The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 268 No wonder my father never wanted to mention this uncle (6k)

"Ugh~"

Inside the Jade Kitchen!

Lu Yaoyao and Yan Xiaohu staggered out of the room and vomited violently while leaning against the pillars.

Zhou Qing forced himself to suppress the acid churning in his stomach, his Adam's apple bobbing incessantly.

Only Shen Yunzhou stood frozen in place, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the wine glass, his face slightly flushed.

"Um... do you guys look down on me?" he asked cautiously.

Lu Yaoyao and Yan Xiaohu hurriedly wiped their mouths, forcing out stiff smiles.

Yan Xiaohu waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, really! Don't misunderstand, it's just that I've been eating here so much lately that I'm suddenly getting a little tired of it."

Before he could finish speaking, the head of Yu Shan Tang happened to pass by the door.

The silver-haired old man suddenly stopped in his tracks, his cloudy eyes narrowing into two cold glints: "Oh? Tired of the food? Xiao Wang, hang up a sign outside the hall—From now on, only Yan Xiaohu and dogs are not allowed to enter Jade Cuisine Hall!"

Yan Xiaohu's expression changed drastically, and he scrambled after him, crying, "Uncle-Master! Uncle-Master, please let me explain! I was just joking..."

Lu Yaoyao returned to her seat with a flushed face, awkwardly shifting her position.

As the host, since the other party had come from afar and brought so many top-grade wood-attribute spirit stones, Zhou Qing naturally treated them to a meal first.

Yu Shan Tang is undoubtedly the best choice.

Upon hearing that guests had arrived, Yan Xiaohu naturally followed along to keep them company.

Then, at the dinner table, Shen Yunzhou recounted his experience of comprehending the "artistic conception of excrement".

Can you imagine that just because he got drunk and fell into a latrine, ate and drank his fill, took a bath, and then found that everyone was avoiding him, he suddenly had an epiphany.

A bold idea began to take shape in my mind.

From then on, he began to study all sorts of filthy things, and even went to certain monster lands to observe their birth, smell their odor, and even... taste them.

Especially when he broke through to the Divine Transformation Realm from the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, he directly had an epiphany about "shit coming," which caused the entire Shen family to defecate for three days and three nights. Can you believe that?
The head of the Shen family, who was also his grandfather, almost felt disgusted and moved away.

From then on, everyone avoided him like the plague, looking at him with disgust.

But he enjoyed it immensely. There are countless people in the world who have reached the Nascent Soul stage, but how many of them are truly remembered?

"Now that I'm in the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, if I want to break through to the Perfection Realm, I need to hurry up and make up for my shortcomings in comprehension. Does your Level 4 Cultivation Kingdom have any such..."

"Stop! Don't say anymore!" Lu Yaoyao suddenly raised her hand, forcing back the sour taste rising in her throat.

At this moment, there was a hint of disgust in her eyes when she looked at Shen Yunzhou, as if he had been stained with all sorts of filth.

If Third Aunt really is her biological mother, no wonder Dad never wanted to mention this uncle.

Zhou Qing stared at the table full of delicacies and felt a sudden spasm in his stomach.

It seems that for a long time to come, even fasting will be a blessing.

Shen Yunzhou was somewhat disappointed after hearing this, but then he chuckled and said, "It's alright. I've done some research, and your Level 4 Cultivation Kingdom is quite large. There must be many strange places here."

Then he took out a yellowish-brown earthenware jar, from which rustling sounds could be heard under the burlap covering the mouth of the jar.

"Let me introduce you to my good partner!" He proudly pulled back the cloth, "The Black Gold Poop Pusher, also known as the dung beetle, is what I rely on to find rare droppings..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Qing swiftly grabbed his wrist: "It's getting late, Brother Shen must be tired from your journey, why don't you rest first?"

Lu Yaoyao also nodded repeatedly.

Shen Yunzhou had no choice but to put it away, saying, "Alright! Then I'll let you see it another day."

After that, Zhou Qing took Shen Yunzhou to live on Xiaoling Peak.

After all, Shenyue Peak is the main peak of Taiqing Sect, and the restricted areas are all located in the back mountain, so extra care needs to be taken to prevent people from entering or leaving at will.

