Chapter 140: Washing Pots and Dishes

Ba Shan Grand Libationer emerged, cloaked in a gray mink coat. He clutched a half-human-tall wine gourd, tipped his head back, and took a few long gulps, letting out a burp. Then he tossed the gourd to the Azure Ox and said, "Who dares to steal from my vegetable patch? That's quite some nerve."

The Azure Ox took several large gulps from the wine gourd, burped, and exhaled a scent of hay and wine. It said, "I don't know. Just a foolish, clumsy kid with a fox."

Libationer Ba Shan pondered, "So it's that kid from the Great Ruins. He even dared to provoke my little ox and steal my vegetables; he's quite arrogant and brazen. I see. You stay here and watch the vegetable garden, lest someone else steals from it."

Qin Mu returned to the front of the mountain, touching the bruises on his face, his expression uncertain. "I can't beat that ox in a fight, but I can drug it to knock it over. Grandpa Apothecary always said, if you can't beat them, poison them. Once its hooves are tied, it won't be able to resist... Grandmaster, why are you here?"

In front of Qin Mu was a simple thatched cottage, two or three rooms in size, nestled by the mountain and water, very serene. The Young Grandmaster was washing dishes in the yard, seemingly having just finished a meal. A white-haired old man was beside him, scrubbing a pot with a loofah brush.

Qin Mu recognized the old man as the Enforcement Elder of the Heavenly Devil Cult.

Although the Young Grandmaster held the esteemed position of Grand Libationer of the Imperial College, he had no servants or maids; only the Enforcement Elder was by his side.

The Young Grandmaster and Enforcement Elder saw him and Fox Spirit but did not get up, continuing their tasks. The Enforcement Elder smiled, "Grandmaster has always lived here. Has the Young Cult Master never visited?"

Qin Mu shook his head, bowed respectfully from outside, then stepped inside.

The Enforcement Elder saluted Qin Mu, who quickly returned the gesture. Qin Mu stepped forward, sat by the basin, and helped the Young Grandmaster wash dishes, chuckling, "Grandmaster, as a Grand Libationer, why do you live so frugally?"

The Young Grandmaster took a towel, dried his hands, and said, "I'm used to a leisurely life; I can't live in grand, magnificent palaces. The Enforcement Elder doesn't live here either; I only asked him to come when I grew old, making him suffer with me."

Qin Mu looked at the Enforcement Elder, who smiled and said, "I also wanted a few quiet days, and this place is perfect."

The Young Grandmaster chuckled, "Young Cult Master, after you ascend, I'll need to borrow the Enforcement Elder for a few more years so he can travel with me. When I die, he can help collect my remains. Our Sacred Cult leaves no corpses; when a person dies, it's like a lamp extinguishing, leaving only ashes. At that time, the Enforcement Elder will bring my ashes."

Qin Mu fell silent, a pang in his heart.

Heroes eventually age. Even powerful figures like the Village Chief and the Young Grandmaster cannot escape the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. Time will eventually wear away their passion and ambition, turning them into bones beneath a mound of earth.

The Young Grandmaster looked at him and said, "An old monk and a young monk have arrived down the mountain."

Qin Mu nodded. After washing the dishes, he used Vermillion Bird vital qi to dry the water from his hands. The Enforcement Elder hung up the wok, brought over a tea table, and prepared to brew tea. Fox Spirit ran over to help."I know. I heard the monks down the mountain are from Great Thunderclap Monastery. I went to take a look; I know the old monk. I saw him in the Great Ruins before, and Master Ma said he was his senior brother, called Jingming or something."Qin Mu thought for a moment, unsure about the name. "I haven't seen the young monk, but he seems to be the Buddhist Child of Great Thunderclap Monastery."

Fox Spirit struggled to pour them tea, being too short to reach the top of the tea table. The Enforcement Elder quickly took the teapot, placed it on the table, picked up the little fox, and set her in a nearby wicker chair, smiling, "I'll do it."

