Wait a minute, where is my master?

On a clear summer morning, birds chirped in waves.

Their calls, at times soaring and melodious, at times gentle and deep, were incredibly rhythmic.

It was unknown what those birds had done to be so merry.

Within Xuanxu Temple.

Little Taoist Jin Xu sat in the center of the main hall, on a meditation cushion older than himself, receiving guests.

Welcoming visitors who came to buy incense was simply known as receiving guests.

Although Jin Xu was now a Taoist with a huge fortune in spirit stones, sitting idle and depleting his resources wasn't in his nature.

Selling blessing incense sticks as a side business, after all, even a mosquito's leg is meat.

Of course, the main reason was that he wanted to find something to do for himself, and today's sales were quite good.

Early in the morning, the incense burner in front of the ancestral master's statue was already densely packed with dozens of sticks of incense.

The young Taoist, curious as to where this group of female incense buyers came from, had specifically asked several of them.

He found out that at first, it was Lord Xu, a seventh-grade night watchman from Great Xia, who recommended them here.

Later on... later it was because...

Before the women could finish speaking, they walked away with flushed faces and embarrassment.

Although he didn't quite understand why they'd run off mid-conversation, the fact that the incense was selling was good news.

And he had to credit Lord Xu for that, the young Taoist thought to himself.

Outside the temple gates, a familiar voice sounded.

"Is Little Taoist Jin Xu at home? It's me, Xu Qian."

Talk about a well-timed coincidence, think of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives.

"I'm here, just come on in," the young Taoist responded loudly.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qian stepped into the main hall, and after seeing Jin Xu sitting on the cushion, promptly bought three sticks of premium incense.

He lit them respectfully, bowed devoutly, and then placed them in the crammed incense burner.

Bound for a long trip, Xu Qian sought good fortune for himself.

Looking at the incense burner that resembled a hedgehog, the young Taoist decided to get a bigger "bowl" for the ancestral masters next time he went out.

After Xu Qian completed the routine, Jin Xu calmly inquired.

"Got another case?"

"No, not at all, just came by to see you," Xu Qian replied, his face betraying a sycophantic smile though he claimed it was a casual visit.

"Alright, have a seat. I'll get you a cup of tea," Jin Xu offered.

In his eyes, this night watchman, who was upright in his duties, weak in strength, a bit foolish, but who had recommended his temple, left a good impression.

Xu Qian felt unexpectedly flattered, sensing the little Taoist was quite warmer towards him this time.

Jin Xu stood up and offered him a cushion to sit on, indicating that he should take a seat, then went off to the back yard to fetch tea.

Usually, Yu Yaoer took care of these chores, but today, she and Little White took a gang of underlings to Wild Wolf Ridge early in the morning, claiming they were out to gather herbs again.

The Taoist had admonished her to keep an eye on Little White and not let her nibble at random things before letting the pair head out.

Reaching the kitchen, Jin Xu took out the cups, put in the tea leaves... only to find there was no water.

Usually, Little Fish Demon would gather water with spiritual power, forming spheres to boil for tea.

Now that she was absent, the little Taoist had no choice but to fetch water himself.

After some bother, Jin Xu came out with two cups of tea. To hasten the process, he had heated the well water with a Hand Palm Thunder.

He found it quite handy, a few threads of Thunder Arc instantly boiling a bucket of well water.

Xu Qian carefully accepted the tea, pondering how to ingeniously praise the young Taoist.

But upon lowering his eyes to the tea in his hand, he was stunned; he had a feeling the tea Jin Xu served wouldn't be ordinary, yet he hadn't expected such luxury!

This... this tea was brewed with Spiritual Liquid!

"Is this the opportunity Little Taoist Jin Xu is bestowing upon me?" Xu Qian gazed at the calm-faced young Taoist, his heart swelling with emotion, determined to boast to Fatty Zhao next time he saw him.

Not only had he solved cases with the Taoist, but he had also tasted tea personally brewed by him.

"You don't like it?"

Jin Xu looked at Xu Qian strangely, wondering why this man was daydreaming while holding a teacup. This wasn't soup brewed by Yu Yaoer, after all.

