A few days later, Shen Qingmang heard that the head of the sect had talked to An Yanxiang and Master Wujiu respectively. He didn't know what they talked about, but in any case, An Yanxiang was released again. He looked honest and didn't seem to make any big moves.
Shen Qingmang put her focus back on the students. The crisis of Taichu Sect might come at any time, so she had to teach them enough skills to ensure that the children would be able to cope with the crisis to the greatest extent possible.
The students were of course happy to see her again, but not all of them were willing to seize the time to learn techniques and improve their cultivation. Some children, after successfully building their foundation, felt that they could rest on their laurels. After all, they had already extended their lifespan by a hundred years, so they could take their time with cultivation.
Under normal circumstances, Shen Qingmang would not force children who had such thoughts, but in extraordinary times, they could not lie down. She was forced to become a strict teacher, frowning and urging them to practice hard.
"Why do I feel that Master has become even more ruthless after his visit to Chaohua Palace?"
"Yeah... She wasn't originally this strict. Isn't Chaohua Palace said to be the most humane sect? It seems the rumors are untrue."
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have slacked off while Master was out. Now I get so nervous every time I see her, afraid she'll check my homework."
"Yes, I have forgotten some of the techniques. But I still remember a little bit of what my senior brother taught me."
"Speaking of the eldest brother, don't you think he is the one who has become more humane?"
"What did you say about me?" Gu Sui Han suddenly spoke.
A group of outer disciples gathered together to whisper were startled. The last one to speak laughed dryly, "No, nothing. I was just praising you, Senior Brother."
"Oh? How did you praise her?"
"He's handsome and elegant. If an immortal had a mortal body, he would definitely look like this!"
Gu Suihan laughed. "What lame flattery?"
"Big Brother, you've really changed a lot." A girl said boldly, "Before, when we joked, you ignored us and never laughed."
"He's just in high spirits, just happy about something." Si Rong also joined in. "How can you chat without me?"
"What good news?" the girl asked curiously.
Si Rong glanced at Gu Suihan and muttered, "This is a great joyous event, but I can only enjoy it secretly now and dare not make it public."
"Second Senior Sister, you are not afraid of Senior Brother anymore! You never dared to say that to him before!"
"When have I ever been afraid of my senior brother?" Si Rong straightened his back. "I am the master's most beloved disciple. I have every confidence!"
Gu Sui Han didn't say anything, just stared into her eyes.
Si Rong glared back, unwilling to be outdone. After a moment, he gave in and turned away. "Um... Senior Brother, what did Master do?"
"Aren't you her favorite disciple?" Gu Suihan said with a forced smile. "Don't you know what she's doing?"
Si Rong was speechless.
But before she could get an answer, Shen Qingmang returned with news that brought both joy and worry. "We've just reached an agreement with Invisible Peak. This afternoon, we'll be going there to spar with the disciples of the Invisible Sect."
After the former leader of the Invisible Peak, Cheng Wuyi, ascended to heaven, the new leader, Jiang Qin, was of the same generation as Shen Qingmang and was much easier to talk to. Shen Qingmang sent him a message the day before yesterday asking if the disciples of the two sects could have some exchanges and learning from each other. After he came out of retreat today and saw the message, he immediately agreed to her request.
At noon, the dining hall of Wuya Peak was full of people for the first time in a long time. After building their foundation, the children no longer needed to eat every day, but they had a tough battle to fight in the afternoon. It would be bad if they consumed too much spiritual energy in the middle of the battle and could not keep up with the physical strength.
In Liuran Cottage, Shen Qingmang was also giving special lessons to his three apprentices.
"When are you planning to tell your father? He has asked me several times." Shen Qingmang swallowed a piece of stir-fried shiitake mushroom and looked at Si Rong.
"Tell him what?" Si Rong's face was filled with impatience. "If he knew, he would definitely set up a tent between my yard and Asin's, just like how Senior Brother slept in your yard every day during your retreat."
"Not really?" Shen Qingmang said, "When your father talked to me before, he was hoping to find you a good Taoist partner soon, so that you would have someone to protect you."
"Maybe it's even worse than that." Si Rong said, "He hasn't said that for a long time. Ever since...ever since I told him about A Niang, he's become a completely different person. Now he's constantly telling me not to be easily deceived by any male cultivator, not to be easily tempted, not to give blindly... In short, he keeps saying this and that. I'm so tired of hearing it."
"Did I ever lie to you?" Hao Xin raised his eyebrows. "Besides, who of us paid more?"
"It's my father who dislikes you, not me. Go and argue with him." Si Rong said unhappily.
Shen Qingmang sighed.
It seems that Yiqing was deeply touched by Si Rong's mother's sacrifice for love, and was worried that her precious daughter would repeat the same mistake.
She couldn't bear to comment on Yiqing's behavior anymore, so she turned to look at Gu Suihan and said, "Eat more food, you have a busy afternoon."
Gu Suihan held the chopsticks in his mouth and said, "Hmm?"
"Senior Brother Jiang told me that there are quite a few kids on Invisible Peak who want to spar with you. Ever since you competed with them on Invisible Peak, they've been thinking about defeating you."
"No one defeated me in the sect competition, so there won't be a miracle this time." Gu Sui Han didn't care.
"The creed of the Invisible Peak is to treat every battle as a life-and-death struggle. Don't think they won't care about a small-scale sparring match... Ah Rong and Ah Xin, what are you two whispering about?"
Si Rong chuckled. "We were wondering, Master, why do you always call everyone 'Senior Brother'?"
"I joined last among my peers, so everyone else is my senior. What's wrong with that?"
"I still prefer to be called Senior Sister. I don't want to be treated as Junior Sister." Si Rong said, "Senior Sister is so domineering."
"So, my domineering senior sister, how many people are you confident you can defeat this afternoon?" Shen Qingmang said with a smile.
Si Rong reached out to pick up some food. "Master, please eat more. Haha, we'll talk about this afternoon later."
Hao Xin put down his chopsticks, his expression becoming somewhat serious. "Master, has there been any unusual activity in the Taichu Sect recently?"
Shen Qingmang's eyebrows twitched. "Why do you think so?"
"I heard that Master Uncle suddenly went into seclusion, and Master An from Wuwei Peak also stayed indoors all day long. You also asked us to practice diligently. It seems like you are preparing for something big and accumulating strength."
"Don't think too much. The main reason is that you have been too lazy recently. As your teacher, I have to tighten the strings for you and remind you that there are always people better than you, so that you won't become proud and complacent after achieving a little success." Shen Qingmang said.
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