Chapter 87: Exorcism
The leader of the Daoist priests was none other than Daoist Master Law Origin. He sneered and said, "Demonic contamination is no laughing matter, Master Li. We have a responsibility to keep both you and the people of Azure Sun County safe, so we must perform an exorcism on you."
Li Changqing was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. He slowly drew his fiend-slaying saber and said, "I am here on His Majesty's orders, so no one has authority over me aside from His Majesty and my superiors in the Demon Vanquishing Department! If you want me, then come and get me!"
As he spoke, he pulled out two pills and swallowed them at once. The outline of his body expanded noticeably. His muscles swelled, veins bulged beneath his skin, and intense heat began radiating from him. At the same time, his eyes turned completely white, devoid of pupils. Waves of palpable pressure swept over everyone present, and both Chu Qiguang and Daoist Master Law Origin shuddered involuntarily, feeling as if a blade were being held to their necks.
"Insolence!" Abbot Chen Zhu shouted as he entered the room. He opened his right hand, revealing a talisman glowing with golden radiance.
Three illusory, semi-translucent generals clad in golden armor and armed with golden spears immediately appeared around him. The three generals were over twenty feet tall, and they formed a triangular encirclement around everyone in the room.
"You're the abbot of the Azure Sun Daoist Temple!" Li Changqing exclaimed with a grim expression.
Meanwhile, Chu Qiguang was staring intently at the talisman in Chen Zhu's hand with keen interest. According to Qiao Zhi, talismans could only be created by Dao Comprehension-state cultivators, and they granted one true supernatural powers. Li Changqing was undoubtedly a formidable martial artist, yet he was still but a mortal.
By Chu Qiguang's understanding, a fifth-state martial artist still possessed a body of flesh and blood. They were still a carbon-based life form, while the power wielded by Dao Comprehension-state cultivators transcended those boundaries.
The three divine generals summoned by Chen Zhu all possessed the power of fifth-state martial artists, and they had no fear of death or pain. They were also capable of levitating several feet in the air, and even if they were destroyed, they could be resurrected by nurturing the talisman from which they had been summoned.
"You dare to draw your blade against the Daoist priests of my temple? Looks like you really have fallen prey to demonic contamination!" Chen Zhu accused. "Come back with me to my temple, and I'll personally perform an exorcism on you!"
A fierce battle ensued between Li Changqing and the three divine generals, and their clashes produced a deafening commotion.
Li Changqing barreled straight through the wall in an attempt to flee, but the three divine generals quickly caught up to him and intercepted his escape. In the end, Li Changqing was struck heavily in the back by the butt of one divine general's spear, sending him crashing to the ground.
He let loose an enraged roar as he struggled to his feet, only for the other two divine generals to force the butts of their spears down upon him as well, pinning him firmly to the ground. Li Changqing continued to roar and struggle like an incensed beast. The muscles all over his body bulged and undulated, but he was unable to break free from the three divine generals.
"Shall we return to the temple then, Master Li?" Daoist Master Law Origin gloated with a triumphant grin.
Li Changqing glowered resentfully at him and Chu Qiguang, then snarled through gritted teeth, "How many days are you going to be able to trap me? You're both dead once I come back!"
Even as Li Changqing was taken away, Chu Qiguang was still marveling at the power of talismans.
The Daoist temples really do wield unfathomable power. No wonder they're able to oppose even the Demon Vanquishing Department. I wonder if Abbot Zhu Chen would be able to sell me some talismans or some more advanced pills...
***
Li Changqing was stripped of his pills and fiend-slaying saber, then locked up in a dark cell in the Daoist temple. The cell was used to hold fiends and demons, so even Li Changqing couldn't force his way out without his weapon and his pills. Thus, he sat down with his legs crossed and patiently bided his time.
Over the course of the entire day, the Daoist temple only gave him a bowl of water and a single steamed bun, much to his frustration and displeasure.
The more formidable a martial artist was, the more food they required to sustain their powerful body. As a fifth-state martial artist, Li Changqing required far more sustenance than the average person. Over the course of his seven-day incarceration, he was nearly starved to death, and both his physical prowess and martial arts regressed significantly.
***
Upon Chu Qiguang's arrival at the Wu Manor, he was greeted by both Wu Wei and Hao Wen, both of whom were stunned by the news of Li Changqing's incarceration.
"I don't know what to say, Nephew Chu. I'm stunned beyond words," Hao Wen exclaimed.
Wu Wei shared the same sentiment. Neither of them had any hope that Chu Qiguang could actually temporarily remove Li Changqing from the picture as he promised.
Once again, they were forced to reevaluate Chu Qiguang, and they became even more dependent on him.
"What should we do now while Li Changqing is out of the picture?" Wu Wei asked.
Hao Wen also looked at Chu Qiguang with a hopeful expression, waiting for him to reveal the next step of his plan.
"For starters, send a letter to Secretary Wu to inform him of the situation on our end," Chu Qiguang replied. "Also, please give me some people. There are a few things I want to investigate."
The two clan leaders were a little disappointed that Chu Qiguang didn't have any ground-breaking plans up his sleeve, but they still agreed to his request. The Wu Clan sent a steward named Wu Lu to assist him, while Hao Yongtai from the Hao Clan volunteered to help.
As soon as Wu Lu arrived, Chu Qiguang could tell that he didn't have much respect for him. He never went directly against Chu Qiguang, but it was obvious that he wasn't carrying out Chu Qiguang's instructions to the best of his ability either.
Chu Qiguang had no time for people like him, so he sent out the cat fiends to frame him, then found an excuse to break one of his legs.
The next steward sent by the Wu Clan was much more diligent and obedient. With their help, as well as the assistance of the cat and dog fiends, Chu Qiguang first looked into the banks and he quickly uncovered many problems involving the Ding Clan.
Thanks to his time on Earth, he had far more foresight and tricks up his sleeve than most people of this era. Back on Earth, the shady methods used by the powerful and wealthy were far more diverse and complicated. In comparison, the Ding Clan's tricks looked like child's play to Chu Qiguang.
Through the banks, he discovered that the Ding Clan purchased a large number of antiques, calligraphy and art pieces every year, with a total value of around thirty to fifty thousand taels of silver. All of these purchases were then sent to the capital city, clearly to be used as non-monetary bribes.
The fact that the Ding Clan was able to spend thirty to fifty thousand taels of silver on bribes meant that they were most likely earning annual returns of over eighty to a hundred thousand taels of silver from those bribes.
"Look into this. Where is the Ding Clan getting this much money from? There's definitely something fishy going on here."
***
On the training ground in the Wu Manor, Chu Qiguang was cultivating with a young boy and a young girl. The three of them seemed to be enjoying one another's company.
While investigating the Ding Clan, Chu Qiguang had also been working on strengthening his relationship with Wu Wei.
At the moment, he was visiting the Wu Manor several times a day. On one hand, it made it easier for him to use the Wu Clan's resources. On the other hand, he felt the Wu Manor was a safer place to be.
In the distance, Hao Xiangtong stood under the shade of a tree. As she watched Chu Qiguang chatting warmly with the other girl, her hands unconsciously clenched into tight fists.
Why is he getting so close to Wu Qingchen?!
