The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 267 You Call Me Uncle? My Sister Had a Child Out of Wedlock? (6k)

Shen Yunzhou's straightforward words, however, inexplicably brought a smile to Zhou Qing's face.

Indeed, most younger brothers in this world are troublesome.

He's either causing trouble or on his way to causing trouble.

But then again, both the "Ice Glass Spirit Sparrow Mushroom" in your sister's restricted area and the "Crimson Flame Golden Pattern Vine" in the Kunpeng Palace, these two transforming divine medicines, originated from my help.

In addition, your sister risked her life to bring you out, so in a way, your sister and I each saved half of your life.

In that case, shouldn't you thank me properly?
Thinking of this, Zhou Qing looked at him with anticipation.

After finishing his reflections, Shen Yunzhou suddenly remembered something, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

He pressed on, "How do you know my sister's name is Shen Hanyi? She usually doesn't reveal her real name to outsiders, especially when she's out in the world; she's always very cautious."

Zhou Qing explained calmly, "She didn't say because when we were searching for the Crimson Flame Golden Vine, a man named Yan Sen appeared, and we heard about him from him."

Upon hearing the name Yan Sen, Shen Yunzhou immediately snorted coldly, his face filled with disgust.

"He's an extremely annoying leech. The ruins I stumbled into were the ones he pretended to tell me about."

Shen Yunzhou was filled with resentment: "I was really blind back then to believe his nonsense."

However, he really couldn't understand why Yan Sen would act with his sister.
After all, my older sister was extremely disgusted with Yan Sen. If it weren't for the fact that his family had some connection and favor with the Shen family, my older sister would never have met him.

"Brother Zhou, could you tell me in detail what happened that day, especially about Yan Sen?" Shen Yunzhou asked eagerly.

"Yan Sen? That smiling tiger?" Just then, a clear voice suddenly rang out from behind Zhou Qing.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Yaoyao jumped out with her hands behind her back.

"You know him?" Lu Yaoyao tilted her head and looked at Shen Yunzhou with a curious expression.

Shen Yunzhou also subconsciously looked at Lu Yaoyao. For some reason, the moment he saw her, he felt as if he were seeing his older sister.

"You know him too? No, wait, the aura on you..."

Soon, Shen Yunzhou's face showed surprise.

He was especially shocked to notice that Lu Yaoyao's hair, under the sunlight, had a faint silvery-white sheen that was very similar to his older sister's.

Zhou Qing was surprised that Lu Yaoyao suddenly appeared at this time.

Last night, he ate at Yu Shan Tang. Because of his senior brother Du Kui's matter, he had already given up drinking alcohol, so he drank tea almost the entire time.

Just like her third senior brother, this girl got carried away with alcohol and drank quite a bit, but she didn't expect to sober up so quickly.

"Let me introduce you. This is my junior sister, Lu Yaoyao. Your sister taught her a mental cultivation technique and a supernatural power. This is Shen Yunzhou, Senior Shen's younger brother."

Zhou Qing had no choice but to introduce them to each other.

"What?" As soon as Zhou Qing finished speaking, the two of them exclaimed in shock, their voices filled with disbelief.

"apprentice?"

"uncle?"

amount……

"Um, no wonder you seemed familiar, you're my sister... Wait, what did you just call me?"

Shen Yunzhou looked completely bewildered, staring wide-eyed at Lu Yaoyao.

Lu Yaoyao looked excited and said, "N-nothing, I just blurted it out. So Sister Shen was looking for the Transformation Elixir just to save you."

Shen Yunzhou nodded, let out a long sigh, and joked, "You scared me! I thought my sister had been secretly going out and having a child out of wedlock all these years."

"However, I've never been called 'uncle' before, so it sounds nice."

Zhou Qing helplessly covered his forehead.

Wait, what are you two doing?
Is this what we're talking about now?
Has this topic gone off track?
"By the way, how did you know about my sister saving me? Did Brother Zhou tell you?"

Soon, Shen Yunzhou realized what was happening and asked with a puzzled look.

At this moment, Lu Yaoyao was carefully examining Shen Yunzhou, especially his hair, which looked jet black and didn't resemble her third mother at all.

When asked, she rolled her eyes and said, "Because I went there when we were looking for that Crimson Flame Golden Pattern Vine. By the way, I'm the most qualified to speak about Yan Sen, whom you just mentioned."

