Holy Bone

Chapter 1999 The Mystery of Qingxi Zhenren's Background

The big blue ox lowered its head and said, "No."

"What's not there?"

"Master Zaochu, do you mean that Master Qingxi hasn't found any clues about her origins?"

The old Taoist priest pressed for more information.

"Hmm, ah, oh," the big blue ox replied casually, gnawing on a carrot.

Jin An glanced at the big blue ox, his eyes showing a thoughtful expression.

He didn't pursue the matter further, but instead continued to hold a grand banquet to celebrate the safe return of the blue ox.

……

The rest of the night was speechless.

The next day.

dusk.

When Jin An returned from his post at the Criminal Investigation Department, he did not go directly back to the Five Organs Taoist Temple. Instead, he had the Bi'an carriage choose a direction and headed towards the Jade Capital Golden Palace.

Jade Capital and Golden Palace.

Upon arriving at the destination, Jin An asked the young Taoist boy at the gate for permission. Hearing that Master Qingxi had returned safely, he hoped to meet Master Qingxi and say hello to express his concern as a friend.

Everyone in Yujing Jinque knew Jin An and knew that Jin An had a close relationship with Qingxi Zhenren. So, a young Taoist priest immediately led the way, taking Jin An and Fatty Li to see Qingxi Zhenren.

Fatty Li didn't have to work the night shift tonight, so he came along since he was passing by.

As Jin An walked through the Jade Capital Golden Palace, many people recognized him and greeted him warmly, to which Jin An responded with a smile.

However, before Jin An even arrived at the Daoist palace where Master Qingxi resided, his acquaintances, Master Chiyuan, Master Xuanlei, and Uncle Lin, arrived one after another to meet him.

“Master Jin’an, that’s a bit unfair of you. You’ve come all this way to the Jade Capital, why didn’t you come to see us first? We were just talking this morning about how the Five Organs Taoist Temple and Xiangshan Taoist Temple are about to be completed, and what kind of grand gift we should give you to celebrate your great Taoist relocation.” Master Xuan Lei shouted as soon as he arrived.

True Man Chiyuan, True Man Xuanlei, and Uncle Lin arrived together. The three of them must have just happened to be together when they heard that Jin An had come to the Jade Capital Golden Palace, so they came together.

Unexpectedly, before Master Xuanlei could even reply, Uncle Lin hurriedly said, "That's Master Xuanlei's idea, not mine. Don't drag me into it."

“Master Jin’an, it is of course most important for you to see Master Qingxi first. You should go see Master Qingxi first, and we can have a drink and talk about things later. It doesn’t matter if you go first.”

Haha, True Man Chiyuan laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist Lin is absolutely right. Daoist Jin'an, you see True Man Qingxi as the most important. We can all be ranked after True Man Qingxi without any complaints."

Having been "betrayed" by his two fellow Daoists, Master Xuanlei was indignant and hurriedly said, "I was thinking of everyone's best interests, how could you betray me instead!"

"I made a mistake in choosing my friends!"

Master Chiyuan said with a wry smile, "Master Xuanlei, you really are single-minded. You only know how to cultivate but not how to understand human relationships. Guess how important the relationship between Master Qingxi and Daoist Jin'an is?"

Xuan Lei Zhenren didn't react for a moment and was about to shout. Chi Yuan Zhenren was so angry that he was speechless. He whispered a few words to Xuan Lei Zhenren, and Xuan Lei Zhenren's eyes widened as he listened. Then he showed an expression of sudden realization.

Then, Master Xuanlei put on a serious expression and said, "Yes, yes, it is most important for Daoist Jin'an to see Daoist Qingxi. Daoist Jin'an, you should go see Daoist Qingxi first. We can postpone it."

Jin An: "..."

Afterwards, the four of them walked and talked as they headed towards the Taoist palace where Master Qingxi lived.

Along the way, the four of them didn't talk about the demon in the underworld. After all, Jin An's identity hadn't been revealed yet, and no one knew that Jin An had also been to the underworld a few days ago. So, what they talked about most was the Five Organs Taoist Temple in Xiangshan.

After all, the construction of the Xiangshan Five Organs Taoist Temple has been going on for so long and is nearing completion. It is about to be relocated to a new site.

Everyone spoke enthusiastically and offered suggestions on how to make the relocation ceremony solemn and dignified. Relocating a Taoist temple is no small matter, and all the details must be carefully checked.

Jin An did not refuse everyone's kindness, but humbly asked for advice and prepared knowledge and key points in advance.

The group walked and talked, and soon arrived at the Taoist palace where Master Qingxi lived. Then a Taoist boy came forward to explain the purpose of their visit to Master Qingxi: Jin'an, Chiyuanzhen and the others had come to visit Master Qingxi.

The young disciple of Qingxi Zhenren's Dao Palace went in to report.

Soon after, the young Taoist boy came out and led the way for everyone. Jin An and the other three chatted and laughed as they entered the Taoist palace.

