The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 352 Sister Shen, are you really my mother? (6k)

The mountain range wasn't very large, but the three of them searched for over a month, turning it upside down three times, but still couldn't find the old hen.

Two years is more than enough time for that silly chicken to run off to anywhere.

At the summit of the mountain, Zhou Qingjing sat silently above the sea of ​​clouds.

Speaking of which, although the old hen didn't seem very smart, it had been his companion since the Five Sects Treasure Gathering, which was also when he began to cultivate Qi.

When I bought it from the vendor, I never imagined I would be so attached to it today.

Now, having brought it to this strange and dangerous place, it has been lost.
The thought of its silly appearance, possibly being chased by cultivators or demonic beasts, made Zhou Qing feel a pang of sadness.

"Shhhh-"

Two figures landed; it was Luo Lingling and Ghost Hound.

Luo Lingling looked remorseful and hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Little Aqing, I remember you said that you gave it to your godson, the Buddhist monk, to take to Jiyuan Temple to seek opportunities."

"But a few years later it suddenly reappeared outside your yard, and its feathers had become much sparser?"

Zhou Qing nodded silently.

“I guess it came back to find you back then,” Luo Lingling continued, “just like this time. We’ve been searching for so long without any trace, could it have… already returned to its cave?”

Zhou Qing's eyes suddenly lit up.

Ghost Mastiff replied, "We've discussed it. Why don't you go back to your cave and keep watch, while my junior sister and I expand the search area?"

“What if it comes back and finds no one there? Wouldn’t it have missed its chance? Besides, with your three-colored communication jade slip, we can contact each other anytime.”

Zhou Qing pondered for a moment and thought the method was feasible, so he immediately stood up and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, senior brothers and sisters!"

"You're being too polite. As long as you don't blame us, that's fine!" Luo Lingling waved her hand, and the two left again.

Zhou Qing quickly returned to his cave, but still couldn't find the old hen. He could only wait patiently.

Several days passed in a dull manner, and simply waiting like this is not a solution.

Zhou Qing simply took out the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree and, while intermittently studying the formation, inquired about the search progress through the jade slip to ensure the safety of the two.

……

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Looking at the 9,990 spirit seals floating around him, Zhou Qing finally made up his mind to send a message to recall the two of them.

He couldn't let his senior brothers and sisters continue to take risks because of a chicken.

You should know that the spies of those powerful families in the capital who could slay spirits, as well as the royal family, might be searching for his whereabouts everywhere.

A few days later, the weary Ghost Mastiff and Luo Lingling returned to their cave, their faces etched with exhaustion.

"It's alright, maybe it's having a good meal somewhere," Zhou Qing reassured him.

The two sighed.

Immediately, Zhou Qing said solemnly, "The reason I invited my senior brothers and sisters back this time is to ask you to protect me."

"Guardian?" the two asked, puzzled.

Zhou Qing said softly, "I'm afraid I'm about to break through to the fourth level of array master."

"what?"

The two were struck dumb, their pupils shrinking sharply.

Luo Lingling stood there dumbfounded, while Ghost Mastiff stood up abruptly, his face full of disbelief.

Zhou Qing nodded slightly.

He remembered that when he broke through to the third level of array master at Taiqing Sect, the entire Xiaoling Peak shook violently, attracting the peak masters and supreme elders of each peak to appear.

To cover for him, his master even went so far as to lie and claim that the strange phenomenon was caused by a breakthrough in his own cultivation technique.

The same applies when I saw Master Lin break through to the third level of array master at Baiyu Taixu Academy.

Many inner court disciples and mentors came to watch and offer their congratulations.

As for level four? No one in the Holy Martial Dynasty has ever reached that level.

Although this desolate place is far from the capital, he himself could not predict what kind of strange phenomena would occur when he broke through.

"Little Aqing, you—" Luo Lingling finally reacted, her eyes sparkling, her voice trembling, "This is too amazing!"

Ghost Mastiff took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "If you succeed, you will be the first level four formation master in the history of the Holy Martial Dynasty."

"And future generations will only ever remember who was the 'first'—that was you, Zhou Qing!"

Zhou Qing shook his head with a wry smile: "It was just luck."

The three then discussed the matter of protecting the Dharma in detail, and Zhou Qing even took out a four-color magic array and set it up.

This formation is called the [Mysterious Armor Returning to Origin Formation], a restriction that Yan Sen used to protect himself at the Kunpeng Palace. (Chapter 295)
Under the curse of the "Unlucky Post," which is even more powerful than the "Unlucky Post," Yan Sen suffered a series of misfortunes and ultimately ended up seriously injured and on the verge of death.

