After he had walked far away, Zhaocai finally snapped out of the shock of what he had just witnessed. With a stunned look, he voiced his innermost question, "Why is it that you two were both resurrected, but he ended up in a wealthy family while you can barely afford to eat? Ahh, I also want to be in a wealthy family and live like a rich young master!"
Hearing Zhaocai's words, Ning Yitao picked him up and held him in front of her eyes. She stared at him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, and threatened in a low voice, "If you dare to run away with him, just you wait. I'll make sure you go back to your old life of sneaking up on people to suck their yang energy."
Zhaocai instantly cowered and shook his head repeatedly. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Yang energy tastes so bad. Of course I'll stick close to you. I don't care about being in a wealthy family at all."
"Humph, you're smart enough," Ning Yitao said.
Then the two of them embarked on their journey back to their homeland.
***
This time, instead of going home, Ning Yitao and Zhaocai headed straight for the Sanhua Taoist Temple to find Duan Qinghuai.
As soon as Ning Yitao got off the plane, news about Mai Chou broke out on the internet. After the competition, Mai Chou went to a bar to drink with his friends. Then he drove drunk and got into a car accident on the way.
The comments on the news were all singing Ning Yitao's praises.
"Goddess Ning had already warned Mai Chou not to drink after the competition. He just wouldn't listen. Now look at him, he's in the hospital."
"He didn't believe Goddess Ning. Now he knows what it's like to suffer."
"Maybe he deliberately didn't listen. He not only drank but drank so much that he got drunk while driving."
"Ning Yitao looks like a student. She's really amazing."
"I'm actually conquered by a student. She's so cool."
"Sure enough, the metaphysics that originated in Longguo is more powerful."
"Only Goddess Ning took the initiative to save Salawa. That Mai Chou even wanted Salawa to die. It serves him right that he's in the hospital now."
There were scolding voices against Mai Chou all over the internet.
When Ning Yitao arrived at the Taoist temple, she felt that the spiritual energy here was a bit more abundant than in other places. There was still some incense, but not much.
The Taoist temple looked rather shabby, but the characters "Sanhua Taoist Temple" on the plaque were very imposing with golden edges. It still had some grandeur.
However, Ning Yitao thought to herself, "The Tianxuan Sect can only boast this one decent plaque. It's still a bit shabby."
Not long after Ning Yitao arrived at the door, a Taoist priest from the temple greeted her. "Benefactor, I'm Taoist Priest Chu Zhiyuan from the Sanhua Taoist Temple. May I ask what brings you here?"
Actually, Chu Zhiyuan was quite puzzled. He had felt a strong energy fluctuation and rushed out to see what was going on, but all he saw was a young girl.
He couldn't tell the girl's cultivation level or her fate, but he could feel the pressure from her.
She must be more than she seemed. If she had come to cause trouble, he definitely wouldn't be able to defend the temple.
Chu Zhiyuan was worried and could only pray that she wasn't here to stir up trouble.
Looking at this disciple of the Tianxuan Sect who had carried on the legacy, Ning Yitao was quite satisfied. Although his cultivation level wasn't high, to have reached this level in this world, he must have worked very hard.
Moreover, he was good-looking. He was truly worthy of being a disciple of the Tianxuan Sect.
As she thought about it, Ning Yitao couldn't help but reach out and pat Chu Zhiyuan on the arm with a look of relief. Don't ask why it wasn't the shoulder. It was simply because of the height difference. Although Ning Yitao wasn't short among girls, the people around her were all quite tall.
Putting on the air of an elder, Ning Yitao said lovingly, "Don't worry. Now that I'm back, I'll take charge of the Taoist temple. You can rest easy."
"???? What? The Taoist temple changes hands in an instant??" After Ning Yitao said that, she didn't care about Chu Zhiyuan's current mood at all. Poor Chu Zhiyuan was left standing there, confused and lost in thought.
"Wait. With that tone and her unfathomable cultivation, could it be that the founder's spirit has appeared?!"
When he finally figured it out, he quickly chased after Ning Yitao, who was looking around. With a shocked and skeptical look on his face, he asked, "You... you couldn't be the founder's spirit, could you?"
"The founder's spirit? Although I wasn't the first head of the sect, I once held the position of the head. In a way, his words aren't wrong," Ning Yitao thought to herself as she casually nodded at the dumbfounded Chu Zhiyuan. "This good seedling left alone doesn't seem very smart."
Then she walked around him and continued to explore the Taoist temple.
"This place is completely different from what I remember," Ning Yitao sighed regretfully as she shook her head.
Once again, Ning Yitao left Chu Zhiyuan standing there, stunned by the shocking news.
In the past, the Sanhua Taoist Temple was very prosperous with a large number of pilgrims. It was a big temple with several separate courtyards. But since the decline of metaphysics, hardly anyone ever set foot in the once bustling temple.
The empty temple looked extremely desolate and was filled with a chilling atmosphere. It was obvious that the temple didn't have the money for renovation, so everything was kept simple.
Just as Ning Yitao turned a corner, she saw a familiar figure.
It was Duan Qinghuai and Granny. The two of them were standing by a lotus pond. Strangely enough, although it was already autumn, the lotus flowers in the pond were in full bloom.
Ning Yitao knew what this was. The triangular glass bead that had guided Granny before actually contained a wisp of Granny's grandson Mengmeng's soul.
This lotus pond was unique to the Tianxuan Sect. It could repair souls.
But it was no longer as grand as it used to be. Now it was just a small pond, nurturing the lotus flowers and Mengmeng. When that lotus flower bloomed, it would be the day when Mengmeng was reincarnated.
Hearing the sound, Duan Qinghuai turned around and saw Ning Yitao. He strode over with steady and powerful steps. Unconsciously, his eyes and eyebrows were filled with joy that he couldn't hide.
Ning Yitao was still wearing the American-style school uniform skirt prepared by the program crew, which was very eye-catching. It was a bit cool since she had just returned to the country.
Duan Qinghuai walked up to Ning Yitao and naturally took the luggage from her hand. Afraid that she would catch a cold, he took off his coat and put it on her. "You're finally back," he said.
As Duan Qinghuai got closer, Ning Yitao once again inexplicably felt the long-lost feeling of being surrounded by merits. This feeling was simply amazing.
Looking at the merits on Duan Qinghuai's body that hadn't been devoured by any evil spirits, Ning Yitao nodded in satisfaction. She had lost a lot of spiritual energy during the program, and although the merits she had gained from saving Salawa had replenished some of it, who would ever think they had too many merits?
As soon as she met Duan Qinghuai, she didn't want to leave him for a moment. She grabbed his hand and walked towards the lotus pond.
Duan Qinghuai stared blankly at Ning Yitao holding his hand. It was as if the cells in his brain had exploded. A strange feeling welled up in his heart.
"What is she doing? Does she like me? Then... then what about me?" This thought scratched at the young man's heart. He looked around awkwardly, his ears turning slightly red.