A top star in the Chinese entertainment industry, but also a Taoist priest.

Upon hearing this, Shouzhuo couldn't help but sigh:

"Master, you're leaving again next month."

Chen Shouyi glanced at him: "It's not like your master isn't coming back."

"I know, he just got back a few days ago and is going out again."

Zhang Ruonan added from the side, "Shouzhuo, don't worry. I'll be following the Taoist priest, and I'll let you know in advance if there are any arrangements."

Shouzhuo nodded, his expression relaxing slightly. Bai Mengyan had already flipped through several pages of the script, asking Chen Shouyi as she did so:

"Master, how long will it take to film this movie? The script doesn't seem very long to me."

"A low-budget campus drama can be filmed in a month."

"That's pretty fast." Bai Mengyan flipped the script back to the cover, patted the project name on the cover, and said, "Great, I'll study the script carefully when I get back!"

Chen Shouyi glanced at the time and stood up: "Okay, then let's leave it at that."

He had barely finished speaking when Bai Mengyan suddenly called out as if she remembered something, "Wait, wait!"

She pointed to herself, then to the surroundings of the Taoist temple, "Master, can I not go back today?"

Chen Shouyi glanced at her, and Bai Mengyan quickly added:

"Anyway, you can get the information anywhere, and I also want to visit the Taoist temple again. Last time I came, I only went to the main hall and didn't see the side halls much," she said, her voice getting softer and softer, a little embarrassed.

"Whatever you want," Chen Shouyi said.

"Yay!" Bai Mengyan sprang up from the stone bench and grabbed Zhang Ruonan's arm. "Ruonan, take me for a walk!"

Zhang Ruonan was taken aback for a moment when she was linked with his arm, then she realized what was happening and smiled.

"I've only been here for a day, and there are still many places I haven't gotten to know yet."

"That's perfect! Let's go together!"

Zhang Ruonan glanced at Chen Shouyi, who nodded to her, and she nodded in return.

"Okay, let's go."

Bai Mengyan and Zhang Ruonan left the backyard arm in arm. As soon as they stepped through the moon gate, they started chattering away.

Zhang Ruonan was pulled forward by her, occasionally amused by her questions, and the two walked along the stone path towards the side hall.

Shouzhu tidied up the tea set on the table and went back to his room.

As Chen Shouyi was about to head to the cultivation room, he caught a glimpse of Bai Mengyan and Zhang Ruonan huddled together at the kitchen door.

The two of them didn't light a fire or touch the pot; they just stood at the doorway, heads close together, whispering and studying the things on the stove.

One pointed to the shovel hanging on the wall, while the other gestured to the size of the large pot on the famous stove.

Zhang Ruonan lowered her voice and said something, and Bai Mengyan nodded vigorously.

Chen Shouyi silently withdrew his gaze, walked to the door of Shouzhuo's room, and knocked on the door frame.

"Master?" Shouzhuo was about to start a game when he saw his master looking puzzled.

"Go down the mountain this afternoon to buy some dinner, and bring back a lot of vegetables. Don't forget the braised beef."

Chen Shouyi turned around and went back to the backyard, then pushed open the door to the cultivation room and went inside.

The meditation room was small, with a low couch against the wall, blue bricks on the floor, and an incense burner in the corner.

He sat cross-legged on the low couch, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing.

The spiritual energy in his dantian began to circulate. Since breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, the speed of spiritual energy circulation has been significantly faster than before.

The spiritual energy originates from the dantian, ascends along the Ren meridian, passes through the Qihai, Shenque, and Tanzhong points, then descends along the Du meridian, passes through the Mingmen and Yaoyangguan points, and finally returns to the dantian.

With each round, the spiritual energy grows slightly stronger. Although the difference is minuscule, it accumulates into cultivation.

Chen Shouyi missed the time when he and Yao Mei cultivated together; their speed back then was incredibly fast.

Fortunately, she'll be here in a few days, so I can bear with this short period of time.

Just as Chen Shouyi was about to practice again, his phone suddenly popped up with a WeChat voice message from Xiang Hanzhi.

The moment the call connected, the other end blurted out, "Chen Shouyi, what are you doing?!"

Chen Shouyi waited until she finished yelling before whispering in her ear, "I'm cultivating."

"Cultivation, cultivation, don't you get tired of cultivating every day?" Xiang Hanzhi said with some dissatisfaction.

"Let me tell you, I've already arranged everything before summer vacation, checked the plane tickets, and I'm going back tomorrow!"

"Okay, okay, you already said that last time."

"Last time was last time, couldn't you have acted a little more excited?" Xiang Hanzhi snorted, then suddenly grinned.

"By the way, I'll stay at your place when I get back. Don't tell me there aren't any rooms available."

"Yes, there is," Chen Shouyi replied casually, then suddenly realized something.

Wait, Zhang Ruonan has already moved into the west wing, and Bai Mengyan just gave the room next door. There are still a few empty rooms in the backyard, but they are piled with a lot of miscellaneous items.

If Xiang Hanzhi were to move in as well, this Taoist temple would soon become a girls' dormitory.

"What do you mean by 'there is some'?" Xiang Hanzhi noticed his hesitation. "You don't mean you don't want me to come, do you?"

"I didn't ask you to come; you came of your own accord."

"Then what were you hesitating about just now?"

"I'm counting how many rooms are left. Two people have been staying at the temple recently, so there aren't enough rooms."

"Two people? Who are they?"

"One is a newly hired assistant, and the other is a friend who is staying for one day."

"Assistant? Friend?" Xiang Hanzhi's speech quickened noticeably. "Male or female?"

"They're all women," Chen Shouyi answered truthfully.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Xiang Hanzhi's voice rose a whole pitch:

"What did you say?! Women?! And all of them are women?!" she bombarded him with questions.

"What assistant? You're a Taoist priest, you don't even have to work, why would you need an assistant? And what about friends staying at your temple? Don't you never let people stay at your temple?"

Chen Shouyi moved the phone further away, waiting until she finished her long string of questions before bringing it back to his ear:

"None of your business, can you keep your voice down?"

"No! You must explain this to me clearly!"

"It's just for work purposes," Chen Shouyi said casually. "If you want to stay at the Taoist temple when you come back, we'll prepare a room for you."

There was a moment of silence on Xiang Hanzhi's end, then he said:

"What does that assistant look like?"

"The appearance of a normal person."

"Chen Shouyi!"

"A little taller than you, a little fairer than you, a little better looking than you, and then," Chen Shouyi thought for a moment, "he speaks more gently than you."

"You—" Xiang Hanzhi choked for a moment, took a deep breath, "Fine, anyway, I'm going back to China tomorrow."

"Let's talk when you get back. I have something to do, so I'll hang up now."

"Wait, wait!" Xiang Hanzhi quickly called out to him, "Don't hang up, I haven't finished speaking yet!"

"Is there anything else?"

There was a pause on the other end, then the voice suddenly softened: "How have you been feeling lately?"

Chen Shou paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's alright."

"That's good." Xiang Hanzhi snorted. "Don't think I'm concerned about you. I'm just worried that if you collapse from exhaustion, no one will come to pick me up."

"Why all the drama? Go to sleep early, we'll talk when you get there."

Xiang Hanzhi's voice regained its confident and assertive tone:

"Then I'll hang up. You focus on your cultivation!"