"Zuo Chong, tomorrow you..." As Yuan Ming's mother spoke, she walked into the study. The moment her eyes met Yuan Ming's, she froze.

Yuan Ming's mother had no talent for cultivation and had always been an ordinary person. Once a woman of outstanding beauty, she could not escape the ravages of time. Her skin was no longer smooth and tender; her figure had become somewhat thin. Wrinkles crawled across her forehead and the corners of her eyes, and her once black hair now bore many strands of white.

She looked at Yuan Ming, her body trembling, unable to speak. Tears fell in large drops, quickly soaking her cheeks.

She slowly walked towards Yuan Ming, carefully touching his cheek with her hand, not daring to apply any pressure, as if afraid that everything she was seeing was just a dream, that she might awaken if she pressed too hard.

Yuan Ming grasped his mother's hand on his cheek, feeling the warmth coming from her palm. Many words welled up within him, but in the end, they all condensed into a simple phrase.

"Mother, I am back."

...

"Elder Cha, a disciple responsible for surveilling Yuan Mansion has come to report that Yuan Ming has returned home," a middle-aged man in a purple gold Daoist robe reported respectfully to a Core Formation female cultivator at the center of Chang Chun Temple in Qujiang City.

The man was the new State Preceptor from Chang Chun Temple, named Miao Qing. His cultivation level was much higher than Master Yu Hu's, even reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment.

In Da Jin Country, the title of State Preceptor might sound impressive, but for a cultivation sect like Chang Chun Temple, it essentially made no difference from being a steward in charge of external affairs.

In Chang Chun Temple, any cultivator with a bit of talent would not want this position, but ironically, it was an important one. In a way, it acted as the face of Chang Chun Temple; thus, one needed certain connections and skills to hold it.

Fortunately, Chang Chun Temple had no shortage of Foundation Establishment disciples with decent backgrounds but lacking in talent.

Master Yu Hu was such a person, and so was Miao Qing.

However, compared to Yu Hu, who was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, Miao Qing's former identity and status had been much higher.

He was the only son of an elder with the surname Miao in Chang Chun Temple, destined for an unlimited future but during an exploration of a secret realm, he was severely injured, damaging his foundation permanently, making it impossible to ever break through to Core Formation.

Without a choice, he extinguished his aspirations for further advancement and started handling the sect's mundane affairs. Due to his exceptional methods, he earned the admiration of several Core Formation elders.

After Master Yu Hu perished, there had been relentless disputes within Chang Chun Temple about who would take over as the next State Preceptor.

Candidates from the Imperial Family line were certainly not considered, as the position of State Preceptor was originally created to limit the power of the Imperial Family; having one of their own in the role would be completely counterproductive.

Yet, apart from the Imperial Family line, there were very few who were willing to take over the mess left by Yu Hu.

What Yu Hu did was supposedly for the good of the young Emperor Liu Tianming, but in reality, it was an indirect suppression of the Imperial Family's authority. If it had been successful, it might have been fine, but now, not only had he failed, but he had also tarnished the reputation of the State Preceptor.

Stepping into this role now would not only attract targeted opposition from the Imperial Family line, but any minor mishap could further deteriorate the public's perception of Chang Chun Temple.

In such conditions, Miao Qing was pushed into the role, selected by several elders together, taking over this hot potato.

The elders didn't intend to target him; after all, if he could turn a bad situation into a good one, the prestige and benefits he could gain were incomparable to those from a hundred good postings.

However, Miao Qing was much more pragmatic than them. After taking office, he strictly adhered to the principle of 'do no wrong by doing nothing'. Besides the duties he had already agreed to, he didn't concern himself with anything else, epitomizing the policy of non-involvement.

As it turned out, his strategy was effective. After the initial troubles had passed, hardly anyone cared how well he performed as State Preceptor.

If nothing unexpected happened, he simply had to complete thirty years in office to arrange a transfer to manage the Cultivators' Market near Qujiang City, where real benefits awaited.

Unfortunately, an anomaly occurred six years ago.

"Why didn't the disciple at the city gate report this, instead of the one responsible for surveillance?" the Core Formation female cultivator opened her eyes and asked calmly upon hearing Miao Qing's words.

She had phoenix eyes, her eyebrows curved like the crescent moon, her lips as red as fire, and a blue robe outlined her shapely figure, stunningly alluring.

Hanging from both of her ears were blue jade earrings wrapped in a faint spirit light, with runes faintly flickering, looking quite extraordinary.

"This... perhaps Yuan Ming disguised himself when entering the city, and they failed to recognize him in time," Miao Qing replied, bowing his head.

"Didn't I issue a magic artifact that could see through disguises? It's just carelessness after all. Pass down my order, deduct their monthly allowances, and award each of them ten whippings with a magic whip as punishment," Elder Cha said placidly.

Miao Qing quickly nodded in agreement, though he couldn't help sighing internally.

The disciples responsible for surveillance and guarding were merely refining Qi, while Yuan Ming had already been at Foundation Establishment when he left the Capital. After nearly twenty years outside, his cultivation might have improved. Even if those disciples had magic artifacts, it would be easy for Yuan Ming to deceive them, and it wasn't really the fault of those Qi Refining disciples.

