Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 153: Chapter 153: The Troublesome Imp

"What’s wrong, Manni? Can’t you keep going?"

Qin Tuo walked over and asked with concern.

Chen Man Ni couldn’t help but start grumbling.

"What’s going on? Isn’t this mountain supposed to be called Ice Spring Mountain? Why is it still so hot?"

Chen Wenxiong, who was standing to the side, couldn’t resist chiming in.

"I told you to wait at the foot of the mountain, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you feel how tiring it is, don’t you?"

Qin Tuo thought for a moment before saying:

"Manni, if you really can’t go on, just rest here for a bit and catch up later!"

However, Chen Man Ni just rolled her eyes, pouted, and said:

"No way! I’m coming with you!"

Seeing her so insistent, the group had no choice but to continue on their way.

Watching Chen Man Ni, whose face was beaded with sweat and contorted in a pained expression, Qin Tuo suddenly walked over and grabbed her hand.

"Ah, Qin Tuo... what are you doing?"

The gesture made Chen Man Ni so shy that even the tips of her ears turned red.

Qin Tuo smiled.

"I’m holding your hand to make it easier for you!"

But Chen Man Ni said shyly:

"Qin Tuo, let go! This is too intimate. It doesn’t look right with everyone watching!"

When Chen Wenxiong and the others saw this, their hearts skipped a beat.

But they quickly averted their eyes, pretending not to have seen anything.

Qin Tuo just chuckled.

"Where is your mind going? I’m just holding your hand so you won’t get tired!"

Chen Man Ni, however, rolled her eyes irritably and huffed:

"I don’t believe you, Qin Tuo! You’re just bragging. You’re obviously trying to take advantage of me and won’t even admit it!"

However, though she said that, her body was quite honest, and she didn’t pull her hand away.

In fact, being held by Qin Tuo like this filled her heart with a sweet warmth.

Qin Tuo smiled without saying anything, secretly transferring a portion of his Spiritual Power into Chen Man Ni.

Sure enough, after walking a little while longer, Chen Man Ni was amazed to find that she didn’t feel tired at all.

"Wow, this is amazing! Qin Tuo, you really do what you say you’re going to do. I don’t feel tired in the slightest."

The others nearby were also quite surprised to hear this.

They glanced at Qin Tuo, seemingly realizing something.

Watching Chen Man Ni marvel at the miraculous feeling, a smile touched Qin Tuo’s lips.

Soon, the group arrived at Taixu Temple on the mountainside.

When they arrived, they saw that the temple entrance was already crowded with people who had come to ask for fortunes.

Many of them had heard of Taixu Temple’s fame and came hoping to make their dreams come true.

"What do you think you’re doing? Who gave you permission to just walk in?!"

Just then, a chubby Daoist Child blocked the entrance with his arms crossed.

He had an arrogant, haughty look on his face as he barred everyone from entering.

"Please, young Daoist master, be so kind as to let us go in and pay our respects!"

one of the worshippers pleaded with an eager, fawning smile.

However, the chubby Daoist Child shook his head, his face hardening as he said:

"My martial uncle is treating a patient inside. No one is allowed to enter. If you interrupt the treatment, you can’t afford to bear the consequences!"

And so, the crowd of worshippers could only look at each other in dismay, sighing and shaking their heads as they waited anxiously.

Seeing this, Chen Man Ni immediately asked:

"Ah, they won’t let us in? What do we do now?"

At that moment, Ouyang Tianqi smiled faintly, stepped forward, and pulled a thick wad of cash from his clothes.

When no one was looking, Ouyang Tianqi stuffed the money directly into the chubby Daoist Child’s pocket.

The chubby Daoist Child was startled and looked up at Ouyang Tianqi.

Ouyang Tianqi smiled and said:

"Young Daoist master, I am a friend of Daoist Chongxu. Please, do us a favor."

The chubby Daoist Child weighed the wad of cash in his pocket and a broad smile spread across his face.

"Alright, wait here. I’ll go inside and report this!"

Then, he cheerfully walked inside.

Ouyang Tianqi turned to the others, spread his hands, and said helplessly:

"What can you do? It’s always the small fry that are the biggest nuisance."

But Qin Tuo just smiled and said something profound.

"A place like this could perform good deeds for a hundred years and still not accumulate any merit. No wonder his daughter’s condition hasn’t improved."

As soon as he said this, the others froze, then began to mull over the meaning of his words.

Soon, the chubby Daoist Child came running back out.

"Sirs, my master has agreed. Please, follow me inside!"

Having received instructions from Daoist Chongxu, the chubby Daoist Child knew this group was no ordinary set of guests, so his attitude became much more respectful.

As the Daoist Child led the group inside, the worshippers outside immediately grew dissatisfied, breaking out into a clamorous uproar.

Once inside the Daoist temple, Ouyang Tianqi immediately spotted Daoist Chongxu, who was dressed in pale yellow Daoist robes.

"Daoist Chongxu, it’s been a long time!"

Ouyang Tianqi called out with a smile from a distance.

Daoist Chongxu nodded, a smile appearing on his face.

"Mr. Ouyang, it has indeed been many days!"

The others also took the initiative to greet Daoist Chongxu with proper etiquette. Everyone knew he was a transcendent master who roamed the world, so of course, they dared not be disrespectful.

At that moment, Chen Man Ni couldn’t help but furrow her brow and voice a question that had been on her mind for a while.

"Daoist Master, it’s clearly scorching hot outside, but it’s so cool inside the temple. Why is that?"

Daoist Chongxu chuckled, stroking his beard contentedly as he explained:

"Behind my Taixu Temple, there is a spring that remains ice-cold all year round. It’s quite magical. I had its water diverted into channels surrounding the temple, so naturally, it doesn’t get hot in here!"

Hearing his explanation, the group marveled at the ingenuity, sighing in admiration at the wonders of nature.

Chen Man Ni, standing to the side, couldn’t help but remark with a sigh:

"No wonder this mountain is called Ice Spring Mountain; it was named after this!"

Qin Tuo, however, just listened with a faint, pensive smile.

But this small gesture was immediately and keenly noticed by Daoist Chongxu.

Daoist Chongxu looked puzzled.

"Oh? And who is this young man?"

Ouyang Tianqi laughed.

"Right, my apologies for forgetting the introduction... Daoist Chongxu, this is the very Mr. Qin I told you about!"

A flash of surprise appeared in Daoist Chongxu’s eyes, and he nodded repeatedly.

He now understood that Qin Tuo was the extraordinary, worldly master Ouyang Tianqi had mentioned before.

But after meeting him in person and sizing him up, a look of distrust crept into Daoist Chongxu’s eyes.

"Mr. Ouyang, this Brother Qin is so young. Is he really as capable as you say?"

It was clear he suspected Ouyang Tianqi might have exaggerated.

Ouyang Tianqi, however, spoke with the highest praise:

"Daoist Chongxu, don’t be fooled by Mr. Qin’s youth. He is a man of great abilities. Perhaps he is the one who can cure your daughter’s illness!"