Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 651 - 256 Taoist Sect (1/2)

The sect's disciples vaguely remember, on that day at the dining table, the enforcer elder's face was as cold as a sword drawn for slashing.

From the Sect Leader to the rest, as soon as the elder uttered the words to eat, everyone bowed their heads and ate voraciously,

Devouring the insipid and watery meal that had turned into a delicacy, finishing it completely within a short period, leaving not a single grain. Returning later, their mouths were so bland they felt like climbing the mountain to lick tree bark for some flavor.

Next to the Hall of the Three Pure Ones sits a small hall that venerates the Wealth God of the Taoist Sect. A white-robed Taoist with a jade crown and frosted temples sneaks in, only to find his brother, who always has a grim expression, sitting in front of an almost dust-ridden incense box, tallying the sect's expenditure.

This incense box was crafted during their youth, when they dreamt of filling it with copper coins, enough to make a jingling sound. Sadly, it has never been put to use.

In his lifetime, he has never heard a single sound from that box. It seems that for this reason, the sect's income has also suffered greatly in recent times.

On seeing his brother with clenched eyebrows nearly knotted in worry and his light brown eyes lifting to look at him, he shivers and laughs nervously as he steps out, saying,

"...Well, that, um."

"Brother, the weather today is quite good, haha, not a cloud in the sky or anything..."

He looks up, only to see the hall of the Wealth God surrounded by thick clouds, as if rain is imminent.

The jade-crowned Taoist wears a mournful expression.

The brother before him still maintains an icy demeanor, cold as a block of ice. He vaguely remembers his brother used to be very cheerful when he was younger, but for some reason, the older he got, the colder he became, never smiling again.

Especially since his disciple ran down the mountain, he's become as cold as someone ready to draw his sword at any moment, even though he himself had originally sent Mu Shanxue down the mountain, and it remained so, with meals becoming blander by the day, and rice never being enough.

The Sect Leader of Weiming Sect touched his mouth and then sat down next to his brother to discuss their dietary situation. But as he checked the ledgers and saw the sea of red ink, he grimaced and said, "Brother, what is this...?"

The enforcer, who appears barely over thirty, replied simply,

"We're out of money."

"We've raided every thieving stronghold we could recently, and our purses are cleaner than your face, elder brother."

The jade-crowned Taoist's lips twitched slightly, and he ventured to ask,

"Perhaps we could write to Jade Bamboo Peak in the original Sect to borrow some?"

"When our founding master descended the mountain, it was in search of an answer that even his own master couldn't resolve. He pledged he would return to the ancestral Taoist court if he found the answer, but he never did."

"Imagine if we took his ashes up the mountain, claiming we've grasped the answer to that question and wish to rejoin the Sect. Do you think they would send us some money? I heard that the Commandery Princess of Tianhe's family returned to the court not long ago, enriching the Sect by three thousand taels of silver. It would be nice if we could get a share of that."

The white-robed Taoist sneered, saying,

"That... what is subtlety and cleverness?"

The jade-crowned Sect Leader forced a laugh.

The white-robed Taoist returned his gaze, sneering coldly,

"Elder brother Sect Leader, let us not speak of this again."

"Beware lest I reduce you to ashes as well."

The Sect Leader shivered and hastily dropped the subject, but the concerning sight of the red ink in the ledger remained alarming. After some thought, he tried another approach,

"Then... perhaps we could have Han bring back some silver again?"

New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.

The white-robed Taoist looked over with a cool gaze as the man lacking any semblance of a Sect Leader's authority nervously explained, "You see, he's been traveling for so long; isn't collecting some money a simple task for him?"

"And we haven't seen Han for many years."

The white-robed Taoist seemed to ponder this, his expression softening slightly.

The Sect Leader sighed, "If only Ah Xue and Chong He were here, we could have Han teach them a thing or two..."

The white-robed Taoist replied, "There's no need for teaching. Shanxue's path is different from his, and Chong He doesn't practice Martial Arts, instead cultivating the Innate Bagua rituals."

The Sect Leader grinned, "I never expected that the Innate Bagua you sought out that year would be mastered within a month by that boy. He seems even more skilled than those old Taoists who have poured their lives into studying the scriptures."

The white-robed Taoist, with a detached voice, said,

"Chong He has a hint of the Heavenly Secrets within him. Practicing the Innate Bagua is merely following the clues; as long as one isn't foolish, they can enter the door. Others practicing find no direction at all and achieve nothing despite their efforts."

The Sect Leader, still smiling, said,

"Yet to master it within a month is not something just any individual can achieve."

The white-robed Taoist didn't answer, merely nodding in acknowledgment.

The Sect Leader said again,

"Chong He is not a good Taoist name, it's too old-fashioned."

The white-robed Taoist shook his head and said indifferently,

"It's just to conceal the Heavenly Secrets."

"If she had not achieved the Innate Bagua, capable of interfering with the divination of Heavenly Secrets, I wouldn't allow her to leave the mountain."

"On this mountain, Chong He is just Chong He."

"When the time comes that Chong He is no longer Chong He, there won't be much left of the Weiming Sect. Either the disciples will manage to escape with their lives or we won't be able to stay in this sect any longer."

