Chapter 93: Becoming Stronger

With a sincere invitation from the Taoist priest, it would be impolite to refuse any further.

Lin Qing’er had no choice but to suppress her impatience.

The three followed the priest into the temple and saw five middle-aged priests and one elderly priest with a white beard who looked like a celestial immortal. The old priest didn’t speak much, merely smiling warmly, while the other middle-aged priests were very enthusiastic and talkative. Two priests accompanied Shui Miao in conversation, two others engaged with Huang Yatou, and another two spoke with Lin Qing’er. Meanwhile, the hundred-year-old elder priest sat in meditation with closed eyes, like a stone statue.

On Huang Yatou’s side, the priests told her many strange and wondrous tales, catering to her interests.

As for Lin Qing’er, two priests told her fortune, hitting the mark with every word and proving so accurate that Lin Qing’er was left speechless.

Shui Miao, on the other hand, asked the priests about techniques to cultivate and utilize spiritual energy. The priests answered thoroughly, leaving Shui Miao enlightened and enriched with newfound knowledge.

After some time, when Shui Miao wanted to delve into deeper questions, one of the priests suddenly shifted the topic, asking if Shui Miao would be willing to fund the restoration of the temple. If so, they would introduce him to a priest as his master. Naturally eager to learn the methods of controlling spiritual energy, Shui Miao readily agreed. Seeing his willingness, the priest told Shui Miao that he would later meet an exiled priest named Yun He, who had fallen on hard times, and that Shui Miao should find ways to win his favor, for he was the true master of the Tao. The priest also told Shui Miao that this exiled priest was their master’s final disciple, whose cultivation surpassed all six of their elder brothers by far.

After revealing this, the old priests abruptly changed the topic and began to drink.

Shui Miao took the first sip and found the wine clear, smooth, and sweet like ambrosia, making him eager for a second cup.

After the second cup, the wine’s fragrance filled his senses, lifting his spirits and making him ready for an entire jar.

By the third cup, though he felt a lingering desire for more, the warmth had risen to his head, and he was already somewhat tipsy.

After the fourth cup, Shui Miao was already feeling light-headed and drowsy.

Meanwhile, both Lin Qing’er and Huang Yatou had only managed half a cup before their mouths burned and their heads spun.

※※※

In the morning, sunlight streamed through the car window, warm and pleasant.

Shui Miao, Huang Yatou, and Lin Qing’er opened their eyes simultaneously.

They were all sitting inside the car, yet none could recall how they had gotten there. However, all three felt refreshed and full of energy, with a lingering hint of wine fragrance on their breaths, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

After getting out of the car, the three were shocked to find that there was no temple ahead—only the large elm tree remained.

Lin Qing’er and Huang Yatou were still shaken, thinking they might have been dreaming.

But how could a dream be shared?

Shui Miao, however, remained calm and sighed, “I finally understand. How could the temple introduced by the ghost queen Ruyan be something ordinary people could see? We’ve encountered true masters, and they wanted us to help restore their temple!”

“How amazing!”

Huang Yatou was excited. “Little Shui, I remember you promised to fund the temple restoration. I’ll handle the logistics. How much are you planning to contribute?”

“I’ll… I’ll donate…”

Shui Miao hesitated, unsure how to respond.

Lin Qing’er then spoke up. “The priest who read my fortune originally agreed to accept my donation, but he said they only accept money from those with a destined connection. He said each cup of wine last night was worth one million. Since Huang Yatou and I each drank half a cup, we must’ve paid 500,000 each. How many cups did you drink?”

“I… I drank four!”

Shui Miao was stunned. The four million he carried was gone in an instant!

Shui Miao sighed. His grandfather had once told his fortune, saying he was fated to be short of money—no matter how much he earned, it would quickly slip away. That’s why he was named Shui Miao: water brings wealth, but it also flows away quickly, never staying.

“No way! You actually drank four cups of that terrible wine!” Huang Yatou wrinkled her nose. That wine had been the worst she’d ever tasted. “But it’s okay. You’ll donate five million, and I’ll handle the rest. I have the time and the manpower.”

“Five million is more than enough to build an entire high-rise,” Lin Qing’er smiled gently at Shui Miao. “Don’t worry. Later, you can work at my hotel, and I’ll make sure you never run out of money. This whole situation is too mysterious. We can’t offend these masters over something as trivial as money. What do you think, Shui?”

“I know. I don’t mind.”

Shui Miao glanced around. “Actually, the feng shui here really is quite good. Let me meditate and see if the spiritual energy is abundant.”

He sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and focused inward to sense the spiritual energy in the area.

However, the moment he closed his eyes, he suddenly shot up with a startled “Whoa!”

“What’s wrong?!”

Huang Yatou was startled.

Lin Qing’er asked anxiously, “Shui, are you having stomach pain?”

