Junior sister, I really need to control you.

The crane hangs above the bamboo forest peak.

Li Yinsheng stood at the very front of Fu He. Behind him, Mu Xiaoyu, who had been lying down the whole way, stood up and obediently stood behind Li Yinsheng.

Six figures rose from the mountain and flew towards Fu He.

The leader was an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe embroidered with bamboo branches and leaves in gold thread.

Qi Jiushan followed beside the old man, also wearing a green robe embroidered with bamboo leaves. If nothing unexpected happened, this old man should be the deputy abbot who oversees all affairs during the harvest season in the mountains, as he had mentioned.

The other four people on either side of the two were dressed differently and should all be experts invited from other Taoist temples, each of whom was no less skilled than Qi Jiushan.

Li Yinsheng was somewhat surprised to find that there were six people in total.

When Qi Jiushan came to him before, he said that Huangzhu Temple was in dire need of experts, but now it seems that there are already six experts with decent cultivation. The deputy abbot in charge is even stronger than the deputy abbot of Huanghe Temple in terms of aura.

From this perspective, they don't seem to be that short of manpower.

Or is it that the monsters in this place are truly extraordinary, requiring so many people to be stationed there to ensure absolute safety?

Just as Li Yinsheng was pondering, the six people flew to Fu He and stopped.

"I am Liang Qiwu, the deputy abbot of Huangzhu Temple. I thank Fellow Daoist Li for his willingness to lend a helping hand." The leading elder smiled and bowed to Li Yinsheng.

On the way there, Qi Jiushan had already told him about Li Yinsheng's identity.

"Fellow Daoist Liang, you're too kind," Li Yinsheng returned the greeting.

"Fellow Daoist Li has come from afar; this is not the place to talk," Liang Qiwu said. "Our temple has already built several houses on the mountain; please come inside and discuss the details."

Li Yinsheng nodded and was about to follow this Vice Abbot Liang when a discordant voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

"This Fellow Daoist Li from Xuanzhen Temple is also here to guard the mountain and prevent demons, right? Fellow Daoist Li is quite young, but his cultivation is not bad. However, to have such cultivation at such a young age, he must be focused on diligent cultivation and may not be good at fighting, right?"

"Besides, Xuanzhen Temple has long since fallen into decline, and in recent years it has been on a downward spiral, almost barely clinging to life. What outstanding disciples can it possibly cultivate?"

"This time, the training has reached its full potential, a major event that Huangzhu Temple holds once every ten years, and we cannot afford to fail. Fellow Daoist Li is still young and has no reputation for being skilled in combat. Moreover, he comes from Xuanzhen Temple. Is he truly reliable?"

Li Yinsheng was taken aback.

If these questions were raised by someone from Huangzhu Temple, then they would undoubtedly be very inappropriate for hospitality.

You invited them, and then you questioned them and spoke rudely after they arrived. Even a child wouldn't do something so absurd.

but……

He turned his gaze toward the direction from which the voice came, and the person speaking did not seem to be from Huangzhu Temple at all.

The speaker appeared to be around fifty years old, with a thin face. He wore a white Taoist robe, unlike those worn by the Huangzhu Temple, and the robe was decorated with several seal script characters in red gold cinnabar.

Beside him was another cultivator wearing the same Taoist robe, who looked a few years younger; they must have come from the same lineage.

Looking at the person who spoke, Li Yinsheng was full of questions.

Hey bro, who are you? Do you even have the right to speak here?

"Fellow Daoist Xu!" Liang Qiwu immediately spoke, looking at the speaker with a hint of displeasure on his face, which he quickly suppressed. "Fellow Daoist Li is a guest invited by the deacon of the Demon-Subduing Hall of my Huangzhu Temple. What makes you say such a thing?"

"I'm just worried about Fellow Daoist Liang," the gaunt cultivator said with a forced smile. "The Refining Fruit Harvest only happens once every ten years, and it can't be missed."

"Instead of hiring another cultivator from a dilapidated Taoist temple, wouldn't it be better to use that money to buy more talismans and distribute them to your patrolling disciples? Wouldn't that be more useful than randomly hiring some incompetent people?"

Standing to the side, Qi Jiushan's face showed a hint of anger. He first gave Li Yinsheng a somewhat apologetic look, and then sneered.

"In your opinion, Fellow Daoist Xu, which vendor's talismans should we buy?"

