One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

Jiang Shou, who was waiting at the door, was also secretly observing these two fellow travelers who had come from afar.

His gaze first fell on the elderly Taoist priest.

"His complexion was rosy and jade-like, his eyes were gentle and reserved yet held a hidden brilliance, and his breathing was so long and shallow that it was almost imperceptible." Jiang Shou was secretly alarmed. Although this old Taoist priest did not show any sharpness, his harmonious and aura made him an unfathomable master.

"As expected of the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, this is the true appearance of a celestial being."

Jiang Shou was taken aback when he turned to the young man. Although in today's society, with the internet so developed and countless handsome men and beautiful women using various beauty filters, Jiang Shou had seen his fair share of such things.

but!

When he saw the young man's face clearly, he couldn't help but curse under his breath.

Although the young man was only wearing a rough gray cloth Taoist uniform, his skin was as white as warm jade, his nose was high and straight, and his lips were very thin.

She had a pair of extremely narrow eyes with slightly upturned corners. Although she wasn't looking at Jiang Shou, she still exuded a deadly, bewitching charm!

Jiang Shou's first thought was: "A man this handsome? Isn't this ridiculous? We absolutely can't let Fatty Tiger see him."

Seemingly noticing Jiang Shou's scrutinizing gaze, the handsome, almost otherworldly young Taoist priest slightly raised his chin.

"Amitabha Buddha."

The elderly Taoist priest at the head of the group quickly stepped up the stairs and bowed to Jiang Shou with a Taoist kowtow: "This old Taoist priest is Li Xuanqing from Longhu Mountain. I apologize for the intrusion and hope Abbot Jiang will not take offense."

"Lingqiu greets Abbot Jiang."

The young Zhang Lingqiu stepped forward and respectfully bowed. His voice was clear and cool, like spring water striking stone, extremely pleasant to the ear.

However, he lowered his eyelids slightly, and his eyes always seemed somewhat unfocused and wandering, as if he didn't even look directly at Jiang Shou, his master, revealing an arrogant attitude.

Jiang Shou didn't mind, smiled and returned the bow, saying neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Master Li, you are too kind. It is an honor for our fellow practitioners from Longhu Mountain to grace my humble Shouyi Temple with their presence. We are extremely pleased. Please come in, gentlemen."

Jiang Shou stepped aside and welcomed the two into the main hall.

Li Xuanqing and Zhang Lingqiu entered the main hall and first offered incense devoutly before the statues of the Three Pure Ones. Li Xuanqing's gaze swept over the furnishings in the hall, which, although renovated, still exuded an air of poverty, with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

After offering incense, Jiang Shou led the two to a guest room in the side hall and they sat down.

"Please wait a moment, both of you."

Jiang Shou went into the inner room. He was showing the utmost hospitality today, and he took out the box of top-quality Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao tea that the Lin couple had sent as a token of their gratitude last time.

"Life in the mountains is simple and austere, so there's not much to offer." Jiang Shou skillfully rinsed the teaware with boiling water, then pinched a little tea leaves from the jar and put them into the purple clay teapot. "This is some coarse tea that a pilgrim gave us a couple of days ago. Please make do with it, Master Li."

Boiling spring water is poured into the purple clay teapot.

In an instant, a rich, mellow floral and fruity aroma, with a unique rocky flavor, filled the side hall.

"Excellent tea!"

Li Xuanqing picked up the rough porcelain teacup, and just by taking a light sniff of the rich, warm steam carrying the fragrance of rocky flowers, his gentle eyes lit up slightly, and he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Jiang Shou, with a calm expression, picked up the purple clay teapot and poured a cup of clear, amber-colored tea for each of the two distinguished guests from Longhu Mountain.

"This is just some rough mountain tea; I'm glad Master Li likes it." Jiang Shou put down the teapot and sat down in the main seat.

Li Xuanqing took a sip of Da Hong Pao tea, put down his cup, and looked at Jiang Shou with gentle eyes: "Master Jiang, although the furnishings in your temple are simple, the arrangement of the Three Pure Ones statues is extremely rigorous. May I ask which lineage our Shouyi Temple inherits from? And who is your master, Master?"

Faced with this routine Taoist ritual, Jiang Shou did not hide anything and told the truth: "Master Li, you flatter me. I don't have any master. This Taoist temple was where my grandfather lived and worked. He passed away a few days ago, and I just came up the mountain to take over as the abbot."

