Chapter 162: Public Young Master Likes

"The one I cut down from the heavens is still alive, of course."

The Butcher and the Blind Elder walked one after another, slowly receding into the distance. Though their steps were measured, their speed was surprisingly swift. The Butcher's voice carried back, "This hand is what I got in exchange for my lower body. But the divine flesh on it was probably refined into elixirs and eaten by someone, leaving only the bones."

"Mu'er, remember to come back to the village for New Year's!" the Blind Elder's voice echoed from afar.

Qin Mu watched them disappear, a faint smile on his face. He waved at their retreating figures, "I'll definitely be back for New Year's!"

The Blind Elder seemed to sense his wave; without turning his head, he simply raised his arm and waved back.

"Grandpa Blind is truly amazing," Qin Mu exclaimed in admiration. "He can see so clearly from such a distance."

Not long after, a deep voice resonated from afar, echoing continuously across the prairie: "Junior Brother Qin, brother, brother—"

Recognizing Ba Shan Jizhu's voice, Qin Mu quickly shouted back, "I'm here!"

The voice continued to call out, "Doctor Qin, doctor, doctor—"

Qin Mu responded again, but Ba Shan Jizhu's voice still echoed from a great distance. Qin Mu then realized, "Ba Shan Jizhu must still be hundreds of miles away. His voice can reach me here, but mine can't carry that far to him."

Ling Yuxiu woke up and quickly said, "Cattle herder, I'll do it!" With a wave of her hand, she unleashed a blazing fire divine ability. A fireball exploded in mid-air, sending rolling waves of flame.

Qin Mu secretly praised her cleverness, then chuckled, "It's no use. He's still hundreds of miles away; he won't see it."

Hu Ling'er and the Green Ox also woke up. The Green Ox looked around, unable to find the Butcher and the Blind Elder, and asked, "Where did the old masters go?"

"They've already left."

Qin Mu heard Ba Shan Jizhu still calling him, using different variations of his name. He sighed. Ba Shan Jizhu truly had a loud voice and was quite talkative; it was hard to imagine such a rugged man being so verbose. "Let's head towards the border first," Qin Mu suggested. "If Ba Shan Jizhu can't find us, he'll definitely go there."

The Green Ox manifested its true form. Qin Mu and Hu Ling'er climbed onto its back, and Ling Yuxiu also jumped on. The Green Ox broke into a run, heading towards the border. Qin Mu glanced at the girl beside him and asked, "Have your injuries healed?"

Ling Yuxiu nodded, "Even the scars are gone. Look, I was originally struck by a sword in my waist, but now it's completely healed."

She lifted her garment, revealing her waist, and turned sideways, saying, "Right here."

Her skin was very delicate; even her waist was remarkably pale, indicating she probably hadn't spent much time in the sun. Qin Mu's skin was originally a bit dark; as a child, he often swam bare-chested in the Surging River during the summer, getting so sunburnt his skin peeled, and sometimes he was even chased relentlessly by large monster fish in the river.

Lately, at the Imperial College, Qin Mu hadn't had the chance to run wild shirtless, so his skin had gradually lightened. However, compared to Ling Yuxiu, Qin Mu still appeared somewhat dark.

Qin Mu reached out a finger and touched the site of her injury; he could still feel a slight raised bump.

Ling Yuxiu felt a little ticklish and giggled.

Qin Mu said, "Don't move. I'll help you disperse the pooled blood here; otherwise, it will remain swollen."

Ling Yuxiu immediately kept still, holding up her clothes. Qin Mu transformed his vital qi into Azure Dragon vital qi, carefully controlling threads of it from his fingertips to penetrate her skin and dissolve the congealed blood.

Ling Yuxiu felt a tingling sensation, then giggled again. "You're making me so ticklish; I have a sensitive spot there."

Qin Mu didn't look up, saying, "Bear with it. It won't be ticklish in a moment, but it might hurt a bit."

After a moment, Ling Yuxiu felt a pricking pain and quickly looked down. She saw Qin Mu using a Sky Fragrance silk handkerchief to wipe away the congealed blood seeping from her skin. After the blood was removed, no trace remained on her skin.

Ling Yuxiu lowered her clothes, blinking her large eyes. "Divine Healer, I have a few other wounds on my back. I wonder if they've left any scars..."

Hu Ling'er said crisply, "I applied the medicine to your back wounds. Before putting on the dressing, I already squeezed out the congealed blood for you, so there won't be any scars."

Ling Yuxiu looked at her. The little fox's smile was sweet, but very artificial.

"Hmph, vixen!" both the girl and the fox spirit thought simultaneously.

Hu Ling'er blinked and asked, "Sister Yuxiu, how old are you this year?"

Ling Yuxiu's eyes flickered. "How old are you?"

"I'm twelve."

"I'm sixteen."

"You're a year older than Young Master!"

Ling Yuxiu felt as if the little fox had lunged at her and stabbed her heart twice; she was deeply hurt. Although the fox was tiny, its moves were ruthless and sudden, leaving her completely defenseless.

She had long realized that the little fox had mischievous intentions, deliberately crawling into Qin Mu's bed every night, pretending innocence. It was shameless to feign cuteness and lacked any shred of reserve.

And now, this little hussy had begun to openly attack.