This was Jin'an's first time visiting the Qingxi Zhenren Dao Palace. The Qingxi Zhenren Dao Palace was not large, but it had a quiet and secluded environment. There were no carved beams and painted pillars, nor was it magnificent. Instead, it had a classical charm, warm and peaceful, making it a very suitable place for seclusion and cultivation.

Upon entering the Taoist palace, the most common sights along the way were the instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, and ancient calligraphy and paintings, demonstrating the extraordinary skill of Master Qingxi.

"Haha, is Master Qingxi well today? We are here to visit your Taoist temple thanks to the good fortune of Daoist Jin'an," Master Chiyuan said with a hearty laugh.

Master Xuanlei and Uncle Lin were also smiling and talking.

Jin An smiled and said, "Master Qingxi."

Qingxi Zhenren sat upright behind the mahogany table. After gesturing for everyone to sit down, she picked up the jade teapot and brewed tea for everyone.

Uncle Lin picked up the teacup, took a deep sniff, then sipped it. He closed his eyes and savored the aroma for a while before exclaiming with endless delight, "I am finally fortunate enough to taste Master Qingxi's century-old Qimen black tea today. This Qimen black tea is truly extraordinary—a wisp of tea smoke dances lightly; half a cup of fine wine fills the room with fragrance. Its taste is like flowers and honey. Coupled with its century-old history, it is smooth and mellow on the palate, gliding through the veins of the Three Rivers and Five Mountains, with a sweet and refreshing aftertaste that cleanses the six internal organs and eight wastelands!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

"This is truly a rare and exquisite tea!"

After Uncle Lin finished speaking, he urged everyone to drink quickly. Once the Qimen black tea cooled down, the tea flavor diminished significantly, and the taste was not as good as before.

So everyone picked up their teacups and sipped the tea, praising it highly.

Then Master Qingxi distributed several pastries to everyone. The pastries had a crystal-clear color, which made people's mouths water at first glance.

After tasting them, the group's eyes lit up, and they couldn't help but devour all the pastries in front of them. Then they looked at each other and burst into laughter.

The True Person of Qingxi was quite gracious and generous. Seeing how much everyone loved the pastries, she distributed them to everyone, and they ate with great joy and carefree abandon.

While sipping Qimen black tea and eating pastries, the group chatted about their spiritual cultivation experiences in the tranquil atmosphere of "using leaves as boats to sail the ink sea and using cups as mirrors to reflect the heart."

One gains insight into the practice methods through spiritual cultivation.

Then, from the cultivation method, one can understand the advantages and disadvantages of supernatural powers. And from everyday conversations, one can further understand the advantages and disadvantages of supernatural powers.

Everyone talked freely and enjoyed themselves immensely.

"Master Qingxi, I heard that you traveled to the East Sea and re-entered the Great Wilderness of Guixu this time in order to find clues about your origins. I wonder if Master Qingxi has already found out about your origins?" At this moment, Jin An looked at Master Qingxi and asked with a rather serious expression.

Master Qingxi's expression remained unchanged, as indifferent as a wisp of smoke, devoid of any emotion or desire. He said calmly, "No."

"Oh?"

Jin An let out a soft "hmm" and then said, "If Master Qingxi encounters any problems, feel free to speak up and tell us. We can lend Master Qingxi a hand."

"The mystery of one's origins is undoubtedly one of the greatest regrets of humankind. In order to resolve the mystery of Qingxi Zhenren's origins as soon as possible, we are willing to lend a helping hand."

True Man Chi Yuan, True Man Xuan Lei, and Uncle Lin all nodded in agreement.

"No need, thank you, Daoist Jin'an." Master Qingxi only said a few cold words and did not say anything more.

"Master Qingxi, please don't stand on ceremony with me. You have helped me a lot in the past, and I have never been able to repay this kindness. I have always wanted to repay your kindness," Jin An said sincerely.

Faced with Jin An's sincere feelings, Master Qingxi responded with only a cold single word: "Hmm."

The three people beside him, Chi Yuan Zhenren, also advised Qing Xi Zhenren that they could talk things over freely, and that everyone would definitely help Qing Xi Zhenren.

However, Master Qingxi does not need everyone's help.

The matter can only be left unresolved.

After chatting for a while, the group prepared to take their leave. Just before leaving Master Qingxi's Dao Palace, Master Qingxi said to Jin An, "Since there is no hope in solving the mystery of Donghai's origins, I plan to go into seclusion for a period of time to make another breakthrough in my cultivation."

"I may not be able to visit you in person to offer my congratulations on the opening day of your Xiangshan Taoist Temple, so I would like to extend my congratulations to Master Jin'an in advance. I wish you a grand opening of your Wuzang Taoist Temple, swift success, and moral fulfillment."

Jin An clasped his hands in a fist and laughed, saying, "Then I would like to thank Master Qingxi for your kind words. I also wish you a smooth cultivation and that you will achieve perfect merit when you break through to a higher realm."

