Not only that, during the day, if Brian Carter passed by a teahouse and truly had no money, just by relying on his clothes, he could easily ask for a bowl of coarse tea to drink, and the success rate was quite high. These people of the jianghu especially valued reputation and saving face; if you ran into them and said a few nice words, there was a good chance you could even get a steamed bun to eat.

　　After tossing and turning until midnight, he finally went to sleep.

　　The night in the mountains was incomparably quiet, with only the sound of wind blowing against the door and the snores of wandering jianghu travelers not far away.

　　Unconsciously, Brian Carter had a dream.

　　In the dream, it was still this same temple, with the statues and layout roughly the same, except that those jianghu people sprawled all over the place were gone. Looking closely, there was also one less statue on the altar—a rather marginal local deity.

　　Instead, there was now a person standing before him.

　　This person was dressed like a merchant, but in a riot of colors, with an honest-looking face, cheeks red as dates, and a figure that seemed both clear and indistinct. His appearance and attire were quite similar to the missing statue.

　　Before going to sleep, Brian Carter had carefully examined these statues, especially the local deities, and knew that this one was called Mr. Miller, considered a local yin god.

　　Mr. Miller was originally a person from the previous dynasty, born into a wealthy family. At that time, the whole country was suffering from famine, with corpses everywhere. Mr. Miller opened his granaries to distribute food and helped many refugees. In the end, perhaps he misjudged the severity of the famine, and his own family ran out of food, so he starved to death. Later, the local people, grateful for his kindness, made a statue and built a temple for him. Even the imperial court, upon learning of this, officially recognized him, and now he was a proper deity.

　　Before he could think further, Mr. Miller first bowed to him:

　　“Forgive me for disturbing you, I offer my respects.”

　　“Why does Lord Shan seek me out so late at night?”

Chapter Five: Lady Sanhua

　　“I am but a minor local deity, surnamed Wang in life. May I ask your esteemed name?”

　　“I am Brian Carter, my master gave me the courtesy name Menglai.”

　　“Are you a member of the Daoist order?”

　　“I grew up in a Daoist temple.”

　　“Do you have a Daoist title?”

　　“Not yet.” Brian Carter calmly met the gaze of this local deity. “Why does Lord Shan seek me out?”

　　“Then I shall address you as Master Menglai.” Mr. Miller remained polite. “Forgive me for disturbing your dreams at this late hour, but this matter concerns the livelihood of the local people. I have observed your profound cultivation, so I have come to seek your help.”

　　“Please speak plainly, Lord Shan.”

　　“This matter begins ten years ago.”

　　Mr. Miller paused for a moment, his speech carrying the drawn-out style of people from the previous dynasty: “Ten years ago, a great demon came to this place, beguiling the people and even making the locals build a temple and shrine for it, just twenty li from here.”

　　As soon as Brian Carter heard this, he more or less understood.

　　Man and god stared at each other. Brian Carter waited for him to continue, while he seemed to be waiting for Brian Carter to respond.

　　“Why not report it?”

　　“Please allow me to explain.”

　　“……”

　　Brian Carter immediately showed a helpless expression.

　　It was just that most of these local yin gods were people of great virtue who had died, and they were quite old. As a junior, he really ought to show more respect; as a young man, it was hard to directly point out their faults.

　　“Then I’ll be brief.”

　　“…Please.”

　　“That great demon, though powerful, was already eradicated a few years ago, slain by a master from Tianhai Temple together with Mr. Parker. At the time, since the licentious shrine was not far from the main road, it seemed a pity to destroy it. Smashing the stone statue would at least leave a place for travelers to rest and shelter from the rain, so it was left standing. Recently, while patrolling, I traveled to Majiawan and discovered that, for some reason, there was incense burning in that temple again.”

　　“Did Lord Shan go to investigate?”

　　“Ashamed, ashamed, my powers are weak and I cannot fight. When I saw the incense from afar, I dared not approach.” Mr. Miller showed a look of embarrassment.

　　“Lord Shan, that was a wise decision.”

　　“This time, I wish to ask you to go and take a look. If it is as suspected, when the full moon comes in a few days, I will report it to the higher authorities.”

　　“Does Lord Shan suspect that the demon is using incense offerings to be reborn?”

　　“That is what I believe, more or less.”

　　“I will go and take a look tomorrow.”

　　“Your character is noble, Master. I thank you on behalf of the local people.” Mr. Miller bowed deeply again, then continued, “Your cultivation is not ordinary. Even if the demon is reborn, it surely will not have its former powers. If you go during the day, it should not be too dangerous. I just trouble you to make the trip. As for the address, I have written it on a piece of paper and placed it in front of the altar.”

　　“Lord Shan, farewell.”

　　“……”

　　Mr. Miller was momentarily stunned, then finally returned the bow.

　　As soon as the bow was completed, before he could straighten up, everything around them turned to mist and vanished in an instant, and darkness fell before Brian Carter's eyes.

　　When he opened his eyes again, he was still curled up in the corner of the village temple.

　　The temple had a door but no light; the wooden door was not tightly shut, and moonlight shone through the cracks, leaving a long, slanting streak of white frost on the floor tiles. A row of statues could be vaguely seen.

　　The snores of the jianghu people rose and fell.

　　Brian Carter got up and searched the altar. He did not find the paper in front of Mr. Miller's statue, but instead found it in front of the statue of the Great Emperor Chijin, which was probably Mr. Miller's way of indicating his affiliation.

　　It was yellow hemp paper commonly used for drawing talismans, and the calligraphy was quite good.

　　He put the paper away and once again examined the statues.