Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

"Taoist! Taoist! I've finally found you. Chief Wu is hosting a banquet at noon to treat you and Master Lianhua to a meal," Chief Zhang, panting heavily, ran over and said on the mountain road.

This time, Chief Zhang used the honorific 'you'.

"Oh? Chief Wu wants to invite me to a meal again? Just right, I wanted to thank Chief Wu for his hospitality yesterday before I left," Yi Chen said with a wide smile upon hearing the news, unable to help but laugh.

"Let's go, lead the way ahead!" Yi Chen waved his hand grandly.

Chief Zhang, staring at Yi Chen's tall figure, felt a sense of trance in his heart. He had an odd feeling: how come, after just a few hours apart, Yi Taoist seemed even stronger?

"Could it be that the Taoist had been holding back all this time? Sss! How old is the Taoist anyway?" Chief Zhang's pupils shrank in shock.

This was a golden thigh indeed.

Hidden Dragon Temple truly had a golden signboard.

After pondering for a moment, he winced as he took out a silver ingot and stealthily passed it over.

Yi Chen glanced at it. It was no light weight, estimated to be around twenty taels, but he didn't immediately reach out to take it.

Some silver burns the hands.

"Chief Zhang, what do you mean by this?"

Chief Zhang replied with a humble smile, "In a few days, the county magistrate will likely host a banquet to honor you, Taoist, and also present the final payment of three hundred taels for resolving the recent evil spirits' incident."

"I was thinking that perhaps you could speak a few kind words on my behalf in front of the county magistrate then."

"Didn't the former Chief Constable die in Qingyuan Town?"

"Taoist, I'm so eager to advance."

Yi Chen: "..." Aba aba.

In fact, Yi Chen had a fairly good impression of Chief Zhang. Pursuing advancement wasn't a bad thing per se, mainly because one needed to get things done and be capable. In the incident of the disturbance caused by evil spirits in Qingyuan Town, Chief Zhang hadn't dropped the ball and had been fully involved.

There had been no merit, but there was hard work, and he hadn't fed fewer mosquitoes while following him.

At least Chief Zhang was the only constable from Fengyun County who had shown up, and such behavior deserved commendation, albeit his political acumen was a bit low.

Direct bribery? Who did he think he, Yi Chengzi, was? He had promised his master to follow the path of benevolence and righteousness.

Thinking this, Yi Chen's face grew stern:

"Chief Zhang, what kind of person do you take me, Yi Chengzi, for?"

"How can you look at me like this, Fortune Begets Boundless Heaven Honored One."

"If you truly have your heart set on the Way, you could simply donate some incense money to the merit box at my Hidden Dragon Temple. I've taken note of your contribution this time."

Yi Chen made his point and stopped there; what came next would depend on Chief Zhang's perceptiveness.

Sure enough, Chief Zhang showed good intuition, potentially having the makings of a Chief Constable, as he quickly said:

"Taoist, my words were amiss."

"I aim for the Way, I too can aim for the Way, ah."

"I just misspoke, see what a mess this mouth of mine made. My heart is steadfast in aspiring to the Way, and Hidden Dragon Temple is the pillar of the Dao Sect in Fengyun County. This ingot of silver is a donation for the temple incense, to prove the sincerity of my heart towards the Way."

"Is that so," Yi Chen said, his expression easing slightly, and he nodded, "Since it's incense silver for Daozun, then I shall reluctantly accept it on behalf."

"Don't do this next time, alright?"

Chief Zhang nodded repeatedly.

Walking along the mountain road, Yi Chen couldn't help but decide to give a few words of advice.

"Chief Zhang, being courageous in your duties is good, but you must never engage in corrupt practices. We can earn clean money in a completely legal and proper way."

"Taoist, I understand, I understand."

"You don't understand a damn thing!"

"A good Chief Constable should not always look for the tiniest profits from the poor; the highest realm of making money is to pluck the goose without it hissing. Do you understand?"

