Wait a minute, where is my master?

```

The nation of Great Xia was founded 2300 years ago. Its first emperor, Xia Xuanmin, expanded the territory over a millennium to establish a dynasty that would endure the ages, annihilating the Shang and Jin Dynasties during the wars between immortals and demons and thus laying the foundation for a millennium.

——Min Emperor's Biography, Nine Provinces World History

At nightfall, an ancient and desolate Taoist temple sat atop a mountain peak. Calling it a peak might be a bit generous; the whole mountain was only about a hundred meters tall.

It was part of the Mountain Realm's underage group.

There was something odd about the temple too. It clearly had a signboard hanging above, yet the signboard was utterly blank.

Below the not-quite-mountain peak, a small stream flowed with water so clear that one could see the fishes swimming within.

The stream wound its way through the mountain, its destination unknown. On the slope grew a profusion of weeds and trees, among which a faint path beaten by villagers who climbed up to gather wood or hunt could be glimpsed.

A rustling arose from the shrubs beside the path as a hare suddenly leaped out. It eyed the two men and two women walking on the path, then, with a powerful kick of its hind legs, it bounded back into the depths of the forest.

The approaching quartet was none other than the young Taoist Jin Xu, "the Shui Clan's top chef" Yu Yaoer, and the currently prefix-less Little White.

And trailing behind them, an old man looking quite uneasy.

Jin Xu was dressed as he always was, in a dark cyan Taoist robe with his hair casually tied into a bun at the back of his head, maintaining the air of an immortal descended to the mortal realm. Yu Yaoer was still clad in a shimmering golden red dress. As for Little White, she had shed her animal hide clothing for a tidy gray martial outfit.

Jin Xu had thought about buying each of them a Taoist robe.

But then he remembered he had no money.

......

On the very day they arrived, they took a trip to Gusu City, some two hundred miles away. The first-time visitor Jin Xu never expected that he, someone from the 21st century accustomed to modern metropolises, would be so amazed.

He was too humbled to even mention the towering walls adorned with array patterns.

Just the sight of the city's various vinotheques, brothels, tea houses, more brothels, pawnshops, yet more brothels, and gambling dens was enough to dazzle him.

The young Jin Xu couldn't help but marvel at the city of Gusu's decadent charm.

The trio spent the entire day wandering the city streets and even crashed a grand banquet, where they made acquaintance with a young master of the Zhao family, Zhao Dabao.

According to Zhao Dabao, the banquet was thrown by his family to celebrate a family member's promotion to the position of Inner Sect Overseer in Medicine King Valley.

It wasn't until the sun began to set and the city gates were about to close that the three reluctantly made their way out.

With no money, they couldn't afford to stay at an inn.

Jin Xu only had an immovable property—the temple. Yu Yaoer had brought along her red jade bracelet, which contained all her prized recipes and completed dishes, insisting, "I would rather die than sell them for money."

Besides, no pawnshop would accept something like Earthworm Dried.

Little White, on the other hand, had nothing but her animal hides.

The gray martial outfit she now wore was a gift from Zhao Dabao.

His reasoning for giving her clothing was quite strange as well.

"It's too hot for her to be wearing animal hides in the dead of summer!"

So, on their way back, the trio discussed how they might earn some of this worldly gold and silver.

"Young Master, I could work as a chef at the Mijiang Building in Gusu City," suggested Yu Yaoer confidently.

"Emmm...." Jin Xu lowered his gaze to the running Little White.

"In our Demon Realm, as long as you are strong enough, you can just take whatever you need from other tribes," Little White said coldly.

"....."

Their responses squashed any hope Jin Xu had of earning money.

As they conversed, the three had already returned to the foot of the mountain. The Little White, who had carried the other two at great speed, also reverted back to human form—going to Gusu City on the backs of a Xuanxu Temple's disciple wouldn't do.

It was a bit tough on Little White, though.

Just as she returned to human form, Little White sniffed the air and whispered to the others, "I think I smell a stranger."

Yu Yaoer, using her Spiritual Sense, swept over the small hill.

"Young Master, there is an old man at our temple's entrance," she declared.

Jin Xu's right hand instantly crackled with golden lightning as he prepared to defend himself.

These days, he was allergic to the elderly.

Yu Yaoer added, "He seems to be just a mortal."

The golden lightning faded from his hand, but his vigilance remained.

The flashes of golden light had startled Little White, who stood beside them. She knew that the man her father insisted she follow was no ordinary being.

Yet, throughout the days since crossing over, she hadn't felt any fluctuations of Spiritual Power from Jin Xu's body.

Only at that one moment!

"That terrifying gold lightning is as profound as one of the great beings I've seen at the Demon Realm's Grand Ceremony!"

Aware that there was a stranger at their temple's entrance,

```

The three of them didn't linger at the foot of the mountain, instead, they raced upwards, only slowing down when they neared the summit.

