frightfiction Chapter 18 Sigh! There's no escaping it.
Chapter 18 Sigh! There's no escaping it.
The old Taoist priest, having received no reply from Lao Xiao, was scratching his head, racking his brains to find him. He then made a phone call to his lay disciple: "Young Ouyang, could you do your master a favor?"
Ouyang said, "Master, what's wrong? Just tell me, and I'll do whatever I can to help you."
The driver said, "I'd like you to help me find out where this person lives on WeChat."
Ouyang Xiaozhi said, "How about checking via WeChat?"
The old Taoist priest said anxiously, "Yes, yes."
Ouyang asked doubtfully, "Master, can't you just contact him directly?"
The old Taoist priest said helplessly, "Well, he's not replying to me, so I'm asking you for his address so I can go find him."
Ouyang thought for a moment and said, "Master, this is not a good matter, but since you've asked, I'll try my best to find a solution. However, you need to tell me the specifics, why are you in such a hurry to find this person?"
The old Taoist priest then recounted his encounter with Old Xiao and the miraculous fruit to Ouyang in detail. After listening, Ouyang also felt that this matter was of great importance and promised his master to inquire about it as soon as possible.
Ouyang called a police officer surnamed Zhao and said, "Old Zhao, can you do me a favor?"
Ouyang said, "I want to check someone's information via WeChat. My mentor asked me to do it."
Old Zhao said, "Let us check it for you in the system."
Ouyang said, "You bunch of uncles in hats, isn't it easy to find someone? We're not doing anything illegal, we just need to find out where this person is. My master needs to talk to him about something."
Old Zhao said, "If you can contact each other via WeChat, why don't you? Why go looking for this person?"
Ouyang said, "My master is a cultivator. He just broke through to the next level. There must be some kind of opportunity there."
Old Zhao said, "Hey, I happen to have a criminal case. Could you ask your master for a favor? Could you tell my fortune?"
Ouyang said, "What are you thinking about? Master just broke through and is stabilizing his cultivation. He doesn't have time."
Old Zhao said, "Didn't you say he asked me to find someone? He's going down the mountain anyway, so he might as well do me a favor."
Ouyang said, "I'll go tell my master to find out who I am first. I'll ask my master to see if it's okay."
Old Zhao replied, "Okay, then hurry back. I'll start investigating here." Ouyang hung up the phone, feeling uncertain whether his master would agree to Old Zhao's request.
Ouyang Xiaozhi, whose real name is Ouyang Hanrui, is a second-generation rich kid from a powerful family business. However, he doesn't want to inherit the family business and prefers to spend his days tinkering with cultivation-related matters. Ouyang Hanrui is 1.85 meters tall and weighs 145 kilograms, a standard handsome man. He has thick eyebrows, large eyes, a long face, and a very straight nose—a handsome man in the eyes of ordinary people.
His thick eyebrows were like two sharp swords, exuding a heroic spirit; his deep eyes were bright and spirited, as if they held endless stories; his long, slender face had smooth lines, adding a touch of coldness and elegance; his straight nose added three-dimensionality to his face, making him look even more handsome and extraordinary.
Walking down the street, Ouyang Hanrui always attracts the attention of many women. However, he pays no attention to this, immersing himself entirely in the world of cultivation. His handsomeness comes not only from his appearance, but also from his inner dedication and pursuit of cultivation, which makes him stand out and become even more unique and charming in a crowd.
Ouyang Hanrui found his current master through an acquaintance. Due to personal reasons, he chose to become a secular disciple. This time, his master asked him for help. Actually, the master had figured out where Lao Xiao was, but he didn't want to ruin this opportunity, so he wanted to use secular means to find out Lao Xiao's whereabouts and meet him by chance.
Ouyang Hanrui understood his master's thoughts; he knew how much his master valued and was cautious about cultivation opportunities. While waiting for Officer Zhao's message, he pondered how to approach his master about Officer Zhao's request. After all, his master had just broken through and needed to stabilize his cultivation; he wasn't sure if his master would agree to help at this time.
Ouyang Hanrui prayed silently in his heart, hoping that this matter could be resolved smoothly, so as not to delay his master's cultivation, to fulfill his master's wish to find Lao Xiao, and to help Officer Zhao at the same time.
Old Zhao, whose full name is Zhao Jianguo, is currently the director of a district bureau in Chengdu, and a police officer. He is 1.75 meters tall, a career soldier, and worked as a police officer after retiring from the military. He has been in civilian life for three years. He possesses the keen insight of a retired special forces soldier.
