"Si Rong, if you keep putting those messed up stories on your master, I will confiscate all your storybooks." Shen Qingmang said viciously.
Si Rong immediately hid behind Hao Xin. "I was wrong, Master. I was just talking nonsense. Please don't hold grudges against me."
Hao Xin asked, "Master, where are you going? How long will you be gone? Besides looking after our junior brothers and sisters, is there anything else we can do?"
Shen Qingmang looked at him with a smile. "Don't think that just because you're playing it safe I'll forget what you just said about your senior brother and I doing everyday. But I'll let it go this time, and it won't happen again. We need to go to the Qihuang Clinic. Your senior brother's injuries haven't fully healed yet, so I'll take him to see a professional doctor."
"Ah? Not fully recovered yet?" Si Rong asked with concern, "Then you must treat the disease well, Senior Brother. Don't disobey the doctor. My father once said that the medical practitioners of the Qihuang Sect hate disobedient patients the most."
"Yeah, okay."
Finally, they went to say goodbye to Su Miaoran. Su Miaoran asked them to wait for a moment and went outside to get a treasure bag.
"Please give this sachet to Master Yiqing. After much thought, I think it's best to put an end to this. The monks of our Chaohua Palace shouldn't be burdened with a false stigma."
"Arong, keep it. This is your mother's stuff." Shen Qingmang pushed Si Rong.
"Oh, okay, thank you Master Shuiyue."
"You're welcome. You can come anytime you want to visit us from now on. If you need any help from my Chaohua Palace, please feel free to ask."
"Okay, Miaoran, take care."
Nearly a year after leaving Taichu Sect, the four masters and apprentices finally returned home. Shen Qingmang first went to check on the outer disciples and found that they had slacked off a bit, but were still practicing and hadn't caused any trouble, which made him very relieved.
Not long after, Qi Xiao came to her again and asked her why she had been delayed for so long. He asked if something had happened to that troublesome Qi Yao again. She hurriedly spoke well of her third senior sister.
After seeing off the second senior brother, the eldest senior brother also arrived. Before she left, she asked him to temporarily take over the position of Peak Master and manage the daily affairs of Wuya Peak. Shi Mingli recorded the recent events in a book and gave it to her for review.
Shen Qingmang glanced through the book, which was full of trivial matters. She was about to close the book when her last glance fell on foreign affairs.
"Did Wuwei Peak send over a new talisman they developed? Does it have the power to attract spirits?"
"Yes." Shi Mingli nodded. "A while ago, True Lord Baopu ascended to heaven, causing fluctuations in the spiritual energy of the various peaks. Currently, the spiritual energy on each peak is somewhat thin. Wuwei Peak has created a spirit-attracting talisman to help the cultivators absorb spiritual energy."
"Who did it? An Yanxiang? Is he back?"
"Yes, it's Master Fengchun. I've tried this spell before, and it really does work twice as hard."
"That won't work, Brother." Shen Qingmang said gravely. "The spiritual energy fluctuations caused by a True Lord's ascension are only temporary. A powerful being's ascension consumes a tremendous amount of spiritual energy, but after he leaves, the universe will slowly replenish it. For now, we should just slow down our cultivation."
"But there's something wrong with this spell?"
"I'm afraid I'll have to trouble my senior brother to give me one so I can study it. Even if it works, it's not a long-term solution. If cultivators get used to relying on spells to absorb spiritual energy, they'll become dependent on them. Even if spiritual energy is restored, I'm afraid not many will be willing to take the effort to absorb it themselves. In the long run, this will only harm cultivation."
"You're right," Shi Mingli nodded. "The talisman is currently only being tested on a small scale. I haven't yet rolled it out to the entire sect, so I'll take it back as soon as possible. I have one here for you to study."
"Fortunately, senior brother is cautious." Shen Qingmang breathed a sigh of relief and took the talisman.
"You've been in Chaohua Palace for so long, but what unexpected events have occurred?"
"No, no, I just wanted to see the beautiful scenery of Chaohua Palace, so I stayed a little longer." Shen Qingmang said with a smile.
"Oh. Nothing happened. Have a good rest."
"Big Brother, wait a moment." Shen Qingmang stopped him, "I may have to trouble you to act as my deputy for a while longer. Qingmang needs to go out and treat his disciples at the Qihuang Sect in the near future."
"Your eldest disciple?"
"yes."
"But is it the internal injuries caused by the backlash of the forbidden technique?"
"Uh...yes." Shen Qingmang looked a little embarrassed. She almost forgot that Gu Suihan had a criminal record.
"Then it would be more appropriate to go to Qihuangmen. Guangjitang has limited capabilities."
"That's right." Shen Qingmang sighed. "We don't have any doctors in Taichu, so we can only treat minor injuries and illnesses."
"You go ahead, I'm here for the Wuya Sect."
"Thank you, Senior Brother." Shen Qingmang took out a square box. "These cakes are for you. They are specialties of Chaohua Palace. They are made of fresh flowers and are very sweet."
"Junior sister, you are so thoughtful." Shi Mingli took it and a smile appeared on her face.
After he left, Gu Suihan walked out of the Qiongzhi Hall with a half-smile on his face. "Master is so thoughtful. He brought gifts for everyone."
"Of course you have to bring back souvenirs when you come back from a trip. It's etiquette," said Shen Qingmang.
"You think it's courtesy, but they may not think so."
"What will they think?" Shen Qingmang reached out, pinched his face, and pulled it away. "Why? Are you worried they'll misunderstand? I haven't done anything out of line. If they misunderstand and think it's their fault, why are you being so rude to me?"
"Disciple doesn't." Gu Suihan said vaguely, "How could I dare to show disrespect to Master? The uncles care about you because you are good enough. I should be proud of you."
"Alright, alright, stop the forced politeness." Shen Qingmang released his hand. "I told you to wait in the hall, but you insisted on eavesdropping. What if someone finds out? The Taichu Sect is currently experiencing undercurrents, so it's not the right time for any major moves."
"Disciple knows, and I will be obedient. Even if Master never gives me a name in my life, I will still be willing."
"Tsk..." Shen Qingmang smiled and took out a talisman from his sleeve. "Look at this, I think it's a big fish."
"Is this... a spirit-attracting talisman?"
"Sure enough, An Yanxiang has taken it out before?"
"Yes." Gu Suihan put away his jealous expression and said seriously, "It was also around this time, not long after True Lord Baopu ascended to heaven. Every peak used this spirit-attracting talisman, and Wendao Peak seemed to use it the most."
"Have you used it?"
"I don't. Disciples tend to let things take their course when it comes to cultivation, and have no desire to compete."
"Neither are Arong and Axin?"
"No. Only Wuya Peak is used less frequently. Perhaps it has something to do with our nature."
"Indeed, no one at Wuya Peak is impatient. Oh, except for Axin. But Axin would not bother to use such a spell."
"Master, do you suspect there's something wrong with this talisman?" Gu Suihan held it up to the sunlight. "It appears to be a pattern for attracting spirits, but I don't know much about talismans either."
"We don't quite understand. But the Fang Yuan Sect is the best at this." Shen Qingmang said confidently: "This thing should be related to the Fang Yuan Sect."
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