Chapter 44: This Chicken Looks Familiar (Requesting Recommendations)

The next day, Zhou Qing, spirited and radiant, leisurely led an old hen around the grounds of his house.

He had originally planned to descend the mountain, but the Treasure Exchange Fair was still ongoing, and Qingyu Immortal Sect’s members were still scouring the area for the so-called peeping tyrant—he dared not walk into their crosshairs at this juncture.

“Dear senior brothers and sisters, we’ll stop here. Beyond this point and upward lies the residence of our peak’s core disciples, where many secrets are guarded—I beg your understanding.”

The true-disciple of Xiao Ling Peak halted, bowed respectfully with an apologetic expression.

Behind him stood more than a hundred disciples from Jin Leizong, Qingyu Immortal Sect, Tianji Gate, and Cangyan Dao Palace.

By tradition, as host of the Treasure Exchange Fair, the host sect invites select disciples from other sects to tour the mountain, allowing them to learn each other’s customs and culture.

Today’s first stop was Xiao Ling Peak.

Peak Master Mo Xingjian entrusted this responsibility to several true-disciples to manage jointly—he knew better than anyone how unreliable his two troublemaking disciples truly were.

“May I ask, younger brother—is that the courtyard where the core disciples live? It seems much larger than those of Qingyu Immortal Sect.”

Cui Yingying, a core disciple of Qingyu Immortal Sect, couldn’t help but ask curiously.

She had attended the Five Sects’ Treasure Exchange Fair several times before, but this was her first visit since Taiqingmen was hosting.

No, to be precise, this was her second visit—just days ago, she had personally led a team here to search for the suspect.

The true-disciple nodded slightly and replied, “Senior sister, this is the residence of Zhou Qing, our core disciple. We have only four core disciples on Xiao Ling Peak, so our living quarters are relatively spacious…”

At that moment, the hundred-plus disciples from various sects turned their gazes forward and saw Zhou Qing strolling slowly out from behind the large courtyard’s rear wall, leading a hen.

When confronted with so many eyes, Zhou Qing froze—he never imagined so many people would suddenly gather in front of and behind his own home.

The crowd exchanged glances, then all turned their eyes to the hen Zhou Qing was leading, then instinctively shifted their gaze toward Cui Yingying and the other twenty-odd Qingyu Immortal Sect disciples.

Some even quietly pulled out the wanted poster.

The hen in the masked man’s hand looked so similar to this one.

No, this hen was slightly thinner, but its bulging eyes were nearly identical.

Cui Yingying, the victim herself, lowered her head to look at the hen, then at Zhou Qing.

Why have you suddenly become shorter?

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze—so silent that a pin could be heard dropping.

Zhou Qing was utterly embarrassed; every word he wished to say now felt meaningless.

After a few breaths, Zhou Qing gently crouched, hugged the old hen to his chest, bowed politely to the crowd, then vanished like a gust of wind into the courtyard, slamming the gate shut and activating the formation barrier.

A light breeze carried fallen leaves and a faint whiff of urine from beneath the trees…

…………

“So, what exactly did they say?”

The moment Zhou Qing saw Yan Xiao, he blurted out the question.

Yan Xiao sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Qingyu Immortal Sect has issued another clarification: the peeping tyrant is not Zhou Qing of Taiqingmen’s Xiao Ling Peak, but someone else—but they’ve withdrawn the bounty, claiming the Treasure Exchange Fair is ending and it’s not worth wasting time on this.”

Zhou Qing stood frozen in place after hearing this.

“That’s just blatant ‘I didn’t bury the silver here’—they might as well have said outright it was me.”

Yan Xiao was furious too.

“Now everyone knows it’s you, but no one will say it outright—because Qingyu Immortal Sect hasn’t admitted it, so no one dares offend them.”

“But besides you, they’ve dragged me in too, claiming I watched my fill first, then switched places with you so I could stand guard—otherwise, how could a single Foundation Establishment cultivator move so freely? Isn’t that unjust?”

Watching his third senior brother’s head nearly steam from rage, Zhou Qing didn’t know what to say.

This misunderstanding was impossible to explain.

“No good—I must find Huang Rui and settle this. That beast deliberately lured suspicion toward you—he still holds a grudge from when I beat him years ago!”

Yan Xiao stormed to his feet and marched toward the true-disciples’ quarters.

Zhou Qing shouted after him: “Third senior brother, don’t act rashly!”

…………

“Master, what did you need me for?”

In the grand hall, Lu Yaoyao entered and bowed respectfully to Sect Master Cao Zhengyang.

Cao Zhengyang turned, smiling, and scanned Lu Yaoyao from head to toe, murmuring “Excellent” three times.

“My disciple, I was right about you—how short a time it’s been, and you’ve already reached Qi Condensation Ninth Layer? You’re barely a step from Foundation Establishment.”

Cao Zhengyang chuckled.

Lu Yaoyao beamed. “All thanks to your meticulous guidance and the daily advice of my five senior brothers. I am blessed beyond measure to have joined Taiqingmen in this life.”

Cao Zhengyang smiled. “Don’t belittle yourself. The moment I saw you, I knew your roots were extraordinary and your foundation exceptionally solid—you were already Qi Condensation Sixth Layer before you even began formal cultivation. A classic case of slow accumulation, sudden breakthrough.”

Lu Yaoyao bit her lip. “When I was young, a destitute uncle passed through our village and stayed awhile. He casually guided me for a time and built my foundation—he told me the Dao path must never be rushed, and breakthroughs must never be forced.”

Cao Zhengyang nodded in agreement.

“Sounds like a high cultivator wandering the mortal world—fate brought him to you. Come here, I have something good for you.”

Cao Zhengyang gestured, then pulled from his robes a box sealed with multiple layers of seals.

Lu Yaoyao stepped forward curiously and peered inside—within, a thread of qi slowly spiraled.

Strangely, that thread seemed to contain the entire night sky.

“This… is the Twenty-Sixth Ranked Heavenly Dao Qi—Star Spirit!!!”

The moment Lu Yaoyao recognized it, her face filled with shock.

Cao Zhengyang was surprised. “You recognize it?”

Lu Yaoyao hurriedly replied, “I… I once saw a brief description in the Scripture Archive, but this is my first time seeing it in person.”

Cao Zhengyang understood.

“You’ve done your homework. Correct—this is the Twenty-Sixth Ranked Heavenly Dao Qi—Star Spirit, born from a fallen star.”

“You know Foundation Establishment has three tiers: Heavenly Dao, Earthly Dao, and Human Dao. This thread of Star Spirit—I’ve kept it for over two hundred years, never dared use it. Now, I give it to you.”

Cao Zhengyang extended the box.

Lu Yaoyao was overwhelmed with gratitude.

“Take it. I’d have liked to get you something better, but such things are exceedingly rare—I nearly died in that ruin just to obtain this one thread.”

Cao Zhengyang smiled wryly, his eyes filled with memories.

Lu Yaoyao, deeply moved, immediately knelt. “Thank you, Master!”

“Rise quickly—what’s there to thank for? Don’t forget, I’m your master. Don’t wander off lately—I’ll set up a Spirit Gathering Array right here, and you’ll cultivate your Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.”

Lu Yaoyao nodded eagerly, gazing at the box with anticipation.

She never imagined she’d one day achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment—she’d thought merely securing a thread of Earth Vein Qi for Earth Vein Foundation Establishment would be more than enough.

(End of Chapter)