Xuanjian: I am the tenth son of Zhenchi, and I plot to seize the throne from Zhenlong.

"Senior, what kind of monk is this?"

Li Xijun pulled Su Ming aside and boldly examined him closely. Seeing that Su Ming's eyes were clear and his talisman seed had not given any warning, he felt relieved and asked in a low voice.

"It's hard to say. This monk comes from an extraordinary background. I just talked with him for a while, and he doesn't seem to have any ill intentions. Whether your family should take him in as a guest retainer is not for me to decide, but it shouldn't be a fight right now."

Li Xijun nodded, his expression softening somewhat. Even if a fight broke out, it wouldn't matter. They were in a hurry to go down the mountain only because they were afraid that Su Ming would be lured away by this monk.

He quickly walked to Li Qinghong's side, already having prepared his words, and said softly, "Master, there are many disagreements between my clan and your esteemed sect. The matter of becoming a guest elder will require the head of the family to return and discuss it."

Seeing that Kong Heng nodded without any dissatisfaction, he continued, "However, Wangyue Lake is not something my family can decide. If the Master wants to stay by the lake, it is entirely up to his preference."

"However, I must first establish a few rules for the Master to know, so as to avoid damaging the harmony in the future."

Kong Heng clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect: "I would like to hear the details."

"The other clans by the lake admire and respect the Dao, which my family naturally does not concern itself with. However, the Daoist master cannot arbitrarily convert my family's disciples and the mortals under his jurisdiction. This is one of the reasons."

Despite being a young boy, he spoke with surprising maturity, which pleased Li Qinghong, who watched from the side.

Kong Heng replied sincerely, "This humble monk's spiritual cultivation is shallow, and I dare not speak of teaching, nor do I accept novices."

"Secondly, my family's land is covered with magic arrays. If the Master has something to tell you, please..." Li Xijun glanced at Su Ming beside him. Seeing him nod, he said with relief, "Please inform Senior Su first. My family will send someone to invite the Master. However, you cannot go up the mountain at will."

Kong Heng nodded: "Of course, thank you for your trouble, Master Su."

"I have heard that your esteemed sect often sets up altars to preach the Dharma, read scriptures and recite the Tao. When the practice becomes more profound, pilgrims spontaneously build temples and sculpt statues for your sect, and the incense continues to burn continuously."

Li Xijun stared intently at Kong Heng and said, "But under my family's rule, the people are poor and cannot hold sermons or accept worshippers."

"There should also be no Buddhist temples. If the Dharma Master is to practice by the lake, he may only build a hut. We hope the Dharma Master will understand. This is the third point."

Kong Heng had no intention of doing these things, so he naturally agreed.

Seeing that the monk agreed to the conditions without any dissatisfaction, Li Xijun finally relaxed his serious expression.

He simply cupped his hands in greeting and stepped aside to stand beside the woman. Seeing this, Li Qinghong also suppressed her hostility and waited for Li Yuanjiao to return and make a decision. Then she whispered a warning to Su Ming to be careful before taking Li Xijun up the mountain.

Li Xuanxuan paced around the courtyard for a long time. Seeing that everyone had returned unharmed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly went to greet them: "How did it go? Did you chase that monk away?"

Li Qinghong shook her head, her eyebrows relaxed, but her face was filled with an irrepressible smile: "My Xijun is intelligent and capable."

He then recounted what had happened down the mountain, and Li Xuanxuan listened with repeated praise, patting Li Xijun's shoulder vigorously: "Good, good boy, much better than I was back then!"

Li Xijun was a little embarrassed by such praise to his face, and could only cup his hands and say, "Auntie, you flatter me. But you must give Senior Su a lot of advice. Maybe this monk is just being polite on the surface, but is actually thinking of ways to seduce people."

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"I am very grateful to the Daoist for helping me out of this predicament." Kong Heng, who was allowed to cultivate here at the foot of the mountain, also had a look of joy on his face.

Su Ming looked somewhat puzzled, but led him towards the thatched hut and casually asked, "Master, you have been so generous in imparting your teachings; I should be thanking you. But I wonder, with such a vast world and such extraordinary words, why did you insist on staying by the lake?"