Immediately afterwards, Lu Yaoyao recounted in detail what she had seen and heard that day.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yunzhou became even more furious and began to curse.

He secretly followed her, and afterwards pretended to want to surprise my sister?
Pah!

I think he just wants to monopolize that secret realm.

Then, he looked at Zhou Qing with gratitude on his face.

If he hadn't reopened the six-colored magic array, I wouldn't be standing here chatting and laughing with everyone like this now.

Lu Yaoyao looked at Zhou Qing with a smug expression.

Well, here's another reinforcement for you.

Now it's not just your third mother who hates him; your brother-in-law has also joined the fray, and he's itching to get back at your rival.

Meeting Lu Yaoyao's mischievous gaze, Zhou Qing immediately understood her thoughts and could only sigh speechlessly.

The next moment, Lu Yaoyao suddenly clapped her hands and said to Shen Yunzhou, "I suddenly remembered something else. The clue to the ruins of Kunpeng's palace was found with the help of my senior brother Zhou."

"It was in the legacy left by the old Peng King that the stone platform was covered with a five-colored restriction. Sister Shen couldn't break it and tried to destroy it by force."

“My senior brother Zhou took a shortcut and only opened it after burning three incense sticks. Afterwards, he didn’t ask for the map or the storage bag, which led to Sister Shen finding the Kunpeng Palace.”

Zhou Qing coughed lightly and quickly gave Lu Yaoyao a meaningful look.

Why say all this?
It makes it seem like we're deliberately trying to take credit. Do you think I didn't want to take it all back then? It's just that the conditions didn't allow it.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yunzhou looked at Zhou Qing again, his gratitude growing even stronger.

He bowed deeply, his attitude sincere: "Everything was preordained. Brother Zhou, I am deeply grateful. I, Shen Yunzhou, will remember this life-saving grace."

Zhou Qing quickly helped him up, thinking to himself: "Why don't you thank me? Why keep talking nonsense?"

He politely replied, "Don't mention it, it's nothing at all."

Shen Yunzhou, who had just stood up, wanted to say something, but found Zhou Qing staring intently at him.

This puzzled him. He subconsciously raised his hand to touch his face and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhou, do I have poop spots on my face?"

Zhou Qing: "..."

"No, I just think you're quite fair-skinned, almost as fair as my storage bag," Zhou Qing said with a smile.

Should we get down to business now?

Shen Yunzhou immediately laughed and said, "Nonsense, my older sister and the others all say my face is yellow, not white. But Brother Zhou, your skin is the white one."

Zhou Qing laughed.

Then, Shen Yunzhou put away his smile and said solemnly, "Brother Zhou, to tell you the truth, I came all this way specifically to thank you for saving my life."

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up instantly.

After all this buildup, this is exactly what I've been waiting for.

Shen Yunzhou continued, "My original plan was to use top-grade spirit stones, but seeing your noble character halfway through, I realized you wouldn't even accept ten for free, truly regarding money as dirt."

"This makes me feel ashamed and inferior, as if these mundane things are unworthy of you, and even insult you to some extent."

Zhou Qing quickly said, "Actually, you've misunderstood..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Yunzhou interrupted him: "I know. I was busy with some things recently, and when I inquired, I found out that everyone in the entire Eastern Region knows your name, Zhou Qing."

Shen Yunzhou continued speaking to himself, his eyes filled with admiration.

Zhou Qing quickly said, "Those were all empty titles from the past. Actually, I sometimes like those things too..."

"Let me finish speaking. Now that you are the future headmaster of the Taiqing Sect, you should have plenty of these mundane things. My initial thinking was too narrow."

Zhou Qing's face twitched upon hearing this.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say that he was really short of money, after all, who would complain about having too much of this stuff?

But after hearing Shen Yunzhou's words of praise, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Yunzhou bowed to Zhou Qing again and said earnestly, "I have never seen anyone as virtuous, accomplished, and kind as Brother Zhou."

At this moment, Zhou Qing was already on the verge of tears. When he turned his head, Lu Yaoyao's eyes were shining brightly, looking at him with admiration.

孽 孽!
Zhou Qing let out a wail in his heart, his heart bleeding, watching helplessly as the top-grade spirit stone he had just obtained flew away.

But now that things have come to this, he doesn't have the nerve to directly confront them and ask for money.

