I run a Taoist temple in a bizarre world.

Chapter 54 Wooden Door

thump...

dong dong...

Chen Hao knocked on the wooden door, waited a moment, and then spoke.

"Abbot, Chen Hao from Changxi Village has come to Qingshan Temple with his younger sister Chen Cheng, as agreed before. We hope that you will allow us to enter the temple."

After saying that, Chen Hao took a few steps back and waited for the mountain gate to open.

At the scene, everyone was waiting for the seemingly ordinary wooden door to creak open.

Especially Zhang the Bald, whose expression looked just like that of a condemned prisoner about to be executed.

Half a moment, a quarter of an hour, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn...

Time passed quietly, but the wooden door remained motionless.

The expressions on everyone's faces changed from initial tension and anticipation to doubt.

Zhao Zhu rubbed his face and said.

"Haozi, how about... you knock again?"

"Hmm...yes, perhaps the abbot is meditating and didn't hear the knocking. I'll knock again now."

thump...

dong dong...

Not only did Chen Hao repeat his previous knocking motion, he also repeated his initial statement.

"Master, Chen Hao from Changxi Village..."

After saying that, he took a few steps back and waited quietly.

Half a moment, a moment...

The cold wind at the mountaintop dispelled the burning desire in everyone's hearts to see the godlike abbot.

It also blew away the last remaining hope in their hearts.

"Haozi, you haven't been lying to Changxi Village all along, have you?"

The man who had previously put his arm around Bald Zhang asked.

"I...I didn't..."

"The abbot should be meditating and cultivating. No, I saw him before. If you don't believe me, ask Chen Cheng."

Chen Hao shook his head repeatedly and even brought out Chen Cheng, wanting her to testify for him.

Chen Cheng naturally supported her brother, and besides, she had indeed met the abbot that night.

"My brother didn't lie to you; everything he said is true."

The man who had questioned Chen Hao clearly did not believe the story told by Chen Hao and his sister.

"You're siblings, so you can testify for each other in any way you like."

Upon hearing this, Chen Hao was at a loss and said anxiously.

"I...I'll knock on the door again. Let's wait patiently for a while. There must be an abbot at Qingshan Temple!"

After saying that, Chen Hao walked to the door and knocked on the wooden door.

Boom!

The sound was noticeably louder than the previous two times, showing just how anxious Chen Hao was.

But when he tried to knock on the door again, the man from before stopped him with his hand.

"Haozi, we people from Changxi Village watched you grow up, and you just cheat our neighbors like this?"

The man slammed the things to the ground and questioned Chen Hao sternly.

Chen Hao opened his mouth, wanting to continue refuting, but the sense of powerlessness rising in his heart, coupled with his empty mind, left him speechless.

At this point, Chen Cheng retorted.

"Didn't a few people from the village go to Qingshan Temple before to see if the previous temple keeper was still there?"

"You can simply ask them if they've seen this house before."

"If you haven't seen it before, it proves this house was built just yesterday!"

"Besides the abbot, not to mention our village, who else in the villages under Heliu Town could do that?"

Chen Cheng's words did have some effect.

The people present immediately fell silent.

Chen Cheng thought that his words had finally salvaged some of the situation.

"It's a bald-headed Zhang," he said quietly.

"Who knows if you bribed them to distribute the items given to you by the people of Changxi Village afterwards?"

"No... I didn't..."

Chen Hao said helplessly. He knew that the wooden door in front of him couldn't be opened, and no one present would believe him no matter what he said.

A wooden door became the dividing line between truth and illusion.

As soon as Zhang the Bald-Head said this, the three men, apart from Zhao Zhu and another man who had been silent, started shouting and cursing at him.

Unable to stand it any longer, Zhao Zhu spoke up to stop them.

"Shut up, everyone. If Chen Hao is really lying, Qingshan Temple no longer has a temple keeper. Just take the things back to the villagers."

"Without the lamp oil that Qingshan Temple gave us, how are we going to get through the eerie fog at night?"

"Is the lamp oil that everyone in Changxi Village has enough for this month?"

After Zhao Zhu finished speaking, the three of them immediately ceased fire.

"My family can only last another ten days or so at most."

"My family is about the same."

"That's right. Qingshan Temple is now without an abbot or a temple keeper. What will we do with the lamp oil in the future?"

They also realized that the reason they were scolding Chen Hao like this was because he had cheated them out of some farm items.

More importantly, he fabricated the existence of Qingshan Temple and its abbot, and even made Chen Cheng the temple keeper, leading them to believe that they could continue to receive lamp oil and thus continue to get through the night peacefully.

