The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 367 Shen Family Dung Beetle, Do You Still Recognize Me? (6k)

"Young friend, we meet again!" Mo Tianheng greeted Zhou Qing with a smile.

Zhou Qing bowed respectfully: "Elder Mo, I'm bothering you again."

“You,” Mo Tianheng shook his head, feigning displeasure, “always saying the same thing, it makes you seem distant.”

Although he said that, his eyes were full of smiles.

Zhou Qing touched his nose sheepishly.

Indeed, every time I come, I trouble Elder Mo, but I have never helped him once, and I can't help but feel bad about it.

"I remember you said when you left last time that you would hear news of me soon." Old Master Mo picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Nine months have passed, and apart from the people in the capital still speculating which power you joined after leaving Bibo Tianhu, there has been no other news."

Zhou Qing gave an awkward smile, then scratched his head.

The main problem is that plans can't keep up with changes.

I originally thought I would cause a big scene at the border, kill Xuan Yuan Yi Chen in public, and see what the royal family's attitude would be.

Who would have thought such a turn of events would occur?
Seeing Zhou Qing's complicated expression, Elder Mo wisely stopped asking questions and instead took out two wood-attribute spirit stones that shimmered with a greenish-blue light.

"These were just sent from the branch headquarters last month, and we've only collected these two so far!"

"Thank you very much, Elder Mo!" Zhou Qing gratefully accepted the gift.

"Those...are all used up?" Old Mo pointed meaningfully to the sky, clearly alluding to the matter of the royal treasury.

After all, when they parted last time, he had reminded Zhou Qing to be cautious about cooperating with Sikong Yan.

Zhou Qing shook his head slightly: "It hasn't been used yet. I came here this time to ask Elder Mo to help me see if we can gather all these materials."

As he spoke, he took out a list that he had prepared beforehand.

Mo Tianheng took the list, his gaze sweeping over the paper, seemingly lost in thought: "These appear to be... materials for setting up an array?"

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Alright, I won't ask any more questions. Wait here for a moment, I'll go check the warehouse."

"Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Mo."

After Elder Mo left, Zhou Qing waited quietly in the main hall.

Before long, Mo Tianheng returned with a storage bag, his expression slightly solemn: "These materials of yours are indeed rare. It seems you're going to set up a four-color magic array?"

"We are still missing more than ten items, but a few of the Spirit Slayer families have them in their collections—the ones you met at Azure Lake."

“However, they are all scattered in various prefectures.” Old Master Mo stroked his beard and pondered, “It just so happens that I have nothing to do lately, so I can go there for you and see if I can persuade them to part with their belongings.”

"But that means it might take a year or two. Aren't you in a hurry?"

Zhou Qing was taken aback upon hearing this.

Unexpectedly, the materials for the four-colored magic array are so precious that they need to be purchased from a Spirit Severing Realm expert.

This is only one of the four-color formations of medium difficulty in the inheritance of the senior Xuan Qingzi.

If even a behemoth like the Duobao Merchant Guild can't gather enough supplies, what will happen to higher-level formations in the future?

The plan was disrupted once again.

But he quickly cupped his hands in greeting and said, "No rush, no rush. This is really too much trouble for you. Why don't you give me a list, and I'll go and discuss it with them myself?"

Mo Tianheng chuckled upon hearing this, a few fine lines appearing at the corners of his eyes: "Of course you can go, but are you sure you want to owe so many favors?"

"The hardest debt to repay in this world is the debt of gratitude."

Seeing Zhou Qing hesitate, Mo Tianheng directly stuffed the storage bag into his hand: "Don't overthink it."

“I have some matters to attend to at each of the branch headquarters recently, and even if you don’t come, I’m planning to go there anyway.”

Although Zhou Qing didn't know if what he said was true or false, a warm feeling still welled up in his heart.

He weighed the storage bag in his hand: "How much do these materials cost approximately?"

