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19.A monk and a Taoist priest

19.A monk and a Taoist priest

New recruits for the Monster Suppression Bureau are randomly assigned, and the Yellow Character Groups have no right to select.

Members of the Mystic Character Group generally have some background or are directly selected from the Yellow Character Group based on their talents and fortune. They don't need batches of new recruits.

This time, Li Gou is bringing back a total of six people, filling in three vacancies and having three extras.

Chen Xuance, upon learning this, puzzledly asked, "Boss, considering our probationary pass rate, having all six survive is already good. Why not bring in more people at once?"

Li Gou smiled, offering a mysterious explanation, "Don't you know? It's a rule. Master Baihu told me before. The Qi fortune of the Nine Provinces is limited, and the activities of the Monster Suppression Bureau require people with Qi fortune. Doing too much at once is a disaster, not a blessing."

Chen Xuance nodded as if he understood, but in his mind, he was pondering. The work of the Monster Suppression Bureau is for the welfare of the people, essentially eliminating and sealing other beings for the sake of humanity. Perhaps doing too much of this could harm the heavens and the earth?

His thoughts weren't entirely wrong. All things in the world have spirituality. Humans consume animals, and animals consume humans. Everything operates according to its own principles, and the work of the Monster Suppression Bureau only stands on the side of humanity.

It can be done, but it must be done with rules.

From another perspective, if there were no monsters and demons in the world, why would we need a Monster Suppression Bureau?

Li Gou led the six new recruits, assigning the two seemingly tough ones to Chen Xuance.

He was hesitant to give ordinary ones to Chen Xuance, fearing they might not last for more than two days.

He mentioned that they seemed tough because these two were quite special.

One was a Taoist priest with a eye patch over his left eye, appearing to be in his twenties, short in stature, and sporting a three-pronged beard.

The other was a silent monk, over six feet tall, well-built, with red lips and white teeth, appearing to be only sixteen or seventeen years old.

Chen Xuance was satisfied because he had used his divine eye and aura-reading technique to observe the two.

The Taoist priest emitted a clear aura of nearly two meters, approaching the level of Zhang Hu from the Mystic Character Group.

As for the little monk, like the big monk he encountered yesterday, both were shining in golden colors. The height was around two and a half meters, even more formidable than Zhang Hu.

Unlike the big monk, in the dazzling golden light, a monk sat with closed eyes, wearing a red robe, and had a vague figure.

"These two are not simple characters! They have cultivation but come to the Yellow Character Group instead of the Mystic Character Group. Either they have some hidden agenda or a story."

On the way back, the rising sun was intense, and the trees and wild grass on the side of the road were drooping.

A monk and a Taoist priest followed Chen Xuance behind, walking step by step.

After a while, the Taoist priest broke the silence, respectfully saying, "My lord, I am Wang Qingxuan, with the Taoist name Qingxuanzi. This monk beside me, his monastic name is Sanzang, and he has been practicing silent meditation for seven years."

Without responding, Chen Xuance followed behind Li Gou and them, walking quietly.

In his heart, Taoist Wang Qingxuan couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. The big man in front of him seemed not easy to get along with.

Upon entering the inner city, Chen Xuance finally spoke, "In the Monster Suppression Bureau, the rule is silence on the road."

Arriving at the Monster Suppression Bureau, he led the two to the room where he stayed before. The house, struck by lightning, had been repaired, but traces of smoke and fire still lingered on the walls.

Rooms where people had died were scarce in the Monster Suppression Bureau, making it a stroke of luck for the monk and the Taoist. Such a good place fell into their hands.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As for whether these two could endure, it depended on their luck. They should have better luck than the chubby guy, right?

Beddings and daily necessities in the room were already prepared in advance. Although not brand new, if the two cared, they could wash them on their own.

After settling in, Chen Xuance leaned against the doorway, with a simple and honest smile, making a self-introduction, "I am Chen Xuance. You will follow me during the next three months of the probationary period."

The monk and the Taoist nodded in succession. Chen Xuance continued, "We belong to the Yellow Character Group, and the leader is Maha Zhengyang, also known as Maha Baihu. You can easily recognize him by his many freckles. When we go on a mission today, you will see him. Leading us today is our commander, Li Gou, whom you've already met. That's about it. Other rules will be taught slowly when we go on a mission. Now, tell me about yourselves."

Taoist Wang Qingxuan spoke first, "Supreme Being, I am Qingxuanzi from the Infinite Sky Temple on Mount Daedong in the state of Lu. I am the only one left in the temple. My master, before his ascension, instructed me to come to Kyoto and join the Monster Suppression Bureau. This monk is from the nearby Life-taking Temple, and he's the only one there too. Afraid of starving, he came to Kyoto with me."