What angered them most was that they disregarded the lives of the entire family for a few farm items.

You must understand that in the eerie fog, without lamp oil to drive away demons and evil spirits, ordinary people like them would never survive.

Seeing that the situation had stabilized, Zhao Zhu asked the bald-headed Zhang.

"So, your family can really protect our Changxi Village?"

"That's natural. He's different from the thief temple keeper who temporarily stayed at Qingshan Temple. The master is backed by a powerful organization in Heliu Town, whose members are capable of penetrating deep into the mysterious fog and fighting demons and evil spirits."

"They are responsible for sheltering several villages!"

Upon realizing that the adults hadn't lied to him and that Qingshan Temple truly didn't have abbot, Zhang the Bald-Headed smugly declared.

Moreover, the adults had promised him that night that as long as he handled his affairs well, they would arrange for him to join the organization.

For Bald Zhang, who was about to become a member of this organization.

Boasting about how strong your organization is is something to be proud of.

"That's great, Brother Zhang... how do we get their protection?"

"Yeah, Brother Zhang, what should we do?"

The men who had previously been cursing Chen Hao surrounded Zhang the bald-headed man and asked him questions.

"I'll say it again: I only want Chen Cheng, or rather, you only want Chen Cheng."

"As long as you hand Chen Cheng over to me, the master will protect our Changxi Village."

Bald-headed Zhang stretched out his hand and pointed at Chen Cheng.

Upon hearing this, the group immediately went to Chen Hao, who was protecting Chen Cheng, and earnestly offered their advice.

"Haozi, as long as you hand Chen Cheng over to Brother Zhang, we can pretend we didn't know anything about the lie you told us before."

"Yes, Haozi, we'll keep it a secret for you when we get back. No one but us will know that you lied to us."

"Haozi, you need to think this through. This dilapidated Taoist temple is deserted, which means we'll have no lights left. You know how powerful the demons and evil spirits in the eerie mist are. Is it not worth trading Chen Cheng for the lives of everyone in Changxi Village?"

"Besides, Haozi, is Chen Cheng really going to lose her life? Who knows, she might be doing even better in the future. Zhang Ge is a man from the same village, don't you all know that?"

The situation has now completely reversed.

The group that had previously sided with Chen Hao and defended Chen Cheng, who was about to become the temple keeper of Qingshan Temple, changed their attitude.

They began to side with the initially opposed Zhang, and exhausted all their words to persuade Chen Hao to hand over Chen Cheng.

Chen Hao couldn't think of any rebuttal, and simply stood firmly in front of Chen Cheng.

At this point, the field is divided into three sides.

One side consists of Chen Hao and his sister Chen Cheng.

On one side was Zhao Zhu, who remained silent, unsure how to speak, and on the other side was a man who had remained silent from the very beginning.

The last group consisted of Zhang the Bald, along with three aggressive men who wanted Chen Hao to hand over Chen Cheng.

At this moment, Zhao Zhu stepped forward, followed by the silent man behind him.

Zhao Zhu said.

"Brother Zhang, may I ask what your superiors need Chen Cheng for? I'm willing to do odd jobs."

Upon hearing this, not only Chen Hao and Chen Cheng were stunned, but even the bald-headed Zhang couldn't help but admire it.

"Zhao Zhu, Zhao Zhu, your heart is truly as good as the villagers say!"

"but……"

Bald-headed Zhang suddenly changed the subject.

"You won't do it. The master specifically requested Chen Cheng, and the pill must be made from Chen Cheng's material."

Seeing that none of the people present understood what he meant, Bald-headed Zhang added.

"Using Chen Cheng as the material, the elixir will be completed upon his death."

boom!

Chen Hao felt as if a bolt from the blue had struck him!

"Do you...do you want Chen Cheng dead?"

He said in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter," said Bald-headed Zhang indifferently.

"Isn't it worth it to sacrifice one person to ensure the livelihood of over a hundred people in Changxi Village?"

Of the three people who were originally standing next to Bald Zhang, one of them quickly accepted the offer and stood beside Bald Zhang, waving flags and shouting.

"Exactly, one person for a hundred, it's worth it!"

Of the remaining two, one hesitated for a moment before joining Zhang the Bald-Headed.

The remaining person hesitated, wavering between taking the first step.

Bald-headed Zhang ignored the man and gradually approached Chen Cheng.

Chen Hao's eyes were somewhat vacant.

thump...

He gently knocked on the mountain gate, his voice pleading.

"Master, are you there?"