1238 Self-proclaimed sovereign

t in the corner by the door. My brother impatiently loosened his tie and complained, "It's so hot out here, you want me to wear a long-sleeved shirt and tie I'm dying! Bring me a glass of iced plum j...Although the Qingyu Taoist Temple has pleasant scenery and fresh air, suitable for nourishing one's body, it is still somewhat inconvenient for ordinary people who are not practitioners.

After all...here...I have to run to the front mountain to ask the Daoist masters for a phone.

Such things as mobile phones that can affect one's practice will, of course, be strictly controlled. Many Daoists' phones are managed uniformly by the managing Daoist, unlike us who usually can't be separated from our phones.

I was lucky. I went to borrow a phone and just two steps later, I ran into Daozhang, the head manager, who was brushing Weibo at the back mountain gate.

That's not what people call "brushing Weibo," that's managing a public account for a Taoist temple.

Whatever the Taoist says, I listen to.

"The main function of this public account is to provide accommodation booking for devotees and online consultations for religious ceremonies. Please also pay attention to it in the future. We will also promote popular articles on Taoist thought, so that more people can learn and understand…"

"You just said it was chicken soup text..."

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

"Tsk tsk, my slip of the tongue! This worldly stuff is best left untouched. I was just reading some posts from other official accounts and pondering how to incorporate Daoist philosophy into everyday life, something both refined and popular can appreciate..."

“Alright, alright... I’m not going to report you to Master Ling Xu. Why are you so worried... I was just using my phone to make a call.” I held out my hand to him.

This head monk had lent me his phone a few times, but he always seemed reluctant. Every time I called home, the conversation would take quite a while, and he'd have to stand there waiting for ages – after all, this phone belonged to the temple. He always looked worried that I might drop it.

I deliberately grabbed the sleeve of my robe and wiped the screen, making my phone look precarious. He glared at me: "Yin Luo, you little rascal, be careful, don't always tease us honest people..."

“Who asked you to listen to me make a phone call Look at the beautiful scenery over there. Why not go sit on that large rock and meditate on the *Huang Ting Jing* When you’re finished with your practice, I'll be done here as well, alright” I smiled and said to the Daoist in charge.

Actually, dealing with these practitioners is indeed more comfortable than interacting with ordinary people. Because practitioners who spend time in a pure environment become relatively simple. Ordinary people in the mundane world, through their struggles and experiences, inevitably become shrewd and cautious.

The master shook his head and sighed, waved his sleeves, and sat down on the large stone. I sat on the steps of the back mountain gate, leisurely chatting with my family on the phone.

Who calls me family From start to finish, asking greetings, one person takes a few minutes, it has to take half an hour or so, right

Moreover, some people are not so easy to deal with.

For example, my eldest brother...

After a long time apart, I feel like the eldest brother is becoming more and more like the big demon king.

"Hm Back and not going home You don't worry about your wife's health Aren't you aware of your own condition Go to the hospital Hmph, I thought you were going to learn from ancient people and just feel your pulse School Do you even remember you have school"

...and so on.

I'm trembling with fear.

And the eldest brother is the kind of person who "gets angry with you because he cares about you, and if he just scoffs at you, it means he doesn't care." So sometimes when the eldest brother scolds us, there's a strange sense of satisfaction in our hearts

I always apologize during every call, but today, it seems my elder brother is rather busy and doesn't have time to patiently reprimand me.

"Shixiong, are you outside" I heard some whispers.

"Well, that Dao Zong you mentioned previously found your seventh junior brother and said that he had handled the cash for you according to your request. However, large amounts of foreign exchange need a legitimate channel so as not to be troublesome when investigated later. So he went through purchasing medicinal materials from our family company, investing in base projects, and so on... These things are hard to explain to you either, we've been dealing with these matters recently."

"Oh…" It's because of me again.

"When will you be back I've already made arrangements at the hospital."

"I'm not going to that place from last time, the headmaster there acted like a starving wolf seeing meat when he saw you, practically eager to marry his daughter off to you."

"Humph..." The eldest brother chuckled softly, "Alright then, I'll go to a general hospital instead."

"Um, that..." I hesitated a bit, wanting to ask about Ms. Xue's situation, but it felt a little awkward to bring up.

I felt like I was carrying back a corpse, but I couldn't believe Ms. Xue would have died so quietly. In my mind, she was a shrewd and ruthless old fox who could abandon her husband and daughter without a second thought; she wouldn't take such a humiliating loss lying down.

But how do I ask Should I ask if she's still alive Or should I ask if she's come back to life

Big brother seemed to know what I was thinking. He said, "Your wife's condition isn't good. If your body doesn't need rest, come back and have a look. By the way, slowly recuperate and prepare for childbirth. You've been traveling and working hard throughout your pregnancy, which could harm the child's innate energy. Now that things have calmed down, hurry up and relax."

"Well, how about Ms. Xue then... "

"The master said before that he saw her eyelids twitch, but she didn't wake up. She has been in a coma this whole time. The master used various methods to keep her alive, stimulating acupoints and clearing meridians every day. Although she hasn't woken up, her complexion looks a little better."

"Um..."

"I'm off. Find out what you want by coming back here yourself."

"Okay."

Master Brother hung up the phone, and I held onto my phone, stunned. It felt like I had forgotten to ask something.

"What did I forget to ask…" I rubbed my temples. A pregnancy does make you forgetful, it seems. Like I'd completely forgotten what I wanted to know.

"Want to go home" Mu Wanchen suddenly appeared behind me, reaching out to hug my waist.

Before, when he did this, it felt very affectionate. Now, doing it feels more like he's protecting me, always half-pulling me into his arms.

But my belly is already pressing against him, now it's not easy to hang on him either.

"There's nothing much going on at home, but we should probably check it out. What do you say, shall we head back" I asked Mu Wanchen for his opinion.

Mu Wanchen nodded and said, "Okay, I'll send you home first. Knowing that you have your family to take care of me will give me some peace of mind, so I can go and check on the people who are living in Miao Wang City."

"....Don't disappear for ages again." I muttered softly.

Mu Wanchen curved his lips and said, "How is that possible My only connection to the world now is you. The title of Witch King is just a symbol in the eyes of some people. In the days to come, besides settling those people, the rest is to be with you."

"Twelve hours a day, huh"

"Hmm... the companionship of sunrise and sunset." He lowered his gaze to look at me.

His gaze was something I couldn't bear. It was both gentle and forlorn, with a distant and unfathomable depth in his eyes. It was hard to imagine such a tall and imposing man showing such vulnerability.

"A Hundred Years of Solitude" is a somewhat sentimental term for ordinary people like us.

But for those who cultivate the Tao and possess magical abilities, this is their ordinary state of mind. They rarely encounter someone they can rely on.

Thinking about this, the previous hardships and struggles didn't seem like much. After all, Mu Wanchen had never caused me inner pain.

Even the slightest frustration or annoyance would vanish in his gentle, water-like eyes.

These eyes really do hold the stars.iao Ruyi."Hmph... this Ruyi of yours is quite troublesome, we've got it in our hands but can't use it for anything, and can't even destroy it. Hmph... truly, there are such artifacts in this world" A...