Ji Yuan picked up the teapot and poured himself another cup of hot tea. This time, he didn't drink it down immediately but savored its taste.
He also took out a gold ingot, which Old Master Zhao had insisted on giving him, from his sleeve and pushed it towards the monk Huixin, signaling him to accept it.
This was considered the reward for inviting him to help remove the evil energy from young master Zhao's body.
Huixin was stunned at first, then smiled wryly and accepted the gold ingot. Even though he was a Buddhist monk, the expenses on his cultivation path were unavoidable.
For a poor family, a gold ingot was likely wealth they couldn't earn in a lifetime, but for a cultivator, it was merely a period's expenses.
Whether it was the spiritual food and medicinal meals for daily consumption, the elixirs to increase cultivation, or the resources consumed during cultivation, these things were incredibly expensive.
"Even this humble monk owes fellow Daoist another favor."
Huixin clasped his hands together and chanted a Buddhist phrase.
The first favor was that the young monk recommended the young Daoist to Old Master Zhao to save the young master. This seemed like a stroke of good fortune, a way to earn substantial wealth and gain favor with the Zhao family.
However, as a Buddhist cultivator, Huixin could naturally discern the cultivation level of the evil entity that could implant such pure evil energy into young master Zhao's body.
An evil entity at the late stage of the Enlightenment realm could easily cause trouble if not handled carefully, turning a good deed into a bad one. That was why he owed a favor.
As for the second favor, it was this gold ingot.
No matter how many reasonable explanations there were, they couldn't hide the fact that Ji Yuan's action was intended to let him share in the spoils and earn some expenses for his cultivation path.
Otherwise, Ji Yuan could have removed the evil energy from young master Zhao's body by himself. Even if his methods were a bit crude and might leave some lingering hidden dangers for the boy afflicted by the evil energy, no one could say anything about it.
After all, this was a good deed to save a life.
As for the evil entity that might be attracted, it could be dealt with by the martial artists of the Zhao family.
"The path of cultivation is long, and neither of us is competing for the same Great Dao. Having more fellow Daoists to support each other is a good thing."
Ji Yuan smiled slightly, not taking it too seriously.
His state of mind also stirred much emotion in Huixin.
There were myriad Great Daos, but the path of cultivation was only one. To go further, one could not afford to let any accumulation, however small, slip by. For some extreme cultivators, it was best to be alone on the path of cultivation, with everyone else dead.
Let alone sharing opportunities, being able to not interfere with each other was already considered a sign of excellent character among those of the righteous path.
"However, this time, you might be doing more harm than good if you're not careful."
Ji Yuan suddenly sighed, taking a sip of the hot tea containing a trace of spiritual energy, his brow furrowing slightly.
He thought for a moment, and under Huixin's puzzled gaze, he slowly said, "Although I don't know the specific reason, this evil entity has clearly set its sights on the Zhao family. No one knows what it will do next."
A cultivation level at the late stage of Enlightenment was definitely considered a great expert in Qianyu City, but to target the Zhao family with this alone was still wishful thinking.
The Zhao family's status as one of the three great sects and the most renowned and powerful force within hundreds of miles was not solely due to their vast wealth.
They lacked neither methods nor martial prowess, and the seemingly amiable Old Master Zhao was deeply versed in these matters.
"This was my oversight. If any danger arises, fellow Daoist Ji, please feel free to withdraw."
Huixin's face showed shame. Seeing the boy's pained expression had stirred his compassion.
He hadn't expected that what he thought was a good deed might lead to some unpleasant events.
After all, although the Zhao family was not afraid of an evil entity at the late stage of Enlightenment, Ji Yuan couldn't stay with the Zhao family forever, and the Xuan Tian Temple had no expert guarding it, making them vulnerable to malicious retaliation.
"We'll deal with those things when they come."
Ji Yuan shook his head, and his tone suddenly shifted as he discussed the upcoming matters with Huixin.
Removing the evil energy was not difficult for either of them, so their main focus was on how to use this opportunity to lure out the malevolent entity and have the martial artists of the Zhao family eliminate it.
While they were discussing, Zhao Shengcai, who had previously received a talisman and was instructed by Ji Yuan to patrol the Zhao family mansion a few times, returned and bowed, presenting the intact talisman.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan felt a headache coming on. The intact talisman meant that the haunting ghost was not hidden within the mansion, and its true body was likely hidden somewhere in the city.
In this case, it would not be so easy to find it.
Several hours later, as night fell, the sleeping young master Zhao finally woke up. After washing up, he was brought to the elegant courtyard by Old Master Zhao.
"Zhao Yuebai expresses his gratitude to the Daoist priest and the Master for saving his life!"
The boy, about seven or eight years old, bowed solemnly.
Before long, in the elegant pavilion where the tables and chairs had been moved, Huixin and Zhao Yuebai sat on the ground facing each other. They both closed their eyes, and after a moment of preparation, Huixin began to chant Buddhist scriptures.
The Sanskrit chants spread out from the elegant pavilion, filling the hearts of those present with a sense of peace.
Ji Yuan murmured softly, "Wuliang Tianzun." While Huixin was using Buddhist scriptures to remove the evil energy from Zhao Yuebai, he was also observing the young master Zhao.
Old Master Zhao had had several wives and concubines in his life, with three sons and one daughter. However, in his youth, he had clashed with enemies and was later left with only one daughter who married and moved to the county town.
Perhaps it was due to his age, his ferocity having been worn away by time, and his daily accumulation of good deeds, that he was blessed with a son in his old age. Upon returning from a journey, he brought back an infant son still in swaddling clothes.
Old Master Zhao doted on this rosy-cheeked and handsome young son immensely, sparing no expense on him, feeding him all sorts of medicinal meals and spiritual items without regard for cost.
As a result, although Zhao Yuebai was only seven or eight years old, his physical foundation was better than that of ordinary young men, and the vital energy accumulated within him was comparable to that of a martial artist who had trained diligently for over a decade.
If someone with such a foundation were to cultivate, whether in martial arts or the Dao, they would advance by leaps and bounds, quickly surpassing the hard work of ordinary cultivators or martial artists over several years or even decades.
It was rumored that Old Master Zhao was currently searching for an excellent enlightenment method and cultivation technique, hoping that his young son could embark on the path of longevity and enlightenment, rather than enduring hardships like a martial artist.
"When Yuebai attains enlightenment and embarks on the path of cultivation, would he be able to study medicine and alchemy with the young Daoist priest?"
Old Master Zhao suddenly spoke, looking at the young boy beside him with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan merely smiled slightly, neither agreeing nor refusing, leaving some room for maneuver.
Given the reputation and influence of the Zhao family, it was naturally impossible for their most beloved young master to apprentice under a mere Daoist priest. He would undoubtedly be sent to a prestigious sect in the future.
However, before that, learning some medical skills and alchemy from him could lay a foundation for his future cultivation path.
Ultimately, what Old Master Zhao was interested in was Ji Yuan's unique alchemy methods that were unrivaled in Qianyu City. As for medical skills, they were merely incidental.
The reason he neither agreed nor refused was that he was waiting for Old Master Zhao to make an offer, to see if the Zhao family could present something that would move him.
If they could, teaching alchemy would be no problem, as long as it didn't involve his core principles.
After all, earning some cultivation resources was not a shameful thing.