Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

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Throughout history, those who have achieved great things typically possess exceptional psychological fortitude.

Yi Chen felt that he was someone capable of great deeds, for his mental strength was truly remarkable.

There is an ancient saying: "Those whose chests harbor thunder yet whose faces are as calm as a placid lake can be appointed high-ranking generals."

Yi Chen believed that now, he too qualified for such a title.

For instance, at this moment, the average person facing such a situation would undoubtedly panic, become clumsy and stuttering, faltering at every word.

But he was different; although his heart fluttered like a scared dog, his face remained unchanged, and he even managed to show a perfectly timed, modest smile as he said:

"Not bad, the master and I indeed share some common insights."

"However, I am new here, while the master has been examining the corpse for some time and is also my senior. You certainly know more than I do, so please allow the master to explain to everyone."

That's what professionalism looks like! Not just anyone can sell a royal chicken; this was Yi Chen's expertise, to be handled with care.

These words were spot on, instantly establishing the image of a humble Taoist priest who was neither seeking glory nor acting rashly.

Master Lianhua, hearing this, nodded with growing admiration, praising Yi Chen's prudence and modesty, which reminded him greatly of Bai Yunzi.

It is said that one can't hide true admiration through their gaze, and Yi Chen could see it.

"Immeasurable Life Buddha."

"Bai Yunzi, you have truly taken on a fine disciple, indeed of good nature."

In Master Lianhua's view, he might not be able to discern Yi Chen's level of cultivation for the time being, but his character was truly commendable; he respected his elders, was neither aggressive nor grabbing for attention, and was not one to seek the limelight or speak empty words.

Learning to speak up and showcase oneself is hard, but learning to keep silent is even harder.

It appeared to Master Lianhua that Yi Chen, seeing how hard he had worked on examining the case, did not wish to steal his thunder.

Only after Master Lianhua chanted a Buddhist mantra did he continue to address the crowd:

"These two mysteries had me puzzled as well, but it was not until Taoist Yi Chengzi just entered and looked around the vicinity that I had a sudden realization and understood it all."

"The dried corpses of Qingyuan Town must be the work of a zombie."

"Moreover, it is not a zombie born from the natural wilderness, but one that has been reared by someone. This person is clearly a novice and is very likely one of the townspeople of Qingyuan Town or someone with past connections to the town."

After finishing his speech, Master Lianhua gave a benevolent smile to the crowd and finally fixed his gaze on Yi Chen's face: "Taoist Yi Chengzi, is there anything you would like to add?"

No additions, you said it wonderfully, it was nothing short of brilliant.

Yi Chen nodded slightly towards Master Lianhua and said:

"My master often says that Master Lianhua's cultivation is profound and incisive, able to penetrate the depths and discern the finest detail."

"Seeing you today, it is indeed so."

"That's right, that's exactly what I was thinking too."

Yi Chen confidently met Master Lianhua's gaze without a hint of doubt and even complimented him with a bit of flattery.

Panic is useless at crucial moments—who can afford to drop the ball?

In that glance, Master Lianhua felt like Bo Ya finding his Zi Qi, his appreciation of Yi Chen deepening, upon which he disdainfully glanced at his two foolish disciples.

Good for nothing and wasteful in everything.

After discussing and agreeing on a plan of action, Town Chief Wu Changshou arranged a lavish meal for everyone, and then they dispersed.

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The night air was heavy with dew.

And in the fall, there were plenty of mosquitoes.

Smack (Pia)!

With a soft slap, Yi Chen emotionlessly removed his hand from his face, gently brushing away the mosquito's carcass from his palm.

Humph, although heaven cherishes all life, this mosquito dared to bite him and clearly sought its own demise.

After a whole day of analysis, the final plan was to spread out in groups of ten, signaling each other when anything unusual was detected, conducting a thorough search.

At the same time, the sale of poultry and livestock in the town was strictly controlled. During this period, the animals would be kept together, forcing the person behind the scenes, raising the zombie, to show themselves.

