My and Old Mo’s hearts were filled with sorrow, yet we greatly admired our Grandmaster.
To dare to die for one's beliefs, such courage was beyond ordinary people.
At this moment, Old Mo spoke again:
“Um, um, Master, Martial Uncle.
Since you two are fellow disciples, why do you act like enemies every time you meet?
What exactly is the conflict between you?”
Hearing Old Mo’s question, I widened my eyes.
This was something I had always been curious about.
I had asked before, but never got a satisfactory answer.
Now, Master and Martial Uncle Tang Lin were immersed in tragic memories.
But upon hearing Old Mo’s question, both of them instantly perked up.
They glared fiercely at each other, their eyes filled with palpable displeasure.
Then, they involuntarily cursed each other again:
“Old idiot!”
“Old bastard!”
My and Old Mo’s jaws dropped.
They were fine just moments ago, why were they bickering again?
Before my and Old Mo’s reactions could materialize,
Martial Uncle Tang Lin turned to Old Mo:
“Don’t ask what you shouldn’t.”
“Hmph!”
My Master snorted and waved his hand, quickening his pace and walking away.
Martial Uncle Tang also followed suit. As they walked forward together,
because the path was narrow, the two old fellows kept bumping into each other.
They grumbled:
“Old bastard, get away from me!”
“If anyone’s rolling away, it’s you, old idiot!”
“…”
This left me and Old Mo behind, utterly bewildered.
Although we still didn’t know the root of the conflict between Master and Martial Uncle,
it was clear it wasn’t about Grandmaster’s matter.
It must be some other issue.
Since the masters wouldn’t say, we could only wait and see.
Perhaps we would find out something in the future.
My and Old Mo sighed, shrugged, and followed behind.
By the time we left Old Yellow Mountain and reached the foot of the mountain, it was past midnight.
The streets were dark, with only the sounds of Master and Martial Uncle cursing each other.
Upon reaching the shop entrance, I divided the gathered Yun Shen Tea leaves into two portions.
One portion I gave to Old Mo to take back to Wanshou Hall.
As for myself, I returned to Wanfu Hall.
Master was sitting on the sofa, looking extremely displeased.
He was muttering to himself; "Old bastard, if it weren't for his incompetence, Hong Mei wouldn't have died? Damn it!"
As soon as I entered, I heard this.
It felt like I had stumbled upon the key to Master and Martial Uncle’s conflict.
I paused for a moment and asked:
“Master, who is Hong Mei? How did she die?”
Seeing me return, Master abruptly shut his mouth.
He started smoking his cigarette, preoccupied.
Hearing my question, he didn't answer, even attempting to deny it:
“What Hong Mei? You must have misheard. You’ll stay at the shop tonight, or you can go back.”
I rolled my eyes inwardly, knowing Master was trying to fob me off.
I was certain I hadn’t misheard.
This "Hong Mei" was likely the crux of the disagreement between Master and Martial Uncle.
But the specifics of the situation were known only to them.
With Master unwilling to speak, I had no choice.
I could only reply:
“Master, I’m going back to my rental.
I need to pack some things, so I can leave tomorrow morning after I wake up.”
“Alright, be careful on your way.”
With that, Master got up and walked into the inner room, ignoring me completely.
“Master, where should I put this Yun Shen Tea?”
I called out.
Master, without turning his head, replied:
“Do as you see fit!”
And then he disappeared into the inner room…
Clearly, he was in a very bad mood.
I sighed and looked at the Yun Shen Tea in my hand.
Finally, I decided to take some with me and leave some at the shop.
Didn’t Qing Dai say it?
Besides enhancing cultivation, this tea could also calm the nerves and aid sleep.
I planned to take some home for my grandmother.
I thought it would be very beneficial for her health.
I took about one-third of it.
After calling out a farewell to Master inside, I left the shop.
Outside, I encountered Old Mo, who was also waiting for a ride.
We chatted for a bit.
Then, we each got into our pre-booked ride-sharing cars.
Since the matter of Xiao Han Shan wouldn't be acted upon until after the Mid-Autumn Festival,
I didn’t need to rush back home these next few days.
By the time I reached my rental, it was already past one in the morning.
After washing up, sleepiness was not strong.
So, I sat cross-legged and began to practice my breathing and circulation.
To my surprise, I found that the true qi within my body was surging, and my dantian was filled with spiritual energy.
Furthermore, subtly, the seventh thread of true qi was gradually forming.
This indicated I was on the verge of breaking through to the intermediate stage of Qi Absorption.
Sensing this, I felt immensely surprised and invigorated.
How long had it been since I broke through to the Qi Absorption realm?
Less than ten days, and I was about to break through again…
I couldn't quite believe my own rapid cultivation progress.
Although it was astonishing, I surmised that this was likely due to the "Yun Shen Tea" I had drunk last night and tonight.
Otherwise, it was unlikely that these seven threads of true qi would have condensed so quickly.
In my joy, I continuously adjusted my state.
I felt a warm current flowing within me.
As I circulated my qi, it flowed into my dantian, supplementing the seventh thread of true qi.
That warm current was presumably the medicinal power of the Yun Shen Tea.
I continued to regulate my breathing and circulation.
The seventh thread of true qi, from a subtle emergence, was gradually solidified by me.
Finally, I felt a tremor in my dantian.
It was as if a door within my body was pushed open, and a vital acupoint and meridian were unblocked.
A tingling sensation spread throughout my body, a pleasant numbness.
The seventh thread of true qi condensed into existence.
I had broken through, reaching the intermediate stage of Qi Absorption.