Jing Sanchai squinted at Feng Rugu, then pulled him out without paying attention to anyone else, closing the door behind them.

This conversation left Luo Fuchun feeling very uncomfortable. Just as he was about to follow them out, he was stopped by Sang Luojiu.

Luo Fuchun said indignantly, "I must get to the bottom of this today! Why is it that although our master has done a great service to the Dao Sect, everyone is so secretive about what happened back then?"

Sang Luojiu grabbed his loose belt and advised, "Has senior brother ever considered why, given our master's personality, he would also conceal it for many years?"

Luo Fuchun was stunned.

His master had always been eccentric in his actions, and loved to talk nonsense with the intention of infuriating people.

But strangely, his master had never brought up the old scores from back then to anyone.

Last night, when his master used the past to provoke Wen Chen, it was only after Wen Chen had lost his composure and brought it up himself first.

In that moment of hesitation, Luo Fuchun's determination to get to the bottom of things dissipated.

He sat down dejectedly and after a while, suddenly turned his face, "Junior brother, do you know something?"

Sang Luojiu was also surprised by Luo Fuchun's question, "...Huh?"

"I asked master many times but he was unwilling to mention it, so I let it go," Luo Fuchun muttered, "But I've never seen you ask master about what happened back then. Aren't you curious at all?"

"Because in my view, master is just master," said Sang Luojiu, "Is the master from ten years ago no longer the master from ten years later?"

Luo Fuchun was confused, "Huh...?"

Sang Luojiu looked at Luo Fuchun with a bit of pity, but quickly curved his eyes into a smile of pure innocence, "Does senior brother want to sleep? The quilt has been warmed up."

Luo Fuchun still had things on his mind. He replied "Oh", sat down on the edge of the bed, felt the quilt, then realized something and glared at him, "It's not winter, what's the need to warm the quilt."

Sang Luojiu obediently said, "Junior brother is being filial to senior brother, as I should."

Having been dissuaded by Sang Luojiu's words, Luo Fuchun completely lost his train of thought. He pulled the quilt over his head and fell asleep.

After Jing Sanchai went out the door, he flung off Feng Rugu's hand and questioned, "Weren't you drunk?"

Feng Rugu: "I can't get drunk, you're the one who's drunk. Didn't we agree to forget about that matter for life and never mention it again?"

Jing Sanchai shook him off, "None of your business, I'll say what I want. I'm going back to tell them now."

Feng Rugu didn't stop him. Watching him stride forward, he said lightly, "Go ahead. Not to mention my clever disciple, but if my recklessly passionate foolish disciple hears the truth about what happened back then, don't be surprised if he becomes disillusioned and quits the Dao Sect tomorrow, and the day after comes to be your helper."

Jing Sanchai stopped in his tracks.

After carefully considering it, he felt he didn't need a fool as a helper, so he turned back around.

Returning to Feng Rugu's side, Jing Sanchai was silent for a moment before speaking again, his tone a bit disappointed, "You didn't use to be like this, now you only know how to endure in silence."

Feng Rugu said, "Your temperament has remained the same for over a decade, just as childish."

Jing Sanchai was furious and chased Feng Rugu around the courtyard, kicking him several times.

As Feng Rugu was being kicked and running around, he still didn't forget to turn his head back and lecture with a grin, "When you left Yingtian River back then, was it really because you quarreled with your master? Wasn't it because you couldn't stand the ways of the Dao Sect? Just like now, you hit when you get angry and run when you can't take it anymore."

Jing Sanchai retorted, "Still better than you holing up in 'Still Water Runs Deep' and muddling through your days, getting more and more cowardly, and even knowing how to fool me?! If I hadn't gone to 'Still Water Runs Deep' last time, I wouldn't have known..."

From the corner of his eye, he saw that the door to the room housing the bald donkey was still open. Frowning deeply, he waved his sleeve and the door closed in response.

