Daoist Master, I'm really not an evil cultivator.

Chapter 33 From now on, Xu Changqing can be considered a person with a solid foundation.

Akamiko patted his shoulder with a light touch, waking him from his daze.

The old Taoist priest looked around, clicked his tongue, and teased.

"Tsk, the place is not bad. It's just that this pond... tsk tsk, raising carp but not grass, tall pines but no birdsong, quite unique."

"Master is joking." Xu Changqing knew that he had exceptional eyesight and probably had already seen through some clues in the pool, but he did not say anything.

Before he finished speaking, the sound of light, hurried footsteps came from under the corridor.

The gray donkey seemed startled by the commotion of the two landing. It trotted over from behind, its cloudy eyes looking at Xu Changqing, nodding slightly, then turning to Chi Mingzi, as if trying to identify this unfamiliar visitor.

The door to the west wing guest room creaked open, and Awei and Aling peeked out one after the other.

After two days of rest, the sisters' fear had mostly subsided. They were still thin, but their eyes had regained some sparkle. They had changed into clean clothes that the temple had found for them, which had been slightly altered and now fit them well and looked neat.

Awei walked ahead, her stubbornness still evident in her eyes, but now tinged with caution. Aling stood close to her sister, her almond-shaped eyes wide. When she saw Xu Changqing, she instinctively shrank back, then mustered her courage and took a small step forward.

"The abbot has returned."

Ah Ling spoke softly, her voice more composed than the day before. Her gaze fell upon Chi Mingzi's disheveled appearance, pausing slightly with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

Awei didn't rush to speak. Her gaze quickly swept between Xu Changqing and Chi Mingzi, her lips pressed tightly together, as if she was judging the identity and purpose of the newcomer.

Xu Changqing took in the sisters' expressions, his face still displaying his gentle and refined demeanor. He merely gestured slightly to Chi Mingzi and said in a low voice, "Master, although there are no golden boys and jade maidens to serve in my temple, there are these two sisters. I rescued them from Donkey Tooth the other day. Their backgrounds are pitiful, and they have nowhere to go, so I have temporarily settled them in the temple to do some odd jobs."

Upon hearing this, Chi Mingzi's cloudy old eyes swept over the two sisters, then glanced at the gray donkey in the corner of the courtyard. He snorted, picked up his gourd, took a swig of wine, and smacked his lips, saying, "Excellent aptitude, a promising talent. But this donkey..."

Xu Changqing seemed not to hear, and turned to the two sisters, speaking in a calm tone: "This is my new master, Daoist Chimingzi. You two must treat him with the same respect as you would me, and must not be negligent."

"Yes, Abbot." A-Ling quickly replied, then curtsied to Chi Mingzi and whispered, "Greetings, Master Chi Mingzi."

Awei also bowed her head in greeting, her movements slightly stiff, but she didn't say much.

Xu Changqing then instructed, "Master has come from afar, so prepare some food. If the kitchen doesn't have enough millet, go to the village to exchange it for some fresh vegetables."

"No rush, no rush," Chimingzi suddenly interjected, his eyes shining, waving his hand and saying, "I love roast chicken and roast goose the most. If you have them, just bring them on."

Awei paused for a moment, then reached out and tugged at Aling's sleeve, whispering, "Yes, we'll go right now."

She pulled Ah Ling around, took two steps but stopped, glanced back quickly at Xu Changqing, her lips moved but she didn't say anything, and silently led her sister to the kitchen.

Seeing that nothing was wrong, the gray donkey slowly strolled back to the shady spot behind the temple, knelt down, and closed its eyes to rest.

Chi Mingzi watched the two sisters' figures disappear around the corner of the corridor before turning his gaze to Xu Changqing, a half-smile on his face: "Boy, your temple is quite lively."

He paused, a hint of amusement in his voice, "Leaving aside humans, why didn't you undo the animal-making techniques on that donkey?"

Xu Changqing smiled slightly, raised his hand to lead Chi Mingzi towards the meditation room, and said as they walked, "Master, you are wise. I have indeed studied that book, but I haven't had time to practice it yet. This animal creation technique is too vicious. When it is used, secret medicine is used to destroy its mind, and talismans are used to lock its body. It is not easy to reverse. If it is released hastily, I'm afraid it will be damaged in both mind and body, and lose its life instead."

