Chapter 77

Let's split the story into two parts. First, we won't mention Bai Lian's Holy Son and Milie Chan Master mobilizing people to search for Nie Xiaoqian. Instead, we'll focus on Xuan Kong, who sighed and left the Zhang family's courtyard.

In the Ninghai Prefecture, he was not familiar with the area, and in the void, there was no point of reference. A silver light swayed and circled the city several times before finally, relying on a faint connection to his physical body, it accurately returned to the Wang family's villa. Xuan Kong sighed in relief; it was good that the lightning technique he had set up was still in place, indicating that no one had touched his body.

He couldn't end up like Li Xuan and Li Ningyang, whose physical bodies were cremated by their own disciples after their spirits wandered for seven days. They had to find a body of a sick beggar to possess. Xuan Kong was a man who cared about his reputation; if he were to be called "Iron-Crutch Xuan Kong" or "Lame Xuan Kong," he would rather die outright.

Without further ado, since he had returned safely, that was a good thing. He let his spirit hover above his body, slowly withdrawing his consciousness and sinking back into his body. The crown of his head opened, and he retracted his spirit, which had transformed back into its jade dragon form. With his spirit back in his body, Xuan Kong did not dare to be careless. He remained seated with his legs crossed, sinking his qi into his dantian to nourish his spirit.

After a while, the welcoming banquet in the front courtyard ended. The old patriarch, Wang, could not resist his youngest son's wishes and let him go to speak with his senior brother. Wang Jun accompanied his uncle, but seeing Wang Qi's high spirits at the banquet, he felt a bit desolate in the quiet moment. He deliberately told some short stories and jokes to amuse Wang Qi.

The methods that usually made his uncle happy with just a few words were ineffective tonight. He guessed the reason for Wang Qi's bad mood and stuck out his tongue, picking up the little fox from Wang Qi's head and holding it in his arms, silently following him. Wang Qi was also not in a good mood. At the banquet, the old patriarch couldn't resist performing his act of eating live snakes.

Others might not notice, but as a disciple of Laoshan, how could he not know? The deathly aura between the old patriarch's eyebrows was largely due to his habit of eating snakes. However, he couldn't stop eating them; if he did, it felt as if thousands of ants were crawling all over his body, making him extremely itchy.

After returning home, Wang Qi, who had been wild for a few days with his senior brother, calmed down. He stood obediently at Xuan Kong's door and knocked, saying, "Senior Brother, it's me. Is it convenient to come in?"

Xuan Kong had just adjusted his dragon and tiger energies and taken care of his spirit. Hearing his junior brother's voice, he stood up with a smile and opened the door, saying, "You never knock before entering my room. Why so formal tonight? Is it because the Wang family is so powerful that the rules are also strict? I'm a rough man from the mountains, so I hope you, Young Master Wang, don't mind!"

Wang Qi shook his head helplessly. If he tried to argue about seniority and authority with Xuan Kong, he wouldn't teach him in a hundred years. He had to go along with his senior brother's nature and entered the room with Wang Jun, each finding a stool to sit on.

Xuan Kong also sat in the main chair. According to the rules of Laoshan, the senior master was first. Since Daoist Master Yimei was not in Laoshan, Xuan Kong was the most respected.

Don't mind what the old master said about appointing Wang Qi as Xuan Kong's teacher; that was just a fit of anger. Apart from the second and third senior brothers, who were jealous and hoped for Xuan Kong's downfall, the parties involved didn't take it seriously. Moreover, such an appointment was against the rules and would never be recognized by the world.

Xuan Kong took out his precious wine flask from his sleeve and said with a grin, "You had a grand welcoming banquet, but poor senior brother had to celebrate alone in the villa."

Wang Jun reminded him, "Master, you told me to block the Wang family's steward..."

Everyone in the room knew Xuan Kong's nature; he loved to show off. In such a welcoming banquet, who could stop him from attending if he had no other business? Even the little fox on Wang Jun's shoulder gave Xuan Kong a flirtatious glance and shook its head, showing disdain for his words.

Xuan Kong was not annoyed; he was not a master who relied on authority to bully his disciples. He took out three jade cups from his sleeve, threw the wine flask into the air, and a stream of wine shot out, filling each cup in turn. Wang Jun took a cup and placed it in front of his uncle, then took another cup and handed it to the little fox's paws.

The last cup was for himself. Xuan Kong watched Wang Jun serve the wine and was very satisfied. Wang Qi was his junior brother and should receive the first cup of wine. The little fox was a female and a non-human, almost like a pet, so it was reasonable for Wang Jun to give her the wine.

Seeing how well he handled everything, Xuan Kong was very proud of his disciple. They all raised their cups and drank. Xuan Kong patted the wine flask, making it float and refill their cups. He then looked at Wang Qi, knowing that his junior brother was usually reserved and must have something to say.

Sure enough, Wang Qi saw Xuan Kong's gaze and immediately stepped forward, kneeling before his senior brother and bowing, "Senior Brother, I have a request!"

Xuan Kong nodded, and Wang Jun quickly helped Wang Qi up, saying, "Uncle and my master are like brothers. You can speak freely without such formalities." Xuan Kong also smiled, "That's right. Speak your mind."

Wang Qi didn't plan to kneel for long. He knew Xuan Kong's nature; if he were weak-kneed, Xuan Kong might not recognize him as a junior brother. He stood up and sat down, asking, "Senior Brother, have you noticed?"

Xuan Kong pretended not to understand, knowing that Wang Qi was referring to his father's habit of eating snakes. He even knew who the enemy was but still played along, "What have I noticed?"

"Indeed, indeed, your family has considerable power in Ninghai Prefecture. In the future, you should help the sect establish more Laoshan villas here to promote the Daoist tradition." Wang Qi squinted and muttered, "Who told you this? I don't believe you can't see it."

Xuan Kong knew that Wang Qi was reminding him about the Laoshan villa he had promised. He had to smile and say, "That's easy. My mother is also a Daoist believer and worships the Three Pure Ones. I've already discussed it with her, and she supports us establishing a Daoist temple in Ninghai Prefecture."

Xuan Kong knew that Wang Qi's words were not binding, but with the old lady's word, it carried more weight. He clapped his hands, "That's great! What else do you have to say, Junior Brother?"

Wang Qi shook his head helplessly, looking at Xuan Kong's eager face, thinking, "It's strange. Senior Brother is almost a transcendent immortal, about to surpass the three realms and six paths. Why can't he let go of the sect's tradition and inheritance?"