Chapter 86: For the People and the Empire
The next day, Chu Qiguang met with the abbot, Daoist Master Law Origin, Wang Chengwang, Wang Cailiang, and Hao Yongtai at the Wang Clan's ancestral grave.
The abbot of the Azure Sun Daoist Temple was a kind-looking old man named Chen Zhu. His appearance was rather unremarkable, but he held immense power in Azure Sun County.
Chu Qiguang explained the natural advantages of the plot of land to everyone, while Hao Yongtai, Chen Zhu, and Daoist Master Law Origin nodded in approval. One of them was a young master from a wealthy clan, while the other two were Daoist priests of the Heavenly Master Religion, so they were all at least somewhat well-versed in the art of feng shui.
This was indeed a blessed plot of land, and it was perfect for use as a graveyard.
As they listened to Chu Qiguang, everyone flipped through the picture albums in their hands. Chu Qiguang had instructed Wang Cailiang to prepare these for everyone, telling him that they were called PeePeeTees. The picture albums showed future site plans, as well as statistics on the number of wealthy individuals in Azure Sun County, the rarity of plots of land with good feng shui, the number of followers of the Heavenly Master Religion... Chu Qiguang had obtained all of these statistics through his own research, and they added a great deal of weight and credibility to his plan.
Superstition was rampant in the Great Han Empire, and the choice of one's burial site was regarded as an extremely important matter, one that could affect the fortunes of an entire clan for generations. Naturally, everyone took this matter very seriously.
"... The Great Han Empire has existed for over two hundred years. With each passing year, the number of plots of land suitable for graveyards continues to decline, while more and more people die in Azure Sun County. Right now, demand for these plots of land far exceeds supply. Everyone worships the Profound Origin Dao Lord, so when they die, they all want a Daoist priest from the temple to host their funeral.
"However, the temple only has so many Daoist priests, so many people are forced to go without that luxury. Now that we have this perfect plot of land, Abbot Chen Zhu can establish a new Daoist temple, and we can build a funeral parlor right here! That way, we'll be able to provide comprehensive funeral services and have people come directly to us! The Daoist priests will no longer have to run themselves ragged.
"Instead, they can simply remain in the temple and perform rites and rituals for all of the deceased being buried across the entire county! We can mass-produce tombstones, while all types of funeral artifacts can be purchased in bulk, recycled, and reused. I did some calculations yesterday, and I found that this model will lower the costs of hosting funerals by at least fifty percent. We can also offer other services like flower bed burials, tree burials... We can make use of every last inch of space and offer it at low prices to the common folk who are unable to afford burial sites."
As everyone looked at the statistics and listened to Chu Qiguang's vision, they felt as if they could already see this entire plot of land filled with tombstones and transformed into the graveyard CBD of Azure Sun County. The common folk would be able to secure auspicious burial sites at lower prices and have easy access to Daoist priests to host their funerals. At the same time, the Daoist temple would be able to increase its profits and perhaps monopolize the entire county's graveyard market.
As for the Wang and Hao Clans, they would each be able to choose a prime piece of land for their ancestral graves while also receiving a share of the graveyard's profits. They could even build inns, restaurants, and other businesses around the graveyard to create more opportunities for employment. Once this vision became reality, the entire county would benefit immensely.
Everyone was completely drawn in by Chu Qiguang's grand plan, and they felt as if a whole new world had opened before their eyes.
To paraphrase Chu Qiguang, death was unavoidable, so there would always be a growing demand for auspicious burial sites. There was a severe shortage of both burial sites and Daoist priests to host funerals, which meant this market had enormous room for growth.
The Daoist priests of the Heavenly Master Religion were the only ones in the county legally permitted to host funerals, and this plot of land had one of the best feng shui layouts in the county. There would never be a shortage of demand, so if they could seize this opportunity, then they would be able to reap tremendous profits for many years to come.
In the future, everyone in the county would have land to bury their dead, and everyone would have access to Daoist priests to host their funerals. The Wang Clan, the Hao Clan, and the Azure Sun Daoist Temple were going to work together to transform this place into a massive funeral county!
