Daoist Yun Dao
“Elder Ageless Ku Mu?” inquired Captain Liu.
“Is there another Ageless Ku Mu?” sarcastically asked Mu Yu.
“Elder Ku Mu would have cultivation no matter how bad his shape was. You’re telling me that old, beggar-looking, no cultivation man is Ku Mu? Captain Liu, can’t you tell he stole the token? Arrest the fraud and execute him!” ordered Shi Minghui.
Neither of them had seen Ku Mu before because they weren’t born yet or old enough to have met him in the past; Ku Mu left fifty years ago. Shi Minghui probably didn’t care, either. All he wanted was to humiliate Mu Yu out of spite.
“Kill who?” asked Mu Yu, tone turning cold.
Mu Yu whooshed behind Shi Minghui faster than Captain Liu could call, “Stop!” By the time Captain Liu took off, Mu Yu had subdued, moved away, wrestled Shi Minghui to the ground and pinned the latter to the ground underfoot to stop the haughty youth’s spiritual energy flow.
“Release him! Pill Cauldron Sect will not spare you if Young Master Shi is hurt!” warned Captain Liu.
“I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you!” thundered Shi Minghui.
Mu Yu stuck a needle dipped into a numbing substance into Shi Minghui’s Central Pivot, located below the spinous process, to immobilise him. “Keep that mouth shut. You have no right to a voice.”
Captain Liu calculated his counter before choosing to take Ku Mu hostage. Once Captain Liu took his first step, a dragon from Ku Mu roared and swept Captain Liu off balance. Captain Liu quickly steadied himself. He watched as the giant green dragon coiled around Ku Mu. The lumberjacks dropped their tools and bottoms onto the ground.
Mu Yu convinced the dragon vine to bodyguard Ku Mu after Shi Minghui shoved the elder to the ground last time. Initially, the dragon vine refused, afraid it’d be used for some poison. Thanks to Xiaoshuai’s taunts, however, it ended up accepting the job.
“Stop.”
Mu Yu dashed back to Ku Mu’s side after the imposing voice reverberated in the air and shielded the latter behind a field of spiritual energy.
The middle-aged man in the sky had his white hair held in a golden silk hair tie. His purple and gold daoist robe undulated in the wind. He was older than Ku Mu, but he looked as if he was in his fifties thanks to a specific technique he used to maintain his youthful appearance.
“Patriarch, those two trespassed into our grounds and attacked me!” reported Shi Minghui, weeping.
Daoist Yun Dao paid Shi Minghui no heed and locked his attention onto the dragon vine. He then shifted his gaze to Ku Mu and, wearing an indescribable expression, remarked, “You’re back.”
Ku Mu indifferently met with Daoist Yun Dao’s gaze. Ku Mu gave the dragon vine a pat, signalling it could revert to its miniature form and coil around his arm again.
Though Daoist Yun Dao was impressed with the dragon vine he coveted, he had his priorities straight. “You must be Mu Yu, who is the talk of all the land now. Ku Mu, you have a splendid disciple.”
Unhappy Daoist Yun Dao didn’t speak up for him, Shi Minghui pestered, “Patriarch, why are those outs-”
“Who are the outsiders? They are our own. He is your grandpa’s senior, Elder Ku Mu. What do we have non-cultivators doing here? Why are you here?” questioned Daoist Yun Dao.
“I, uh…”
Under other circumstances, Daoist Yun Dao would’ve turned a blind eye to Shi Minghui’s obnoxious behaviour. Nonetheless, because Ku Mu was present, he couldn’t just dismiss it. Daoist Yun Dao stated, “You need to stay in line. You will be punished for this later. Captain Liu, please see the workers out. Shi Minghui, you are dismissed.”
While Captain Liu did as he was instructed, Shi Minghui glared daggers about Mu Yu before taking his leave. For once, Cai Lie, who stood behind Daoist Yun Dao, wasn’t flapping his gums. Nevertheless, Cai Lie continuously communicated with Mu Yu using blinks and winks.
“You erased your spiritual energy in the end, I see,” remarked Daoist Yun Dao. “Frankly, I prefer your white hair over your green hair.”
“Heavens Beyond Heaven. Name list,” Ku Mu outright demanded.
“That’s the first thing you say to me upon returning?”
“It’s always. Rightfully belonged. To me.”
“After your departure, you were stripped of the right for the sake of the sect. I must answer to everyone else despite you now having a disciple. Every shifu has been diligently teaching, and every disciple has been assiduously training for the two spots. What will others think if I just grant you the spot at your behest? They won’t accept it, and it’s not fair on them.”
“Elder, Gramps honestly missed everyone after leaving. He is a member of Pill Cauldron Sect at the end of the day. We can talk this out amicably,” Mu Yu conveyed, noticing the tension.
“You call me ‘Elder’ and him ‘Gramps’? Is it normal for you to be so distant, or are you not his disciple?” Daoist Yun Dao asked, eyebrows furrowed.
“You misunderstand, Patriarch. I wish to address you as Shibo; however, it seemed rude and self-presumptuous to do so. I did not want to cross you. As for why I address him as ‘Gramps’, it is merely a habit. He never voiced his discontent. Therefore, I stuck with it. Most importantly, respect for one’s teacher is something one should always have on his mind, not something merely mentioned out of formality. Would you agree, Shibo?” justified Mu Yu, going along to fight for candidacy.
Daoist Yun Dao’s mood changed for the better. “There is nothing wrong with calling me Shibo since you are Ku Mu’s disciple. After all, I am his senior and your senior uncle. You are quite the polite young man. Ku Mu proved he has good judgement of character seeing as you escorted him here safe and sound after he used Expunging Technique.”
Mu Yu politely smiled. Daoist Yun Dao suddenly asked, “Do you know you killed one of our disciples among the nine people you slew at Floating Celestial Mountain? His name was Shi Yun. What judgement do deem befitting of your deed?” Mu Yu sneaked a glance over to Cai Lie, who pulled an apologetic face for forgetting to remind Mu Yu about it.
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