Not long after, Yan Xiaohu returned with a bitter face. Looking at the food on the table that had barely been touched, he felt conflicted.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he started yelling at the door.

"Let's pack it up, my brothers Niu Guangmo and the others haven't eaten yet!"

……

Over the next few days, Zhou Qing spent almost all his time taking the "curious little boy" Shen Yunzhou around, except for replanting the ten top-grade wood-attribute spirit stones into the potted plant.

This gave him a general understanding of the Taiqing Sect.

"So, you ran away from here without telling your sister?" Zhou Qing asked in surprise during their conversation that day.

He originally thought that No. 6 was busy, so he sent Shen Yunzhou to thank him, but he didn't expect that Shen Yunzhou came on his own.

Shen Yunzhou nodded vigorously, still feeling lingering fear, and said, "Of course, if she knew, she would definitely drag me back to the dark room. That place has almost become my second home."

Zhou Qing was speechless after hearing this.

Looks like you've been causing quite a stir since you were a kid.

"Where's Junior Sister Lu? Why hasn't she come these past two days?" Shen Yunzhou looked around and suddenly asked curiously.

And Yan Xiaohu, with his round face and small eyes, is also from Lezi. I haven't seen him for the past few days either.

Zhou Qing glanced at him indifferently and said nothing.

Don't you have any idea why they're not coming?
If I weren't indebted to someone, believe me, I would have announced my seclusion too.

"Oh, right, I suddenly remembered something. A few years ago, my sister told me that a phenomenon called 'Four Flowers Gathering at the Top' had appeared here that no one had ever seen before. It attracted the attention of several surrounding cultivation kingdoms."

Shen Yunzhou seemed to suddenly remember something important, his eyes lit up, and he spoke.

Zhou Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately became alert. He quickly regained his composure and said, "I don't know, and I've never seen them before, but the imperial court says they are from other cultivation countries."

“Well, three flowers gathering at the top is already rare, four flowers is indeed a bit unbelievable,” Shen Yunzhou nodded, a hint of regret on his face.

Then, he took out an image stone and asked expectantly, "Brother Zhou, I have a question for you. Do you know what place this is?"

Zhou Qing took it with a puzzled look, and after activating it with his spiritual power, an image was projected onto the screen.

The scene depicts a dark passage, somewhat resembling an abandoned mine.

At this moment, an old man suddenly chased after him, but seemed to be wary of something, and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Upon seeing this person, Zhou Qing suddenly narrowed his eyes.

“The Sect Master of the Golden Thunder Sect—Lei Wuji!” Zhou Qing murmured, his voice filled with shock.

Lei Wuji looked extremely unwell; his eyes were bloodshot, half of his skin was almost black, and there seemed to be some special markings on his forehead.

The scene then abruptly ended, with nothing further displayed.

"Golden Thunder Sect? Is it one of the five sects of your Eastern Region? No wonder it's so powerful. It seems I've stumbled upon this place by mistake!"

Shen Yunzhou suddenly realized and said somewhat awkwardly.

Zhou Qing asked in confusion, "When did you go to the Golden Thunder Sect's territory?"

Shen Yunzhou scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I'm unfamiliar with this place. A while ago, I was waiting for you at the inn, and that day, my black gold poop-pusher suddenly smelled a peculiar stench..."

As Shen Yunzhou spoke, Zhou Qing frowned, a sense of unease creeping into her heart.

Shen Yunzhou's current state of mind requires him to constantly perceive all kinds of filth, among which stench is of paramount importance.

The dung beetle he kept had an extremely sensitive sense of smell.

That day on the main street, someone was pulling a half-rotten monster corpse on a cart.

The unique stench emanating from the rotting flesh even created an eerie bluish mist in the air; it was the first time the dung beetle had ever smelled such a odor.

Therefore, he appeared unusually excited.

For Shen Yunzhou, such an item was a "great tonic" for his artistic conception, so he quickly bought it and inquired about where it was found.

When they arrived at the location following the clues, they found it to be a Gobi desert, with only endless reddish-brown sand and gravel everywhere.

It looked ordinary, with nothing else in it, and there were even other people flying by on swords in the air.

Just as he was wondering if he had been tricked, his dung beetle ran to a certain place and started digging with its front legs.

Shen Yunzhou crouched down and noticed that there were faint traces of runes among the seemingly ordinary sand.

