Chapter 85: Seeking Help From a Close Friend
Originally, Wu Wei and Hao Wen had thought that even if Li Changqing targeted them, he wouldn't go too far out of consideration for Wu Siqi. However, that was clearly not the case at all.
There were many stories about the Demon Vanquishing Department slaughtering entire clans and torturing people to death during interrogations, and Wu Wei and Hao Wen were becoming afraid that they could suffer the same fate.
Chu Qiguang shook his head inwardly in dismay at the two clan leaders' naivete. Given the extreme measures that the Demon Vanquishing Department had already taken, there was no way Li Changqing would let the Wu and Hao Clans off the hook, even if they returned their land.
With that in mind, Chu Qiguang encouraged them to persevere, but the two clan leaders refused.
"I think we should just concede for now, Young Master Chu. That Li Changqing is a barbaric savage who won't listen to reason, and nothing good can come from directly opposing someone like him."
Li Changqing had already planted a seed of fear into the hearts of Wu Wei and Hao Wen, so no amount of encouragement or reassurance from Chu Qiguang could restore their confidence.
Chu Qiguang inwardly cursed them for their cowardice. Seeing no other option, he said, "How about this? I'll think of a way to remove Li Changqing and his men from the picture for a few days."
"How're you going to do that?" Wu Wei asked skeptically.
"Please don't do anything rash, Nephew Chu," Hao Wen urged. "You've seen what he and his men have been doing over the past few days. They don't follow the rules at all!"
Clearly, the two clan leaders were unconvinced, and Chu Qiguang didn't bother to provide any further elaboration. Instead, he left the Wu Manor and returned to his own courtyard.
Qiao Zhi was also given quite a fright after hearing that Chu Qiguang planned to target Li Changqing. He instinctively wanted to dissuade Chu Qiguang from his plan, but he quickly stopped himself.
This is Chu Qiguang we're talking about. If anyone can pull this off, it's him!
"What are you planning to do?" Qiao Zhi asked.
"I've been thinking about this, and my conclusion is that the best way to deal with a formidable foe is to find an even more formidable ally," Chu Qiguang replied.
***
That night, Chu Qiguang paid Daoist Master Law Origin a visit at the Daoist temple again.
If the Demon Vanquishing Department represented the authority of the emperor, then the entity best suited to opposing it was the Heavenly Master Religion, which represented the authority of divinity.
A banquet had already been prepared in the side hall of the Daoist temple.
Daoist Master Law Origin was still a little pale from the injuries he had suffered at Li Changqing's hands. He was also eager to get back at the barbaric thousand-man commander, but regretfully told Chu Qiguang that there was nothing he could do to help.
"Both the Heavenly Master Religion and the Demon Vanquishing Department are responsible for eliminating fiends, demons, and cults, so you should be on equal footing with each other. Is there no one in Azure Sun County that can oppose Li Changqing?" Chu Qiguang asked.
"The Demon Vanquishing Department received all of their martial arts, Dao arts, and pill refinement methods from us!" Daoist Master Law Origin snapped furiously. "They're nothing but a bunch of ungrateful scoundrels! Our abbot could handle Li Changqing like a toddler!"
Over the years, the Heavenly Master Religion and the Demon Vanquishing Department had built up a great deal of resentment toward each other. Not only did they have constant run-ins with each other due to their overlapping responsibilities, but the Heavenly Master Religion had always denounced the people of the Demon Vanquishing Department as ungrateful curs.
"How can we get the abbot involved, then?" Chu Qiguang asked.
A hesitant look appeared on Daoist Master Law Origin's face, so Chu Qiguang slipped him twenty taels of silver under the table.
After receiving the bribe, Daoist Master Law Origin revealed that the abbot was also very unhappy with Li Changqing, but the Demon Vanquishing Department represented the emperor's authority, which granted Li Changqing an untouchable status.
Chu Qiguang insisted that the Demon Vanquishing Department had become far too domineering and vicious, casting an oppressive shadow over the entire county. For the sake of justice, the abbot had to strike back.
After receiving another twenty taels of silver, Daoist Master Law Origin became even more convinced that Chu Qiguang was a truly devout believer. Thus, he stated a number, declaring that the abbot's services could be employed to temporarily take Li Changqing out of the picture for the price of thirty thousand taels of silver. Perhaps the Hao and Wu Clans would be willing to pay that much to have Li Changqing killed, but this was far too steep a price to pay just to push Li Changqing to the sidelines for a while.
However, Chu Qiguang had come prepared, and he revealed, "A close friend of mine just so happens to own a graveyard that has exceptional feng shui. It's connected to the celestial bodies above and a spirit root below, and it's nestled between two mountains that stand like guardians.
"Originally, he planned to develop the plot of land with the Hao Clan, but I feel like it would be a complete travesty to leave the Daoist temple out of something like this, so I advised him to offer up the land to the temple as well. That way, everyone can develop it together. Would the temple be interested in that?"
Before coming here, Chu Qiguang had done some research into the funeral customs and traditions of the Great Han Empire.
Burials were not considered necessary. After all, many people died in foreign lands in this era. If their bodies weren't cremated, they would rot and could even lead to plague and disease in the area. As a result, many deceased individuals were cremated before their ashes were buried, leading to relatively small graves.
Mass graveyards were also very common in this world. Villages and towns would often bury all their dead in the same area. Firstly, this made maintenance easier, since all the graves were concentrated in one area, instead of scattered throughout the village or town. Secondly, there were only so many plots of land with good feng shui, and no clan could claim such plots of land entirely to themselves.
These cultural factors made it much easier for Chu Qiguang to carry out his plan.
"Oh? Is this plot of land really as good as you say?" Daoist Master Law Origin asked.
Chu Qiguang slipped Daoist Master Law Origin another twenty taels of silver as he invited, "May I trouble you to come to the Wang Clan Village to take a look?"
***
After making an agreement to meet up with Daoist Master Law Origin in the Wang Clan Village the next day, Chu Qiguang paid Wang Cailiang a visit.
Wang Cailiang was very happy to see him. "What's going on, Brother Chu? It's been a while!"
After some small talk, Chu Qiguang revealed to Wang Cailiang that he had found a solution to the land dispute between the Wang Clan and the Hao Clan.
"I spoke to the Hao Clan, and they told me that they were determined to seize that plot of land at all costs. Thankfully, I'm on good terms with the abbot of the Azure Sun Daoist Temple, and the temple has declared that it's willing to act as an intermediary to develop the plot of the land together with your two clans," Chu Qiguang said.
Wang Cailiang was ecstatic. "Really? The Daoist temple is willing to help us?"
***
At the Hao Manor, Chu Qiguang said to Hao Yongtai, "The Wang Clan has already decided to develop that plot of land with the Daoist temple. Thankfully, I'm quite close with both the Wang Clan and the abbot of the Daoist temple, so I managed to convince them to include your Hao Clan in a three-way collaboration."
Hao Yongtai trusted Chu Qiguang completely, and he sincerely thanked him for making such an arrangement.
"There's no need to thank me." Chu Qiguang sighed. "Back when Yongnian was alive, he told me he really wanted that plot of land. Hopefully, once we move his grave there, he can finally rest in peace."
