The spiritual energy was restored, and he became a mortal immortal in two days.

Taiqingzi, however, seemed oblivious to the astonishment of the crowd. He turned back to his seat, his smile unwavering, and looked at the old man, his tone becoming incredibly cheerful and cooperative:

"Fellow Daoist Cangxuan, regarding what you just said about guarding the southern border, I believe that the considerations of Lingxiao and the Alliance are very thorough and reasonable!"

He paused, then spoke in a loud, resonant voice, carrying an air of unwavering duty: "As a leading force of the righteous path, it is our bounden duty, Taiqing Temple, to protect all living beings!"

"The drug problem in southern Xinjiang is endangering the people. How can our Taiqing Temple sit idly by?"

"I, Taiqing Temple, will take on this responsibility of guarding the area!"

"what?"

Several elders of Taiqing Temple almost couldn't help but gasp in surprise, staring in astonishment at their ancestor.

Weren't you still hesitating just now?

Why did it suddenly become "an inescapable duty"?

And they accepted so readily? That place in southern Xinjiang...

Cang Laodao and Ye Li exchanged bewildered glances, completely unprepared for Taiqingzi's rapid and thorough transformation!

All the follow-up arguments, conditions for exchanging benefits, and even the possible excuses and bargaining they had prepared were no longer needed.

Taiqingzi, seemingly oblivious to the astonishment of his elders and the confusion of Lingxiao and the other two, continued enthusiastically, "Not only that!"

"To ensure a successful defense and completely eradicate the poisoning scourge in the southern border, my Taiqing Temple is willing to send three additional Golden Core elders, carrying one hundred bottles of the temple's treasured 'Heart-Clearing and Poison-Dispelling Pills' and five hundred 'Taiqing Exorcising Talismans,' to accompany us!"

"All losses of necessary supplies will be borne entirely by my Taiqing Temple!"

"We will absolutely not cause any trouble for the Alliance or Lingxiao!"

Upon hearing this, even the old Taoist priest couldn't sit still, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

These conditions are simply too generous!

Not only did he readily accept the most difficult and dangerous tasks, but he also took the initiative to increase the workload by paying out of his own pocket.

Is this still the Taiqing Temple, known for its "quiet and inactive" and somewhat "stingy" practices?

Ye Li's doubts deepened. She looked sharply at Tai Qingzi, then at Lin Xiaoman, who looked completely bewildered and seemed utterly unaware of the commotion her words had caused.

Taiqingzi felt a little guilty under Ye Li's gaze, but being an old and shrewd man, he kept his smile unchanged, stroked his beard, and said with emotion, "My Taiqing Temple and Qingcheng Mountain are of the same lineage and have a long-standing relationship."

"It felt especially warm to see my friend Xiaoman today."

"A small contribution, nothing to boast about?"

"We only hope to quell the chaos in the southern borderlands as soon as possible and restore peace to the people, so as not to fail our Taoist sect's responsibility to save the world!"

He attributed his motives to "Taoist origins" and "a sense of responsibility to save the world," which, while still somewhat far-fetched, was at least an explanation.

Although the old man found it strange, he naturally had no reason to refuse given the other party's generous terms and cooperative attitude.

He suppressed his doubts, stood up, cupped his hands, and solemnly said, "Fellow Daoist Taiqingzi, your righteousness is truly admirable! You have the well-being of all people in your heart and consider the greater good!"

"On behalf of Lingxiao and the Alliance, I thank you for your strong support, fellow Daoist!"

"This matter is settled then! I will have Ye Li discuss the specific details with your elders later."

"Of course, of course!"

Taiqingzi beamed, as if he had accomplished something of immense merit. "Fellow Daoist Cangxuan, Fairy Yeli, and young friend Xiaoman, you have traveled a long way and must be tired. Why don't you stay at the temple for a few days, so that I may extend my hospitality?"

His attitude was unbelievably enthusiastic.