"Don't rush to set the price." Mo Tianheng waved his hand. "I'll settle the bill after I gather the remaining materials. Those old guys might try to rip us off."

Zhou Qing bowed again in gratitude.

As Zhou Qing walked out of the Chamber of Commerce, he looked at the bustling crowds on the street and felt a mix of emotions.

When they traveled from the capital to the Nangong family in Yaoguang Prefecture, it took more than eight months each way, thanks to Sikong Yan's spatial magic and the flying boat.

The remaining materials are now scattered among various noble families, but Master Mo said that he could gather them all in one or two years. I wonder how much effort it will take to travel there.

"I really owe this favor a lot." He looked back at the gilded plaque of the Chamber of Commerce and sighed softly.

……

Inside the inn's private room, as agreed upon in the communication jade slip, the group finally met again.

"Senior Brother Zhou!" Upon seeing Zhou Qing, Lu Yaoyao excitedly rushed over.

Zhou Qing removed his mask, his gaze sweeping over everyone who appeared unharmed, and the seriousness between his brows finally eased.

"Brother Zhou, it's been over nine months since we parted ways at Bibo Tianhu. Where have you been?"

As soon as Shen Huangmao entered the room, he grabbed his chopsticks and asked indistinctly while eating heartily.

"Just traveling around," Zhou Qing replied casually.

"Stop trying to fool me!" Shen Huangmao swallowed the braised beef in his mouth in one gulp, not caring at all that oil splattered on his clothes.

“I made a bet with your senior brothers and sisters that you must have secretly sided with some aristocratic family to refine the four-color magic array. My older sister takes about this long to refine one set each time.”

“Then you’ve really guessed wrong.” Zhou Qing turned to look at Gui Ao and Luo Lingling, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. “Senior brothers and sisters, you can ask him for your bet now.”

The two looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

Shen Huangmao wiped his greasy mouth and said confidently, "We're not betting real money! You've just advanced to the fourth level of array master and you dare to take on a job, so you're pretty impressive."

Zhou Qing was taken aback: "So the wager is 'you're better'?"

"Of course!" Shen Yunzhou slammed his hand on the table, making the dishes clatter. "In our world of men, this is the highest honor!"

Zhou Qing shook his head helplessly: "Then I'll only consider you amazing if you're willing to acknowledge me as your godfather."

"Godfather!" Shen Yunzhou called out crisply and decisively, without even blinking.

Zhou Qing: "."

Lu Yaoyao's eyes widened as if she were seeing Shen Yunzhou for the first time.

You're supposed to be at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, how can you be so shameless?
But then he thought of what he had told him about the Shen family's situation, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly—in such a dangerous place, the tougher you are, the faster you die.

After everyone was seated again, Zhou Qing asked, "Have you heard any interesting news in the capital?"

Lu Yaoyao immediately leaned closer: "Yes, yes, yes! I heard that the royal treasury was robbed, and they still can't find out who did it. They're searching everywhere for loopholes in the formation!"

She blinked her big eyes. "By the way, the royal family is still searching for you everywhere, wanting to offer you a large sum of money to help repair the restrictions."

Zhou Qing chuckled upon hearing this.

Let him do the repairs? Isn't that just blatantly leaving yourself an easy way out?
Moreover, if another mistake occurs, I will be the first to be suspected.

Even if you don't doubt it, you'll still be branded as someone who isn't skilled enough.

Luo Lingling frowned slightly: "From what you're saying, you haven't been in the capital lately?"

"Yes, I went to the border," Zhou Qing said, taking a sip of his tea.

"The border?" Shen Yunzhou spat out a piece of beef bone, his eyes lighting up. "Did you go to see my older sister?"

"No." Zhou Qing put down his teacup, his expression unchanged. "I was just running some errands, and I didn't run into your sister."

Shen Yunzhou suddenly chuckled and said slyly, "Keep pretending! Lu girl has been trying to trick me into revealing things lately, she's been eyeing your feelings for my older sister."

