Outside the car window, the roadside greenery slowly receded behind. Tongcheng City is a coastal city in the south, where it doesn't snow in winter, and most of the vegetation doesn't lose its leaves.
Zhang Yuan rested his chin on his hand, watching the changing scenery outside the window, feeling relaxed and content.
The bus was traveling on the crowded Yingbin Avenue, and Zhang Yuan's cell phone was buzzing in his crossbody bag.
He took out his phone.
It was a call from Master Jia.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Great news!"
"Just landed a big order..."
Jia was rattling off a string of words on the phone, telling Zhang Yuan about a new big order he had just landed, and arranging to meet Zhang Yuan the next day.
"Okay, I'll be there on time tomorrow!"
Zhang Yuan hung up the phone.
The bull demon and the dog demon chased the bus for a while on Yingbin Avenue, but failed to catch it. Finally, the yellow and blue No. 21 bus turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
The two demons were bent over, leaning on their knees and panting heavily.
"Hey bro, we've lost him, what do we do?"
"The bull demon said helplessly."
The dog demon, panting with its tongue lolling out, gazed at the flowing traffic and said, "I saw that human was also holding a souvenir from the competition; he must be here to participate. We should run into him again next time!"
The bull demon nodded.
"I'm so tired from running, don't you want to find a place to rest?"
"Want to rest?"
The two demons exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.
The women at that foot massage parlor last time were so tender and moist!
"How about we go to that place again?"
"No problem!"
The bull demon put on black sunglasses and spoke in broken English, which he had just learned.
The two demons took two steps forward when the bull demon, as if remembering something, touched the purse at his waist, stopped, and said to the dog demon beside him, "Brother Dog, we're out of money!"
The dog demon scratched the back of its head.
...
late at night.
Yida Convenience Store, second floor room.
The moonlight was bright outside the window, and the night breeze rustled the curtains.
In the middle of the room, a tall and strong figure sat cross-legged on a futon.
On the wall of the room hung the character "静" (stillness), written in a flamboyant and elegant style, meant to serve as a reminder for cultivation. However, beneath the character "静" was a pile of stark white bones and several plastic bottles of AdCalcium Milk.
Knock knock!
The bull demon knocked on the door of Tiger Boss's cultivation room, then pushed it open a crack and slipped inside, followed by the dog demon.
The dog demon was carrying a burlap sack, which looked quite heavy.
After entering the house, the dog demon put the sack aside.
The tiger demon smelled the alcohol on his two subordinates and his face darkened, knowing that the two had taken the opportunity to go out and have fun again.
"It's so late, and you still know to come back!"
The powerful aura of the demon general in the room made Niu Er and Gou San feel uncomfortable and had difficulty breathing.
"Boss Tiger, we've discovered the human cultivators that the Demon King is hunting down!"
The tiger demon's body trembled, and it turned around.
"Where?"
"At Tongcheng City Gymnasium!"
"Didn't you bring it back?"
"Um, there were too many people around at the time, and Niu Er and I were afraid that if we started fighting, it would attract the law enforcement, so..."
"But don't worry, boss. That human cultivator is currently participating in a martial arts competition at the stadium. Niu Er and I have already infiltrated the area, and we'll be able to catch him soon!"
The tiger demon then narrowed its eyes in satisfaction.
He turned around again and continued his cultivation.
"Boss, we met a lost child on the road and brought him back to you."
The bull demon said in a fawning tone.
The tiger leader, with his back to the two demons, said calmly, "Leave it there, don't disturb my meditation!"
"Okay, boss."
Niu Er and Gou San both breathed a sigh of relief when they sensed the tiger demon's oppressive aura disappear from the room.
Just as Niu Er and Gou San were about to leave the room, the tiger demon warned them again, "Be careful lately. I sense a powerful law enforcer in Tongcheng City. Don't disturb him."
"Also, don't bring any prey back during this period."
"Yes, boss."
The two demons then slowly left the room.
...
Phoenix Villa Resort, Tongcheng City.
An old Santana drove along the winding mountain road and then entered a European-style garden villa.
Five or six cars were already parked in the spacious courtyard of the garden villa.
After the Santana parked in the villa's courtyard, two people got out.
A fat Taoist priest in a dark blue robe with a mustache, and a tall, handsome young man with a student-like air.
Led by a maid, Master Jia and Zhang Yuan entered the villa's main hall.