The Sect Leader sighed twice, then suddenly said viciously,

"I should have left her in the snowy fields back then, not caring about her."

The white-robed Taoist stood up, lifted his foot, and kicked the Sect Leader's buttocks without courtesy, saying, "Get up and cook, today it's your turn to rinse the rice."

"...I am the Sect Leader, after all."

"Then go out and make money."

"I will rinse the rice."

"Remember to use your Qinggong, and make sure the disciples don't see it. You are the Sect Leader, after all; losing face wouldn't look good."

The corner of the Sect Leader's mouth twitched as he said, "Little brother, shall we hire a couple of hired hands?"

The white-robed Taoist looked down on him with contempt and uttered one word from his lips.

"Poor."

.........

The ancestral home of the Taoist Sect has always been known as the most serene place in the world. There are thousands of Taoists on the mountain, with groups of temples, almost every dynasty has granted titles to them.

There are many cultivators in the world, but over the past thousand years, ninety percent of those worthy of the title 'Heavenly Master of the Taoist Sect' have descended from this mountain.

The Taoists in the ancestral home practice various Dharma, but the truly diligent ones are those who do not marry, abstain from meat, and cultivate purity. They are focused solely on meditating and cultivating Qi, maintaining their character. Over the past thousands of years, there have been few who have broken these rules.

In the past three hundred years, there has been only one such transgressor twenty years ago.

Seven thousand dragons and serpents danced together, all clad in Mysterious Armor and red cloaks.

With a spear thrust to the ground, the whole world sang the Great Wind Song.

The Commandery Princess of Tianhe County played the zither in front of the formations.

The white-robed walker of the Taoist Sect, unbinding his sword, came down the mountain alone.

It immediately became a well-known situation of three victories and three defeats. The Taoist walker lost all three matches, and in just a few months, he unbound his hair to secularize himself and married the Commandery Princess of Tianhe County.

Afterward, the Commandery Princess, who was once a formidable warrior, lost her previous aloofness and arrogance. She visited the Taoist Sect to pay respect to her elders each year, and her eldest son stayed to learn Martial Arts in the sect.

Dressed in a Taoist Robe, Qin Fei had fully grown into a tall and elegant figure, exuding a spirited appearance. With unparalleled skill in both fist and sword, and a gentle character, he was respected among his peers in the Taoist Sect.

At this moment, he soared from Jade Bamboo Peak, slashing through the raging winds in front of him, practically stepping on the Sword Qi, and landed steadily on the lower part of the thousand-zhang peak. He sheathed his sword back into the Sword Scabbard, displaying the Middle Third Rank Martial Artist's prowess.

Below the mountain, there was a small courtyard, and in the courtyard lay a beast half larger than an ordinary black bear, appearing lazy. It glanced at Qin Fei then lay back down to sleep.

A burly white-haired old Taoist sat in the yard.

Qin Fei approached and respectfully performed a salute, to which the old Taoist waved his hand. His gaze remained on the little girl who seemed to be sleeping beside him. Following his gaze, Qin Fei saw Zhang Tingyun in her Taoist Robe, breathing evenly, her appearance as lovely as a finely carved doll.

However, in his perception, the breeze, the grass, and the trees — the entire area resonated with her breathing. Qin Fei was taken aback and then looked at the fearsomely senior Taoist beside him, saying softly,

"Great-great-grandteacher, have you taught Little Tingyun Martial Arts?"

The Supreme Elder stroked his beard and replied, "No."

"She figured it out herself. It's a method for sleeping, for breathing."

Shaken, Qin Fei asked,

"Is it the embryo of Inner Strength?"

The Supreme Elder stretched a grin and emphasized,

"It's the embryo of the Middle Third Rank. Ordinary Martial Artists need to accumulate Inner Strength before they can have the chance to leap over the Longmen. Afterward, they desperately seek to invoke the Heaven and Earth Phenomena. But Tingyun has an Innate Taoist Body."

"She merely needs to extend her hand, and Heaven and Earth will come to her from all directions."

"Jealous? Even this old Taoist is jealous... What kind of talent is this? Comparing people will leave you despondent, comparing goods makes you want to throw them away; I even want to throw away this old self of mine."

Perhaps their conversation was a little loud because Zhang Tingyun's eyelashes quivered, and she gradually opened her eyes. Perhaps having just woken up, her eyes were filled with bewilderment.

Instantly, the Supreme Elder shifted his focus from Qin Fei, his face beaming with joy, as he moved forward, asking, "Awake, Tingyun? Do you want something to eat?"

"Or do you want to go play in the woods for a while? Here's some honey water; that creature beat it down just now, it's a top-notch wild killer bee honey, tastes quite good."

The Elder pointed to the black bear beside her, whose eye sockets were evidently swollen. Then he brought over a porcelain bowl filled with light amber-colored honey water and handed it to Zhang Tingyun.

The little girl duly thanked him and then greeted Qin Fei, who had come down from the mountain. She took the porcelain bowl but for some reason, her wrist suddenly weakened, the bowl fell to the ground, shattering into several pieces.

The honey water seeped into the soil.

PS: Offering the first chapter of the day, 3400 words...