Ghost Mastiff and Luo Lingling both turned to look at Zhou Qing, their eyes like those of someone looking at a brave man who dared to provoke a tiger.

You must know that this was a powerful expert in the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm who caused a great disturbance in the Royal Array Hall.

They knew absolutely nothing about this.

"That's ambitious! We fully support you!" the two said in unison, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

Zhou Qing sighed and turned to look at Lu Yaoyao.

The little girl immediately lowered her head, pretending to be studying the pattern on the tablecloth with a guilty conscience.

"As the younger brother, I naturally can't wait for my older sister to find a partner and move out."

Shen Yunzhou, gnawing on a chicken leg, mumbled, "But as your brother, I advise you to give up on that idea. Our Shen family..."

He couldn't help but sigh, "It's a den of wolves."

"I really didn't mean anything by it to your sister!" Zhou Qing hurriedly interrupted, afraid that the misunderstanding would only get worse.

Luo Lingling suddenly realized: "Wait, you said you went to the border? And you came back in nine months?"

As far as she knew, it would take at least four years to travel from the capital to the border and back, so how could it be in nine months?
Zhou Qing's heart tightened.

This is precisely his biggest headache right now.

Although the death of the Seventh Prince was no longer his concern, how could he explain traveling back and forth to the border in just nine months?
The safest approach right now is to shift the blame to Shen Hanyi.

After all, they come from a higher-level fifth-tier cultivation country, so it's normal for them to have some tricks up their sleeves.

Moreover, Xuanyuan Shuo was aware of their relationship.

Just as Zhou Qing was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed, and he turned around sharply to look behind him, instantly clutching the tetanus mask in his hand.

Before anyone could react, the air in front of them distorted, and a dark spatial rift was forcibly torn open.

Immediately afterwards, a burly figure nearly two meters tall stepped out of the air, and when he landed, the ground of the entire inn trembled slightly.

His bare upper body was muscular and bulging, like cast bronze, gleaming with a metallic sheen.

Ancient battle markings were tattooed on his broad back muscles, rising and falling like a living thing with his breath.

Especially his thick, muscular arms, with their prominent veins, gave off an imposing aura of someone capable of tearing mountains apart with their bare hands.

"Zhao the Madman... no, Brother Zhao!" Shen Yunzhou blurted out, then hurriedly corrected himself, the chicken leg in his hand falling to the table with a "thud".

Zhou Qing gripped the sword hilt tightly, his pupils contracting slightly.

The ability to tear through space already indicates that this person has reached the Spirit Severing Realm.

Moreover, Shen Yunzhou seemed to know him and was so wary of him.

Is the other party from the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty?
The air inside the inn seemed to freeze instantly, and everyone tensed up.

Only the giant known as "Zhao the Madman" was scrutinizing Zhou Qing with interest through his golden pupils.

Zhao Muye's gaze lingered on Zhou Qing for a moment, then he suddenly grinned, revealing two rows of snow-white teeth.

"You're only at the Great Perfection of the Divine Transformation Realm, yet you can sense my presence. Not bad, not bad."

His gruff voice made the windowpanes vibrate, “As expected of the first level four array master in this level four cultivation country.”

Zhou Qing's back was already beaded with sweat. At such close range, if the other party suddenly attacked, he wouldn't even have a 30% chance of escaping.

What's more, his senior brothers and sisters were right behind him.

At this moment, he could only bow respectfully: "Junior Zhou Qing greets senior!"

"Senior? What senior? Do I look that old?" Zhao Muye waved his hand dismissively.

He pointed to his bronze chest, "My name is Zhao Muye. You can call me Old Zhao or Brother Zhao."

He glanced at the trembling Shen Yunzhou as he spoke, "Or you could learn from this Shen family dung beetle and call me Madman Zhao, that's fine too."

Amidst hearty laughter, Zhao Muyi's gaze fell upon the table laden with delicacies: "Would you mind if we added another set of chopsticks and a bowl?"

