Too Lazy to Bother

As night fell, Maple Mountain grew cold.

On his way back, Li Qingyun casually stopped by the back mountain canteen, which was about to close for the night, and picked up a free meal.

It wasn't that he couldn't afford it; he had just arrived too late. The "delicacies" and Spirit Rice Porridge had long since sold out.

Li Qingyun made another unexpected discovery.

Joining him at the canteen just before closing time to grab free food were over a dozen disciples he hadn't seen around the temple before.

As expected, their Taoist robes were worn and their expressions were dejected and haggard. They were all down-on-their-luck casual guest disciples.

They even looked at Li Qingyun, a new face at the late-night canteen, with sympathy!

It was as if they were thinking, "Alas, another unfortunate soul..."

By the time he returned to his bamboo hut, it was late at night, and the lights were on inside.

Li Qingyun pushed the door open and saw that He Xiao had indeed returned.

However, the fellow was staring at him with a face full of envy and jealousy.

"Qingyun, I truly envy you. You've really latched onto Senior Brother Zhao. This ghost-exorcising mission to Yinshan Town has stirred up the whole temple, and you've managed to snag some contribution points for free!"

He Xiao exuded a faint scent of perfume, indicating he was doing exceptionally well working at the Hall of Seeking Offspring.

He walked over to Li Qingyun's wooden bed and, without hiding his jealousy, pointed at a set of brand-new white embroidered robes on the bed, exclaiming dramatically:

"Just now, Senior Sister Lu Liqian visited late at night and brought you, junior brother, this new robe. Tsk tsk, look at the craftsmanship, the material, and the thought behind it!"

"Junior brother, tell me, Senior Brother, what exactly is Senior Sister Lu thinking? Why is she showing you so much concern and care..."

The air in the room was thick with a strong sense of sourness.

"Hmm?"

Li Qingyun looked over, his expression also shifting. He walked over, picked up the new white robe from the bed, and felt its fine texture; it was made of high-quality material.

He then glanced at his desk. The change of clothes he had left there before going to the Scripture Repository were gone.

A small note was left on the desk, with elegant and beautiful handwriting: Qingyun, I took your robe to wash. The one on the bed is new, made by me. I heard from Junior Brother Zhao that you performed well on your trip down the mountain. Keep up the good work!

Senior Sister Lu, oh Senior Sister Lu, what are you trying to say!

As someone new here, Senior Sister is showing me so much care; isn't this a bit much!

And Zhao Yifan is also quite considerate, not exposing my true situation too much.

"Why does this feel a bit like... like when people were dating in my previous life..."

His thoughts raced. Li Qingyun pretended not to hear He Xiao's sour remarks and quickly analyzed Lu Liqian's intentions behind her actions.

There must be a reason for this strangeness!

"Could it be that Zhao Yifan let something slip, mentioning my performance in Yinshan Town, which led to Senior Sister Lu's obvious intentions?" Thinking this, he couldn't help but find it both amusing and speechless.

When he first arrived at the mountain, Lu Nanling had been quite indifferent to him.

"Forget it, this new white Taoist robe should be kept in the drawer. Wearing it would mean accepting and acknowledging something, even though nothing has happened..."

With a wave of his hand, he used his Mana to move the drawer, which automatically opened. The white robe fell inside.

Then, he got onto the bed, sat cross-legged, and began meditating in the spot where the robe had been folded.

"Whoa, junior brother, have you achieved Great Accomplishment of Qi Sensing? And you're already using Mana so skillfully?"

Seeing this, the sour-faced He Xiao was even more shaken. His jealousy was mixed with shock.

"No wonder Senior Brother Zhao was willing to take you down the mountain..."

He Xiao muttered to himself.

"Senior Brother He!" Li Qingyun said calmly, looking at him. "I might be moving out tomorrow. As roommates, I have something to say to you, junior brother. You can listen if you want, or pretend you didn't hear it if you don't."

The scene of the desolate temple flashed before his eyes, as did the charming demeanor of the young madam of the Cai Family of Luoshui.

