Just as Luo Sanpang's group of four was about to enter the Xuanqing Temple's mountain gate, they were blocked by a dozen or so people. The leader was a gaunt-looking Daoist of about thirty with three wisps of a long beard under his chin. After getting a clear look at the four, his face darkened slightly. "I was wondering who it was so early in the morning. So it's you four junior brothers. May I ask where you are coming from?"
Being blocked directly at the gate, the three, apart from Luo Sanpang, couldn't help but look embarrassed. This was especially true for Qin Chengyi. He was a newer disciple, and in terms of cultivation, he could even be considered a junior. Unlike the other three who had deep roots in the sect, his face showed an expression of unease.
"And who might you be? Oh, it's Senior Brother Kong on duty. Your Third Master and the others just had some business outside and couldn't make it back in time last night. What, do you need to inspect our tokens?" Luo Sanpang replied in the same tone, speaking somewhat lazily.
"Oh? Unable to return in time? Then was the sect order issued by the Sect Master Senior Brother yesterday just child's play?" The bearded Daoist, addressed as Senior Brother Kong, saw Luo Sanpang's disdain for him, and how he even referred to himself as 'Third Master.' Although everyone in the temple knew this was the man's catchphrase and that he was used to being arrogant in front of other disciples due to his high cultivation, to be so brazen in front of him made him instantly furious. He stared directly at Luo Sanpang.
"Hah, the Sect Master Senior Brother's order was only for those disciples. Surely it wasn't meant for the nine of us Foundation Establishment cultivators?" The fat on Luo Sanpang's face trembled, and his round eyes began to glare. He hadn't expected this Senior Brother Kong to make a fuss over such a small matter, especially in front of a dozen Qi Condensation disciples. This was clearly not giving him and his group any face at all, which made him feel he had lost his prestige. His tone couldn't help but become forceful.
As soon as he said this, the color drained further from Qin Chengyi's face. He was one of those Qi Condensation cultivators, and merely a Disciple-in-Name to his Master. With one sentence, Senior Brother Luo had sold him out. Did that mean the other three would be fine, while he would be the one at fault? But for a moment, he dared not say more.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Senior Brother Kong first glanced at Qin Chengyi and then spoke faintly, "Then did Junior Brother Qin hear clearly what order the Sect Master Senior Brother issued yesterday?"
At this, Qin Chengyi cursed Luo Sanpang's eighteen generations of ancestors in his heart. 'It was you who dragged me to the Trading City for fun, and now you speak without thinking. You had a good elder in the past, and although he perished, he left a great legacy for you. Not only does the Sect Master usually take care of you, but even the sect's Ancestor turns a blind eye. But I have no choice.' He had to answer.
"Oh, reporting to Senior Brother Kong, yesterday the Sect Master Senior Brother issued an order: 'From this day forth, sect disciples are not permitted to go out without reason and must await orders within the sect. Violators will be dealt with according to articles thirty-three, sixty-seven, and eighty-one of the sect rules. Any outside cultivators arriving at the sect recently must be interrogated to ascertain their origins and destinations before being allowed entry. Any dereliction of duty will be punished according to article twenty-seven of the sect rules.'"
As Qin Chengyi spoke, Luo Sanpang's face couldn't help but twitch. None of those three articles would let them off easy. It was either a heavy fine of a large amount of Spirit Stones, twenty years of facing a wall in some godforsaken place, or even receiving a whipping at the sect's Disciplinary Hall. He hadn't expected Kong Nantai, who was usually quiet and reserved, to be like a different person today, bringing up the temple's rules in front of juniors.
Seeing that things were about to get tense, Senior Brother Liu frowned. He hadn't wanted to go out yesterday, but he was dragged along by Luo Sanpang and Song Bo. Staying out all night had happened before, and the sect never questioned it. But seeing the patrol's formation, it seemed the sect was taking this matter very seriously this time. Moreover, he was well aware of this Senior Brother Kong's status in the sect. He was in charge of disciplinary inspection. In truth, his group was in the wrong.
So he spoke calmly, "Junior Brother Kong, please don't be angry. It was common for us to go out like this, and we did it out of habit this time, forgetting the sect's order. It won't happen again. We will definitely not let this kind of situation occur again."
As he spoke, the lean-looking Song Bo also hurriedly tried to smooth things over. This matter was initiated by him and Luo Sanpang. If there was punishment, Senior Brother Liu and Junior Brother Song would surely resent them to the bone. "Senior Brother Liu is absolutely right. This was all our negligence. So as not to make things difficult for Senior Brother Kong, we will go and admit our mistake to the Sect Master Senior Brother. What do you think?"
