This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

From that day on, Mingyue never mentioned her past or her family again.

Li Daoxuan and Qingfeng went to the county government office to retrieve the bodies of Mingyue's parents, bought coffins and burial plots, performed a simple memorial service, and then buried them.

Throughout, Mingyue simply stayed quietly by his side, without uttering a single word.

Li Daoxuan knew that this precocious child understood everything, and naturally, that pain was enough to break a child.

But she didn't. She chose to swallow the pain and continue living in a brave and strong way.

To live is the purest pursuit and expression of life itself by all living beings.

Only by living can life have meaning.

Therefore, Li Daoxuan did not try to persuade or comfort her, but simply continued to teach and read to the two of them every day at Chenshi (7-9 AM).

It seems that Mingyue has overcome this hurdle.

But every night, Li Daoxuan's keen senses still allowed him to clearly hear Mingyue's suppressed sobs from under the covers.

Ugh......

Eight days after the ghost incident, Scholar Wang suddenly arrived at the door with a boy and a girl.

At approximately 9:00 AM, Li Daoxuan, who was sitting in the courtyard reading, suddenly looked up at Qingfeng and said:

"Qingfeng, go brew a pot of fresh tea."

Qingfeng didn't understand, but still obediently went to brew tea.

Upon hearing this, Mingyue silently got up and prepared to return to her room.

Li Daoxuan smiled and said:

"There's no need to shy away from it."

Mingyue nodded and continued to sit quietly to the side, exploring the poems in the copy of the Book of Songs that Li Daoxuan had carved for her.

Just as Qingfeng finished brewing the tea and put the tea tray down, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

Qingfeng then realized that the gentleman had anticipated the arrival of guests.

As he stepped forward and opened the courtyard gate, Qingfeng's kind smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold expression.

"It's you? What are you doing here?"

"A cold breeze asked," Qingfeng asked.

Wang, the scholar, looked embarrassed and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, saying:

"Mr. Wang, along with his son and daughter, have come to express their deepest gratitude to Mr. Li for saving their lives."

After he finished speaking, Li Daoxuan's voice rang out in the courtyard.

"Qingfeng, you are a guest, so you must not be rude."

"Scholar Wang, I am unwell and will not rise to greet you. Please come in."

Qingfeng then stepped aside to let the group in.

Behind them followed a number of servants, each carrying a load on their shoulder, clearly there to deliver gifts.

As Wang Juren entered the courtyard, he saw Li Daoxuan sitting in a wheelchair and couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"This reclusive master's way of doing things is really different. He's so strong, yet he prefers to sit in a wheelchair."

He remembered that day at the Wang family's house, when Li Daoxuan chased after the vengeful ghost and fought it so fast that it was almost impossible to see. At that time, it was impossible to tell that Li Daoxuan was a disabled person.

Therefore, Wang Juren subconsciously assumed that Li Daoxuan liked this kind of style.

Li Daoxuan understood what Wang Juren meant from his gaze, but he didn't explain. He simply gestured for him to sit down and then asked:

"I hope that Scholar Wang has come to visit me. What brings you here?"

Upon hearing the words "instructions," Wang, the scholar who had just sat down, felt as if his buttocks had been branded with a scorching hot iron. He jerked up and said in a panic:

"I wouldn't dare accept such praise. How could I possibly offer guidance in front of you, sir?"

"Today, Mr. Wang has brought his son and daughter to express his gratitude for the great kindness you showed to my family a few days ago."

"I should have come to express my gratitude on the same day, but a sudden disaster struck my family, resulting in heavy casualties and numerous complications. Therefore, I was delayed for a few days. Please forgive me, sir."

Having said that, Scholar Wang turned around, grabbed one of the young men and one of the young women, and led them to Li Daoxuan, saying solemnly:

"Kneel down."

Upon hearing this, the two children immediately knelt before Li Daoxuan without saying a word.

Wang, the scholar, followed suit and knelt down as well.

Seeing this, Li Daoxuan did not stop him. He was deeply grateful for being saved and naturally deserved to kneel.

Scholar Wang kowtowed and said:

"My family of fourteen is still alive thanks to Mr. Li's righteous help, disregarding past grievances. Wang Qingdu, my son Wang Yangming, and my daughter Wang Jingshu thank you for your great kindness."

After saying this, the three of them solemnly kowtowed three times.

Li Daoxuan glanced at Wang Qingdu's son and couldn't help but think in surprise, "Wang Yangming? It should just be someone with the same name."

After his initial surprise, Li Daoxuan gently raised his hand and said:

"Alright, get up."

Wang Qingdu stood up and subconsciously reached out to brush the dust off his knees, only to find that the small courtyard was spotless, much cleaner than his own Wang residence, which was regularly cleaned by many servants.

Wang Qingdu couldn't help but sigh again.

Then he turned and said towards the outside of the courtyard:

"Bring it in."

As soon as he finished speaking, seven or eight servants carrying shoulder poles walked into the courtyard one after another, instantly filling the already not-so-spacious courtyard to the brim.

Li Daoxuan glanced at the items, then at Wang Yangming and Wang Jingshu, who were still kneeling on the ground.

I had a rough idea in my mind.

Wang Ju walked up to the baskets and smiled:

"I don't know what Mr. Li likes, so I have taken the liberty of preparing a small gift. I hope you won't find it offensive."

After saying that, he raised his hand, signaling the servant to lift the red cloth on the basket.

The moment the red cloth was lifted, Qingfeng, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but brighten up and mutter to himself:

"It's so dazzling..."

The gleaming silver ingots and glittering gold coins made Qingfeng dizzy.

Besides gold and silver, there were also many medicinal herbs, books, writing implements, and antique ornaments.

Li Daoxuan looked at these things without any change in expression, and simply asked:

"Surely Scholar Wang's visit today isn't just about repaying a debt of gratitude?"

Upon hearing this, Scholar Wang was taken aback, and then smiled awkwardly:

"As expected, it couldn't escape your discerning eye, sir."

"Mr. Wang does indeed have a difficult request..."

Li Daoxuan looked at the young man and woman still kneeling on the ground and laughed:

"Since Wang is the only Juren (successful candidate in the imperial examination) in this county, he must have a family tradition of scholarship. If so, why bother seeking a more distant option?"

Upon hearing Li Daoxuan's words, Wang Juren suddenly sighed helplessly.

"Alas... Sir, you may not know this, but although I, Wang, have studied diligently for more than ten years and finally passed the imperial examination, I am unwilling to let my son follow in my footsteps."

"Studying...fame and fortune...ha, let's not talk about it..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Yangming, who was kneeling on the ground with his head bowed, straightened up and said to Wang Juren:

"Father, I want to study, not practice martial arts. Please let me continue my studies."

Upon hearing this, Scholar Wang's eyes widened, and he angrily said:

"You good-for-nothing! What's so good about studying? Look at your father, full of classical knowledge, yet he ended up a nobody in the countryside, achieving nothing!"

"A mere vengeful ghost almost wiped out my entire Wang family, and Master Luo also died tragically because of it."

"It's better to focus on martial arts than to spend more than ten years studying and end up with nothing. At least then you'll have the ability to protect yourself."