Although Ling Yuxiu was usually carefree and seemed like a broad-minded girl with a rare frankness and magnanimity, she also had a delicate side. She smiled sweetly, "Little Sister Ling, the fur on your paws is so soft. Why haven't you tried to transform them into human hands?"

Hu Ling'er yawned, narrowing her eyes. "Young Master likes them this way."

"Little Sister Ling, why haven't you fully transformed yet?"

"Young Master likes me this way."

"Look, your eyes are different from ours."

"Young Master likes them this way."

Ling Yuxiu admitted defeat. The little fox's defense was airtight and impenetrable; it also counterattacked while deflecting, like the Mirror Flower Empty Wall divine ability of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, capable of bouncing back others' attacks.

"Who taught this vixen?" Ling Yuxiu, unable to win, was somewhat indignant.

Hu Ling'er looked smug. At the Listening Rain Pavilion, she had indeed learned these 'skills' from the girls there.

Ling Yuxiu suddenly found herself between laughter and tears. To be competing with a little fox for affection, she was truly losing her royal dignity. She had a good figure and wasn't bad-looking, even if Qin Mu, with his somewhat "blind" eyes, always said she was a bit plump. No matter how sharp the little fox's tactics were, she hadn't even fully transformed yet.

She already held the upper hand and there was absolutely no need to be jealous of this fox spirit.

Before they reached the border, Ba Shan Jizhu finally caught up. Seeing that the Butcher had already left, the strong man was utterly devastated, bursting into loud sobs and cursing the Heavenly Knife as he cried.

Qin Mu comforted him for a moment. "It's not that he didn't want you; he just found you too talkative and nagging, so he left early. Actually, Grandpa Butcher cares about you very much; he was the first to rush over when he heard you were in danger. Don't cry, stop crying. We're at the border now. How can the Martial Khan be seen crying with snot and tears everywhere?"

Ba Shan Jizhu wiped away his tears and began to pour out his grievances, starting from his childhood when he followed the Heavenly Knife. He talked about wetting the bed and being spanked and made to stand by the Heavenly Knife, every little detail of his training, washing the Heavenly Knife's underwear, and the Heavenly Knife taking him to a neighboring village to steal ducks for soup. He spilled everything.

Qin Mu looked at Ling Yuxiu for help, but she indicated there was nothing she could do.

Imperial College.

The young Grandmaster silently packed his belongings, making a small bundle. He dropped his official sash on the ground, hung his official seal on the door of the Imperial College Hall, then turned back to look at the Imperial College, a smile on his face.

The Elder of Enforcement walked briskly, carrying a small bamboo basket on his back containing an umbrella and some scrolls and books.

"Let's go. There's no need to alarm anyone else," the young Grandmaster said with a smile.

The two walked down the mountain without disturbing anyone. At the mountain gate below, the Dragon Qilin quickly stood up, wagging its tail.

"My time of death is approaching; I cannot take you with me," The young man stroked the Dragon Qilin's head and shook his head. "If you follow me, you will only watch me die of old age. Little Daoist friend, you are free."

*Click.*

The chain on the Dragon Qilin's neck opened. The Dragon Qilin looked bewildered, shaking its large head. "Master, if I don't follow you, where can I go?"

"You are inherently free. Where can you not go?"

The young Grandmaster waved his hand, his gaze lingering with a hint of reluctance on the Imperial College he had built. He then turned abruptly and walked away. "The place where I was meant to end my life, I leave today. I don't want to die of old age within the Imperial College."

The elder and the young man walked out of the capital. Once outside the city, the young Grandmaster told the Elder of Enforcement to stop, and he himself walked towards the person opposite them.

"Fellow Daoist."

The Imperial Preceptor saluted and said, "Are you leaving now, fellow Daoist? Don't you intend to resign to the Emperor?"

The young Grandmaster chuckled, "I assumed my post with a light heart; I didn't come for the Emperor, so why should I leave for him? You invited me, and now you see me off. I am very pleased."

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace sighed with emotion, "Fellow Daoist, you can already face life and death directly. Your state of mind has reached such a height. I don't know how many more years I'll need to cultivate. Let me see you off."

The two walked forward side by side, with the Elder of Enforcement following not far behind. The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace said, "Knowing you are leaving, a large void suddenly opened in my heart. In this world, no one understands me better than you. Without you, there's one less person I can talk to."

The young Grandmaster said, "Your aspirations are grand, and your path ahead will be fraught with many hardships and challenges. I have nothing more to teach you; you must rely on yourself."

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace stopped. "Years ago, when I wanted to become your disciple, why did you not accept me?"

The young Grandmaster stated frankly, "I realized you were better than me, and your future achievements would surpass mine. I would have been ashamed to be your master, which is why I couldn't accept you as a disciple. What you intend to do are things I never considered before, and things I could never accomplish in my lifetime. I have also learned much from you, so I cannot be your teacher."

The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace stepped forward, catching up to him, and said, "I'm still a bit lost and troubled recently. Tell me, is the path we are taking the righteous one?"

"In the eyes of the so-called righteous path, the path we walk is not righteous."

The young Grandmaster stopped and looked into his eyes. "We established elementary schools, universities, and the Imperial College, reformed sects, gathered knowledge from various sects to teach scholars, and made commoners equal to sect disciples. In their eyes, this is heresy, an unforgivable sin. But in our hearts, this IS the righteous path! Pay no mind to what others say. What is right, is right! It will not become wrong because of the frenzied barking of petty individuals."