After all, while zombies don't suck blood, their presence could still lead to serious problems.

Qingyuan Town wasn't built on a mountain; moreover, even if it were in the mountains, the wildlife there isn't foolish. Nearby creatures that had been hunted repeatedly would have long fled.

As for farther away, who would dare venture into the depths of the mountains at night to find food for a zombie? Even if one could avoid the townspeople's notice, wouldn't they fear encountering other powerful demons and evil spirits? Would they dare venture deep into the mountains in search of blood for the zombie?

Concentrating livestock for supervision, clearing the fields.

It was Yi Chen who proposed this plan, which was approved by everyone.

"Let's go, it's time to check the next intersection," said Yi Chen indifferently to the nine strong men behind him.

Among these nine, one was Chief Zhang, and the rest were able-bodied men from the town.

The next intersection was still deserted. Aside from the mist caused by the cool night air, there wasn't a ghost in sight.

Except for Yi Chen killing a few more mosquitoes.

Looking up at the dark night sky, which was so black it was unsettling, Yi Chen couldn't help but turn to Chief Zhang and inquire, "Chief Zhang, in your opinion, where do you think the zombie is most likely to appear, and where is it least likely to appear?"

Chief Zhang pondered for a moment before carefully responding, "In my humble opinion, the most likely place is certainly the house of Captain Ji."

"After all, the blood food for the whole town is concentrated near his house."

"Master Lianhua and a group of armed citizens are lying in wait there."

"We've notified all the townspeople, who are keeping their doors and windows tightly shut. If there's any disturbance, they are to shout loudly. For the zombie to find blood food, the most abundant and quickest place is certainly Captain Ji's house."

"There's some sense in that. And the least likely place?" Yi Chen continued to inquire.

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"That would naturally be at Town Chief Wu Changshou's residence. Chief Wu is a local dignitary with great wealth. When evil spirits appeared in Qingyuan Town, Chief Wu was like a cat on hot bricks, so he spent his own money to invite Master Lianhua from Moon Wheel Temple to come."

"He also has kept quite a few house servants on guard around the perimeter, which I think is the safest place to be."

Upon hearing this, Yi Chen nodded, "Chief Zhang is truly from a criminal investigation background; his analysis is indeed professional."

"However, you're still thinking too simply. The person behind the scenes is very cunning. I'm afraid he'll use our plan against us, hitting us where we least expect it. Let's patrol near Chief Wu's residence now."

Yi Chen's plan, of course, was to avoid a direct encounter with the evil spirit in Qingyuan Town. It would be best to act according to the situation after Master Lianhua had engaged the evil spirit.

If the fight was winnable, he'd fight, always ready to snatch the victory.

If not, he would run, and let Master Lianhua bear the brunt a bit longer.

"Ah?" Chief Zhang looked at Yi Chen with a doubtful expression, unable to suppress the suspicion in his heart that the famed first disciple of Taoist Bai Yunzi could be a bluffer.

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

How could Taoist Bai Yunzi choose a bluffer to be the new master of Hidden Dragon Temple?

Then, Chief Zhang's eyes shifted, as if he had suddenly thought of something, and he immediately smiled and said, "Taoist Priest sees far ahead, it's Zhang's thinking that was lacking. Let's follow the Taoist Priest's lead and patrol near Chief Wu's residence."

The young and strong men behind him upon hearing this also showed broad smiles: "The Taoist Priest speaks reasonably. I see Chief Zhang at the first level, the hidden adversary on the second level, and the Taoist Priest, you are on the third level."

"The Taoist Priest from Hidden Dragon Temple indeed has foresight."

In a moment, flattery swelled like the tide, as everyone chimed in, whether sincere or not, Yi Chen's suggestion aligned with the group's interests.

Your position determines your perspective; the rationale was not important; what was important was how to unite the majority's interests, representing the majority's interest, and you're sure not to lack supporters.

For example, no one would dare question Yi Chen's decision now, whether due to status or otherwise.