"We, with our inherent flaws in talent, should cultivate diligently after ascending the mountain and entering the temple. Some things are permissible, while others are not. On my trip down the mountain, I encountered the young madam of the Cai Family of Luoshui. The jade pendant she wore at her waist looked a bit familiar..."

"Brother He, the good reputation of Lingbao Temple must not be tarnished!"

After speaking, he gave He Xiao, whose expression had drastically changed, a deep look and then ignored him. He opened the newly copied booklet on the subsequent incantations of the Precious Furnace Qi Absorption Art and began to read it carefully by the dim orange light of the copper lamp on the desk.

Unknowingly, his connection with Lingbao Temple was deepening. Naturally, he did not wish to see He Xiao do anything that would tarnish the temple's reputation.

If He Xiao listened, so be it. If not, disaster would not be far off!

"Junior brother, you speak the truth. I will definitely correct my attitude and learn from you..."

He Xiao's expression shifted. After standing for a while, he finally bowed deeply to Li Qingyun, who was meditating.

This roommate, who had always considered himself a ladies' man, finally calmed down. He walked to his desk, picked up a talisman brush, dipped it in ink, and began to draw, intending to complete the two yellow talismans that had been idle for a long time.

Seeing that Li Qingyun, whom he had previously underestimated, had suddenly achieved Great Accomplishment of Qi Sensing and wielded Mana with such exquisite skill, He Xiao felt immense pressure.

Especially since Li Qingyun's tone clearly indicated that he was aware of He Xiao's activities in the Hall of Seeking Offspring.

At this moment, He Xiao suddenly felt that the young man meditating by the oil lamp, holding a scroll and studying it, seemed like a towering mountain, exuding an indescribable, faint majesty!

Li Qingyun outwardly studied the fourth to sixth layers of the Precious Furnace Qi Absorption Art, but secretly observed the mysterious Daoist effigy in his mind.

The Daoist effigy lowered its brows and eyes, and the booklet floating before it had also changed to the fourth to sixth layers of the Qi Absorption Art.

Threads of familiar pure energy continuously emanated from the top of the Daoist effigy's head.

Specks of mana were born within Li Qingyun's body, warm and tingly, as if his body and mind were soaking in a hot spring.

He sensed it – the "bottleneck" of the third layer of Qi Refining was shattered in an instant.

His mana cultivation slowly broke through, pushing towards the fourth layer of Qi Refining!

The next morning.

Li Qingyun stopped meditating, a hint of weariness in his eyes.

He first cast a "Cleanse Technique" on himself, and his body immediately felt much refreshed.

Zhao Yifan arrived early, smiling as he handed Li Qingyun ten spirit stones, and mentioned that another hundred contribution points had been transferred to his disciple token.

In the temple, contribution points were equivalent to material wealth like spirit stones. They could be used to buy elixirs and spells, request guidance from Dao Masters, commission the crafting of magic artifacts, and more. Some unadvertised requirements also defaulted to needing a certain amount of contribution points.

Li Qingyun accepted with a smile and saw his senior brother out.

He Xiao, who had been woken up early, saw Li Qingyun receiving so many benefits and Zhao Yifan's enthusiastic and friendly demeanor, treating Li Qingyun as an equal. He was instantly filled with envy and jealousy, and felt a great deal of emotion.

After Zhao Yifan left, He Xiao also quietly slipped away and found a quiet mountaintop to cultivate his Qi.

He finally came to his senses: without sufficient cultivation, he was nothing!

At noon, Li Qingyun got up and left his room, heading to the Patrol Monitor's duty hall.

"My Qi Sea contains twenty-four furnaces of mana. I should reach the fourth layer of Qi Refining by the day after tomorrow! I'm going to the Patrol Monitor's hall in the back mountain now to inquire about an independent residence."

As his cultivation continued to grow, Li Qingyun was no longer suited for sharing a residence with others, as it would easily expose his secrets.

He also felt a lingering unease about Senior Sister Lu Liqian delivering him a Daoist robe last night.

Rather than being "harassed" by this senior sister with unclear intentions, it would be better to simply move out and seek some peace.

"This humble Daoist only wishes for lonely cultivation. Such tender affections are truly beyond my capacity to enjoy. Senior Sister should go bother a more outstanding senior brother..."