"Ah, love it, love it."

As if afraid that someone would snatch it away, Xu Qian downed the entire cup of tea in one gulp.

Hiss~ This truly was tea made from Spiritual Liquid. The moment the tea touched his mouth, it transformed into rich Spiritual Power and surged towards his limbs and bones.

For some reason, there was also a tingling, numbing sensation.

Not caring about these trivial details, Xu Qian hastily circulated his cultivation technique and slowly refined the rampaging Spiritual Power into his Golden Core.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Xu Qian opened his eyes. Just this small cup of Spiritual Tea had allowed him to advance two minor realms, and his meridians had even expanded a bit.

The tea actually had the effect of washing the essence and cutting the marrow. How terrifying!

Jin Xu watched as Xu Qian drank tea and cultivated, feeling slightly puzzled as he examined his own cup of tea.

He knew that the well water contained Spiritual Energy, having drunk it a few times in the early stages of his cultivation and feeling some effect then.

But as he continued to cultivate, even if he drank a whole bucket at a time, the golden Spiritual Power in his body hardly increased by a bit, so he stopped drinking it.

Looking at the man opposite him, it was as if he'd consumed some sort of miracle Spirit Pill.

In the end, Jin Xu could only conclude that Xu Qian was probably too weak, which is why drinking tea brewed with well water caused such a great reaction.

"Thank Daoist for the tea," Lord seventh-grade stood up and bowed respectfully.

Huh? Why did Jin Xu look at him with pity in his eyes?

The young daoist nonchalantly waved his hand, not saying a word.

Silence fell upon the great hall, with both men's eyes locked. Jin Xu was curious about what this man, who had finished his tea, planned to do next.

Xu Qian, on the other hand, was debating whether to ask the young daoist to accompany him to Shangjing City.

At that moment, he recalled what a high-level cultivator had said, "There are things you'll never succeed in if you don't speak up, but if you do speak up, you've already succeeded halfway."

Damn it, just say it.

"Young Daoist, I must make a trip to Shangjing City due to official night patrol duties. The journey is perilous and mishaps may occur. I wonder if I could trouble you to accompany me? There will be a reward!"

"Not going."

Jin Xu refused decisively.

"Your mother, the high-level cultivator's a liar!" Xu Qian thought indignantly.

The young daoist was even more baffled inside. It hadn't been a month since he'd arrived outside of Gusu City, and now this person in front of him wanted him to move house, or what?

Seeing that his invitation had been rejected, Xu Qian wasn't too despondent. After all, he had advanced two minor realms during this visit, and it wouldn't be good to be too greedy.

"Ahem, then, young daoist, I shall take my leave. Once I return from Shangjing City, I will visit you again on Little Platform Mountain."

"Wait."

Jin Xu stopped him, as he truly couldn't follow him to Shangjing City, a place even he didn't know about.

But this man in front of him was one of the few people he knew in this world, apart from his master, Yu Yaoer, Little White, Zhao Dabao, and Xia Yunzhao. Since the journey was fraught with dangers, he decided to offer some security.

With that thought, he took out a willow leaf from the Mystic Treasure Pearl and handed it over.

"Take this with you, it can heal wounds. By the way, what official duties do you have that require you to travel so far?"

Xu Qian was moved, taking the willow leaf and sensing the rich wood-based Spiritual Power within it. Knowing it was something valuable, he quickly stored it in his storage bag.

After expressing his thanks again, he pretended to look troubled and said, "Young Daoist, the night patrol duties require confidentiality. However, if you ask..."

Before he could finish, a woman's voice interrupted.

"It needs to be kept secret from strangers, but not from Jin Xu," Xia Yunzhao emerged from a small door on the side of the great hall.

Xu Qian thought to himself, who ruined my chance to show loyalty in front of the young daoist.

Looking up, he saw a woman with an ethereal demeanor wearing white, her beauty otherworldly, stepping into the hall.

He admired her in his heart, thinking it was just like the young daoist; even after just one night, another celestial beauty had appeared beside him!

Looking down at Jin Xu's face again.

Yeah.

It made a lot of sense.