“Back then, I thought the geomancy of this ancient temple was good, so I borrowed it to live in. Wait a minute. Two aces, right? Check.”
The old faker’s voice came from the temple.
The card game was in full swing.
Li Mu was speechless.
“Did he really borrow the temple?
“It seems that he got the temple through force.
“Could it be that this ancient temple had something to do with the traitors that betrayed the Dark Yellow Army back then?
“The old faker does things in a seemingly illogical way, but he must be doing so for a purpose.”
Li Mu turned around and walked a few steps. Then, he had another incredulous thought. He turned around and asked, “You swindler, where did you get one million? How could you have so much money to lose?”
“I don’t have any money.” The old faker’s matter-of-fact voice rang out. “So, please help me pay the one million when you return the sword.”
“What the f*ck!”
Li Mu was rendered speechless.
“How could a master treat his disciple like this?
“He is truly shameless!”
Li Mu looked at Huang Ye’er and Huang Shu, who were standing outside the temple, thought for a moment, and then said, “You two can live in Randengsi Village for some time. When I’m done with the business in the city, I will come back and go to Qinling with you. You may take the time to feel the changes out there.”
Then, he said to Luo Liang, “Go with them to Randengsi Village for the night.”
The three of them left.
After thinking for a while, Li Mu dialed Wang Shiwu’s number.
Now that he had returned to Baoji City, he had to get in touch with some friends.
After all, he was concerned about them.
The call was answered. Wang Shiwu’s excited voice came from the other end and they made an appointment to see each other.
Twenty minutes later, Li Mu arrived at Wang Shiwu’s house, which was located in the City Mansion by Xinsi Road in the high-tech zone. Wang Zhiwu, his wife, Wang Zhen, and his wife—Bai Ru were all there. The table was full of sumptuous food that the host specially prepared for Li Mu.
“Nice to meet you, uncle, aunt, brother, and sister.”
Li Mu greeted everyone and took out the gifts he bought on his way here.
When Li Mu came to Earth that year, he taught all the members of this family some Cultivation Methods. Thanks to that, Wang Zhen and Bai Ru looked very young, well-groomed, and very healthy. In addition, Wang Shiyu had asked Li Mu to bring some magic herbs and elixirs for her parents. Now, the couple could be regarded as masters among martial arts practitioners, but they had never killed or fought with anyone.
Wang Shiwu and his wife were more experienced and powerful.
They could be considered as a family of martial arts practitioners.
“Little Tomato, come on, call him uncle.” Su Yutong held a cute little girl in her arms. The baby girl had just turned one year old. She stared at Li Mu curiously with her big eyes and babbled as she reached out her arms toward Li Mu for a hug.
“She’s so cute.” Li Mu held the baby girl in his arms, feeling warm and moved.
There were many times when he gritted his teeth and fought alone desperately in the universe. Actually, what he did was eventually for the sake of children like this baby girl. Her eyes were bright and clear without any traces of impurity.
Little Tomato had a great gift and an excellent natural constitution, perhaps because her parents were martial arts practitioners. At first glance, Li Mu could tell that she was a good candidate for practicing martial arts.
At dinner, they all sighed when they talked about what had happened during these years.
Wang Zhen and his wife asked about Wang Shiyu again. At first, Li Mu didn’t know how to reply. He thought for a moment and decided to tell them the truth. At this point of time, there was no need for him to hide the truth from them. The Great Era of Cultivation had begun on Earth. He believed that the six major clans would soon invade Earth and the public would know everything that had happened in the universe.
“I met someone called Wang Yanyi that day. He said he was Wang Shiyu’s friend.”
Wang Shiwu told Li Mu what happened that day.
Li Mu was shocked. “Wang Yanyi? He’s also come to Earth…”
“Do you know him?” Wang Shiwu asked.
Li Mu nodded and briefly recounted the story of Wang Yanyi.
