Chapter 331 – The Fake Daoist Gets Exposed

Once they settled on the price, Yan Lao’er paid the deposit.

After that, he hurried to a nearby herbal medicine shop and sold the ginseng.

Since he’d sold some before, he knew the market well enough—the whole transaction went smoothly.

The bamboo seller’s entire family pitched in to help bundle and load the bamboo according to Yan Lao’er’s instructions.

Both father and daughter couldn’t wait and joined in the work themselves.

Yan Lao’er couldn’t help but ask around, “Brother, your shop’s in a great spot. Everyone coming from north or south can see it clearly. Have you seen a group of people claiming to be grain merchants going around buying grain?”

The shop owner burst out laughing. “What, are they offering a good price? I’d love to run into them, but no such luck. If you spot them, put in a word for me, will you? My family’s got grain to sell too.”

Yan Lao’er: …

Instead of finding his target, he uncovered a potential new customer.

“Dad, stop clinging to false hope,” Yan Yu whispered.

Yan Lao’er let out a long, heavy sigh and wiped his face hard, then grinned at the shop owner. “Brother, talk about coincidence—I’m actually here to buy grain!”

The owner looked surprised. “You’re buying grain? Weren’t you asking about the grain merchants because you wanted to sell?”

“I asked about them because I heard they bought a ton of grain at low prices. I was hoping to buy from them,” Yan Lao’er said casually, then added, “I’m looking to buy in large quantities. Figured if someone could help organize things, I wouldn’t have to go from one village to the next.”

The shop owner immediately warmed up. “That’s no trouble at all. This year’s been a bumper harvest—everyone in our village had a great yield. Just tell me how much you want, I’ll connect you.”

The two of them went back and forth, and soon locked in the price and quantity.

Always cautious, Yan Lao’er paid another deposit and signed a written agreement.

The seller was thrilled. Not only did he make money from the bamboo deal, now he was raking in a commission on grain too.

They agreed that Yan Lao’er would return in seven days to pick up the grain.

After closing two deals in one go, the shop owner warmed up to Yan Lao’er considerably.

He eagerly shared the hottest gossip going around Guiyuan Town.

“…A bunch of folks in our town support Floating Cloud Temple. You wouldn’t believe the scene—they were making an offering to the Sea God. People chipped in with money or labor. Half the town showed up, it was quite the spectacle!”

Yan Lao’er thought to himself, I’ve seen that spectacle alright, even got a firsthand look at what kind of fraud that old man really is.

“They say someone sincerely prayed for Divine Water, took it home, and cured the plague. After that, Floating Cloud Temple’s fame skyrocketed. Now people from Guanzhou are flooding into our town, lining up at the temple begging for Divine Water. Guess what happened next?” The shop owner paused, clearly enjoying the suspense.

Yan Lao’er played along. “What happened?”

“At first, they couldn’t get their hands on it. Then someone got clever and suggested that locals ask for it, then sell it to the outsiders.”

Yan Lao’er: …

Yan Yu: …

How shameful! They’re even helping the scammer rake in more profit…

“Those with money bought it. Those without just tried to snatch it. Things got pretty chaotic…” The shop owner sighed. “Then something happened.”

“What happened?” Yan Lao’er was genuinely curious now.

Yan Yu perked up her ears, hanging on every word.

“One day, suddenly all these people started secretly selling Divine Water on the streets. More and more folks from Guanzhou were buying it—people from Changping, Gufeng, even some from Yongning. Some bought it for their families, others for relatives. That bunch selling the Divine Water made a real killing. But the water didn’t cure a thing. So of course people started coming back. They ran into each other and started talking. And guess what? None of it worked!”

“One or two people wouldn’t be a problem, but there were just too many. It turned into complete chaos.”

“Floating Cloud Temple shut its doors, but a few stubborn types kept a close eye on it. When they finally caught someone, what a shock! Turns out that Daoist Master^[1] Floating Cloud was actually just a young guy in disguise. That stuff about white hair and youthful features? All fake. The beard was glued on, and the hair was naturally white…”

“Huh? A disguise?” Yan Lao’er feigned surprise.

“Exactly! We thought a little daoist had popped out and tried to catch him for questioning. But in the scuffle, his baggage got ripped open, and out spilled not just bright silver coins, but a bright white fake beard.”

