Wait a minute, where is my master?

Qingmu Secret Realm Entrance.

At this spot, a group of Cultivators had already gathered, all of whom were nearby and had come to check the situation.

"Brother Zhao, did you also see the illusion of the Che Liang Wood and hurried over?"

"Exactly, Brother Wang. I had just finished eating and was about to take a nap when I saw the illusion appear and immediately rushed over."

"Same here, I was just about to cultivate for a while when suddenly the illusion that marks the opening of the Secret Realm appeared."

"Speaking of which, isn't the Secret Realm supposed to open on the first day of September? Now it's only the twenty-third of August, and look, the illusion of the Che Liang Wood has dissipated. In previous openings of the Secret Realm, that illusion lasted over Qingmu City for an entire month."

The surrounding Cultivators discussed fervently, and a fairly famous Loose Cultivator with high cultivation stepped forward to inquire of the two guards, but they said nothing.

They just stood firm in front of the hall storing the entrance to the Secret Realm, not letting anyone enter.

As for the white-faced scholar version of the Old Dean, he had already disappeared without a trace.

"Make way, make way. The City Lord of Qingmu City has arrived."

The crowd of Cultivators stirred, then cleared a path.

The City Lord of Qingmu City, who usually resided in the city, was the first to arrive.

"Lord Nan, why did the Qingmu Secret Realm open ahead of schedule?"

"Lord Nan, the Secret Realm opened and then closed, has something happened inside?"

Escorted by his men, Nan Zuping swiftly made his way through the path cleared by the Cultivators to the hall where the entrance of the Secret Realm was kept. He did not respond to the inquiries from the curious onlookers.

It wasn't that he was putting on airs, but at this moment, he too was confused.

"What's going on?"

Nan Zuping inquired telepathically as the urgently summoned city guards arrived to temporarily take over the responsibility of maintaining order outside the hall.

"Report, Lord, a white-faced scholar holding the Dean's token arrived here with a young Taoist, claiming they wanted to take a tour. After we verified that the token they held was genuine, we allowed them entry."

"And then?"

"Then... then, the white-faced scholar began explaining endlessly to the young Taoist about the structure of small worlds, using Qingmu Secret Realm as an example. Suddenly, the young Taoist just went in!"

The two guards tasked with security stammered, still finding the situation quite absurd.

After listening in detail, Lord Nan inquired about the appearance of the young Taoist, learning that it was the person who had clashed with Lan Junyan a few days ago, which made his eyebrows furrow even deeper.

After a moment of silence, he continued to inquire, "And what happened after that? How did the Secret Realm close again, and where did that white-faced scholar go?"

"After that... after that, the young Taoist came out again. The Secret Realm closed by itself after the young Taoist exited. Then the young Taoist ran off, and after a moment, the white-faced scholar also ran off."

"Hmm? You two just watched them leave?"

"Reply, Lord, we both tried to stop them, but they were too fast, we simply couldn't stop them."

The two Cultivators, guarding the site, wore dejected expressions, looking as though they wanted to intervene but were truly unable to.

Having heard their explanation, Nan Zuping thought to himself that indeed, the strength of the young Taoist was unquestionable, as he had already proven himself against Lan Junyan a few days earlier.

And the strength of the white-faced scholar who appeared with him must also be considerable.

The fact that the Old Dean possessed a clay effigy avatar was known to very few, and clearly, this City Lord was not among them.

"Forget it, I can't blame you two. Just keep guarding here for now."

Lord Nan said, then turned around and pulled out a Communication Jade Token to inquire with Qingyun about the Dean's token and who exactly the white-faced scholar was.

After the actions of the young Taoist that day, Qingyun had come to apologize.

It was obviously beyond his, the City Lord's, control, and since the other party had a definite address, being the backyard of Nine Provinces' number one Chef Jiang, it would be easy to locate.

So, he decided to first inquire about the authenticity of the Dean's token.

A few moments after Nan Zuping sent the message, Qingyun replied.

"The token is genuine, first reassure the inquiring Cultivators to go back, saying the Secret Realm will open as usual. Jun Yan and I will arrive shortly."

Lord Nan, upon seeing the message, hesitated for a moment before turning to walk out of the hall.

Immortal Food Restaurant, second floor.

Jiang Xiulan was still standing at the door, not daring to go in.

"Does the Taoist and Mr. Yan really need to talk this long?"

A big question mark popped up over Chef Jiang's head.

He had already counted all the pearls and gems decorated along the corridor of the Immortal Food Restaurant.

In total, 998 beads, and now he was about to start counting them again.

"Chef Jiang, sorry to have kept you waiting."

Just as Jiang Xiulan began counting again, the door behind him creaked open, and a scholarly-looking man walked out of the private room composedly.

"It's fine, Mr. Yan."

Jiang Xiulan waved his hand nonchalantly, his gaze peering past the man, looking for Jin Xu.

"Mr. Yan, where is the little Taoist?"

Chef Jiang was puzzled; the two were discussing matters inside, but why had only one come out in the end?

"Ah, the little Taoist had something urgent to attend to, so he left first. Let's go to your place and wait for him. I wanted to meet my old friend's disciple and also to taste your cooking once again."

Mr. Yan stepped forward, placed an arm around Jiang Xiulan's shoulders, and began walking downstairs.

The little Taoist had left in such a hurry that the Old Dean hadn't had the chance to leave a means of communication with him. Hence, they had returned to the Immortal Food Restaurant, planning to wait at Chef Jiang's small courtyard for Jin Xu's return.

They would have to ask the little Taoist how he managed to open the Secret Realm.

Jiang Xiulan was completely bewildered, followed the man out of the Immortal Food Restaurant, and headed towards his own small courtyard.

...

At a secluded alley.

Faint cries echoed from within the alley.

"Wuu wuu wuu, Taoist brother, I really didn't mean to steal anything. Uncle Ju said it was 'can'. Ah, wuu wuu wuu, Uncle Ju save me!"

The young boy from before was now hung on the alley's wall, his butt swollen terribly.

Little White had done that.

"Little Yuan, you are no longer a seven-year-old child; some things you have to face by yourself."

The voice of the orange cat came from mid-air nearby.

"Wuu wuu wuu, Uncle Ju, I am indeed not a seven-year-old child anymore, but I am only eight years old. Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, Little White struck his butt again with an ice stick formed from Frost Ice Spiritual Power.

"Being any age is the same; mainly, I, your Uncle Ju, am also not in a position to save myself right now."

The usually languid orange cat now had its eyes roaming wildly, its fur puffing out like a tumbleweed with eyes.

"That was you who talked about survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle, right?"

Jin Xu held the orange cat by the scruff, suspending it in mid-air, his tone teasing as he whispered in the cat's ear.

"Meow meow meow?"

"Speak human language!"

"Cough, Daoist friend, let me explain."

The orange cat nervously flicked its tail and began to speak human language.

"I'm not listening."

"Meow? Why does this little Taoist's response not follow the usual norms?"