Inside the morgue.
Jia Le was moving the zombies whose incantations had just been lifted. "My master really is something. He spends all day playing tricks on his disciple.
"If he wants to kill me, he could just do it openly. Why sneak around?"
With an unhappy grumble, he neatly placed the corpses into the wall compartments one after another.
Whatever else could be said, despite his displeasure,
Jia Le was still meticulous when he worked.
Little did he know that while he was speaking,
Daoist Priest Four-Eyes had already entered the morgue and hidden behind the compartments.
"Luckily, Senior Brother Lin Fan came and reminded me.
"Otherwise, I would have been beaten to death by you big brothers."
Jia Le pointed indignantly at the corpses in the room as he spoke.
With a quick step, Daoist Priest Four-Eyes moved into the spot where Jia Le was about to carry a corpse.
"Wow, why is this one so heavy? I wonder if Master weighed this much when he died."
Jia Le deftly turned around without even looking up and continued lifting with both arms around it.
Then he continued, "No way. My master is so mean. He must have fallen sick, wasted away to skin and bones, and died of illness."
Thud!
Jia Le set down what he thought was a corpse—Daoist Priest Four-Eyes.
When he looked up, his pupils suddenly widened.
His entire body trembled in shock.
His face had already twisted into one of pure anguish.
"Master? That's Master!"
Jia Le pointed at him, then turned toward the door as if hoping to escape.
Smack!
"You're so obedient. Master loves you to death, Jia Le."
Daoist Priest Four-Eyes kneaded Jia Le's cheeks with both hands, looking as though he wanted to eat him alive.
It seemed Jia Le was in for a beating.
Daoist Priest Four-Eyes then led him out of the morgue.
Amid the morning's commotion,
noon soon arrived, with the sun blazing overhead.
All things shone brilliantly.
In the quiet midday, cicadas chirped one after another.
Their melodious calls were soothing to the ear and calmed the mind.
Daoist Priest Four-Eyes was sincerely performing a sacrificial rite before the deity-inviting altar.
Suddenly, a bit of noise came from outside the room.
"Jia Le, what on earth are you doing?"
Daoist Priest Four-Eyes pulled open the curtain and shouted toward Jia Le, who was busy in the kitchen.
"Master, to make up for yesterday, I'm preparing some lunch for you."
Jia Le replied as he walked out of the kitchen doorway, holding an enormous spoon.
Daoist Priest Four-Eyes continued sourly, "Showing affection for no reason and making lunch for me? Is there really such a good thing in this world?"
"Ah, Master, the Grandmaster next door is back."
Jia Le changed the subject.
"So what if he's back? Do you expect your master to go pay his respects?" Daoist Priest Four-Eyes said impatiently, pointing at himself.
"That won't be necessary."
Jia Le replied with a look of grievance.
Outside the courtyard, a middle-aged monk dressed all in white
walked into the courtyard.
Beside him was a girl with two braids.
"Tell him I'm not feeling well."
Daoist Priest Four-Eyes said this to Jia Le.
Then he turned and walked into the room.
"Grandmaster, Qingqing, come in and sit."
Jia Le greeted them warmly.
The three of them slowly entered the living room.
"This morning, I heard your master crying out in pain. Is everything all right?"
Master Yixiu asked with concern.
"Everything's fine, Grandmaster. My master said he wasn't feeling well, so he's resting inside."
Jia Le answered calmly.
"Not feeling well? What happened to Martial Uncle, Jia Le?"
Lin Fan had slept for a while and had not had time to think about the strain the Body Refining Technique had placed on his body.
He had just gotten up and was passing through the corridor when he poked his head out and asked Jia Le in the hall.
"Senior Brother, you're up. Come over quickly—I'll introduce you to them."
Jia Le eagerly went over and pulled Lin Fan into the main hall. "This is Master Yixiu, our neighbor. And this is Qingqing."
"Nice to meet you, Master Yixiu. Nice to meet you, Qingqing."
Lin Fan greeted them politely.
"May I ask who this is...?"
Master Yixiu asked Jia Le.
