Chapter 137: Bad Temper

Wen Qing took Han Shu back to the Netherworld, bringing Xi Teng along for good measure. After all, they were headed to meet Xi Teng’s master. The only issue was that Xi Teng clearly didn’t want to go—clinging to Yun Jiao with one hand and Bai Yu with the other, looking utterly heartbroken. All that was missing was him barking in tears like a dog.

He kept repeating that once he successfully cultivated his Three-Yin Body, he’d come visit them again, and finally declared with solemn emotion,

“Junior brother, junior sister, I’ll be thinking of you down there underground!”

The way he said it sent chills down Yun Jiao’s spine.

The old man, however, was quite moved—apparently sentimentality increases with age. Sniffling a bit, he even pulled out a few group chat talisman seals, handing one to each of them so they could “keep in touch,” completely ignoring the fact that there probably wasn’t any signal in the Netherworld.

Xi Teng was even more touched. He clasped the old man’s hands tightly, voice trembling with passion:

“Brother Bai, you are truly a good man. To have met a friend like you in this life is Xi’s greatest fortune. Who knows when we’ll meet again!”

Seriously? They’d only shared a few meals a day while delivering vegetables together—how had the friendship become so deep?

Yun Jiao could only sigh inwardly: men’s friendships were a mystery.

Bai Yu, with equal seriousness, replied,

“No need for sorrow, Brother Xi. If fate wills it, we’ll meet again!”

Xi Teng grew even gloomier.

“Brother Bai, you don’t understand. My master… his temper is so strict. Once I return, I may never get out again!”

Bai Yu countered grimly,

“No, Brother Xi, you’ve never met my master. He’s so terrifying—so terrifying I sometimes question my very existence!”

Xi Teng nodded sagely.

“It seems Brother Bai understands my pain.”

Bai Yu solemnly raised his hand.

“We suffer together.”

Yun Jiao: “…”

Why did it feel like they were bad-mouthing her?

Just as the two were getting lost in their dramatic farewell, Wen Qing couldn’t take it anymore. With a single wave of his sleeve, he ripped open a gate to the Netherworld, grabbed both Han Shu and Xi Teng, and jumped through—cutting off the nauseatingly sentimental scene.

Once again, Qingyang Temple returned to its usual peace and quiet.

Yun Jiao turned toward Yuan Jiang, who was standing behind her with a grave expression. She thought for a moment and said, “Uncle Yuan, would you like to accompany me to the Celestial Masters Hall?”

“The Celestial Masters Hall?” Yuan Jiang blinked. “What kind of place is that?”

Yun Jiao briefly explained its official nature—how it was the primary organization overseeing the mortal-world cultivators—and continued, “Elder Jiao Ban, the one we met earlier, is one of its senior elders. Since the Netherworld’s situation has already spilled into the mortal realm, I think they need to be informed and start preparing early.”

Yuan Jiang looked genuinely surprised. He hadn’t expected that the mortal-realm sects still had such a united institution—and from the way she described it, the sects seemed closely linked, almost like one large network. That was… unexpected.

“But why do you want me to go?” he asked, hesitant. “I don’t know any of them. They may not believe a stranger’s words.”

“You don’t understand?” Yun Jiao gave him a peculiar look, eyes glinting strangely.

Yuan Jiang froze. “Understand what?”

“Sigh…” Yun Jiao suddenly let out a long, world-weary sigh and said gravely,

“Uncle Wen just left. That means only you’re still here. The old man and I can manage, but if Ancestor Master sees you around again—well, you know. He has a bad temper.”

“I understand.” Yuan Jiang nodded immediately.

So that was it—he needed to get out of the blast zone. If he lingered, his Master might literally throw him back to the Upper Realm.

“When do we leave?”

“In a bit. I also need to give Master Yu another follow-up treatment,” she said, thinking for a moment before adding, “and help the old man collect last term’s exams. Over four hundred of them—his storage space is full of food again. Having you here will help a lot.”

“Exams?” Yuan Jiang repeated blankly. “What exams?”

“Final exams,” Yun Jiao said offhandedly, glancing at him. Then something occurred to her, and her eyes brightened. “Oh, right—Uncle Yuan, didn’t you say you’re skilled in talisman crafting?”

“I am,” he nodded.

Her eyes lit up even more, though her tone stayed perfectly serious. “Then would you be interested in instructing some juniors?”

The old man’s second training class had just ended; clearly, it was time to open classes three and four.

Yuan Jiang misunderstood, assuming she’d hit a bottleneck. “Do you perhaps have difficulty understanding talisman theory?”

“Not me—some friends’ disciples.” (After all, the sect leaders who’d attended her seminars counted as friends, didn’t they?) She added, “The old man and I are rather busy lately, and Ancestor Master… well, you know. His temper isn’t great.”

“Mm.” Yuan Jiang nodded in sympathy. “That’s a small matter. I can offer some guidance.”

“Many thanks, Uncle Yuan.”

Class Four, secured! Yun Jiao’s eyes gleamed with delight, though her expression stayed composed. She pointed at the massive stretch of blackened ground ahead. “One more favor, Uncle Yuan—there was a small accident recently, and a bit of the temple got damaged. You’re powerful; could you perhaps cast a few repair spells?”

“…” Yuan Jiang stared wordlessly at the endless expanse of scorched land.

A bit of damage? Really?

He opened his mouth to respond, but Yun Jiao quickly added,

“If it’s not fixed, you won’t have anywhere to stay, right? I wanted to ask Ancestor Master, but you know—lately his temper’s not so good…”

“…” What could he even say? He could only nod helplessly. “Fine. A few reversal spells—no trouble.”

“Much appreciated, Uncle Yuan,” Yun Jiao said quickly. “When we return from the Celestial Masters Hall, I’ll have the old man tell you what kind of structure to rebuild.”

Wait—rebuild?

Wasn’t it supposed to be repair?!

“Let’s not waste time—we’ll leave now!” Yun Jiao said cheerfully, giving him no chance to object as she gestured toward the teleportation array.

Yuan Jiang swallowed his questions—he’d already agreed, and it was too late to back out anyway. Just as he was about to follow, a thought struck him.

“By the way, Little Martial Niece… what exactly happened here? How did half the temple get destroyed overnight?”

Yun Jiao froze for half a second, looking faintly guilty, but her expression stayed perfectly calm and composed. After a pause, she replied solemnly,

“You know… our Ancestor Master has a bad temper.”

Yuan Jiang: “…”

So “bad temper” was apparently the ultimate explanation for everything?

But… why did it sound so plausible?

-_-

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Heavenly Dao Cultivation Chat Group

“Hey, did you guys hear? Qingyang Temple’s opening a fourth class! ”

“What?! We just graduated from Class Two! Even if they were starting a new one, shouldn’t it be Class Three? How did they skip straight to Four?!”

“It’s true! My sect master mentioned it. Apparently, this time it’s not Instructor Yun or Instructor Bai teaching—but someone even more senior. Supposedly, it’s their martial uncle! ”

“No way! We only just turned in our last exam papers! Isn’t this madness?!”

“You misunderstand—this new class is specialized talisman training! It’s only for disciples who focus on rune-craft. The teaching style is completely different—and best of all… no exams!”

The chat went silent for half a second—then exploded.

(End of Chapter)