Wait a minute, where is my master?

Jin Xu had not expected it to be an acquaintance.

Song Xili, wasn't he the body cultivation old Confucian practitioner who was beaten half to death in the formation outside Gusu City?

"Send a message to his master."

The young Taoist said helplessly to Senior Brother Feng.

Since he had encountered Song Xili on a few occasions, Jin Xu felt no need to trouble the Ox Demon further.

Moreover, during their time together that day, Mr. Song's conduct and style had also been quite upright, so calling him should pose no problem.

"Cough, young Taoist Master, I don't have Mr. Song's Communication Jade Token either."

Senior Brother Feng looked weak, pitiful, and helpless.

Upon hearing this, Jin Xu turned his attention to the Taiji Bull.

"Hehe, young Taoist Master, since I've been undercover to avoid blowing my cover, I've discarded anything associated with Qingmu Academy. My communication with my master, my superior, is also through a fixed location, not through a Communication Jade Token."

The black-and-white patchy cow murmured.

In fact, if Jin Xu wasn't bothered by the hassle, he could make a trip to Qingmu Academy, but he wasn't very keen on going.

The young Taoist was somewhat uncertain. He had, after all, reached the Tribulation Crossing Realm, but he didn't know what realm the old dean of Qingmu Academy was in.

Thinking this, Jin Xu turned his head to ask the three Confucian Practitioners and the Taiji Bull, but even these four were not too clear about it. Some said the Tribulation Crossing pinnacle, others said Mahayana Realm.

All in all, it was rather vague.

Listening to this, the young Taoist decided, to be on the safe side, not to join the bustling scene at Qingmu Academy.

As for the Ox Demon before him...

"Where is the location you usually use to communicate with your superior?"

"A village outside Qingmu City."

"Alright, my destination is Qingmu City, so it's on the way. You'll come with me again then. Once you've proven that you truly are an undercover agent, I'll let you go."

Jin Xu finished speaking, and the Taiji Bull obediently nodded, signifying agreement.

Not that it had a choice—dare it resist?

Seeing that there was no further involvement for the three Confucian Practitioners, they once again asked the young Taoist for permission to leave.

Jin Xu nodded and the three swiftly left Xuanxu Temple, fearing being called back.

Luckily, this time the three Confucian Practitioners exited the temple and got onto the inkstone flying magical artifact, without hearing any calls to wait.

On the inkstone-shaped flying magical artifact.

Liu Ziliang, curious, moved closer to Senior Brother Feng and whispered, "Senior Brother, when did the Taiji Bull try to peek on Mr. Lan bathing?"

"It was an attempt, only an attempt!"

The bearded cultivator emphasized immediately.

"Okay, okay, an attempt, tell me more about this gossip, Senior Brother."

Senior Brother Feng didn't want to talk, but he couldn't resist Liu Ziliang's persistent badgering.

Reluctantly, he said, "Alright, since we have shared meals together, I'll tell you, but you mustn't tell others, okay?"

"You can count on me, Senior Brother! My lips are the tightest in Qingmu Academy!"

Liu Ziliang, patting his chest, assured solemnly.

"Ahem! This happened many decades ago, and it caused quite a stir at the time. You weren't at the academy yet so you didn't know. At that time, I was barely a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and wasn't quite aware of the specific details. Three different versions were circulated within the academy, the first one is..."

Senior Brother Feng cleared his throat and began to recount slowly.

Meanwhile, Liu Dongqing, who was holding a scroll, although his gaze remained on the scroll, his steps unconsciously moved closer to the other two.

There's a saying that everyone has a desire for beauty.

In Qingmu Academy, Lan Junyan was the synonym for beauty, not only within the academy but also renowned as a fairy throughout the entire Nine Provinces Immortal World.

However, she was naturally aloof and indifferent toward men, having rejected countless suitors over the years.

Thus, any gossip about her naturally piqued the curiosity of Liu Ziliang and Liu Dongqing.

High in the sky, on a slowly flying inkstone artifact, three Confucian scholars who had ingested dirty substances began to intricately discuss past events of the Qingmu Academy.

The scene shifts.

Inside Xuanxu Temple, Jin Xu had returned to the main hall.

The Taiji Bull was tied up at the bronze cauldron leg in the front courtyard with Yu Yaoer's Water Spirit Chain, which he had borrowed.

The young Taoist casually sat cross-legged on a cushion and used his Spiritual Sense to check on Kao Mountain Village nearby. He found that the villagers weren't facing any troubles, and the spider demons were still guarding the area.

He nodded to himself.

Then, Jin Xu manipulated Xuanxu Temple to shoot up like a rocket from dry land and flew towards Qingmu City.

The young Taoist had had enough of relaxing and decided it was time to visit Qingmu City and take care of the bull as well.

In the sky.

Senior Brother Feng, who had just started telling the first version of his story, suddenly felt a strong gust of wind approach, almost flipping the inkstone he was standing on.

Frightened, he quickly stimulated his spiritual power to stabilize his flying artifact.

"Senior Brother Feng, why is your Black Cloud Inkstone swaying on its own now?"

Because the wind had knocked him off balance, a fallen Liu Ziliang complained.

"Senior Brother Feng? Senior Brother Feng? What are you looking at?"

Seeing the bearded cultivator ignoring him and staring off into the distance, Liu Ziliang stood up with the help of Liu Dongqing's leg and raised his voice.

"Ah, it's nothing. I might have been seeing things. I thought I saw a temple flying by in the distance, strange. As for the wind, it might just be a leak of the fierce winds from the nine heavens. I'll fly lower."

After speaking, Senior Brother Feng lowered the height of his flying inkstone.

With Liu Ziliang and Liu Dongqing's cultivation level at the Foundation Establishment Realm, they couldn't see the Xuanxu Temple that had just flown by, so they didn't suspect the bearded cultivator's words.

Thus, the now-standing Liu Ziliang continued to pull the bearded cultivator to listen to more gossip.

Senior Brother Feng resumed the first version of his story, but his eyes held a hint of confusion, and he couldn't help but look towards the distance.

"That flying temple, didn't it look just like the one by the small river?"

...

Qing State, near Qingmu City.

In an ordinary-looking small hillock, there was a secret space protected by a Triple Array.

One layer was an Illusion Array, another a killing array, and the last one concealed their presence.

Within this Triple Array, there was a hundred-meter-wide pit, and in the void above the pit stood two figures.

One wore a green scholar's robe, exuding a frail scholarly aura. He seemed young but had a deep, sorrowful gaze, with an expression of perpetual sadness.

The other looked like an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl, wearing a blue cross-collar shirt and a red pleated skirt, with delicate white feet bare. From head to toe, she wore several silver ornaments, especially the small bells on her wrists.

As she moved her hands, the bells tinkled melodically.

"Great-grandfather, has the Insect Queen not awakened yet? We have been here for over half a month now."

The two appeared to be close in age, but the exotically dressed girl called the scholarly man great-grandfather.

If there wasn't some peculiar hobby between the two, it meant that the man was actually an old monster.