“No wonder he can use your sword skills. He was just like a god when he performed those skills. The moves that he made were over a hundred times more powerful,” Wang Shiwu said.
Li Mu said, “He was called the God of Sword in the competition between Heavenly Legends. His swordsmanship is probably better than mine… Some evil gods from foreign countries have come to Baoji City to hunt down my friends and relatives. How dare they do that! I might have to pay a visit to the Wide North Continent.”
He wondered why Wang Yanyi appeared on Earth.
He successfully returned to Earth because he knew some shortcuts and he was a resident on Earth. For this reason, he was not repelled by the Star Graveyard’s force field and tactical deployment. How did Wang Yanyi manage to come to Earth? Did Wang Yanyi already know ‘the Path’?
Li Mu needed to pay attention to this matter.
Wang Yanyi wasn’t a member of the Dark Yellow Army, and whether he was a member of any of the six major clans was unknown.
If he was not on the same side as Li Mu, he would be an enemy in the worst-case scenario.
Li Mu had to investigate and find out the truth.
“Ah, it’s so complicated. It’s giving me a headache.”
After the meal, Li Mu stayed for a while. He accepted Wang Shiwu’s proposal and agreed to take on Wang Fanqie as his disciple.
Li Mu was not the kind of person who kept his knowledge and skills to himself.
For him, it would be best if what he had learned could be shared and carried forward.
He put some effort into carefully checking Wang Fanqie’s natural constitution and gift, selected a set of Cultivation Methods for her, taught her these methods, and gave Wang Shiwu and Su Yutong some instructions for practicing.
“Little Tomato, come here and kowtow to your master.” Su Yutong taught her daughter how to pay her respects to Li Mu.
The little girl seemed to have understood but could not fully grasp it yet. She got down on her knees and kowtowed to express her gratitude.
Li Mu did not try to be modest. He accepted the salute.
Respect for teachers and masters was one of the traditional virtues of Hero Country. In the Great Era of Cultivation, this virtue should be carried forward. Moreover, given what he had taught Little Tomato, he deserved such a salute.
“You have kowtowed to your master for what he has done for you. As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime.” Wang Shiwu educated his daughter. “In the future, you should respect your master as you would respect and love me.”
In a daze, Wang Fanqie served tea to Li Mu with the help of her mother.
Li Mu was in a good mood.
He was willing to take this little girl as his disciple.
After the ceremony was over, he left the Wang family house.
In the end, Wang Shiwu didn’t say anything about Wang Shiyu, but the look in his eyes suggested that he hoped that Li Mu could help him find her.
Li Mu came to an avenue in the high-tech zone and walked casually along it.
Many years had passed. The high-tech zone had changed a lot, but he could vaguely remember what it looked like in the past.
Standing on a pedestrian bridge, he called his old buddy, Wang Sichao, made an appointment with some of his best friends from junior high school, and agreed on the venue to meet. They went to a barbecue restaurant called Fatty Aggh and drank until three or four o’clock in the morning.
He gave himself a break as he ate and drank in a carefree manner.
It was dawn after he sent all his drunk old friends home.
Carrying the ancient sword called the Grand Mountain, he headed for Jintai Temple.
He went there to return the sword.
The morning mist was heavy, and the air was damp.
The Wei River wound its course through the entire Baoji City like a silver dragon, and waves swelled into whitecaps.
After undergoing several renovations, the old bridge was still usable now.
Li Mu walked alone. Along the way, he met some people who got up early to do morning exercises.
Jintai Temple was located in the middle section of the North Mountain in Baoji City across the Wei River. He passed through the famous Xuanyuan scenic area, walked up the mottled stone stairs, and soon arrived at the gate of Jintai Temple.
Jintai Temple used to be one of the most popular scenic spots in Baoji City.
The true core of Jintai Temple was a primitive Taoist temple in its depths that had not been open to tourists and guests for a long time.