At this point, Qin Chengyi also wore a placating smile as he looked at Senior Brother Kong.
Seeing this, Senior Brother Kong's expression softened. Among the four before him, apart from Qin Chengyi, the other three all had significant backing, especially Senior Brother Liu, whose background was even stronger than Luo Sanpang's. It was said he was a distant descendant of the Ancestor. The Sect Master had issued the decree yesterday, and it just so happened to be his turn on duty today. He hadn't wanted to get entangled with the four, but as the Vice Hall Master of the Disciplinary Hall, leading a team of disciples, he had to go through the motions. He hadn't expected Luo Sanpang to maintain his dissolute nature and immediately say something that put him in an awkward position.
He looked at Senior Brother Liu, his tone much softer. "Senior Brother Liu, after the Sect Master issued the order yesterday, he was delayed by some matters and couldn't finish what he had to say. He summoned us Foundation Establishment cultivators again in the evening. I imagine he sent you all a voice transmission as well, but in the end, you didn't show up. The Sect Master Senior Brother was already very angry. I hope you will go and explain things now to avoid his wrath." 51
Hearing this, the four couldn't help but look embarrassed. It wasn't that they hadn't received the voice transmission talisman, but they were out having fun in the Trading City at the time. By the time they gathered to gamble at night, they felt it was already too late. Even if they rushed back to the temple, they would be late, so they just pretended not to have seen it.
Senior Brother Liu's brow furrowed even deeper. He turned to look at Luo Sanpang, who still had a nonchalant expression, and said, "Junior Brother Luo, it seems something major has really happened this time. Otherwise, even Senior Brother Kong wouldn't be leading a team out on patrol. When we see the Sect Master Senior Brother later, I hope you won't speak carelessly and will be humble in your attitude. Do you understand?" As Senior Brother Liu finished speaking, his tone had become severe. He was very annoyed about today's incident. If it weren't for this Luo Sanpang, none of this would have happened. Just moments ago, he was still happy about winning a lot of Spirit Stones last night, but seeing Junior Brother Kong's demeanor, he figured the Sect Master Senior Brother's trial would not be easy to pass. His heart instantly grew gloomy.
Luo Sanpang was still a bit carefree, but seeing Senior Brother Liu's sudden severity, he too became flustered. Although he didn't care about the people in front of him, relying on the fortune left by his ancestor, he lacked confidence in front of this Senior Brother Liu. The man had genuine blood ties with the Ancestor. He quickly shed his lazy demeanor and nodded in agreement.
The other two also adopted a "learning a lesson" expression. Seeing this, Kong Nantai nodded. Although he was somewhat wary of Senior Brother Liu's status, as the Vice Hall Master of the Disciplinary Hall himself, he was not afraid.
Seeing the situation, the four of them gave Kong Nantai a Daoist salute and headed directly up the mountain into the temple.
Watching the four walk further and further away, Kong Nantai couldn't help but sigh in his heart. These four didn't know what the Sect Master had said when he gathered them last night. He had heard that two nearby sects had recently disappeared mysteriously, the entire sects vanishing collectively. The matter came abruptly, and the news hadn't spread, but it had already alarmed the Ancestor. The Ancestor had gone out a few days ago, supposedly to investigate with another Ancestor from a nearby sect. Yesterday, the Ancestor had sent back a message, and at the same time, the sect had received a secret order from the Upper Sect, the Malevolent Spirit Sect. The Sect Master Senior Brother hadn't revealed the specific contents of the Ancestor's message or the Malevolent Spirit Sect's secret order, only vaguely mentioning the disappearance of the two sects. He also stated that the investigation of all suspicious cultivators was ordered by the Malevolent Spirit Sect, and that the specific situation would be rearranged after the Ancestor's return in a day.
As he stood there lost in thought, the disciples behind him looked at each other. Seeing that the four senior martial uncles and uncles had already gone far, a few disciples who had just joined the sect revealed strange expressions. After joining, they had been extremely fearful of the Disciplinary Hall. Few who entered came out unscathed. But just now, those few martial uncles and uncles seemed to be somewhat dismissive of this Vice Hall Master of the Disciplinary Hall, especially the fat martial uncle, whose words were tinged with disdain.
