Chapter 526: Chapter 518: Who Doesn’t Have a Disciple?
Xuan Qingzi returned to the Daoist School, his mind still somewhat muddled, and subconsciously touched his waist— the pouch that used to hold the Soul Chasing Bell was now empty.
How could he have ended up losing the Magic Artifact given by his master within just one day?
Xuan Qingzi felt like crying but had no tears.
It was just a single request for some help, and he ended up giving away a Magic Artifact.
Utterly ridiculous.
“Sister apprentice, are you blinded by that demoness? That was the Soul Chasing Bell bestowed by our master; how could you give it away so carelessly?” Yao Feifei stamped her foot in anger.
Qin Liuxi’s razor-sharp tongue was not only cutting; it was poisoned with venom, extremely so. With just a few words, she managed to hoodwink the senior brother into surrendering the Soul Chasing Bell. Truly infuriating!
Xuan Qingzi felt both annoyed and angry. He used to find his junior sister innocent and endearing. They practiced well together when they ventured out and everything was smooth sailing. But ever since they arrived at Qingping Temple, she had completely changed.
“Enough,” Xuan Qingzi said with a grave face. “I haven’t even reprimanded you, yet here at Qingping Temple, how could you repeatedly lose your calm and speak disrespectfully to the Junior Temple Master? If it weren’t for your harsh tone, we would not have needed to provide compensation in exchange for their help.”
Yao Feifei’s face turned pale as tears quickly welled up in her eyes: “Senior brother, are you blaming me?”
Seeing her heartbroken and crying, Xuan Qingzi slightly softened inside, but as he felt the empty pouch on his waist, he said sternly again: “I’m not blaming you, I just think you’ve become completely flustered. Before, you were always fine; why now, upon seeing this Junior Temple Master, do you become as prickly as a thorn, speaking with such sharpness?”
“She’s the one who speaks with sharpness. Think about what she said before, all of it poking at me, spiked with the bone. I simply couldn’t stand it,” Yao Feifei pouted and said: “Senior brother, you are disciplining me for a stranger; could it be that you’ve taken a liking to this demoness? Just because she calls you ‘senior’.”
“Junior sister!” Xuan Qingzi’s face turned steel blue: “Do not speak nonsense.”
Yao Feifei knew she was being unreasonable and said with a grievance: “When you take the side of others, it deeply saddens me. Aren’t we fellow sect disciples?”
“It is but a respectful title,” Xuan Qingzi said with a headache. “In any case, you need to temper your impulsive temperament and avoid speaking too aggressively.”
Seeing the defiant look on her face, he said wearily: “I see that this Junior Temple Master plays by his own rules, not to be provoked nor trifled with. He responds to softness but not force. Because of your one thorn, we’ve lost a Magic Artifact.”
Yao Feifei felt unjustly accused: “But you were the one who gave it away.” How could it be her fault?
“It was I who gave it, but if that Evil Ghost is not subdued and allowed to run rampant, we as the keepers of the Righteous Path cannot tolerate or ignore such wrongdoing,” Xuan Qingzi replied with a grave face.
Yao Feifei gritted her teeth: “I bet they would endure and ignore it.”
She was referring to Qin Liuxi, who wouldn’t act without receiving a Magic Artifact—what kind of Righteous Path was that? It was nothing short of extortion.
“He can ignore it because he bears no karmic consequences. In the end, our Spell was insufficient to conquer that thing; otherwise, we wouldn’t have accumulated additional karma,” Xuan Qingzi was more worried that, just as Qin Liuxi had mentioned, if they agitated the thing too much and it turned into an Evil Ghost, causing more deaths, then their sin would be even greater.
Yao Feifei felt increasingly wronged: “Our failure in ghost hunting is our fault, but isn’t turning a blind eye also a mistake? This is too suffocating.”
“Let it go for now. Even if we do have some karmic consequence, it won’t be too serious since we have always been devoted to the Dao. The most important thing now is to subdue that thing to prevent further harm to the innocent,” Xuan Qingzi, thinking of the Soul Summoning Bell, said: “As for the Soul Summoning Bell, I will explain to our master later. After all, it’s all for the purpose of exterminating evil and defending the Dao. And her ability to command the Soul Summoning Bell proves that her Mana is not below mine.”