The Young Grandmaster continued to stare at him. "They're blocking the Imperial College's mountain gate."

Qin Mu replied, "They've been blocking it for most of the day. I went to watch the commotion; that Buddhist Child is indeed powerful. The Great Vehicle Sutra of Tathagata, the Fighting Victory Method, the Indestructible Vajra Body, the Tathagata Relic Pagoda, the Great Vehicle Nirvanic Seal, the Eighteen Arhat Seals. Grandmaster, am I misunderstanding something about our Imperial College?"

The Young Grandmaster puzzled, "What misunderstanding?""Are we very weak?"Qin Mu asked, perplexed, "Why are we constantly having our gates blocked and getting beaten? I just enrolled, and our place has already been crashed twice. If this were the Great Ruins, we'd have grabbed our weapons and taken them down long ago."

The Young Grandmaster said angrily, "That's not what I'm talking about. I'm asking why you didn't go to meet the Buddhist Child Fuxin when he arrived, but instead went to the back mountain?"

Qin Mu chuckled, "What do you mean I didn't go? I did go, then came back from the mountain gate, and *then* went to the back mountain. It was quite lively at the mountain gate."

The Young Grandmaster grew angry. The Enforcement Elder quickly offered tea. The Grandmaster drained the cup in one go, and just as he put it down and was about to erupt, the Enforcement Elder quickly poured another cup.

Suppressing his anger, the Young Grandmaster said, "All the other students of the Imperial College went forward to challenge the Buddhist Child. Why didn't you go?"

"Grandmaster, I fought the Daozi just recently, and I was injured." Qin Mu complained, "My hand even got a hole poked in it, look... huh, where's the scar? Anyway, I was injured, serious internal injuries. I've already had my fight. Whoever wants to fight the Buddhist Child can go fight him; I need to recover. Look, my face is still swollen. Your Young Cult Master was beaten by an ox, and you didn't even stand up for me, so why should I stand up for the Imperial College?"

The Enforcement Elder coughed, reminding him, "Grandmaster, your tea is cold."

"It won't get cold that fast!" The Young Grandmaster slapped the table and sneered, "What do you want? Do you want me to invite the Imperial Preceptor again to lecture? I've already invited him once; where would I put my old face if I asked him again? Who else do you want me to invite? The Emperor?"

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. He tentatively asked, "Can the Emperor come to lecture at our Imperial College?"

The Young Grandmaster tilted his head back and drank the tea, even swallowing the leaves to calm his anger. He sneered, "Give up that idea; it's impossible for the Emperor to lecture at the Imperial College! Begging for help at the last minute once is fine, but how can I ask for it twice? I don't have that much face!"

Qin Mu grumbled, "Grandmaster, I was thinking that two of the three major sects have already arrived: the Daozi of the Dao Sect and the Buddhist Child of Great Thunderclap Monastery. They've both come to block the gate. Should our Heavenly Saint Cult also show our faces and block the Imperial College's gate? As the Young Cult Master, I should go and block the Imperial College's mountain gate to boost our cult's prestige..."

The Young Grandmaster slapped the table and abruptly stood up, making the tea table wobble. The Enforcement Elder quickly blocked him, crying, "Grandmaster, calm down, calm down! The Young Cult Master is still a child; it's not worth getting angry with him! Calm down!"

The Young Grandmaster was so angry he laughed, "Brat, do you think there's no one in the Imperial College who can defeat the Buddhist Child besides you?"

Qin Mu chuckled, "There probably are, but that was in the past. Those people have already graduated from the Imperial College and are no longer its disciples. Grandmaster, if you want the Daoist arts to flourish, you'll need to invite back those who graduated from the Imperial College and became high officials to lecture. And also invite first-rank officials from the imperial court to teach Daoist arts and divine abilities."

