Chapter 13

With a headache, Qingxuan turned his head again to stare at Yunyong, his small hands continuously rubbing his brow to alleviate the pain. He nodded, signaling Yunyong to continue.

"Uncle Junior, you're overthinking it. Grandmaster didn't even ask about the teapot. I saw it still sitting on the bookshelf. Your craftsmanship is so exquisite; as long as you don't brew tea, no one will ever know it was broken."

"Oh, is that so?" Qingxuan felt a bit relieved.

"Uncle Junior, your teapot repair skills are amazing. It looks exactly the same as before, no one can tell the difference." Yunyong, with his bearded face, flattered him with a sycophantic smile.

"Hmph, of course."

Since these few matters hadn't been exposed, there was nothing to fear. Could it be that his master had discovered his cursing the old fraud? But he hadn't been talking about it everywhere. Could that old man really predict things?

He fiddled with his head, shook it, and shook off this unrealistic thought.

"Whatever happens, we'll deal with it. I'll go over there now."

"Uncle Junior, you're a real man!" The bearded flatterer continued.

"Of course, watch me walk a few steps."

He puffed out his little belly, clapped his hands, and took measured steps, walking out with a sycophantic smile.

"Uncle Junior, walk slowly—," Yunyong bowed and nodded, "Watch your step."

"Alright."

The two of them played along, enjoying themselves, but a young, delicate voice behind them shouted, "You two, stop right there!"

Turning around, they saw Yunxuan, the little girl, with her eyes wide open and hands on her hips, looking like a fourth senior sister, sternly saying, "Two Daoists, where's my story?"

Oh, they had been chatting so much that they forgot about these two. Seeing even little Yunming's face full of dissatisfaction, Qingxuan broke out in a sweat.

"Better my friend dies than me."

Qingxuan steeled his heart and turned to say, "Yunyong!"

"Ah, here."

"Accompany your two junior brothers and sister, uh, to play."

"Ah, okay... ah, ah—?"

Qingxuan, without waiting for Yunyong's surprised reaction, turned and disappeared with a "whoosh."

Yunyong, feeling betrayed, didn't even have time to beg for mercy before his eyes blurred and Uncle Junior was gone.

"Uncle Junior's movement—has improved again?"

Yunyong pointed at the spot where Qingxuan had disappeared, his mind full of the fact that he had been betrayed, struck speechless.

Hehe, hehe...

A cold laugh came from behind, and Yunyong was startled. He slowly turned around and saw Yunming and Yunxuan with expressions that clearly said, "You're dead."

Poor Yunyong, sweat poured down his face.

He silently wished Yunyong well and hurriedly walked to the back courtyard behind the main hall of Qingyun Temple.

As for the little Daoist Yunyong, who had just been betrayed, he was the disciple of Qingxuan's second senior brother, Qingyan. His secular name was Ma Zhiyong, from a well-known wealthy family in Qingyang Town. Ma Zhiyong's idol was his father, the famous "Ma the Great Philanthropist" in Qingyang Town today.

When this "Ma the Great Philanthropist" was still called "Ma the Great Bandit Chief," it was twenty years ago.

Twenty years ago, "Ma the Great Bandit Chief" was a notorious bandit in the southwestern Yunzhou region, robbing and plundering countless times, with hundreds of lives on his hands each year.

Perhaps because he had done too many evil deeds, none of the children he had in the bandit camp survived, causing "Ma the Great Bandit Chief" great distress.

Until one day, "Ma the Great Bandit Chief" met the second senior brother Qingyan, who, with a few words, frightened him into giving up his bandit life, retiring from the江湖, and settling in Qingyang Town to do legitimate business.

By now, he owned several meat shops and rental stalls, doing business very well, much better than the life of risking his head. With his "daily good deed," "Ma the Great Bandit Chief" became the well-known, charitable "Ma the Great Philanthropist."

By the grace of heaven, after "Ma the Great Bandit Chief" became "Ma the Great Philanthropist," his life improved, and he had many children. Ma Zhiyong was his third son, specially sent to the temple to be raised, as a way to repay the gods for "Ma the Great Philanthropist."

The second senior brother, Qingyan, was not one to let go of such a charitable and wealthy benefactor, and happily took Ma Zhiyong as his disciple.

Because this boy had a peculiar appearance, born with a full beard and a bold look, his Daoist name included the character "yong" (brave).

It was said that this boy was sent to the temple to be a Daoist because his father respected the gods and wanted to repay the Three Pure Ones with a child. However, according to Qingxuan's guess, it was more likely because this boy, with his unloved appearance, was not favored in his family.

The new little Daoist Yunyong, though brave, was a troublemaker. He had no other hobbies except for one—loving to fight. There were dozens of third-generation disciples in and out of the temple, and within a month of arriving, he had almost challenged all of them.

On the first day, he challenged the eldest third-generation disciple, Yunchong, but the gentle Yunchong avoided the fight and praised Yunyong, making the boy even more arrogant.

His fellow disciples were all afraid of this wild boy and kept their distance. Without opponents, Yunyong did not give up his habit of fighting and immediately set his sights on the young Daoist Qingxuan, who was clearly a generation older but the same age.

At the time, Yunyong was five years old, and the young Daoist Qingxuan was only six. Although Qingxuan was a year older, he was much smaller in height and weight, giving Yunyong a clear advantage.

But the outcome of the confrontation surprised everyone.

The young Daoist Qingxuan won completely.

Despite his smaller size, Qingxuan's strategy was unmatched. With a few punches and kicks, he left Yunyong with a bruised nose and swollen face.

This was not the end.

After provoking Qingxuan, Yunyong's days of suffering began. For two months, he faced a series of humiliations: ink on his face, bugs in his food, wetting his bed, and falling into the latrine. Finally, the brave and ambitious little Daoist gave in, completely.

He personally knelt before Qingxuan and apologized in front of everyone.

After being thoroughly tamed by Qingxuan, Yunyong began to respect his clever and effective Uncle Junior, becoming his absolute follower.

Qingxuan was happy to have a subordinate he could command, and thus took on the air of a junior uncle. After all, they were all children, and children's hearts don't hold grudges.

Moreover, Yunyong's talent was truly astonishing, even to Qingxuan. With just a glance, Yunyong could guess what others were thinking, a natural talent.

Qingxuan once said that it would take several lifetimes of being a scoundrel to produce such a person. Sometimes, Qingxuan suspected that this guy might also be a穿越者, having done something shameless like pyramid schemes in his past life.

The residence of the abbot of Qingyun Temple, Lingxu Zhenren, was located at the core of the residential area behind the main hall.

The young Daoist Qingxuan passed through the back gate of Qingyun Temple, turned left and right, and went through several archways. He directly entered the hall, passed through a room with a purple sandalwood screen, turned through several corridors, and waved away a few disciples who came to greet him. Finally, Qingxuan arrived at a small courtyard with three main rooms.