“No, no! Just now, when I focused my energy, I found that my dantian was full of spiritual energy—completely replenished!” Shui Miao excitedly touched his belly, then suddenly added, “I get it now! It must have been the wine! That wine was a spiritual energy booster. You two aren’t cultivators, so you couldn’t drink much. That must be the reason!”

This realization was nothing short of shocking for Shui Miao!

He then thought deeper, “This location was chosen by the masters, so the feng shui must be excellent. We must be extremely careful when breaking ground. We can’t start construction until I find the exiled priest Yun He.”

Huang Yatou and Lin Qing’er didn’t know about Yun He.

Shui Miao explained the priest’s instructions about finding Yun He, and Huang Yatou immediately volunteered to handle the search.

The three returned to the hotel, where Huang Yatou immediately began organizing people to look for Yun He.

Meanwhile, Shui Miao headed first to Chen Bing’s small restaurant.

Xiaorong had settled down comfortably at the restaurant, where Chen Bing treated her very well. It seemed there was no longer a need to bring Xiaoxiang over.

Next, Shui Miao went to see Lin Haiyang, but Lin was out on business. However, his parents had arrived, and with the business slow, there was extra help available. Shui Miao called Lin Haiyang briefly, then took Xiaoxiang with him. He brought Xiaoxiang to his current residence, a small high-rise apartment in Bishui Mingyuan.

Xiaoxiang was astonished when she saw how big and beautiful the apartment was!

Shui Miao held nothing back from Xiaoxiang. He told her everything about himself in detail. After hearing everything, Xiaoxiang was both happy for Shui Miao and worried about him. However, she was more than willing to help take care of Shui Miao’s mother.

Shui Miao gave Xiaoxiang a key to the apartment and then took her to the nursing home to introduce her to his mother.

Yang Min and Yang Fen, upon learning of Xiaoxiang’s relationship with Shui Miao and seeing her innocence, kindness, and gentle beauty, were delighted and immediately accepted her, feeling deeply reassured that Shui Miao was such a responsible young man.

After settling these matters, Shui Miao arranged to meet Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi for a meal.

They hadn’t contacted Shui Miao the previous day because they were assisting the Zhonghai police with the case involving Gu Chuncheng. After being possessed by the ghost queen Ruyan, Gu Chuncheng had returned to his territory, killed several of his subordinates, and injured the nightclub owner, causing a major uproar. The entire city of Zhonghai was abuzz with rumors—some said it was a gang feud, others claimed it was the police taking action, and some even whispered that a vengeful spirit had possessed Gu Chuncheng.

Eventually, the police publicly announced it was a carefully orchestrated anti-crime operation.

As for the car accident involving Liu Hongmei and Mrs. Pan, there were no abnormalities, and the bodies had already been cremated.

Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi were preparing to return to Huanghai City in the afternoon to continue their investigation into Wang Yong. Originally, if Shui Miao hadn’t called them, they would have invited him for a meal themselves.

The three chatted and laughed over dinner before parting ways.

Because of his father’s murder, Shui Miao had put his feelings for Chu Miaoyi aside, so there was nothing left for him to linger over.

Revenge for his father’s death was a must, no matter who the enemy was.

With unwavering resolve, Shui Miao believed that matters of the heart could never compare to the duty of avenging his father.

After seeing off Chu Miaoyi and the others, Shui Miao immediately bought a bicycle and began cycling through the streets and alleys of Zhonghai, hoping to find Priest Yun He as soon as possible, learn his techniques, and then use feng shui and spiritual energy to seek vengeance.

Zhonghai was a bustling international metropolis, filled with crowds everywhere. Searching for an unfamiliar person in such a sea of people was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Yet Shui Miao was confident—he would find him.

In fact, the techniques of controlling spiritual energy that Shui Miao had learned the previous night were already quite practical and powerful.

But he wanted to become even stronger!

To grow stronger, he had to keep striving.

Shui Miao knew that to take revenge, he needed absolute strength!

On a personal level, it wasn’t just about feng shui and spiritual energy—he also needed to keep improving his physical fitness, tactical intelligence, and strategic thinking.

Of course, interpersonal relationships and friendships were also extremely important.

Cycling through alleyways, Shui Miao searched until past noon, when the sun was high and the streets were scorching hot. Pedestrian traffic had thinned. As he searched, he spotted a woman wearing a red top and black skirt with high heels, walking along the road. From behind, she had a graceful figure, very pleasing to the eye. She carried a resume in her hand, clearly job hunting. Her steps were heavy, and she looked dejected—evidently having a hard time.

Shui Miao rode up beside her, turned his head to catch a glimpse of her face, and was shocked to realize it was none other than Sister Xiao Tang!

As soon as Xiao Tang turned and saw Shui Miao, she transformed into a furious lioness. She threw her resume aside and, with her fingers like claws and her teeth bared like a vengeful ghost, charged straight at him…