In the high sky, at Xuanxu Temple, in the backyard.
Jin Xu sat on a stone bench under a tree, his brow furrowed and his bright eyes revealing exhaustion.
He thought about everything that had happened that day.
As soon as Yu Yaoer returned, she rushed into the kitchen, and by now she was probably back in the well, asleep and beautifying herself, careless and free of worries.
"Sigh, this day has been much more exciting than the past few months combined,"
the young Taoist sighed with self-mockery.
Firstly, he seemed to have offended two Ancestors from Immortal Sects in a single day, something that an ordinary Cultivator with no backing, no support, and no resources would consider starting over.
Even though Jin Xu was now under the protection of Xuanxu Temple, the day's events still gave him cause for concern.
That mysterious water-blue bead had trapped Xuanxu Temple, and although he had escaped this time, what about the next?
The young Taoist didn't know what other strange methods these Immortal Sect Ancestors might possess.
But he was helpless.
After all, Xuanxu Temple was essentially a flying palace Magic Artifact.
Its advantages were its extremely fast speed, concealable aura, sturdiness, and ability to break through Formations and prohibitions. The downside was that it could not be shrunk when there were living beings inside, and it had no means of attack.
To put it simply, it was like a tortoise shell; sufficient for survival.
But if you asked Jin Xu to keep hiding in this tortoise shell, he wouldn't be content.
"If only Master were here,"
the young Taoist began to miss his own master once again.
When he had first escaped from Qingmu Academy, the Little Fish Demon Yu Yaoer had given him a suggestion,
"Young Master, we could find a secluded place to lay low for a while. If that doesn't work, we could go to the Shui Clan, I can ask grandma to cover for both of us!"
Jin Xu rejected the latter half of this suggestion.
Yu Yaoer had previously told Jin Xu that to reassure her grandmother, she had sent a message saying she was traveling and had found a very promising job.
If they went to the Shui Clan now and Yu Yaoer's grandmother discovered that her granddaughter's job outside was serving a Taoist as a demon servant,
he would probably end up on the Shui Clan's hit list as well.
Secondly, there was an issue with his own strength. Not mentioning the incident at Qingmu Academy, this time at the White Emperor Pavilion, he had really disrupted an Immortal Sect Ancestor's techniques several times.
Finally, he used the "Hand Palm Thunder" taught by his master to break that water-blue bead, and although it was difficult, he did puncture it after all.
After deliberating, Jin Xu rushed to the kitchen at the first opportunity to open his heart to Yu Yaoer.
He used the method his master had talked about to compare the quantity of his own golden spiritual power and the water-blue spiritual power inside Yu Yaoer's body.
The Little Fish Demon claimed she was at the Nascent Soul Fourth Level.
Jin Xu could now determine that his own quantity of spiritual power was a little higher than that of the Nascent Soul fourth layer.
But the Nascent Soul Fourth Level should have been trash before that old woman.
There were too many puzzling things waiting for Jin Xu to slowly uncover the answers.
Thinking thus, Jin Xu stood up and walked to the center of the courtyard, looking up at the sky.
Tonight was a clear, cloudless night. Through the prohibitive Formation covering Xuanxu Temple, one could clearly see the moon hanging high in the sky and numerous stars twinkling.
Jin Xu sighed deeply and said another line,
"Sigh, if only Master were here."
...
After composure, Jin Xu diligently completed his own Cultivation plan.
After all, in the Cultivation World, cultivation is of utmost importance.
Now, having finished his plan, he faced two choices: one was to practice the last of the three minor spells passed down by his master, the "Body Purification Skill"; the other was to conduct an experiment with a fishing rod.
In the end, Jin Xu chose to conduct the experiment.
He got out of bed, quietly opened the door, and walked over to the well beside the kitchen.
He picked up an old bucket, with a piece of thick, long rope tied to its handle. He tugged on the rope and threw the bucket into the well.
He needed well water for this experiment.
Sleeping Yu Yaoer felt as though something had bumped her head.
"Mmm*&*...%...&Master, drink soup,"
she murmured in her sleep, rolled over in the well water condensed from spiritual energy, and fell back into a deep sleep.
The young Taoist Jin Xu pulled up the old bucket and checked to make sure he hadn't pulled Yu Yaoer up with it. Then, carrying a full bucket of well water, he returned to his room.
He decided to try the ink jade rod left behind by his master again that night to see if it was of any use.
If the ink jade fishing rod worked normally, then it could perhaps be considered his "Golden Finger" in this transmigrated life.
Walking into the room, he shut the doors and windows, and the young Taoist dug out the pitch-black fishing rod from under his bed.
Ever since he fished out Yu Yaoer last time, the rod had been "banned" and stashed under the bed.
And now it re-emerged.
Jin Xu grasped the fishing rod firmly with his left hand, channeling spiritual power into it. His right hand readied the Hand Palm Thunder as a precaution.
He watched as the fishing line and hook slowly lengthened, slipping into the water of the bucket.
He began to concentrate, trying hard to imagine the image of a roasted chicken in his mind.
A moment later, Jin Xu felt the fishing rod grow heavy in his hands as if something had taken the bait.
He cautiously pulled up the fishing rod bit by bit.
!
An object wrapped in a lotus leaf, steaming and emitting bursts of fragrance, slowly emerged from the water with the young Taoist's movements.
Suppressing his excitement, Jin Xu tiptoed to the kitchen to fetch a plate and cutlery, careful not to wake the "number one chef of the Shui Clan" sleeping in the well.
Having tightly closed the doors and windows, he placed the lotus-leaf-wrapped object on a white porcelain plate and gently peeled away the layers of lotus leaf, his eyes as thrilled as a young couple venturing out for their first time.
