The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

"Did it work?"

Seeing this, Ao Shuang stepped forward excitedly and looked at Wang Zhenhuan, asking him a question. Daoist Chong Hezi and the county magistrate also turned to look at Wang Zhenhuan, clearly expecting his response.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Wang Zhenhuan opened his eyes, before he could even speak, the Qiongqi, which had been calm, suddenly roared and charged at Wang Zhenhuan.

Master Chonghezi was startled and immediately stepped forward, blocking Wang Zhenhuan's path. At the same time, he flicked his whisk, striking directly at the head of the charging Qiongqi.

"You beast!! If you dare to harm anyone, you will never be free!!"

It's unclear whether it was Master Chonghezi's words that had an effect, or whether the Qiongqi was afraid of the whisk in Master Chonghezi's hand. Just as Master Chonghezi finished speaking...

The Qiongqi had already transformed back into its puppy form, whimpering softly a few times before turning into a streak of light and flying out of the main hall. All of this happened in just a few breaths.

By the time Ao Shuang at the door reacted and instinctively chased after it out of the courtyard, the streak of light had already flown out of the temple. Daoist Chong Hezi waved to him and said, "It is fate; let it be!"

Upon hearing this, Ao Shuang glanced at the flowing light. She then turned and returned to the hall, where Daoist Chong Hezi was examining Wang Zhenhuan's pulse. After returning to the hall, Ao Shuang went to the two of them, looking at him with concern.

As soon as Daoist Chong Hezi opened his eyes, he asked, "Master, how is it?"

"It's alright. Your spiritual energy has been greatly depleted. You'll recover in a few days," Daoist Chong Hezi said with a smile and a nod. Ao Shuang was relieved and stepped forward to pat Wang Huanzhen's shoulder.

"You can't take such risks again next time. That Qiongqi is an ancient ferocious beast; how could a mere Taoist priest with only red-level cultivation possibly subdue it?"

"It's alright, we still have Chonghe Zhenren protecting us. It's just a pity that if we miss this opportunity, we probably won't have another chance. Besides, who would have thought that Qiongqi would be so cunning? I thought it was just a savage beast that only knew how to act recklessly."

Wang Zhenhuan slapped Ao Shuang's hand away, saying with some regret. Ao Shuang, hearing this, glared at him and pointed, saying, "Greed is insatiable!"

Look at you, you've been busy all day, troubling Master Chonghe, and in the end, it's all for nothing. If you continue like this, you'll cause a big disaster sooner or later!

"Oh, I see, brother. Besides, it can't be considered a complete loss. Although Qiongqi ran away, for some reason, I seem to be able to sense its location," Wang Zhenhuan said, frowning.

"What do you mean? Does this mean the spell is complete?" Ao Shuang was taken aback, then widened her eyes in surprise and asked. Daoist Chong Hezi looked at him with some surprise upon hearing this.

"I don't know..." Wang Zhen hesitated for a moment, shook his head and continued, "I don't know if it counts as a success. I can sense the location of Qiongqi, but it won't listen to me."

All it can think about now is finding a place to recover and then coming back for revenge. My thoughts seem unable to be transmitted. I don't know why.

"This..." Ao Shuang felt a little strange after hearing this. This state, somewhere between success and failure, was quite perplexing. He subconsciously looked at Daoist Chong Hezi, waiting for his explanation.

Meanwhile, Daoist Chong Hezi was also puzzled by Wang Zhenhuan's words. He had never encountered a situation like Wang Zhenhuan's before. Once the spell was successful, the mind and spirit of the human and beast would be connected, and this problem would essentially be eliminated.

"It is indeed strange; I have never encountered such a situation before. However, what's done is done, and there's no use thinking about it now. Since that Qiongqi is not obeying our commands, let's just consider it a failure. Anyway, it won't have any impact on you, fellow Daoist."

"Come, let me introduce you two fellow Daoists. This is my old friend, Sun Ren, the county magistrate of Xiayi Town." Daoist Chonghezi gestured to the middle-aged man in official robes as he introduced him.

"May you be blessed with good fortune! Greetings, Lord Sun! I am Wang Huanzhen, a humble Daoist!" "I am Ao Shuang, greetings, Your Excellency."

Wang Huanzhen and Ao Shuang bowed respectfully to the smiling middle-aged man. Although the man wasn't fat, he had a round face. His eyes weren't large either, and they squinted when he smiled, giving him a very kind appearance.

Just as his name suggests, he was clearly a benevolent and righteous person. He smiled and returned the greeting to the two, saying, "You two young Taoist priests are so accomplished at such a young age; you are a blessing to our Great Song Dynasty."

"You flatter me, Lord Sun. I haven't yet thanked you for taking me in. I'm so grateful to Master Lu for taking care of me these past few days; otherwise, I wouldn't know where to go on my own," Wang Zhenhuan said, expressing his gratitude.

"Young Taoist priest, you're too kind. Since you're passing through my town, you're naturally one of us. As a local official of the imperial court, it's only my duty to offer you some assistance," Lord Sun replied with a smile.

"Don't stand on ceremony, we're all on the same side. Now that this matter is settled, let's go back. We'll need you to make arrangements for the monks in this temple so they can return home as soon as possible." Daoist Chong Hezi stepped forward and waved his hand to interrupt the two men's pleasantries.

"Of course, we'll just have Old Lu make the arrangements. The abbot of Puji Temple is still recuperating at the town's clinic," Lord Sun said, shaking his head and sighing.

"I haven't even asked you yet. The abbot of Puji Temple is supposed to be a skilled cultivator. How did he get injured? Could it be that he fought with that Qiongqi? But when we came here earlier, we clearly saw that Qiongqi hiding under the offering table, recuperating."

Daoist Chong Hezi waved to Wang Zhenhuan and Ao Shuang, then walked out of the temple with Lord Sun. Wang Zhenhuan and Ao Shuang exchanged a glance, closed the main hall door, and followed.

Lord Sun said to Daoist Chong Hezi, "Oh dear, don't mention it. I heard from Old Wang at the clinic that he didn't know the specifics, but it seemed like someone had their head broken by something heavy..."

"Could it be that it was hit by that shattered statue?" Wang Zhenhuan whispered to Ao Shuang.

"That's possible. I suspect the abbot didn't recognize Qiongqi. Seeing it like a little dog, he might have attacked it, which angered it and caused it to knock over the Buddha statue. That's why it got injured," Ao Shuang said with a smile.

"Brother, after we return and Lingzhi wakes up, we should find Daoist Chonghezi and Lord Sun to be our witnesses and complete the sworn brotherhood ceremony as soon as possible," Wang Zhenhuan said softly.

"What's the rush? Is something wrong?" Ao Shuang turned and asked.

"Of course, I'm entrusted with this task, and I must be loyal to it. Although it's peaceful here, I have something to do and I dare not forget it for a moment. Besides, I've been separated from my wife for a long time, and it's time to go see her," Wang Zhenhuan said in a low voice.

"Yes, go! A true man's ambition lies in the world!"