After hearing Wang Qingxuan's introduction, Chen Xuance pondered about these two places for a while but couldn't recall any well-known locations with similar names. However, the name Life-taking Temple sounded somewhat ominous.

He said, "Taoist, you have a secular name. In the future, call yourself by your real name within the Bureau."

The silent monk, who had been bowing his head without speaking, now looked up at Chen Xuance. Wang Qingxuan was puzzled and asked, "Is it a rule in the Bureau, my lord?"

Chen Xuance shook his head and explained, "It's not exactly a rule. Everyone just uses their real names. As for the monk, call yourself by this name in the future. By the way, is the secular name of the monk Chen or Tang?"

Upon hearing Chen Xuance's question, both men were full of shock! Was the Monster Suppression Bureau so powerful? Could the lord deduce their surnames from their names?

The Taoist was the first to react and asked with a tone of respect, "My lord, you are right. The monk's secular name is Chen. May I ask, how did you know?"

The look in Taoist Wang Qingxuan's eyes was filled with curiosity, akin to that of a charlatan seeking knowledge.

The monk also recovered from his shock, and the amazement in his eyes faded away. He quietly tidied up the room, but the occasionally twitching ears betrayed his curiosity.

Chen Xuance smiled and said, "There's a village next to my hometown called Tang Village. In that village, there's a charming girl named Chen, very good-looking. The young men from miles around always visit Tang Village. Over time, everyone started calling her 'Chen, the charming girl from Tang Village,' which gradually turned into Tang Sanzang."

Speaking of the young girl, Chen Xuance's face showed a clear expression of reminiscence and nostalgia.

This made the monk and the Taoist sincerely believe what the young and honest lord said.

"By the way, what does the 'cang' in the monk's name mean?"

The Taoist quickly replied, "It means 'burial.' Is it the same as the girl from your hometown, my lord?"

Chen Xuance shook his head, not continuing this topic.

Afterwards, he gave the two a brief overview of the Monster Suppression Bureau.

The Monster Suppression Bureau had appeared at an unknown time, with a history of at least eight hundred years. With the changes of dynasties, the Monster Suppression Bureau stood in the southeast corner of Kyoto.

When the dynasty changed, the official titles of important figures in the Bureau would change as a form of respect for the new emperor. However, the internal hierarchical structure remained unchanged.

The Bureau had departments responsible for logistics and equipment, monitoring supernatural phenomena related to monsters across the nation, dissecting corpses, burning bodies, and more. Chen Xuance and his team were part of the Mystic Character Group and Yellow Character Group, responsible for clearing and suppressing monsters and evil spirits.

The relationship with the imperial court was more like that of business partners. The court provided some silver coins, and the Bureau took care of the tasks. The silver given by the court was barely enough for daily wages, so the Bureau didn't rely on it much. Therefore, a rule was established: the Bureau would take 70% of the proceeds from missions, and 50% from private tasks.

The Bureau had no subordinate relationship with the imperial court. Emperors of each dynasty initially viewed the Bureau as a formidable force, and they all wanted to take control of it. However, when you have such a powerful institution wandering around under your nose, who could sleep peacefully? Especially considering that anyone who managed to ascend to the throne was a hero. How could they watch so many people wander around under their noses?

As for why, in the end, they all settled down, leaving the Monster Suppression Bureau with an aloof status, Chen Xuance wasn't entirely clear about the reasons.

He only knew that it had some connections with various sects throughout the country and the Yellow Springs Road.

Most of the members of the Mystic Character Group were sent by sects and sacred places to gain experience. For example, the new member Zhang Hu from the Mystic Character Group was said to be the current Tianzun (Celestial Master) of Daliang, a disciple of the head of Mount Longhu.

This might also have something to do with some big shots hidden in the Bureau.

Chen Xuance judged that the Bureau must have some hidden masters. The number should not be large, but their strength was definitely extraordinary.

Otherwise, it would have been wiped out long ago.

They had encountered quite a few monsters with several hundred years of cultivation, and those with a thousand years of cultivation were all unruly characters. Yet, there was no news of any trouble in Kyoto City.

Of course, these were all Chen Xuance's speculations. After explaining some non-confidential matters, he finally instructed the two, "You two, hurry up and get ready. I will come to find you later. We'll go to the cafeteria together. After eating, you can rest. Accommodations and meals during the probationary period are provided."

After saying this, he was about to leave, as if suddenly remembering something, he added, "