The invincible female ghost is a bit love-struck.

Chapter 65 Heavenly Venerable Sword

"Thank you for your concern, senior brother."

The old man cupped his hands in greeting, the curve of his waist conveying a sense of indifferent detachment.

He turned to the side and gestured for him to enter.

"Senior brother, you've come a long way and must be tired. Please come in and have some tea."

"It's getting late. If you don't mind the simplicity of our humble abode, you can stay here tonight."

Only then did Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable shift his scrutinizing gaze from the newly renovated Taoist temple.

His gaze returned to the old man's listless face, and a faint, ambiguous smile appeared on his lips.

"Very well, let the guest do as the host pleases."

However, once one enters a Taoist temple, the proper etiquette cannot be disregarded.

He straightened the cuffs of his dark robe, his tone calm yet undeniably authoritative:

"One must first pay homage to the Three Pure Ones."

"Of course." The old man gestured expressionlessly, "Please, senior brother."

Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable said no more and walked towards the Sanqing Hall with steady steps, exuding an aura of profound tranquility and towering grandeur.

The Taoist priests accompanying him immediately lowered their heads and stood in two rows on either side, their movements perfectly synchronized, showing that they were well-trained.

The old man secretly pursed his lips, but had no choice but to lead his disciples, who were wearing worn-out Taoist robes and peeking around, to follow.

"This vermilion lacquer..."

Upon arriving at the Sanqing Hall, Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable stopped in his tracks.

He stretched out his finger and tapped the pillar lightly, producing a dull "tap-tap" sound.

"The colors are bright, but the paintwork is shoddy and the texture is rough."

He shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the pillars and looking into the hall, his tone full of regret.

"It looks alright from a distance, but up close... tsk tsk, it was definitely rushed."

The old man remained expressionless, only letting out a snort through his nose.

"What you say is true, senior brother."

He Xun seemed not to hear, and walked slowly into the hall on his own, his gaze sweeping over every detail as if inspecting his territory.

"The floor tiles are laid flat, but the grout... sigh, it's not fine enough."

He stopped in front of the threshold and lightly touched the brand-new threshold stone with his whisk.

"Even the threshold stone has been replaced. It's grand now, but it lacks the sense of history that an ancient temple should have."

"In the end, it's... a bit too new, a bit too superficial."

The old man following behind yawned widely, looking like he couldn't be bothered to pay any attention.

As He Xun stepped into the hall, his gaze immediately fell upon the incense table.

The brand-new bronze incense burner contained only a few thin sticks of incense, the smoke so thin it was almost invisible.

"Incense offerings..."

He Xun deliberately dragged out his words, glancing at the old man out of the corner of his eye.

"It doesn't seem to be very vigorous."

He stood with his hands behind his back, his tone calm, yet every word he uttered was a comparison.

"At my Tianlong Temple, the first incense sticks for evening prayers at this hour are probably already fully lit, and the smoke can reach straight through the beams of the hall."

"That's true. The new temple is newly established, and the number of believers still needs to be accumulated. We can't rush it."

The old man's face remained expressionless, and he gave a perfunctory bow.

"It can't compare to my senior brother's Tianlong Temple, which has a profound heritage and is frequented by countless pilgrims."

He said that, but the old man was already cursing in his heart.

Idiot!

It's because they knew you were coming that the temple wasn't accepting worshippers today!

"Eh,"

He Xun seemed oblivious to the barb in the old man's words, and instead waved his hand, his tone becoming unusually "earnest".

"Junior brother, don't underestimate yourself. It's already quite remarkable to have such a spirit."

"only……"

He abruptly changed the subject, pointing with his whisk to the newly sculpted statues of the Three Pure Ones on both sides of the hall.

"Which craftsman was commissioned to make this statue?"

"Look at the eyes and brows of the Supreme Dao Ancestor; they are too kind and gentle, lacking the awe-inspiring majesty of the ruthless Heavenly Dao."

"Lingbao Tianzun's gesture... well, it seems a bit deliberate. After all, he is a young craftsman, and his understanding of the Dao is still shallow."

He shook his head repeatedly, his expression as if he were heartbroken over a flaw in a work of art.

"Last year, our Tianlong Temple rebuilt the statues of the deities. We invited the third-generation successor of the 'Divine Craft Workshop' in Guannei, and it took a whole year to complete."

"When the hall is consecrated, it is filled with radiant light; that is truly..."

He stopped at just the right moment, leaving room for endless comparison and contemplation.

The old man behind him was lost in thought, looking completely nonchalant, preoccupied with what to have for dinner later.

He Xun seemed to only then remember the "important matter," turned around, and put on that condescending concern again.

"Heyin, I didn't mean anything by saying this."

