Wait a minute, where is my master?

"So...

"How was the scholar Fan cured after he went mad, again?

"Hmm... it seems like he was slapped."

The young Taoist pondered briefly in his mind and then recalled the content he had learned.

He instinctively raised his arm, then put it down again.

It was nothing more than his fear that a slap might cause Kunlun Immortal Palace to grievously lose its Ancestor today.

"Little White, come here, Senior Chi might need our help."

Jin Xu glanced worriedly at Senior Chi, then turned his head and called out loudly to someone behind him.

The ancestor of the Immortal Palace, thinking he had found something 'tremendous,' was startled by the words, then hastily spoke.

"Taoist Jin, it's not that I want to join Xuanxu Temple. It's my good-for-nothing descendants... Eh, if you were to take me in, it wouldn't be so bad, just..."

Mid-sentence, Senior Chi suddenly changed his train of thought, his eyes revealing a flicker of eagerness to try.

Jin Xu, hearing this, showed even greater confusion on his face.

"Little White, hurry over here, it seems Senior Chi has gone even madder!"

"What?

"I've gone mad!?"

The ancestor standing in front of the young Taoist was interrupted in his thoughts by this comment. He blinked in surprise, then scrutinized Jin Xu's expression closely, and instantly understood that there seemed to be some misunderstanding.

"Cough, Taoist Jin, I'm not mad, it's just... just..."

Senior Chi wanted to explain, but when the words reached his mouth, he did not know how to say them.

Should he say that because he saw that those around you were demon cultivators, he... thought you particularly favored the Demon Clan, so he told you about mixing a trace of Divine Beast blood into the body of his descendant?

Hoping you would take him as a demon pet into Xuanxu Temple because of this connection?

To say that would be worse than letting the young Taoist believe he was mad.

"Hiss, the death of the Demon Lord and your delineation of the Undying Tao Principle have affected me too greatly and suddenly, destabilizing my mind," he thought.

The Immortal Palace's ancestor now re-evaluated his recent words and actions, feeling a bit impulsive.

He was mentally formulating his words, pondering how to resolve this misunderstanding with the young Taoist.

Suddenly, he heard the voice of a demon cultivator from the Snow Wolf Clan.

"Temple Master, what's wrong with Senior Chi, is there anything I can help you with?"

...

...

Within the territory of Great Xia,

In Shangjing City, at the Transmission Array site,

A wave of spatial fluctuation spread suddenly, and the engraved patterns on the ground emitted bursts of brilliant light.

A moment later.

With the air of an Immortal, white-haired and white-bearded, the Immortal Palace's ancestor appeared from the array, accompanied by a Little Purple Spirit Elephant.

The guards outside, sensing that the Transmission Array had activated, dashed over for inspection.

Realizing it was the same Immortal Palace ancestor who had departed using the array two hours earlier, they instantly assumed a respectful demeanor and bowed.

"We've seen the Senior before."

"Was the Senior's trip a smooth one?"

Senior Chi nodded slightly as a response to their greeting, then closed his eyes, allowing his Spiritual Sense to spread out.

After locking on the location of his incompetent descendant, his eyes snapped open, a sharp gleam passing through them as he spoke faintly.

"This Purple Spirit Elephant is the new demon pet of your national uncle, ensure it is well cared for. Deliver it to his residence, and be sure no mistakes are made, understood?"

"Yes!"

"Rest assured, Senior."

Watching the two guards take note, Senior Chi stroked his long beard.

He cautiously took out a talisman from his storage treasure that could withstand three strikes from someone in the Mahayana Realm and affixed it to Little Zi. After that, he stepped forward and disappeared in place.

The two guards, used to the hurried comings and goings of such exalted figures, first politely spoke to the slightly dizzy Little Purple Spirit Elephant, bidding it please stand back.

Then, in unison, they sent a message to Commander Kui Lei: Ancestor from the Kunlun Immortal Palace had returned to Shangjing City.

Upon receiving the message, Commander Kui discretely relayed this information to the Empress of Great Xia—Xia Yunzhao.

...

...

An hour later.

A golden-red streak of light landed just outside Shangjing City.

The junior Taoist, as per usual, handed over the newly bought flying sword from outside the Kunlun Immortal Palace to Yu Yaoer for her to discharge water to quench the fire.

At the same time, he resolved in his heart that he should avoid using flying artifacts in non-urgent situations in the future, as they were too costly.

"Let's go, we'll enter the city."

He casually tossed the discarded flying sword back into his storage treasure.

Jin Xu led the two women toward the city gate.

However, as he approached the gate, he encountered Xia Yunzhao, who had timed her appearance to 'coincidentally' be there.

"Young Taoist, what a coincidence. Did your and Senior Chi's matters go smoothly?"

Dressed in casual clothes and purposely using the Concealing Breath Skill to reduce her presence, Xia Yunzhao greeted Jin Xu with a face showing a mix of three parts surprise and seven parts astonishment.

"Ah... it went quite smoothly. There was just a minor hiccup towards the end, but it was resolved fairly smoothly as well."

The junior Taoist, also surprised to see Xia Yunzhao at the city gate, answered the question and then casually asked,

"Miss Yunzhao, what brings you here in plain clothes?"

"Oh, I specifically came out on a covert inspection to see if the city guards were causing any trouble for ordinary citizens. It just so happened I was at this location when I bumped into Mr. Jin and your party returning. How about..."

Xia Yunzhao was interrupted before she could finish.

Hearing that the other was on an official covert mission, the junior Taoist quickly spoke up,

"In that case, Miss Yunzhao, please go ahead with your tasks. I will be taking Yaoer and Little White on another trip to the Demon Realm, so we won't stay here for long."

As he finished speaking, Jin Xu made a Taoist salute and led the two women into the city.

As the two women passed by Xia Yunzhao, they greeted her amicably. Little White, noticeably excited, mentioned that once she finished her duties, she would share some gossip and introduce her newly acquired junior brother.

...

Without a chance to interject, Xia Yunzhao stood agape, watching the junior Taoist and his party walk through the gate and blend into the bustling crowd of the city streets.

Moments later,

She clenched her fist and stomped her foot in frustration, her expression sour.

Standing silently at the top of the city wall, her close friend Commander Kui Lei, upon witnessing the Empress's behavior, couldn't help but shake her head and sigh quietly.

At the same time, three words formed in her mind,

"Hopeless case."

...

Setting aside Xia Yunzhao, who tried to engineer a coincidence but returned without success,

After Jin Xu and his party returned to their residence, they found Little Purple Spirit Elephant, who had arrived earlier, and prepared to take it back to the Demon Realm.

They made another trip to the West Pole Peak.

On the training ground,

The junior Taoist wrapped the two women and the elephant in a Golden Spiritual Power Light Shield, getting ready to cross the spatial passage again.

Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he released his Spiritual Sense, scanning the entire estate before turning to Little Zi and asking,

"Little Zi, wasn't Senior Chi supposed to come back with you? Didn't he return to the residence with you?"

Little Purple Spirit Elephant shook its head with its eyes closed.

For some reason, seeing the Golden Spiritual Power always made it feel like lying down and vomiting.