Zhuge Yuanhong fixed Teng Qingshan with a long look, then laughed heartily. "Haha, I understand why you reached the Innate realm at seventeen! Like that Xiang Fanchen, you've poured all your energy into cultivation. However, Qingshan, I must remind you that marriage is also a major life event, one you cannot neglect."

"Mmm, I understand." Teng Qingshan felt a familiar headache brewing.

Miss Qing was indeed a fine girl, possessing an aura as pure as a banished immortal. Such purity was rare in these chaotic times; most who had experienced bloodshed struggled to retain it. Zhuge Qing, being the Sect Master's daughter, lived a sheltered life, and Zhuge Yuanhong's excellent guidance had preserved her temperament.

Unfortunately, Teng Qingshan's concern for Miss Qing was strictly fraternal, not the kind that stirred the depths of his heart.

Yet, what his Master, Zhuge Yuanhong, said, Teng Qingshan also grasped.

Marriage was a major affair!

This was ancient society: of the three unfilial acts, having no heir was the greatest! Back at Teng Family Village, his father, Teng Yongfan, had pressured Teng Qingshan to marry early. Only now, seeing that Teng Qingshan needed to strive hard within the Guiyuan Sect, had they agreed to delay for a few years.

"Even for the sake of family, I must ensure the continuation of the line. Father only has me as a son," Teng Qingshan sighed internally. "No matter what, I'll have to take a wife and have children in a few years." As for finding a woman who could move him like a kitten, Teng Qingshan had zero confidence.

But spending this life single? Teng Qingshan was willing. His parents would never agree.

Given Teng Qingshan's filial piety, he dared not end his family line.

...

"Master, on my way back, passing through Wu'an County City, I encountered a master there. Dark-skinned and powerfully built, his name was 'Iron Tower.' He challenged me... but I realized he must be an Innate expert." Teng Qingshan voiced the doubt that had been lodged in his gut.

Zhuge Yuanhong was greatly startled. "An Innate expert challenged you? Did he know you had reached the Innate realm?"

"It doesn't seem like he knew beforehand," Teng Qingshan replied. "But after sparring with me, he probably does now."

Since he could block that iron mace, Iron Tower would certainly have guessed Teng Qingshan's strength.

"The strangest thing was, when he unleashed his true power, a golden light flashed in his eyes," Teng Qingshan said, puzzled.

"A golden light flashed in his eyes?" Zhuge Yuanhong frowned upon hearing this. "Hmm, now that you mention it, this man named 'Iron Tower' must belong to the Mani Temple!"

"Mani Temple?" Teng Qingshan expressed a little surprise.

"Yes. Of the Eight Great Sects, only the Mani Temple is Buddhist. The other seven of us focus on Refining Essence into Qi, and Refining Qi into Spirit. And the golden flash in the eyes is unique to the Mani Temple. After all, the Mani Temple Buddhists seek the 'Sarira,' whereas we strive for the 'Innate Golden Elixir.' When the divine light in the eyes solidifies, flashing gold—that is the Buddhist attainment; as soon as they reach the Arhat Fruition, they can achieve it. We, however, must reach the 'Innate Golden Elixir' first."

Teng Qingshan didn't fully comprehend.

He didn't understand Buddhist cultivation. It seemed the Mani Temple's methods were entirely different from the other sects.

"In short, that Iron Tower is ninety-nine percent from the Mani Temple," Zhuge Yuanhong stated.

"Master, this Iron Tower is the guard of a middle-aged man named Pei San," Teng Qingshan followed up. "That day, in Wu'an County City, this Pei San threw down a staggering ten thousand taels of gold to purchase a courtesan. Moreover, this Pei San showed great disdain for the Young Island Master of Qinghu Island, Gu Shiyou."

"An Arhat Fruition expert serving as a guard?" Zhuge Yuanhong was astonished. "Is Pei San some significant figure in the Mani Temple? But the Mani Temple strictly opposes the waste of wealth. Spending ten thousand taels of gold on a courtesan—the Mani Temple would likely never permit it."

Zhuge Yuanhong was also surprised.

The Mani Temple, after all, was the head of the Eight Great Sects!

"I cannot quite see through this. The Mani Temple has those under them who earn money, but even with wealth, they wouldn't dare spend ten thousand gold taels on a courtesan... let alone offend the Young Island Master of Qinghu Island!" Zhuge Yuanhong was certain the high-ranking members of the Mani Temple could certainly look down on Qinghu Island or mobilize vast sums of money.

However, those who reached high ranks were certainly monks within the temple, and temple monks must abstain from lust, let alone spend money to buy a courtesan.

As for lay disciples, they weren't forbidden from women, but they wouldn't hold high status in the Mani Temple. Those lay disciples likely wouldn't dare look down upon the Young Island Master of Qinghu Island.

"Two possibilities. One, Pei San has done a great service to the Mani Temple, causing them to send an Arhat Fruition expert to serve as his guard. Two, Pei San is a supreme expert, or his elder is one—powerful enough to steal a Buddhist secret text from the Mani Temple, allow the guard to cultivate it, and push that guard to the Innate realm!" Zhuge Yuanhong speculated.

Teng Qingshan listened, deeply startled.

Either possibility meant Pei San was not someone to trifle with.

"Qingshan, if you have nothing else, go back and rest for now," Zhuge Yuanhong said with a smile.

"Yes, Master." Teng Qingshan left the study.

...

Yangzhou, Wu'an County City.

