Chapter 65: Celestial Master Sword

"Troubling Senior Brother with your concern."

The old man cupped his hands in salute, the arc of his waist bowing carrying a flavor of lukewarm, indifferent distance.

He turned sideways, making a gesture of invitation.

"Senior Brother has traveled far and must be weary. Please enter the temple for some tea."

"As the hour grows late, and if you do not disdain the humble accommodations of this humble temple, you may rest here tonight."

Only then did Celestial Master He Xun shift his scrutinizing gaze away from the temple, which looked completely renewed.

His gaze fell back onto the old man's somewhat listless face, a faint, seemingly amused smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Very well, a guest follows the host's arrangements.

However, since we are entering a Daoist temple, the rites cannot be neglected."

"We must first pay our respects to the Three Purities."

"That is only natural." The old man said expressionlessly, gesturing with his hand. "Senior Brother, please."

Celestial Master He Xun said no more, leading the way towards the Sanqing Hall, his steps steady, his entire person exuding an aura of profound and immovable dignity.

The accompanying Taoist priests behind him immediately adopted solemn expressions, bowing their heads, forming two orderly lines on either side, their movements uniform and clearly well-drilled.

The old man secretly curled his lip, but had no choice but to lead his own temple's disciples, dressed in half-worn Taoist robes and craning their necks curiously, to follow.

"This vermilion lacquer..."

Just as they reached the front of the Sanqing Hall, Celestial Master He Xun halted.

He reached out a finger and tapped, not too lightly nor too heavily, on a pillar of the corridor, producing a dull *thump-thump* sound.

"The color is quite bright, but unfortunately, the lacquerwork is hasty, the texture coarse."

He shook his head, his gaze sweeping past the pillar into the hall, his voice full of regret.

"Passable from a distance, but up close... tsk tsk, it was indeed done in a rush after all."

The old man's face remained impassive, only emitting a soft snort from his nose.

"Senior Brother speaks true."

He Xun, however, acted as if he hadn't heard, leisurely walking into the hall, his eyes sweeping over every detail as if inspecting his own territory.

"The floor tiles are laid quite evenly, but this grouting... ah, not fine enough."

He stopped before the threshold, his horsetail whisk gesturing vaguely at the brand new threshold stone.

"Even the threshold stone has been replaced. It's imposing, yes, but it lacks the sedimented aura of years that an ancient temple should have."

"In the end... it's too new, too superficial."

The old man following behind let out a huge yawn, looking utterly uninterested in engaging.

He Xun stepped inside the hall, his gaze immediately locking onto the incense table.

In the brand new bronze censer, only a few slender incense sticks were inserted, their smoke so thin it was almost invisible.

"The incense offerings..."

He Xun deliberately drew out his tone, the corner of his eye glancing at the old man.

"Seem... not particularly abundant."

He clasped his hands behind his back, his tone flat, yet every word drawing a comparison.

"In my Tianlong Temple, the first batch of 'evening lesson incense' at this hour would likely already be full, the smoke able to rise straight to the hall's beams."

"But then, a new temple has just been established. Devotees still need time to gather. One cannot be hasty."

The old man's face still showed no expression, giving an extremely perfunctory cupped-hand salute.

"It cannot compare to Senior Brother's Tianlong Temple, with its deep foundations and throngs of worshippers."

Even as he said this, the old man was cursing internally.

*Idiot!*

*Isn't it precisely because we knew you were coming that the temple isn't accepting worshippers today!*

"Ai,"

He Xun seemed not to notice the barb in the old man's words, instead waving a hand, his tone becoming particularly "sincere."

"Junior Brother, do not belittle yourself. To have achieved such a state is already no small feat."

"However..."

His tone abruptly shifted, his whisk pointing towards the newly sculpted statues of the Three Purities on either side of the hall.

"These divine statues... from which artisan were they commissioned?"

"Look at the brows and eyes of the Supreme Dao Ancestor. Too benevolent, lacking the stern majesty of the Dao of Heaven's impartiality."

"And this gesture of the Numinous Treasure Celestial Master... hmm, also seems a bit contrived."

"In the end, young artisans have a shallow understanding of Dao resonance."

He shook his head repeatedly, his expression as if pained by the flaws on a piece of fine art.

"Last year, when my Tianlong Temple had its statues remade, we invited the third-generation successor of the 'Divine Crafts Workshop' from within the Pass. It took a full year."

"During the consecration ceremony, the hall was filled with auspicious light. That was truly..."

He stopped at just the right moment, leaving an infinite space for imagination and comparison.

The old man behind him had already let his mind wander, his face broadcasting utter indifference, internally planning what to eat for dinner later.

He Xun seemed to finally remember the "main business," turning around, that look of condescending concern returning to his face.

"He Yin, when I, your senior brother, say these things, I mean no other implication."

"We are fellow disciples after all. Seeing your temple newly completed, I inevitably look a bit more closely, say a few more words."

"It's all for your good, hoping your Zhenlong Temple can reach greater heights. Don't let some minor details diminish its stature and become a laughingstock."

As he spoke, he shook his head again.

"After all, with this Luotian Grand Offering being moved up and set in Fengtian, all the temples are watching."

"Your temple's renovation is well-timed, but if the details can't withstand scrutiny, it might become a point of criticism. Wouldn't that waste all your effort?"