Seeing that the other party seemed to have no ill intentions, Zhou Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and stepped aside to make room for him: "Brother Zhao, please sit down."

"That's great!" Zhao Muyi sat down with a swagger, his imposing figure causing the long bench to groan under his weight.

He looked at Shen Yunzhou, who was standing ramrod straight, and raised his thick eyebrows: "I thought I was seeing things on the street just now, but it really is you, kid."

He tapped his thick fingers on the table. "When did you get here? Where's your sister?"

Shen Yunzhou broke out in a cold sweat and said with a forced smile, "Brother Zhao, you're joking. My sister... she's not here, and she can't beat you anyway."

"I heard your sister has advanced to the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm?" Zhao Muye suddenly asked.

Shen Yunzhou immediately shook his head vigorously: "Rumor! Absolutely a rumor! My sister is still the same as before, she hasn't changed at all!"

His eyes darted around, and he suddenly slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming, "I know! It must be a rumor spread by those bastards from the Yan family!"

Before Zhao Muyi could reply, Shen Yunzhou continued indignantly, "Brother Zhao, you should already know about the tragic deaths of the Yan family uncle and nephew, right?"

He gritted his teeth and brandished his fist, "Those shameless bastards suspected my sister first, and now they've been spreading countless rumors to slander her!"

"My sister was so annoyed, so she brought me out to relax!"

Zhao Muyi raised a thick eyebrow and asked in confusion, "Which pair of uncles and nephews in the Yan family died?"

"It's Yan Sen and Yan Weiyi!" Shen Yunzhou's eyes widened. "Brother Zhao, you don't know?"

"Oh, it's them." Zhao Muye casually picked up a piece of meat. "I don't know."

Shen Yunzhou was speechless for a moment: "Then how did you know my sister had broken through to the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm?"

"Didn't you just say it was a rumor?" Zhao Muye retorted.

"I...I mean," Shen Yunzhou scratched his head anxiously, "I'm asking how you knew my sister was here?"

"Didn't you say your sister brought you out for some fresh air? You're here, so of course your sister is here too," Zhao Muye said, looking completely bewildered.

Shen Yunzhou opened his mouth, but realized that the more he explained, the worse it got, so he quickly waved his hand: "Wait, Brother Zhao, let's go through this from the beginning. You asked about my sister right from the start."

“Yeah!” Zhao Muye interrupted impatiently. “Isn’t this just something I mentioned casually? Am I supposed to ask you ‘Have you eaten?’ or ‘What are you doing?’”

Shen Yunzhou: "."

Zhou Qing and the other three looked at each other, wondering which of the two hadn't made their point.
But the next moment, Zhao Muyi suddenly leaned close to Shen Yunzhou and sniffed him: "You kid, have you been eating too much shit lately? How come your brain has become even dumber than mine!"

"I didn't eat it!" Shen Yunzhou jumped up and retorted, her face flushed.

Zhao Muyi waved his hand dismissively, picked up a few bites of food with his chopsticks, and then noticed the people still standing: "Sit down, everyone! I'm the guest, it's like I'm taking over the host's role."

Lu Yaoyao and the others all looked at Zhou Qing.

After Zhou Qing hesitated and sat down, the others took their seats one after another.

“Big guy, come sit over here.” Zhao Muyi pointed at Ghost Mastiff, then at Luo Lingling. “You, sit over there. I’m not used to sitting with women.”

Ghost Mastiff and Luo Lingling exchanged a glance and silently switched places.

Luo Lingling inwardly cursed him as a "brute."

Then, Zhao Muye's gaze fell back on Zhou Qing, and he suddenly grinned.

A rough, large hand rubbed his head: "Interesting. You actually have the 'Boundless Guidance Token' from Jiyuan Temple on you. Where did you get it?"

Zhou Qing's pupils contracted slightly, and a storm raged in his heart.