Ye Li and the old Taoist priest exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.

But since things went more smoothly than expected, they didn't want to investigate further, so they readily agreed.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, fellow Daoist."

"Not at all, not at all! Your presence is an honor!"

Taiqingzi waved his hand repeatedly and personally led the three to the guest courtyard, showing them great care and concern along the way.

Especially towards Lin Xiaoman, he treated her like his most beloved junior, making the elders of Taiqing Temple's eyelids twitch and their minds frantically guess: What exactly is the Ancestor up to?

Only Taiqingzi himself knew the truth.

Forget about guarding the southern border, forget about sect interests—all of that is meaningless in the face of the identity of "Master Lu Yao's best friend"!

We must serve them well!

This is a direct bridge to the "patriarch"!

If this little ancestor were to mention the merits of Taiqing Temple to Ancestor Lu Yao... the benefits would far outweigh the losses incurred by the mere garrison in the Southern Frontier.

Taiqingzi made up his mind that in the next few days, he would make sure to serve his friend Lin Xiaoman comfortably and make him feel at home!

.......

After seeing Lingxiao and the other two off to the guest courtyard, the elders of Taiqing Temple could no longer contain themselves and surrounded their ancestor, chattering away.

"Ancestor! This is the Southern Frontier, an extremely dangerous place. Why should we be so proactive, even spending so many resources?"

"Yes, Ancestor, even if we were to accept it, we should have negotiated a bit and tried to get some compensation from the alliance!"

"Ancestor, aren't you being a little too enthusiastic towards that little girl from Lingxiao?"

Taiqingzi looked at his disciples and followers, who were all puzzled, stroked his beard, smiled mysteriously, and said only two sentences:

"You guys need to broaden your horizons."

"Some connections are more important than anything else."

After saying that, he drifted away, leaving the elders staring at each other, pondering the ancestor's mysterious words.

"Fate? What fate?"

A younger elder muttered to himself.

"Could it be... related to Mount Qingcheng? Or to that 'Sister Yao'?"

Another quick-thinking elder guessed, "Didn't our ancestor go to Qingcheng Mountain before? And after he came back..."

The group looked at each other, seemingly having grasped something, yet it was like looking at flowers through a fog, not very clear.

But one thing they were certain of: the weight that the Qingcheng Mountain Xianyun Temple, and that female disciple named Lu Yao, held in the heart of the patriarch was probably far greater than they could have imagined!

From now on, we must be extremely careful and respectful towards that side!

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaoman, in the guest courtyard, was enjoying a plate of rare and spiritually potent fruits sent by Taiqing Temple, completely unaware of the subtle impact her casual remark had had.

"Wow, the elders at Taiqing Temple are so hospitable! The fruit is so sweet!"

"Next time I go to visit Sister Yao, I must tell her!"

She thought to herself with delight.

........

Qingzhou, Lingxiao Headquarters, Strategic Analysis Center.

This is a vast space where modern technology and ancient mystery intertwine.

The walls are made of specially formulated sound-absorbing and energy-insulating materials, and the floor is covered with smooth, silver-gray alloy panels.

In the center of the room, a huge holographic projection sand table is suspended.

The display shows real-time markers of major spiritual energy nodes, known secret realms, important sect headquarters, and areas of abnormal energy activity across the country and even the world.

Dozens of monitoring screens of varying sizes surrounded the area, displaying massive amounts of data streams, satellite images, energy fluctuation maps, and encrypted reports from field teams in various locations.

Personnel dressed in uniform combat gear or research lab coats were busy at their posts, talking in hushed tones, creating a serious yet efficient atmosphere.

This is one of the core brains of the Lingxiao Extraordinary Events Handling and Cultivation Affairs Management Organization.

At this moment, in a separate analysis room on one side of the center, several people are gathered around an oval conference table.

A report that had just been encrypted and transmitted back from Taiqing Temple was projected onto the table.