Chapter 26

Wang Qi knocked on the door, panting and fuming, and angrily said, "Senior Brother... Second and Third Senior Brothers... They are simply too overbearing!"

It took him three or four breaths to finish his sentence, and Xuan Kong, who was anxious, thought he had asthma.

Hearing Wang Qi’s words, Xuan Kong smiled and had Wang Qi sit down on a chair. "Their temperaments have always been like this. Why bother to argue with them over every little thing?" Xuan Kong instructed Wang Qi that if he really couldn't stand Second and Third Senior Brothers, he might as well move to the back mountain and live with him.

Wang Qi said resentfully, "They are too overbearing, urging Master to send you down the mountain early in the morning."

Xuan Kong was delighted and laughed, "What bad news is this? I think it's a great piece of good news!" He had been in this world for about twenty years. Apart from making some friends among the mountain hermits, the farthest he had gone was to the small town at the foot of the mountain.

In the past, his Daoist arts were not yet complete, and the old Daoist master had always said that the world was not peaceful, fearing that he would lose his life for no reason, so he had never agreed. Therefore, Xuan Kong had always endured and stayed on the mountain. Now, he was already bored to death, and with the old Daoist master’s command, it was naturally a great piece of good news.

Wang Qi was stunned, realizing that Senior Brother’s view was different from his own, and explained, "Master sent me to inform you to go down the mountain immediately."

Xuan Kong was slightly surprised and asked, "So urgent?" He straightened his body, put away his belongings with his sleeve, and stood up, saying, "Alright, let’s go and bid farewell to Master, and then I will go down the mountain to travel the world!"

He was very excited, but he saw that Wang Qi was sitting silently.

Xuan Kong raised his eyebrows and said, "What’s with that look? Are you afraid of being bullied by Second and Third Senior Brothers if you stay on the mountain alone?"

He thought that Wang Qi had been close to him these days and was worried that he would lose his support in the sect if he went down the mountain.

Wang Qi puffed out his chest and said, "What are you talking about, Senior Brother? I’ve already made up my mind to go down the mountain and travel with you, and Master has agreed!"

Xuan Kong was stunned, "You want to go down the mountain with me too?"

He remembered that in the original book of "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio," Wang Qi had learned a wall-penetrating technique and then went down the mountain because he couldn’t bear the hardships of practice. He didn’t expect that this time, his arrival in this world had changed the entire story.

Wang Qi had practiced Daoism quite diligently and had even restored the wall-penetrating technique to its original form, mastering the ability to penetrate walls and burrow through the earth.

Xuan Kong said, "Oh," not taking it to heart. Since Wang Qi had also received Master’s command, it wouldn’t be much trouble to take him along. He wanted to take Wang Qi to bid farewell to the old Daoist master and then go down the mountain.

However, Wang Qi was unwilling and stammered, "Master said that you committed the grave sin of associating with evil people and offending fellow Daoists. This time, you don’t need to see him when you go down the mountain, and he doesn’t want to see you either."

Xuan Kong exclaimed, "Ah!" Instantly, he felt his hands and feet turn cold, his heart racing. He shed tears, "I have done something wrong, angering Master."

He had always followed the old Daoist master, considering him both a teacher and a father.

He never expected that on his first trip down the mountain in twenty years, Master wouldn’t even want to see him one last time.

Xuan Kong was in a state of confusion, not even hearing what Wang Qi was saying. He walked a few steps in the thatched cottage like a zombie. The joy he had felt from breaking through to the Yuan Shen stage and the prospect of gaining fame by going down the mountain had vanished without a trace.

Seeing Xuan Kong’s face, Wang Qi quickly pulled him back to the chair and said resentfully, "Senior Brother, it’s all because Second and Third Senior Brothers accused you of lusting after Lady Yunluo, so they deliberately offended the Elder of the Kunlun Sect."

In the hall, he had described Lady Yunluo as a beauty, but it had been used against him by Second and Third Senior Brothers, who accused Xuan Kong of associating with evil people and offending the Kunlun Sect’s Elder.

Wang Qi was also anxious, only now realizing the status of the Kunlun Sect’s Elder in the cultivation world.

He didn’t know that Xuan Kong was a man of deep feelings. Hearing that the old Daoist master had believed Second and Third Senior Brothers’ slander, his anger flared. He summoned his sword and sternly asked Wang Qi, "Where are those smooth-talking scoundrels? I, I wish to..."

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

Xuan Kong threw the sword outside and said, "The old Master has been so kind to me, and now I have made him angry. I have no face to see anyone anymore." Thinking about how Second and Third Senior Brothers had been bad-mouthing him to Master, he felt helpless.

At that moment, he felt a deep darkness in his heart. The more he thought, the more anxious he became, and suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He was already at a critical point in breaking through to the Yuan Shen stage, and his internal energy was unstable. His body swayed, almost falling over.

Seeing Senior Brother spitting out blood, Wang Qi was startled and quickly supported Xuan Kong, saying resentfully, "Senior Brother, why blame yourself? It’s all because of Second and Third Senior Brothers’ gossip. Why don’t we go and confront them with Master right now?"

He slapped himself twice and said with a bitter face, "It’s also my fault. I shouldn’t have boasted in front of Master. I should have just said that Senior Brother subdued a female corpse and angered the Elder. I shouldn’t have exaggerated and caused Senior Brother to suffer because of me."

Xuan Kong reached out and held Wang Qi’s hand, his voice hoarse, "It’s not your fault. I did offend the Elder, and Master’s anger is justified."

Wang Qi, seeing Xuan Kong’s complexion return to normal, asked cautiously, "So, Senior Brother, are we still going down the mountain?"

Xuan Kong looked at the peak of Laoshan through the window, gritted his teeth, and said, "We are going down the mountain, right now, let’s go!" He had a thought in mind, knowing that the old Daoist master’s greatest wish was to see the Laoshan Sect flourish. If he could achieve some fame and glory in the world, he could return to Laoshan and apologize to the old Daoist master with a good reason.

Wang Qi asked, "Which direction should we go?"

Xuan Kong stared blankly at the peak of Laoshan, unable to see the Shangqing Hall but lost in thought. It wasn’t until Wang Qi repeated his question twice that he came to his senses. His original intention to find the Lanyu Temple had been forgotten.

Feeling that the world, though vast, had no place for him, he stammered, "Where do you think we should go?"

This question stumped Wang Qi. He hadn’t expected Senior Brother to leave the decision to him. After a moment’s thought, his longing for home took over, and he boldly said, "My hometown is in Ninghai County by the northern sea. We have a few acres of land and some farmhands. If Senior Brother doesn’t mind, why not stay at my place for a while to relax?"

"Your home?" Xuan Kong raised his eyebrows. He remembered an old acquaintance in the northern sea. He hadn’t wanted to disturb him, but now, with his mood so bad, visiting an old friend might be a good way to lift his spirits. He decided, "Alright, let’s go to your home, by the northern sea!"