Chapter 467 Returning to the Sect Affairs

Qingyu and Qinghui flew out of the ancient city and landed on the shoulders of Zhong Wufu.

Zhong Cai raised her hand, grabbed Qingyu, and kneaded it in her palm.

Wu Shaogan then extended two fingers, first grabbing Qinghui by the back of its neck, and then rubbing its head a couple of times.

Qingyu let out a cheerful chirping sound.

Qinghui shook its fur happily.

The two rare beasts made a racket and then produced several mustard seed bags and mustard seed rings—it was unknown where or how they were hidden.

Qingyu called out a few more times.

Wu Shaogan raised his eyebrows: "You mean, we're going to hand over what we got from the secret realm?"

Qinghui also roared a few times.

Zhong Cai couldn't help but laugh: "Got a lot of good stuff?"

Qingyu and Qinghui responded in unison, nodding their little heads.

Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan exchanged a glance.

Then, each of them holding a small fluffy ball, they strolled leisurely into the two-tiered hall.

Zhong Cai added, "We'll talk about anything else inside. Old Wu and I have also gotten some things that might be useful to you two, and we'll share them with you right away..."

·

After returning to his room, Wu Shaogan sealed the entrance with an array, providing multiple layers of protection.

Zhong Cai pulled Wu Shaogan down to sit with her.

Qingyu fluttered and Qinghui leaped, and after landing, they transformed into a slightly larger Qingpeng and a silver wolf. They then used their claws to pick up the mustard seed utensils that had just been displayed and placed them on the table.

Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan exchanged a glance, then each picked up a mustard seed bag to examine it; they belonged to Qingyu and Qinghui respectively.

Because of their deep bond, Qingyu and Qinghui acted together, and the resources they obtained were of similar types.

Zhong Cai first saw many transparent boxes, most of which contained level seven medicinal herbs, a few level eight medicinal herbs, and... a common level nine medicinal herb.

Although it is not a rare medicine, this level is still very rare.

Zhong Cai heard Qing Hui's explanation from the side and realized that the two of them had also gone to Starlight Wanbao Lake and fished out a lot of resources from it.

Seeing that Zhong Cai was pleased, Wu Shaogan emptied out the contents of the other mustard seed utensils and began picking through them.

Even when using rare beasts to "fish," the rewards are incredibly diverse. There are already many items suitable for nourishing the bloodline and body of rare beasts, as well as numerous beast cores with similar attributes, medicinal herbs for refining beast-related elixirs, books on raising beasts, and inheritances from similar beasts…

The most interesting thing is—

Zhong Cai took out a funnel-shaped object, and looking down from the opening, she saw a dazzling, crystalline sight!

He raised an eyebrow, his expression remarkably similar to that of Wu Shaogan before.

"Mysterious stones?" Zhong Cai flipped the funnel, and many mysterious stones fell into his palm. "There are high, medium and low grades, a whole hodgepodge."

After scanning the area with his soul, Zhong Cai could clearly calculate that there were hundreds of thousands of mysterious stones inside.

Although only about 10% are top-grade, their value is already quite high—and this is just the result of one of Qingyu's "fishing" experiences.

Zhong Cai put the black stones back and continued counting them.

After reading through it, the couple didn't stand on ceremony with Qingyu and Qinghui, and each took out two more mustard seed rings.

Zhong Cai said, "The beast core and essence blood of the eighth-order Kunpeng belong to Qingyu."

Wu Shaogan said, "The beast core of the eighth-tier Earthshaking Wolf and the essence blood of the eighth-tier Crimson Blood Wolf belong to Qinghui."

Zhong Cai: "There are a total of 290 drops of the seventh-level Lingxiao Moon Dew, of which 145 drops will be given to Qingyu."

Wu Shaogan: "Give the rest to Qinghui."

Zhong Cai: "Give the level 7 Blood Jade Ginseng to Qing Yu."

Wu Shaogan: "Give the Level 7 Beast Spirit Crystal to Qinghui."

