Chapter 20: Jade Altar Temple, Temple Master's Direct Lineage

Seeing that no laughter came from beneath Li Yinsheng's conical hat, the middle-aged man's impression of him immediately improved. He couldn't help but nod. "Fellow Daoist, you're the only one who hasn't laughed at me today. It seems you are an honest and kind man."

"It seems everyone who passed by today has excellent taste," Li Yinsheng thought to himself.

"Since you are so honest, Fellow Daoist, I shall return the favor and tell you a useful piece of information," the middle-aged Daoist said, lowering his voice. "Are you looking for a suitable Array Master?"

Li Yinsheng suspected the man might be a shady broker or a shill for some array stall, but his next words immediately dispelled that notion.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know of Jade Altar Temple?"

This single sentence confirmed to Li Yinsheng that the man was no shill.

Jade Altar Temple didn't need shills for their array business. They were widely acknowledged as the Daoist Temple most proficient in arrays within the Zhengyang Dharma Vein.

In the way of arrays, Jade Altar Temple's status was similar to that of Zulu Temple, which he had visited previously. The difference was that while Zulu Temple was recognized as the absolute best at artifact refining within the Dharma Vein, Bifeng Temple was only a close second, always in hot pursuit.

However, in the field of arrays, Jade Altar Temple was in a league of its own.

If Seven Stars Temple, the second best at arrays, was a fierce tiger, then Jade Altar Temple was a Tiger tank.

Legend had it that during a past war between the Zhengyang Dharma Vein and certain Demonic Sects, Jade Altar Temple's arrays had repeatedly achieved great merits. They had even trapped and killed nearly ten Daoists from the Demon Dao in succession, and the number of Demon Offspring who died within those arrays was simply uncountable.

However, unlike Zulu Temple, which opened its doors to all business, Jade Altar Temple didn't serve just any customer.

Dedicated to the pursuit of absolute perfection, the temple had a small number of disciples, all with superb mastery over arrays. Therefore, they took far fewer orders than other array-focused Daoist Temples. Many people wanted to buy or commission arrays from Jade Altar Temple, but without an introduction from an acquaintance, they generally refused to take the order.

Their reasoning was also perfectly sound—apologies, our Daoist Temple is small and we have few disciples. It's not that we don't want your business, but we genuinely are too busy to handle it.

Hearing the middle-aged cultivator mention Jade Altar Temple, Li Yinsheng perked up. He cupped his hands and said, "Very few within the Zhengyang Dharma Vein are unaware of Jade Altar Temple's reputation. Fellow Daoist, do you have some inside information to share?"

"It seems you know of Jade Altar Temple's prestige and conduct, little Fellow Daoist, so I'll skip the nonsense."

The middle-aged cultivator walked out from behind his table to stand in front of Li Yinsheng. He glanced around, making sure there were no other cultivators nearby, before speaking in a low voice.

"Those aloof Array Masters from Jade Altar Temple seem to be short on money recently. As long as someone goes to their shop to buy an array, they'll take the order—regardless of whether they have a referral or not.

"In the past, those Array Masters would have loved nothing more than to rest for a month after finishing a single array. Now, they're working around the clock, taking on the next order the moment they finish one!"

"Is... is this true?" Li Yinsheng was taken aback, his first reaction being one of disbelief. "If this is true, why hasn't word spread yet?"

"Ah, you can thank the fact that the people at Jade Altar Temple are used to being aloof. Although they've secretly lifted the rule about needing a referral, they aren't willing to actively promote it. They probably think it lowers their status.

"Over the years, everyone has come to know of their rules and haughtiness. Those without a referral wouldn't actively go out of their way to seek rejection," the middle-aged cultivator said with a chuckle. "However, being aloof has its benefits. Although they've opened up to taking orders, the quality of their arrays remains as flawless as ever, and they haven't raised their prices."

"So this matter hasn't spread yet?" Li Yinsheng asked.

"Heh, with such a great opportunity to take advantage of, who would actively spread the word? If Jade Altar Temple's threshold gets trampled by a stampede of customers, wouldn't it become impossible to buy an array again?" the middle-aged cultivator reasoned. "If I hadn't seen that you were an honest man, Fellow Daoist, I absolutely wouldn't have told you either.

"However, there is no wall in the world that doesn't let the wind through. I figure that in a few days, word will eventually get out anyway. If you want to buy an array, Fellow Daoist, you'd better go early."

Li Yinsheng cupped his hands again. "Thank you for the information, Fellow Daoist. I will remember this favor."

He didn't entirely believe the man's words, but taking a look at Jade Altar Temple's shop wouldn't cost him anything. The worst that could happen was being made a fool of and having them refuse his order anyway.

After a few more words of small talk, Li Yinsheng, his mind set on arrays, bid his farewell and left.

The middle-aged cultivator didn't force him to stay. He merely told Li Yinsheng that he was a Daoist of Huang Bamboo Temple named Qi Jiushan, and that if Li Yinsheng had free time in the future, he could come back and check out his talismans. He guaranteed they would be drawn better than they were now.

Muttering, "Definitely, definitely," Li Yinsheng cupped his hands and departed.

Even as he left, he didn't have the heart to tell the middle-aged Daoist one thing. He couldn't help but feel that those drawn talismans looked exactly like a child's comic strip.

A short while later.

Having bid farewell to the overly familiar middle-aged Daoist, Li Yinsheng arrived in front of Jade Altar Temple's shop.

Looking at the storefront before him, Li Yinsheng adjusted his conical hat.

It was completely different from Zulu Temple's shop. Jade Altar Temple's shop lacked any decorations whatsoever; it consisted of nothing more than the most plain, unadorned wooden walls and doors imaginable.

The signboard was a plank of wood that looked as though it had been sawed straight off a floorboard. The characters on it weren't even carved; instead, "Jade Altar Temple" was simply written with a large calligraphy brush. Fortunately, the strokes were at least bold and masterful.

Furthermore, this was entirely unlike Zulu Temple, where the female shopkeeper would actively welcome any customer the moment they appeared at the door.

Although Jade Altar Temple's shop also had its doors open, and there were twos and threes of young cultivators inside—either chatting, meditating, or studying array maps—not a single one paid any attention to Li Yinsheng at the entrance.

It was as if there wasn't anyone standing at the door at all.

"To be able to run a business this way and still thrive, I can only say this bunch must be ridiculously skilled," Li Yinsheng grumbled inwardly.