His uncle, Yan Weiyi, even abandoned him and left alone to venture into the secret realm in search of an opportunity.

When he and Lu Yaoyao arrived, they found the man huddled inside the magic array, barely breathing and trying to heal his injuries.

Zhou Qing had already identified and confirmed that the [Mysterious Armor Returning to Origin Formation] was a perfect-grade four-color formation, combining offense and defense.

Even if a Spirit Severing Realm expert were to intervene, it would be difficult to break through in a short period of time.

To lure the snake out of its hole, he pretended to be blind and fell into the ruins, deliberately scattering a large number of top-grade spirit stones and jade slips on the ground, and then let out a shrill scream to pretend to be unconscious.

As expected, he lured the opponent out of the formation, and in the end, he managed to kill him.

After two daily inspections confirmed that the formation did not bear the Yan family's mark, he kept the formation hidden away.

Neither the Vientiane Auction House nor the Duobao Chamber of Commerce dared to make a transaction, fearing that they might lose more than they gained and expose their whereabouts.

"With this formation protecting us, and with my second junior sister and I joining forces to protect us, we are certain that we will be safe this time!"

Ghost Mastiff patted its chest and made a solemn vow.

Luo Lingling nodded in agreement, indicating that she would never repeat the same mistake.

Zhou Qing nodded and said, "This seclusion will last at most a month or so. I hope you will work hard during this time, senior brothers and sisters."

After giving his instructions, he turned and went deep into the cave to prepare for his seclusion.

Luo Lingling then took out stacks of talismans and handed them to Gui Ao, and the two began to secretly set up defenses in various parts of the mountain range.
……

Meanwhile, in the inner city of the imperial capital!
A blond-haired young man stood on a bustling street, spread his arms, took a deep breath, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"The capital of the Holy Martial Dynasty, I, the Emperor of Shit... *smack*!"

Before he could finish speaking, he received a hard slap on the back of the head, which made him wince in pain but he dared not retaliate.

Shen Hanyi walked past with her face veiled by a light gauze, and said coldly, "Behave yourself."

Faced with his elder sister's bloodline suppression, Shen Yunzhou could only swallow his anger and mutter to himself.

Lu Yaoyao skipped closer, a sly smile on her face: "Brother Shen, I can read lips!"

"Then tell me what I just said?" Shen Yunzhou retorted irritably.

Lu Yaoyao coughed lightly and chuckled, "You just said—'Ugly women who only know how to use violence deserve to never get married'..."

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Yunzhou's expression changed drastically, and he covered her mouth with his hand.

Lu Yaoyao was sobbing even more—

At this moment, Shen Hanyi, who was walking in front, suddenly turned around, her eyes cold.

Shen Yunzhou quickly chuckled and waved his hand, "Sis, we were just joking! Um... where do we go next?"

At this moment, many cultivators on the street were looking at Shen Hanyi.

Although she wore a veil, her figure was graceful, her temperament was aloof and cold, and her every move exuded an otherworldly air.

Lu Yaoyao's silver hair was as white as snow, and her skin was as smooth as jade. After breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage, she became even more ethereal and fairy-like, with her eyes sparkling and her smile as beautiful as a flower.

The two walked side by side, like two stunning sisters, attracting frequent glances from passersby.

Shen Hanyi noticed the gazes around her, flicked her finger, and a silver mask flew towards Lu Yaoyao: "Put it on."

Shen Yunzhou released his hand from Lu Yaoyao's and leaned forward with a grin: "Sister, where's mine?"

"Do you need to?" Shen Hanyi glanced at him coldly, then turned and left.

Shen Yunzhou scratched his head awkwardly. Lu Yaoyao put on her mask and winked at him: "A cowardly man."

"I'm just a good man who doesn't argue with women!" Shen Yunzhou crossed his arms and sneered. "What do you know, you little brat?"

Lu Yaoyao immediately raised her voice: "Sister Shen, Brother Shen was just muttering about you—"

"I was wrong, I was wrong!" Shen Yunzhou waved his hands repeatedly in fright. "I'm just a cowardly man! Grandma, keep your voice down!"

Lu Yaoyao laughed so hard she almost fell over, then turned and caught up with Shen Hanyi: "I wonder where Senior Brother Zhou is. This capital is bigger than I imagined."

Shen Yunzhou let out a long sigh and followed along reluctantly: "This is already the sixth fourth-level dynasty I've come to. The layout of the capital is pretty much the same. You can't go wrong following me..."

