Chapter 291: The Willow Branch Under Guanyin's Seat

　　After making the rounds, Lu Fei returned to the table to eat.

　　In any case, he had shown basic courtesy, and he didn't care what others said.

　　He joined the Lingyin Association not only to expand his pawnshop business but also, fundamentally, to find the left-handed person who had once crossed swords with his grandfather.

　　When toasting at other tables, Lu Fei was also observing.

　　Apart from Xu Bei, there were two other left-handers in the association.

　　One was a beautiful young woman.

　　The other was an elderly man around fifty years old.

　　Lu Fei and Zhang Molin probed indirectly and found out that these two were among the less capable members of the association. Therefore, his main suspect was still Xu Bei.

　　Xu Bei was extremely popular in the association, even more so than the president.

　　"President Shangguan doesn't show up much, and it's Vice President Xu who handles the association's affairs. These past few days, he has been especially considerate towards us."

　　Zhang Molin held this vice president in high regard, almost to the point of worship.

　　"Joining the association, we as wandering cultivators now have a backing."

　　Lu Fei couldn't help but wonder: "Aren't you a Taoist? How could you not have a sect?"

　　"Our dilapidated little temple, how can it be called a sect?" Zhang Molin shook his head in self-deprecation.

　　As everyone ate and chatted, they soon became fully engaged in conversation.

　　Zhang Molin was an orphan. When he was still in swaddling clothes, he was abandoned in the wilderness and was saved by his master, who took him in at the Wu Xing Temple.

　　It is said that the Wu Xing Temple once had its glory days, and he joined the Ling Yin Association to revive his own temple.

　　In this regard, he was somewhat similar to Lu Fei.

　　Tie Shenglan's family ran an exorcism hall, and she had been practicing martial arts since childhood. She also knew some exorcism and ghost-catching techniques, and her family had high hopes for her.

　　Master Kudeng's Lotus Temple was also an obscure little shrine.

　　There's no need to say much about Jing Jian.

　　"The biggest benefit of joining the association is sharing resources, getting more opportunities for practice and cultivation resources than before.",

　　"The association can accept orders uniformly and will occasionally post bounty missions."

　　Everyone has joined the association's WeChat group, where they can check for the latest news.

　　After all, times have changed, and secluded cultivation in the deep mountains is no longer suitable for modern society.

　　No matter how lofty a person from the mystic sect may be, they still need to eat.

　　After a hearty meal, the welcoming party came to an end.

　　Those who wanted to continue chatting could make their own arrangements, while others went back home.

　　After all, it's just an association, not some military organization; everyone was still quite free.

　　Having said goodbye to the leaders, Lu Fei and the other newcomers naturally made their way downstairs.

　　It was hard to get a taxi at this time.

　　"I have a car. I'll drive everyone home!" Jing Jian patted his chest magnificently. He hadn't drunk any alcohol today, as he could only handle one cup anyway.

　　"Brother Jing, you've bought a car at such a young age. You're truly outstanding," Zhang Molin said with envy in his eyes.

　　"Lu Fei, with Hu Di not here, there's no one to drive for you. Why don't you come with us?" Jing Jian said warmly; he had been excited all day.

　　Joining the Ling Yin Association was a long-held wish of his, and now that it had come true, he felt almost euphoric.

　　"I'll pass, thank you. I live close by, and I can just ride a shared bike home."

　　Lu Fei smiled, holding the small black dog as he left first.

　　"No need to be so polite with me."

　　Jing Jian shook his head and led the remaining three to the parking lot, where he took out his keys and opened the car door.

　　"Fellow practitioners, please get in the car."

　　"This is your car?"

　　The three of them looked at the car, which stood out in the surroundings, and fell into deep thought.

　　They finally understood why Lu Fei had left so quickly.

　　"Don't look at my car; it may be a bit old, but it's absolutely safe!" Jing Jian was quite enthusiastic.

　　The three of them looked at each other, not wanting to turn down Jing Jian's offer, and awkwardly got into the car.

　　The divine car creaked as it drove out of the parking lot.

　　Next to them, an old man on a tricycle overtook them.

　　The three of them fell into deep thought again.

　　Would they make it home before dawn?

　　After leaving the restaurant, Lu Fei did not go home immediately but went to Jia Banxian's place instead.

　　The courtyard was lit up.

　　Jia Banxian was playing with his newly bought parrot, looking troubled for some reason.

　　"Senior, I hope I'm not disturbing your rest by coming at this hour?"

　　"Since you're already here, why bother with such formalities?" Jia Banxian glanced at him as if he was already used to it.

　　Lu Fei put down the little black dog.

　　The moment this little fellow saw the small parrot, his eyes lit up. He jumped up, placed his two front paws on the table, and stared intently into the cage.

　　"Go away, go away, what are you looking at? My little bird is timid to begin with, don't scare it anymore!"

　　Jia Banxian, fearing that it might frighten the small parrot, quickly hung the cage a bit higher.

　　"Senior, you don't look too well," Lu Fei noticed that Jia Banxian had large dark circles under his eyes, making him look quite haggard.

　　"It's nothing, this little bird keeps chirping in the middle of the night, disturbing my sleep for several nights. I've been thinking about how to change its behavior."

　　Jia Banxian waved his hand.

　　"What do you need from me?"

　　Lu Fei chuckled, took out his phone: "I took a few photos, see if any of these people have met my grandfather in the netherworld."

　　"In the underworld, everyone is in a spiritual state, how can you tell by looking at the physical body?"

　　Although Master Jia said so, he still put on his reading glasses and squinted to carefully look at the photo Lu Fei pointed out.

　　"This person is left-handed, does it look like him?" Lu Fei pointed to Xu Bei in the photo.

　　"The figure looks a bit similar, but this person seems quite presentable, while the one in the underworld could use filthy energy... The two have a very different aura."

　　Master Jia thought about it carefully but still couldn't be sure.

　　"You can know a man's face but not his heart. Senior, is there any way to verify it?" Lu Fei was not willing to give up.

　　"Just pay attention to whether there is any filthy energy around him, won't that work?"

　　"How can I determine if he has filthy energy around him?"

　　Master Jia thought for a moment and said, "Go find some willow branches, and place them in the Guanyin Temple for a few days. The willow branch in Guanyin Bodhisattva's jade vase symbolizes purification and purity."

　　"After that, take the consecrated willow branches and get close to that person. If the leaves turn black, it indicates that he has filthy energy around him."

　　"Understood, thank you, senior!" Lu Fei happily put away his phone. Seeing that Jia Banxian still had a worried look, he said, "Banxian, do you need any help?"

　　"Do you know how to train birds?" Jia Banxian looked at him.

　　"No." Lu Fei shook his head.

　　"Then there you go!" Jia Banxian sighed, "This is my first time raising a bird, and I didn't expect this little thing to be so troublesome! A parrot, it's like taming a hawk."

　　"Senior, don't birds usually rest at night? They shouldn't call out in the middle of the night, right? What's making it cry?" Lu Fei moved closer to the cage and looked at the little tiger parakeet inside.

　　The little fellow had a bright green plumage and a tiny body, with its two eyes shining like bright green beans. It looked very cute.

　　At this moment, perhaps because of too much attention or something else, it cowered in the corner of the cage, fear evident in its eyes.