Zhong Cai: "...Give it to Qingyu..."

Wu Shaogan: "...Give it to Qinghui..."

The two of them quickly distributed the abundant resources to the two contracted rare beasts, exchanging words back and forth.

Not only did they share the resources they had collected, but they also shared much of what the Zhong and Wu couple had acquired with them.

Qingyu and Qinghui watched as they chirped happily.

After they had all been divided, Zhong Cai told them to take the two mustard seed rings away.

Qingyu and Qinghui happily took the items and carefully put them away—for a long time afterward, they would not lack resources, and their strength could improve even faster, hoping to reach the eighth rank sooner!

The two contracted beasts vaguely knew that their two masters were top geniuses unprecedented in the human race. If their strength level could not be at least one realm higher than theirs, then they might only become mere means of transportation and would be unable to share their burdens at all.

Their pride wouldn't allow it!

Moreover, from childhood to adulthood, both contracted rare beasts have called their masters "father." The resources their masters have spent raising them are enough to make several roundabout ways of raising children. They should at least live up to their reputation.

Both Qingyu and Qinghui were hoping to reach the eighth rank within a few years.

By then, they will not only be faster, but they should also have developed many other abilities...

Qingyu and Qinghui now possess complete intelligence.

Although she still acts like a child and likes to act cute in front of her owners, she is actually capable of thinking about many things.

·

Seeing Qingyu and Qinghui so happy, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan were also in a good mood. They patted their heads one by one before letting them go back to the ancient city to do their own thing.

The blue feathers and blue light vanished quickly.

However, there are a considerable number of other resources on the desktop.

Zhong Cai nudged Wu Shaogan.

Wu Shaogan also took out all the other resources that the two of them had collected but had not yet brought out.

The two began to tidy up.

There were many resources, but all the time in the secret realm was extremely precious. The couple searched diligently, carefully collecting only a few very rare resources that they could recognize at a glance and understand their uses. The rest of the resources were simply piled up in an empty resource hall.

Now it's time to carefully distinguish and categorize them.

In addition, we also need to stock the grocery store.

I'm quite busy.

As Zhong Cai flipped through the documents, she said with a grin, "I keep the resources I give to my master separately. Old Wu, why don't you pack up the ones you give to Master Jiang too?"

Wu Shaogan responded.

Zhong Cai's fingers flew across the paper as she tidied up very quickly.

Wu Shaogan was also very efficient in helping.

Even though their movements were incredibly smooth and they could identify things extremely quickly when they calmed down, there were just too many resources to process, and it still took them a lot of effort to organize them. So, it took them three or four hours to finally finish.

Then, Zhong Cai stood up and stretched.

Wu Shaogan held Zhong Cai's waist and gently massaged it.

The two looked at each other, and suddenly their faces lit up with smiles.

They still remember the jokes from before, and now they're out...

Zhong Cai cleared her throat and suggested, "Shall we go deliver the things to our masters first, and then return to the ancient city to go into seclusion?"

Wu Shaogan smiled gently and said, "I'll listen to A-Cai."

Both of them could feel that they were slightly warm, and their eyes were burning with passion when they looked at each other.

However, with important matters to attend to, I didn't want to worry my two masters.

The two looked at each other again.

Before long, the fervor in their eyes faded, replaced by even more delightful smiles.

Wait until we come back.

That would give you more time.

·

Lingxian Sect.

As usual, the Zhong and Wu couple went to the Canglong Mountains first.

Sang Yunchu was still refining pills, and he remained very focused.

But he was still so perceptive that when he noticed the arrival of Zhong and Wu, he turned around and glanced back.

Zhong Cai immediately skipped over and said happily, "Master, Master! Old Wu and I are back!"

Sang Yunchu smiled gently, her eyes filled with affection, and looked Zhong Cai up and down.

Excellent, not a single mistake.

Not a single hair fell out.

Sang Yunchu was in a great mood. She looked at Wu Shaogan with concern and gave him an appreciative look.

"Young general Cai'er is well protected."

