On the way back to the stronghold, Daoist Priest Xuan Cheng was still chattering incessantly:
"I'm telling you, capturing Daoist Master is easy, but getting Daoist Master to act is difficult!"
"No sacrificial offerings of the three livestock, no incense offerings, no virgin boys and girls... Bah, forget that last one.
"In short, if Daoist Master isn't happy, Daoist Master simply won't act!"
"If your lord has any sense, he'll release me at once.
"Then kowtow three times and apologize. Perhaps, if Daoist Master is in a good mood, I might even give you some pointers..."
Lin San found the noise giving him a headache and could not help saying:
"Daoist Priest, save your energy. Wait until we reach the stronghold and meet my lord before you say anything else."
"Meet him? Meet what?" Daoist Priest Xuan Cheng snorted.
"What's so good about meeting a bandit chief? Daoist Master has lived an upright life and has never associated with bandits!
"Even if I die today, I'll die with a clear conscience!"
He spoke with impassioned righteousness, but paired with his bruised and swollen face, he looked rather comical.
One Clone could not help muttering, "This Daoist Priest has a really hard mouth."
And so, amid the commotion along the way, the group returned to Black Wind Stronghold.
When the bruised and swollen Daoist Priest Xuan Cheng, clad in a tattered Daoist robe, was "invited" into North Courtyard Flower Hall,
Lin Mo was listening to Su Wanqing play the qin. Her playing was still rather clumsy, but at least it was passable.
Liu Ruyan was brewing tea beside him, while Leng Yueshuang quietly read a book. The other wives were either embroidering or chatting idly, creating a scene of harmony.
Of course, the little movements beneath the table had never stopped.