Daoist Qingyun quickly picked up a piece of green vegetable and stuffed it into Niannian's mouth without a second thought, silencing whatever she was about to say.
"Stop learning from your Fourth Senior Brother. Your words are getting more and more unpleasant!"
"Niannian's right. Master, you are really too narcissistic," Liu Chuchen retorted, a bit miffed. Learning from him meant never losing in an argument. If Niannian mastered this skill, she'd be invincible in both verbal and physical confrontations, ensuring she'd never be bullied.
"Humph, I won't argue with you. Let's get back to business. Do you think it's necessary for us to come to this Metaphysics Exchange Conference?"
Daoist Qingyun was no match for his disciples in an argument, so he abruptly changed the subject.
"As you said, it might seem unnecessary. But years have passed, and who knows the current situation? More and more ordinary people are interested in the metaphysics circle. They can't possibly turn everyone away, especially since some high - ranking families' descendants are among them. No one can afford to offend these people," Shen Weixun said, taking out a handkerchief to gently wipe the stain from Niannian's mouth.
Objectively speaking, he didn't think this trip was in vain, nor did he believe the current situation was the same as in his master's era. In his master's time, the metaphysics circle was very closed - off. There were only a limited number of people in the circle, either from well - connected families or with long - standing feuds. They formed a closed community and competed within it, with a fixed pattern of personnel and interactions. Thus, they were exclusive and didn't want outsiders to disrupt the balance.
Especially since his master's abilities were strong enough to potentially break this balance. Originally, there were three major forces in a state of mutual restraint. The addition of someone like his master could have caused the long - established balance to collapse overnight if any one of the forces managed to recruit him.
However, they couldn't remain stagnant forever, especially in modern society. Although the so - called "opening up" might not be extensive, the circle was more inclusive and willing to accept new blood. The current situation indicated that they had found a new way to maintain balance.
Niannian had learned a great deal of skills, but the Holy Cult was eyeing her covetously. If she didn't understand the circle well, she was likely to stumble. One day, for the sake of interests, people who had never interacted with Niannian might forget their ancestral teachings and join forces with the trash from the Holy Cult.
Shen Weixun didn't doubt the evil nature of humanity and didn't want to take such a risk. Therefore, it was best for Niannian to officially enter the metaphysics circle from now on, so that everyone could recognize and like her. If she could make a few friends, that would be even better.
In the metaphysics circle, age didn't matter. Whoever had the greatest skills was the leader. If Niannian could make friends with some of the family scions, she could take the lead. Their skills weren't the most important thing; what mattered was the families behind them. They would surely offer a helping hand when needed.
Moreover, Niannian herself was not lacking in abilities. Even if their friendship was based on interests, with Niannian's skills and his wealth, no fool would oppose them.
This was why Shen Weixun didn't stop Niannian from befriending He Qing and bothered to come here with her for the Metaphysics Conference. It was all about preventing potential problems and paving the way for Niannian.
"Humph, my opinion doesn't matter. I opposed it so strongly, but you all still came. So don't ask me. I'm just giving you a heads - up. I won't go on the day of the official competition. If there's any trouble, just send me a message. I might as well enjoy the snow scene," Daoist Qingyun said, acting like a proud old man. He kept a straight face and claimed he would never go, but even Niannian knew that he would secretly follow them on that day, looking furtive.
Oh, this awkward old man was always like this. It was really helpless.
"Okay, we know. You can go wherever you like. With Senior Brother around, we don't need you to take care of every little detail. By the way, how's Mistress's soul?" Shen Weixun put down his chopsticks, reluctantly agreeing with Daoist Qingyun. His eyes glanced at the gourd on his master's waist as he asked softly.
Recently, his master had been staying in his room most of the time, mending Mistress's soul. Her soul was still a bit unstable. Although her ghost heart had been put back, it was damaged and needed time to recover. Her soul was still in a chaotic state. Sometimes she could remember everything, and sometimes she would suddenly go crazy.
Niannian had transferred a lot of merits to Mistress and had been helping his master in the room whenever she had time. He wondered how Mistress's soul was now.
Daoist Qingyun was slightly stunned. He looked at the gourd on his waist and said in a deep voice, "Not good. The curse engraved on her soul was too venomous. Even though it was unilaterally erased, the after - effects still remain. She can't keep her soul stable. If she gets a bit excited, there's even a risk of her soul dissipating. If only there was Soul - Rejuvenating Grass. It can stabilize the soul... sigh..."
Soul - Rejuvenating Grass was a very precious herb that grew in corpse - nurturing grounds or extremely yin places. It could directly affect the soul and nourish it. It was a great tonic for any ghost or spirit. But it was extremely rare. Shen Weixun had only heard of it and had never seen it, mainly because he had never bothered to look for it before.
In this world, money could move mountains. Maybe if he spent more, he might find it one day.
"I'll keep an eye out for it," Shen Weixun said. He was the wealthiest among them, but he didn't make any empty promises. After all, such a rare herb was often unavailable even with money.
Just then, Niannian's newly - bought phone rang. She put down her chopsticks, her cheeks puffing like a little hamster's as she silently opened her phone and saw a text message from He Qing.
[The prizes for this year's individual competitions have been announced. The first - place winner in the formation competition will receive a imperial green jadeite rough worth 100 million yuan. The first - place winner in the talisman competition will get a purple - gold writing brush, said to be an antique passed down from ancient times. And for the feng shui competition, the first - place prize is Soul - Rejuvenating Grass. There are also many other competitions. I'll send you the pictures later. See which one you want to sign up for?]