The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife-Chapter 23: The Limits of My Guidance

Master Li’s lips trembled, rendering him speechless with anger.

The young disciples once again bowed to Nanli, pleading, "Please, Lady Chu, accept us. Otherwise, we shall remain kneeling forever!"

A twitch formed at the corner of Nanli’s mouth.

Was this a case of forced buying and selling?

"I have no desire to take you in," she firmly refused.

One of the young disciples gazed at her earnestly. "Lady Chu, your mastery of the Dao is awe-inspiring. We greatly admire you and promise to learn diligently. Moreover, our aptitude is not lacking. In the future, we will follow only your teachings."

"Aptitude is secondary. What matters most..." Nanli paused, scanning their faces, "is that I do not accept those older than me."

Silence fell upon the courtyard.

Master Li, feeling triumphant, chimed in, "Indeed! Just look at yourselves, not considering your own age. You dare to disrespect your teacher and ancestors. Unless you kowtow to me three times, do not even think about returning to my tutelage."

The young disciples exchanged glances and quickly made their decision. "Even if Lady Chu refuses to accept us, we will not return to you!" the leading disciple declared indignantly.

"We thought you were withholding your true abilities, but it turns out you truly lack any skills. If we were to continue following you, it would be a waste of time."

Their wounds still ached.

If it weren’t for Lady Chu, they would have perished tonight.

Being humiliated by these rebels, Master Li’s heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys all throbbed with pain.

Although Nanli did not take them as her disciples, the young disciples respectfully bid farewell to her before leaving.

"Wait," Nanli called out, summoning a talisman. "Go to Xuanyue Temple in Lianzhou. They are in need of a few water carriers."

The disciples of Xuan Men valued character above all else. With their character being somewhat malleable and their aptitude not lacking, Qing Xu would surely appreciate them.

The young disciples accepted the talisman, their faces filled with joy. Lady Chu must be testing them, and as long as they passed, they would become her disciples.

It must be so!

Master Li stared at the talisman, his eyes wide open. He quickly packed his belongings and hurried to catch up with them.

Tranquility returned to the Xiao residence.

However, the kitchen had just been disturbed, so they could only prepare a bowl of plain noodles to satisfy Nanli’s hunger.

She didn’t rush to leave and instead took a stroll around the Xiao residence. She noticed that the Feng Shui layout of the residence was not ideal, so she made some adjustments.

Although it was late at night, illuminated by the moonlight, the Xiao couple found the scenery before them much more pleasing to the eye. Their admiration for Nanli grew even stronger.

Without a word, they took out silver notes as a token of gratitude. A total of three thousand taels.

"This was originally intended for Master Li, but now that Sixth Miss has resolved the ghost problem, please accept it," the Lord Xiao said.

"He dares to charge three thousand taels for his services?" Nanli counted the silver notes, somewhat surprised.

It seemed Master Li has no clear understanding of his own worth!

Suddenly, she realized that she had been undervaluing herself all this time.

But it had to be said, this profession was indeed profitable.

The Lord Xiao shrugged. "Indeed, tonight we were fortunate to have Sixth Miss turn the tide."

Nanli only took two five-hundred-tael notes and said, "My eldest brother is about to marry Miss Xiao. We are family, after all. I’ll give you a discount."

The couple nodded happily in response.

Nanli sojourned at the Xiao Residence for a night.

The following day, as Xiao Wanyi basked in the sunlight, her vitality was restored, and the malevolent aura between her brows dissipated. The kitchen continued its routine, delivering a grand table of breakfast.

In the past, Xiao Wanyi would have immediately picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

However, this morning, upon seeing the abundant spread of food, her usual appetite seemed to have vanished.

She couldn’t believe that the starving ghost within her had been tamed.

Overwhelmed with excitement, she embraced Nanli tightly and exclaimed, "Dear sister, thank you! I no longer have the constant urge to eat like before!"

Nanli was almost breathless from the tight embrace and quickly responded, "Xiao sister, it’s a trivial matter, no need to dwell on it, especially since I have already been compensated."

"Even if you have been compensated, I still need to express my gratitude," Xiao Wanyi finally released Nanli.

However, upon seeing her plump fingers and catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, tears welled up in her eyes once again.

She sobbed, "But I am still so fat, I can’t even fit into the wedding dress I made before."

Nanli had anticipated Xiao Wanyi’s distress and took out a scroll, saying, "Xiao sister, no worry. As long as you follow this scroll for exercise, I guarantee you will lose fifty catties in a month. By the time of your wedding, you will be radiant and beautiful."

Xiao Wanyi quickly wiped away her tears and took a look at the scroll, almost blacking out.

The scroll clearly stated that she must exercise for four periods each day without slacking off.

Even meals had to be strictly controlled, with no consumption of fatty meat and no overindulgence.

Nanli supported Xiao Wanyi, who was on the verge of fainting, and summed it up, "In short, it’s about moving your legs and controlling your mouth."

Xiao Wanyi’s scalp tingled, and she struggled to speak, "I understand..."

Not only Xiao Wanyi, but also master Li felt uncomfortable. It took them three days to reach Xuanyue Temple, and when Qing Xu saw the talisman, his mouth twitched twice in disdain.

"Wasn’t she supposed to return home to inherit the family fortune? How can she still recruit disciples for Xuanyue Temple?"

His face was full of contempt.

"These little ones can be forgiven, but why would they accept an old man? He looks older than me."

The young Taoist said, "Master, you misunderstood. He lacks skills but insisted on following us."

Li’s beard almost stood on end. "Where am I lacking skills? I came to pay a visit!"

He just wanted to see who the little girl was apprenticed to. If he could learn a few tricks in secret, it would be even better.

Qing Xu snorted and pointed directly to the nearby water bucket and carrying pole. "Whether you are visiting or seeking apprenticeship, if you want to stay at Xuanyue Temple, you must fill the water bucket."

"Is this how you treat guests at Xuanyue Temple?" Master Li looked at the path down the mountain, and his legs were already trembling.

The young Taoists were all excited. As long as they carried the water, they could stay! Then they could learn from Miss Chu!

Without hesitation, they picked up the water buckets and headed down the mountain.

Li refused to move. His old bones couldn’t withstand such exertion.

"If you don’t carry the water, then leave," Qing Xu glared at him.

"I am Li Zhengkui, the Master of Beifeng Temple. How can you make me carry water?!" He had no choice but to assert his identity.

Qing Xu raised an eyebrow. "So you’re from Beifeng Temple. What do you want?"

"I saw the talismans used by your disciple in the capital, and they were truly powerful. I wonder if they were drawn by you?"

Qing Xu immediately understood what this person was after. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I don’t possess such skills. Those talismans were definitely drawn by Nanli using the Tianxing Brush, which is why they have such formidable power."

"The Tianxing Brush?!" Li Zhengkui widened his eyes in astonishment.

According to records, the founder of Xuanyue Temple had made a name for himself with a brush and a sword.

However, after the founder left, the disciples of Xuanyue Temple had mediocre abilities, so people from Beifeng Temple considered it a mere rumor.

He had seen Nanli’s talismans and believed that even the Thunder Talisman was drawn with the Tianxing Brush. If Beifeng Temple could obtain this Brush, their power would surely greatly increase.

Li Zhengkui smirked and hurriedly went down the mountain.

Qing Xu watched his figure and smiled. "My disciple, I can only help you up to this point. Beifeng Temple has a Zi Yun (Purple Cloud) Cauldron, which is the best alchemy cauldron in the world."freёwebnoѵel.com