My virtue is above yours.

A gust of wind whooshed past his ears as a brute force swept Chen Jingxuan into the bamboo forest.

His mouth was covered, and only his double pupils could be seen.

"Stop shouting!"

Zhu Lingyun looked around to make sure no one was nearby before letting go.

Chen Jingxuan gasped for breath: "Senior brother, you almost killed me! Why didn't you show up just now?"

"With so many people around, how could I dare to come out?" Zhu Lingyun patted Chen Jingxuan's shoulder and said earnestly, "I understand how painful it is to be the center of attention. You've had a tough time."

Chen Jingxuan suppressed his secret pleasure. What he actually wanted to say was that his roommate had broken his bed, but he didn't expect his senior to misunderstand.

He said earnestly, "It's alright, we're brothers after all! If you ever suffer like this again, I'm willing to bear it for you."

Zhu Lingyun's eyes flickered as she hugged him tightly: "Good brother! It's not in vain that your senior brother has loved you so much all these years."

Chen Jingxuan struggled to break free from the other person: "But now I'm in trouble. I suspect my roommate is gay! When I was changing clothes just now, he kept staring at me with lecherous eyes, and he even pounced on my bed, crushing the bed frame. And this guy's appearance is also very stereotypical, a round face, a full beard, a beer belly, all he's missing is a buzz cut!" Chen Jingxuan was breathing rapidly, still feeling lingering fear when he thought about it.

"Although I don't understand the second half of what you said, it is indeed somewhat dangerous. What do you plan to do?"

Chen Jingxuan suggested, "I want to move in with you."

"I think so too. You can't imagine how uncomfortable it would be to share a room with someone every day." Zhu Lingyun trembled at the thought. "However, the disciples' dormitories in the sect are arranged according to their rank. There's no precedent for green-robed disciples and blue-robed disciples to live together. How about I give him a warning for you?"

"Okay, so why aren't you socially anxious now?"

"A warning doesn't require words." Zhu Lingyun drew his sword from his waist, producing a sharp clang.

Chen Jingxuan quickly sheathed his sword: "There's no need to go so far. Just come to my room, and we'll subtly show that you're not someone to be trifled with during our conversation."

"Okay then."

The two walked back to the main road together, and passing disciples greeted them: "Senior Brother Chen. Senior Brother Zhu."

Zhu Lingyun ignored him and tried to walk past quickly, but Chen Jingxuan stopped her and forced her to return the greeting.

He had to pull his straw hat down low: "They know you, fine, but how did they recognize me?"

Chen Jingxuan said helplessly, "Senior brother, please, if you're going to wear a mask, at least cover your vital parts. With your double pupils showing, who wouldn't recognize you?"

"You're right." Zhu Lingyun took off his mask and wrapped it around his eyes, looking every bit the blind swordsman.

Chen Jingxuan waved his hand in front of his eyes: "Can you even see that?"

"No problem. Once you enter the Qi Cultivation Realm, your divine sense can freely perceive the surrounding environment, even more clearly than your eyes."

"What you said is very appealing, I need to hurry up and improve."

The two walked across the square, and by the time they entered the backyard, Zhu Lingyun was drenched in sweat. He took a deep breath and said, "This was truly a catastrophe. A total of 86 disciples greeted us. In the day you've been here, I've talked to more people than I have in a year."

Chen Jingxuan took out the key and opened the door: "This is called desensitization training. I came here with Master's mission. Not only you, but also Senior Sister, I'm going to correct both of your bad habits."

"Once Yunci comes back in a couple of days, you can go and torment her."

"Then I'll help you with desensitization over these three days."

Zhu Lingyun clasped his hands together and begged for mercy: "Junior brother, please spare me."

"I'm not that free. I have important things to do." Chen Jingxuan needed to hurry up and find Yu Chan's whereabouts, and didn't have time to torment his senior brother.

The two pushed open the door and entered the room. Zhao Qingshan was not inside, and the senior brother breathed a sigh of relief.

They sat on the bed next to each other, catching up and sharing what they had seen and heard during the year apart.

Chen Jingxuan recounted his experiences in the village, telling his senior brother that he was searching for clues about his parents, and the key was the jade cicada.

He took out the drawing paper from his pocket and flattened it. The drawing was of a jade cicada with a pair of unique water ripples on its back.

"Senior brother, please keep an eye on this jade cicada for me. That traveling merchant just bought it a few days ago and left the village. He probably hasn't had time to sell it yet. If he's selling it in the capital, the jade cicada might appear in the market."

"I can't go to the market even once a year, I'll try my best."

"It's fine if you don't want to shop. Give me the money, and I'll shop by myself." Chen Jingxuan spread his hands.

