to death!"
Bai Youhui turned and ran, reaching Yuan Qi's side. He wasn't good at fighting.
Master Bai and a few cronies followed, but they didn't pay any attention to Xing Shuo and simply gathered around the table.
Xing Shuo wanted to get up and say something nice to Master Bai, but Yuan Qi stopped him with a look.
Master Bai looked around and asked Bai Youhui sarcastically, "Where did you come from? You even have Constable Xing accompanying you. You must have quite the face."
"Bai Youhui of the Bai family in Kyoto." After saying this, Bai Youhui showed off a jade pendant that represented his identity.
Master Bai recognized the Bai family jade pendant and immediately put on a smiling face: "Oh, it's my cousin! Look, the flood has washed away the Dragon King's temple, hasn't it?"
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