One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

The midday sun shone directly on the gate of Longhu Mountain.

The golden cloud boat reformed and hovered in mid-air, casting a shadow that covered most of the square.

Gone is the flamboyance and clamor of their arrival; the atmosphere now carries a quietude unique to farewell.

"Alright, that's enough."

Zhang Taichu stood on the edge of the cloud boat, looking down at the small figure standing next to the old Celestial Master.

Chen Duo was still wearing that somewhat oversized Taoist robe, her hair was neatly combed, and she wasn't holding the iron shovel in her hand, but instead tightly gripping the hem of her robe.

She looked up at the man standing on the high place.

There was an instinctive urge to follow in his eyes.

For the past decade or so, her world has consisted only of following orders.

Wherever Uncle Liao went, she went.

Wherever there is a mission, that's where she is.

Now, her master is leaving, but he won't take her with him.

Chen Duo unconsciously took half a step forward, and the hand that was originally clutching the hem of her clothes uncontrollably rose up and grabbed the hem of Zhang Taichu's Taoist robe.

They held on very tightly.

The knuckles were slightly white.

It's like a child about to be abandoned grasping at the last straw.

Zhang Taichu did not move, nor did he pull his clothes back.

He simply watched her quietly; his usually lazy eyes now seemed like a mirror, reflecting the struggle deep within Chen Duo's heart.

The wind blew by.

The hem of the dress swayed gently in the wind.

As Chen Duo looked into Zhang Taichu's eyes, the image of the garden that had just been filled in this morning suddenly flashed into her mind.

There are seeds buried underneath.

Master said we must wait.

Seeds need time to germinate, and they need time to bloom.

If they leave...

Who will water the plants?

Who will watch them break through the soil?

Chen Duo's hand, which was gripping the hem of her clothes, trembled slightly.

Then, one finger at a time, slowly loosened.

"I……"

Chen Duo withdrew her hands, put them back behind her back, and straightened her back like a little adult:

"I'm at home."

"Wait for you."

Just five simple words.

But it seemed as if she had used up all her strength.

This is not a helpless acceptance after being abandoned, but a proactive choice made by a person after having attachments and responsibilities.

Zhang Taichu smiled.

There was no teasing or frivolity in that smile, only the relief of seeing one's own child finally grow up.

"This is my true disciple."

Zhang Taichu bent down.

He extended a finger and gently flicked the bead around Chen Duo's neck that sealed the poison.

Ding.

A crisp sound.

"Remember your master's words."

"On this mountain, if anyone dares to bully you, whether it's some ignorant senior or junior brother, or some Tom, Dick, or Harry from outside."

"You should release the poison from this bead."

"Blow him up."

Zhang Taichu pointed to the old Celestial Master standing beside him:

"Don't be afraid if you get into trouble, this old man with the white beard will cover for you."

The old master, who was standing to the side stroking his beard and watching the show, suddenly trembled and almost pulled out a few strands of his beard.

"Go! Go! Go!"

"Can't you teach something good?"

The old celestial master glared at Zhang Taichu with annoyance, then stretched out his large, calloused hand and gently placed it on Chen Duo's head:

"Don't listen to him, girl."

"We are a place where we reason things out; we can't just blow people up at the drop of a hat."

"However..."

The old celestial master narrowed his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing within them:

"If someone is really unreasonable, your senior brother will beat him up for you."

Chen Duo felt the warmth coming from above her head; it was different from the warmth of her master's—a deep and reassuring warmth.

She nodded vigorously:

"Um."

"Alright, let's go."

Zhang Taichu straightened up, glanced around, and suddenly frowned:

"That kid Zhang Chulan is already dead on the ship."

"What happened to that unlucky guy, Wang Ye?"

"Why haven't they arrived yet?"

The square was empty except for a few sparrows flying by; there was no sign of the Taoist priest with his perpetually dark circles under his eyes.

"that……"

A young Taoist priest timidly raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the public toilet in the distance:

"Master Wang said he...suddenly experienced severe abdominal pain, possibly due to acclimatization issues, and was...is currently using the toilet."