Fortunately, before heading to Gusu City, Jin Xu had awakened Senior Guan Ling who had concealed the three characters for 'Xuanxu Temple' on the plaque above the main entrance.

An elderly man, hanging a straw hat behind his head, dressed in plain clothing with a bulging front, was wandering in front of the Taoist temple's gates, mumbling to himself.

Upon hearing the commotion, the old man turned around and saw them.

Three people, who looked as if they were celestial beings descended from heaven, stood before him—a man and two women.

"Oh, they are indeed quite good-looking."

"Elder, what's going on here?" Jin Xu asked, his voice revealing his nervousness; he felt he might be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder regarding the elderly.

"I heard from An Laoliu who went up the mountain to chop wood that a Taoist temple had suddenly appeared on Little Platform Mountain and thought it was a hoax," the old man muttered to himself before continuing.

"I'm An Laoxiang, the village head of Da An Village down the mountain. Could you three be the legendary recluses?"

Da An Village? They did pass through several villages on the way back, but the nearest one was still over five miles away.

"Elder, we are not some recluses from beyond this world; we're just ordinary Taoists," Jin Xu responded, casting a glance towards Little White, signaling with his eyes.

Little White dashed straight toward the elderly man, fortunately restrained quickly by Jin Xu's prompt action.

"What are you doing!"

"This old man appears here in the dead of night, and he's a mortal; there must be something fishy going on. Didn't you ask me to take him down?"

"I asked you to smell him for any demonic aura!"

Jin Xu thought it necessary to find time to foster a better understanding with his two companions. Twice he had signaled with his eyes, and twice he had failed. Their synchronicity was alarmingly low.

The old man, who had just been speaking to himself, had no idea he had nearly "met his end."

Continuing to approach the three of them.

Halfway there, he fell to his knees with a thud.

"I beg you three immortals, please save our Da An Village, save my grandson!"

In An Laoxiang's mind, the fact that a Taoist temple had appeared in a place where there was none just half a month ago meant that this surely had to be the work of immortals.

Jin Xu, on the other hand, was speechless. Why were people always kneeling before him? He was afraid such occurrences might shorten his life!

"As long as you three can save our Da An Village, I am willing to... I am willing to..." Seeing that the three before him had not spoken, Elder An continued to plead.

However, An Laoxiang's willingness didn't culminate in any particular resolve.

He thought to himself, despite being a village head and Da An Village being a well-known affluent village far and wide, these three young individuals clearly appeared as exceptional recluses of the world.

Could they possibly be interested in the modest amount of gold and silver he had saved up?

It was however Jin Xu who stepped forward, breaking An Laoxiang's awkwardness, and helped the elder rise, signaling him not to worry and to come inside the Taoist temple to talk things over slowly.

How did it come to this, that upon meeting, the elder immediately knelt down and pleaded for help?

Turns out,

something strange had happened in Da An Village.

The village relied on the surrounding mountains for their livelihood and primarily subsisted by growing a type of timber called eucalyptus in the mountains behind the village. This timber grew rapidly and was of high quality, and was greatly favored by the wealthy households in Qian Deng Town and Gusu City.

The lucrative sale of timber meant the villagers lived well.

Every household was warm and fed, and most even raised poultry and livestock such as chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cattle, and sheep.

But half a month ago, odd incidents began to occur as villagers started losing possessions.

At first, it was a few chickens, ducks, and geese that went missing. The villagers thought it was petty theft within the village and didn't pay much attention; after all, reprimanding a fellow villager was usually enough.

However, the situation escalated to the disappearance of larger livestock like pigs, cows, and sheep. And if one were to suggest they were stolen for consumption,

such large animals couldn't possibly be consumed in one sitting. How could there not even be a trace of bones left behind?

Now the villagers were in an uproar, collectively taking their concerns to the village head, An Laoxiang, demanding a resolution.

Feeling the wrath of the people, An Laoxiang called for An Laohu, the chief idler of the village, to ask if he knew who was responsible.

An Laohu was younger but of senior status in the community. His parents had passed away early, and he spent his younger days loafing around the village.

After wandering outside for a few years, he returned with a wife.

Having married and fathered two children, he had since settled down, but among the idlers of Da An Village, An Laohu was still seen as their leader.

An Laohu gave An Laoxiang due respect, after all, the village head had taken care of him since his parents' death.

He summoned the village idlers for questioning, and the scene nearly turned violent, but none owned up to the thefts.

An Laoxiang was at a loss. His title might have been village head, but in truth, he was just another farmer.

With no other options, they turned to official channels, hoping Great Xia's governance could provide direction, so they reported it to the authorities in Qian Deng Town. But the government officers were unconcerned by missing domestic animals, as human cases were already overwhelming their attention.

After reporting to the authorities, An Laoxiang returned to placate the villagers, and that night, nothing more was stolen.

They thought that was the end of it.

Yet, an even more sinister event unfolded.