Even if you haven't eaten pork, you must have seen a pig run.

He may not be a formation master, but my older sister is.

Therefore, he immediately realized that there was a restrictive barrier in front of him, concealing this place.

After all, the half-demon beast corpse was covered in some kind of stench, which was of great help to him.

It would be even better if we could have more.

So he used the array plate left to him by his older sister to try to break it little by little.

Fortunately, what they were facing was just an ordinary two-colored magic array, which quickly melted into a small hole that could only accommodate one person.

Upon entering, he was confronted with the entrance to a bottomless cave.

But before he could go very far, several bolts of lightning shot out at him, followed by an old man with disheveled hair, his body wrapped in purple-gold arcs of electricity, who rushed towards him.

Moreover, the other party was ruthless and seemed intent on silencing him, not giving him a chance to explain.

During the escape, he hurriedly recorded it with the image stone, planning to ask his connections later to discuss with the other party and let him experience the stench.

"Brother Zhou, since you know each other, could you put in a good word for him? I'll even pay for it!" Shen Yunzhou said expectantly.

"I've never smelled such a foul and strange odor before. Perhaps this will make up for the lack of spiritual energy, and my advancement to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage will all depend on it."

Zhou Qing frowned and looked at the photo several times. The more he looked, the more suspicious the sect leader of the Golden Thunder Sect seemed.

Then, he took out a map of the Eastern Regions and pressed his fingertip on a certain spot: "Brother Shen, is that Gobi Desert here?"

Shen Yunzhou leaned closer to examine it closely, comparing it with the iconic landscapes along the way in his memory, and nodded confidently, "That's right, this is it, but it's a little to the north."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing's heart sank.

This area belongs to the Tianji Sect.

However, during the Five Sects War, everyone attacked each other's resource areas, which were also taken over by the Three Sects Alliance...

etc--

It seems the Golden Thunder Sect was responsible for attacking that place initially, but after it was razed to the ground, no one paid any attention to it anymore. Now, Lei Wuji has appeared there and even set up a barrier to cover it up; there's definitely something wrong.

"Was this the only person there at the time?" Zhou Qing asked solemnly.

Shen Yunzhou shook his head and said, "No, I felt there were many powerful auras inside. Otherwise, how could I have escaped? On the way to your Eastern Region, I wasn't afraid even when five people attacked me."

"Brother Shen, thank you!" Zhou Qing immediately stood up: "Wait here for a moment, I'll be right back."

After saying that, he quickly took the image stone to find his master.

The situation in the Eastern Region is currently turbulent and unpredictable. On the surface, everything appears calm, but in reality, various forces are stirring up trouble.

The Azure Feather Immortal Sect has become an affiliated sect of the Taiqing Sect, and it is fortunate that it has been able to preserve its heritage.

The Tianji Sect appears weak and is allied with the Cangyan Dao Palace, yet it secretly uses those eight drops of heart's blood to control Sikong Yan, constantly influencing some of his decisions and thoughts.

Therefore, only the Golden Thunder Sect is left to survive between the two powerful forces.

Never underestimate an opponent who deliberately feigns weakness.

This Golden Thunder Sect is not to be underestimated!
Shen Yunzhou watched Zhou Qing's departing figure, scratched his head, and looked somewhat puzzled.

Soon after obtaining the image stone, Mo Xingjian examined it and then contacted the sect leader Cao Zhengyang with a solemn expression.

Within half an hour, everyone except the five peak masters who were in seclusion had gathered in the council hall of Shenyue Peak.

The peak master of Danhua Peak was the first to break the silence: "It is indeed strange that this old fellow Lei Wuji suddenly appeared in the former abandoned mining area of ​​Tianji Sect."

The peak master of Xuanbing Peak, however, was unimpressed, a contemptuous smile playing on his lips.

"What's there to be afraid of? The Azure Feather Immortal Sect is now at my disposal, and Senior Brother Mo recently brought back a lot of secrets from Fairy Xuanyou. The Golden Thunder Sect doesn't have many strong members left either."

The peak master of Yunmeng Peak chimed in, "Exactly! They also failed to refine the Nine Nether Lotus Seed; one perished and the other was seriously injured."