"These surface-level matters truly require care. If Junior Brother needs it, I, your senior brother, can dispatch a couple of skilled artisans to offer some guidance."

After this seemingly well-intentioned speech, the old man merely gave a casual cupped-hand salute.

"That won't be necessary."

"This renovation of Zhenlong Temple was done entirely according to my disciple's preferences."

"As long as he likes it, what others think of it is rather unimportant."

Upon hearing this, Celestial Master He Xun was visibly taken aback, followed by a strong curiosity surfacing on his face.

"Speaking of which, since arriving in Fengtian City, I've often heard the name of that good disciple of yours."

"Something like... 'Little Taoist in White Robes,' was it?"

When He Xun talked about other things, the old man couldn't even be bothered to lift his eyelids.

But the moment Lu Yuan was mentioned, the old man's drooping eyelids instantly snapped open.

It was as if his entire being had been injected with vigor and spirit, his chin lifting a few degrees.

"Correct!"

"Just taken in a year ago. Exceptionally clever, exceptionally capable..."

Just as the newly energized old man was about to open his floodgates of praise, Celestial Master He Xun raised an eyebrow and directly cut him off.

"To have such a reputation at such a young age, and to be so clever and capable, I, your senior brother, am truly curious."

"Why not call him out to spar with the new disciple I've taken?"

"Song Yan, step forward!"

As soon as He Xun finished speaking, a young man in his early twenties, wearing an ornate Taoist robe, stepped out from the group of priests behind him.

The young man stepped forward and gave the old man a standard, respectful cupped-hand salute.

"This junior, Song Yan, Ling-generation disciple of Tianlong Temple, pays respects to Martial Uncle."

The old man, who had just perked up and was ready to boast about his disciple, seeing his senior brother had no interest in listening and immediately wanted a contest, instantly deflated again.

He reverted to his previous lifeless appearance, replying with extreme casualness and perfunctoryness:

"He's not at the temple. He's in Fengtian City. We can talk about it another time when there's time."

Hearing this, Celestial Master He Xun, while leisurely offering incense to the Three Purities statues, casually tossed out a remark.

"Don't tell me it's some imposter. Junior Brother, you still need to be careful to distinguish..."

Before he could finish.

The old man's eyes snapped wide open, his accumulated anger erupting like a volcano. He pointed at He Xun's nose and cursed:

"Stop spewing your bullshit here!"

The entire hall instantly fell deathly silent.

No one had expected the old man, who had just been nodding and agreeing to whatever He Xun said, to suddenly explode like a cat with its tail stepped on.

Not giving the slightest bit of face.

He Xun's face instantly flushed, then paled, a spectacular display of colors.

He clearly hadn't anticipated at all that a casual remark of doubt could set the old fellow off like this.

Rage churned in his heart, but in front of everyone, he couldn't lose his temper. He Xun could only force out a thin, insincere smile.

"Junior Brother, look at you. After all these years, that temper of yours hasn't improved one bit."

"Forget it, forget it. I won't say any more."

...

Night, a side hall of Zhenlong Temple.

"Master, that Martial Uncle He Yin was too disrespectful today. In front of so many people, he didn't give you any face at all."

After a long moment, a cold snort came from within the hall.

"He's just a fool who thinks too highly of himself."

"If it weren't for that, how would he have ended up in his current state?"

"Don't mind him. A hopeless case for life!"

...

Past one in the morning.

All was silent, the entire Zhenlong Temple immersed in slumber.

The old man, however, was wandering around the temple grounds, a gourd of wine in hand, thoroughly drunk, humming some bawdy tune he'd picked up from who-knows-where.

As he staggered past the Sanqing Hall, his steps suddenly halted.

He turned his head slightly, gazing into the brightly lit hall.

Beneath the massive statues of the Three Purities, upon the ritual altar, lay a long sword.

The sword was two feet eight inches long. Its blade was not the dazzling shine of gold or silver, but a muted, dull gold that seemed to have settled over time, neither quite bronze nor wood.

Upon closer inspection, its material seemed to contain extremely fine, natural textures, like the growth rings of an ancient tree or the veins of mountains and rivers.

This was...

The Celestial Master Sword!

That perpetually sloppy, bleary-eyed old man suddenly wore an expression of profound confusion.

Even... longing!

It was an intense, almost overflowing longing that seemed ready to spill from his eyes.

The old man seemed to have had his spirit seized by a ghost. Step by step, uncontrollably, he walked towards the hall.

His murky eyes were fixed dead on the Celestial Master Sword upon the altar, his expression indescribably complex.

"I walk down the long street~"

"Listening to the opera singer chant of the capital~"

A clear, melodious singing voice, utterly out of place with this world, abruptly sounded behind him.

The entranced, dazed old man shuddered violently, as if waking from a deep dream. He jolted and spun around.

"Fuck me!!"

"You scared the hell out of me!!"

Unbeknownst to him, Lu Yuan was leaning casually against the main gate of Zhenlong Temple, several bottles of fine liquor dangling from his hand.

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly, tilting his head.

"You want the Celestial Master Sword that much?"

Lu Yuan said this while letting his gaze fall upon the sword inside the hall.

"You should've said so earlier!"

Lu Yuan paused, then spoke clearly, word by word:

"How about... I try to think of a way this time, to let you become a Celestial Master?"