In fact, Sang Yunchu wasn't really worried about Wu Shaogan, because in his opinion, since the highest level of the secret realm was only level seven, there would be basically no danger for Wu Shaogan, who was in the Spirit Transformation Realm.

Wu Shaogan bowed to Sang Yunchu.

Sang Yunchu told the two to find a place to sit.

Zhong Wufu was very casual.

After the two were seated, Zhong took out the mustard seed ring and waved it in front of Sang Yunchu.

He knew that his master was currently at a crucial stage in the refining process and could not allow his master to take things away, so he simply took out the resources one by one and placed them aside, while also explaining them to his master.

"Master! Master! Look at this! Top-quality level eight True Yang Fruit! I remember you said you really wanted it! I got hold of a True Yang Tree, and I picked all the fruit for you! I'll plant it myself later, and then we'll never lack True Yang Fruit again!"

"Master! Master! There's also this. It's very useful for Master to improve his cultivation level, and it can also be used to refine the body at the same time... Master, don't panic! It won't be too uncomfortable when refining the body; the pain will be much less than that caused by other body-refining treasures!"

"And this! An ancient elixir! Master can take it for research!"

"This! This is an ancient alchemical text that's mostly destroyed. My disciple and I can find some time to study it together and fill in the gaps in the formulas. Master, you don't know, I just flipped through it a couple of times, and many of the formulas are quite interesting..."

"Master...this eighth-tier..."

"...The level eight Snow Hedgehog Blood that Master mentioned before..."

Whenever Zhong Cai mentioned something important, she would also recount her and her husband's experiences after entering the secret realm, often in a vivid and skillful manner.

All the rambling and chattering along the way quickly reached Sang Yunchu's ears.

Sang Yunchu listened with a smile, not finding Zhong Cai's rambling at all, and was even somewhat shocked—after all, the scene in the secret realm described by Zhong Cai was indeed quite bizarre, but it was truly a huge treasure trove—of course, there must have been quite a few disciples who died there, but as long as they survived, their wealth would skyrocket.

As he listened to the rambling, Sang Yunchu's occasional glances allowed him to clearly see just how many treasures they had obtained.

He sighed inwardly, thinking to himself, "What a foolish apprentice!"

As Zhong Cai spoke, she finally got to the most valuable item!

He was overjoyed and waved the palm-sized substitute puppet in front of Sang Yunchu again and again.

Sang Yunchu raised a slight eyebrow: "What is this?"

Zhong Cai solemnly said, "It is an item used to save one's life from tribulation."

Then he recounted in detail what he had learned.

Even Sang Yunchu, who was usually calm and composed, couldn't help but be shocked at this moment.

Such a substitution of life!

At the same time, he understood Zhong Cai's meaning: it was... a wish that he could live a little longer, much longer.

This thought became even clearer when Zhong Cai gave him the item that would prolong his life.

Sang Yunchu felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

At the same time, he was also thinking about whether he should set aside some specific time for body tempering... or rather, research and develop better body tempering pills, and take more of them to strengthen his physique...

He's such a senior master, he can't always let his junior apprentice worry about him, can he?

Sang Yunchu decided that he also needed to step up his game in body tempering.

·

Zhong Cai finally showed all the treasures to her master and explained their information in detail.

Wu Shaogan handed over a teacup filled with clear, warm tea.

Zhong Cai took a sip, and instantly a refreshing feeling went down his throat, sweeping through his entire body and completely dispelling the buzzing sensation in his head from talking for too long.

Old Wu is so considerate!

Zhong Cai subconsciously turned her head and gave Wu Shaogan a happy smile.

Wu Shaogan's eyes held a gentle light.

Sang Yunchu raised her thin eyebrows again.

Many of her previous complicated thoughts vanished when she saw the young couple exchanging affectionate glances.

·

Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan didn't look at each other for long before they immediately thought of their master again.

When he looked back, he saw his master refining pills while giving him a teasing smile.