This entire small courtyard was in tune with his breathing. And because of its ingenious design and hidden mechanisms, as soon as the door closed, it became an impenetrable fortress, not letting out a thread of sound or light.

Hai Jing was listening to the gossip with great relish when he saw the door close, and couldn't help but feel regret.

Lying on the bed and feeling around, Hai Jing found a dozen hidden arrows, treasure compartments, and venomous insects.

His eyes widened in surprise and he felt a sense of unease.

He said with a bitter face, "Martial Uncle, do we really have to sleep on this bed tonight?"

Seeing his anxiety, Ruyi quietly got up, walked to the side of the bed, took off his monk's shoes, and lay down fully clothed.

With that, all of Hai Jing's doubts disappeared and he felt very reassured. He quickly lay down next to Ruyi.

He knew that Ruyi couldn't speak while practicing his vow of silence, so he started asking and answering his own questions, "Martial Uncle, that Lord Yunzhong is really an extraordinary person."

"I know he has done a great service to the Dao Sect, but how can it be said that 'his great kindness turned into a deep grudge'?"

"Back then, he was clearly harmed by demon cultivators, but he doesn't seem to hate them. He even helped those four young demon cultivators find a place to live... That's right, those four young demon cultivators have immature techniques and haven't harmed anyone. Lord Yunzhong has no reason to kill them. He can be considered a righteous person who distinguishes right from wrong."

"Also, that Daoist Jing hurriedly went to find Lord Yunzhong's two disciples, but it turned out he was asking about Lord Yunzhong's tobacco leaves. What mystery could tobacco leaves hold? It's really baffling..."

Ruyi didn't say a word.

Just as Hai Jing was getting into it, he suddenly felt a coolness on his lips.

- At some point, Ruyi had turned on his side and picked up a bead of red sandalwood representing a month of silence. He held it to Hai Jing's lips, ready to put it in as soon as he opened his mouth to speak again.

Hai Jing immediately closed his mouth and shut his eyes, pretending to sleep.

Ruyi withdrew his hand and lay on his back.

He also didn't know the answers to Hai Jing's many questions.

He had been walking the world for a long time. Because of his slight connection to Fengling Mountain, he often paid extra attention to news related to Fengling.

His adoptive father, Lord Duanrong, commonly known as Chang Boning, had a good reputation and was a famous gentleman of the sword world. Naturally, not many people spoke ill of him. Only Ruyi knew that beneath his adoptive father's gentlemanly bearing was an admirable and innate youthful wildness and carefree spirit.

As for Feng Rugu...

Nothing good ever came from being associated with him.

When others mentioned him, they always started with "sword genius", "saved over a hundred disciples of the Dao Sect", "truly a hero", followed by a "what a pity" or "however", and then it was no longer anything good.

Arrogant and aloof, haughty, disrespectful and lazy, unworthy of his position, a fraud, just happened to have a good master...

Because of his adoptive father, Ruyi already had preconceived notions about Feng Rugu, so these rumors didn't mean much. He heard them and let them go.

After interacting with him for just two short days, Ruyi still couldn't say clearly what kind of person Feng Rugu really was.

But there was one thing he was certain of.

Feng Rugu's "laziness" had a reason behind it.

And that reason lay in his smoking pipe.

Ruyi, with his broad knowledge, had long sensed that the tobacco Feng Rugu used was no ordinary tobacco.

In addition to the light bamboo leaves and plum blossom menthol, there was another medicinal ingredient mixed in.

...Corydalis.

Using medicine in tobacco was not uncommon, let alone the fact that Feng Rugu's smoking apparatus and lamp were extraordinary, refined with spiritual power, which could burn medicine to cure diseases with extremely fast effects, making it a valuable treasure.

However, the problem was, firstly, this item could not be used for a long time. Occasional use had superb effects, but long-term use would inevitably lead to fatigue, drowsiness, and low spirits. Anyone with some knowledge of medicinal herbs should know how to control the dosage.

Secondly, the main effect of this medicine was "pain relief".

...