How could you sense something that was placed so deep inside?
After a moment's hesitation, he patted his storage bag, and a palm-sized piece of gold foil floated out.

The surface is densely covered with Sanskrit characters, and the faint sound of chanting can be heard echoing from it.

Back in the Taiqing Sect, Jueming and Kongchan, the master and disciple, mistook him for a Buddhist disciple because of his "Subduing Demons Golden Bone" technique.

The misunderstanding was only cleared up when Li Niang appeared with the real Buddhist disciple.

However, Master Jueming still looked at Zhou Qingqing with great favor when he was about to leave.

After all, since ancient times, only Zhou Qing has ever mastered the "Demon-Subduing Golden Bone" technique at the Nascent Soul stage.

He felt that Zhou Qing had a deep affinity with Buddhism, so he specially gifted him a guiding token.

If he later decides to enter the Buddhist order, he can use this token to directly enter the inner courtyard of Jiyuan Temple.

Or if he encounters any danger, as long as there are eminent monks from Jiyuan Temple nearby, they will come to his aid after crushing the object.

To some extent, this can be considered a life-saving item!
However, he has never used it yet.

The Holy Martial Dynasty was located in a remote area, and few eminent monks from Jiyuan Temple traveled within its borders.

Using such a life-saving item rashly might just be a waste of an opportunity.

The talent skill "Reduce Presence" has now reached a bottleneck, making it difficult to gain "ignore points" in ordinary situations.

As a fifth-level cultivation nation, the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty is a gathering place for powerful cultivators at the Spirit Severing Realm, making it an excellent place for him to continue refreshing his points.

In a tense and exciting multiplayer environment, you can accumulate points faster.

As for the guiding token, consider it a last resort to save your life.

Just as he was pondering this, Shen Yunzhou's voice transmission quietly entered his ears: "This guy has cultivated in Jiyuan Temple for over a hundred years and has a deep Buddhist nature."

"It is said that Abbot Ku'e once wanted to take him as his last disciple. Unfortunately..."

Shen Yunzhou's voice carried a hint of sarcasm, "He's a complete battle maniac, always either fighting or on his way to fight, causing chaos in the temple."

"Later, he couldn't stand the strict rules and regulations, and he also felt bored, so he simply returned to secular life."

After a pause, Shen Yunzhou added, "He is now in the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm, so it's not surprising that he can sense Master Jueming's guiding order."

At this point, Shen Yunzhou's expression became somewhat complicated.

He witnessed the whole process when Master Jueming and his disciples mistakenly identified the Buddhist disciple.

Unfortunately, the true Buddhist disciple ultimately only recognized Zhou Qing as "Big Father," while ignoring him, the one who sponsored Li Niang with wood-attribute spirit stones.

Zhou Qing was startled upon hearing this.

The seemingly rugged man in front of her was actually a late-stage Spirit Severing expert of the same level as Shen Hanyi!

Judging from his physique, he is clearly a master of body refinement, and his combat strength is probably even greater than that of ordinary cultivators of the same level.

No wonder Shen Yunzhou lied and said his sister hadn't broken through; if this battle maniac knew the truth, a fierce battle would be inevitable.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Qing briefly recounted the matter of Jueming and Kongchan, but kept the matter of the Buddhist disciple a secret.

After listening to Zhou Qing's explanation, Zhao Muyi's rugged face showed a hint of approval: "I see. That old bald monk has a good eye."

He then grinned and said, "Look at you, it hasn't been long, and you've already become the first level four formation master in this cultivation kingdom."

“It’s quite a coincidence,” Zhao Muye said, grabbing a wine jug from the table and taking a swig. “I was chasing after the Yan family, but I lost them.”

"As soon as I arrived in the capital, I heard everyone on the streets talking about 'Chicken Prince' Zhou Qing."

He narrowed his golden eyes. "I never expected to run into you like this. This must be fate!"

