Return to the Mountain

In five to seven days, Huang Huai felt that Xunzhen Temple received several thousand people daily. After a few days, it could accommodate at least ten thousand people.

Thinking of this, Huang Huai couldn't sit still any longer. He had to return the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan to Xunzhen Temple immediately. Every day he delayed meant a massive amount of Incense and Fire Prayer Power.

With Incense and Fire Prayer Power, in the Otherworld, the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan could eliminate all demons for him and protect his safety.

Regardless, accumulating as much Incense and Fire Prayer Power as possible for the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan was always the right thing to do.

With a flip, Huang Huai abandoned his lazy posture on the sofa and rushed into the bedroom. He stripped off his clothes and quickly changed into a tracksuit.

After thinking for a moment, Huang Huai went to the study, opened the safe, and took out a can of tea. He found a small jar usually used for tea and filled it with about half of the tea from the larger can.

Although it wasn't the first time he had seen the Spilled Jade Spirit Nourishing Tea, seeing it up close again made Huang Huai unable to help but marvel.

It was unclear what secret method was used to produce this Spilled Jade Spirit Nourishing Tea. Each tea leaf looked as if it had just been plucked from the tea tree, emerald green and tender, feeling warm and smooth like jade to the touch, emitting a refreshing tea aroma.

Setting aside other aspects, its appearance alone was worthy of its name, Spilled Jade, as each leaf resembled a piece of jade that had just been washed.

"I suppose this small jar should be enough for Master to drink for some time!"

To be honest, Huang Huai had deep feelings for his clan uncle, Great Daoist Master. Not to mention that Great Daoist Master and Huang Huai were from the same lineage, not even separated by five generations of kinship. More importantly, if Great Daoist Master hadn't diligently helped him regulate his body over the years, his health would never be as good as it was now.

Huang Huai spent almost a third of the year at Xunzhen Temple and had grown up by Great Daoist Master's side, treating him as intimately as his own parents.

Therefore, when Huang Huai obtained something good, the first person he thought of was the one closest to him.

It was just a tea with remarkable effects. Weren't many top-tier teas in the present world also praised for their refreshing and invigorating properties, as well as their ability to nourish the mind and spirit? Since Spilled Jade Spirit Nourishing Tea was neither a miraculous elixir nor capable of resurrecting the dead, even if he gave it to Great Daoist Master, he would at most exclaim that Huang Huai had found him some exquisite tea. He likely wouldn't suspect anything more.

As for obtaining more rare treasures in the future, by then, he should have sufficient self-protection capabilities, and it would be fine to secretly let his loved ones enjoy them.

It is said that when one person achieves enlightenment, even their pets and family ascend. He had parents and relatives; no matter how great his fortune, he would still be an ordinary person, a son, an elder brother. He would never want to be someone who severed all emotions and desires for the sake of cultivation.

Putting the jar into his backpack, Huang Huai walked into the living room. He first bowed to the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan and even muttered an apology, "Second Lord, please forgive me."

Moving the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan back and forth a few times within a day or two made Huang Huai feel a bit embarrassed himself.

After checking everything, Huang Huai left the residential complex, hailed a taxi, and headed straight to Xunzhen Temple on Taihe Mountain.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Huang Huai got out of the car. The rest of the journey had to be made on foot. As for the cable car, Huang Huai had never used it for his ascents or descents. According to Great Daoist Master, it was for exercising.

Even at the parking lot at the foot of the mountain, Huang Huai could feel the atmosphere of the approaching long holiday. The vast parking lot was almost full, and he could see many tour groups being led by their guides, either heading towards the cable car or preparing to hike up the mountain.

After a brief glance, Huang Huai ignored the tourists. He adjusted his backpack and began walking up the mountain along the well-maintained path.

Xunzhen Temple

As Huang Huai ascended the mountain, he saw Xunzhen Temple nestled among the trees from afar. Although it was afternoon, the continuous stream of tourists entering Xunzhen Temple, even in small groups, indicated its popularity.

Just like ordinary tourists, Huang Huai entered Xunzhen Temple with the crowd. In the main hall, he saw Great Daoist Master guiding some tourists on how to offer incense and pray with his disciples.

Great Daoist Master's gaze swept over and noticed Huang Huai in the crowd. He was stunned for a moment before smiling and nodding at Huang Huai.

As Huang Huai approached, Great Daoist Master glanced at him and said, "I thought you'd stay down the mountain for a few more days before returning."

Huang Huai smiled and replied, "Master, what are you saying? The statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan has been repaired, hasn't it? Your disciple has rushed back to bring Holy Lord Emperor Guan back to the mountain. After all, the side hall is missing Holy Lord Emperor Guan's presence, which feels incomplete!"

Great Daoist Master glanced at Huang Huai's bulging backpack and said, "Since the statue has been repaired, please return Holy Lord Emperor Guan to his rightful place. If there's nothing else, don't go down the mountain for the next couple of days. Help Chen Wei lighten his burden a bit."

Huang Huai acknowledged this, returned to his small courtyard with his backpack, and put his things away. His gaze fell upon the palm-sized Jade Ruyi. With a thought, Huang Huai took a red string, threaded it through, and hung it around his neck. Feeling its warmth against his skin, Huang Huai finally felt at ease. Such an important item should naturally be kept close to his person.

Changing into a Taoist robe, Huang Huai took out the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan and headed towards the side hall located in the second courtyard.

Some tourists, seeing Huang Huai in his Taoist robe, solemnly carrying a statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, were momentarily stunned. Many, witnessing this scene, felt that Huang Huai's demeanor, complemented by the surroundings and the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, was ethereal and refined, giving them an unexpectedly stunning impression.

"Wow, what a charismatic young man!"

"I imagine ancient true Taoists must have been like this!"

For a moment, many people looked at Huang Huai with admiration. Some even quickly took out their phones to take pictures or record short videos of him.

Huang Huai was unaffected by these people and strode into the side hall.

At that moment, Chen Wei, who was busy in the side hall,'s eyes lit up when he saw Huang Huai approaching with the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan. It was as if he had seen a relative. If it weren't for the presence of other worshipers, he probably would have rushed over.

Huang Huai respectfully placed the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan on the altar, lit the candles and incense, and bowed respectfully to Holy Lord Emperor Guan. After finishing, he winked at the surprised Chen Wei and said with a smile, "Brother Chen, aren't you very moved to see me back!"

As he spoke, Huang Huai naturally stood to the side, sharing some of Chen Wei's workload, handing out sticks of sandalwood incense to tourists who were offering prayers.

The side hall was filled with the scent of incense. In front of the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, rows of tourists knelt to pray. Looking at them now, Huang Huai found these devout worshipers with their burning incense and prayers incredibly pleasing to the eye.

In the evening, after seeing off the last tourist, Chen Wei couldn't hold back any longer. He plopped down on a prayer cushion in front of the statue and said to Huang Huai, "Xiao Jiu, you're a true brother. You really care about your Brother Chen. If you hadn't come back today, after this long holiday, you might have had to visit me in the hospital!"