Chapter 97

Simply giving the two a few pointers, the day's martial training came to an end, leaving the disciples to practice freely.

Seeing the disciples' disheartened expressions, Ye Qingxuan helplessly smiled.

He gave Zheng Yunbiao a meaningful look, and while the others were not paying attention, flicked a paper ball into Zheng Yunbiao's collar. He then called over Lu Yundong, who had just finished a match, and walked away while chatting and laughing.

Zheng Yunbiao was startled by the foreign object in his neck. Upon touching it, he found it was a paper ball. When he opened it, he saw a line of elegant regular script: "Midnight, Fragrant Incense Pavilion top..." with no other words. Zheng Yunbiao looked around in confusion, not understanding, but finally decided to go at night and see what it was about.

Ye Qingxuan led Lu Yundong towards his solitary courtyard.

"Yundong, your sword skills are good, but you only have the basics down. You need to practice harder..."

"Yes, Junior Uncle..."

Ye Qingxuan scratched his head and asked curiously, "By the way, Yundong, I remember you are left-handed. Why don't you practice left-handed sword techniques?"

"Ah—Eh? But Master only teaches right-handed techniques... If I switch to my left hand, will Master scold me?"

"Don't worry, I'll talk to Third Senior Brother..."

Lu Yundong's master was Third Senior Brother. Although Lu Yundong was not a direct disciple, he was always diligent and eager to learn, and thus often received guidance from Third Senior Brother. However, the temple had many secular affairs, and even with the intention to guide, time was limited. The responsibility of answering questions and resolving doubts ultimately fell on Ye Qingxuan.

Thinking of Third Senior Brother's busy figure, Ye Qingxuan sighed, thinking: My senior brother probably doesn't even know if his disciples are left-handed, let alone have time for targeted guidance...

"Practice more with your left hand. Use your right hand for normal sword techniques, but if you can give your opponent a strike with your left hand at a critical moment, it will be a stroke of genius to defeat the enemy..."

"Thank you for your guidance, Junior Uncle..."

"Hehe, keep it up..."

"Um..."

"By the way, Aqing doesn't want to eat again..."

"Eh?"

"That little thing is hard to feed by anyone other than you and me. I can't feed it every day, so you need to take care of it more often—"

"Okay, Junior Uncle—"

**********

"Aqing... Xiaoqing... Qingqing..." Yunyong, with a lecherous smile, held a carrot and waved it around, "Qingge... Please give me some face and eat a few bites, okay?"

Yuncong, sitting on the side, helplessly adjusted his glasses and sighed, "Don't waste your effort. Aqing won't eat what you give..."

"I know... But what can I do? Junior Uncle said if I can't handle it, I won't be able to advance to the fourth level of the Dragon Elephant Bodhimanda Power. Damn... Bastard, will you eat or not? If you don't eat, I'll skin you alive!"

As Yunyong was waving his arms, a green figure suddenly collided with him, and his sturdy body was instantly sent flying, crashing into and collapsing half of the cowshed...

"Moo..."

A roar, and a magnificent green bull appeared.

What a beautiful large green bull!

Muscles bulging, incredibly powerful, its body like a green stone sculpture, it stomped and roared... It snorted at Yunyong, but when it faced Yuncong, it wagged its tail and came over, extending its large tongue to lick Yuncong's face wet.

"Ha ha ha... That's enough, Aqing, stop licking... It's ticklish... Ha ha ha..."

This green bull had a rather unique origin. It was actually the offspring of the Green Armor Demon Bull and the Lu family's large water buffalo, Ah Hua. Not long after the Green Armor Demon Bull left the back mountain, Lu Laoshi, Lu Yundong's father, discovered that his large water buffalo was pregnant. What should have been a happy event turned strange when the calf, which usually would be born in nine to ten months, took a full year and a half. The pregnant water buffalo couldn't plow the fields, so Lu Laoshi had to borrow money from the temple to buy another bull.

Only after the small green bull was born did the Lu family have a chance to breathe. However, this small green bull, though beautiful, was wild and untameable. It couldn't even wear a nose ring, and when the blacksmith tried to put one on, the bull sent him flying and almost trampled him to death. Lu Laoshi had no choice but to return the bull to the Qingyun Temple as payment.

When the small green bull arrived at the temple, Ye Qingxuan, who had already discerned its origin, took it in as a pet.

Hehe, now I can say I am the reincarnation of Laozi, right? Look, even the green bull is ready...

This small green bull, like a green stone sculpture, exuded a beauty of strength. The little guy was quite intelligent and was very fond of Ye Qingxuan and Lu Yundong, who often took care of it. Among the other disciples, it also liked Yunming and Yuncong, but the others couldn't get close, as it would snort, kick, or even headbutt them if it was in a bad mood. A bull's lifespan is usually around thirty years, but this small green bull, being the offspring of the Green Armor Demon Bull, had the bloodline of a mythical beast, so its lifespan was uncertain.

"Yuncong, Aqing still won't eat?"

Before Yuncong could answer, Yunyong, who had been buried in the rubble, suddenly stood up and shouted at Ye Qingxuan, "No matter how I feed it, it won't eat, Junior Uncle. I've done my best, don't blame me..."