Even superior to himself.
Yao Feifei didn’t like to hear this. It was obvious that it would raise others’ spirits and deflate her own.
“Just a blind cat running into a dead mouse,” she muttered under her breath.
Xuan Qingzi didn’t even want to continue the conversation, as he was indeed struck by Qin Liuxi’s actions. He had been using the Soul Summoning Bell for many years and was proficient with it. However, when his mana wasn’t strong enough to pursue the Big Ghost Evil Soul, Qin Liuxi, after one failure, immediately figured out how to use it.
Although he felt somewhat ashamed, he had to admit that the Junior Temple Master had some abilities and moreover, she was so young. What was he doing at her age?
Xuan Qingzi quickly came to his senses amid self-doubt and said, “Let’s not talk about that. The Evil Ghost is getting stronger, we need to be more cautious. While there’s still time, let’s prepare some talismans and other items.”
Yao Feifei could only suppress the frustration in her heart.
Meanwhile, Master Chi Yuan held the Soul Summoning Bell, looked at it, and then threw it to Qin Liuxi, saying, “Encountering a Big Ghost and it fails, just this. Since he… since he gave it to you as a gift, you should think about reinforcing it. It will come in more handy to use.”
“Um, I see it has an Array Plate for striking souls, but it’s not strong. If this Array Plate is enhanced, a hit from it will definitely damage the soul body,” Qin Liuxi said. She put the Soul Summoning Bell aside and looked at Master Chi Yuan, “Did Yao Feifei insult your cultivation?”
“That little girl is just being a bit too proud and arrogant because her master succeeded in Foundation Establishment, it’s not something as serious as an insult,” Master Chi Yuan chuckled lightly.
“Yet you’re still coming to me to tattle.”
Master Chi Yuan: “Who doesn’t have a disciple? Tai Cheng has one, and so do I. His disciple bullied me, I’m finding my disciple to even the score. Nothing wrong with that!”
Listen to this, all self-righteous and audacious!
Qin Liuxi couldn’t help but laugh with anger. Picking on the younger generation, wouldn’t he be afraid to be laughed at for losing his big yellow teeth if it got out?
“Don’t worry, as your master, I’ve also given them a little boost. When the Evil Buddha causes trouble in the future, even if they won’t come out in full force to contribute their mana, Master Tai Cheng, being a Foundation Establishment Master, will have to step in, won’t he?” Master Chi Yuan said with a sleazy laugh.
Far away in Shengjing, Master Tai Cheng who was lecturing the temple’s disciples suddenly felt a cold shiver down his spine. His fingers hidden in his sleeves couldn’t help but make calculations, sensing that pesky rascal was plotting against me!
Qin Liuxi fell silent for a moment, then said, “Don’t bother with other things, you should also go into seclusion to cultivate.”
Master Chi Yuan frowned.
“I’m almost finished gathering the materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill. I will definitely create it, but if your cultivation doesn’t reach the threshold again, there won’t be a chance for advancement,” Qin Liuxi said.
Master Chi Yuan answered, “Why bother? It’s not like the times in the Sect now, where one could easily advance levels. With Spiritual Energy being scarce, just living to a ripe old age that ordinary mortals can’t achieve is already a gain. No need to be obsessed. All men must die, or…”
“Shut up!” Qin Liuxi stood up and glared at him: “If I tell you to go into seclusion, then go into seclusion, stop babbling nonsense. Do you think I’m really afraid of you becoming immortal? If you ascend to immortality, I’ll just succeed your position and close the doors of Qingping Temple to roam the world!”
“How dare you!”
“Let’s see if I dare.” Qin Liuxi scoffed coldly, leaving behind a harsh remark as she strode off.
“Rebellious disciple, stop right there!” Master Chi Yuan blustered, staring with eyes wide and whiskers blown, but she had already disappeared from sight. Then he composed himself and sighed, “Truly, a foolish child.”