……

Inside an elegant inn, three people sat by the window.

Shen Hanyi closed her eyes to rest, seemingly oblivious to the delicious food on the table, while Shen Yunzhou and Lu Yaoyao ate heartily.

Shen Yunzhou was even more excited to take out his pet cockroach, named "Black Gold Poop Pusher," and wanted to feed it.

After all, true brothers share both good times and bad!

Seeing that it wouldn't eat, he looked around and mysteriously pulled out a jade bottle.

As soon as the bottle was uncorked, an indescribable stench instantly engulfed the entire inn.

"Holy crap! Who's the jerk who farted in a restaurant?"

"Is this smell like a latrine brought here?"

"Damn it, I paid a fortune to eat here, and this is all I get to smell?"

"Shopkeeper! Quickly throw that guy who's soiling his pants out!"

"A cultivator can't even control his back door? How shameful!"

……

This immediately drew a lot of criticism and complaints.

Shen Hanyi frowned slightly, and Shen Yunzhou was so frightened that he hurriedly put the bottle stopper back in.

Seeing everyone's gaze sweep over him, he immediately covered his nose and pretended to look around, saying, "Who's so inconsiderate? If you can't keep it to yourself, don't come out and embarrass yourself!"

Seeing that two stunningly beautiful women were sitting at his table, the diners didn't think he was the culprit, so they continued searching for other suspicious people.

Lu Yaoyao pinched her nose and gave him a thumbs up.

Shen Hanyi sighed softly from beneath her veil—this brat had practically turned the Shen family's little dark room into his second home.

Because he's either causing trouble, or on his way to causing trouble.

They never learn from their mistakes.

"Eat, eat, it's alright!" Shen Yunzhou casually placed a piece of cheese on Lu Yaoyao's plate.

Lu Yaoyao was speechless, but when she saw that Shen Yunzhou had put a piece of steamed sweet cheese on her plate, her expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly looked at Shen Hanyi.

My favorite desserts are lotus flower pastry, steamed sweet cheese, sweet fermented rice balls, and mung bean cake.

I had previously asked my dad to inquire with Sister Shen whether she liked to eat these things as much as she did.

But her father also solemnly warned her that she should never mention these things in front of Shen Hanyi again.

Because her master liked to eat these things, her enemy seized on this hobby and poisoned the pastries, killing her.

From then on, these delicacies became a permanent source of pain in her heart.

"Oh no!" Lu Yaoyao cursed herself for being careless and ordering this.

No wonder Sister Shen kept her eyes closed; she was afraid of being reminded of someone by seeing familiar objects.

She quickly put the whole plate of steamed ghee into her storage bag, and then carefully checked to see if there were any other forbidden snacks.

"You really like steamed sweet cheese?" Shen Hanyi suddenly asked, her voice eerily calm.

Lu Yaoyao trembled and said awkwardly, "I... I don't really like it that much. It's my senior brother who loves to eat it. Yes, he loves to eat it, and I wanted to bring it with me when I found him."

Her voice trailed off, her face filled with regret.

"Your junior sister is truly filial; no wonder she's grasped the essence of filial piety." Shen Yunzhou stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth and mumbled, "Which inn in the capital doesn't have this? Why did you need to bring it specially?"

Lu Yaoyao forced a smile.

But after hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but look at Shen Hanyi: "I'm sorry, Sister Shen, your master..."

“Master? My older sister doesn’t need any master!” Shen Yunzhou continued to interject, still chewing food in his mouth.

"Who is my sister? She's..." He counted on his fingers, "She created the 'Ice Purity Technique' at ten, ventured into various secret realms alone at fifteen, and now..."

Shen Hanyi gave him a cold glance, and Shen Yunzhou immediately fell silent, chuckling awkwardly as he served her some food: "Sister, try this. It's good to satisfy your cravings once in a while."

Lu Yaoyao frowned.

No master? How is that possible?
Dad clearly said...

Just then, as the stench subsided, everyone resumed their work, and murmurs could be heard from the neighboring tables:
"Tell me, it's been so long, why haven't we heard a single word from Ghost Mastiff and Young Master Chicken?"

"Who knows? They've probably joined some powerful family that specializes in slaying spirits, and might even be in the palace already."

"Of course! Young Master Chicken has condensed eight thousand spirit seals and will soon be a level four array master. How could the Xuanyuan family not value him?"

……

Upon hearing the words "Ghost Mastiff," Lu Yaoyao's eyes suddenly lit up, and the tips of her ears trembled slightly involuntarily.

She held her breath, afraid of missing a single word...

