Wait a minute, where is my master?

After a long while,

the Old Dean coughed twice and spoke, "Yuner, did you feel unwilling when I asked you to apologize to the young Taoist?"

When Qingyun had first arrived in the city, he had intended to capture the young Taoist.

However, as he approached Chef Jiang's courtyard, he timely received a transmission from the Old Dean and thereafter, his actions were in obedience to his teacher's orders.

"The disciple dares not, yet the disciple does not understand."

Seeing his teacher bring up the matter, Qingyun did not hide his feelings but openly expressed them.

"What if I tell you that this little Taoist is that 'Royal Uncle' from Emperor Xia's dynasty?"

The Old Dean, sitting on a bamboo stool, said indifferently.

"Then... the disciple would understand.

But are you sure this Taoist, who hurt Mr. Lan, and the one who unleashed the Golden Thunderbolt are the same person?"

Qingyun's change of attitude was swift, befitting the head of an academy.

However, he still had doubts. By the time he had arrived, he had only sensed a heavy presence of Fire Attribute Spiritual Power lingering in the air, without a trace of Thunder Attribute.

Could it be that the Taoist had Dual Spirit Roots?

When cultivators combat enemies, they generally use magic that aligns with and complements their own Spirit Roots, which enhances the magic's potency and makes it more effortless to wield. This was common knowledge in the Nine Provinces Realm.

"I am quite certain. Although he used an unknown Fire Attribute magic, I could not mistake that terrifying fluctuation of Spiritual Power,"

the Old Dean answered with conviction.

Seeing his teacher's confident demeanor, Qingyun no longer questioned it but felt a trace of retrospective fear.

"When I struck to discipline the Ox Demon, I deliberately used the residual waves to shatter the courtyard walls and houses. I hope this 'Royal Uncle' doesn't hold a grudge!"

At the same time, another thought unavoidably surfaced in his mind.

"Could it be that the teacher could recognize him at once because he was struck by the Taoist's Golden Thunderbolt?"

However, Qingyun was mistaken.

The Old Dean recognized Jin Xu not because he had been struck by the Taoist but because he had discreetly used his Spiritual Sense to enjoy the excitement since the morning's event of Lan Junyan beating Song Xili.

With remnants of Golden Thunderbolt ravaging inside him, he had been unable to cultivate until his injuries healed.

Now at his position, he need not worry about the academy's affairs, thus the bored Old Dean, spotting an opportunity for entertainment, wouldn't miss it.

Knowing his young disciple's temperament well, he had quietly kept his Spiritual Sense locked on him after watching the morning's events unfold.

Sure enough, by noon, this young disciple received a message and hurried to Qingmu City, dragging Song Xili out.

Just as the Old Dean thought there was more excitement to see and was instructing a servant to prepare some food, the events unfolding in Qingmu City rapidly exceeded his expectations.

First was Lan Junyan beating up Song Xili, which was normal.

But the ensuing appearance of the Taoist demanding compensation, and Lan Junyan getting injured, everything developed unexpectedly.

At the last moment, seeing Qingyun had gone and Jin Xu suddenly removing his mask and greeting Mr. Zhu, the Old Dean, frightened, hastily transmitted a message to his senior disciple.

To prevent the tragedy of Qingmu Academy needing a new dean.

"Teacher, since that Taoist is 'the Royal Uncle' from the Great Xia Dynasty, should I call over Suìhán Sānyǒu and Sister Jun Yan later to learn more about this person's temperament and background?"

Qingyun, deeply embracing the principle of knowing oneself and the enemy, suggested to the Old Dean.

But it was vetoed.

"There's no need. I know where this person comes from; he's a disciple of the Xuanxu Temple, Tianxing Taoist. As for his temperament, anyone who regards the Demon Sect as an enemy shouldn't be too bad."

The Old Dean coughed lightly and for the first time discussed this person's background with Qingyun.

He believed that although his senior disciple was proudly unyielding, after watching the broadcast from Tingfeng Building, he certainly wouldn't be foolhardy to seek trouble with this person.

"Xuanxu Temple? One of the two Daoist institutions, the Xuanxu Temple? I remember Tianxing Taoist wasn't he an old friend of yours, teacher? Why then is this little Taoist still..."

Although the follower of Jin Xu was abruptly revealed, Yuner now had even more questions in his mind.

Firstly, he knew that Tianxing Taoist was his master's old friend, and they had joined forces in the battle against the Demon Sect.

Secondly, why had Tianxing Taoist's disciple come to the academy to attack his own teacher, and even become the Imperial Uncle of the Great Xia Dynasty?

Lastly, if this little Taoist was of the same generation as himself, how on earth did he possess such terrifying combat power?

Yuner's mind was full of questions, but before he could ask, the Old Dean spoke again.

"Are you trying to ask why he still came to the academy to confront me?

Cough cough... cough, I too am curious about this matter. I once sent a message to Tianxing to inquire, but the old Taoist hasn't replied for months.

I suspect that Tianxing is missing, and it might be related to this little Taoist!"

The Old Dean got up from his bamboo chair, turning towards the half-new Gentleman Building.

"Tianxing Taoist is missing? Teacher, since this little Taoist is in Qingmu City, should we try to contact him again and probe his intentions, asking why he is here?"

Yuner picked up the bamboo chair from the ground and followed behind the Old Dean.

He always felt uneasy about having such an untouchable great figure in the city, especially when the Qingmu Secret Realm was about to open, thinking it irresponsible to ignore the situation.

"You need not concern yourself with this matter any longer; I have made arrangements."

The Old Dean entered the Gentleman Building, giving a faint reply before starting to cough violently.

Following him inside, Yuner placed the bamboo chair under the portrait of the Confucian Saint and hurriedly went forward to pat his teacher's back.

...

Chef Jiang strides across the courtyard, battle-damaged version.

Jiang Xiulan stood in front of a pile of ruins, somewhat bewildered.

My courtyard! Where's my large courtyard!?

She had only been out for a morning, and her three-story house with a courtyard was reduced to just the three-story building.

"Little Taoist, what what what, what happened?"

Chef Jiang hurried forward a few steps, loudly asking Jin Xu who stood in the middle of the courtyard.

"Brother Jiang, I'm sorry, there was a small accident.

There were still some rooms and courtyard walls left, but then a person claiming to be Qingyun, the Dean of Qingmu Academy, stepped in to discipline the Taiji Bull, causing the remaining walls and rooms to collapse.

However, he compensated some spirit stones; do you think these are enough to cover your losses?"

The little Taoist said as he handed over the storage ring filled with high-grade Spirit Stones to Jiang Xiulan.

Chef Jiang subconsciously accepted the storage ring.

His mind was still in a muddle.

"Qingyun, the Dean of one of the Four Great Immortal Sects' academies, came here to demolish my courtyard and compensated with spirit stones?

What is going on here?"

Jiang Xiulan, still in a daze, sent her Spiritual Sense into the storage ring to check.

Wow!

A full thirty thousand spirit stones, all of high grade.

"Little Taoist, you call this compensation, some?"