"Xu Qing."

"Here."

Xu Qing looked at the Taoist priest in charge of the kitchen before him. The man's surname was Sun, and he was said to be related to a True Master from Chongyang Palace.

In recent days, Xu Qing had seen many Taoists in Chongyang Palace. Among them were the five True Masters, who, in terms of Qi-Blood and other aspects, only exhibited a low martial level.

As for most of the Taoists, at most, they had learned some methods for physical health enhancement.

In fact, Xu Qing himself couldn't use the things he learned in the Taixu Universe, as the spiritual energy was too sparse.

Fortunately, his perception was particularly strong. Though he couldn't achieve the kind of Heaven-reaching perception he once had in the Taixu Universe, where he could illuminate vast expanses like a Demon Thought, nothing within a hundred steps around him could escape his notice.

Now, he had turned back into a mortal, but not entirely, as he still retained a bit of extraordinary perception.

He didn't display his abilities recklessly but instead trained quietly within Chongyang Palace until he approached the physical limits of this body.

In the kitchen, Xu Qing's performance was always orderly and reserved, with little communication with Taoist Sun.

"Do you have a lot of courage?" Taoist Sun asked directly.

"Uh." Xu Qing hesitated. Being brave often meant being able to take risks.

So Taoist Sun had something troublesome for him to do.

Seeing Xu Qing hesitate, Taoist Sun didn't bother with further questions and said, "Follow me."

Xu Qing contemplated briefly and still followed along. After all, he had no intention of leaving Chongyang Palace for the time being, so it was best to adhere to the rules here.

Since I'm here, I might as well find peace in the situation.

Chongyang Palace was vast, with grand halls and numerous simple bamboo fences and straw huts.

"This area is for the monks to stay," Taoist Sun explained.

Xu Qing couldn't help but be curious.

During his time at Chongyang Palace, he hadn't known there was a specific place for monks to live.

Taoist Sun quickly explained the reason.

The Quanzhen Sect advocates the unity of the three teachings, and the True Masters of the palace have a chivalrous heart for the worldly society, so they set aside an area to shelter these old monks who were driven out by nearby temples.

As for why they were driven out?

It turns out this is common practice in temples.

Once a monk becomes old and can no longer contribute to the temple by chanting sutras or performing other revenue-generating activities, the temple finds ways to drive them out.

Of course, some are not driven out and can stay in the temple until their end.

These monks are usually those in power at the temple or have a strong family background.

The ones driven out, with no support for old age, are often the powerless and lonely old monks.

These monks, driven down the mountain with nowhere to go, heard that Chongyang Palace held annual relief efforts for disaster victims, so they came and settled around the palace, finding places to live.

The places they settled were the barracks used by Chongyang's ancestors for training soldiers. After some tidying up, it became suitable for living.

However, Chongyang Palace only provided them with some porridge and did not take responsibility for medical care and old age support.

These monks remained silent and undisturbed.

Because, ultimately, all land belongs to some owner. Finding a place to live without being subjected to duties and taxes by the officials was already a great blessing.

Taoist Sun, not without sympathy, said, "These monks dedicated their lives to the Three Treasures, and in the end, without use, they're thrown out of the temples. It's truly pitiful."

Unlike the generally ascetic Taoists, Taoist Sun used to be a steward for a wealthy family. He came to cultivate more for serving his kindred True Master, helping to manage the industries within Chongyang Palace; not truly becoming a Taoist for its own sake.

The landlords and nobles of this era varied greatly.

The Sun family's reputation was relatively good.

Taoist Sun was not greedy for power.

Xu Qing knew that the temperament of servants often mirrored their masters'.

From Taoist Sun's disposition, one could glimpse Sun True Master's character.

Actually, within the palace, it was rumored that Sun True Master was indeed someone who couldn't tolerate evil.

Xu Qing followed Taoist Sun to a thatched hut.

He couldn't help frowning.

Inside, there was a strong smell of a corpse.

"This old monk was a former acquaintance of the True Master. He was a heavenly lone star, with no family or children, and now he's died here in Chongyang Palace. After knowing this, the True Master asked me to take his body down the mountain for burial. Xu Qing, are you afraid of carrying a dead body?" Taoist Sun said casually.

Xu Qing resisted the urge to roll his eyes and calmly said, "Daoist, let's hurry up and get this done. I'm afraid if we act later, it will be dark before we reach the mountain bottom."

Taoist Sun chuckled, "Xu Qing, I feel you're not like the ordinary Firework Taoist. How about this, after we bury him, I'll treat you to some wine."

Xu Qing wanted to retort, feeling it was more likely that Taoist Sun wanted to drink himself.

But now that he had become mortal, his body also craved mortal pleasures. Hearing the word 'wine,' he unexpectedly developed a craving for it.

The food in the mountain really wasn't great. Xu Qing, during his time in Chongyang Palace, felt his mouth had become tasteless.

As a matter of fact, he had plans to sneak into the mountains to find some wild game to supplement his diet.

Of course, this wasn't entirely feasible.

Because with so many people in Chongyang Palace, there weren't many wild animals in the vicinity; even gathering firewood required a long trek.

Actually, Chongyang Palace maintained so many Firework Taoists mainly because they needed people to cut firewood.

Firewood was also a resource.

If there were too few people, even if they chopped firewood, it might get taken by villagers, making it impossible to bring back.

In these times, venturing out alone was inadvisable.

The two entered the room, and Xu Qing squatted down, using the shroud Taoist Sun brought, he wrapped up the old monk's body, then hoisted it onto his back. The body was unexpectedly light, as if only bones were left. He stepped outside, followed by Taoist Sun, who carried an unlit, broken lantern. The lantern would be used on the mountain road for the return journey.

As they exited the hut, the setting sun slowly sank in the west, dyeing the distant mountains blood-red.

Xu Qing found it slightly amusing.

He hadn't expected his first trip down the mountain in this world to be for carrying a corpse.

Down the mountain was the Chaotic Tomb Ridge.

Taoist Sun, well-practiced, guided Xu Qing on where to place the body.

There were no surprises.

Nor were there any reanimated corpses.

The journey was uneventful.

Xu Qing felt both relieved and disappointed.

So there really was nothing after all.

Taoist Sun patted Xu Qing's shoulder, "Xu Qing, you truly have no small courage. Let's go, I'll treat you to a drink."

…

…

The tavern at the mountain's base wasn't particularly flavorful, but to visit another tavern would require walking several miles. So, unless there was a special reason, the Taoists of Chongyang Palace usually satisfied their taste buds at the mountain's base tavern.

The tavern owner was also a relative of a True Master from the palace, with the surname Ma.

Owner Ma was an old acquaintance of Taoist Sun.

Yet he didn't offer any special treatment.

The taste of the drink was hard to describe, only an intense spiciness shot straight to the head.

Taoist Sun was quite fond of it, saying, "Life on the mountain isn't very flavorful. Over the years, as a humble Taoist, I've relied on this little enjoyment to get by."

"Doesn't the Daoist enjoy cultivation?"

"Who really enjoys it? It's just a way to get by," Taoist Sun waved his hand dismissively.

The two sipped their drinks and chatted leisurely.

While Xu Qing responded in kind, he also subtly gathered information from Taoist Sun's words about matters concerning Chongyang Palace.

With the drink warming their ears, suddenly, rapid hoofbeats were heard outside.

Xu Qing's expression turned slightly somber, as if something troublesome had arrived.

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