"As for where I learned my teacher..." Jiang Shou shook his head and said with a wry smile, "The old man never mentioned it to me when he was alive. He only left me two somewhat tattered handwritten thread-bound books when he passed away, which recorded some of the most basic breathing techniques and how to draw a few talismans. These days, I've just been practicing blindly by imitating what he wrote."

"That's impossible!"

As soon as Jiang Shou finished speaking, Zhang Lingqiu, who had been sitting quietly to the side with his eyes slightly lowered, suddenly spoke coldly.

Zhang Lingqiu frowned slightly, his voice clear and cold like spring water, yet carrying a clear hint of skepticism: "Taoist cultivation emphasizes gradual progress and the master-disciple relationship. Even the most talented disciple of my Longhu Mountain needs several years, even more than ten years, of arduous practice before one can even begin to understand it. The ashes of the talisman paper remaining in that basement contain incredibly pure Taoist true essence. Even with a master's hands-on instruction, it would be extremely difficult for an ordinary Taoist disciple to draw talismans of that level!"

"If you are truly an ordinary person with no foundation in cultivation since childhood, how could you possibly draw such a pure Yang talisman with such profound Dao essence and power in such a short period of time, relying solely on a few tattered handwritten copies? This is simply a fantasy!"

Faced with Zhang Lingqiu's blunt and direct questioning, a hint of displeasure flashed in Jiang Shou's eyes.

He certainly couldn't tell this effeminate-looking boy about such an overpowered cheat as the "Suihan Order." He could only pick up his teacup, gently stir the floating leaves with the lid, and his tone became indifferent: "The world is vast and full of wonders. This is the internal tradition of my Shouyi Temple, and please forgive me for not easily showing it to outsiders. If Fellow Daoist Zhang doesn't believe me, then consider it a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse."

"You..." Zhang Lingqiu was speechless at Jiang Shou's perfunctory attitude, and a hint of anger appeared on his handsome and otherworldly face.

He abruptly raised his head, his gaze still not focused on Jiang Shou, but his tone exuded the arrogance of a chosen one: "My Longhu Mountain is the ancestral home of Taoism with a thousand-year history, the orthodox lineage of Taoist practices! What top-tier cultivation techniques and secret manuals do we not possess? Why would we covet the cultivation techniques and talismans of your small Taoist temple? I am merely stating the facts..."

"Lingqiu! How dare you be so rude!"

Li Xuanqing's face darkened, and he interrupted Zhang Lingqiu sharply.

Zhang Lingqiu's body stiffened slightly, as if he realized that his words had indeed been too offensive and impolite, and he quickly shut his mouth.

After reprimanding his junior disciple, Li Xuanqing quickly turned around and bowed apologetically to Jiang Shou: "Master Jiang, please forgive me. My junior disciple has been cultivating in seclusion on Mount Longhu since childhood and rarely comes down the mountain to interact with outsiders. He is too straightforward. In addition, he is obsessed with the way of talismans and is eager to learn, which is why he has lost his manners. He had absolutely no intention of inquiring about your temple's secrets."

"It's alright, I understand." Jiang Shou waved his hand, not taking it to heart.

Zhang Lingqiu was reprimanded by his martial uncle in person, and he knew that his words had indeed transgressed the rules of the Xuanmen and committed a major taboo.

He immediately stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply to Jiang Shou, saying respectfully, "Master Jiang, I, Lingqiu, have spoken rashly. I hope you will forgive me."

Looking at the young Taoist priest in front of him, who was extremely sincere and bowing his head to admit his mistake, Jiang Shou's slight displeasure dissipated.

only……

When Zhang Lingqiu straightened up, Jiang Shou looked into his eyes, a strange doubt still flashing through his mind.

Zhang Lingqiu's apology was clearly sincere, even his tone was filled with remorse. However, when those long, narrow, and eerie eyes looked over, his gaze always drifted aimlessly to Jiang Shou's shoulder or ear, and the empty, arrogant look in his eyes made it seem as if he still looked down on people deep down.

Li Xuanqing, being an experienced and shrewd man, immediately saw the doubt in Jiang Shou's eyes.

He gave a wry smile, picked up his teacup, and sighed, "Master Jiang, please don't worry about it. This child, Lingqiu, suffers from an 'eye ailment'."