After a long while, Lu Yaoyao was filled with excitement. Was there even a need to think about it? That young master was definitely her father.

An old hen, a formation master, and the Ghost Mastiff senior brother...

The girl's lips curled up uncontrollably, her eyes filled with pride and admiration.

Even in this vast capital city, my father still shines brightly.

So what if they outnumbered the enemy? They still slaughtered them all!
There are still eight thousand spirit seals...

Although I knew that my father had received the inheritance from the senior Xuan Qingzi, his cultivation speed was simply too astonishing.

She couldn't help but cover her mouth, her eyes almost silently curving into crescent moons with laughter.

But soon, she seemed to realize something, her expression gradually became serious, and her brows furrowed unconsciously.

With his current strength, Dad can easily handle an attack from nine or even twenty opponents of the same level.

what does this mean?
He's probably only one step away from reaching the Spirit Severing Realm.

The thought made her heart clench.

From as far back as I can remember, the relentless pursuit of those demon emperors has never ceased.

She knew all too well the terror of the Spirit Severing Realm.

Although their father always managed to turn the tables, some powerful demon emperors still forced them to flee.

But after so many years of escape, she saw at least sixty demon emperors killed by her father.

In other words, there were a full sixty Spirit Severing Realm cultivators!
Meanwhile, many more demon emperors are still lurking in the shadows.

She still remembers that night when the two of them rested in an abandoned cave of a monster.

When she woke up, her father was nowhere to be found.

I was half asleep when I went out to find my dad, and then I don't know what I stepped on, but the world spun around me.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back in my father's past.

He fell from the sky above the island and was taken in as a disciple of the Taiqing Sect by his master, Cao Zhengyang.

That year, she was twelve years old!

In other words, the father and daughter had been hunted down for at least twelve years.

And that dark period is probably coming soon.

Furthermore, her father already possessed some of the things she remembered.

That broken sword, the identity of an array master, and the blood-red wings that could refine the Demon Emperor into crystals.

Oh right, the frame didn't have a mirror yet, but when I was playing with that mirror, it already had a mirror surface.

Her father told her that it was found in a black snow mountain.

Thinking of this, Lu Yaoyao's gaze unconsciously drifted towards Shen Hanyi.

Over the years, she has been searching for an answer: Who exactly is her mother?

Why did I never see my mother during the long years of fleeing?
Were they abandoned, or did something terrible happen to them?

But she overlooked something more pressing—her father's cultivation level was rising too fast.

The more than sixty demon emperors were definitely not something the Holy Martial Dynasty could possess; the only explanation is that they came from the fifth-level cultivation kingdom, the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty.

Because only in a level-five cultivation country can the Spirit Severing Realm be as common as the Divine Transformation Realm in a level-four cultivation country.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Shen Hanyi asked coldly when she saw Lu Yaoyao staring at her.

Lu Yaoyao then came to her senses and hurriedly said, "It's nothing, I just think you're so beautiful, and I wanted to see what you look like under your veil."

After she finished speaking, she subconsciously touched her earlobe.

Could it really be Sister Shen?

Currently, only she meets the requirements.

And now her hair is just like hers, and her father is her destined partner.

If that's true, how could someone as aloof as her have given birth to her with her father?

Lu Yaoyao's heart tightened.

Confess now?

No, Sister Shen would never believe such an absurd thing.

Furthermore, even if I tell my father about the future tragedy, how can I resolve it?

There hasn't been even the slightest sign yet, so speaking rashly will only add to the anxiety.

If this affects my father's chance to sever his spirit, then it would be a loss that outweighs the gain.

She does want to change something, but if she doesn't handle things properly, it could have far-reaching consequences and lead to even more serious problems.

Upon hearing Lu Yaoyao's words, Shen Yunzhou curled his lip.

Shen Hanyi's gaze sharpened slightly: "Judging from how attentively you listened just now, tell me what you know."

Lu Yaoyao bit her lip.

Along the way, she went to great lengths to lure the two of them to the capital, all so that she could help her father at a crucial moment.
She took a deep breath and voiced her suspicions one by one.

As soon as Lu Yaoyao finished transmitting her voice, Shen Hanyi's eyes, hidden behind her veil, flickered slightly, and a storm raged in her heart.

Is Chicken Prince Zhou Qing?

There are still eight thousand spirit seals?

Last time, outside the Kunpeng Palace, when Zhou Qing helped her reactivate the six-colored restriction that had been permanently locked, there were only a little over a thousand spirit seals.

It's only been a short time, yet he has comprehended eight thousand spiritual seals. This is simply unbelievable.

