"Palace Master, are you praising me or criticizing me?" Shen Qingmang looked at Su Miaoran with a smile.
"Being too sentimental inevitably leads to being burdened by it. I believe the Sect Master is someone who can achieve the Great Dao." Su Miaoran tapped the corner of his eye. "The Sect Master should know that everyone in our Chaohua Palace enters the Dao through love, and inevitably needs to cultivate the ability to understand and appreciate human nature. While Miaoran wouldn't claim to have a keen eye for the world, he has made some progress in understanding the human condition."
"Then Qiongju will borrow the palace master's good words."
"You haven't finished your greetings yet? The morning dew tea is almost cold." Qi Yao hurried to the mountain gate and sneered, "Stop being so serious. You won't be able to climb the mountain at dusk after all the politeness. Let's go, my nephews must be starving."
Shen Qingmang and Su Miaoran looked at each other, and the smiles on their faces became more genuine. With the presence of Qi Yao, a straightforward person, the restrained atmosphere was suddenly diluted a lot.
Because the plot of the Taichu Sect being conquered in the original novel was so impressive, Shen Qingmang always felt that the title of "the largest sect" for the Taichu Sect was flashy. However, when she climbed up to the Chaohua Palace, she found that even in terms of the size of the sect alone, the Taichu Sect was worthy of the title of "the largest sect".
The five peaks of the Taichu Sect are all towering into the clouds, and the shortest, Wuyin Peak, is more than one thousand meters above sea level. However, Chaohua Palace is located on Yishan Mountain, a small mountain with an altitude of only a few hundred meters. It has no imposingness at all, but the advantage is that it has lush vegetation. They can see lush grass and blooming flowers all the way.
The meals that Chaohua Palace uses to entertain guests are also very ingenious. Tea made from floral dew and cakes in various flower shapes are pleasing to the eye when placed on the table and even more refreshing when put in the mouth.
At first, Shen Qingmang planned to just have a taste, but after she ate a piece of plum cake, she couldn't help but pick up a piece of crabapple cake. After eating it, she felt that the peach blossom jelly in the middle was so cute that she would be letting it down if she didn't try it... Finally, she felt the long-lost feeling of fullness.
After dinner, they arrived at the courtyard where they would be staying. The structure resembled a quadrangular courtyard. Shen Qingmang lived in the main room, Gu Suihan and Hao Xin in the east wing, and Si Rong in the west. The furnishings in the room were elegant, and Si Rong couldn't put down a jade paperweight.
"After coming here, I finally understand why Third Senior Sister doesn't like to go back to Wuya Peak. After living in Chaohua Palace for three months, I will probably be reluctant to leave." Shen Qingmang said.
Qi Yao smiled and said, "Isn't that so? Junior Sister is honest. Do you know what your second senior brother said? He eats more flower cakes than you and sleeps better. I asked him if he was living comfortably in Chaohua Palace, and he said, 'A nest of gold or silver is not as good as your own doghouse.' Hey, what a local dialect he learned!"
Shen Qingmang's eyebrows curved. "Second Brother is the most stubborn, so don't pay any attention to him. Just wait and see if he'll leave after you get married. But why didn't he come?"
"Hahaha, speaking of this..." Qi Yao waved at her, motioning her to put her ear closer, and lowered his voice and said, "There's a young girl in Chaohua Palace who's taken a fancy to him and is pursuing him relentlessly. My brother has been hiding out these past two days and doesn't dare to go out at all. Just wait, he won't dare to come out until night."
"There is such a thing?" Shen Qingmang's eyes were full of gossip, and Si Rong came over.
"Master, Uncle Ayao, what are you talking about? I want to hear it too!"
"Little brat, you're even imitating your dad's calling me Ayao." Qi Yao gently tapped her forehead. "Children, don't interrupt when adults are talking."
Si Rong covered his head and said dissatisfiedly, "I'm not a child anymore. It's just that Master Yao hasn't seen Rong for so many years that his impression of Rong remains stuck in the past."
Qi Yao took two steps back, folded her arms and looked Si Rong up and down. She was subconsciously nervous and straightened her body.
"Oh, that's right. Our Ah Rong has really grown up. Maybe in a few days, a male cultivator will take the initiative to ask you out to play. Remember to ask your master first, don't be easily deceived by others."
"The people in Chaohua Palace are really frivolous." Hao Xin muttered softly after hearing this.
Shen Qingmang slapped him on the back of the head without any hesitation and scolded him, "How can expressing your feelings bravely be considered 'frivolous'? You're not even careful with your words and actions on someone else's territory. Have you forgotten what I told you before I left?"
Qi Yao said, "Xiao Axin, you don't have to worry about anything. You look like a young man with no sense of urgency. Girls nowadays don't like your type. Sui Han, on the other hand, might be more popular than my brother."
Gu Suihan, who was standing silently at the door, was stunned. Before he could speak, he heard Shen Qingmang say, "Yes, our Suihan is in his prime now. I'm sure there will be girls who fall in love with him."
"Master, please don't make fun of your disciple." Gu Sui Han frowned.
Shen Qingmang raised her eyebrows. This was the first time that Gu Suihan had given her a cold look in front of outsiders. She was not very angry, but rather felt it was novel.
Qi Yao, intent on defusing the awkward situation, cleared his throat and said, "Regardless of what didn't happen, now that you're in Chaohua Palace, I have a few words to remind you. As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. You must abide by their rules."
"I'd like to hear the details." Shen Qingmang said.
Qi Yao held out his hand. "First, don't praise Bodhi Hall in front of the people in Chaohua Palace."
"Why?" Shen Qingmang asked curiously, "I heard there's a story between the Palace Master and the Buddhist disciple of the Bodhi Hall."
"That's why it's even more unacceptable." Qi Yao winked at her. "The two haven't decided the winner yet, so naturally, the two factions are at a stalemate."
"What story? What story?" Si Rong raised his hand. "A Rong wants to know too!"
Shen Qingmang hesitated, but Qi Yao had no qualms. "It's okay to tell you. Everyone in the world knows it anyway, so it's not really a secret. You should know that the Chaohua Palace uses love to enter the Tao, and love is an integral part of their cultivation."
"I've heard these four words many times, so I naturally know them," said Si Rong.
"People in Chaohua Palace rarely develop emotional entanglements with members of their own sect. After all, they'll see each other every day, and if they have a falling out, it would be awkward for both of them to see each other every day. So most of them seek out cultivators from other sects. In their minds, the major sects all have different characteristics, and Bodhi Palace is undoubtedly the toughest one to deal with."
"Monks are not supposed to be involved in love affairs." Hao Xin interjected.
"That's right." Qi Yao nodded. "Those in Bodhi Palace don't get involved in the mundane world; that's their precept. But even when they're young and frivolous, they can't help themselves. The Palace Master turns a blind eye, considering it just part of their training. If you don't enter the mundane world, how can you escape it? Chaohua Palace knows this precept and rarely takes the initiative to provoke Bodhi Palace. But Miaoran... has been determined since she was a child to drag even the most noble people into the mundane world."
Qi Yao narrowed her eyes when she said this. Shen Qingmang saw her expression and guessed that she was about to say something inappropriate for children, so he quickly took over the conversation. "Let me tell you."
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