"Heh heh," Huang Huai chuckled. "It's all good. If I made things difficult for you, Sixth Brother, then that would be my fault."
Sun Chen finished tidying up the side hall and said to Huang Huai, "I don't have a problem with it. Just make sure you get Master to agree."
Huang Huai nodded. He was still thinking about moving the Yellow Turban Warrior statue to True Warrior Great Hall. Compared to True Warrior Great Hall, Sanqing Hall simply didn't get as much incense.
Although the Three Pure Ones were more famous than True Warrior Great Emperor, the main deity worshiped at Xunzhen Temple was True Warrior Great Emperor, after all.
After saying goodbye to Sun Chen, Huang Huai headed for Great Daoist Master's residence.
Inside the room, Great Daoist Master was leisurely savoring some tea, looking thoroughly content.
Suddenly, he heard Huang Huai's voice. The leisurely look vanished from his face, and he reflexively reached to shield his purple clay teapot.
"Master, I've come to see you!"
As Huang Huai spoke, the door creaked open. He stepped inside and happened to catch Great Daoist Master moving the purple clay teapot in front of himself.
Seeing this, Huang Huai couldn't help laughing to himself. He'd only come by to mooch Spilled Jade Spirit Nourishing Tea a few times, and already Great Daoist Master had developed a reflex.
Huang Huai plopped down opposite Great Daoist Master and helped himself to a teacup. Then, under Great Daoist Master's pained gaze, he picked up the purple clay teapot and poured himself a full cup.
He gulped down the tea in one go and felt refreshed from head to toe. Even his mind, injured when he'd broken through, had been nourished by the Spilled Jade Spirit Nourishing Tea. It didn't feel nearly as bad anymore.
Watching Huang Huai guzzle down the Spilled Jade Spirit Nourishing Tea like a cow chewing on peonies, Great Daoist Master couldn't help saying, "Is that any way to drink tea? In your hands, this Spilled Jade Spirit Nourishing Tea is a complete waste. A complete waste!"
Huang Huai grinned. "Master, I might be able to get you another jar of Spilled Jade Spirit Nourishing Tea!"
At his words, Great Daoist Master's look of disdain instantly blossomed into a smile. His voice turned unbelievably warm as he gazed at Huang Huai with kind eyes. "My dear Huai'er, I knew you wouldn't forget how much I dote on you!"
Under Great Daoist Master's warm tone and expectant gaze, Huang Huai felt distinctly uncomfortable. He hurriedly cleared his throat. "But there's something I'd like you to make an exception for, Master."
Great Daoist Master waved a hand as though he'd expected this. "What is it? Master agrees."
Huang Huai knew Great Daoist Master well. Faced with the temptation of Spilled Jade Spirit Nourishing Tea, he was very easy to deal with unless it involved a matter of principle.
Just as Huang Huai knew Great Daoist Master, Great Daoist Master knew Huang Huai, whom he'd watched grow up. He understood that Huang Huai always acted with restraint. If he was asking for a favor, it couldn't possibly cross Great Daoist Master's line. So he'd agreed without hesitation.
The old and the young exchanged a smile. Huang Huai's expression turned serious. "I'd like to move the Yellow Turban Warrior statue to True Warrior Great Hall, so it can attend True Warrior Great Emperor."
Great Daoist Master paused, then stroked his beard and laughed. "I thought it was something serious. That Yellow Turban Warrior statue used to attend True Warrior Great Emperor in True Warrior Great Hall years ago. If you want to bring it back, then go ahead."
A hint of delight appeared on Huang Huai's face. "Master, aren't you going to ask why I want to bring the Yellow Turban Warrior statue back?"
Great Daoist Master glanced at him and sipped his tea. "Master isn't like you youngsters, always so curious. It's not as if you'd do anything bad, is it?"
Then he told Huang Huai, "Go find your senior brothers about moving the statue. And remember the tea you promised me!"
Huang Huai knew that Great Daoist Master wasn't incurious; he simply trusted him. If Huang Huai didn't bring it up himself, Great Daoist Master wouldn't ask.
Touched, Huang Huai rose and headed for the door. "Don't worry, Master. I'll get that tea for you as soon as I can."
Watching Huang Huai disappear into the distance, a smile appeared in Great Daoist Master's wise eyes. He murmured softly, "The boy's grown up and started keeping little secrets of his own."
When Huang Huai found Sun Chen, Sun Chen was brushing his teeth and getting ready to turn in. Before Huang Huai could speak, Sun Chen asked, "What did Master say? He didn't scold you for messing around, did he?"
Huang Huai grinned. "Sixth Brother, don't you know how much Master dotes on me? It's just moving an attendant statue. Your junior brother handled it himself. How could the old man refuse?"
Sun Chen put down his towel after rinsing his mouth and wiping his face. "You're Master's little darling. Even if you tore down one of the halls..."
"Hold it, hold it!" Huang Huai hurriedly cut him off. "Sixth Brother, you've got quite the imagination. If I really tore down one of the halls, Master would break my legs!"
Sun Chen couldn't help bursting into laughter.
Sanqing Hall
Sun Chen accompanied Huang Huai as they first carried the Yellow Turban Warrior statue into True Warrior Great Hall and set it beside True Warrior Great Emperor. Then they hurried to return the Golden Boy statue Huang Huai had carried into the storeroom to its original place.
Once they were done, Huang Huai and Sun Chen went their separate ways.
Several days passed in a flash. It was now the first day of the May Day holiday, and the vast Taihe Mountain seemed to have been swallowed up by the crowds.
The number of tourists at Wudang's Zixiao Taoist Palace, which occupied the main peak, went without saying. Xunzhen Temple was also seeing a surge in visitors.
Although everyone at Xunzhen Temple had prepared in advance, once the holiday began, the terrifying crowds still exceeded their expectations and preparations.
For Huang Huai, the first day of the holiday let him experience what it meant to be exhausted yet happy.
Looking at the tourists packed shoulder to shoulder, he could tell that there were far more than several thousand by day's end—the number was headed straight past ten thousand. He and Chen Wei cleared the incense burner several times just to keep the visitors from being hindered as they burned incense and prayed.
The huge crowd of tourists offered Holy Lord Emperor Guan an immense amount of Incense and Fire Prayer Power. Huang Huai was delighted by the sight, and a smile stayed on his face all day.
His reaction left Chen Wei, who was dog-tired, utterly dumbfounded. If he hadn't been too exhausted to even speak, Chen Wei would surely have given Huang Huai a thorough roasting.
By the end of the day, everyone at Xunzhen Temple was truly worn out, and the entire temple fell silent early.
Under cover of night, a figure quietly slipped into the side hall, bowed to the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, then lifted it and carried it out.
In a quiet courtyard, the door creaked open. Huang Huai entered the room with the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan and casually shut the door behind him.
Inside the bedroom, Huang Huai's face was full of excitement and anticipation. That very morning, thanks to the Tai Chi Diagram Visualization Method, his injured mind had fully recovered. He felt full of energy, clearheaded and refreshed, ready to try condensing his True Spirit Primordial Spirit again.
After his previous experience, he wouldn't try it in the present world this time. Instead, he'd chosen another world as the place to condense his True Spirit Primordial Spirit. If the present world wouldn't allow him to step into the supernatural, then he'd go to another world. With his solid foundations, he refused to believe he could fail again.
At a thought, a mysterious portal gradually appeared.
Before you continue