Because I had previously worked with practitioners in certain special areas of the country on several missions for the nation, I had a certain respect for practitioners. One of these missions involved collaborating with Ouyang Hanrui to resolve a major incident for the country, helping to deal with some foreign criminals and practitioners. That's how I got to know Ouyang Hanrui.
I hadn't originally planned to ask Lao Zhao for help this time, but I thought that Lao Zhao's identity was the most convenient and quickest way to find this person, so I called Lao Zhao.
After receiving Ouyang Hanrui's call, Lao Zhao was also filled with doubt. On one hand, he knew that matters concerning cultivators were often complex; on the other hand, he cherished the friendship he had built with Ouyang Hanrui through their past collaborations. However, due to work principles and regulations, he was somewhat conflicted. Nevertheless, out of trust in his friend and curiosity, he decided to help investigate first.
Old Zhao used the internal "hat police officer" program to find Old Xiao's address, personal assets, current family situation, professional skills, and workplace, compiled them into an electronic file, and printed it out. After looking at it, he called Ouyang Hanrui: "Hey, Ouyang kid, should I send you this information electronically or as a paper copy?"
Ouyang Hanrui said, "Let's arrange a place to meet. I want both the paper and electronic documents. Don't tell anyone else about this; just one person should know."
Old Zhao's heart suddenly skipped a beat; it seemed this matter was not simple. "Okay, I understand." Old Zhao was very clear that this kind of matter should be kept secret, yes, kept secret.
Ouyang Hanrui and Lao Zhao agreed to meet at a hot pot restaurant at 3 PM the next day. At 3 PM the following day, Ouyang Hanrui met Lao Zhao at a fairly ordinary hot pot restaurant in Rongcheng. They found a private room and sat together.
Ouyang Hanrui said, "Old Zhao, long time no see. I heard you retired from the army and came here to become a police officer. Luckily, your contact information hasn't changed, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find you."
Old Zhao asked, "Ouyang, are you still cultivating there?"
Ouyang said, "Yes."
Old Zhao said, "Did you ask your master if he could help?"
Ouyang said, "Not yet. Let me show this document to my master first. If he confirms there are no problems, he can take care of all the issues when he passes by your place."
Old Zhao said, "You asked me to investigate this person, who lives only twenty or thirty kilometers away from my branch office."
Ouyang said, "Oh, it seems we live very close. No problem. Let me talk to my master first and ask him to help you. What would you like him to do for you?
Old Zhang said, "This case is a bit of a mystery to us. It might be a bit frustrating to investigate it with current technology. We need the special abilities of a cultivator to help us."
Ouyang asked, "Can I go? Can I do it?"
Old Zhao said, "That's fine too, as long as you're willing."
Ouyang said, "Alright, I'll go and report back to my master. If my master can't help you, I'll go and help you."
Old Zhao said, "Ouyang, have you been relatively free lately?"
Ouyang said, "No, this time my master's matter is quite important, so I'm accompanying him down the mountain."
Old Zhao, Old Zhao, said slyly, "What good stuff do you have this time? Can I have some with you, brother?"
Ouyang said, "I don't even know what good stuff it is yet. If there's any benefit, I'll definitely share some with you. But the details have to be kept secret."
Old Zhao said, "I know that."
Ouyang asked, "Why did you leave the army?"
Old Zhao said, "I was injured while on duty and can't stay in my original unit anymore. My body won't be able to recover to its original state."
Ouyang looked Old Zhao up and down. He was physically healthy and there seemed to be no major problems.
Old Zhao said, "I'm getting a bit older, and I can no longer meet the high-intensity training requirements of the special forces. My body can't recover to its original state, so I retired. It wouldn't be good for me to stay there."
Ouyang sensed that Lao Zhao was upset. Ouyang said, "Raise your glass, brother, let's have a drink."
Old Zhao said, "If you need anything, feel free to call me. I'll help you if I can, but if I need anything, I'll trouble Brother Ouyang to hurry up."
Ouyang said, "No problem, we're all good brothers."
The two clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp. The hot pot restaurant was steaming, and the atmosphere was especially warm because of their brotherly bond.
Old Zhao said with emotion, "With your words, I feel much more at ease."
Ouyang patted Old Zhao on the shoulder: "Don't think too much about it, there's still a long road ahead."
