Wait a minute, where is my master?

Qingyun had thought that after receiving the clue from the Taoist, things would become clearer.

Now, on the contrary, he felt even more confused.

As for Jin Xu, after he had shared everything he knew, he also felt it was time to leave.

So, he got up, ready to take his leave.

But just then, the room's door was abruptly pushed open by a pair of delicate jade hands.

A strong scent of alcohol wafted in as the door opened.

Accompanied by the increasingly pungent odor of liquor, a woman cultivator barged in, dressed in a pure white robe, tall and with a "generous" figure.

She wrapped her arms around Qingyun's thighs.

"Dean~ ~ ~ burp~ I was counting on Little Qin to take care of me in my old age, and yet he just ran off. Burp~ You must bring him back!"

The white-robed woman cultivator, clinging to Qingyun's thighs, wailed sorrowfully, belching several times throughout.

The Taoist, about to rise and take his leave, froze in his seat upon witnessing this scene, then promptly looked up at the Old Dean with a somewhat puzzled expression.

He asked with his eyes what was going on.

Little White, with his keen sense of smell, covered his nose as soon as the woman cultivator entered, seemingly overwhelmed by the stench of alcohol.

"Cough!"

After catching Jin Xu's glance, the Old Dean coughed loudly.

Qingyun also snapped out of his daze at that moment and hurriedly used his Spiritual Power to steady the white-clad woman cultivator still clinging to his thigh.

Upon hearing the loud cough, the woman cultivator, still in a haze, lifted her confused little face, staring blankly for a moment before exclaiming in surprise,

"Burp~ Old Dean, you're here too! You look quite spirited. Didn't everyone say last time that you were injured during the Heavenly Tribulation and were in seclusion!"

After saying this, not waiting for a response, she began to look around.

"Oh, Lan Lan, you're here too. Burp~ Who is this little Taoist and these two young girls?"

From her tone, it seemed she didn't recognize Jin Xu, who had caused quite a stir in Qingmu City.

Upon being named, Lan Junyan let out a cold snort and did not respond, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.

Seeing that his coughing did little good, the Old Dean was forced to speak.

"Brother Jin, my apologies."

The Old Dean first bowed to the Taoist, then frowned and said,

"Brother Fu, I can understand the grief over your disciple's disappearance. But there are honored guests here; behaving like this is unseemly. Please, stand up and speak."

Hearing his teacher speak, Qingyun also chimed in: "Yes, Brother Fu, please get up quickly; this is really not quite proper."

Jin Xu, hearing the two talk, realized that the white-robed woman cultivator reeking of alcohol was apparently the "Heartbroken Man's" master.

"I won't get up unless, Dean, you promise to help me... help me fetch back that rascal Yao Qinxiao. Burp~"

The white-robed woman seemed to still have some wits about her, but not much.

"Fetch him back? Wasn't your disciple missing?"

Qingyun sharply caught the important information in Brother Fu's statement.

"Burp~ Oh right, I forgot to tell you.

I initially thought this boy had gone missing, and after searching everywhere to no avail, decided to drown my sorrows in liquor. Then, under my third most-used wine jar... underneath, I found a letter he left for me.

Burp~ The letter said he'd met a lifetime companion and wanted to go afar to find them.

Dean, you also know what Yao Qinxiao is like.

Over the years, I've taught him all my 'mugwort harvesting' skills.

Yet, despite his age, he had never even touched a woman's hand.

Now all of a sudden, he's seeking a lifelong companion— who would believe that!"

"This little troublemaker must have been bewitched by a demoness... No, wait, I'm not even sure if his partner is male or female."

But I can guarantee Little Qin was definitely bewitched; otherwise, he wouldn't act like this."

"Old Dean, you better use the Life Lamp Locating Technique to see where the little troublemaker has run off to. If we're too late, he might be completely taken advantage of!"

The more the white-robed cultivator spoke, the more agitated she became, her words getting increasingly fierce.

With those words, the Old Dean wore a complex expression, and the others seated by the table also seemed somewhat dazed.

At that moment, Qingyun was thinking, "My top disciple's disappearance is really connected to romantic troubles!"

Meanwhile, Lan Junyan was thinking, "Truly a disgrace to Qingmu Academy, daring to talk about relationships between male and female cultivators in front of our masters and brothers! Ugh!"

But Little White was thinking something different, eyeing the golden silkwood round table and contemplating, "If I sneak another rabbit leg while no one is paying attention, would the temple master hit me on the head?"

As for the young Taoist, he was now piecing together the words of the white-robed cultivator and carefully recalling the "heartbroken man's" mutterings to himself in the Secret Realm.

"Why? Self-destruct? Being bewitched? Partner?"

These words spun rapidly in Jin Xu's mind, and he felt like he was onto something.

However, he didn't immediately connect it to Third Elder.

"Fu Fuzi, get up first. Did you bring the letter Yao Qinxiao left for you? If you did, let me have a look at it?"

Qingyun halted his daydreaming and tried again to pull the person off his lap.

He asked for the letter not because he didn't believe the white-robed cultivator's story.

In truth...

Well, he just didn't really believe her.

If every household has a difficult scripture to chant, then this drunken Fu Fuzi is the hardest scripture to read in Qingmu Academy.

Her past deeds could compile a "Nine Provinces Realm Cultivators' Scamming Guide."

Seeing Qingyun asking for the letter, the white-robed cultivator burped a long burp, and then her slender jade hands fumbled over herself in a messy search.

"Hmm, it seems like I forgot the letter in my room; just wait here, I'll go get it for you!"

Saying this, she actually let go of Qingyun's thigh and staggered towards the door.

"Uh… Fu Fuzi..."

As Qingyun called out, the white-robed cultivator disappeared from the room, leaving behind only a strong whiff of alcohol.

"Teacher, what should we do?"

"Follow her and check things out. If her story holds true, use the Life Lamp to check where that kid has gone."

The Old Dean, his face full of complexity, gave Qingyun a command; then he turned to Lan Junyan and said, "Jun Yan, go and check on those injured scholars. Also, get in touch with the Three Friends of Winter, and pay more attention to the situation in Qing State."

"Yes, Teacher."

The two left one after another, leaving only the contemplative young Taoist, the three of them, and the Old Dean in the room.

"Brother Jin, it seems you got quite a show just now. Every family has its difficult scripture to chant, that girl..."

The Old Dean hesitated, as if there were things difficult to express.

However, the young Taoist didn't show much interest and didn't inquire further.

But he turned his head and glanced at his two demon pets.

He thought, "If every family has its difficult scripture to chant, then his household might indeed have two..."

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

Jin Xu took the initiative to speak, offering a few simple words of comfort and exchanged pleasantries, then promptly excused himself.

The Old Dean at this point no longer insisted on his staying, only mentioning that he would keep an eye out for clues regarding Tianxing Taoist and requested to be informed if there were any developments on the young Taoist's end.

Jin Xu cheerfully agreed.

Then he got up, taking Yu Yaoer and Little White, who somehow had another rabbit leg in her hands, and walked toward the door.