Wait a minute, where is my master?

Qingmu City, Four Seas Pavilion.

The main business here is the sale of various demon beast materials and rare spiritual materials.

Their core competitiveness is that they often manage to procure demon beasts and spiritual materials that only exist in the sea, which is why they have been able to establish their footing in the city for many years.

It is said that the owner behind the Four Seas Pavilion has an indescribable relationship with the Shui Clan.

The skin of the whale-like demon beast used in Jiang Xiulian's pre-packaged meal packaging has always been sourced from here.

"Chef Jiang, thanks to your patronage, if there's anything you need in the future, just let me know,"

At the entrance of the VIP room of the Four Seas Pavilion, an old man dressed in a black silk robe was sending Jiang Xiulian off while courteously speaking to him.

In their pavilion's business assessment system, the batch of whale-like beast skins ordered by Chef Jiang significantly boosted this elder's performance.

"It's nothing, I also owe it to your Four Seas Pavilion this time. Otherwise, if I tried to get the skin of the Dragon Whale myself, I'm afraid it would have taken me a great deal of effort."

Today, Jiang Xiulian had come to collect the last batch of Dragon Whale beast skins he had ordered. Chef Jiang had calculated that, based on his current selling price, as long as he turned all the beast skins into packaging and then sold the prepackaged meals, his one million High Grade Spirit Stones would be all accounted for.

"Each to their own expertise, isn't it? Our Four Seas Pavilion exists to help fellow Cultivators of the Nine Provinces Realm with their troubles. Moreover, the Pavilion Master has said it himself, we don't produce demon beast materials; we're just the movers of demon beast materials,"

responded the old man in black silk attire with modesty.

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries at the entrance of the VIP room, and then a beautiful maid came to escort Jiang Xiulian out of the Four Seas Pavilion.

Chef Jiang, who had successfully obtained the packaging material for the prepackaged meals, was in a good mood.

Earlier, he had been in a VIP room at the Four Seas Pavilion that was enveloped by a small formation, so Jiang Xiulian didn't know what had just happened in Qingmu City.

However, by the time he came out, the squabble in the courtyard had ended.

Only the City Protection Array of Qingmu City was still operating in the sky.

"Did the whole city get like this just while I was buying materials?"

Chef Jiang murmured to himself as he surveyed the surroundings, suddenly noticing that the Cultivators on the street were looking at him strangely.

As the number one chef of the Nine Provinces, Jiang was somewhat of a celebrity, and with the recent craze for his prepackaged meals, most of the Cultivators in Qingmu City recognized the rotund Chef Jiang, always with a headband and carrying a refrigerator on his back.

Normally, when he walked down the street, at most, some Cultivators would come up to praise his delicious dishes or ask if they could get a backdoor deal on prepackaged meals.

But there had never been a situation where everyone was looking at him yet remained silent.

"Excuse me for asking, but why has the city's protection array been activated? Did they find Demon Sect disciples in the city, or did something big happen?"

Jiang Xiulian casually stopped a Cultivator looking at him with a strange gaze and asked in a loud voice.

"Chef Jiang, I don't know why the city's formation has been activated, but you should hurry home and check. It seems like there was an explosion in your backyard,"

the Cultivator said before turning to leave without waiting for Jiang's response.

"What???"

Chef Jiang was completely baffled and quickened his pace towards his three-story house with an attached yard.

...

Jin Xu had put on his dark mask again and stood in the very center of "Chef Jiang's Shattered Yard," his gaze reflecting a contemplative expression.

He was pondering how to explain to Jiang Xiulian that the backyard was gone when he returned from a simple outing.

The two women were squatting behind the little Taoist in the ruins, looking unharmed but bored.

The small yard had been shattered by the residual effects of Qingyun's actions, but Qingyun had not been aiming for the little Taoist, rather for Zhu Chuanren and the Taiji Bull.

As to why the dean of Qingmu Academy had struck his own teachers and the cow, Jin Xu didn't know.

Upon arriving at this place, Qingyun first used a measuring ruler to whisk away Mr. Zhu, then with a palm, he pressed the feigning unconscious Taiji Bull into the ground.

"Chef Jiang's Cross-court Battle Damage Edition" was born at that time.

Afterward, he stepped forward and sincerely expressed his apologies to the little Taoist, leaving behind a storage ring full of high-grade Spirit Stones before taking his leave with the company of the Three Winters Friends, Lan Junyan, and the bull.

Such maneuvers had completely baffled Jin Xu.

He had thought he would encounter one of those clichéd plots where if you beat the small one, the big one turns up, but their attitude turned out to be as accommodating as Haidilao.

"What exactly is Qingmu Academy selling in its gourd?" Jin Xu wondered.

The little Taoist wasn't the only one confused about the other party's intentions.

The various forces from the Immortal Sects that had come to Qingmu City to attend the Secret Realm were also in a state of bemusement.

Putting aside the question of who was right or wrong, is Qingmu Academy not one of the Four Great Immortal Sects? Someone had struck the head of your academy's teachers, and even the City Protection Array had been activated.

Yet you, Qingyun, as the Dean, did your first thing on arrival here by punishing your own people and then apologizing to the other party?

Was it that Jiang Xiulian clung to the thighs of Kunlun Immortal Palace, or has this once famous scholar of the Nine Provinces Cultivation World changed his character!

At this point, within Qingmu City, cultivators from all sides were abuzz with speculation, none knowing the identity of the nameless little Taoist who had fought with Lan Junyan, nor understanding why Qingmu Academy was so submissive, not knowing whose face they were giving respect to.

Some curious folks were already contacting Tingfeng Building to buy information.

However, even as the most renowned intelligence organization in the Nine Provinces Realm, they didn't know much more than everyone else.

Aside from writing the article "Shocking! Qingmu Academy...", Tingfeng Building could only increase the rewards and urge the wind catchers and shadow chasers in the building to quickly utilize their connections to gather information.

Not far from the corner of "Chef Jiang's Cross-court Battle Damage Edition."

A wind catcher of short stature, wearing a tunic, with wheat-colored skin, two buns tied atop her head, straw sandals on her feet, and carrying a small bamboo box on her back, was craning her neck and peering in this direction.

The person was none other than Murong Xiaohan, a junior wind catcher from Tingfeng Building.

...

In front of Gentleman Building in Qingmu Academy.

The Old Dean was sitting on a bamboo stool, while Qingyun respectfully performed the disciple's salutation, standing to one side.

"Cough cough... Have you brought everyone back?"

The Old Dean looked pale, it seemed the injury sustained from the "Hand Palm Thunder" grazes was still not healed.

"They have been brought back, teacher."

Qingyun answered respectfully, with an expression that seemed to hold back words.

"How is Junior Sister Lan's injury?

"Replying to my teacher, Junior Sister Lan only had some broken bones, but there was no serious harm. Her spiritual power was depleted at the time, and she couldn't heal herself through cultivation. After getting back to the academy, I transferred some spiritual power to her; those fractured bones have already healed."

Qingyun answered with respect, his hesitant expression growing stronger.

"Cough... cough, well, that's good to hear, it seems that this person had no intent to kill. What about the others?"

"The others are all fine as well; it's just that Mr. Song is more seriously injured. However, there's no big problem, it's just that he probably won't be able to teach for the next few days."

After Qingyun finished, the Old Dean said nothing more, and the master and disciple fell into silence.