Zhu Lingyun immediately said, "I have no money."

"You don't go to the market, you don't care about food and clothing, where does your money go? Oh~ I see, you've fallen into depravity! Well, even you, Zhu Lingyun with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, have become someone who frequents brothels."

Zhu Lingyun immediately jumped up: "I didn't! I'm a decent person! I'm not like my master!"

"And what about your money? I've inquired; a disciple in a green robe receives one tael of silver a month. Where did you spend it?"

"I donated it to widows, widowers, and the lonely."

Chen Jingxuan nodded: "It is indeed something you would do. You didn't leave a single penny? Your dearest junior brother is coming to a big city like the capital for the first time. He's endured wind and rain, hunger and cold, and now that he's in the capital, he can't even get a bowl of hot soup. Master said that once you're in the capital, your senior brothers and sisters will take care of you. Alas, it's not your fault, senior brother. You are a man of noble character and integrity. It's my own thinking that's too low! I should learn from you!"

"I've lost to you!" Zhu Lingyun pulled out a loose silver coin from his pocket. "That's all I have. Once it's gone, I'm really out of money."

Chen Jingxuan casually pocketed the silver, got up, and left, saying, "Thank you, Senior Brother. I'm going to have some mutton soup. Want to come along?"

"No, I never eat out. Talking to restaurant owners is too scary."

Chen Jingxuan descended the mountain alone and entered the bustling city center.

The streets were decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and all kinds of signs were hung densely. The sounds of vendors calling out and making noise were endless, and the stalls were steaming with the aroma of various foods wafting into people's noses.

Chen Jingxuan chose a mutton soup restaurant on the street and ordered a bowl of mutton soup and two steamed buns.

The restaurant owner served steaming hot mutton soup to the table.

A layer of golden oil floats on the surface of the soup, and the aroma of mutton mixed with the fragrance of scallions fills the air. One sip and you feel warm all over.

Chen Jingxuan ate his soup and bread with gusto.

Suddenly, a commotion was heard from the street, and a group of beggars were seen bullying another beggar.

The beggar looked to be in his thirties, pale and thin, with unkempt hair and filthy clothes. He was holding a broken bowl in his hand and had a large scar on his forehead.

Six beggars surrounded him and smashed the broken bowl in his hand to the ground.

"This is our territory, get out of here."

Several men grabbed bamboo sticks and started hitting the man, who screamed and ran until he was out of sight.

Before Chen Jingxuan could help, the beggar had already run away.

He asked the shopkeeper for a steamed bun to take away, and casually asked, "Do you know anyone in the capital who has excellent connections?"

"The Azure Phoenix Pavilion is the best choice. No matter how big or small the affairs of the world are kept from the Azure Phoenix Pavilion. If you are looking for an opportunity, you may visit the Azure Phoenix Pavilion."

Is there really such a powerful organization that can keep track of everything, big and small, in the world?

Chen Jingxuan noted down the address the shopkeeper gave him, paid the bill, and got up to leave.

He crossed the street corner and slipped into a dark alley, where he saw the beggar who had been beaten earlier huddled in a corner, clutching his thigh and emitting soft groans.

Chen Jingxuan put the white steamed bun into his broken bowl.

The beggar looked up at him, their eyes met, he nodded to him, and then turned and left.

A faint trace of cultivation was growing within him, but Chen Jingxuan remained completely unmoved.

While they were in the Taoist temple, their master taught them to be charitable and generous. Over the years, they have developed this habit, and they feel no unease about it. Helping others is as natural as eating and drinking.

They did this even before they had awakened to the path of cultivation; they did it not out of greed for cultivation.

Suddenly someone patted him on the shoulder: "Master, I was the one who spotted this person first."

He turned around and saw a young man dressed in a dark blue round-necked robe.

Chen Jingxuan was completely confused: "I don't quite understand what you mean."

"What I mean is, I discovered this person first, so this opportunity should belong to me."

The young master took out a white steamed bun and threw it into the beggar's bowl, then threw the steamed bun that Chen Jingxuan had just put down onto the ground.

Chen Jingxuan was still completely confused: "I don't understand. What does it have to do with me if you want to give it to me?"

The young master angrily said, "I've been watching him for three days. This piece of bread of mine saved his life! If you give him one too, then who really saved his life, the two of us?"

Chen Jingxuan retorted, "Is that important? As long as the person is saved, isn't that enough?"

The young master puffed out his beard and glared: "It's very important! I'm the one who has to save this person. Will you make up for the cultivation I lost?"

Chen Jingxuan's fist hardened: "You mean, you watched him for three days, letting him be bullied and starving, just to wait until he was half-dead before playing the good guy?"