At this moment, besides Jia Zheng and Zhang Yuan, there were two other groups of people in the hall. These people sat separately. On the east side of the hall, a monk in a yellow robe sat in a chair with his eyes closed, resting. Next to the monk was a young novice monk who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old with his eyes darting around.
On the north side of the hall, there was a middle-aged man with a square face, wearing a Tang suit and holding a cane. Behind him stood a burly companion in a suit.
As Jia Zheng and Zhang Yuangang entered, the man in the Tang suit looked over with sharp eyes, and the tall, thin monk in the monk's robe also stopped closing his eyes and looked at the two newcomers.
Jia Zheng and the two groups of people in the hall clearly knew each other. When he saw the man in the Tang suit and the monk in the yellow robe, his cheeks twitched slightly, and then he greeted them with a forced smile and a cupped-hand salute.
"Master Huang Jiu, Master Wuhua! You're here too!"
The man in the Tang suit, referred to as Master Huang Jiu, tilted the back of his head slightly and said, "Oh, it's Master Jia!"
Master Wuhua, dressed in a yellow monk's robe, nodded slightly and continued to meditate with his eyes closed, looking like a highly enlightened monk.
After the maid arranged for Jia Zheng and Zhang Yuan to sit down on the chairs on the west side of the hall, she served them a cup of hot tea. Then she added some tea for Master Wuhua, the young novice monk, Master Guohuang Jiu who was using a cane, and the man in a suit behind him.
"Gentlemen, please have some tea and wait a moment. Our CEO, Mr. Wang, will be down shortly."
After the maid finished speaking, she left the hall.
The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat quiet for a moment.
Master Huang and Jia Zheng exchanged a few glances, neither of them looking happy.
Master Jia, Master Huang, and Master Wuhua are all well-known exorcism masters in Tongcheng City.
Mr. Wang offered 100,000 for this deal, a tempting price, so Master Jia, Master Huang Jiu, and even Master Wuhua, who rarely takes orders, came to visit.
As the saying goes, rivals are enemies. There was only one order, and everyone wanted the money, so they all wanted to get their hands on it. Therefore, Master Jia and Master Huang couldn't stand each other.
Although Master Wuhua was resting with his eyes closed, adopting the nonchalant demeanor of a high-ranking monk, his ears were constantly on Jia Zheng and Master Huang Jiu.
The young novice monk behind him, seeing another group of people arriving, pouted and didn't bother to look at the others in the hall.
"Master Jia, I heard that you were almost bitten to death by an evil spirit during the exorcism at Tongcheng University last time. It seems that your skills are not so great after all!"
How about you give me today's order?
"Master Huang said with a smile."
Jia Zheng's face immediately turned ugly, and he retorted, "That's not true!"
“I, Jia Zheng, come from the orthodox Taoist lineage of Longhu Mountain. How could I not even be able to deal with a single evil spirit? Don’t talk nonsense here and ruin my reputation.”
Master Huang snorted coldly: "Who's talking nonsense? Zhang Tangjin, the president of Tongcheng University, is my classmate. He told me this himself."
Jia Zheng blushed, but then suddenly remembered something and retorted, "By the way, Ninth Master Huang, last month you performed a ritual for General Manager Xu of Baida Real Estate. I heard you encountered a vengeful ghost and were so scared that you ran away in a panic, even losing your carpenter's ruler!"
Master Huang was drinking hot tea when he heard Jia Zheng mention this matter, and he almost choked on his tea.
"Damn it, who leaked this information! Didn't they all pay hush money to the people who were there?"
Master Huang thought to himself, "Luckily, I prepared a new Luban ruler."
So, he calmly took out a three-inch-long Lu Ban ruler from his bag: "Look carefully, my Lu Ban ruler has never been lost, so don't make false accusations!"
I, Master Huang Jiu, am the most powerful exorcist in Tongcheng. You, Jia Zheng, are no match for me!
Master Huang raised his head and said, then suddenly his gaze fell on Zhang Yuan, who was standing next to Jia Zheng.
"Is that young man next to you your new apprentice?"
Jia Zheng: "What's it to you!"
Master Huang suddenly laughed again. He looked at Zhang Yuan and said, "Young man, your master doesn't have any real skills. I advise you to leave him as soon as possible and not waste your time!"
Zhang Yuan didn't care and simply replied, "I'm not his apprentice."
Jia Zhengze was furious: "Don't ruin our relationship here! Let me tell you, this Master Zhang is extraordinary. Even you and your apprentice combined can't compare to him!"
"Besides, he's not my apprentice; we're partners!"
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