Zhong Cai wasn't embarrassed at all, and said, "Master, Lao Wu and I have delivered the things. We plan to send over Master Jiang's share of resources and then go back to seclusion." He scratched his face, "It might be a while before I can come out, and the exact time is uncertain."

Sang Yunchu nodded slightly and then said, "You two can go back first. Leave the resources for Senior Brother Jiang with me. I will send them to him after I finish refining this batch of pills." Knowing that his two disciples were filial, he explained to them, "Senior Brother Jiang is currently in seclusion, so you won't be able to find him even if you go there. I will convey your message to him."

Zhong Cai felt a little regretful.

I don't usually think about it, but when we talk about Master Jiang like this, I really miss that rugged but very caring elder who was there for him and Lao Wu.

However, since Master Jiang has gone into seclusion, there's nothing that can be done about it.

Let's go visit him again later.

After exchanging glances countless times, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan were perfectly aware of each other's thoughts.

Afterwards, the couple placed the mustard seed rings for their two masters on the table and prepared to take their leave of Sang Yunchu.

Before leaving, Zhong Cai asked curiously, "Master, how good is your relationship with Master Jiang now?"

Sang Yunchu looked at Zhong Cai and asked with a light laugh, "Why do you ask that, Cai'er?"

Zhong Cai scratched her head: "I don't know either, it's just..."

He felt that the two masters were on very good terms, but there was a strange atmosphere to this friendship.

...This gave rise to a suspicion in his mind, but he dared not say more.

Sang Yunchu smiled gently and said, "Your Master Jiang and I may do as the Romans do."

Zhong Cai was taken aback.

ah?

When in Rome, do as the Romans do?

What kind of place should we visit? What kind of customs should we follow?

Zhong Cai was a little confused.

But because he had a slightly unsettling feeling, he didn't press the matter.

Wu Shaogan took Zhong Cai's hand, and the couple left the Canglong Mountains together.

Sang Yunchu watched the disciples and their spouses walk away, and then chuckled softly.

Once this batch of pills is successfully made, he can try refining the True Yang Pill.

It is considered a pill that is very suitable for cultivators of beast souls.

He has been studying it for quite some time.

·

After Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan came out together, they headed towards Qian Yuan Island.

Seeing Zhong Cai unconsciously furrowing her brows, Wu Shaogan found it a little amusing and couldn't help but pinch Zhong Cai's cheek.

Zhong Cai wrinkled her nose, but didn't react in any other way.

Wu Shaogan couldn't help but chuckle and whispered, "Ah Cai, are you still thinking about what Master Sang said earlier?"

Zhong Cai never hid anything from Wu Shaogan, so she nodded frankly.

Wu Shaogan asked gently, "Still haven't figured out what 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do' means?"

Zhong Cai nodded again, then looked at Wu Shaogan.

Wu Shaogan stared intently at him, his expression seemingly conveying a strange emotion.

Zhong Cai tilted her head and thought for a moment. The guess in her mind suddenly became clear, and she subconsciously said, "Wait a minute, is it... Old Wu, we all came to this top continent, so the Lingxian Sect is Master's new home?"

Wu Shaogan nodded.

Zhong Cai couldn't help but ask again, "Then... what are the customs of the Lingxian Sect... uh..."

He then cleared his throat.

Wu Shao chuckled dryly, "It's less a custom of the Lingxian Sect and more a custom of the Lingxian Sect and the War God Hall." He paused, "And, it's a wedding custom, isn't it?"

Zhong Cai was somewhat shocked.

So, the slightly awkward atmosphere between his two masters was really because... they had developed... a bond?

Although the word "ambiguous" was still lingering in her mind, Zhong Cai immediately dismissed it because he was an elder and replaced it with "affection."

—Yes, even if it's just a thought in my mind, I only use "affection" to describe it.

After careful consideration, Zhong Cai felt that this word was indeed the most suitable. After all, ambiguity only applies to romantic love, but affection can be any kind of affection, whether it's the affection between fellow disciples, the affection between classmates, the affection between friends, or...

