The next day, Zhou Qing, full of spirit and radiating with health, was leisurely walking an old hen around the vicinity of his residence.
Originally, he had planned to go down the mountain. However, with the Treasure Exchange Gathering still ongoing and the Cyan Feather Immortal Sect still vehemently searching for the so-called voyeur, he dared not court disaster at this critical juncture.
"Brothers and sisters, let’s stop here. From this point onward lies the residence of our Peak’s core disciples. There are many secrets involved, so I hope you’ll understand."
The True Inheritor from Little Spirit Peak stopped and, with an apologetic face, respectfully saluted as he spoke.
At this moment, there were more than a hundred disciples from the Golden Thunder Sect, Cyan Feather Immortal Sect, Phecda Sect, and Cangyan Daoist Palace standing behind him.
According to past practices, as the Treasure Exchange Gathering was about to conclude, the host would always invite some interested disciples to explore the mountain, offering them a glimpse of the local customs and practices.
Today, their first stop was Little Spirit Peak.
Peak Master Mo Xingjian had entrusted this important task to a few True Inheritors. He knew better than anyone about the reliability of his two troublesome disciples.
"Brother, may I ask if that yard is where the core disciples reside? It looks much bigger than the one in our Cyan Feather Immortal Sect."
Cui Yingying, a core disciple of the Cyan Feather Immortal Sect, couldn’t help but ask curiously.
She had participated in several sessions of the Five Sects Treasure Exchange Gathering, but this was her first time attending one hosted by the Taiqing Sect.
No, to be precise, it was her second time. A few days ago, she had led a team to search for the suspect.
The True Inheritor nodded slightly and replied, "To answer you, sister, this is the residence of Brother Zhou. Our Little Spirit Peak has only four core disciples, so the living space is a bit more spacious..."
At this moment, the over a hundred disciples all turned their gazes forward simultaneously to see Zhou Qing leisurely walking a hen emerging from the back wall of the spacious courtyard.
When faced with so many eyes, Zhou Qing was stunned. He never expected so many people to gather around his front and backyard.
At this moment, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and then they all turned their gaze to the hen Zhou was walking. They then instinctively looked at Cui Yingying and the other twenty Cyan Feather Immortal Sect disciples.
Some even secretly took out that wanted poster.
The hen in the cloaked figure’s hand looked strikingly similar to this one?
No, this hen was slightly thinner, but those bulging eyes were almost identical.
Cui Yingying, as the victim, lowered her head to look at the hen, then at Zhou Qing.
Why did you suddenly become shorter?
For a moment, the air seemed to freeze, and the silence was deafening.
Zhou Qing was extremely embarrassed. Any words of refutation at this moment seemed pointless.
A few breaths later, Zhou Qing gently squatted down, hugged the old hen, politely nodded to everyone, and then quickly ran into the courtyard like a gust of wind. He closed the courtyard gate rapidly and activated the barrier.
A gentle breeze carrying fallen leaves and a faint smell of urine from under the trees swept by softly...
"So, what did they say?"
As soon as Zhou Qing saw Yan Xiaohu, he couldn’t wait to ask.
Yan Xiaohu, with a helpless expression, placed his hand on Zhou’s shoulder and said, "The Cyan Feather Immortal Sect has cleared it up again, stating that the voyeur is not Little Spirit Peak’s core disciple Zhou Qing, but someone else. However, they’re no longer offering a bounty for the culprit, citing the nearing end of the Treasure Exchange Gathering as a reason not to waste time on this."
Zhou Qing stood there, dumbstruck.
"Isn’t this just a blatant attempt to cover up, almost directly telling others that it’s me?" Zhou Qing said.
Yan Xiaohu was equally furious.
"The current situation is that everyone knows it’s you, but nobody is breaking the silence because the Cyan Feather Immortal Sect doesn’t want to admit it. They don’t want to offend anyone either."
"But besides you, they even involved me, claiming that after you had your fill, you swapped in so I could keep watch. Isn’t this a false accusation? There’s no way you, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, could come and go so freely on your own."
Seeing his Third Brother so angry that he was smoking from the head, Zhou Qing didn’t know what to say.
This misunderstanding was too deep to clear up.
"No, I must find Huang Rui to settle this account. This beast deliberately led people to you. He still remembers how I beat him back then!"
Yan Xiaohu cursed angrily and immediately headed towards the True Inheritors’ quarters.
Zhou Qing quickly shouted after him, "Third Brother, don’t be reckless!"
"Master, what do you need me for?"
Inside the grand palace, Lu Yaoyao entered and respectfully saluted Sect Leader Cao Zhengyang.
Cao Zhengyang turned around, a smile on his face, and then looked Lu Yaoyao up and down, approvingly nodding three times.
"I didn’t misjudge you. In such a short time, you’ve reached the ninth level of Qi Condensation and are just a step away from Foundation Establishment, correct?"
Cao Zhengyang said with a smile.
Lu Yaoyao was also overjoyed. "All thanks to Master’s meticulous teachings and the guidance of my five senior brothers. It’s my great fortune to have entered the Taiqing Sect in this lifetime."
Cao Zhengyang laughed and said, "Don’t sell yourself short. When I first saw you, I felt your talent was extraordinary, and your foundation was exceptionally solid. You’re the type that accumulates richly before breaking through. Even before officially cultivating, you were already at the sixth level of Qi Condensation."
Lu Yaoyao bit her lip gently and said, "When I was young, a destitute uncle came to the village. He stayed for a while and casually taught me for some time. The foundation was built during that period. He also told me the path of cultivation should never be rushed or hurried."
Cao Zhengyang nodded approvingly.
"It seems he was a high person wandering the mortal world. It was fate. Come now, I have something good for you!"
Cao Zhengyang beckoned Lu Yaoyao, then took out a heavily sealed box from his robe.
Lu Yaoyao curiously walked over, peering through the box, to see a stream of air gently swirling inside.
Oddly enough, the air current seemed to contain the entire night sky.
"Is this, the twenty-sixth ranked Heavenly Dao Qi—Star Spirit!!!"
Lu Yaoyao was shocked when she recognized it.
Cao Zhengyang was somewhat surprised. "You actually recognize it?"
Lu Yaoyao quickly responded, "Uh, I happened to see an introduction in the Collection Pavilion before, but it’s my first time seeing it in reality."
Cao Zhengyang understood.
"It seems you’ve done your homework. Yes, this is the twenty-sixth ranked Heavenly Dao Qi—Star Spirit, born from a fallen star."
"You know that Foundation Establishment is divided into Heavenly Dao, Earth Dao, and Human Dao levels. For this Star Spirit, I’ve kept it for over two hundred years without using it. Now, it’s yours."
Cao Zhengyang handed the box over.
Lu Yaoyao was utterly surprised and honored.
"Take it. I wanted to get you a higher-ranked Heavenly Dao Qi, but this is incredibly rare. I almost died in those ruins to acquire this wisp."
Cao Zhengyang smiled wryly, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
Lu Yaoyao, deeply moved, immediately knelt. "Thank you, Master!"
"Get up, no need to thank me. Remember, I am your Master. For now, stay here. I will set up a Spirit Gathering Array for you to establish your Heavenly Dao Foundation!" Cao Zhengyang said.
Lu Yaoyao nodded repeatedly, then looked at the box with anticipation.
She never imagined that one day she could achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment; she previously thought acquiring some Earth Vein Qi for Earth Vein Foundation Establishment would be fantastic already.