Zhou Qing's heart skipped a beat, but he casually asked, "Are you chasing the Yan family?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yunzhou and Lu Yaoyao's expressions immediately became somewhat unnatural.

“Yes, it’s that brat Yanluo.” Zhao Muyi glanced at Shen Yunzhou. “The Shen family’s dung beetle should know. You guys wouldn’t know.”

Shen Yunzhou breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and quickly replied with a smile, "Yes, yes, Brother Zhao is right."

At the same time, he secretly transmitted his voice to Zhou Qing: "The Yan family has four geniuses among the younger generation, ranked according to the 'Myriad Phenomena'."

“Take Yan Sen, for example. He is already in the mid-stage of the Spirit Severing Realm and is also a level four array master. His father is an elder of the Yan family and is deeply loved by his fifth ancestor.”

"This Yama is in the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm. He is bloodthirsty by nature and his methods are extremely ruthless."

"He had a fairly good relationship with Yan Sen. Perhaps he came here to investigate the deaths of Yan Sen and his nephew. You should be careful."

Zhou Qing's expression darkened slightly, and he was about to ask for details when Zhao Muye suddenly turned to stare at Shen Yunzhou: "What are you muttering about, kid?"

The spiritual fluctuations of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator are almost impossible to conceal in the face of a Spirit Severing Realm cultivator.

Shen Yunzhou chuckled awkwardly, "I... I was just introducing Brother Zhao to Brother Zhou."

"Oh?" Zhao Muye raised a thick eyebrow. "Then tell me, how did you praise me?"

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Shen Yunzhou had no choice but to clear his throat: "Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to give a formal introduction."

He looked at Lu Yaoyao and the others, who were all bewildered: "In our Tianyun Holy Dynasty's Nanhuang Prefecture, there are eight super families. The Yan family ranks third, my Shen family fifth, and this person before us..."

He paused deliberately, "It is Zhao Muyi, the second-ranked peerless genius of the Zhao family, who is at the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm, Brother Zhao!"

"Because the Zhao family specializes in physical techniques, they have a large number of experts at the Spirit Severing Realm."

Shen Yunzhou glanced at Zhao Muye's expression and continued, "For someone as young as Brother Zhao to reach the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm is an extremely rare achievement in the entire Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yaoyao and the others gasped in shock.

The burly man in front of me, who looks to be no more than thirty years old, is actually on the same level as the old emperor, Xuanyuan Chong?

"Why do you specialize in body cultivation, yet still end up with more Spirit Severing Realm cultivators?" Ghost Hound seized on the key point and couldn't help but ask.

"Snapped!"

Zhao Muyi slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone.

His eyes shone brightly with golden light, and his face was full of arrogance: "The body cultivation path of my Zhao family is completely different from what you know."

His voice was deep and resonant, "From Qi Condensation to Spirit Transformation, every step is a trial by fire, a test of endurance on the edge of life and death. Fainting from exhaustion is commonplace, unlike you all."

As he spoke, he glanced at the crowd with disdain: "Sitting cross-legged all day long may seem relaxing, but in reality, it's a breeding ground for distracting thoughts."

"Once you reach the Spirit Severing Realm, those pent-up obsessions are like weeds, impossible to eradicate no matter how hard you try."

Zhao Muyi stretched his neck, his knuckles cracking like popping beans: "And us? We practice until we fall asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow, we don't have time to think about anything else."

A meaningful smile appeared on his lips. "The mystery behind this is naturally something that cannot be explained to outsiders."

As he spoke, he rested his thick arm on the edge of the table, his bronze muscles rising and falling slightly with his breathing: "We Zhao family members have always been decisive in our actions—if we can win, we fight; if we can't, we take revenge like gentlemen, even if it takes ten years!"

He grinned, revealing two rows of teeth. "So there aren't as many twists and turns? Naturally, I have far fewer inner demons and obsessions than you guys."

P.S.: It's the end of the month, please vote with your monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)