At this time, Feng Rugu and Jing Sanchai had set up another small wine table outside the courtyard, drinking under the moonlight.

Feng Rugu took his smoking pipe and started puffing away openly.

Seeing this, Jing Sanchai was half-dead with anger again: "When I gave you this smoking pipe and corydalis, it was because I saw that your injuries were too severe, not for you to use it endlessly."

Feng Rugu started laughing.

His caring little Daoist friend.

Last time, when Jing Sanchai came to "Still Water Runs Deep" to deliver the Tianshan lotus, he happened to catch him smoking bamboo tobacco mixed with corydalis. In a fit of rage, he questioned the reason. Later, he simply brought up old scores and demanded that he return all the things he had sent to Fengling one by one. He had only teased him a couple of times, but it was enough to anger him into running away. So much so that when he came looking for him today during the day, he was still upset about this matter and demanded a reckoning as soon as he opened his mouth, showing how great his temper was.

He tossed his small silk pouch for storing tobacco leaves over: "See for yourself if there's any corydalis inside."

Jing Sanchai took it and examined it carefully.

Feng Rugu explained, "The last time you came, I had run out of tobacco at home. My mouth tasted bland, so I took some of the old tobacco leaves to use, not to smoke regularly."

Jing Sanchai weighed the small bag of normal bamboo tobacco in his hand: "Really?"

"Really."

"You're not deceiving me?"

"Not deceiving you."

Jing Sanchai half-believed him, snorted, and threw the pouch back to him: "Out of ten sentences from that mouth of yours, if nine are true, I'll thank the heavens and earth."

Feng Rugu lazily leaned back on the stone chair, holding his smoking pipe, slowly exhaling the bamboo smoke: "Why would I take medicine if I'm not sick? Am I sick in the head?"

"Your head was already sick to begin with."

Feng Rugu looked at Jing Sanchai with a smile, feeling a bit guilty in his heart.

Among the people he had saved, he only accepted gifts from Jing Sanchai, because apart from his master, senior brother, and junior sister, this was the only person in the world who truly treated him well.

And he still had to lie to him, he really was sick in the head.

Feng Rugu put on a casual chatting posture: "How has Uncle Sa Si been lately? Has he come to see you?"

Jing Sanchai waved his hand: "He's doing well, lively as ever. He came to my place last month, took some gold thread back, saying he wanted to embroider a dragon and phoenix on his family's jiangshi."

As soon as Sa Si was mentioned, Jing Sanchai couldn't help but feel cynical again: "He clearly has great merits to the Dao Sect! So what if he's from the Demon Sect?! If it weren't for his efforts to protect them, during those thirteen years of the Demon Sect's rule, even if the people of the Three Sects weren't killed to near extinction, they would have had to surrender in humiliation and be enslaved by the Demon Sect! It's just because your master's generation had all ascended one after another, so they're all doing those despicable petty things!"

"Uncle Sa Si indeed has great merits and virtues to the Three Sects, but not to those small sects." Feng Rugu hit the nail on the head, "Uncle Sa Si himself is a world-renowned master of the sword path, and also a pure-blooded demon cultivator. Killing him would bring too many benefits."

Jing Sanchai cursed, then said: "However, you can rest assured now."

Although he knew no one could eavesdrop, Jing Sanchai still lowered his voice: "He has now returned to the Demon Sect, and has someone protecting him."

Feng Rugu took a sip of wine: "Really?"

"Of course." Jing Sanchai said, "Do you still remember a person named 'Lin Xuejing'?"

Feng Rugu pondered: "'Lin Xuejing'... sounds familiar."

Jing Sanchai anxiously said: "How could you forget? It's that courtesan from the Demon Sect who sheltered us in 'Forgotten World'! Back then, he was implicated by us, caught in the battle, and his life and death were unknown. I always thought he had died, but unexpectedly, he created the 'Bushi Sect' and has now become a prominent figure in the Demon Sects."

Feng Rugu clapped his hands, as if he remembered: "What is he doing now?"

