Wait a minute, where is my master?

The young Taoist surveyed his surroundings, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

It seemed like the Xuanxu Taoist Temple used to stop at this altitude.

"Have I successfully mastered the Basic Escape Skill of the Great Xia City Guard Army—Dry Land Onion Escape Skill?"

Jin Xu muttered to himself as he observed the whirlwinds that occasionally struck him without even tearing his garment—thanks to the preemptive shield of golden spiritual power he had cast around himself.

He looked down at his feet, felt dizzy, and quickly raised his head again.

Sheesh! Even with the ability to fly, his fear of heights hadn't improved.

Looking up at the void above him, Jin Xu felt he could ascend even further, but he dared not.

Who knew what lay beyond? What if it was a vacuum?

As a beneficiary of nine years of compulsory education, the young Taoist was exceedingly cautious!

After several tests, confirming he could stand high in the air and shoot straight up to the heavens in a flash, Jin Xu still felt fairly pleased, despite some minor and inconsequential issues.

The minor and inconsequential issue = The young Taoist discovered he could only fly straight, at best controlling the height and distance, but unable to change direction, unsure if it was an issue with the Dry Land Onion Escape Skill.

But contentment breeds happiness, after all, he could now fly.

In the worst case, he'd find a few more Escape Skills on his next visit to Gusu.

With practice complete, Jin Xu landed on the ground.

He expanded his Spiritual Sense, pinpointed the location of Little Platform Mountain, and used the Dry Land Onion Escape Skill to land precisely above Xuanxu Temple!

Then...

He was spotted by the worshippers.

"Taoist Jin Xu is back, and he's as handsome as the rumors say!!!"

A female worshipper, having spotted Jin Xu in mid-air, let out a shrill scream so piercing that people halfway down the mountainside heard it.

A flurry of birds took off in the dense forest, and at the temple gate, the two stuffed-gorged guard wolves perked up their ears but didn't stand up.

They had eaten too much.

Startled by the sharp female voice, the young Taoist hastily descended beside the Big Willow Tree in the backyard.

At the kitchen door, Yu Yaoer poked her head out and looked at Jin Xu, with a huge husky head squeezing out beside her leg.

"Young master, have you been discovered?"

"Yep."

The young Taoist frowned and nodded, his joy at being able to fly led to his carelessness.

By this time, the originally orderly scene outside the temple could no longer be maintained.

After that scream, the worshipers on Little Platform Mountain became restless, one after another flocking toward the temple entrance.

Some who had been halfway up the hill, upon hearing the news of Jin Xu's return, bulldozed their way through and squeezed to the front.

In front of the temple gate.

"I, Xiangxiang, specifically came to thank the Taoist for saving my life, and I am willing to offer myself in gratitude!" This one took the gentle approach.

"Taoist, open the door! I want to have your children!" This one was fanatic.

"Pah, shameless. Taoist, I've had children before—I have experience!" This one had a practical life...

"Taoist, I am willing to join your temple and serve as your boy servant!" This one was a man.

Outside the door was chaos, and Jin Xu had a toothache from listening.

People had already begun to smash the temple doors, and the owner of the Immortal Robe Pavilion, looking at the uncontrollable scene unfolding before her, was somewhat stupefied and shouted, "Order, everyone, line up!"

But no one paid her any attention.

The little girl wearing a flower bell tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Sister, shall I ask Grandpa to bring the City Guard Army over?"

"..."

In fact, outside the boundaries of the Great Xia Dynasty, such a situation would be impossible. The gap between cultivators and mortals was like a chasm, and anyone daring to be so impudent would probably be reincarnated in an instant.

However, within the boundaries of the Great Xia Dynasty, the laws were strict, and cultivators and mortals coexisted, which led to a lack of fear towards righteous cultivators among the populace.

Of course, this was also because Jin Xu had just saved a city's worth of people.

In everyone's hearts, righteous cultivators couldn't possibly be like those of the Demon Path, wantonly taking lives at will, right?

Therefore, the crowd's fervor only grew more unrestrained.

Hearing the increasingly absurd noises outside, Jin Xu pondered for a moment.

He took out the Bronze Gate from his storage treasure beads.

"Little Taoist, you can ask me to do anything, just please don't put me back in that bead,"

the Bronze Gate begged hurriedly, afraid of being put back.

"I remember you said that you aren't good at much, but guarding and speaking are two things you excel at, aren't they?"

After being hit by Jin Xu's Body Purification Skill, the gate claimed that whatever seals and marks inside of it were all gone.

Moreover, it swore an oath that it had never harmed anyone before, so it begged Jin Xu for an opportunity to be a good gate.

The little Taoist certainly wouldn't believe its bluffs, but after scanning the Bronze Gate with his Spiritual Sense, he found that its qi was indeed upright and calm, with no abnormalities.

Only then did he take it back as a spoils of war.

Although the gate looked a bit ridiculous, a talking gate was something Jin Xu had never encountered before, so he decided to keep it as a collectible.

"Right, right, right, I may not be good at other things, but guarding a gate, watching over treasures, and chatting with people, I have absolutely no problem with that,"

the gate asserted. Wanting to be a good gate also meant showcasing its value, so while begging for mercy, it listed its utility to Jin Xu.

It boasted of being sturdy, not needing rest, able to guard for twelve hours straight, adept at conversation, equipped with an early warning system, and even capable of arguing on behalf of others.

"You've seen the situation outside the temple, haven't you? Go and guard the gate for me properly. Do not let a single person in, and quiet them down while you're at it. Any problems with that?"

Jin Xu frowned as he addressed the Bronze Gate, not because he was afraid to take action himself, but he feared that the crowd outside wouldn't be able to withstand a single hit from him.

"No problem, can I just squash them flat?"

asked the Bronze Gate, full of vigor in its response, as if this was a chance to prove itself to the little Taoist!

"...Do not cause any deaths. Use your eloquence to persuade them to leave,"

Jin Xu thought, otherwise what would he need you for?

"Uh... okay, little Taoist, rest assured. So, shall I head over there now?"

"Go ahead, just go by yourself, and remember to shrink a bit,"

Jin Xu instructed calmly.

"Eh, just watch me!"

Under the Big Willow Tree in the backyard, the Bronze Gate floated up, shrinking to a certain size, and flitted through the willow branches and leaves towards the direction of the front courtyard gate.

A true fully automatic gate.

Arriving at the entrance of the temple, a surge of Spiritual Power flashed, and the Bronze Gate took the size and shape of the Xuanxu Temple's door, fitting tightly onto it.

From now on, the Xuanxu Taoist Temple would have "double doors."

"By the Taoist Ancestor above, why is the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow here? Didn't they say this old thing sustained heavy injuries and fell a thousand years ago during the great war between immortals and demons?"

It was only now that the Bronze Gate dared to voice its inner shock.

"Forget it, if the little Taoist is so strong, it wouldn't even be surprising if one day the head of the Kunlun Immortal Palace appeared here. Let's just complete the task assigned by the little Taoist first,"

the gate thought and concealed its astonishment. The two door knockers on it swayed slightly.

It activated its Spiritual Power, and boom! The original doors of the temple flew open!

"Come on, watch this Gate Lord outwit a scholarly mob!"