Everyone was sincerely pleased.

At Chief Wu's residence were people burning mosquito-repelling plants. There were fewer mosquitoes nearby while patrolling, and it was safer—just fantastic.

"Then let's set off right away." Yi Chen, with a wave of his hand, took the lead, carrying the Dragon-Slaying Sword as he strode towards Chief Wu's residence.

He had had enough of these mosquitoes—buzzing annoyingly.

It was the fifth watch of the night, and the sky was growing light.

Yi Chen walked briskly, quickly outstripping the others by more than ten meters. Just around the corner ahead, he would see Chief Wu's mansion.

Just as he was about to turn the corner, suddenly a gust of sinister wind struck, a sudden change occurred, accompanied by a chorus of shouts from the people behind:

"Damn, Taoist Priest, be careful!"

"The Taoist Priest is truly extraordinary, with such prescient ability. I had even thought the Taoist Priest was afraid of the evil spirit and wanted to slack off."

….

Yi Chen: "…." Prescient ability, huh? I'd like to choke you to death.

I'm going to hit you, huh?

How did it turn out that I'm the one to confront the situation, and Master Lianhua is just sitting around? That's not how the script goes.

Right at the corner, Yi Chen encountered a zombie in a red bridal dress with a green face and fangs.

Fate is just like this, unexpectedly met.

Without any anticipation or a slightest hint of caution—it just appeared….

Facing the foul-smelling bridal dress zombie, for a moment, both person and zombie were taken aback.

So unexpected.

Yi Chen was stunned for a second, then quickly recovered, shouting loudly:

"Evil fiend, where do you think you're running!"

"Take my Hundred-Step Divine Fist!"

After that, he churned his surging Pure Yang Inner Qi throughout his body and sent a devastating kick towards the chest of the bridal dress zombie.

Almost simultaneously, the zombie with the green face and fangs, and in the bridal dress, reacted too. Its already long nails grew even longer, its body shrouded in a faint black death Qi, reaching straight for Yi Chen's face.

As the saying goes, "an inch longer, an inch stronger."

Besides, Yi Chen was tall, and this Pure Yang Inner Qi enveloped devastating kick was powerful and heavy; just as the zombie's nails were about to reach him, Yi Chen's kick found its target dead center.

The bridal dress zombie was sent flying backward faster than it had come, slamming hard into the wall of Chief Wu's mansion in the street.

The entire zombie was embedded into the wall.

The bridal dress zombie struggled to howl, emitting unintelligible sounds, and in the center of its chest, a size 46 shoe print suddenly appeared.

Even the black death Qi surrounding its body seemed to fade a bit.

Whether this was thanks to the evil-dispelling effect of the Minor Pure Yang Skill or simply due to the tremendous force was uncertain.

Or perhaps it was a combination of both.

"Effective? Haha, have another!" Yi Chen, seeing this, was overjoyed. Just as he was ready to redouble his efforts and chase down the weakened enemy, in keeping with the philosophy of striking while the iron is hot, more discussion came from behind.

"What a great kick! Strong and precise, hitting the target dead on!"

"Damn, didn't the Taoist Priest say Hundred-Step Divine Fist? Why did it look like a devastating kick? Is this some kind of secret technique?"

"Oh, my heavens, are you an idiot, Old Fourth Wang? It's clear that the Taoist Priest was deceiving that female zombie. That was a tactic," one person in the crowd retorted.

"You mean to say that the Taoist Priest won't even spare zombies and is setting traps for them? Sss!" Old Fourth Wang looked at Yi Chen, who was muscular and formidable, and couldn't help but shrink his neck, moving a bit away from the center of the battlefield.

Such a sly tactic!

To think that Yi Chengzi, who appeared rough and unrestrained, would use such cunning moves even on a zombie.

Totally amazing, that kick almost sent the zombie off for good, and despite being so powerful, still used tactics on the zombie, truly... awesome.

Although this Taoist Priest is powerful, he's excessively cautious…