"Currently, the Golden Thunder Sect only has five Supreme Elders at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, and Lei Wuji is only at the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces relaxed, and their whispers were full of disdain.

Cao Zhengyang's gaze sharpened as he swept over the crowd: "Are you all getting cocky? Don't forget, you've only been at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm for less than two years!"

The hall fell silent instantly, and everyone looked embarrassed, lowering their heads.

On the other hand, the Taiqing Sect now has eight Supreme Elders, plus their peak masters, making a total of sixteen Nascent Soul Realm Great Perfection experts.

Even if the Golden Thunder Sect and the Heavenly Pivot Sect join forces, they can still completely crush them.

"Zhou Qing, what do you think?" Cao Zhengyang turned his gaze to Zhou Qing, who had been silent all along.

Zhou Qing pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Although it may seem like making a mountain out of a molehill, I still think we cannot let our guard down, especially since the Fifth Prince has perished in the Eastern Region."

He really wanted to tell everyone that the Fifth Prince was the mastermind behind the Five Sects War, but Sikong Yan told him this in the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace.

Once a mistake is made, it's impossible to undo it.

Cao Zhengyang nodded after hearing this, and then looked at his fellow disciples.

“I have checked. Although the Fifth Prince, Xuanyuan Fengtai, is only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, he is accompanied by three protectors who are at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm.”

"Such a lineup was killed so quietly, and the scene was cleaned up so well. The person who did it must have been no ordinary person."

"From the Five Sects War, to the ruins of the Old Peng King in Canglan Mountain, the Beast Tide War, the fall of the Spirit Slayer Realm in Lingku Mountain, and now the matter of the Fifth Prince, chaos is frequently occurring in the Eastern Region, and we must be on guard."

The group exchanged solemn glances, their earlier disdain completely vanished.

"As you can see, Lei Wuji's condition is seriously off, and we haven't heard from him in a long time."

Mo Xingjian added, "Didn't that young master Shen say he smelled a strange stench there? I think it would be best to investigate it ourselves."

The peak masters nodded repeatedly.

"I will obey Master's orders!"

……

Shen Yunzhou was a little dazed. He blinked as he looked at the ten Nascent Soul Realm Great Perfection cultivators standing behind Zhou Qing.

Meanwhile, the others, including Duanmu Shu, curiously sized up Shen Yunzhou.

According to Zhou Qing, this child is the younger brother of that silver-haired Spirit Slayer Realm senior?
They must be taken good care of.

After all, Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao had successfully helped that person last time, and now that his younger brother had come, it was a good omen.

Some connections are built up quietly and without anyone noticing.

"These are the Supreme Elders of my Taiqing Sect, this is the Sect Leader, and this is my Master," Zhou Qing introduced them one by one.

Shen Yunzhou realized what was happening and quickly bowed respectfully.

He never imagined that a sect in a fourth-level cultivation country would possess such astonishing strength.

Cao Zhengyang said kindly, "Please lead the way, Young Master Shen. Let's go and take a look together. If there's anything you need inside, just take it."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yunzhou finally realized what was happening and immediately looked at Zhou Qing with a deeply moved expression.

So, all this fuss was for me?
Thank you so much!
Afterwards, the group boarded Shen Yunzhou's flying boat and headed towards the Gobi Desert...

Five days later!
What appeared before them was a vast, boundless red Gobi Desert.

Under the scorching sun, one can clearly see the distorted heat waves rising up, and flocks of vultures can be heard crying out in the air from time to time.

To conceal their whereabouts, the group put away their flying boats and flew at low altitude on their swords.

"That's it, Brother Zhou. You're a formation master and you've helped me before, so you should be able to see it better than I am... Brother Zhou, Brother Zhou, where have you been?"

Shen Yunzhou turned around, but Zhou Qing was already gone.

The others' expressions also changed, and they immediately looked ahead.

"Could this child have gone to investigate alone?" Cao Zhengyang asked worriedly.

Mo Xingjian sighed softly and was about to go and take a look when a soft cough suddenly sounded from the side.

"Hey everyone, don't be nervous, I'm here," Zhou Qing's voice came from the side.

Everyone was taken aback, only then realizing that Zhou Qing had been standing quietly in the same spot, as if he had never left.

But it was clearly gone just now.

Seeing a ghost in broad daylight?

