An unknown amount of time passed. The sound of women's laughter and chatter echoed within Shangqing Palace.
Several young and beautiful Foundation Establishment female cultivators were laughing and running over, heading straight for the Mingxin Abode, when they suddenly stopped in surprise, staring at the man leaning against the railing as if he had merged with the carved dragon stone pillar.
"Uncle-Master Shoujing?" Xianshu blinked, seemingly unable to believe her eyes.
Dai Hua exchanged a glance with her, then looked at Xiu Qin and Qingqi.
Qin Xi finally stirred, sweeping his gaze over them. "Do you know what happened?"
His expression was icy cold. The four female cultivators fell silent for a moment, all somewhat afraid to answer. Finally, Xiu Qin spoke cautiously, "We heard that Uncle-Master Mo met with an accident in the Myriad Laws of Nature Formation."
"Since you know, why are you still making such a racket?" His tone held no blame, only a chill as cold and detached as the stone pillar.
"..." It was still Xiu Qin, the eldest among the four, who replied, "Yes, we'll be more careful in the future."
He said nothing more, turning his head away and closing his eyes as if he wanted nothing to do with anything.
The four—Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua—exchanged several glances. They curtsied and carefully made their way toward the Mingxin Abode.
"Wait."
The four women's hearts skipped a beat. Although Uncle-Master Shoujing wasn't usually one for smiling, he was still quite amiable. Today, he was truly frightening—more terrifying than even their grandmaster.
Xiu Qin asked softly, "Uncle-Master Shoujing, what other instructions do you have?"
Without turning his head, Qin Xi said indifferently, "Mingzhu is also injured. Have you seen her?"
"We have. Momei and the others are behind us; they'll bring Senior Sister Ruan back shortly."
"Hmm." He waved a hand dismissively behind him. "You may go."
The four of them cautiously approached the Mingxin Abode. Finding that Uncle-Master Mo's protective formation wasn't activated, they quietly entered.
Once inside the courtyard, Xianshu whispered, "What's wrong with Uncle-Master Shoujing? He's really scary."
"Who knows..." Qingqi frowned, then suddenly gasped in surprise. "Uncle-Master Shoujing is here... He's out of seclusion?"
Dai Hua seemed thoughtful. "Wasn't it said he entered death seclusion? I thought I was mistaken earlier. How did Uncle-Master Shoujing come out?"
"Even if he's out, why is he sitting there in a daze?" Xianshu was puzzled.
Qingqi said, "Perhaps... Uncle-Master Shoujing wanted to return to the Mingxin Abode, then remembered that Uncle-Master Mo lives here now?"
Xiu Qin chided, "Nonsense. How many times has Uncle-Master Shoujing come back since he moved out? Every time, he just goes to the main hall to speak with Grandmaster and then leaves."
"That's true..."
Xianshu's eyes darted around. She leaned in and whispered, "Have you heard? Today, it was Uncle-Master Shoujing who suddenly went to the valley at the main peak and brought Uncle-Master Mo back."
"Ah!" Dai Hua exclaimed, then realizing she was too loud, quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "I came out late, I didn't know. What happened?"
"I don't know either," Xianshu said. "I just heard that bit of news. Hmm, it reminds me of the rumors from decades ago..."
The four of them looked at each other, each knowing what the others were thinking.
Qingqi rested her chin on her hand. "I originally thought it was just gossip!"
"Where there's smoke, there's fire," Xianshu said with a knowing smile. "We've been serving Grandmaster for nearly a century. What don't we know about Uncle-Master Shoujing's affairs? Uncle-Master Mo was only accepted into the sect by Grandmaster because of Uncle-Master Shoujing in the first place. And back then... don't you think Uncle-Master Shoujing treated her far better than anyone else?"
"That's true enough," Dai Hua said. "But I still find it hard to believe. How could Uncle-Master Shoujing possibly..."
"Otherwise, why is he guarding outside now? Think about how Uncle-Master Shoujing looked just now. When have we ever seen him sitting so casually on a railing, lost in thought?" Xianshu continued with an air of mystery. "In my opinion, it's eighty percent true."
"..." Dai Hua said, "Aren't you overthinking it? In all our years by Grandmaster's side, when have we ever seen anyone with a Dao heart more steadfast than Uncle-Master Shoujing's?"
"That's true." Xianshu shook her head again, refuting her own earlier statement. "Anyway, it's none of our business."
Finally, Xiu Qin spoke up. "Enough. We just got scolded by Uncle-Master Shoujing, and you're still chattering away. Was the lesson not enough?"
Xianshu promptly sealed her lips.
Qingqi muttered, "Sigh, it was just a couple of laughs. Uncle-Master Shoujing scolded us so harshly. It's not like we haven't done it before..."
"Uncle-Master Mo is injured!" Xiu Qin cut off her next words. "Grandmaster treats us kindly, but we shouldn't slack on our duties. I heard Uncle-Master Mo is quite seriously injured. For us to be laughing and joking—isn't that making others uncomfortable? If we hadn't been seen, fine. But since it was mentioned, we should restrain ourselves."
The other three nodded and sighed, following Xiu Qin toward the small cottage.
Truthfully, it wasn't entirely their fault for returning in high spirits. They knew Uncle-Master Mo was injured, but it wasn't life-threatening, and Grandmaster didn't seem to treat it as a major concern. Besides, while they didn't dare disrespect Uncle-Master Mo, they didn't have any particular friendship with her either.
However, Xiu Qin's words, while ostensibly chiding Xianshu for talking nonsense, carried a deeper, more intriguing meaning. If they were too cheerful, it would make others uncomfortable... because Uncle-Master Mo was injured? The four of them couldn't help but turn this thought over in their minds.
