My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

Ye Qingfeng shook his head:

"It's alright."

The bearded man was overjoyed:

"Let's go now! We can still get a few hours of sleep before dawn!"

......

Tiger Roar Town is not big; it takes less than half an hour to walk down from the foot of the mountain.

The town is built against the mountain, and the houses are mostly made of stone, crouching darkly in the night.

A bluestone road runs through the entire town, lined with shops and residences, all of which are now closed and quiet.

The man with the thick beard walked at the front.

He turned back and gestured to Ye Qingfeng and the others, then lowered his voice and said:

"Taoist priest, this way."

The group followed him through several alleys and finally stopped in front of a small courtyard.

The courtyard was small, surrounded by a low wall with withered vines climbing on top.

There are three rooms in the courtyard: the main room is in the middle, and the side rooms are on both sides.

In the corner of the yard, there was a pile of firewood and farm tools, as well as a few chicken coops, from which came soft clucking sounds.

The bearded man gently pushed open the courtyard gate and called inside:

"Wife, I'm home."

A lamp was lit in the room, followed by rustling sounds.

A moment later, the door to the main room creaked open, and a woman wearing a robe came out.

She was about thirty years old, with a pale face, as if she had been ill, and her gait was somewhat unsteady.

He was holding the hand of a little girl who looked about five or six years old. The little girl was rubbing her eyes and following behind him, still half asleep.

The woman was stunned when she saw the bearded man and then Ye Qingfeng and the other two behind him.

The bearded man quickly stepped forward and lowered his voice, saying:

"Wife, these are our distinguished guests. This is Master Ye, who will be staying at our house tonight."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in the woman's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.

She bowed slightly to Ye Qingfeng:

"Greetings, Taoist Master."

Her voice was soft and weak.

The little girl hid behind her mother, peeking out half her head and looking at Ye Qingfeng curiously.

The moonlight shone on her face, making her eyes appear dark and bright.

Ye Qingfeng nodded slightly in return.

The bearded man pulled the woman aside and, in a low voice, briefly recounted what had happened that evening.

As the woman listened, her eyes widened, glancing at Ye Qingfeng every now and then, her eyes filled with astonishment.

After the bearded man finished speaking, the woman remained silent for a moment, then walked up to Ye Qingfeng and bowed deeply.

"Master, you saved my husband's life. I have no way to repay you. My home is simple. If you don't mind, please stay here."

Ye Qingfeng waved his hand:

"No need for such formalities."

The bearded man quickly replied:

"Master, please wait a moment while I tidy up!"

As he spoke, he pulled the woman into the main room, then turned back and waved to the little girl:

"Ya Ya, come here, don't block the Taoist priest's way."

The little girl blinked, looked at Ye Qingfeng, then at her father, and ran inside after him.

Standing behind Ye Qingfeng, Lü Yang watched the little girl run inside and suddenly whispered:

"Master, that child... seems a little afraid of us."

Shen Zhaoyue said calmly from the side:

"It's not fear, it's curiosity."

Lu Yang scratched his head and didn't say anything more.

A moment later, the bearded man came out of the house, his face beaming with smiles:

"Master, everything's ready! You and your companions will stay in the east wing room, while my wife, daughter, and I will stay in the west wing. The bedding is clean, so please don't worry!"

Ye Qingfeng glanced at the two side rooms, then at the bearded man and his family of three, and shook his head slightly.

"No need to vacate the room. The three of us can stay in one room."

The bearded man was taken aback:

"This...this won't do! You are distinguished guests, how can you..."

Ye Qingfeng interrupted him:

"Your wife is not in good health and it's not advisable for her to sleep in a cramped space."

The bearded man opened his mouth, but couldn't speak.

Ye Qingfeng looked at Lü Yang and Shen Zhaoyue:

"Go in."

Lü Yang responded and followed along eagerly.

Shen Zhaoyue nodded and walked in, sword in hand.

The bearded man stood there, staring at the closed door, stunned for a long while.

The woman walked to his side and whispered:

"That Taoist priest... is truly a good person."

The bearded man nodded, then shook his head, and let out a long sigh:

"He's more than just a good person... he's a god."

The little girl peered furtively into the west wing from the doorway.

The moonlight shone on her face, and her dark, bright eyes were full of curiosity and longing.

The bearded man bent down and picked her up:

"Yaya, time for bed."

The little girl wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered:

"Father, is that person in gray a deity?"

The bearded man paused for a moment, then nodded:

"Yes."

The little girl's eyes lit up:

"Can it fly?"

The bearded man thought for a moment and said:

"meeting."

The little girl exclaimed "Wow!" and was about to ask another question when the bearded man gently patted her on the back.

"Time for bed, ask again tomorrow."

He carried his daughter and went into the east wing with the woman.

A moment later, the lights went out.

The entire courtyard fell silent.

Only the moonlight shone quietly on the three small houses.

......

In the west wing, the oil lamp had already been extinguished.

Moonlight streamed through the window paper, casting a hazy white glow on the ground.

The room was simply furnished with a wooden bed, a square table, two long benches, and some miscellaneous items piled up in the corner.

The bedding was made of coarse cloth, washed until it was whitish, but it was clean and had a sun-dried smell.

Lu Yang lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

It's not that he's picky about beds; he's slept in all sorts of remote and desolate places, so he wouldn't be picky about beds anymore.

He has something on his mind.

The jade slip in his arms made him feel uneasy.

Shushan Sword Manual, Beginner's Guide.

The fundamental method of cultivating Qi is the Qingping Sword Technique.

This was something he never even dared to dream of.

He used to read books about strange and unusual things, and stories written by Mr. Pu Songling.

I only ever longed for the idea of ​​sword immortals flying on their swords or Taoist priests taking heads from a thousand miles away; I never imagined that one day I could walk that path myself.

But now, that jade slip is lying in his arms.

He rolled over, then rolled over again, and finally couldn't resist sitting up.

Under the moonlight, Ye Qingfeng sat cross-legged by the window, his eyes closed, his breathing long and steady.

His figure appeared exceptionally quiet in the moonlight, like a stone statue.

Shen Zhaoyue leaned against the wall with her eyes closed, it was unclear whether she was asleep or resting.

Lu Yang hesitated for a moment, then tiptoed out of bed, walked to Ye Qingfeng's side, and lowered his voice:

"Immortal Master".

Ye Qingfeng didn't open his eyes, but he spoke:

"explain."

Lu Yang rubbed his hands together and chuckled awkwardly:

"Um... I can't sleep, and I'd like to... try that Qi cultivation method. What do you think?"

Ye Qingfeng opened his eyes and glanced at him.

His gaze was calm as still water, revealing no emotion.

"It wouldn't hurt to give it a try."

Lu Yang was overjoyed and was about to go back and try it when suddenly his eyes lit up and he looked at Shen Zhaoyue leaning against the wall.

He walked over and nudged her with his elbow:

"Officer Shen, wake up."

Shen Zhaoyue opened her eyes and looked at him expressionlessly:

"What are you doing?"