Wait a minute, where is my master?

Seeing the wrong expressions on their faces,

the potbellied monk spoke again with a smile, "Don't be afraid, I'm an old acquaintance of your master. Hasn't that old Taoist ever told you about me?"

Little White glanced at the bald head in front of him and pointed his finger towards Jin Xu.

"Big Baldy, I'm not Tianxing Taoist's disciple; our temple master is."

The potbellied monk didn't pay much attention to the address for now and turned his head to look in the direction Little White was pointing, only to find that the little Taoist she pointed to had no spiritual power fluctuations whatsoever.

He then said seriously,

"If you're not the Tianxing Taoist's disciple, then where did that power of the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow inside you come from? And it's so concentrated."

With that, he covertly began to probe Jin Xu.

And then, he discovered that this was just a little Taoist without the slightest trace of spiritual power fluctuations!

Upon bringing this up, Little White's face stiffened, and she was again reminded of the terror of being hung from a tree that day.

"Cough cough, well... it's a long story."

Wanbao Temple's potbellied monk: "???"

In the end, Jin Xu stepped forward and explained in detail why he was Tianxing Taoist's disciple and yet Little White had so much power of the Heart Calming Willow inside her.

At the same time, the little Taoist brought up his master's disappearance and took the opportunity to present the Communication Jade Token that Tianxing Taoist gave him, asking the potbellied monk to identify it.

"This token indeed was exchanged by Tianxing from me. At the time, he said he wanted a Communication Jade Token that could cover the Nine Provinces Realm, for his future disciple," the monk remarked.

Seeing the Communication Jade Token that Jin Xu brought out, the great monk of Wanbao Temple believed a bit more in the little Taoist's identity.

But his confusion deepened.

The old Taoist had disappeared with no sound or shadow for several months.

And before disappearing, he had taken a disciple whose origins were unknown, and he couldn't even perceive the depth of his power, despite being of the Tribulation Crossing Realm himself.

Although there were no spiritual power fluctuations on Jin Xu's body, the potbellied monk of Wanbao Temple wasn't naïve enough to believe that Tianxing Taoist would choose a worthless successor for his Xuanxu Temple.

So it must have been some profound concealment technique that had been used to achieve such an effect.

The potbellied monk pondered silently in his mind.

He was inclined to chat a bit more with the little Taoist, to probe further, but suddenly, the voice of Xia Xuanmin echoed in his ear.

In a rush, he had to leave a message and then used magic to depart.

"I'll keep an eye out for the matter of your master's disappearance, but when there's news, you'll need to let me choose something that you can offer and that I'm satisfied with. That's the rule of Wanbao Temple."

The great monk was interested in Jin Xu's "magic" of concealing one's aura.

The voice reverberated as the person had already vanished within the teahouse.

At the tea table, the little Taoist repeated the great monk's words to himself as he looked at the empty chair,

"Let him pick something I can offer that he's also satisfied with?"

He had intended to inquire more about his master's whereabouts, but he didn't expect the other party to leave so abruptly.

This time coming to Shangjing City, Jin Xu wanted to ask the mother of Xia Yunzhao about the origin of that token. He also hoped to have the chance to meet the monks of Wanbao Temple.

Previously, when he saw it written on the "Tingfeng Building Major News. Special Issue" that the potbellied monk had appeared in Shangjing City, he harbored this thought.

It's a pity, though, that while he did encounter him, there were no breakthrough messages.

Thinking of this, the little Taoist suddenly had an idea and recalled another piece of news he had read in "Tingfeng Building Summary of Major Cultivation World News·Semiannual Issue."

So, he turned to his left and asked, "Little Yu, can you do alchemy?"

Sitting to the left of Jin Xu, Yu Yaoer was currently intently studying her teacup, planning to try making tea with Earthworm Dried when she got home.

At that moment, she heard her master's question and replied,

"Yes, Master, do you want to practice alchemy?"

Yu Yaoer tilted her head, shifting her gaze from the teacup to Jin Xu, blinking her clear yet somewhat foolish large eyes.

"Is the girl genius cited in that publication for her alchemy skills among the Shui Clan, you?"

The little Taoist's face showed an indescribable expression as he and the Little Fish Demon looked at each other.

"What publication?"

Yu Yaoer had not accompanied Jin Xu to the watchman's library that day, so she naturally hadn't seen the news.

"It's a publication from Tingfeng Building, something about a genius girl from the Shui Clan mysteriously going missing while practising alchemy, and so on."

"Um... Master, you should read less of these gossip tabloids. I clearly told Grandma that I was out gaining experience.

But I do know how to practice alchemy. Initially, when Grandma took me back home, she forced me to learn it. She told me that as a fish, I must learn a skill to support myself in the Cultivation World.

I wanted to learn culinary skills, but after tasting my cooking, Grandma flatly refused.

I don't understand why."

Yu Yaoer said with her cheeks puffed out, a touch of melancholy in her voice.

"How come you never mentioned this before?"

Jin Xu asked softly.

"You never asked, Master."

Little Fish Demon answered matter-of-factly.

"... True."

The Taoist actually felt she made a lot of sense.

"Hisss, does the Demon Clan's alchemy method differ from that of humans? If not, you could teach me alchemy when you have the time."

Ever since that day he learned about the Hundred Skills of Immortal Cultivation, Jin Xu had been fixated on this subject, especially now that he knew he had a genius alchemy girl by his side.

If he didn't thoroughly learn from her, it would be a complete waste!

"Sure, the alchemy method isn't much different; I can teach you, Master!"

Little Fish Demon was eager to teach her own master and readily agreed.

Meanwhile, Little White, who was wolfing down pastries on the side, mumbled unclearly.

"Temple master, I wanna learn too."

Saying so, he pushed forward the plate that held the tea snacks.

Jin Xu smiled faintly, pinched a piece of pastry and tossed it into his mouth, then asked Yu Yaoer, "Would it be okay to include Little White as well?"

Little Fish Demon didn't speak; she just nodded frantically, already lost in her master's smile.

Seeing Yu Yaoer's agreement, the Taoist picked up the tea cup from the table, drained it in one gulp, and rose to leave.

He needed to find a place for the group to settle down in Shangjing City first.

Then... The four were stopped by the waiter of the tea house.

Because they hadn't settled the bill yet.

"..."

Jin Xu paid for the tea, and, with the three in tow, stepped back onto the street.

"Brother Xu, do you know any suitable places to settle down in Shangjing City?"

The Taoist noticed that Xu Qian had become silent since a while ago, merely sipping tea quietly.

Hence the question.

"Ah, ah, Jin Xu, I'm not very familiar with Shangjing City myself. Maybe you should ask Prince Yunzhao?"

Xu Qian seemed to wake up from a dreamscape, as if startled.

"Brother Xu, are you okay?"

Jin Xu asked with concern, noticing the other's unfocused gaze, sweaty forehead, and unsteady steps, all of which seemed symptomatic of some condition as described by old-time physicians.

"Ah, no problem, Jin Xu, don't worry. The words you exchanged with that monk earlier, I won't utter a single one!"

Faced with an unexpected assurance, the little Taoist—was baffled.

"Has this man drunk too much tea?"

Xu Qian, on the other hand, was quite panicked. Two big shots had discussed secrets right in front of him; was it trust, or were they planning to silence him?