Qin Xi sat in a daze a while longer. During this time, he saw Momei and the others indeed bring Ruan Mingzhu back. Now, both the master of the Mingxin Abode and the master of the Zhili Studio were incapacitated. The maidservants of Shangqing Palace lamented their misfortune but could do nothing about it.
Mo Tiange went without saying. The four—Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua—were closest to the Mingxin Abode and had always been responsible for all its miscellaneous affairs. As for Zhili Studio, although Ruan Mingzhu had long been absent from Taikang Mountain, her status remained. Momei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju had no choice but to take on the responsibility of her care.
A single sect trial had nearly turned Shangqing Palace upside down.
After being repeatedly subjected to strange looks from passing maidservants, Qin Xi finally couldn't sit still any longer. He rose and slowly walked toward the main hall.
But the moment he stepped inside, he regretted it.
Only Daojun Jinghe was present, seemingly waiting just for him.
After a moment's thought, Qin Xi didn't flee. "Master."
Daojun Jinghe seemed somewhat surprised. He scrutinized Qin Xi before saying, "What took you so long?"
"Sat and thought about some things for a while."
"Thought about things?" Daojun Jinghe's eyes lit up. "What things?"
Qin Xi didn't answer immediately. Instead, he picked a chair and sat down, falling into a daze once more.
Although he had already figured things out earlier, he was still very unaccustomed to this state. So this was what it felt like to have one's heart filled with all sorts of messy thoughts. In that case, sometimes it wasn't entirely the fault of those women. Women were always more sentimental. Once certain things began, one couldn't help but be swept along.
However, he had always been strong-willed. Since he had decided what to do, he would no longer hesitate.
"Master, why do you care so much?" he said in a flat tone.
"You brat..." Daojun Jinghe blew out his beard and glared. "Is that any way to talk to your master?"
"If I didn't talk to you like this, you'd feel uncomfortable all over, wouldn't you?"
"..." Daojun Jinghe, for once, didn't retort. He pondered for a while before saying, "Your mood is off today, kid."
"You know, and yet you still provoke me." Qin Xi didn't hide it. After all, he had already made some things quite obvious. Better to be frank than be laughed at by this old rogue.
Daojun Jinghe was silent for a long time, his gaze continuously assessing Qin Xi. After a while, he smiled. "So you've finally figured it out, kid?"
"Hmm." Qin Xi no longer avoided it. His eyes gazed into the void, his tone still calm. "Master, what else do you want to ask? Get it all out at once."
The calmer his attitude, the happier Daojun Jinghe became. It meant this kid had already made a decision.
"First, tell me your plans," he said, unable to suppress his smile. "Actually, the cultivation gap between you two isn't that big. Whether in terms of mental state or cultivation base, Tian Ge's conditions for Core Formation are already ripe. Once she forms her Core, you'll be cultivators of the same rank. As for later, when you advance to Nascent Soul, she'll just be a bit slower. There's no need at all to—"
"I will advance to Nascent Soul." Qin Xi cut him off.
Daojun Jinghe, interrupted mid-sentence, exclaimed, "What did you say? You still haven't given up on that idea? I thought you'd figured it out!"
Qin Xi lowered his head, looking at the teacup in his hand. His gaze was gentle, but his tone was firm. "Unless I advance to Nascent Soul, I won't say anything."
"You—" Daojun Jinghe nearly choked. After a long moment, he said in a low voice, "What are you playing at?"
Qin Xi said softly, "If I say it now, what would that look like? Using a favor to demand repayment? Or using my status to pressure her?"
Daojun Jinghe frowned. "What nonsense are you talking? Matters like this require mutual consent. If Tian Ge is unwilling, she can just refuse. We wouldn't force her to do anything."
"But how would she feel?" Qin Xi lowered his head further. "That's right, Master, you've had a good relationship with her all these years. But no matter how close the feelings, deep down she's always been wary of others—Master, she's about to form her Core now. It's better not to disturb her state of mind."
Daojun Jinghe fell silent for a long time. Finally, he sighed. "But have you considered that if you form your Nascent Soul, she might actually distance herself from you even more?"
Qin Xi's hand twitched, but he didn't look up.
Daojun Jinghe continued, "Over the years, I've come to understand her temperament somewhat. The pride in Tian Ge's heart is no less than yours. You don't want to take advantage of her, but how is she any different? So, the higher your cultivation, the further she'll stay from you."
Qin Xi remained silent for a very, very long time. Daojun Jinghe, however, saw his hand trembling slightly.
An unknown amount of time passed before he asked, "Then what do you think, Master? She's going to form her Core. That will take at least ten or twenty years, right? Should I just stop cultivating from now on and wait for her to catch up to me?"
Daojun Jinghe laughed. "Have you gone silly, child? Once you're together, if you then form your Nascent Soul, could she still go back on it?"
"..." Qin Xi still didn't nod, seemingly deep in thought.
Back and forth, pondering repeatedly, he finally spoke. "Then I'll wait. After all, she will form her Nascent Soul eventually. At most two hundred years. I still have plenty of time. I can wait slowly."
Daojun Jinghe was rendered speechless by this statement. He hadn't expected this to be the final decision. But after pondering it himself for a long while, he ultimately didn't object further. "Alright, perhaps this is for the best... Even if she forms her Core now, the gap between early Core Formation and Core Formation perfection is still too great. But after she forms her Nascent Soul, she probably won't have other thoughts." At this point, the Dao Lord looked up with an inscrutable expression. "However, are you truly willing to wait two hundred years?"