At this point, he could only force a smile and say, "Brother Shen, you flatter me. I only did what I was supposed to do. Your high praise makes me a little embarrassed."

Lu Yaoyao stepped forward and said proudly, "Of course! My senior brother Zhou has always been so chivalrous. He does things according to his heart and never asks for anything in return."

After hearing Lu Yaoyao's words, Shen Yunzhou's admiration for Zhou Qing deepened even further.

Then he clasped his hands in a fist and said, "It seems that Brother Zhou is indeed a dragon among men. It is Yunzhou's good fortune to meet you today. If you need anything in the future, please feel free to ask."

Zhou Qing was inwardly bitter, but on the surface he still had to maintain a humble appearance, waving his hands repeatedly and saying, "Brother Shen, you are too kind. We are all cultivators, and it is only right to help each other."

"Alright, Shen... I'll call you Brother Shen from now on. Senior Brother Zhou, they're guests. It's not good for them to just stay outside chatting like this."

Lu Yaoyao reminded her with a smile.

Zhou Qing then seemed to wake from a dream, gently slapped his forehead, and said with a hint of apology, "It was my oversight, Brother Shen, please!"

"Brother Zhou, Junior Sister Lu, I'm sorry to bother you!" Shen Yunzhou smiled and bowed slightly in return.

Just as the three were about to enter, a whooshing sound suddenly came from the distant horizon.

The three of them instinctively looked up at the same time, only to see a streak of light rushing towards them, arriving in front of them in an instant.

This is a somewhat familiar airship, its hull made of an unknown black metal, exuding a cold and aloof feel.

The runes on it flickered and intertwined, directly outlining a layer of faint protective aura.

The flag belonging to the Xiao family of Lingyun Prefecture was still flying on the mast of the flying boat.

“It’s from Lingyun Mansion—” Lu Yaoyao said with some surprise.

Zhou Qing frowned. Was they going to investigate his Taiqing Sect again?
The hatch opened the next moment, and two familiar figures emerged, followed by several attendants dressed in tight-fitting clothes.

Zhou Qing was taken aback when he saw the two people running towards him.

"Xiao Cancan, Sister Tao, no—"

Zhou Qing was momentarily confused. "When we returned from Lingyun Prefecture a while ago, didn't you say you weren't coming? You said the Prefecture Master had given the order, so why are you here now?"
"Brother Zhou—"

Upon seeing Zhou Qing, Xiao Cancan and Li Shitao shouted with joy and then rushed over.

"What brings you here?" Zhou Qing could only greet them with a smile, his face showing a mixture of surprise and delight.

Li Shitao suddenly stepped forward and bowed, her anxiety mixed with embarrassment: "Zhou Qing, can I ask you for a favor?"

“Sister Tao, you’re right. Why talk about asking for something?” Zhou Qing asked, puzzled.

After all, they had known each other for many years, and when he and his third senior brother went to Lingyun Prefecture, they received a lot of care from them.

Shen Yunzhou, standing to the side, looked at the woman with her ample bosom, then at Zhou Qing, his eyes filled with admiration.

How could a mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivator call a mid-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator "sister"?

Brother Zhou truly lives up to his name; he has no airs whatsoever and can interact with people of all levels of understanding on an equal footing. His magnanimity is truly admirable.

Shen Yunzhou sighed inwardly, and at the same time, he felt even more respect for Zhou Qing's character.

At this moment, Li Shitao quickly said, "Thank you. I would like to ask you for a top-grade wood-attribute spirit stone. Is that alright? Of course, I will definitely repay you afterward."

Zhou Qing was stunned, even more confused.

You are now the goddaughter of the manor lord, you shouldn't be so poor that you don't even have a single spirit stone, right?
Li Shitao quickly explained, "It's like this, I met a pitiful pregnant woman in the Haomiao Prefecture."

“We had been taking care of her, but with the end of the war in the southwest, Zhang Wanbao decided to come back. In addition, with the death of the Fifth Prince, our godfather also asked us to come back.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing nodded.

After all, they didn't see Sister Tao when they went to the Treasure Pavilion last time, and Zhang Wanbao and Xiao Cancan had mentioned this as well.

At that time, he suspected that the pregnant woman must be Li Niang.

Then, Zhou Qing used his spiritual power to conjure up Li Niang's image and asked, "Is it her?"

