Tiangan Institute.

Early morning, the air was thick with mist.

The courtyard was bustling with activity. The little boy stood by the pond, loudly reciting: "The true and constant way, those who understand it will attain it themselves; those who attain enlightenment are always pure and tranquil..."

Old Gao was sweeping fallen leaves in the yard, Qin Luo was sitting in the pavilion drinking tea, and Wan'er was looking at the little dumpling with a smile in her eyes. She liked this clever child very much.

"Boss, I've finished memorizing it!"

"One must constantly reflect upon and understand this."

"Okay!"

The little dumpling grinned foolishly.

Qin Luo nodded gently, "Go have fun."

"Let's go make some money!"

The little dumpling happily left the yard.

After finishing his tea, Qin Luo stood up and said, "Miss Wan'er, let's go for a walk together."

"OK."

Wan'er nodded with a smile.

She gained a lot from being by Qin Luo's side.

As soon as Qin Luo stepped out of the courtyard, he saw a man in black robes standing in the distant mountains. Beneath the black robes were a pair of dark eyes, which were staring in the direction of the Tiangan Academy.

Qin Luo initially thought it was the Imperial Advisor, but upon closer inspection, he discovered a heavy demonic aura emanating from the man. "Miss Wan'er, do you know him?"

Wan'er's eyes narrowed slightly, and she said softly, "I only know that he lives in Ze Dui Courtyard. I heard that he is a distinguished guest invited by the Imperial Preceptor, but I don't know exactly who he is."

"A friend of the Imperial Advisor, no wonder."

Qin Luo felt that they all liked to hide. He bowed to the man in black robes from a distance, but the man in black robes ignored him and turned to walk into the depths of the forest.

Qin Luo wasn't worried about the little dumpling catching insects deep in the mountains. Now that the little dumpling possessed the power of the Vermilion Bird, there were very few strong individuals in the world who could suppress her, except for him.

The streets were bustling in the early morning.

The people of the capital have a habit of drinking morning tea. They don't need to farm, so their pace of life is very slow.

Wan'er said softly, "Master Qin, if you are hungry, I can take you to have some porridge."

"Need not."

Qin Luo shook his head.

Zhu Xian said that Qin Luo shouldn't eat too well.

Wan'er didn't quite understand why Her Highness didn't want Master Qin to eat too well.

As the sun rises, the capital city is draped in a golden coat, and the bright morning sun brings warmth.

Wan'er couldn't help but sigh, "The capital used to be always gloomy, but the weather has been quite nice these past two days."

Qin Luo was heading to the Great Xia Martial Academy. He sensed that there were fragments of the Heavenly Dao within the academy. On his way there, he saw many children running into the alley.

What place is that?

"Master Qin, that is Qilong Alley."

"Let's go take a look."

Qin Luo followed the children into Qilong Lane.

The alley was very wide, surrounded by huge stones, and children were playing hide-and-seek in it.

In the middle of the alley, there is a long stone dragon, carved so lifelike that children climb onto its back and ride on it, laughing and giggling all the while.

Looking at the stone dragon, Wan'er sighed, "Qilong Alley is famous because of this stone dragon. When I was a child, I didn't dare to come to Qilong Alley because I heard there were moving stone beasts in the alley."

"Just like a real dragon!"

Qin Luo looked at it with admiration; none of the black dragons he had seen before were as domineering as this stone dragon.

Wan'er's pretty face was full of awe. "These statues were all made by that True Saint. Her Highness the Princess calls him Old Zhong. He has a bad temper and doesn't like to be disturbed."

"The four guardian deities that protect the capital were all sculpted by Elder Zhong. The capital was built jointly by him and the Imperial Advisor." Wan'er's face was filled with respect.

Qin Luo nodded. When they arrived at the depths of Qilong Alley, they encountered a stone monkey that was half a person tall. The stone monkey saw them, was startled at first, and then turned and ran away.

"There really are stone beasts!"

Wan'er thought it was just a legend.

Qin Luo heard the sound of stones being struck, and he followed the sound to the deepest part of Qilong Alley.

An elderly man with white hair and beard was hammering at a stone, holding a chisel and a hammer. He was broad-shouldered and looked very powerful. When he noticed Qin Luo and his companions, he turned around and looked at Qin Luo with his eyes wide open. "Daoist, are you also interested in what I'm carving?"

Qin Luo smiled and nodded, "Senior's skills are superb, I admire them very much."

"I've heard that kind of talk far too many times."

"I love telling the truth."

"Hahaha."

A smile appeared on the old man's face.

Qin Luo cupped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Qin Luo of Longhu Temple greets Senior."

“I am Zhong Lie, and all the cultivators in the capital are afraid of me. You dare to come and see me? It seems you have quite the nerve.” Zhong Lie continued carving the stone in front of him.

Qin Luo watched Zhong Lie carve little by little, and soon a blurry outline appeared on the stone statue.

Wan'er was slightly surprised. She could tell that Zhong Lie had carved a stone statue in Qin Luo's likeness.

Soon the stone statue began to take shape, and Qin Luo had to admire Zhong Lie's skill in carving such a lifelike stone statue with such simple tools.

Bang!

The stone statue in front of Zhong Lie suddenly shattered.

Wan'er's eyes widened, and Qin Luo was equally shocked. He knew that with Elder Zhong's experience, it was impossible for him to make a mistake.

Zhong Lie's expression was solemn. After a moment, he smiled and joked, "Qin Luo, you'd better live well, or you won't even have the chance to have a temple built for you."

Qin Luo smiled and nodded, "Thank you for the reminder, senior. I will live well."

"Hahaha."

"Come inside with me and have a bowl of tea."

Zhong Lie put down his hammer and chisel and led Qin Luo and the others to the simple courtyard.

The courtyard was filled with chickens, ducks, rabbits, and dogs, all of which were living creatures carved from stone. Qin Luo admired their ability to give life to stone; they truly deserved to be called a saint.

Qin Luo sat down at the stone table, and Zhong Lie poured him a bowl of tea. The tea had been brewed many times and tasted very weak, but it had the taste of home.

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