Soon, even the Supreme Elder Duanmu Shu and others felt somewhat embarrassed.

They were such a strong team that they came to investigate, yet they were inexplicably nervous.

Shen Yunzhou rubbed his eyes and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He's the fearless and invincible Emperor Shit, can he really be blind?

That's hilarious.

Zhou Qing was taken aback when Shen Yunzhou suddenly spoke up, as everyone had ignored him.

Unfortunately, after the talent skill [Reduce Presence] is upgraded to LV6, it's no longer possible to farm points solely by relying on the Nascent Soul Realm.

"We haven't completely broken ties with the Golden Thunder Sect yet, and we're even maintaining our former alliance on the surface, so let's all keep up the pretense."

Cao Zhengyang suggested.

Everyone nodded, and then changed into night clothes and black masks.

The peak master of Wanqi Peak laughed and said, "So far, the other sects don't know that we have all broken through. With so many Nascent Soul Realm Great Perfection cultivators suddenly appearing, they probably would never guess which faction we belong to."

The others chuckled as well.

Shen Yunzhou watched quietly, and suddenly felt that this sect was really harmonious. For a moment, he was even a little envious.

Unlike the Shen family, despite being located in a fifth-level cultivation country, their uncles and aunts each harbored their own ambitions, especially the power behind their aunt, who constantly coveted the Shen family's resources and status.

Although my grandfather managed to maintain a semblance of peace through his prestige, my older sister, as a late-stage Spirit Slaying Realm cultivator and a level four array master, had to be extremely careful in the family, fearing that one wrong step would plunge her into utter ruin.

“Let’s go over when you’re ready!” Cao Zhengyang said.

The group immediately approached quietly, and once they arrived at the location, Shen Yunzhou carefully opened the barrier again.

The group filed in, but just to be on the safe side, Cao Zhengyang left two peak masters outside, just in case.

Upon entering, they were greeted by a dark cave entrance that led straight into the earth.

Now, upon closer inspection, everyone felt a chill mixed with an indescribable fishy smell.

"We'll lead the charge, you'll bring up the rear, and Xiao Shen and Zhou Qing will be in the middle!" Duanmu Shu instructed, drawing her magical artifact.

There were three Supreme Elders who came this time, and the rest were peak masters from various peaks.

After Duanmu Shu finished giving her instructions, Cao Zhengyang and the others immediately shielded Zhou Qing and Shen Yunzhou behind them.

Zhou Qing was about to say something, but Mo Xingjian shook his head slightly at him.

Zhou Qing understood, but took the opportunity to quickly examine the cave entrance in front of him.

After all, Shen Yunzhou had already alerted the enemy, and more than a month had passed, so Lei Wuji should have been prepared.

Soon, a message came back.

[Corpse-Raising Ground: This is the entrance to the Corpse-Raising Ground of the Corpse Yin Sect, a third-level cultivation country. It contains a large amount of corpse energy and baleful energy, but unfortunately, due to its age, it has almost completely dissipated.]

Upon seeing the introduction, Zhou Qing frowned, seemingly understanding something.

After all, before this, the area they were in should have belonged to a third-level cultivation country. However, with the breakthrough of the old emperor of the Holy Martial Dynasty, it was only after being granted a higher status by the cultivation alliance.

It seems that many years ago, when the Golden Thunder Sect was in charge of dealing with the Tianji Sect's mines, they must have stumbled upon this place by accident and immediately covered it up.

But then again, the lightning-based cultivation techniques they mainly practice should be able to suppress these yin and evil energies. So what is Lei Wuji researching in there?
Why did you make yourself look like that?
Just as Zhou Qing was pondering, Duanmu Shu and the others had already entered.

"Brother Zhou, what's wrong?" Shen Yunzhou quietly reminded him when he saw Zhou Qing not moving.

Zhou Qing shook his head slightly to indicate that he was alright, and then followed him inside.

"Strange, why is no one here this time? Last time, it was right here that guy appeared out of nowhere like a ghost and attacked me without saying a word."

After traveling for a short while, Shen Yunzhou quietly transmitted his voice to everyone.

"Perhaps they have already left!" Duanmu Shu quietly released her divine sense, but did not sense any life force, and couldn't help but guess.

(End of this chapter)