So here's the question.

Zhong Cai's lips twitched slightly: "Are the two masters really just going with the flow? Are they planning to form a combination of an alchemist and a martial arts cultivator, and then become Daoist partners? Isn't that a bit sudden... Even though the atmosphere between the two masters is sometimes a little subtle, I always feel that it doesn't seem to have reached the level of becoming Daoist partners... more like adoration?"

Wu Shaogan chuckled and said, "So, Master Sang is saying that in the future, the two masters 'might' adapt to local customs."

Zhong Cai exclaimed "Ah," indicating that it seemed to make sense.

The two continued towards Qianyuan Island.

Zhong Cai was still pondering it.

Wu Shaogan laughed again, "Perhaps even before we entered the Azure Dragon, our two masters already treated each other differently from others. After we became disciples, our two masters grew closer and closer. Later, after experiencing various things, they supported each other on the Flying Star Continent... It's not surprising that feelings developed over time."

Zhong Cai pondered, "That's not wrong..." He couldn't help but laugh again, "But if we really calculate it that way, I feel that the two masters are moving a bit too slowly. It's been too long for feelings to develop over time."

Wu Shaogan chuckled.

That's really something. Whether it's fast or slow, it's still A-Cai who says it's fast.

Wu Shaogan ruffled Zhong Cai's hair, and just like in the secret realm, carried Zhong Cai on his back and flew towards Qian Yuan Island.

·

Along the way, they also encountered some alchemists from the Lingxian Sect.

The alchemists, with their keen eyesight, noticed that the owner of the swiftly moving, afterimage-like figure was none other than a loving couple, quite famous within their respective factions, and couldn't help but look again and again.

After watching it, I couldn't help but climb the Danwu Sky Curtain.

[Discussion] That couple has reappeared!

[OP: Today I saw Senior Brother Zhong and King Wu Dou together. Senior Brother Zhong was clinging to King Wu Dou's back, and King Wu Dou was taking good care of Senior Brother Zhong. Their bond is so deep...]

[Exploding with joy: What?! I actually missed Junior Brother Zhong!]

[Exploding the Sky: This isn't surprising at all. It's been so many years, and those two are still incredibly affectionate like newlyweds. It's nothing unusual anymore. Is it really worth making a special post about it?]

[Martial Arts Qiongxiao: Their cultivation level wasn't high before, but now they're all at level seven, and they're still so unconventional—that's certainly worth talking about!]

[Martial Arts in the Azure Sky: Hey you up there, the alchemists are bickering, why are you interrupting?]

[Martial Arts Battle in the Azure Sky: The Lord is the Daoist partner I'm currently pursuing...]

[Exploding Heaven: Who the hell are you, trying to kidnap my junior brother! You dare run away? Tell me your name, and I'll come and beat you up!]

[Martial Arts in the Azure Sky: Uh, you're a pill refiner, so I'm afraid a beating wouldn't be appropriate...]

[Explosive World: I have a Daoist partner! Help me with this!]

Suddenly, the topic on the forum took a turn.

The discussion quickly shifted from the relationship between Zhong and Wu to the post-poster's own love life, and the appearance of both sides' "family members" escalated the "battle."

It could escalate into an offline brawl.

However, both factions were used to the situation where, after a pill refiner was abducted by a disciple of the War God Temple, other senior brothers and sisters of the War God Temple who already had Daoist partners were "ordered" to go and beat up their own junior brothers and sisters.

On the surface, it appears to be a fight between two factions, but in reality, it is an internal fight among the disciples of the Temple of War.

Anyway, after each of these large-scale battles, the two factions would find a new couple in a very short time.

It's quite interesting.

·

Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan had no idea that their natural display of affection as husband and wife had stirred up such a small ripple.

After returning to Qian Yuan Island, they quickly gave some instructions and then informed everyone on the island that they were going into seclusion.

After returning to the room, various defensive items were naturally prepared.

Then, the couple entered the ancient city together.

They rolled together again into the depths of the ancient city's bed...