Kong Heng rubbed his staff in his hand, and said somewhat vaguely, "This humble monk was passing through this place and felt that some calamity was about to befall the Li family of immortals."

He said with emotion, "Kongheng left the temple and traveled the world to find answers to his questions. He could practice anywhere, so there was no harm in staying."

"As for imparting the Dao, I dare not mention it. It's just that when the Daoist asked, I happened to know the answer and told him the truth. That's all."

Su Ming glanced at the monk again, and felt that he was truly different from any monk he had ever met before. He chuckled softly.

"My Yuxi has just gone on a breakthrough, and I heard that the town doesn't like Buddhist monks. Before the thatched hut is finished, you might as well stay here with me, Master."

Two days later, Li Yuanjiao arrived in disguise with the Immortal Mirror. He scanned Su Ming and Kong Heng with [Investigation of the Netherworld] and, seeing that neither of them was acting strangely, he was relieved.

However, they did not send anyone to contact the monk, which was tantamount to acknowledging that he was practicing by the lake.

On the contrary, Li Xijun was so quick-witted and had the makings of a good homemaker that he and Li Yuanping discussed it for a long time without coming up with a solution.

…………

Around Jade Court Mountain, Su Ming sat cross-legged on a rock, picked up his magic sword and wiped it with a white cloth, expressing his insights recorded on the True Explanation.

He read it carefully several times, and with the sword intent he had gained that day, he felt that the long sword in his hand was becoming more and more nimble.

According to the words in his mind, those demonic cultivators should be lurking nearby. He concealed his aura with a secret technique and waited impatiently.

Then, at a certain moment, a thunderous sound rang out, followed by several wild laughs from the town not far away, and wisps of demonic clouds rose up.

One of the thickest demonic clouds rapidly flew to a spot not far from Su Ming, from which a black-robed cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining emerged. With a sinister grin, he thrust out a palm, and wisps of white energy rushed towards him.

Su Ming's brows relaxed, and he laughed heartily, "I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

He leaped to his feet, his eyes already glowing with gray-red flames. He unleashed the "Burning Karma and Scorching Desire" technique, bringing his two fingers together and slashing at the longsword in his hand.

The flames then enveloped the longsword and solidified, turning its original silver edge grayish-red. Su Ming casually swung his sword, without even unleashing any sword energy, and the white mist was completely burned away.

"Hey, what's this 'treasure'?"

Su Ming still needed to wait for Li Yuanjiao and the others to come and surround him. For the time being, he was still using a secret technique to conceal himself, maintaining an aura of about the eighth level of Qi Refining. Qiu Ji saw that this person easily dispelled his spell with a wave of his magic sword, and thought it was some kind of good treasure.

Overcome by greed, he covered his palms with white mist, and a flash of blood appeared beneath his feet as he launched a direct attack.

However, he regretted it the moment his palms touched the magic sword. His hands, which were covered in white mist and were always invincible, capable of disarming a blade with bare hands, were like a piece of tender tofu in front of this magic sword.

The moment they made contact, the white mist dissipated, and two severed fingers flew off. Qiu Ji abruptly pulled away, painfully shaking his hand, his eyes fixed on the gray-red sword with suspicion.

"What is that? A Foundation Establishment artifact?"

His white mist is most harmful to magical artifacts and physical bodies. He once used it to seize a mid-grade magical artifact from a rogue cultivator with his bare hands. The fact that this sword could break through the white mist so easily and effortlessly meant that it must be a Foundation Establishment magical artifact in his eyes.

"Hahaha, Master Qiu, what's going on?"

As the demonic clouds surged, several more figures arrived. One of the demonic cultivators, holding a mirror, joked with a smile on his face.

Qiu Ji was unwilling to part with this Foundation Establishment artifact, and simply chuckled, "While the Li family cultivators haven't arrived yet, you all hurry up and break the formation on the mountain. I'll hold this kid off!"

The other four were already itching to get started, so they naturally agreed. Zhang Huaide, who was holding the magic mirror, had his eyes darting around. No one gets up early without a reason. How could Qiu Ji be so kind as to help them hold them off? There must be something for him to gain.

He smiled, then urged the magic mirror in his hand to unleash a beam of blood-red light, his voice fervent: "What does Master Qiu take me for? I'm here to help you!"