Seeing that things were not going well, Kong Jia quickly stepped forward and stood between the two. "You two calm down, calm down. Since you are both here to help my disciple, you can be considered allies."

The abbot of Hanshan Temple had a cold look in his eyes. “Calm down? You heard it clearly just now. He was the one who spoke rudely first. He should apologize to this old monk both morally and logically.”

As the abbot of Hanshan Temple, he undoubtedly held a very high position and was respected wherever he went. When had he ever suffered such grievances?

Although he did not want to confront Ying Zheng directly, as the abbot, he also had to consider the reputation of Hanshan Temple. Even for the sake of Hanshan Temple's reputation, he had to stand up and at least make Ying Zheng apologize.

After all, apologizing won't hurt them, and the conflict with Qin has not reached the point of war.

Upon hearing this, Kong Jia's eyes turned slightly cold, and he approached the abbot of Hanshan Temple with a sense of oppression. "Your Majesty is a distinguished guest of the Confucian school. I hope you will not make things difficult for this old man."

When he is not angry, he is a kind-faced old man, but when he is slightly angry, he has an extraordinary aura that makes people tremble.

Seeing Kong Jia's firm attitude, the host snorted coldly and said nothing more.

This is, after all, Confucian territory, and since the leader of Confucianism has spoken, he naturally has to give him face.

As the banquet began, everyone was seated at their designated places. Ying Zheng was placed in the head seat by Kong Jia, representing the most honored guest.

Although the abbot of Hanshan Temple harbored resentment over this arrangement, he did not say much.

As everyone took their seats, Dugu Hai finally made his appearance.

He was a tall, slender young man dressed in a blue scholar's robe. He was not particularly tall, but gave off a gentle feeling.

Dugu Hai approached Kong Jia, bowed politely, and said, "Disciple greets Master!"

Kong Jia couldn't hide his affection for this highly talented and polite disciple, and a kind smile graced his face. "No need for formalities. How have you been lately?"

Dugu Hai stood up, a faint smile on his face. "Thank you for your concern, Teacher. My senior brothers have taken good care of me. I'm fine."

Upon hearing this, Kong Jia nodded slightly and cast a satisfied glance at Qingshan.

Before he left, he specifically instructed Qingshan to take good care of Dugu Hai, since Qingshan, as the senior brother, would be in charge in his absence.

It seems that Aoyama has accomplished his mission very well.

Kong Jia took out a piece of paper from his pocket. "This is a gift for you. Understand it well and don't waste it."

This is a mantra recorded in the little guy's own handwriting, and its power is much stronger than ordinary mantras. If Dugu Hai can comprehend it, his strength will definitely reach a new level.

Dugu Hai accepted the paper with both hands. "Thank you, teacher!"

From Kong Jia's description, he also knew that what was recorded there must be true words, which would help him in his spiritual practice.

But it wasn't bamboo slips, which surprised him. "Not bamboo slips?"

All the mantras he had encountered during his years of practice were recorded on bamboo slips; this was the first time he had ever seen such a strange and unusual thing.

Kong Jia, with a faint smile on his face, explained, "This is a treasure bestowed upon me by His Majesty, called 'paper.' It will be far better than bamboo slips for recording future incantations."

Dugu Hai was perceptive enough to see that Kong Jia was very satisfied with the paper, judging from his happy expression.

Moreover, this attitude suggests that he is quite satisfied with Ying Zheng.

Moreover, Ying Zheng is sitting in the most honored seat today, even the abbot of Hanshan Temple is not allowed to sit there, which shows how much Kong Jia values ​​him.

Dugu Hai bowed to Ying Zheng, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Ying Zheng's eyes were indifferent. "It's all as it should be."

Seeing that everyone revered Ying Zheng, the abbot of Hanshan Temple could no longer sit still and said coldly, "The Great Qin has always been completely ignorant of mantras. Now, suddenly they have produced a treasure that can record mantras. Are you sure there is no problem?"

He was already somewhat resentful that he wasn't allowed to sit in the main seat earlier, so naturally he couldn't stand it anymore.

Sensing the abbot's sarcastic tone, Kong Jia's expression turned slightly serious. "Whether there's a problem or not, I can tell for myself. There's no need for the abbot to worry about it."

Hearing Kong Jia's firm attitude, the abbot of Hanshan Temple's eyes darkened slightly, clearly displeased. However, considering that they were now on Confucian territory, he forcibly suppressed his resentment.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Qingshan quickly stepped forward and changed the subject, "I've also prepared a gift for you, junior brother. I hope you won't find it offensive."

Dugu Hai cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Senior brother's thoughtfulness is truly invaluable, whatever you prepare is precious."

Upon hearing this, Qingshan handed over a talisman, saying, "This is a talisman I obtained at great expense. It has the effect of exorcising demons and warding off evil spirits. I hope it can protect my junior brother's safety."

This thing is actually quite useful for Dugu Hai.

Because of his physical condition, he often encounters evil spirits. Although he now has the cultivation to deal with them on his own, constantly encountering such troubles is a waste of his energy.

With this talisman, the weaker evil spirits dared not approach, thus saving a lot of trouble.

Dugu Hai accepted the talisman, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

He is grateful and silently remembers all the kindness shown to him, and he will definitely think about repaying any kindness he receives in the future.

As soon as he finished speaking, another scholar stepped forward, "I have also prepared a gift for my junior brother."

The scholar was slightly overweight, which made him quite conspicuous among the group of scholars.

Kong Jia was quite surprised, "Yan Yun also prepared a gift?"

Yan Yun has always been reserved and dislikes crowded occasions. Even when she sees Kong Jia, she is very shy and awkward.

But he never expected that Dugu Hai would actually prepare a gift for him today.

Dugu Hai turned to the scholar, bowed, and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother Yanyun."

Yan Yun took out an exquisite wooden box from his pocket and said, "This is a thousand-year-old ginseng that I asked my family to find. It is said to have already developed a spiritual nature. Eating it will greatly help cultivation and can improve one's cultivation level in a very short time."

“Junior brother has always been physically weak. If he can eat this ginseng, his body will definitely be greatly strengthened.”

Upon hearing this, Dugu Hai frowned, looking at Yan Yun with a rather strange gaze, but showed no intention of accepting the gift.

Seeing this, he seemed quite puzzled and stretched the box out, "What's wrong, junior brother? Come and take the gift."

Dugu Hai stared at Yan Yun, "Senior Brother Yan Yun lives alone in Rushan all year round. He doesn't have a home at all."

Yan Yun's expression stiffened, and her gaze shifted unpredictably as she stared at Dugu Hai.

Dugu Hai added, "Moreover, Senior Brother Yan Yun comes from an ordinary family. He has never even seen a thousand-year-old ginseng, a priceless treasure. How could he possibly have obtained one as a gift for me?"

Yan Yun's gaze turned cold, and his kind face turned sinister. "What a pity."

As soon as he finished speaking, a surge of yin energy suddenly appeared around him, and his figure began to change. In the blink of an eye, the scholar's appearance was gone, and he became a sinister man dressed in white, holding a giant scythe that exuded a chilling aura.

Kong Jia was startled and quickly pulled Dugu Hai behind him, shouting, "The Soul Reaper?!"

He never expected that this soul-reaping messenger would sneak among the Confucian scholars so quietly, and even almost reach Dugu Hai.

If Dugu Hai hadn't been clever enough to see through his trick, he would have been in a dangerous situation just now.

The abbot of Hanshan Temple stood up and landed in front of the soul-reaping messenger. "With this old monk here, there's nothing to worry about!"