They continued eating and chatting, reminiscing about past experiences and looking forward to future possibilities.
After finishing his meal with Lao Zhao, Ouyang immediately drove to his master's Taoist temple. Looking at the sheer mountain peak, Ouyang thought to himself, "My goodness, it'll take two or three hours to climb up. I should call my master and ask him to come down." Ouyang took out his phone. "Hello, Master, I'm already at the foot of the mountain. Why don't you come down? It would take me three hours to climb up on one leg, but it'll only take you ten minutes to come down."
The old Taoist priest said, "Young Ouyang, don't be lazy. Going up the mountain is also a way to train your lower body strength. Have you been slacking off in your practice lately?"
Ouyang said, "No, Master. You'll see my body later; I'm making quite a bit of progress."
The old Taoist priest said, "Still making progress? It's been so long and you still haven't reached the Foundation Establishment stage. What are you thinking about? Hurry up and come up. Your master is waiting for you. Let's have some tea together."
Ouyang said, "It's so late. If we keep drinking tea, we won't be able to sleep at all tonight."
The old Taoist priest said, "Why are you sleeping? You drive tonight, and we'll go together."
Ouyang said, "Master, let's go tonight."
The old Taoist priest said, "If I didn't take you, I could get there in a few minutes, but with you it would take several hours. What's there to complain about?"
Ouyang said helplessly, "Alright, alright, Master, please wait a moment. I'll climb up in a bit. You brew some tea and wait for me."
Ouyang thought to himself, "Master is in such a hurry, it must be something important."
When Ouyang finally climbed the mountain and arrived at the Taoist temple, the old Taoist priest saw his worried face and said to his master, "Master, I will go to find him tonight."
The master said, "My old disciple, you have successfully transcended this tribulation. Look at all the fellow disciples below; they all need you to work harder. You must contribute more to the expansion of our sect."
Ouyang quickly went up the mountain and arrived at the old Taoist's meditation room. He saw the old Taoist and his master, and hurriedly paid his respects to the patriarch. He then showed the patriarch the information the old Taoist had requested and handed it to his master. After both masters had read it, they said, "Now that we know the exact location, let's set off in a little while."
Ouyang stood there, stunned, thinking to himself: "I just got up here, and now I'm back down. Ouch, my legs!"
The old Taoist priest glanced at the beads of sweat on Ouyang's forehead and said, "Rest for an hour before setting off."
As agreed, Ouyang sat down opposite the old Taoist priest and began a game of chess. The old Taoist priest tested Ouyang on his recent cultivation insights and physical problems. An hour later, the old Taoist priest and Ouyang descended the mountain.
When Ouyang came down the mountain, his legs were still trembling. He said to his master, "Master, you've been climbing up and down for so long every day, aren't your legs sore?"
The old Taoist priest said, "Since we successfully overcame the tribulation, we've found it to be a very easy thing."
Ouyang, his face contorted in pain, gritted his teeth and followed behind his master, taking difficult steps. He muttered to himself, "You may not feel bad, but I feel terrible." But he dared not say anything more and could only force himself to keep walking.
Ouyang and his master drove overnight to the area where Lao Xiao lived. Before going to find Lao Xiao, they went to see Lao Zhao. As requested by Lao Zhao, the old Taoist priest did not appear in person, but instead had Ouyang handle the criminal case for Lao Zhao, which was quickly solved.
Old Zhao was very grateful. After settling Old Zhao's matter, the old Taoist priest and Ouyang went to a hot pot restaurant owned by Old Xiao, pretending to bump into him. They had recently figured out Old Xiao's daily routine and activity area. This time, they specifically came to this hot pot restaurant invested in by Old Xiao, hoping to run into him.
Stepping into the hot pot restaurant, they found it bustling with activity and noise. Old Zhao and Ouyang subtly looked around, searching for Old Xiao. Just then, Old Xiao emerged from the kitchen, preparing to greet customers. The old Taoist's eyes lit up; he gently nudged Ouyang, then casually walked towards Old Xiao.
"Oh my, isn't this Old Xiao? What a coincidence to run into you here!" the old Taoist priest greeted him warmly.
Old Xiao was taken aback at first, then a delighted smile appeared on his face: "Oh, old Taoist priest, what a coincidence!"
Ouyang also joined in, and they exchanged a few pleasantries, as if it really was just a coincidental encounter.