One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

In the backyard pavilion, the moonlight, like water, poured down, casting a soft, silvery glow on the orange figure lying on the long bench.

Jiang Shou squatted down beside him, resting his chin on his hands, and quietly watched the sleeping Pang Hu.

The little orange cat's glossy fur looked extremely soft in the moonlight. Its round belly bulged and shrunk rhythmically with its even breathing, and it occasionally let out two comfortable purrs.

This appearance is utterly harmless.

Jiang Shou found it hard to reconcile the violent figure outside the Taoist temple last night, who burned with terrifying green and orange flames and slapped a red-clothed ghost dozens of meters away, with the sleeping, fat, greedy cat in front of him.

Not to mention that arrogant girl in an orange-yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a figure so hot it would make your nose bleed.

"The contrast is too much..."

Jiang Shou found the unsuspecting chubby kitten in front of him incredibly adorable. Recalling the thrilling soft touch from last night, he suddenly felt an uncontrollable urge to "pet it hard."

"Just a little pat on the head, it should be fine, right? It's sleeping so soundly..."

Jiang Shou swallowed hard, held his breath, and like a thief, very slowly extended his trembling "sinful claw," inching closer and closer to Fat Tiger's furry head.

10 centimeters... 5 centimeters... 3 centimeters...

Just as Jiang Shou's fingers were about to touch the soft fur!

Fat Tiger, who was snoring with his eyes closed, didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Buzz!"

Jiang Shou felt an incomparably domineering wave of energy suddenly erupt from the orange fleshy ball without warning!

"Oh no!" Jiang Shou's pupils shrank, before he could retract his claws.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Jiang Shou was thrown from the ground as if he had been hit head-on by a speeding truck. His feet left the ground, and he was sent flying through the air in a graceful arc, being propelled out of the pavilion!

"Holy crap!"

Jiang Shou waved his arms and legs in mid-air, and finally, with a "splat," he fell flat on his back ten meters away from the well in a very disheveled manner.

As he grimaced and rubbed his bottom as he got up from the ground, Fat Tiger had already crouched down and nimbly leaped onto the roof of the backyard.

It looked down at Jiang Shou, who had fallen beside the well, and yawned silently, revealing its sharp cat teeth. Its amber eyes, glowing in the darkness, undisguisedly displayed a look of disgust and contempt, as if it were looking at a hopeless pervert.

Then, it flicked its tail, turned around, and disappeared into the depths of the roof's blue tiles.

"..." Jiang Shou rubbed his aching back, feeling like crying but having no tears.

……

The next day.

As dawn broke, the thin mist in the mountains and forests had not yet completely dissipated, and a crisp chill permeated the air.

"Phew~~"

In the side room, Jiang Shou let out a long breath, slowly opened his eyes, and ended the entire night's internal circulation.

He stretched his limbs, listening to the series of cracking sounds from his bones like popping beans, and nodded in satisfaction. After a night of nourishing his true energy, he no longer felt that tearing pain when he moved, and he was completely unimpeded.

Pushing open the door, Jiang Shou stood in the center of the courtyard, facing the autumn sunrise, and began his morning breathing exercises of the "Guardian of Oneness" method.

Pure air enters the body, and turbid air is expelled.

Before he could finish his breathing exercise...

With his keen hearing, Jiang Shou vaguely heard the sound of car tires screeching against the ground on the winding mountain road near the pavilion below.

"Here it comes." Jiang Shou slowly withdrew his stance, his eyes flickering slightly.

At this moment, beside the pavilion halfway up Cuiwei Mountain.

A low-profile black minibus came to a steady stop on the side of the road.

The car door opened, and two people got out.

Leading the way was an elderly Taoist priest, around fifty or sixty years old. He wore a dark blue Taoist robe that appeared to be of ordinary color but actually shimmered faintly in the sunlight, and his hair was styled in a neat topknot.

Following behind the old Taoist priest was a young man in his early twenties, also dressed in Taoist attire, but in a simpler, coarse cloth robe, and carrying a worn-out canvas bag on his back.

The two stood in front of the pavilion halfway up the mountain, looking up at the winding bluestone mountain path above.

"Uncle-Master."

The young man frowned slightly, his tone tinged with confusion: "Yesterday afternoon, we were investigating in the basement of the villa in the northern suburbs. Although the talisman that broke the formation was burned to ashes, the remaining pure Yang Daoist charm and the way its energy flowed were definitely authentic Daoist Great True Qi."

"However, all orthodox Taoist talismans in the world originate from our Longhu Mountain lineage. Why couldn't I find the name 'Shouyi Temple' in the 'Bangzhi Lu' (a book on branch lineages of Longhu Mountain) last night?"

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest turned and glanced at him.

"Lingqiu, you must not be complacent." The old Taoist's voice was gentle and peaceful, yet it carried the authority of an elder. "Not to mention that our Taoist ancestors are scattered all over the world, even in this land of China alone, since Taoism spread thousands of years ago, there have been countless eminent hermits and masters from various branches."

"Whether it's to avoid the world or because their lineage has been broken, they live in seclusion in famous mountains and rivers, building Taoist temples to worship the Three Pure Ones alone. Although we at Longhu Mountain claim to be the orthodox lineage, how can we possibly include all the Taoist practitioners in the world in our register?"

The old Taoist priest's expression turned solemn as he looked up at the mountain path above. "That red-clothed vengeful ghost was so full of resentment that even I found it troublesome. Abbot Jiang of Shouyi Temple was not only able to protect mortals in such a deadly situation, but also managed to escape unscathed from that ferocious creature on his own."

"This person must be quite skilled. You will come up the mountain with me. Remember to be careful with your words and actions, and do not be disrespectful just because of the reputation of Longhu Mountain."

"I understand."

The young Taoist priest, addressed as "Lingqiu," bowed slightly in response.

The two of them slowly and deliberately set off along the stone steps on the mountain path leading to Shouyi Temple.

When they turned the last bend and arrived at the bottom of the steps in front of the Taoist temple.

The two stopped at the same time.

Bathed in the golden morning sun, the two ancient and heavy elm wood doors of the Taoist temple were wide open.

A young man dressed in a blue Taoist robe stood quietly inside the wooden threshold, his hands clasped behind his back. A morning breeze blew, causing his robes to flutter. Combined with his refined and clean-cut appearance, exuding an otherworldly air, he truly possessed the exquisite appearance of a "banished immortal."