"Lin Xuejing advocates peaceful coexistence between the Demon Sect and the Righteous Sects. He shelters those demon cultivators with weaker cultivation or severe injuries, requiring them not to cause trouble while dealing with the encirclement and suppression from the Dao Sect and the radical members within the Demon Sect. Initially, the 'Bushi Sect' had few disciples, but in the past four or five years, it has gradually grown stronger. Uncle Sa Si had always refused to reveal his whereabouts before, and it was only this time when he came that he told me he had been working under Lin Xuejing for more than seven years. Those young demon cultivators you sent, after I find their parents, I also plan to send them to the 'Bushi Sect'."

Jing Sanchai said all this in one breath before finally having a chance to stop and take a sip of wine.

After moistening his throat, he went on another tirade of indignation: "The Demon Sect at least knows to clean up internally, but the Dao Sect is riddled with parasites, and the younger generation is incompetent. With the Three Sects holding such high positions, why not step up and manage things?"

Feng Rugu said: "Ah, you can't compare like that. The Demon Sects cleaning up internally, that's destroying the old to establish the new. As for the affairs of the Dao Sect, how do you say we should manage? Preach? With benefits at stake, everyone wants to take the opportunity to expand their sect. Who can listen to reason?"

Jing Sanchai said: "Then kill. Kill the chicken to warn the monkey!"

"My senior brother's nature is too pure. For someone like him, it would be a waste not to focus on cultivation." Feng Rugu propped his chin, "As for my junior sister Yan Jiangnan, she specializes in killing scum of the immortal path. She has killed a few chickens, but the monkeys are only increasing. Not to mention far examples, this Wenshi Mountain colluding with the Demon Sect's children and making deals with the demon cultivators, the evidence is conclusive. If it were my junior sister, she would definitely first sever Old Man Wen's right arm with one sword before talking. But what use would that be? The next person would only do things more covertly, and the parasites would burrow deeper. And my junior sister's reputation has also been deeply harmed by this. To this day, she still hasn't been able to find a Dao companion. Terrible, just terrible, a lose-lose situation."

Although angry, Jing Sanchai couldn't help but laugh at Feng Rugu's strange theories: "Then, wise great hero Feng, what about you? Not going to come out and do something? Planning to hide in 'Still Water Runs Deep' and retire for a lifetime?"

"Don't talk about heroes. Heroes have a time limit." Feng Rugu drank a cup of wine, "Heroes are most glamorous only at that moment, like oil fried in fierce flames, like brocade adorned with fresh flowers, a good book that everyone loves to read."

Jing Sanchai asked, "What about now?"

Feng Rugu spoke as if discussing something unrelated to himself, "Today's heroes are like a dog-eared book that others have read to tatters and grown tired of flipping through. They spit and curse, 'Boring', 'Fake', 'Embellished', and then toss it aside."

Jing Sanchai laughed heartily, his laughter carrying a tinge of desolation, "To the heroes."

Feng Rugu's smile was genuinely carefree, "To the heroes."

Draining his cup, Jing Sanchai exhaled sharply as the alcohol burned his throat. The accumulated intoxication gradually took over, making his head dizzy.

As he raised his hand to rub his eyes, a thought suddenly struck him, "Have I seen that monk before?"

Feng Rugu asked, "Which one?"

"That one..." Jing Sanchai pointed to the door he had just closed, "That one...who looked a bit familiar."

Feng Rugu said, "That little monk is still so young. Have some decency."

Jing Sanchai threw his empty cup at him, "Screw you! I'm talking about the big one! The big one..."

He muttered, "White and gold monk robes, from Hanshan Temple...Hanshan Temple...Back then, when you were still bedridden, didn't you ask me to go to Hanshan Temple to inquire about someone, to see if he was doing well..."

Feng Rugu grabbed his chin and poured a full cup of wine down his throat, misdirecting, "Brother Jing, you're really drunk. Drink some more tea to rinse your mouth. I'll help you to bed."