"He said you should go first and not wait for him; he'll recover and come down the mountain on his own."

Zhang Taichu's lips twitched violently.

"Is it due to acclimatization?"

"They're all cultivators, their internal organs are as tough as iron barrels, they can drink arsenic like it's a beverage, and you're telling me you're getting diarrhea?"

"I think he's asking for trouble."

Zhang Taichu sneered.

He did not go over and arrest the person.

Instead, he stood on the cloud boat, casually raised his right hand, and made a grabbing motion in the air towards the toilet a few hundred meters away.

hum!

A golden burst of energy instantly condensed into a giant hand, which roared out.

The golden hand ignored the distance and the obstruction of the walls, and smashed open the roof of the toilet with a loud bang.

Followed by.

A piercing scream echoed through the sky.

"Hey hey hey! Old Zhang! Master Taichu!!"

"Give me some face! My pants! I haven't even pulled them up yet!!"

Under the stunned gaze of everyone.

The large golden hand, as if pulling up a radish from the ground, grabbed Wang Ye by the back of his collar and yanked him out of the toilet.

Wang Ye looked utterly hopeless.

He gripped his belt tightly with one hand, waved the other wildly in the air, and kicked his feet off the ground like a chick caught by an eagle.

"Help! This is practically a kidnapping!"

"Old Celestial Master! Please do something about these bandit-like acts!"

The old celestial master looked up at Wang Ye, who was tracing a graceful parabola in the air, then calmly shifted his gaze elsewhere, pretending to admire the scenery.

"Oh, the clouds are so white today."

whoosh-

boom!

Wang Ye was precisely thrown onto the deck of the cloud boat, landing face-first on Zhang Chulan, who was pretending to be dead.

"Ouch! Old Wang, watch out! You're going to kill me!"

"Get lost! Get lost! I'm so scared I almost peed my pants!"

Looking at the two lively little devils rolling around on the cloud boat, Chen Duo couldn't help but smile again.

"Senior brother, I'm leaving the family to you."

Zhang Taichu waved to the old Celestial Master.

"Go ahead without worry."

The old Celestial Master stood with his hands behind his back, looking at his spirited junior brother with a hint of emotion in his eyes:

"If this continues, the entire world of supernatural beings will probably be thrown into chaos again."

"Isn't that exactly what you wanted?"

Zhang Taichu grinned.

A brilliant golden light shone beneath their feet.

The massive cloud boat emitted a deep rumble, whipped up a gust of wind, and slowly rose into the air.

Chen Duo stood still.

The wind tousled her hair and ruffled her Taoist robe.

She neither waved nor shed tears.

I just watched quietly as the golden ship rose higher and higher, flew farther and farther, until it became a tiny golden dot.

She lowered her head and touched the bead on her neck.

He glanced back at the direction of the small courtyard filled with hope.

Then, she walked to the old master's side, obediently stretched out a hand, and grabbed the old master's sleeve.

"Uncle-Master, I'm hungry."

"Hahaha, come on, your senior uncle will take you to eat vegetarian food!"

……

10,000 meters above the ground.

The wind howled, and the clouds rushed past beneath our feet.

Zhang Taichu stood at the bow of the boat.

The gentleness and playfulness he had shown when facing Chen Duo vanished without a trace the moment he turned away.

Instead, there was a chilling coldness, like that of millennia-old ice.

With his hands behind his back, his gaze pierced through the thick clouds and mist, fixed on a certain direction in the south.

It was deep in the mountains.

It is Biyou Village.

"Grandmaster Uncle..."

Zhang Chulan rubbed his sore chest and was about to come over and complain, but he was so intimidated by Zhang Taichu's aura that he swallowed his words.

Zhang Taichu at this moment.

It's like a newly drawn sword, sharp and menacing.

"Hold on tight."

Zhang Taichu's voice was soft, yet it traveled clearly into everyone's ears amidst the strong wind.

"This time, we won't talk about reason or friendship."

He narrowed his eyes, golden light swirling deep within his pupils, like the gaze of a god before judgment:

"We're going to..."

"Ask for directions."