"Hahaha..." The gaunt cultivator laughed heartily, "Fellow Daoist Qi is asking a question he already knows the answer to. Tell me, within the entire Zhengyang lineage, which other sect's talismans can compare to those of my Shouyi Temple?"

Qi Jiushan's face darkened.

"Alright, Fellow Daoist Xu," Liang Qiwu said, "I will consider the matter of talismans, but we can't discuss it here. Please come back with me first."

"Furthermore, Fellow Daoist Li is a guest invited by my Huangzhu Temple, and my Huangzhu Temple has no doubt about Fellow Daoist Li's abilities."

"I am very grateful for Fellow Daoist Xu's concern for my Huangzhu Temple, but please refrain from such rude and questioning remarks!"

As he said this, Liang Qiwu's tone hardened, and his aura spread out, pressing down on the Xu family member guarding the temple.

"Of course, of course."

The cultivator surnamed Xu cupped his hands in greeting, showing no fear, but still restraining himself somewhat.

"I am truly sorry, Fellow Daoist Li," Liang Qiwu turned to Li Yinsheng and bowed, his face full of apology. "Fellow Daoist Xu's personality is somewhat... straightforward, which offended you. I apologize on his behalf, and I ask for your forgiveness."

Li Yinsheng was somewhat surprised.

In his perception, the Xu surname cultivator was only about the same level as Qi Jiushan in terms of cultivation, yet Liang Qiwu, the dignified deputy abbot, seemed quite wary of him.

Is it possible that this person's background as a disciple of Shouyi Temple is enough to make this Vice Abbot Liang so wary?

"It's alright."

Li Yinsheng waved his hand, not wanting to make things difficult for an elderly person with a good attitude, besides, every grievance has its source and every debt its debtor.

Seeing that Li Yinsheng didn't seem to intend to pursue the matter, Liang Qiwu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly invited everyone back.

Mu Xiaoyu tugged at Li Yinsheng's sleeve from behind: "Senior brother, that old skinny monkey has no manners at all!"

She controlled her volume very well, making it sound like she was whispering to Li Yinsheng, but everyone around could hear her clearly.

The gaunt cultivator surnamed Xu's face darkened, and he was about to lash out when Qi Jiushan saw his expression and immediately asked, "By the way, Fellow Daoist Xu, how much are your talismans? Do you offer discounts for bulk orders?"

The cultivator surnamed Xu was momentarily speechless. Just as he was about to speak, Liang Qiwu shouted at Qi Jiushan.

"Junior brother, what's the rush? Fellow Daoist Xu is a distinguished guest, not some rude rogue cultivator coming to sell his wares. Can we really discuss business in this desolate wilderness?"

"When we get back, we'll brew Fellow Daoist Xu a pot of the finest Cloud Mist Tea, and then we can have a detailed discussion. That's the proper way to treat a guest."

The cultivator surnamed Xu's expression darkened further, clearly implying something when the other party said "an impolite rogue cultivator who comes to sell things."

"Yes, yes, senior brother is right." Qi Jiushan quickly replied, cupping his hands to the Xu-surnamed cultivator, "I was too hasty, I'm so sorry."

"Hmph..." The cultivator surnamed Xu snorted coldly.

After this interruption, he couldn't continue to pursue the girl's "whisper."

"Alright, alright, everyone, please follow me."

Liang Qiwu led the way, stepping on a bamboo leaf as they flew towards the mountaintop below.

The cultivator surnamed Xu was stepping on a talisman about ten feet long and three or four feet wide when he felt a sudden, powerful force strike his side. He lost control of himself and the talisman beneath his feet and fell to the ground.

"ah--"

In mid-air, Li Yinsheng, who had swatted the Xu surname cultivator down with a single wing while riding his talisman crane, faced the gazes of the crowd with a completely insincere expression of apology.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry. I'm usually so focused on cultivation that I'm not very skilled at manipulating objects. Just now, Fellow Daoist Xu was too close, and my talisman crane wasn't very easy to control..."

Li Yinsheng shrugged, indicating that it was all an accident.

The others looked at each other.

Apart from the other person from Shouyi Temple who remained silent and had a livid face, the two people from Huangzhu Temple and the other two people from the other Taoist temples all had expressions that suggested they wanted to laugh but were hesitant to do so directly.

However, beneath their suppressed laughter, they couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

Everyone knows that Li Yinsheng's "sneak attack" just now could not have been accidental, but that Xu surname cultivator was a steward of Shouyi Temple, with considerable cultivation, and the talisman he used was even more extraordinary, yet he was so easily defeated.