The Young Grandmaster sighed, shaking his head. "Most first-rank officials now are cult masters, sect leaders, or heads of powerful clans. How could they be willing to teach their secret knowledge to everyone? I understand your point, but I'm about to resign and have no intention of revitalizing the Imperial College. This task will have to fall to the next Grand Libationer. I just don't know who the Emperor and Imperial Preceptor will appoint. Are you really not going to confront the Buddhist Child? Do you feel you're not his match?"

Qin Mu shook his head, quite self-assured. "I am a Hegemon Body; fighting the Buddhist Child is no different from fighting the Daozi for me."

"Hegemon Body?" The Young Grandmaster was puzzled, a bit lost. "Is there even such a thing as a Hegemon Body in this world?"The Enforcement Elder also shook his head. "I've never heard of it."

Qin Mu's confidence was explosive; even the Young Grandmaster was startled by such an invincible conviction. With an air of looking down on the world, Qin Mu said, "The Village Chief himself said it: I am the unparalleled, unique Hegemon Body, and only I can cultivate the Hegemon Body Three Elixir Technique."

"So it was that old fellow. He truly is well-informed." The Young Grandmaster glanced at him. "Are you really not going? Even without you, I have someone who can force the Buddhist Child to retreat!"

Qin Mu blinked, testing, "Does Grandmaster plan to personally take the field, disguised as a youth?"

The Young Grandmaster picked up his tea cup and barked, "Drink your tea and get out!"

Qin Mu drank his tea, left with Fox Spirit, then thought for a moment and came back. "Grandmaster, always having our gates blocked isn't a solution. Why don't we go block someone else's gate?""Will you contribute?""Will the Emperor come to lecture?""Get out!""Yes."

"That brat, he won't even lift a finger without personal gain."The Young Grandmaster shook his head. The Enforcement Elder chuckled, "The Young Cult Master has no attachment to the Imperial College, so naturally, he won't exert himself easily. Besides, aren't you quite happy, Grandmaster?"The Grandmaster burst into laughter. "This kid likes to amuse me. He's truly worthy of being taught by those old fellows. The old man from Crippled Elder Village is indeed extraordinary; I didn't even know there was such a thing as a Hegemon Body in this world, yet he recognized it. Once I resign from this Grand Libationer post, I'll go have a chat with him. But the Young Cult Master is right; constantly having our gates blocked isn't a solution. We might as well go block theirs. Don't they want to rebel? Let's slap them in the face first, so they lose face for rebelling!"

The Enforcement Elder reminded him, "Grandmaster, you'll be retiring in two months."The Young Grandmaster sighed. "This task will have to be left to someone else. These days, the Emperor has been looking for the next Grand Libationer of the Imperial College. Who do you think will take over?"The Enforcement Elder shook his head. "How would I know? But I believe the Emperor will choose someone from among the first-rank officials. Although the Grand Libationer of the Imperial College is only a third-rank official, this position is too important and must be managed by someone close to the Emperor."

Inside the imperial palace, Emperor Yanfeng was reviewing memorials. Suddenly, a eunuch announced in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, Official Gu has arrived.""Let him in," Emperor Yanfeng said without looking up."Your subject, Gu Lihuan, greets Your Majesty!"Emperor Yanfeng raised his head, looked at Gu Lihuan bowing below him, and put down his vermillion brush. "Official Gu, you disappeared two hundred years ago and were rescued by General Qin. By rights, you should be assigned an official position, but you've been missing for so many years and lost your imperial sword; your transgression is not small. Even if I wanted to promote you, I'd face considerable pressure. However, I have decided to override all objections and give you an important role."Gu Lihuan was both surprised and delighted."The position of Grand Libationer of the Imperial College is crucial. The current Grand Libationer is resigning; I've allowed him two months to step down, which gives us time to find suitable talent. I have found you, and I hope you will not disappoint me!""Your subject will devote my life and soul, unto death!"Emperor Yanfeng picked up his brush and continued reviewing memorials, saying, "You don't need to devote your life and soul. If you disappoint me, I will have your head. You may withdraw."