Upon seeing this, Li Shitao was somewhat surprised and asked, "You two know each other?"

Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao exchanged a glance, then nodded and said, "I guess so."

Upon hearing this, Li Shitao's face lit up with joy, and she said, "That makes things even easier. She's about to give birth, but with such a big belly, I'm worried that the baby she gives birth to will be huge, and then..."

Li Shitao hesitated to speak, and Zhou Qing roughly understood, but was more shocked.

Is Li Niang about to give birth?

It should be noted that the other party was extremely obsessed, and with his deep affection for his Daoist partner, he successfully advanced to the Nascent Soul realm by incorporating his emotions into his artistic conception.

Now he is at the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, and he has seen the other party since the time of the headmaster.

For at least a thousand years, they used various elixirs of heaven and earth to suppress the birth of their child, hoping that the child's father would return and witness the child's birth at the first moment.

The trigger for the battle at Canglan Mountain was actually her stealing the elixir of immortality, Fusang Lingkui, from the Demon King Houshan.

Why did I suddenly go into labor?

"How did you know?" Zhou Qingqiang suppressed his shock and looked at Li Shitao with suspicion.

Li Shitao explained, "For a while now, I've been feeling uneasy and really worried about her. Plus, my godfather has strictly forbidden me from coming here, so I simply took the teleportation array to Haomiao Mansion."

"When I got there, I saw her condition with my own eyes. Her belly was frighteningly large compared to before, and she had great difficulty moving around. Even her breathing was somewhat disordered, so I guessed that she could give birth at any time."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing finally understood why Li Shitao was so eager to ask for help.

She must have wanted to use the abundant vitality contained in the top-grade wood-attribute spirit stone to ensure that Li Niang could continuously receive spiritual nourishment during childbirth, so as to resist various crises that might occur during the process.

After all, Li Niang was a powerful cultivator in the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. The fetus in her womb had been gestating for thousands of years, so the difficulty of childbirth was unimaginable.

Li Shitao continued, "We had a get-together more than two months ago when you left Lingyun Prefecture."

“During the meal, you mentioned that you obtained five wood-attribute spirit stones from Wanbao because you needed them for your cultivation technique.”

“The spiritual power contained in top-grade spirit stones is abundant, and it takes a long time to absorb them. Could you spare one for me to tide me over? Once Li Niang has given birth smoothly, I will do everything I can to repay you and will never put you in a difficult position.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing frowned, feeling utterly helpless.

The main problem is that you arrived too late; I had already absorbed all five wood-attribute spirit stones.

Xiao Cancan, who had been watching Zhou Qing's expression closely, quickly spoke up when she saw this: "Brother Zhou, actually, there were originally nine wood-attribute spirit stones stored in the manor's secret vault."

“But during that time, my father was seriously injured because of the Spirit Skull Mountain Secret Realm incident.”

"So those few were used for healing, and the first thing we did when we came here was to go find my father, but he didn't have any left."

"However, Uncle Zhang is here now. He said that another branch of the Wanxiang Auction House recently traded a wood-attribute spirit stone, but the journey is long and it will take some time to transport it here."

"Once I get the spirit stones, I will definitely return them to you as soon as possible, Brother Zhou, please rest assured."

After hearing this, Zhou Qing sighed and said sincerely, "To be honest, because the cultivation technique I practice is special and has a great need for wood-attribute spiritual power, I have indeed absorbed all five spirit stones."

Upon hearing Zhou Qing's words, the two women were immediately disappointed.

Wood-attribute spirit stones are already rare, and they had searched everywhere before finally coming to Taiqing Sect to try their luck, clinging to their last hope.

Meanwhile, Shen Yunzhou glanced at the dejected Li Shitao and Xiao Cancan on the left, and then at the helpless Zhou Qing on the right, before suddenly coughing lightly.

He spoke with an air of seriousness: "If Brother Zhou says he's used it all up, then he absolutely has. I trust his character."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing's eyebrows twitched violently, and he turned to look at Shen Yunzhou.

The way you're talking makes people think I'm deliberately hiding something and unwilling to help them.

Upon hearing this, the two women's expressions changed drastically. Xiao Cancan quickly explained, "We have never doubted Brother Zhou. Brother Zhou, please don't misunderstand."