Qingqing stood frozen in place.
Her willow brows drew together slightly as her eyes kept sizing Lin Fan up.
It was as though she had become completely absorbed.
This guy is pretty handsome.
His features were sharply defined, with bright, sword-like eyes and brows.
His straight posture seemed to carry an air of heroic spirit.
He was probably very popular with girls.
Strange!
Why would I, a Daoist cultivator, develop mortal feelings when facing this guy? What am I thinking?
"Qingqing, you..."
Lin Fan felt uncomfortable under her stare.
"This is Lin Fan, my grand-uncle's senior disciple. You two chat first—I'll bring out the food."
Jia Le hurriedly cut in and walked toward the kitchen.
It was as though he was reminding Qingqing to snap out of it.
"Hello, hello. I'm Qingqing. Please take care of me."
Qingqing extended her hand toward Lin Fan without changing expression.
Am I the one who should be embarrassed here?
Although Li Lizhen had been half of his mentor in awakening to romance,
he had to admit that, on the timeline of this world,
her beauty was truly at its peak.
Her tender face was as delicate as if it could be broken by a mere touch.
And there were those two playful little braids.
Lin Fan muttered inwardly and slowly reached out to shake her hand.
"Grandmaster, Qingqing, Senior Brother—the food's here. Make way."
Jia Le happily carried the dishes into the main hall.
Bang!
The sound of a door opening rang out, and Daoist Priest Four-Eyes emerged from the room.
"Didn't you say you weren't feeling well?"
Master Yixiu greeted him with a smile.
"Can't someone who's unwell eat? Do sick people not need medicine?"
Daoist Priest Four-Eyes replied sourly.
Seeing this, Master Yixiu quickly changed the subject. "Eat, eat. This is my disciple, Qingqing."
"Ah, Master, this must be Daoist Priest Four-Eyes, the one you often tell me about, right?"
Qingqing quickly joined in.
"You often mention me? What did you say about me?"
Daoist Priest Four-Eyes' eyes widened when he heard this, as though he were conducting an interrogation.
Suddenly, Master Yixiu flashed over to Qingqing.
He raised his brows slightly and twitched the corners of his mouth a few times in warning.
Qingqing immediately understood and said with an ingratiating smile, "Master said Daoist Priest Four-Eyes is an upright man."
"He's also exceptionally kindhearted. In his life of slaying demons and eliminating evil, he would rather kill the wrong target than let one go."
"He brings peace and justice to the world, and he's especially considerate toward his disciples."
"Even when we make mistakes, he won't hit or scold us."
"He only says four words: 'I love you to death.'"
After finishing, Qingqing did not forget to give Daoist Priest Four-Eyes a thumbs-up.
"Master, that's exactly what he said."
Jia Le spoke thoughtfully.
He even glanced at Daoist Priest Four-Eyes.
"Compared with your master, you seem both obedient and adorable."
"Why are you all still standing there? Sit down."
With that, he walked toward his seat.
Seeing how sensible Qingqing was,
Daoist Priest Four-Eyes could no longer make things difficult for her.
Everyone sat down together.
Daoist Priest Four-Eyes and Master Yixiu seemed to share a tacit understanding.
The two of them simultaneously pressed their palms against the table and began competing with each other.
Lin Fan was quick-eyed and quick-handed, putting food into his bowl.
"Eat, Martial Uncle."
Lin Fan said this to Daoist Priest Four-Eyes.
Hearing this, the two men who had been competing seemed to have found an excuse to stop.
They released the table and picked up their bowls and chopsticks.
As the saying went, old enemies saw red when they met.
Whenever Master Yixiu reached out with his chopsticks to pick up a dish, Daoist Priest Four-Eyes would block him with his own.
"What, you can't even pick up your food properly? Looks like you're not much of a role model after all."
"Your ability to teach disciples must be just as average. I wonder about Qingqing..."
Daoist Priest Four-Eyes gloated.
He held up the dried radish he had just snatched from Master Yixiu's chopsticks and showed it off to everyone at the table.
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