She had high hopes for him from the start and even offered to take him on as her apprentice, but Lu Yaoyao immediately refused.

Shen Yunzhou, standing to the side, was equally shocked.

Although he had perfected his intent and broken through to the Great Perfection of the Divine Transformation Realm by refining the corpse fluids of the various sects destroyed by the Golden Thunder Sect, he knew he couldn't fight twenty opponents at once.

No, actually I can do that too.

Because I can disgust them to death.

As expected of Shen Yunzhou's trusted friend, he is indeed just as talented as him.

"The Nangong family will definitely not let Brother Zhou off so easily, sister, let's take him down!" Shen Yunzhou immediately looked at Shen Hanyi and said loudly.

With your late-stage Spirit Severing cultivation, annihilating an early-stage one would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?
I heard that the Spider King on the border was subsequently killed by you.

Shen Hanyi rolled her eyes at him, annoyed.

"If people kill indiscriminately, what's the point of rules?"

But then again, Zhou Qing was her destined one.

Putting aside his previous acts of kindness, the opening of the Kunpeng Palace itself required his assistance with the "Emperor's Scripture."

Otherwise, with her level four array master's spiritual seal alone, she wouldn't be able to get inside at all.

“Now that the Nangong family has publicly reconciled, what reason do I have to interfere?” Shen Hanyi countered.

Lu Yaoyao opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

Yes, now it's not just the Nangong family that's eyeing Dad's affections anymore.

Shen Yunzhou then looked at Lu Yaoyao: "By the way, where do you think Brother Zhou will go? Didn't you say he was traveling with his second senior sister?"

Lu Yaoyao frowned in thought, then her eyes lit up and she said, "He doesn't know many people in the capital, but perhaps there's a place he'll go."

"Where?" Shen Yunzhou asked hurriedly.

Lu Yaoyao smiled and said, "To the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Princess!"

……

A day later, the three arrived at the western district of the imperial city.

This area was filled with the mansions of princes and nobles.

As Lu Yaoyao was searching for Xuan Yuan Muqian's residence using the map, Shen Hanyi suddenly stopped, her gaze falling on an abandoned mansion.

On the mottled plaque, the three faded characters "Jintian Palace" are still faintly discernible.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yaoyao asked, puzzled.

Shen Hanyi gently shook her head: "It's nothing."

The three of them continued on their way.

After they had gone far away, a masked figure quietly appeared on the top of the ruins.

Sikong Yan rested his chin on his hand, watching the three figures depart. A slight smile played on his lips beneath his mask: "They're all familiar faces. This is interesting."

Lu Yaoyao goes without saying; she's Zhou Qing's little follower.

As for Shen Yunzhou, he was an old acquaintance. It was this guy who accidentally exposed the corpse-raising site left behind by the Corpse Yin Sect when the Golden Thunder Sect was researching it.

And that time at the edge of the Canglan Mountain abyss, this guy was acting suspiciously. He discovered him first, and then noticed Zhou Qing who suddenly appeared.

As for the silver-haired woman wearing a veil, needless to say.

In the ruins of the Old Peng King, this woman was a figure who could rival the Peng Emperor, Xuanyuan Shuo, and that strange dead crow.

At that time, he was only at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, and could only watch from afar with the people of the Azure Flame Dao Palace.

"She must have noticed me, but she's too lazy to bother with me," Sikong Yan clicked his tongue lightly.

Judging from the route they're heading, they should be going to the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Princess's place, since Lu Yaoyao only knows these two people in the capital.

He suddenly clapped his hands and chuckled, "It seems that we are now more confident about asking Zhou Qing for help."

"Dahuang, where have you been? Dinner's ready!" Just then, an old voice called out from deep within the ruins.

Sikong Yan jumped down from the wall with a sigh, muttering as he walked, "I know, wet nurse. How many times have I told you, just call me Xiao Yanzi. This nickname sounds like you're calling a dog."

“What ‘Little Yanzi’? It sounds like a eunuch.” Granny Su’s voice was firm and unwavering. “I just like to call you Da Huang. It sounds so much more impressive!”

Sikong Yan shook his head and chuckled: "Alright, alright, whatever makes you happy."

He suddenly sniffed, "Huh? This food smells so good today. Are these all my childhood favorites?"

"Of course!" Granny Su said proudly, then lowered her voice uneasy, "But are you sure no one is watching this place?"

Sikong Yan lifted his robe and sat down, his tone relaxed: "You can rest assured, old man, sit down and eat with us."

"Mmm, it smells so good!"

……

(End of this chapter)