The next morning, nine o’clock.
Taoyuan Square.
As soon as Zhang Fan arrived at the office, he saw that Bai Buran’s office door was tightly shut. Through the crack in the blinds, it looked like a guest had co by.
"Got a client?" Zhang Fan muttered under his breath.
If another day passed without a single client, he was really starting to wonder if Night is Not Bright was going belly-up any minute.
"Alright, ti to slack off with a clear conscience."
Zhang Fan sat down at his desk, turned on his computer, and shalessly opened up the "Little Yellow Book" page.
anwhile, inside Bai Buran’s office, a young man in a Daoist robe was fiddling with the blinds, peeking out through the gap, fixing his gaze on the world outside.
"Daoist brother, got a new recruit here?" Cao Wushang asked, not even bothering to turn his head.
"Cao Wushang... Back when you followed your White Crane Temple elders up Zhenwu Mountain, you were just a kid, maybe seven or eight. Now look at you, holding down the fort on your own."
Bai Buran leaned back in his chair, looking at this uninvited guest in front of him.
"What’s up with the newbie?" Cao Wushang asked casually.
"His na’s Zhang Fan. Just an intern," Bai Buran replied offhandedly.
"His last na is Zhang?" Cao Wushang turned around and sat across from Bai Buran.
"So what if it’s Zhang?" Bai Buran said, half-smiling, half-not.
"Since ancient tis, of every ten Daoists, nine are nad Zhang and one is nad Li."
"That’s true enough." Cao Wushang nodded.
"You’re a top disciple from White Crane Temple now. How’d you find ti to visit my humble shrine?" Bai Buran cut straight to the chase.
"’Humble shrine’?" Cao Wushang laughed.
"Eighty years ago, after the Daoist Tribulation, the Divine Evil Sect only had two incense lines left. But you’re hiding one right here..."
"That rebellious student from Maoshan Shangqing Sect is here too..."
"And then there’s Yu Fu... That Chuanyu River-dragon incident back in the day caused an uproar. It took so much effort from the higher-ups just to settle the rumors... That old thing’s got a damn long life, still not dead..."
As he said this, Cao Wushang’s gaze sharpened, looking at Bai Buran with so hidden aning.
"Daoist brother, tiny as your temple is, you sure attract a lot of trouble."
"Small temple, big winds, shallow water, lots of turtles..." Bai Buran said languidly, "All the better—it ans I can see straight to the bottom of my own pond."
"Daoist brother, it’s been years since you left Zhenwu, but you’re still sharp as ever."
Cao Wushang flicked his fingertips and suddenly asked, "You’ve seen Hai Pig?"
"Yeah, but I didn’t fight him." Bai Buran’s gaze dropped.
He knew full well, Cao Wushang ca knocking today for the Thirteen Zodiacs business.
"When the false is true, and the true is false; there is nothingness in existence, and existence in nothingness..." Cao Wushang’s voice sank, "Those devils from the Wuwei Sect—no matter how many we kill, there’s always more!"
At this, Cao Wushang abruptly changed the subject, his tone intense: "The higher-ups have decided..."
"To reopen Dragon Tiger Mountain!"
"Reopen Dragon Tiger Mountain!?" Even Bai Buran, as cool as he was, couldn’t help but noticeably react.
Eighty years ago, at the Universal Sacrifice, all the top Daoists gathered at Dragon Tiger Mountain—it was ant to be a grand rite asking the Immortal Gods to bless the mortal world, but in the end, it turned into the Daoist Tribulation...
That generation’s Daoist elite were almost all left behind forever on Dragon Tiger Mountain; plenty of dharma lineages were cut off entirely.
After that, the vitality of the Daoist world was bled dry, Dragon Tiger Mountain slamd its doors shut, and in eighty years, not a single stick of incense has burned there since.
Now, eighty years gone, and they’re reopening Dragon Tiger Mountain!?
"So many cold cases over the years—sooner or later, every sect deserves an answer."
Cao Wushang could see Bai Buran’s confusion and explained, "Back then, so many people died on the mountain—what really happened at the Universal Sacrifice..."
"Ti for the truth to co out."
"After all these years, why pick now for the truth?" Bai Buran’s voice grew deep. "Because of the Wuwei Sect? Are they trying to repeat the Universal Sacrifice?"
"It’s not just about those devils."
Cao Wushang shook his head, glancing at Bai Buran instinctively.
"Shall it die, or shall it live? Every seventy-three generations, there is a pause. Zhenwu Mountain is in its seventy-third generation, isn’t it! The Ancestral Master’s prophecy of catastrophe falls right about now."