Under the pavilion in the lavish mansion, Gu Shiyou sat with a grim face on a stone bench. Before him stood a burly, bearded man, showing deep respect.

Ever since Pei San left with his guard 'Iron Tower' and Meng Dujuan that day, Gu Shiyou had immediately dispatched several thousand men to search for Pei San, eventually escalating the search to over ten thousand. With Gu Shiyou's status, dispatching ten thousand men was merely a matter of a spoken command.

In the territory controlled by his Qinghu Island, it still took until the next morning for ten thousand men to locate Pei San and his party.

It was only now, approaching noon, that the news reached Gu Shiyou.

"General Li!" Gu Shiyou looked at the bearded strongman. "You're telling me that several thousand City Guards surrounded Pei San and his group, hundreds were killed, and the Captain leading thousands was captured? Gu Shiyou's face turned ashen. "This is an absolute farce! You have completely disgraced the name of my Qinghu Island! There were only three of them—one being a delicate woman. You had thousands! If it were me, I would have slit my own throat!"

The bearded strongman replied hastily, "Young Island Master, that dark, stout man is an Innate expert. He erected a qi shield around himself, making arrows useless, and easily seized the leading captain."

"Innate!" Gu Shiyou gritted his teeth in anger. "It's all excuses, nothing but cowardice! So what if he's Innate? Could he kill thousands in one go? Innate True Essence is finite. If thousands swarmed him, that Innate guard could kill a few hundred at best. Could the rest not capture Pei San?"

The bearded strongman grimaced. "Young Island Master, my City Guards are not inherently timid, but that Pei San was even more formidable than his guard."

Gu Shiyou froze.

"When our men surrounded them, that Pei San killed dozens of those who rushed him with a single hand-chop," the strongman recounted.

"A detached blade light? He's also an Innate expert." Gu Shiyou's expression could not help but change.

An Innate guard was already enough to make Gu Shiyou wary. But for Pei San to also be an Innate expert—Gu Shiyou had to seriously reconsider... One had to know, the Iron Cloth Sect had only three Innate experts in total. The Guiyuan Sect, including Teng Qingshan, had only four.

Reaching the Innate realm was exceedingly difficult. Yet, Pei San and his subordinate were two Innates.

"What is their background?" Gu Shiyou hesitated.

"Young Island Master, Pei San also sent our men to relay a message to you," the strongman said.

"Speak," Gu Shiyou commanded with a somber face.

"That Pei San said..." the strongman chuckled wryly, "Tell Gu Shiyou: if he doesn't want to die, he shouldn't bother me!"

"What arrogance," Gu Shiyou narrowed his eyes.

The strongman felt a knot in his stomach. Based on his understanding of the Young Island Master, such an insult would surely trigger a furious outburst.

"Order everyone to retreat," Gu Shiyou stated coldly. "Also... I will be returning to Qinghu Island shortly. Go notify my junior sister and the others."

"Yes." The strongman immediately withdrew.

...

Within the waterway of the Anyang River, a two-story pleasure boat glided slowly forward.

Meng Dujuan sat in the top-floor cabin, playing a seven-stringed zither. The music echoed along both banks of the Anyang River. The boatman, clad entirely in black, propelled the vessel from the stern, while the purple-robed man, Pei San, reclined comfortably on a wooden chair on the foredeck, listening to the music, humming a little tune and swaying his head.

"Master, do you think that Gu Shiyou will send more people after us?" The stout man, 'Iron Tower,' stood behind Pei San.

Pei San kept his eyes closed, humming his tune. "Mmm? Relax. If Gu Shiyou were that foolish, he wouldn't have made it onto the 'Earth Ranking.' Still, this trip to Yangzhou was quite worthwhile. That Teng Qingshan proved better than I anticipated, and I gained the bonus of finding a Zither Master like Miss Dujuan."

"That Teng Qingshan reaching Innate at seventeen is truly remarkable; only the demon monk 'Xiang Fanchen' from hundreds of years ago can compare," the stout man 'Iron Tower' also praised. "But Teng Qingshan practices the spear, and the Guiyuan Sect's spear techniques are rather mediocre. Master, won't Teng Qingshan's talent be wasted in the Guiyuan Sect?"

"We shall see! In a few more decades, we'll know the answer?" With that, Pei San closed his eyes again and continued humming his little tune.

The pleasure boat slowly sailed westward.

...

In Zhuge Qing's private chambers at the Guiyuan Sect.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Zhuge Qing as she sat at her desk, working on clothes. It was an outer robe the color of bluestone, nearly complete. Zhuge Qing was currently threading a needle, sewing a pocket into the inner lining of the robe.

"Brother Teng should be back from the Savage Lands soon..." A slight smile touched Zhuge Qing's lips as she thought of him. She had personally selected the material for this bluestone robe; the inner layer was woven with Snow Silkworm silk, making the garment as warm as top-grade furs and capable of deflecting average arrows.

"Father said he wants to arrange a match for me... I wonder what Brother Teng..." Thinking of this, Zhuge Qing's cheeks flushed.

Just then, Zhuge Qing saw a figure approaching in the distance through the window.

"Father?" Zhuge Qing set down her needle and thread and walked out of the room.

"Qingqing, you didn't practice your sword this afternoon?" Zhuge Yuanhong inquired with a gentle smile.

"Mmm." Zhuge Qing nodded; of course, she hadn't practiced; she had been making clothes.

"Oh, right, your Senior Brother Qingshan just returned today," Zhuge Yuanhong added.