"Eh? Was Aqing knocked away again?"

Yunyong kicked away the large beam that had fallen on his leg, flapped his clothes, and casually replied, "No big deal, just a surprise attack..."

Lu Yundong glanced at the completely collapsed cowshed and then at the unscathed Yunyong, swallowing hard. He thought: This is no big deal? A normal person would have been crushed to death and unable to move...

Monster... Junior Uncle is surrounded by monsters...

Ye Qingxuan nodded, thinking: Yunyong's Pure Yang constitution is indeed the best choice for practicing the Dragon Elephant Bodhimanda Power. In just four years, he has mastered the first three levels, while I am still stuck at the second level. However, I only use this technique to enhance my physical strength and defense, not as my main practice. Moreover, with my talent, even if I devoted all my efforts to this technique, the results would be limited.

In four years, Third Senior Brother Qingsong had found Ye Qingxuan a large number of martial arts manuals, including several blue-level techniques. This allowed Ye Qingxuan to exchange for the first three levels of the Dragon Elephant Bodhimanda Power and the general chapter of the Nine Swords of Dugu. At this point, Ye Qingxuan's skill points were all used up, and he had no more opportunities to exchange for blue-level techniques...

At this moment, whether it was the improvement of his personal cultivation or the application of the "Lanhuan Lingmiao Pavilion" system, Ye Qingxuan had encountered a bottleneck.

Staying at the Qingyun Temple any longer would likely slow his progress even more. Thinking of this, Ye Qingxuan had the idea of leaving the temple and entering the world.

"Moo—"

A bull's roar interrupted Ye Qingxuan's thoughts. Looking up, he saw the large green bull trotting over, nudging his waist...

"Eh? Aqing, what are you doing?"

Ye Qingxuan quickly protected his wine gourd, a precious item he had grown himself, green and jade-like... Inside was the best Fenjiu from Yunxia County, which he couldn't let it ruin...

"Moo..." The large green bull shook its head in dissatisfaction and headed straight for Ye Qingxuan's wine gourd...

Ye Qingxuan, unable to shake it off, had to open the gourd and pour a few sips into the bull's mouth, lamenting, "You, not eating feed, but specifically targeting my wine... Do you know what 'a bull chewing a peony' means? My wine is more valuable than a peony..."

"Moo..." The large green bull nodded in satisfaction, shaking its head and making the bronze bell on its neck jingle.

Lu Yundong was stunned by the scene, asking in a daze, "Junior Uncle, do you mean Aqing doesn't eat feed and just wants you to feed it wine?"

"Eh? Now that you mention it, it's possible... Damn, it's all Second Senior Brother's fault. He's a fool, always doing things improperly. He insisted on feeding Aqing wine lees and even poured wine into its water. Now, instead of a working animal, we have a drunkard... With Second Senior Brother not on the mountain these days, the supply of wine lees has been cut off, no wonder this bull won't eat. It's just being a brat because it's craving wine... Get lost, get lost... I don't have enough wine in this gourd for you. Just taste it, that's enough, can't satisfy your craving..."

**********

The moon shines alone on the traveler in a foreign land,

At night, the wind is still, and people want to return...

Zheng Yunbiao stood alone on the pavilion top, the evening breeze blowing, but his young face was filled with the sorrow of longing.

Four years ago, his youthful recklessness almost brought a great disaster to his family. To save his life, his father announced that he had been disowned and no longer recognized. To eliminate the disaster, the Zheng family sold several properties and donated 500,000 taels of silver to the Changkong Sword Sect, causing the family's influence to plummet.

Before leaving home, his father had a secret talk with him, hoping that he would live anonymously and safely, and never enter the world again, as the Changkong Sword Sect harbored deep resentment and his life would be in danger...

He was disowned, and the servants dared not say goodbye. He heard his mother crying behind the door, but he didn't have the courage to comfort her...

When he left, it was at night. As he stepped out, he could still see, from a distance, the candlelit window of the pavilion, where his father's tearful eyes were visible. Zheng Yunbiao steeled his heart and turned away...

The street was quiet and peaceful under the night sky...

"Master—remember to come back—"

From a street away, the lackey Zheng Ergou knelt and shouted.

This bastard, implicated by me, was expelled from the Zheng family... No matter how arrogant the Changkong Sword Sect is, they wouldn't target a servant...

Zheng Yunbiao ran over, kicked Zheng Ergou to the ground, and shouted, "You fool, still not gone..."

Then he stuffed all the silver bills in his pocket into Zheng Ergou's hands, holding back the tears in his eyes, and said, "Remember to do some business... Live well..."

Saying this, Zheng Yunbiao turned and left.

"Master—" Zheng Ergou scrambled to his feet and shouted loudly...

Zheng Yunbiao didn't look back, waving his hand to bid farewell to his past...

Under the moonlight, Zheng Yunbiao took a deep breath, and when he lowered his head, his eyes flashed with a fierce, wolf-like light.

Hmph...

Changkong Sword Sect—

I'm against you now!