"Yes, let's think of another way. Please don't overthink it," Li Shitao quickly added.

They had known Zhou Qing for many years and trusted his character. They were afraid that Shen Yunzhou's words would damage their long-standing friendship.

Lu Yaoyao frowned slightly, about to say something, when Shen Yunzhou suddenly flipped his wrist gracefully, and a translucent, hexagonal stone appeared in his palm.

The surface of the spirit stone was covered with fine runes, like the rings of an ancient tree, and it faintly exuded a vibrant life force. It was clearly a top-grade wood-attribute spirit stone.

“Brother Zhou doesn’t have any, but I do!” Shen Yunzhou waved the spirit stones in his hand, looking smug.

The two women's eyes lit up immediately.

"May I ask how you are addressed?" Li Shitao and Xiao Cancan were so excited that they quickly bowed.

Shen Yunzhou waved his hand casually: "I am Shen Yunzhou. I have come here to repay a debt of gratitude. Since you are Brother Zhou's friends, then you are my friends as well. How can I stand idly by when my friends are in trouble!"

Before he finished speaking, he directly stuffed the spirit stone into Li Shitao's hand.

"Young Master Shen's kindness is something we will never forget. We will definitely repay you when the new spirit stones arrive," Li Shitao said gratefully.

"No need to pay it back. And if you want to thank someone, thank Brother Zhou. After Li Niang gives birth to the child, she can just casually recognize us two as godfathers."

Shen Yunzhou said half-jokingly.

Li Shitao and Xiao Cancan nodded hurriedly: "No problem, no problem, thank you!"

As they spoke, the two women bowed solemnly once again.

Zhou Qing could only wave his hand, after all, he hadn't done anything.

The two women dared not delay any longer, especially since they had seen Xiao Ji not long ago. Their expressions were solemn, as it seemed that the things Uncle Zhang brought still hadn't led to the murderer.

The situation here is not right, so I specifically told them to go back home as soon as possible.

Watching the flying boat disappear into the distance, Zhou Qing was about to invite Shen Yunzhou inside when he saw the other party suddenly smile slyly: "So Brother Zhou cultivates a wood-attribute technique! You should have said so earlier!"

Before he finished speaking, he patted his storage bag, and ten top-grade wood-attribute spirit stones emitting a soft green light appeared in his arms.

"I came in a hurry this time and only brought twelve with me. I gave one to them, kept one for myself in case of emergency, and the rest are all for you as a way of thanking you for saving my life."

Shen Yunzhou said casually.

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up instantly; he never expected that this guy had such a grand scheme hidden inside.

No wonder those people robbed you halfway there.

As expected of someone from a fifth-level cultivation country, their skills are truly exceptional.

That's generous enough, I like it.

"No, no, this won't do. How can we accept this? It's unacceptable," Zhou Qing hurriedly declined.

Lu Yaoyao looked at the spirit stone that Zhou Qing was already holding in his arms, and her lips twitched violently twice.

"Senior Brother Zhou, you..."

"Shut up, can't stand seeing your senior brother doing well?" Zhou Qing glared back directly.

I was polite enough to refuse once. Shen Yunzhou is an honest man. If I refuse again and he takes it back, I'll really be spitting blood.

"Brother Zhou is truly a man of character, so straightforward!" Shen Yunzhou laughed heartily, his admiration growing stronger.

He's loyal, genuine, and principled—far superior to Yan Sen.

Zhou Qing quickly put the spirit stones into his storage bag, feeling grateful to Li Shitao and Xiao Cancan.

No, we should thank Li Niang!

The help they provided in the Vast Expanse Prefecture has now been rewarded in such an unexpected way, truly proving the saying "good deeds are rewarded."

"Come on, come on, let's not talk now, please come in!" Zhou Qing said with a big smile, extending his hand to invite him in warmly.

Shen Yunzhou smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother Zhou, please!"

The three of them then headed towards the mountain gate's protective barrier.

"How is Senior Shen's injury now?"

"I'm almost fully recovered, thank you for your concern."

"I was just asking casually. By the way, how did you come to understand that kind of artistic conception?"

"This is a long story, are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Never mind then, let's talk about something else."

"Brother Shen, what's the artistic conception? I'd like to hear it."

"you sure?"

"Sure!"

"Okay, since the story is quite long, I'll tell you the details during dinner later."

……

(End of this chapter)