"Your predecessor was a fool, earning little and stirring up a stink, incurring hatred from others, and his untimely death was his retribution."

"Such a person, I wouldn't even recite the Rebirth Mantra for him."

"Lean in closer, I'll teach you a few tricks."

Chief Zhang, with a face full of anticipation, leaned in closer, and after a while, his expression became increasingly dumbfounded, he said with a morose face, "Taoist, I can't understand what you're talking about."

At this point, Chief Zhang's mind was filled with thoughts of review, empowerment, levers, benchmarking, settling, middle structures, funnels, closed loops, techniques, compliance, alignment, cross-checking, pushback, implementation, links, matrices, cognition, coordination, feedback, connection, compatibility, packaging...

It sounded impressive, yet as incomprehensible as an arcane text.

"Alas, such a blockhead," Yi Chen sighed.

He decided to make his point even more clear.

"Fengyun County has a Treasure Street, within your jurisdiction, where fake antiques are sold, along with overlord chickens for fishing, fake medicines, and so forth. Is there one good person among them? Even those who sell genuine items only open shop every three years, and they make enough profit for three years' worth. The profit margins are so high that I'm tempted to get involved, if not for my master's forbiddance."

Yi Chen's face carried a look of regret at this moment.

"Do you think these people are lacking money? They're always fighting over spots and not maintaining hygiene, littering everywhere. Is this acceptable?"

"You should draw up some stall spaces with lime, charge them stall fees."

"Hire some of the old, weak, sick, and disabled to handle the sanitation, collect their sanitation fees, and give me the monthly pay at the full rate of a healthy person. Don't hire anyone good; just choose the pitiful ones who are honest and kind-hearted, as doing so counts as accumulating virtue."

"With this, you'll have an easier time having sons without skin diseases."

Upon hearing this, Chief Zhang's face lit up with admiration, looking at Yi Chen with reverence, "Taoist, I've got it, I've had my realization, ah."

"You've realized a fart!"

"How are you going to divide the money you collect?"

"Ah?"

"The waters here are deep, do you think you can handle them?"

"You conspire with a few friends who are also constables, keep the money collected, you all split twenty percent, thirty percent goes to the Prefectural Chief, fifty percent to the County Magistrate."

"Why does the Prefectural Chief gets thirty percent, and the County Magistrate receives fifty percent, you'll have to figure out on your own."

"Also, don't be too harsh with collecting booth fees and sanitation fees, you want a steady stream, not crossing people's bottom lines."

At this moment, Chief Zhang admired Yi Chen so much that he was completely convinced, "Taoist, this time I really get it, thirty percent goes to the Prefectural Chief because he's in charge of the armed force, and in case of a conflict, we need him to step in, while fifty percent to the County Magistrate because those who run stalls are often from influential city families who need the County Magistrate to mediate."

"A steady income is to avoid uniting those people to flip the tables on us, resulting in the higher-ups scapegoating us."

"With this round of maneuvers, I have taken good care of colleagues and superiors, who else if not me should be the Chief Constable?" Chief Zhang was grinning from ear to ear, as if he had heard music from heaven.

"You've finally caught on a bit, remember, in a lucrative business, whoever has money, that's who you make a profit from. Don't scrape for oil from the poor devils' mosquito legs, let them be."

"Remember, after it's all set, whoever is still selling Overlord Chicken, along with all sorts of junk on Treasure Street, have their stalls smashed. Without innovation, they just know how to copy, it's those people who spoil the industry."

Yi Chen said furiously.

If it weren't for too many copycats replicating his methods, he could have raked in more rotten money.

Only those who have been soaked by the rain know to break other people's umbrellas when it rains.

If I can't sell, neither can any of you.

Yi Chen had heard the news; now there was a growing trend of people selling the Overlord Chicken.

Piracy, blatant piracy, and they didn't even pay him royalties—outrageous!