When Li Mu arrived at the gate of the primitive Taoist temple in Jintai Temple, he saw more than a hundred Taoist priests wearing black and white Taoist robes in the square. They were practicing sword skills in the morning. Their movements were neat, uniform, and quite appealing. Moreover, their swordsmanship was very good. Obviously, they had been instructed by a master.
A young Taoist novice with his hands hanging in the long sleeves walked up and said, “Are you the senior fellow apprentice from Randeng Temple?”
Li Mu nodded.
“Senior Fellow Apprentice Li, are you here to return the sword?” The little Taoist novice was about 12 or 13 years old. His skin was white, and he looked graceful. One could tell at first glance that he was a very smart little boy full of Spiritual Qi.
Li Mu answered, “Yes.”
“May I ask if you have brought the Pure Yang Sword?” The little Taoist novice asked.
“Huh?” Li Mu was stunned.
“Didn’t the old faker say that it was the Grand Mountain Ancient Sword?
“How did it become the Pure Yang Sword?”
“Sorry to have disturbed you.” Li Mu turned around to leave.
“What trick is the old faker playing?”
Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned around, he saw a young Taoist priest standing three meters away in front of him.
The young Taoist priest was wearing a Taoist robe with the Tai Chi Yin and Yang symbol and the Eight Trigrams and a Taoist hat. He was slender, and his face was as smooth and bright as white jade. He looked at Li Mu quietly with a faint smile on his face.
Li Mu was shocked.
“He’s gotten so close to me, but I did not even noticed it. Who is he?
“He’s a master.
“He’s a rare master.”
Li Mu made a quick evaluation of the young Taoist priest.
“Amitayus, my Taoist name is Indestructible. Nice to meet you, Mr. Li, the God of War.” The young Taoist priest saluted with one hand. He had a magnanimous and graceful bearing. His every move was natural and flawless, which gave Li Mu the impression that this young Taoist priest was an immortal who had ascended into heaven.
“Tell me your account number,” said Li Mu.
“I need to settle the one-million debt first.
“Then, I will talk with him about the sword.”
The young Taoist priest named Indestructible smiled. The young Daoist novice next to him handed Li Mu a card with the account number, account name, and opening bank on it.
“Damn it. You’re so well-prepared.
“As a monk, you should at least pretend to be modest.”
Li Mu took out his phone and called Su Cuo.
In less than a minute, the sound notifying the receipt of a text message rang out.
The little Taoist novice took a look at his own phone, turned around, nodded at the young Taoist priest named Indestructible, and then said, “Senior fellow apprentice, the money has been transferred to your account.”
The young Daoist priest smiled and said: “Senior Yu is indeed trustworthy. Mr. Li, did you bring the Pure Yang Sword with you?”
Li Mu felt very embarrassed.
“What the hell should I say?
“Should I say that my master has given me the wrong sword?”
Li Mu thought to himself, “How many swords has the old faker taken away from others? Does he have so many swords that he can’t even tell them apart? Is that the reason why he’s made such a mistake? Is he losing his mind because of the so-called hand-to-hand meditation?
“What should I do now?
“I can’t just call the old faker and tell him that he’s given me the wrong sword. I’m here to return the sword. It’s really embarrassing, isn’t it?”
“Mr. Li?” The young Taoist priest raised his voice slightly when he found that Li Mu was in a daze.
“I don’t care.”
“Here’s the thing. The sword that my master has given me is called the Grand Mountain. It is not the Pure Yang Sword. There could be a slight problem. If you don’t mind, you may take the Grand Mountain now, and then I’ll go back, find the Pure Yang Sword, and come back for an exchange of the swords. What do you think?”
Li Mu told the truth.
Anyway, he was not going to take the blame.
Upon hearing that, the face of the young Taoist priest named Indestructible changed slightly. Then, he said, “Why was the Grand Mountain also in the hands of Senior Yu? This sword… Well, I understand what Senior Yu means. This sword is acceptable.”