Cao Wushang said solemnly, "If Zhenwu Mountain suffers disaster, where will Transcendent Zhenren be?"
"You’re afraid the Optimus Pri of the Daoist world might fall!?" Bai Buran’s eyes narrowed.
Chu Chaoran is the living Zhenren of our tis—with a status that props up the Daoist world like a golden beam holding up the sea or a jade pillar supporting the sky.
If Zhenwu cos to disaster, then even the Zhenren will get dragged into it, and by then, it’d be total chaos everywhere.
"Eighty years ago, at the Daoist Tribulation, Transcendent Zhenren was the only one left alive... As long as he lives, everyone breathes easy—so reopening Dragon Tiger Mountain now makes sense."
One thing, though, Cao Wushang didn’t say out loud—didn’t dare say: It’s not like we can wait until Chu Chaoran is dead before reopening Dragon Tiger Mountain, can we!!
At this, Cao Wushang changed the subject, asking, "By the way, the Zhenwu Jade Scroll’s transmission at Zhenwu Mountain—it went smoothly?"
The Zhenwu Jade Scroll was what Chu Chaoran brought out from Dragon Tiger Mountain all those years ago. It might well contain the truth about the Daoist Tribulation, so the higher-ups are keeping an eye on it.
"I suppose it went fine, but you’d have to ask Zhenwu Mountain themselves," Bai Buran answered flatly.
"Good enough. The higher-ups approve of Xia Weisheng, the Zhenwu Inheritor; when the ti cos to reopen Dragon Tiger Mountain, she may very well have to bring the Zhenwu Jade Scroll with her."
Cao Wushang hinted, clearly implying Bai Buran should pass word to Zhenwu Mountain: if they’re really reopening Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Jade Scroll has to be there, so they can finally uncover what happened during the Daoist Tribulation eighty years ago.
"And when are they reopening Dragon Tiger Mountain?" Bai Buran asked.
"Next year, ninth day of the ninth month!!"
With that, Cao Wushang stood up and walked toward the door.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be off."
"Safe journey, I won’t see you out."
Bai Buran didn’t rise, just stared at Cao Wushang’s receding figure, his gaze sharp as a razor, before muttering softly to himself.
"That little fox—really has turned into a spirit."
Creaaak...
The office door opened and out stepped Cao Wushang.
Zhang Fan, on high alert like a startled rabbit, scrambled to switch his browser tab.
His eyes darted while his head stayed still, peeking side-eyed at the crack in the door!
Back in school, Zhang Fan had honed this skill to Great Success—perfect for dodging the "peering wraith eyes" of a class advisor.
"Daoist?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Zhang Fan spotted Cao Wushang leaving the office; at the exact mont, Cao Wushang glanced back at him. Their eyes t for a split second across the air, then each looked away.
Once Cao Wushang exited the company, Zhang Fan peered again at Bai Buran’s office. The door was still shut. Only then did he relax and go back to slacking off.
"Ding..."
Just then, a cheery system notification rang out. Zhang Fan opened his "Little Yellow Book" inbox...
"Refund notice? Hahaha, it finally ca through." Zhang Fan was overjoyed.
"Your refund application of 888 yuan has been processed. After verifying your complaint, the system has suspended user [Thousand-Year-Old Demon] from posting for 7 days. As an apology, we’re awarding you a Zhenwu Mountain ditation 333 yuan credit voucher. Please use it soon..."
"..."
Zhang Fan squinted, opened up the chat window with Thousand-Year-Old Demon. The scamd 888 yuan was finally back.
"Hm!?"
Right at that mont, Zhang Fan noticed at the very top of the chat window: "The other party is typing..."
"Replying to !? Rattled, eh? Going to start flaming now?" Zhang Fan sneered.
He’d DM’ed dozens of tis to Thousand-Year-Old Demon before, but it was always like throwing rocks in a lake. Now the refund had hit and suddenly the other guy’s panicking...
Zhang Fan, scared?
Nope!
King of the keyboard, pride of the net—where there’s my keyboard, there’s my sky. Behind the screen, he feared no one.
Thinking so, he picked up his teacup, took a careful sip, and waited for his web battle with [Thousand-Year-Old Demon].
Ding...
Just then, a new ssage dinged in; Zhang Fan glanced at it—
Crack...
The teacup in his hand shattered with a snap. His eyes went wide, full of shock and suspicion, because the ssage from [Thousand-Year-Old Demon] was just six words:
Dread of Dragon and Tiger yet?
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