Finally, a plump and juicy roasted chicken, its juices overflowing, appeared before his eyes!
Jin Xu's excitement was half due to the chicken, and half due to the realization that the fishing rod was indeed usable.
The last time he fished out his master and ended up with the "number one chef of the Shui Clan," it left him with an enormous, enormous, enormous psychological shadow.
Ugh, no, I can't think about such ominous things with food in front of me.
Picking up the chopsticks, he carefully tore off a strip of chicken, skin and flesh included, and placed it in his mouth, chewing slowly.
"Mmm, it's the familiar taste I love!"
Jin Xu excitedly talked to himself.
Just think, after eating regularly for seventeen years and six months, suddenly not needing to eat for three months would feel odd to anyone.
He took a few more bites.
The young Taoist decided to try again to see if the fishing rod was merely a fluke or if it had suddenly become useful after being "on ice" for a while.
This time, with practiced ease, he gripped the rod firmly, channeled his spiritual power into it, and envisioned a crispy-skinned roast goose in his mind.
Moments later, a golden-hued, sizzling crispy-skinned roast goose emerged from the water.
The fishing rod seemed to be "working normally" now.
...
Late at night.
On the outskirts of Qingmu City, in a dilapidated temple.
"Big brother, I'm back."
"Big brother, you have no idea! We almost didn't make it back to see you!"
Two lean men with long swords at their waists entered the dilapidated temple.
"Old Second, Old Third, what happened?"
A burly, sturdy man lay on the temple's offering table, unconcerned about the filth, resting his head on his hands and with legs crossed. Hearing the two men enter, he only asked without moving.
"Big brother, you have no idea, Qingmu County Town is under martial law! They say some nefarious cultivator was bold enough to launch a sneak attack on the Old Dean of Qingmu Academy!" said Old Third.
"Yeah, scholars, Loose Cultivators, and the Great Xia Dynasty's watchmen in Qingmu County are all searching like mad for the culprit."
The burly man sat up abruptly, revealing a look of shock.
"Attack the Old Dean of Qingmu Academy? I bet even the top assassins of Jingyu Building wouldn't dare to take that job."
Recovering from his shock, the burly man looked up and spoke, "Then how did you two useless idiots manage to leave the city?"
"Sheesh, Qingmu Academy suddenly lifted the martial law order in the evening, saying it was all a misunderstanding, and that their Old Dean was fine. Once they reopened the city gates, I managed to get out with Old Second," Old Third explained.
"A misunderstanding? Heh, sounds interesting."
"It's no misunderstanding. My old flame from the city told me that she was on the city wall this morning and saw a huge bolt of lightning strike near Qingmu Academy!" Old Second chimed in.
"Isn't your flame a tofu vendor? How could she be on the walls of Qingmu City?"
Old Third, whether out of jealousy for Old Second having a flame or simply not quite convinced by his older sibling, started to stir up trouble.
"Er... that's what she heard from others."
"She…"
"Enough, stop arguing. Did you buy the supplies you went into the city for?" The burly man, losing patience, interrupted the two.
If it weren't for the fact that he, a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, was wanted for a crime and couldn't go into the city, why would he be in this crumbling temple listening to these two fools bicker?
It turned out that these three were the Copper Feather Killers of Jingyu Building, the lowest of the low, who survived primarily by taking on various mundane assassination missions.
The boss was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, while Old Second and Old Third were merely at the Qi Cultivation stage.
All three had not reached the Golden Core and therefore could not abstain from grain.
With a wanted notice on the Foundation Establishment Stage big brother, he did not dare go into the city.
So, he had to rely on his two Qi Refinement Stage juniors to occasionally go to the city for some meaty delicacies to satiate their cravings.
Even so, it wasn't something they could enjoy every day.
Being the bottom dwellers of the Cultivation World, life for the three was quite challenging.
"Bought them, bought them. Look, big brother, here's the wine, the side dishes, and this is…" Old Third, beaming with joy, pulled items out from the pack on his back.
As he was digging through his belongings, he suddenly froze.
"Eh! Where's my roast chicken!" Old Third exclaimed loudly as he looked into his empty bag.
He clearly remembered packing a secret recipe lotus leaf roast chicken from Dingxiang Building on East Street into his bag, alongside the drinks and side dishes.
"Big brother, when I went to buy food with Third Bro, we went separately! Maybe this guy secretly gobbled up the roast chicken!"
Old Second seized the opportunity to retaliate for the recent embarrassment.
Without a word, the burly, sturdy man just watched as Old Third flapped his bag back and forth.
"Big brother, I really didn't eat it; I didn't even have the roast chicken. I specifically went to West Street to pack a roast goose for you. You always said you loved that shop, and I did it to show my appreciation. You said you'd help me find a way to get a Foundation Establishment Pill, and I'm counting on that…"
As he spoke, Old Second also rustled through his bag, pausing towards the end as his expression gradually stiffened.
He then also let out a yell.
"Where's my roast goose!"
He began shaking his own bag frantically.
The burly man watched the two lanky men shaking their bags like they were doing a dance, his expression growing darker, and finally, he couldn't hold back any longer.
"Are you two sons of bitches teaming up to play me!"
"No, big brother."
"I didn't, big brother!"
"Ah! Big brother, not the head!"
"Big brother, I really did buy the roast goose!"
...
In the high skies, inside a room in Xuanxu Temple
Jin Xu, having contentedly finished the roast chicken and goose, completed his cultivation plan.
But that wasn't enough to satisfy him. He hadn't eaten a proper meal in three months and now craved fish.
In the dead of the night, when the world was silent, he quietly moved Xuanxu Temple to the banks of a small river and tiptoed out of the temple gates.
He wanted to see if he could catch a polar cod, his favorite fish back on Blue Star.
Then... he caught a Husky instead.