As soon as Ji Xiaoyao released the thief, he thought his chance had come and immediately rushed towards the door. However, he bumped into a wall with a "bang" and was bounced back.

And because of the excessive force, he fell to the ground and felt dizzy from the impact, but he had to continue in order to save his life. Unfortunately, the door was right in front of him, but every time he hit the wall.

Just as he was feeling dizzy and lightheaded, the door seemed to take shape. A small boy grinned at him, looking incredibly cute, and said, "You're so clumsy! Bumping into something once is just an accident because you weren't careful, but after bumping into something twice, you should have thought about whether there was a problem. How could you keep bumping into things?"

Shang Lin chuckled silently and reminded him, "Call Uncle Hat after you've played for a while, and don't bother me."

Huang Li immediately replied crisply, "Okay."

Shang Lin went to work on the medicinal herbs again. The almanac and the thief were no longer in the living room behind him. When "Old Man Chai" saw this, he did not go back to the bedroom, but stood at the kitchen door.

Shang Lin glanced at "Old Man Chai" subconsciously. What did his protective posture mean? Was he worried that an ordinary person might hurt him?

However, Shang Lin didn't say anything. Instead, "Old Man Chai" asked, "Why did Qiu Niang and Xing Tian go out with the demon cultivators? What if they're in danger?"

Shang Lin paused, firstly because he hadn't expected Ji Xiaoyao to speak to him first, and secondly because his question was... a bit roundabout, wasn't it?

Shang Lin couldn't help but chuckle. "Since you're so worried, why didn't you say a word when Qiu Niang left?"

"I..." Ji Xiaoyao hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Qiu Niang didn't acknowledge me, so what right do I have to say anything!"

Shang Lin was really not good at matters of love and romance, but now that Qiu Niang and Ji Xiaoyao were both inner disciples, it seemed inappropriate to ignore them. After all, when it came to matters of the heart, if things weren't handled properly, they could easily lead to big problems.

So Shang Lin, who has no romantic experience, could only offer advice from an outsider: "Have you ever considered that Qiu Niang might not be ignoring you, but simply doesn't want to place her heart entirely on a man anymore, and instead wants to do her own thing? Haven't you seen how seriously she does everything, and how happy she is?"

Ji Xiaoyao thought about it seriously. Qiu Niang was indeed very serious about everything she did, especially when the sect had money and could buy things for them, she was particularly enthusiastic about making clothes.

As a result, all the clothes worn by everyone in the sect were made by Qiu Niang. She even used modern clothing-making machines exceptionally well and would often marvel at how amazing modern people were.

But I will support whatever Qiu Niang wants to do, and it doesn't conflict with whether I acknowledge her or not. Why won't she acknowledge him?

Ji Xiaoyao was completely baffled. He talked to Shang Lin about it, but Shang Lin naturally didn't understand either. In the end, he could only say, "Maybe she doesn't believe that she was the wife you cherished most when she was alive?"

This problem is simply unsolvable, because Ji Xiaoyao has no way to prove that Qiu Niang is the wife he is looking for. He can only say with regret, "If only there were a way to go back in time, or to go to the underworld to check Qiu Niang's past and present lives."

"Hehe." Shang Lin chuckled rather unkindly. "You're overthinking it. I've heard of the Mirror of Rewind, but I've never seen one. As for going to the Underworld to investigate Qiu Niang's past and present lives... We're in the Dharma-ending Age now. We don't even know if the Underworld exists or in what form. You should think of another way."

One of these two people is certain, while the other is not, and both have been dead for hundreds of years, making it really difficult to verify. In particular, Qiu Niang may have been reincarnated once, making it even more difficult.

Ji Xiaoyao was instantly deflated. "Am I not able to get what I want after searching for hundreds of years?"

Shang Lin especially wanted to say, "What's a few hundred years? There are plenty of people who still can't get what they want even after several thousand or even tens of thousands of years!"

However, in order to prevent Ji Xiaoyao from developing inner demons, Shang Lin could only advise, "Actually, you don't need to be too anxious. The person is right in front of you now, and you have plenty of time to spend together. I believe that time will tell."

"...Sect Master is right." Ji Xiaoyao paused for a moment, then said with some helplessness, "But now that I'm using Old Man Chai's face, I'm afraid Qiu Niang won't be able to have any other thoughts when she's facing me."

Shang Lin couldn't help but retort in his heart, "Qiu Niang doesn't even recognize you, what kind of thoughts do you expect her to have in such a short time? So what's the difference between her face when she faces you and her face when she faces Old Man Chai?"

But the truth is the most hurtful, so Shang Lin had to say it tactfully, "I believe that sincerity can move mountains."

Ji Xiaoyao looked at Shang Lin for a while before asking in a low voice, "May I ask how old the sect leader is this year?"

Shang Lin paused, then asked with a puzzled look, "Why are you suddenly asking about my age?"

Ji Xiaoyao answered truthfully, "I always felt that the sect leader's calm temperament must have been cultivated through many experiences. You also mention the cultivation world from time to time, so you must have come from there. You must be quite old if you came from there, right?" Anyway, it has nothing to do with a fifteen-year-old boy.

Shang Lin thought about it carefully before replying, "I really don't remember the exact age, but it's over two thousand years old. After all, time is negligible for cultivators."

Ji Xiaoyao was taken aback. He knew that Shang Lin was not a fifteen-year-old boy, but being over two thousand years old was still beyond his imagination. After a while, he subconsciously asked, "Then how did the sect leader become a young boy?"

"I was surprised to hear this too." Since the topic came up, Shang Lin didn't hide anything. "I was struck by lightning during my advanced tribulation. I thought I would end up with my soul scattered, but for some reason, when I opened my eyes, I was in the body of a young boy named Shang Lin. He had passed away from illness at that time and my soul had entered his body."

Ji Xiaoyao was shocked. "Isn't this a disguised form of possession?"

"Pretty much, except this 'possession' is arranged by the Heavenly Dao and has nothing to do with us." Seeing that Ji Xiaoyao's mind had been successfully diverted, Shang Lin said, "I'm going to start refining pills now."

“…Okay.” Ji Xiaoyao continued to act as a guard.

Shang Lin's alchemy tools were too rudimentary, so he only produced two pills from one batch, and their quality was also average. However, he still gave one to Ji Xiaoyao, saying, "It's for healing internal injuries, eat it."

Before Ji Xiaoyao could even take the pill, Shang Lin ate the remaining one first. His internal injuries were even more severe, and no matter how much his cultivation advanced, his congenital disease would not improve.

Moreover, due to this, his advancement speed will become slower and slower. If he reaches the fifth level of Qi Refining and still hasn't cured the little sick child's congenital disease, his cultivation will probably reach its limit.