Even if you get the advantage of a sneak attack, it's not that easy. It seems that this Fellow Daoist Li's methods are truly remarkable.

A moment later, the Xu-surnamed cultivator who had been slapped down flew back angrily.

Although he didn't seem to be injured, and his Taoist robe, made of an extraordinary material, was undamaged, it was covered in leaves and twigs, and upon closer inspection, it was also stained with some mud.

Those cultivators who dare to fly naturally have ways to ensure that they will not be injured even if they fall to the ground while flying.

Otherwise, if someone were to fall while traveling and lose their life, that would be a ridiculous death.

But below was a dense forest, and he fell from the treetops to the ground, inevitably ending up in a sorry state.

"You, surnamed Li!"

The cultivator surnamed Xu glared fiercely at Li Yinsheng, but dared not utter any harsh words. His gloomy old face showed not only anger but also fear.

"Hey, Fellow Daoist Xu, as you just said, Fellow Daoist Li is still young, so he is not very skilled at controlling flying magical artifacts and accidentally touched you."

Liang Qiwu stepped forward with a serious expression, forcing himself not to laugh: "This old man apologizes to you on his behalf. Please forgive me, fellow Daoist."

The cultivator surnamed Xu gritted his teeth and remained silent for a long while before finally squeezing out the words: "...It's alright."

"Then, gentlemen, please continue to follow me." Liang Qiwu stepped forward to lead the way.

"Wait!" The cultivator surnamed Xu sprinted down on the talisman beneath his feet, stopping beside Liang Qiwu and leaving Li Yinsheng behind. "I will walk alongside Fellow Daoist Liang."

"Alright, please." Liang Qiwu nodded and led the group to fly downwards.

Then, he felt a whoosh of wind beside his ear, and Li Yinsheng, who had been riding the talisman crane at the back, overtook him and slapped the Xu surname cultivator down with one wing.

Moreover, the crane's wings precisely avoided Liang Qiwu, who was right next to it, without touching him at all.

The crowd was silent, except for the shouts from the cultivator surnamed Xu, which were even louder than before.

"An accident, an accident," Li Yinsheng said with a smile, spreading his hands again.

"An accident, an accident." Mu Xiaoyu stood aside, mimicking Li Yinsheng's shrug.

"Uh..." Liang Qiwu suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

When he first saw the cultivator surnamed Xu being shot down, he assumed it was mostly due to a sneak attack.

Now that he was witnessing it firsthand, he realized that the seemingly simple strike was actually extremely clever and almost unavoidable.

Even if it were him, he would most likely be slapped down without any chance to fight back.

His gaze swept over the talisman crane at Li Yinsheng's feet.

Strange, this talisman crane looks like a unique treasure of the Yellow Crane Temple. I've only ever heard that this talisman crane is extremely good at escaping, I've never heard that this thing is also good at slapping people.

But no matter what, if it can teach the people of Shouyi Temple a lesson, then it's a good thing!

These people are getting more and more outrageous; they're even trying to plunder Huangzhu Temple now!

They clearly never invited them, yet they suddenly came to ask for a share of the profits, and even wanted Huangzhu Temple to pay for some talismans. They are truly insatiable!

"Fellow Daoist Li need not worry. I believe Fellow Daoist Xu is not a narrow-minded person," Liang Qiwu said to Li Yinsheng with a smile.

Li Yinsheng nodded: "That would be best."

He glanced at the spot where the Xu-surnamed cultivator had fallen with a scream, and gave a sneer.

Are you being sarcastic and sarcastic? Are you trying to put down me to praise your talismans?

Do you think I'm some kind of easy-going pushover?

Moreover, he could clearly sense that the other party's sudden attack on him was not simply a ploy to belittle one person and praise another.

Judging from the man's expression and tone when he mentioned Xuanzhen Temple, it was probably his identity as a member of Xuanzhen Temple that was the main reason he was making trouble for him.

Li Yinsheng had not forgotten that Shouyi Temple had already publicly reserved the spiritual vein of Xuanzhen Temple in advance.

This training session on fruit picking lasted for a full two weeks. He was worried that staying here for two weeks would be a bit boring, but then some fun just happened to come his way.

Li Yinsheng sneered inwardly.

You're the one who guards the temple, right? Take your time. I'm bored anyway, and I have plenty of time to play with you for the next two weeks.