Chief Zhang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead... So, it turns out you're the grand master.

"Rest assured, Taoist, I will definitely crack down hard on this," Chief Zhang assured while thumping his chest.

"Taoist, may I take you as my master?"

"No, a master leads you to the door, sentencing depends on the individual."

"Ah???"

"My mistake, a master leads you to the door, cultivation depends on the individual. Your comprehension is poor, I can't teach you. In the future, just manage your business on Treasure Street, spend less money on brothels and listening to songs, do more good deeds to accumulate virtue, use your influence to do a few more practical things."

"If you cause trouble in the future and use my name, saying I taught you, then I will recite the Rebirth Mantra for you." Yi Chen had a kind and benevolent smile.

Chief Zhang: "..."

"Rest assured, Taoist, I definitely wouldn't dare. I want to make progress to do more for the people of Fengyun County. From now on, without your nod, I'll just stick to managing business on Treasure Street."

Heeding advice brings a full meal, this is a principle Chief Zhang still understands.

Yi Chen smiled upon hearing this. Chief Zhang now had a bit of a Chief Constable's air about him, and he gave Chief Zhang a slight nod and said:

"Little Zhang, I am now ordering you to do something for me, go down the mountain and investigate whether the owner of the Fortune Longevity Hall, Boss Shi, is a person who loves to do good deeds."

"As well as the reputation of Wu Changshou, the Mayor of Qingyuan Town, and the issue of a girl named Xiao Cui who committed suicide by jumping into a river more than two months ago, find out the bottom line for me."

"Also, if anything big or small happens in Fengyun County that strikes you as odd, feel free to send someone to Hidden Dragon Temple to inform me."

"Alright, Master, I will take care of it thoroughly for you," Chief Zhang suddenly had an epiphany and seized the opportunity.

Yi Chen looked at Chief Zhang with surprise and smiled:

"You are progressing quickly, aren't you?"

"Well then, from now on, you will be my named disciple. If anyone gives you trouble in the future, or you encounter anything sinister, just come to Hidden Dragon Temple to find me."

"As long as it's not your fault, I'd like to see who dares not give Daozun a bit of respect."

"Disciple, the more I look at you, the more you seem like the Chief Constable of Fengyun County."

Chief Zhang: "It's all thanks to the master's cultivation."

Yi Chen: "It's all down to your own performance, there's not much I can help you with."

Half a cup of tea time later.

Chief Zhang couldn't help asking, "Master, how come you understand so many tactics at such a young age? Could it be that there are truly those who are born with knowledge?"

"The luck of the immeasurable heavenly noble, my disciple, what born with knowledge? It's mainly because you lack spirit."

"Not like your master, I have so much spirit that it's almost overflowing."

"Then how do I acquire that kind of spirit?"

At that moment, a reminiscent look appeared on Yi Chen's face as he said faintly:

"Simple, experience more, observe more, learn more.

Get conned every day, each con different from the last; if you persist for some time and aren't dead yet, then you've got it."

Chief Zhang: "..."

"Or maybe I just do whatever the master tells me to."

Yi Chen paused and said, "Actually, you do have some spirit, my disciple, your master almost missed it."

Yi Chen had made a spur-of-the-moment decision to take Chief Zhang as his named disciple, a casual move in his game of chess.

Placing a confidant at the entrance of the yamen could be greatly beneficial in gathering information for him, especially to keep an eye out for anyone targeting Hidden Dragon Temple.

He hardly needed to invest anything, just consider it planting a seed on a whim; whether it bore fruit or not, he would leave it to fate.

As for Chief Zhang betraying him, Yi Chen didn't consider it because he would instill in him the principles of righteousness to guide him back on the right path.

Is the Taoist's boat like a pleasure boat that you can board or disembark at will, where even a dog barking a few extra times at Hidden Dragon Temple has to face a couple of slaps? Betray? Hiss, even the Taoist himself doesn't dare to think about the consequences.

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