One Man, Three Faces

"Jade Pure Daoist, stay your steps. We shall take our leave now!"

"Daoist, do come visit Hidden Heaven Palace sometime. Our Three Pure Ones Temple and the two Hidden Heaven temples should keep in closer contact!"

"I hope there will be another chance to listen to the Three Pure Ones' wondrous teachings..."

Outside Three Pure Ones Temple, the Mother River overlords each harbored different thoughts. After exchanging pleasantries with Li Qingyun, they swept down Green Bronze Hill one after another, mounted their respective desolate beast steeds, tore through the blackwater fog, and departed in succession.

Li Qingyun stood at the temple gates, watching those Mother River overlords leave, a cold smile appearing on his face.

"When these old foxes were mooching three chapters of my Dao De Jing, they were utterly intoxicated. Yet when I hinted that they should enter my sect, every last one of them started hemming and hawing. Fine. Once you return and carefully ponder my wondrous method, you will naturally grow restless with longing, wishing you could read all that follows. Then someone will cast aside their pride and beg to join the Three Pure Ones..."

On the temple's opening day, its "first cast of the net" had failed to catch even a single old fox. But that was fine; he had merely scattered some bait first.

The shadow beside him flickered. Li Xuanji, entirely shrouded in a black robe, complained somewhat resentfully, "You only gave me one chapter of the Dao De Jing before, but today you let those old foxes mooch three chapters for free. Aren't you favoring outsiders over those close to you?"

Li Qingyun turned and walked into the main hall, his faintly smiling voice transmitting, "All disciples of the Three Pure Ones, gather in the rear hall. Today, this Sect Master