Seeing that the senior martial uncle in front seemed to be in deep thought, a new disciple who had not been in the sect for long looked around. Seeing that some of the others seemed bored and had started whispering to the person next to them, he couldn't help but cautiously ask the senior brother who had always taken care of him, "Senior Brother, what's the background of that Senior Martial Uncle Luo? Can you tell me, so I don't accidentally get on his bad side in the future without knowing how I offended him?"
Beside him was a cultivator of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, whose cultivation had already reached the mid-tenth layer of Qi Condensation, which was quite high among the temple's disciples. He looked at the junior brother beside him, then at Senior Martial Uncle Kong who seemed to be deep in thought ahead. After thinking for a moment and carefully choosing his words, he said in a very low voice, "This Senior Martial Uncle Luo's background is quite significant. I heard his great-grandfather was a prodigy of the same era as the Ancestor in the temple, and his relationship with the Ancestor was also quite strong. During an experiential trial, he helped the Ancestor obtain a cultivation material that the Ancestor desperately needed at the time. But in a subsequent trial, Senior Martial Uncle Luo's great-grandfather perished. Although his death had nothing to do with the Ancestor, the Ancestor, considering he had helped him greatly, took care of his descendants after his cultivation became successful. That's why Senior Martial Uncle Luo is very influential in the temple. Even the Sect Master turns a blind eye to him."
Although his words were respectful, the new disciple could still sense the arrogance of that Senior Martial Uncle Luo. After seeing this, the senior brother thought for a moment and added a few more sentences.
"This Senior Martial Uncle Luo is not a bad person, but he often scolds people. If you want to curry favor with him, it's actually very simple. He likes to gamble. As long as you have extra Spirit Stones, you can win his favor by gambling with him a few more times. Hmm, as for what Senior Martial Uncle Luo dislikes, only you newcomers wouldn't know. Did you hear him call himself 'Third Master' just now?"
At this point, he paused. When the new disciple heard that Senior Martial Uncle Luo liked to gamble, his face had already soured. Every disciple in a sect wishes to latch onto a high-level cultivator, but as a new disciple, how could he have the Spirit Stones to please that Senior Martial Uncle Luo? The two Spirit Stones he received a month were not even enough for his own cultivation. But hearing his senior brother's question, he immediately remembered Senior Martial Uncle Luo calling himself "Third Master" earlier and couldn't help but nod.
"If you don't know about this, even if you want to give him Spirit Stones, you probably can't. You might even really get on his bad side. It's said that Senior Martial Uncle Luo was born at the hour of the Tiger on the third day of the third month. His spirit root was opened when he was three years old. Along the way, although he didn't care much about cultivation, his advancement was still smooth. So after he came of age, he had his fortune told. The divination said that his life was fated with the number 'three.' It's not known if this rumor is true or false, but since then, Senior Martial Uncle Luo has really taken this divination to heart. Many things don't go past three for him, and even his title gradually became 'Third Master.' The strangest thing is, it's said that when he was establishing his foundation, he really chose to do it in the third month, and his success was also on the third day of the third month. Although the hour wasn't the hour of the Tiger, this is enough to show how strange this matter is. After this incident, Senior Martial Uncle Luo became even more partial to the number 'three.' He even only wins when gambling on the third try. If you want to give him Spirit Stones, if it's not related to the number 'three,' not only will you fail to give them, but he will also harbor resentment."
The new disciple's mouth fell open. He never would have imagined someone could have such thoughts and rules. After calming his shock, the disciple was about to ask about the dispositions of the others when a cold shout came from ahead.
"Even on patrol, your mouths can't be idle. You've truly lost the tranquility of the Daoist heart."
Kong Nantai was deep in thought when the growing noise beside him broke his train of thought. He frowned and thought to himself, 'In recent years, as the Ancestor's cultivation has advanced, fewer sects dare to have ideas about us. The disciples under our sect have become somewhat conceited, and even the rules in this temple have become much looser. How could such a situation have occurred in the past? It seems I really need to talk to the Sect Master Senior Brother about this. For a period of time, the Disciplinary Hall must strengthen all the rules in the temple.'
Hearing Kong Nantai's cold shout, the dozen or so people immediately fell silent as cicadas in winter, their expressions solemn as they braced themselves. Kong Nantai shook his head, as if to shake off the speculations about the sect's affairs in his mind. He looked ahead, about to continue his patrol around the mountain, when at that moment, in the sky before the mountain gate, another streak of green light came streaking from afar.