"Daoist, going overboard is just as bad as not doing enough,"
Li Yan gently shook his head as he advised.
Everyone has their likes and dislikes, no one is exempt.
He was obsessed with spells and martial arts, Lv San loved animals, and Sha Lifei had a particular fondness for firearms.
Initially, he thought Wang Daoxuan was open-minded, but as they spent more time together, he realized that this elder Daoist was also obsessively fascinated with something.
What he was obsessed with was various kinds of knowledge.
Whether it was historical folklore or the secret techniques of Magic Veins, he would become crazed as soon as he encountered something he didnāt understand.
From Guanzhong to Ezhou, whether it was the estates of wealthy households or Taoist temples and monasteries, the only thing this elder Daoist was interested in was their collection of books.
This once resulted in him staying up for an entire night.
"Alas, I canāt even control myself,"
Wang Daoxuan said with a wry smile, "I thought about sleeping early, but when I lay in bed, I couldnāt fall asleep, and before I knew it, I had spent the whole night reading."
"The collection of Liu Gang included several lost tomes with annotations and insights from predecessors; I gained a lot from them."
As he spoke, Landlord Tian also arrived in the courtyard with his servants.
His face also showed signs of fatigue as he said, "Gentlemen, I have prepared some breakfast at home. Iāll have the servants send it over in a bit."
Li Yan was a bit surprised, "Landlord Tian didnāt sleep well either?"
"Indeed,"
Landlord Tian said helplessly, "It was fine outside, but as soon as I returned home, the problems started again, and I had restless dreams all night long."
"Oh..." pondered Wang Daoxuan, "Did you see anything in your dreams?"
Landlord Tian shook his head, "I canāt remember; I forgot everything when I woke up."
Wang Daoxuan continued to ask, "What about the servants of the household, do they have similar symptoms?"
Landlord Tian shook his head again, "I know what youāre trying to ask."
"My wives and concubines, as well as the servants from the Tian Familyās extended household, all have similar symptoms. Some got sick, and some were so frightened that they ran away."
"Weāve had people come to check before, suspecting there was a problem with the ancestral burial siteās fengshui, but after several inspections, they found nothing wrong."
"Moreover, the illness doesnāt occur if they leave this residence. It seems like this house and my family have some conflicts."
Wang Daoxuan furrowed his brow, "Thatās quite strange."
Landlord Tian rubbed his temples, "Thatās why Iāve asked you, the Daoist, to come and investigate, as we cannot find any reason. I fear we might have to sell this newly built residence."
"Iāve already arranged for my wives and concubines to go back to the old residence, and Iāll also sleep somewhere else tomorrow night. Later, I need to visit the Chamber of Commerce, so if you need anything, just let the servants know."
With that, he bowed and took his leave.
After he left, Sha Lifei and Lv San also woke up.
The servants brought breakfast, and Wang Daoxuan gave a signal, dismissing the servants before starting to eat and saying, "Something isnāt right about this matter."
"If there were issues with the ancestral burial ground, no matter where Landlord Tian and his family move, they couldnāt escape it."
"If there is a problem with the residenceās fengshui, then everyone living here should have the same symptoms."
"An anomaly suggests that someone may be causing mischief."
Li Yan also expressed his curiosity, "Last night, I applied Divine Skills several times but apart from sensing the Gang Qi of the protective artifacts in the house, I didnāt detect any Yin Evil Qi. Which technique could achieve this?"
Wang Daoxuan pondered, "The most likely is a suppression technique, but the Magician who came before should have thought of that, so perhaps thereās another reason."
"Isnāt that simple?"
Sha Lifei laughed, "I might not understand spells, but this clearly looks like a scheme from the pugilistic world; someone probably covets the estate and wants to drive Landlord Tian and his family away, then spread rumors to purchase it cheaply."
"We should discuss with Landlord Tian upon his return, leak some false information to the public, and try to draw out the people behind this."
Li Yan shook his head, "If there really is someone causing mischief, they could easily cover their tracks; even if it comes up for sale through brokers a few times, they could hide their identity."
"What if they donāt show up for several years? Can we wait that long?"
Sha Lifei frowned, "Thatās also true."
"Thereās no rush."
Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "Let me carefully inspect the residenceās fengshui today, and then make a trip to Landlord Tianās ancestral burial site. If we truly canāt find the cause, then weāll figure out what to do."
"Mm."
Li Yan finished his bowl of white porridge in one gulp, "In that case, letās split up and take action."
"Lv San, stick with Master Wang, and Old Uncle Sha and I will go gather some information in the city and then make a report at the City God Temple."
Since they had decided to rest in Han Yang City, it was natural to understand the situation within the pugilistic world and the Mystical Sect to avoid unnecessary trouble.
After breakfast, the four men split up.
Wang Daoxuanās advancement in fengshui was apparent as he took out several instruments; not only did he have a fengshui compass, but even a Lu Ban ruler for determining auspicious and inauspicious situations.
Lv San had two rats to assist in the inspection and also to protect Wang Daoxuan.
Li Yan and Sha Lifei, after asking the servants about the situation in the city, gathered their belongings and left.
Although Han Yang City was ancient, it wasnāt very large.
To the north of the city were the administrative offices of the Prefecture and the courtās various government agencies; to the west were the prefectoral school, county school, and academies; and the City God Temple was in the east.
Just as they left, Sha Lifei whispered, "What should we do first, gather information or go straight to the City God Temple?"
Li Yan pondered for a moment, "Letās head to the City God Temple first."
"The news from the travelerās inns in the pugilistic world is mostly common knowledge, and the more secretive information is not cheap."
"Letās go directly to the City God Temple, see if the Daoists there are easy to deal with, we might also be able to find out what we want."
But to tell the truth, he didnāt have much confidence.
Before coming, he had already gathered some information.
There were two strongholds in the Mystical Sect of Hubei: one was Yunyang Prefecture, and the other was the tri-cities of Wuchang, Han Yang, and Han Port.
And these two places had clear differences.
Yunyang, close to Wudang Mountain, was under the influence of Zhenwu Palace, with almost no presence of Buddhist Tao, and even if there were monasteries, they were just ordinary monks.