Yan Yu stifled a laugh.

It even rhymed.

The shopkeeper was getting into it, spraying spit as he talked. “That Floating Cloud – no, that fake daoist – realized he’d been exposed, so he just decided to spill everything and drag all his accomplices down with him.”

Yan Lao’er asked curiously, “Why’d he do that?”

“He said that if those others hadn’t gotten greedy and secretly sold too much Divine Water, they could’ve enjoyed a few more good, peaceful years. So he was full of resentment. Figured if he couldn’t get away, no one else should either. He confessed everything without a fight. They caught the others, recovered a good chunk of the silver, and now they’re all locked up in the county jail.”

Yan Lao’er and Yan Yu exchanged a glance and quietly let out a sigh of relief.

“Good thing they got the silver back.”

The shopkeeper nodded. “That’s true, but now there’s a mess over who gets what. You wouldn’t believe it – several parties of officials from Guanzhou have come, each waving warrants and saying they’re in charge. Our local magistrate pretended to be sick and hasn’t shown his face in days…”

Yan Lao’er dismissed the hired cart.

Yan Yu pulled out the hidden wooden raft. They lashed two rafts together tightly with thick hemp rope.

Then, with the donkey’s help, they began dragging bundle after bundle of tied bamboo onto the raft.

Gouzhu stood watch.

Yan Lao’er grunted as he stacked the bamboo neatly.

Once everything was in place, Yan Yu flopped onto Gouzhu and stuck out her tongue like it did.

“Phew! I’m dead tired!”

Yan Lao’er looked at her with concern. “My Da Bao’s worn out. Try to get a nap in. We were up all last night and now this whole day too… My poor girl’s had a rough time of it.”

“I’m fine, Dad. Just need a short rest and I’ll bounce back. Don’t forget your daughter’s a musclewoman!” Yan Yu gave a wide grin, flexing her arm in an exaggerated strongman pose.

Pride and sorrow filled Yan Lao’er’s heart.

Look at his girl, so thoughtful and mature!

Yan Yu knew her dad too well. He was feeling miserable and guilty again, but it wasn’t his fault he didn’t have a strong body.

The whole Strength Potion mess had been one big accident. No use dwelling on it.

She actually liked how things turned out. Ever since she got her strength, she could help with all kinds of tasks. No more silent frustration over being small and weak.

Even food tasted better now!

The donkey pulled on the rope from the water, slowly towing the raft away from the shore.

Gouzhu picked a good spot and plopped down, tapping the blanket with a paw before giving Yan Yu a soft bark.

Yan Yu laughed and snuggled next to her dad under the big quilt, putting both hands on Gouzhu’s back, feeling waves of heat pour into her body.

“Gouzhu’s the best!” Yan Yu chuckled, ruffling its fuzzy head.

Gouzhu let out two satisfied yelps, clearly enjoying the moment.

“Dad, isn’t there a saying, ‘Those the heavens wish to destroy, they first drive mad^[2]’? Seeing the Floating Cloud Temple and that fake Taoist bunch end up like this is truly satisfying!”

She slowly narrowed her eyes, her speech gradually becoming slurred. “I used to worry that I was just helping villains, becoming an accomplice to evil… but even if I had to do it over again, I’d still make the same choice.

Uncle once said: carry yourself with honor, and fear neither ghosts nor demons!

Our methods may not have been entirely honorable, but the desire to save lives—that was never wrong!

It’s just that… Dad, today more than ever, I understand how right Uncle was. We must always think things through, plan everything out… that fake Taoist almost got away with the money. We need to learn a lesson from this.

In emergencies, we can act boldly, but we still need to take care of the aftermath properly…”

Yan Lao’er listened quietly as his daughter leaned on him and drifted into a deep sleep.

He curled his lips into a silent smile.

So this was the lesson his daughter had taken from all this?

Take care of the aftermath?

Well… alright then…

Author Note:

That Divine Water segment really got a lot of flak from readers, but I stuck to my guns and didn’t change it, because the plot ahead depends on it.

At the time, it truly was the best choice—there was no better way to get the medicine into their hands without them noticing.

Also, it helped Yan Yu feel just how powerless her father was, which sparked her desire to study and improve herself.

(End of chapter)