"Hmm." Master Qingxi nodded calmly.

Afterwards, Jin An, Chi Yuan Zhenren, Xuan Lei Zhenren, and Uncle Lin left. After drinking and chatting for a while in the Jade Capital Golden Palace, Jin An did not leave the Jade Capital Golden Palace until about 1:45 PM, and returned to the Five Organs Taoist Temple by Bi'an carriage.

On the carriage.

Jin An lifted the curtain of the carriage and gazed intently at the Jade Capital and Golden Palace that were receding into the distance. His brows furrowed slightly, and his eyes revealed a thoughtful expression.

……

After the carriage returned to the Five Organs Taoist Temple, Jin An did not rush to cultivate or refine elixirs. Instead, he found the big blue ox who had been with the silly sheep and was talking at length about the things he had seen and heard along the way.

"What's wrong with Daoist Jin'an?" The big blue ox looked curiously at Jin'an, whose complexion seemed a bit off today.

Jin An cut to the chase and asked directly, "Master Zao Chu, did you and Master Qing Xi encounter something in the Great Wilderness World of the East Sea Guixu that you didn't tell us everything about?"

The big blue ox panicked and looked away, not daring to look Jin An in the eye. He said, "Master Jin An, what do you mean by that? I told you everything I needed to tell you yesterday... There's nothing I'm hiding from you."

The big blue ox stammered, looking somewhat guilty.

Jin An said directly, "I went to the Jade Capital Golden Palace today to see the True Person Qingxi."

"what!"

The big blue ox looked surprised, then cautiously asked, "So...did you talk about anything?"

Jin An bluntly stated, "I asked Master Qingxi if he had found the mystery of his origins in the East Sea, and Master Qingxi said he had not."

Upon hearing this, the big blue ox let out a light breath, then forced a smile and said, "Isn't that normal? We really didn't find any clues."

Jin An looked directly at the big blue ox and said, "But I know one thing: the Qingxi True Person today is different from the past."

"Compared to the past, Master Qingxi today speaks less and has a distant and aloof air about him."

Jin An continued, "Then I recalled the way you lowered your head and avoided eye contact with us last night when you talked about the mystery of Qingxi Zhenren's background..."

“Creator, now that you are a member of the Five Organs Taoist Temple, shouldn’t you explain to me the reasons for these changes in yourself?”

The big blue ox's expression changed. He tried to look Jin An in the eye, but he couldn't help but look away each time. This made his gaze seem even more erratic, like a guilty thief.

At this moment, the old Taoist priest who was drawing talismans in the side room came out when he heard the commotion outside. He just stood aside and listened without saying a word.

Jin An sat down at the stone table, looked at the big blue ox, and said in a calm tone, "Master Creator, what exactly did you and Master Qingxi encounter in the Great Wilderness World of the East Sea? What secrets about your origins did Master Qingxi uncover? You should tell us the truth."

The big blue ox's face was conflicted and ugly. His expression changed several times before he finally sighed, looked at Jin An with pleading eyes, and said in a low voice, "Daoist Jin An, I really can't tell you about this!"

"It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I promised Master Qingxi that I would never reveal a single word to outsiders! Master Qingxi even forced me to swear an oath with my primordial spirit that if I broke the oath, my soul would be scattered and my primordial spirit would be destroyed!"

"Master Jin'an, please let me go this time. It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I really swore an oath to True Person Qingxi with my primordial spirit!"

Jin An was quite surprised by the words of the Great Blue Ox. He suddenly became curious about what Qingxi Zhenren had encountered in the Great Wilderness World of the East Sea that required such a grand treatment.
What is the mystery of Qingxi Zhenren's background, and why doesn't he let outsiders know?
He glanced at the big blue ox with a complicated expression.

Unfortunately, the Great Green Ox had sworn an oath with his primordial spirit, and he couldn't force the other party to tell the truth, as that would be tantamount to murder.

Moreover, since this matter concerns Master Qingxi, he cannot go too far. If it were to affect Master Qingxi, he would truly be repaying kindness with enmity.

Since he met Master Qingxi, Master Qingxi had helped him more than once or twice. Therefore, since Master Qingxi was so eager to conceal this matter, the matter could only be left at that, unless Master Qingxi spoke up personally...

"Hey."

Jin An sighed and said, "Alright, I won't ask you about anything related to Qingxi Zhenren anymore, and I won't ask you again in the future."

"As long as this matter is for the good of Master Qingxi, it is not unreasonable to let it remain a mystery forever."

The giant blue ox was overjoyed and nodded in a deep voice, saying, "Although True Person Qingxi forced me to swear on my primordial spirit that I would not tell you about her experiences in the East Sea, whether True Person Qingxi has found the mystery of her identity is another matter, because I have not clearly seen her find any clues related to her origins..."

"Uh, this matter should be within the scope of the oath, right..."

"Only by telling you these things will I feel a little better..."

(End of this chapter)