"Ah?"
Lin Yue's expression remained calm, but he feigned confusion as he asked, "Are you talking about that sickly young noble with the martial cultivator as a guard?"
"Yes." Daoist Tu looked at Lin Yue.
"That young master is arrogant and domineering, naturally detestable."
Lin Yue snorted coldly, then lowered his voice to ask, "What does a big figure from the Northwest Pass's border army want with him? Is it possible that the young master is a descendant of that important person, and he's here to take him back after discovering his wrongdoing?"
Daoist Tu didn't answer, instead, he looked Lin Yue up and down again and asked, "Do you really not know?"
"Me?"
Lin Yue replied with a look of bewilderment, "Know what?"
Daoist Tu gave a satisfied nod and quietly said, "Good, just like that, no matter what you know or what others ask you, remember, this has nothing to do with you."
Lin Yue was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Old drunkard, have you had too much to drink? I don't even know what you're talking about."
"Good that you don't know."
Daoist Tu nodded slightly and continued, "The person has been missing for over two months now, which is why that big figure from the border army has come to search for his whereabouts. It seems they won't stop until they've turned Qingdu upside down."
"Missing?" Lin Yue said in surprise, "For real?"
Daoist Tu looked at him and cautioned, "Remember, no matter what happens, this has nothing to do with you."
"Of course it has nothing to do with me."
Lin Yue looked at Daoist Tu strangely, "That noble young master has a powerful martial cultivator protecting him, he can walk sideways in Qingdu, how could a commoner like me dare to provoke him?"
He suddenly paused, unable to help but say, "Wait... Old drunkard, are you suggesting that the young master's disappearance is related to me? That was someone even martial cultivators would willingly guard, and I'm just a mortal who's never practiced martial arts, how could I possibly touch him? You must be drunk, right?"
Daoist Tu was silent for a moment before suddenly shaking his head with a smile, "You're right, I've had too much to drink, just take what I said as drunken rambling, no need to pay it any mind."
Saying this, he cuddled his wine flask, leaned back on the lounge chair, and then closed his eyes.
Lin Yue's gaze flashed with a hint of complexity, while he muttered to himself, "Seriously, how can someone still talk nonsense when they're drunk? I'm heading out now."
"Wait a moment."
Daoist Tu suddenly called out to him.
"Hm?" Lin Yue stopped in his tracks.
Daoist Tu, still with his eyes closed and leaning on the lounge chair, pondered for a moment before saying, "I have a piece of advice for you."
Lin Yue was slightly taken aback, "Advice?"
Daoist Tu spoke to himself, "Though you're young, you handle matters with maturity and smoothness, you know your limits, and you see things very clearly. I feel quite reassured."
Saying this, he looked at Lin Yue, speaking softly, "However, you're too emotional, and you hold grudges easily. This is both your strength and your weakness. Therefore, you're not particularly suited for the more complex battles in the cultivation world. In the future, you should endure when necessary, don't take risks to stand out, living safely is more important than anything else."
After listening, Lin Yue was silent for a bit before unable to help saying, "Why do you sound as if you're leaving your last words? Why tell me all this?"
"It's just a sudden impulse."
Daoist Tu casually explained, then once more closed his eyes and feigned sleep, impatiently saying, "Alright, alright, you go on, don't disturb an old Daoist trying to nap."
Lin Yue glanced at him again before turning and heading towards the Daoist temple's inner hall.
After he left, Daoist Tu slowly opened his eyes and murmured, "Could I have guessed wrong? Maybe it's really not him? But besides him, who else would do such a thing?"
...
Inside the Daoist temple's inner hall.
At this time, the hall had already gathered dozens of secular disciples from Qingdu's Daoist temple, forming small groups of three or five, chatting and laughing, evidently divided into various cliques.
Among them, Xu Mingli, being the third young master of the Prefectural Governor's family, was also considered the most well-off among the dozens of secular disciples, naturally attracting a lot of people around him.
Lin Yue also blended into one of these small groups, chatting and socializing casually, with a harmonious atmosphere.
The people in this small group all had relatively ordinary family backgrounds, making him appear quite inconspicuous among them.
Before long, a few people suddenly walked in through the back door of the inner hall.
Leading them was a middle-aged Daoist clad in a blue Daoist robe, wearing a Yuan cap, with a long beard, exuding a somewhat transcendent aura typical of Daoist cultivators. Behind him followed several temple disciples.
This middle-aged Daoist was the Chief of Qingdu Daoist Temple.
Although not really considered a high-ranking cultivator, in Qingdu, he was quite a figure. Many influential and wealthy people competed to befriend him, hoping to learn about health-preserving methods, as after all, who wouldn't want to live a healthy and longer life?
However—
The most eye-catching was the man walking beside the Chief of the Daoist temple.
The man was tall and athletic, walked with the stride of a dragon or tiger, exuding an air of calm confidence. His skin bore the rough texture of being exposed to the elements. Though his expression was emotionless, there was an imperceptible hint of ferocity to his brow, suggesting he was someone familiar with the battlefield.
Although not clad in armor or war robes, only wearing a black cloak, it was evident that he was a military man.
And the Daoist temple's Chief was extremely courteous to him, more like leading the way for this man than walking side by side as equals.
When the man in the black cloak entered, the previously noisy inner hall quickly fell silent, seemingly intimidated by his icy aura, leaving no one inclined to continue their conversations.
The inner hall fell into a hush.
The Chief of the Daoist temple walked to the front of the crowd, glanced over the dozens of secular disciples present, and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the reason I've invited you here today is for a significant matter."