As they spoke, they pushed open the door to the quiet room. The room was simply furnished with a futon, a low table, and an incense burner.

The windows were bright and clean, and sunlight filtered through the grille onto the blue brick floor, casting dappled patterns of light.

Chi Mingzi followed him inside, casually sat down on the futon, placed the red gourd on the low table, and nodded.

"That's a safe approach. It seems you've grasped seven or eight tenths of the true meaning of that booklet."

"This disciple dares not slack off." Xu Changqing sat down opposite him, took out the animal skin book from his sleeve, and presented it with both hands. "Please take a look, Master."

Chi Mingzi took it, casually flipped through a few pages, glanced at the crooked handwriting and simple illustrations, then scoffed and tossed it back: "Unorthodox methods, despicable tricks like soul-capturing chains, only good for fooling mortals. With a single burst of my Pure Yang Dao sword energy, all those spells and talismans will be reduced to ashes."

Despite this, there was no contempt in his eyes. Instead, he looked at Xu Changqing and said slowly, "However, you were able to deduce the solution from it, and you thought it through thoroughly without being impatient or reckless. This temperament is quite good. On the path of cultivation, you will know as you see more that many times, slow is fast."

Xu Changqing put away the booklet, bowed his head and said, "Disciple will remember Master's teachings."

Chi Mingzi grunted, reached for the red gourd, uncorked it, tilted his head back and took a swig. As his Adam's apple bobbed, a few drops of wine trickled down his white beard. He didn't wipe them away, just smacked his lips and looked at Xu Changqing.

"Kid," he said, his voice hoarse from the alcohol but clear and distinct, "I won't be staying here for more than a few days."

Xu Changqing sat upright, looked up upon hearing this, and his eyes showed a questioning look.

"It's not that I don't want to stay any longer," Chi Mingzi waved his hand, his tone revealing a hint of helplessness, mixed with a touch of nonchalant laziness, "it's just that there's a sword fanatic from Taihua Cave behind me, chasing after me to spar. That guy is obsessed with swordsmanship to the point of madness, looking for people to fight with everywhere. Once you get entangled with him, you can't shake him off, it's very troublesome."

As he spoke, a look of lingering fear appeared on his face, as if the sword madman was hiding outside the door. He subconsciously listened to the sounds outside, and only after confirming that there were only the sounds of wind and the kitchen did he relax slightly and continue speaking.

"Although I am not afraid of your master, the fight goes on and on, which is really annoying. I am lazy by nature and can't stand this kind of entanglement."

Xu Changqing listened silently, thinking to himself that someone who could make even a figure like his master feel troubled and prefer to avoid him must be no ordinary sword cultivator.

Seeing that he was silent, Chimingzi thought he was worried, so he grinned and revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"But don't panic. That madman is still far from here, so I can have a few more days of peace and quiet. I'll take this opportunity to pass on what I need to you."

He paused, his expression becoming more serious, his cloudy eyes fixed on Xu Changqing, and slowly said.

"So if you have no other important matters to attend to in the next few days, I will teach you the fundamental scriptures of the Pure Yang Dao."

As soon as he finished speaking, the quiet room seemed to fall silent.

The sounds of the wind outside the window, the distant fire in the stove, and even his own breathing and heartbeat became clear to Xu Changqing.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, stood up, and bowed deeply to Chimingzi.

"This disciple could not have asked for more."

Chi Mingzi accepted the bow without hesitation, tapped his thin fingers lightly on his knee, glanced at Xu Changqing, and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Xu Changqing straightened up, his heart filled with emotion. Since his transmigration, he had been lost and confused but could only force himself to remain calm. The banquet at Black Wind Ridge and the game of chess with the Zhen family patriarch from afar were fraught with dangers that were not for outsiders to know.

Today, however, a powerful sword cultivator immediately imparted the true methods of the Great Dao to him. At first, Xu Changqing was wary, but Chi Mingzi's approachable and open manner seemed genuine, which made his own guarding seem somewhat petty.

Suddenly, he felt a sense of relief and joy. From now on, Xu Changqing could be considered a person with a solid foundation.