But these thoughts he dared only keep to himself, not daring to voice them to this "impartial and stern" elder.

"Moreover, since Yuan Ming has already returned home, withdraw the personnel arranged elsewhere and redeploy them outside Yuan Mansion. Go there personally and bring Yuan Ming to see me," Elder Cha commanded.

Miao Qing sighed deeply, unwilling in his heart, but under the pressure of Elder Cha, he could only nod and agree, turning to make the arrangements.

The night deepened.

Yuan Ming, already feeling sleepy, sent his mother back to her room and had a long talk with his father before returning to his own cottage.

The furnishings inside the cottage were exactly as he had left them, despite the lapse of twenty years, still immaculate.

Yuan Ming looked around the cottage, feeling a wave of nostalgia, but he knew that now was not the time to reminisce about the past; he needed to clarify the intentions and movements of Chang Chun Temple as soon as possible.

Soon, Yuan Ming took out a Sound Transmission Talisman from his Storage Bag and silently began casting.

"Your Majesty, I have returned to the Capital and found that an elder of the Chang Chun Temple is monitoring from outside because of Zuo Qinghui's matter. How much do you know about this, and can you share the details with me?" Yuan Ming whispered to the talisman.

A blue light rose from the talisman, but it dimmed after a moment, seemingly having transmitted Yuan Ming's message to another corresponding talisman.

However, the talisman in Yuan Ming's hand lit up again shortly after, and Liu Tianming's voice emerged, but it only contained one phrase:

"Tianming Book Society's backyard, landscapes eventually end."

Following that, the talisman turned to ash and floated away.

Yuan Ming's brow twitched, and he silently thought to himself, as expected.

The content of the Jade Scroll on his father's desk was simple, yet only someone from the Chang Chun Temple could know such precise information; among the imperial lineage, only the Emperor, Liu Tianming, could have such closeness to his Yuan family.

As the saying goes, new ruler, new subjects; even Liu Tianming's grandfather, the Emperor, did not pay much attention to Yuan Ming and Yuan Zuochong.

However, Yuan Ming did not expect that Liu Tianming was also in the capital, and the meeting place was set at the Tianming Book Society; using coded communication might indicate he had sneaked out for this very occasion and it was not convenient to meet face to face.

As Yuan Ming was pondering, a sudden knock came from outside the cottage.

"Young Master, the State Preceptor Miao Qing has come to visit and wishes to see you," Fu Qing's voice came from outside.

"...Tell him that I went out to handle some affairs in the market and am not currently at home. Ask him to come again tomorrow," Yuan Ming murmured and then instructed.

"Yes," Fu Qing responded and started to leave.

"Hold on, if he doesn't believe it and insists on seeing me, let him wait in the front hall. Just tell him I have been informed and will return shortly. Make sure not to disturb my parents," Yuan Ming suddenly recalled and swiftly opened the door to stop Fu Qing, adding to his instructions.

"Understood," Fu Qing nodded.

Watching Fu Qing leave, Yuan Ming contemplated the purpose of Miao Qing's visit.

After reuniting with his parents, he had not deliberately concealed his identity, and hence many servants in the mansion knew of his return.

If the person watching the house was not blind, he would certainly notice such developments; moreover, it was yet unknown whether any of the servants were mundane spies from the Chang Chun Temple.

While an ordinary cultivator might not value the role of mortals, a State Preceptor at the heart of Da Jin's politics certainly would not overlook these secular methods.

Master Yu Hu was one example.

Regardless of how Miao Qing had learned of his return or the purpose of his visit, Yuan Ming had no intention of dealing with him.

Any response would have to wait until he met with Liu Tianming.

...

Thirty minutes later, at Tianming Book Society.

Disguised, Yuan Ming evaded the Chang Chun Temple cultivators monitoring Yuan Mansion and quietly arrived at the already closed Tianming Book Society's backyard.

Many rooms in the backyard were still lit; the bookstore's workers were proofreading typeset by candlelight, printing the next batch of books for sale.

Yuan Ming scanned the bookstore with his Divine Sense and quickly located the residence of the shopkeeper.

He walked up and knocked on the door, and soon an elderly shopkeeper, over fifty years old, quietly opened the door and, seeing a stranger standing outside, showed a surprised expression.

"Who are you?"

"Landscapes eventually end," Yuan Ming said calmly, without removing his disguise, stating the coded language.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's surprised expression quickly vanished, and he opened the door a bit wider to let Yuan Ming in.

"Strangers meet in the strangest places. Please come this way, our lord has been waiting for you for a long time," the shopkeeper said softly, and swiftly walked to the wall, removing a book from the shelf.

With a soft sound, the floor slowly opened, revealing a flight of stairs leading down.

Yuan Ming walked composedly towards the basement. The shopkeeper did not follow, but after Yuan Ming had descended, he closed the secret passage again.

The staircase was not long, but at the end, a stone door engraved with a forbidden rune blocked the way. Before Yuan Ming could react, the door slowly opened, and Liu Tianming, all smiles, came out to greet him.

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