Abbot Chen Zhu nodded in approval as he observed Chu Qiguang. The Azure Sun Daoist Temple was always in need of brilliant and capable young men like him. Unfortunately, most Daoist priests spent all their time thinking about how to exploit the people. As a result, the Daoist temple's performance had been declining year after year, and it was becoming less profitable with each passing year.
With that in mind, he decided to try recruiting Chu Qiguang.
"Would you be interested in joining our Heavenly Master Religion?"
"I am honored by your kind invitation, Abbot Chen Zhu, but I must regrettably decline. I plan to take part in the imperial examination," Chu Qiguang said.
In the Great Han Empire, those who joined the Heavenly Master Religion were barred from taking part in the imperial examination. Thus, Abbot Chen Zhu could only shake his head with a wistful expression.
Daoist Master Law Origin could see that Abbot Chen Zhu was very impressed with Chu Qiguang and his plan, so he began discussing the finer details with the Wang and Hao Clans. The Wang Clan summoned all of its servants and brought out the finest wine in its cellar, preparing a lavish banquet for everyone.
The past grievances between the Wang and Hao Clans instantly became a thing of the past, and they became allies and business partners. Chu Qiguang also took advantage of this opportunity to get closer to Abbot Chen Zhu. At the same time, he advised Hao Yongtai to ask the abbot for help in dealing with Li Changqing.
Chen Zhu immediately understood Hao Yongtai's intention. His expression turned grim as he said, "I fear that Thousand-Man Commander Li may have been contaminated by demonic energy while slaying that demon in the county office. To be safe, I intend to invite him to our Daoist temple for an exorcism."
Chu Qiguang asked Chen Zhu what would happen if Li Changqing resisted.
Daoist Master Law Origin burst into laughter and replied, "I'd like to see him try!"
At the end of the banquet, Wang Chengwang pulled Chu Qiguang aside and gave him five hundred taels of silver.
"It's all thanks to you that our Wang Clan was able to avert this crisis and gain such a huge business opportunity. Please accept this as a token of my gratitude, Nephew Chu."
Chu Qiguang accepted the silver and exchanged a few polite words with Wang Chengwan before returning to the county town with Abbot Chen Zhu and Hao Yongtai.
On the way back, Chu Qiguang slipped Daoist Master Law Origin two hundred taels of silver and thanked him for the part he played in facilitating everything.
***
On the way back to the county town, three black-robed figures stood halfway up a mountain, watching the official road as if they were waiting for someone.
Their leader was a woman. All of a sudden, she hissed, "They're here! That one's Chu Qiguang!"
"Finally!" A black-robed man chuckled. "Ding Daoxiao told us that he would leave the county town eventually, but he's always so cautious that we haven't had a chance to strike at all."
The third member of the black-robed trio was an old man, and he said, "Ding Daoxiao wants him dead, but I think we should capture him to see if we can force any useful information out of him."
Just as the three of them were preparing to make a move, the woman suddenly exclaimed, "Isn't that the abbot of the Azure Sun Daoist Temple?"
"Run!" the black-robed man urged frantically. "We have to get away before he notices us!"
"Shit! Is Ding Daoxiao trying to get us killed? He wants us to attack the abbot of the Azure Sun Daoist Temple? He better have an explanation for this!"
***
That night, Li Changqing was swinging his saber in the courtyard that he had rented. Daily saber practice was a habit of his, and over time, it was as if his saber had become an extension of his body.
At that moment, the gate of the courtyard was kicked open, and Chu Qiguang strode inside as if he owned the place.
"Chu Qiguang? Have you gone insane, or do you have a death wish?" Li Changqing asked coldly.
"Master Li, I'm worried that you may have been contaminated by demonic energy after slaying that demon in the county office," Chu Qiguang explained with a concerned expression. "So I've come to invite you to the Azure Sun Daoist Temple for an exorcism."
"Chu Qiguang! I warned you last time about what would happen if you dared to get in my way again!"
All of a sudden, a group of Daoist priests appeared behind Chu Qiguang and surrounded all the men of the Demon Vanquishing Department.
