Junior sister, I really need to control you.

At the summit of Bamboo Forest Peak, in Li Yinsheng's bamboo house.

"So, besides many disciples, there are two stewards and a deputy abbot who are in charge of guarding the temple on the peak?" Li Yinsheng asked Qi Jiushan.

"That's right," Qi Jiushan nodded, "The deputy abbot of Shouyi Temple will be arriving tomorrow."

"And not only will he come alone, but he'll also bring a bunch of little brats from the temple, and each of them will have to collect a fee from my Huangzhu Temple!"

"They really are here to freeload," Li Yinsheng shook his head. "Shouyi Temple acts so domineeringly, offending people everywhere. Aren't they afraid of incurring public wrath?"

Qi Jiushan sighed: "Fellow Daoist Li, you are unaware of this. Shouyi Temple is not only powerful in itself, but also..."

He leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "They also have intricate connections with an elder in the lineage."

"Although that elder held a prestigious position and never admitted to having any clear relationship with Shouyi Temple, but..."

"In private, everyone knows that Shouyi Temple has received a lot of kindness from that elder, and the temple has never stopped showing respect to that elder."

"Oh?" Li Yinsheng was somewhat surprised. "But as far as I know, the relationship between a lineage and a Taoist temple has always been very restrained."

"There are always exceptions," Qi Jiushan said with a wry smile. "Although I don't know how Shouyi Temple got involved with a lineage elder, they have such a backer, so most of the time we have to be patient with them."

Li Yinsheng nodded, indicating that he understood.

"Moreover, even excluding that lineage elder, there are at least ten True Persons in Shouyi Temple," Qi Jiushan said with a wry smile. "This is something that no other Taoist temple can match, so naturally we must avoid their sharp edge."

"Ten?" Li Yinsheng was genuinely surprised this time.

Many Taoist temples only have one master presiding over them, such as Huanghe Temple.

Taoist temples with two venerable masters presiding over them account for less than half of those with a lineage of Taoist masters.

Many of the top ten Taoist temples only have two or three true masters among them.

There are at least ten true masters in Shouyi Temple?

This number is indeed a bit frightening.

Although I've heard that the number of true masters in the lineage is more exaggerated than all the Taoist temples combined, it is, after all, a lineage, so it's normal for it to be so powerful.

But Shouyi Temple is just a Taoist temple.

"It is said that the number of disciples in their temple had exceeded a thousand several years ago, making it the largest of all Taoist temples in terms of scale." Qi Jiushan shook his head.

Li Yinsheng sighed inwardly, no wonder Shouyi Temple acted so domineeringly, it really did have the strength to back it up.

It's just unknown whether there's any connection between their connection with that lineage elder and the abnormally large number of real people.

"Hey, we've been chatting for ages, and I've been so busy complaining that I almost forgot to tell you the important thing, Fellow Daoist Li," Qi Jiushan said, slapping his thigh.

"I came to see you about the matter of guarding Bamboo Forest Peak. The current arrangement is that Senior Brother Liang, as the deputy abbot, is in charge of all affairs, so he will not be directly involved in defending against powerful demons."

"As a steward of the Demon-Slaying Hall, I am responsible for overseeing matters related to preventing demonic attacks. All patrolling disciples and demon-slaying disciples are under my jurisdiction."

"In addition, I am also responsible for guarding the north side of Bamboo Forest Peak. If any demons that the demon-slaying disciples cannot deal with attack from the north mountain, it will be my turn to take action."

"We can't count on those three from Shouyi Temple, so we'd like to ask Fellow Daoist Li and the other two to take charge of the other three directions."

"However, everyone will be given a communication talisman tomorrow. If you encounter a monster that you can't handle on your own, you can invite other fellow cultivators to help you."

"How about Fellow Daoist Li take charge of the East?"

Li Yinsheng nodded: "No problem."

There's basically no difference between the four directions, so there's not much to choose from.

"Fellow Daoist Li, you're quite decisive!" Qi Jiushan smiled and reminded him, "However, although you can invite other fellow Daoists to help, if you can handle the demon on your own, it would be best if you dealt with it yourself."

"After all, those demons with decent cultivation levels, while their muscles, bones, skin, scales, and horns may not reach the level of treasures, they still have some value and are good materials for alchemy or weapon crafting."

"If I kill it myself, I can just take it. But if I join forces with someone of the same path, there will inevitably be disputes when it comes to distributing it, which may damage our harmony."

Li Yinsheng suddenly realized: "So, is this also a factor in dividing the area into four regions—east, west, south, and north—to be responsible for separately?"

"That's good." Qi Jiushan nodded generously in agreement. "This way, we can avoid disputes among fellow cultivators. Whoever's territory a demon enters, that territory belongs to them; it cannot be taken away."

"If you are unable to do so and have to ask other fellow Daoists for help, then you should voluntarily give up some of your valuables so that the fellow Daoists who come to help will not suffer any loss."

"Of course, if we encounter extreme danger, then as I said before, all of us, including Senior Brother Liang, will go together!"

Li Yinsheng had no objection to this.

Before Qi Jiushan could say anything more, a woman's voice rang out from outside, interrupting him.

"Fellow Daoist Li, this is Meng Yu. Are you there?"

Li Yinsheng had already sensed Meng Yu's arrival, so he wasn't surprised and immediately said, "Fellow Daoist Meng, please come in."

Meng Yu pushed open the door and entered, dressed in a Taoist robe from the Jade Altar Temple, with a thin layer of frost in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Meng, it's been a long time," Li Yinsheng stood up, smiled, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. "I must thank you for recommending me this time."

Otherwise, where would such a good opportunity come from to find so many demons to give my junior sister more combat experience?

"No need to be so polite. Perhaps I meant well but did something wrong this time." A hint of guilt appeared on Meng Yu's face. "I didn't expect that the deputy abbot and the steward of Shouyi Temple would also come."

"It's alright, it's alright, it's no problem," Li Yinsheng said with a smile, waving his hand.

Meng Yu pursed her lips and, looking at Li Yinsheng's face, couldn't help but raise her hand to smooth her hair.

Qi Jiushan's expression turned strange.

His gaze first fell on Li Yinsheng, then shifted to Meng Yu, then back to Li Yinsheng, and then back to Meng Yu, repeating this several times.

He then gave a look as if he understood something, stood up, cupped his hands, and took his leave.

"Haha, I've just finished discussing important matters with Fellow Daoist Li. Since Fellow Daoist Meng is here, I won't disturb you two any longer. Farewell!"

As he spoke, he began to walk towards the door.

In this situation, it would be somewhat inappropriate for an "outsider" like him to remain.

Although Mu Xiaoyu was still inside, drinking tea and eating snacks, that was beyond his control. All he could do was leave and make room for someone who needed it.

Ignoring Li Yinsheng's invitation to stay a little longer and have a cup of tea before leaving, Qi Jiushan strode out the door, not forgetting to close it behind him.

Before leaving, he glanced at Li Yinsheng and Meng Yu through the crack in the door.

Fellow Daoist Li is so young yet his cultivation is so profound; it's almost a certainty that he will become a True Person.

Although Fellow Daoist Meng's cultivation is not as high as Fellow Daoist Li's, and he should be a few years older, he is still extremely talented, not to mention he is a master of formations.

These two should be considered a handsome man and a beautiful woman, right?

Qi Jiushan thought to himself as he walked into the distance.