Wait a minute, where is my master?

"You needn't worry about that monk, Wanbao Temple has its own rules."

"Have Master Li change into the city guard's uniform, take a few soldiers, and investigate the matter of their entry tokens at Yanyu Building."

"If the timing is right, and you can trick a few of them into the heavenly prison, that would be best."

Manager Shi nodded in agreement.

...

The little Taoist was unaware that he had attracted attention by flaunting his wealth.

At the moment, he was marveling at the imperial city before him.

"Xia Yunzhao's family sure has a grand residence."

Although the buildings in the imperial city were not towering, they were magnificent.

The vermilion walls, light blue glazed tiles, cobblestone paths laid with bluestone, and the gates cast from essence iron. The strange beast sculptures at the entrance and the fierce-looking guard soldiers indeed gave off an invisible oppressive feel.

Well, the little Taoist felt a bit of social anxiety seeing so many guards.

Fortunately, after Little Huan, the maid, briefly negotiated with a commander surnamed Luan, they were allowed into the Great Xia Imperial Palace.

Jin Xu and the maid passed along the solemn and austere cobblestone path, through corridors carved from white jade.

After walking for a quarter of an hour, they finally arrived outside a palace that was tranquil and refined yet luxurious.

The little Taoist looked around and noticed that many white camellias were planted outside the grand hall. Occasionally, cute little creatures stealthily scampered through the bushes.

The maid led Jin Xu to the front of a large gate of the palace and respectfully said, "Taoist, the mother of the Seventh Prince is waiting for you inside this hall. I will not enter. If you wish to leave the palace or need anything, just send a message with this jade token."

As she spoke, Little Huan handed over a jade token.

Jin Xu took it, and out of habit, tried to put it into his storage treasure but then realized his left hand was empty.

He then remembered he had temporarily given the Mystic Treasure Pearl to Yu Yaoer for safekeeping.

"Thank you very much, Miss Little Huan, for all your help along the way."

The little Taoist politely thanked her, tucked the jade token into his Taoist robe, and pushed open the door to enter the grand hall.

...

The scene shifts to a residential area in Shangjing City.

Yan Meishan, the Third Elder of the Demon Sect, stared blankly at the message sent by her subordinate and blinked.

Someone had stolen the head of a corpse before her.

Broad daylight and clear skies, where's the law and order!

Why is someone else stealing her thunder now?

...

The camera returns to the Great Xia Imperial Palace.

After entering the palace, Jin Xu walked past the screen and into the inner hall.

He discovered a beautifully-dressed woman in white, resembling Xia Yunzhao to a great extent, sitting at a round table with a kindly expression on her face.

Seeing this expression, the little Taoist couldn't help but shiver inside.

This kindly expression was identical to that of the Elder Pavilion Master of the White Emperor Pavilion when he had seen him and Yu Yaoer.

"It couldn't possibly be another romantic debt of my master, could it?"

Praying inwardly, Jin Xu still approached the woman in white very politely and said, "I am Jin Xu, a good friend of Miss Yunzhao. Today I am here concerning a matter of my master, and I hope you won't take offense, ma'am."

The woman in white, who was Xia Yunzhao's mother, watched the little Taoist's actions and couldn't help but burst into light laughter.

Then she delivered a bombshell to Jin Xu right away.

"Actually, according to seniority, you could call me sister."

"What!?"

Seeing Jin Xu's baffled and astonished expression, the beautiful woman in white could not restrain herself from laughing out loud.

At last, she even laughed so hard that her branches trembled, bending forward and backward in her amusement.

"..."

The young Taoist thought to himself that she should at least explain something, laughing like this doesn't clear anything up.

Finally, after Xia Yunzhao's mother had laughed heartily for a full thirty seconds, she stopped.

Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes caused by laughter, she said, "Ever since Zhaoer mentioned you, I have been looking forward to seeing your expression when you heard this sentence. Today, you really didn't disappoint me, sister."

Seeing that she was about to laugh again, Jin Xu quickly asked, "Aunt, what is your relationship with my master?"

The young Taoist did not change his form of address.

While she laughed uncontrollably, he also speculated in his mind; could this person be his master's daughter?

But that didn't make sense; who could laugh so joyously if they had lost a father?

Seeing Jin Xu's expression still serious, the lady in white gestured for him to sit down and then told the young Taoist a story.

...

It was probably about a hundred and ten years ago, the exact time the beautiful woman did not specify.

As she implied, a woman's age is a secret, and after turning twenty-five, one shouldn't tell others.

Anyway, when she was still a young girl, her family, the Chen family, was also a neither large nor small cultivation family, modestly renowned in a small city near Shangjing.

All this was mainly due to her father, who was charitable and justice-loving, with a spirit that soared to the skies, also known as Xia Yunzhao's grandfather.

Although her father was already a great cultivator at the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul Realm at that time, he made friends in the cultivation world without considering cultivation levels.

From high-level experts of the Void Refinement Realm down to common martial artists among mortals, as long as they were upright in conduct and compatible in temperament, they could visit her Chen family for a drink of water.

Thus, her home was always filled with guests, bustling with activity.

One day, there came such an old Taoist with no cultivation level, but his conversation and insight greatly matched the temperament of the head of the Chen family.

The two got along so well that they even became sworn brothers.

Xia Yunzhao's grandfather then invited the Taoist to stay in their home.

The old Taoist was not polite, staying for three months at the Chen house. His daily routine was drinking, chatting, and watching the head of the Chen family receive guests. Occasionally, for not-so-dangerous acts of punishing evil and promoting good, her father would take the Taoist along.

This was because the old Taoist had told him he wanted to gain some experience.

The three months passed, and one morning, the old Taoist, who had no cultivation, came in carrying a human head.

To her astonished father, he said, "Old Taoist me, I wander the human world, and it is rare to meet a cultivator so in tune with me. Staying in your home for three months with nothing to offer in return, I accidentally learned that this man was your mortal enemy, so I specially brought his head back to repay Brother Chen for your hospitality."

It was then that the head of the Chen family realized that his cultivation-less sworn brother was actually a great master of the cultivation world.

His mortal enemy was an evil cultivator from the Void Refinement Realm who had escaped his assassination in the early years and later had a stroke of fortune that greatly increased his powers.

The two had been covertly fighting for several years. If it weren't for the fortuitous experience in his early years where he could fight beyond his level, the Chen family would have been destroyed long ago.

Now that the enemy was eliminated by the old Taoist, he indeed settled a lingering concern.

...

"Later, Uncle Taoist stayed in my home for three more months and, before leaving, handed the Seven Star Token to my father."

His original words were that my father was upright, strong-willed, and spirited, but the cultivation world ultimately respects strength, hoping he would cultivate diligently.

"If he ever encounters injustices too powerful to handle, he can use that token to summon him."

"Think about it. Uncle Taoist and my father were sworn brothers. Since you are his disciple and I am slightly older than you, isn't it very reasonable for you to call me 'sister'?"

After telling the story, the lady in white spoke these words to the young Taoist.

After listening, Jin Xu nodded gently, saying, "In this case, it indeed makes sense."

But he secretly thought, "Just don't know what Miss Yunzhao's expression will be when she suddenly finds out she has an uncle."

...

However, Xia Yunzhao at this moment was not having an easy time.