"We are fellow disciples, and seeing your newly completed temple, I can't help but take a few more glances and say a few more words."

"It's all for your own good. I hope your Zhenlong Temple can reach new heights. Don't let some minor details ruin your reputation and make you a laughing stock."

As he spoke, he began to shake his head and sway his body again.

"After all, the Luotian Grand Ceremony has been brought forward this time and is scheduled to be held in Fengtian, so all the temples are watching closely."

"Your timing for this temple renovation is perfect, but if the details don't hold up to scrutiny, it could become a source of gossip, wouldn't that be a waste of all your hard work?"

"These superficial skills truly require dedication. If you need them, junior brother, I can send two skilled craftsmen to give you some pointers."

After saying these seemingly well-intentioned words, the old man simply bowed casually.

"That's not necessary."

"The renovation of Zhenlong Temple was entirely based on my apprentice's preferences."

"As long as he's happy, it doesn't matter what others think, right or wrong."

Upon hearing this, Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable was clearly taken aback, and then a deep curiosity appeared on his face.

"Speaking of which, since arriving in Fengtian City, I've often heard of your good disciple's reputation."

"What was it called... 'The White-Robed Path' again?"

When Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable spoke of other things, the old man didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.

But as soon as Lu Yuan was mentioned, the old man's droopy eyelids instantly lifted, and he seemed to be injected with energy and spirit, even raising his chin a few notches.

"right!"

"Having only been recruited for a year, that's no ordinary intelligence, no ordinary skill..."

The old man, now full of energy, had barely started talking when Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable raised an eyebrow and interrupted him.

"To have such a reputation at such a young age, and to be so intelligent and capable, I, your senior brother, am truly curious."

"Why don't you call him out and have him spar with my newly accepted disciple?"

"Ling Feng, come out!"

As soon as He Xun finished speaking, a young man of about twenty years old, dressed in a magnificent Taoist robe, stepped out from the group of Taoists behind him.

The young man stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the old man.

"This junior, Song Yan, a disciple of the Ling generation from Tianlong Temple, greets my senior uncle."

The old man, who had been in high spirits and was ready to boast about his apprentice, was in the mood for a good talk.

Seeing that his senior brother had no interest in listening and was about to start a competition, his anger instantly deflated.

He reverted to his previous lifeless demeanor, replying casually and perfunctorily:

"He's not in the temple, he's in Fengtian City. We'll talk about it when we have time."

Upon hearing this, Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable casually uttered a remark while slowly offering incense to the statues of the Three Pure Ones.

"Don't let it be some imposter, junior brother, you should be careful to distinguish them..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

The old man suddenly opened his eyes, his anger, which had been building up all afternoon, erupted. He pointed at He Xun's nose and began to curse:

"Shut the fuck up!"

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

No one expected that the old man who had just responded to everything He Xun said with "uh-huh" and "yeah" was actually the same old man.

Now, suddenly, like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, its fur stands on end.

They showed absolutely no respect whatsoever.

Crane's face turned pale and then purple in an instant, a truly spectacular sight.

He clearly had no idea that a casual question would set the old man off like that.

His anger was surging, but he couldn't show it in front of everyone, so He Xun could only force a forced smile.

"Junior brother, look at you. After all these years, your temperament hasn't improved at all."

"That's enough, that's enough, I won't say anymore."

……

Nighttime, a side hall of Zhenlong Temple.

"Master, Uncle Heyin was so rude today. He didn't give you any face in front of so many people."

After a long while, a cold snort came from inside the hall.

"He's just a self-righteous idiot."

"If it weren't for this, how could we have ended up in this state today?"

"Ignore him, he'll never amount to anything!"

……

It was past 1 a.m.

All was quiet, and the entire Zhenlong Temple was immersed in a dream.

The old man, however, was carrying a gourd of wine and wandering around the temple drunkenly, humming a bawdy tune he had picked up from who-knows-where.

As he staggered past the Sanqing Hall, he suddenly stopped.

He turned his head slightly and looked into the brightly lit hall.

Beneath the enormous statues of the Three Pure Ones, on the altar, lay a long sword lying silently.

The sword is two feet eight inches long. Its blade is not dazzling gold or silver, but a dull gold that has been mellowed by the passage of time. It is neither copper nor wood.

Upon closer inspection, its material appears to have extremely fine natural textures, like the annual rings of an ancient tree or the veins of a mountain.

Heavenly Venerable Sword!

The old man, who was always carefree and bleary-eyed from drunkenness, suddenly became incredibly dazed at this moment.

Even... it's a longing!

It was an intense longing that almost overflowed from my eyes.

The old man seemed to be possessed, and he walked uncontrollably into the hall, step by step.

His cloudy eyes were fixed on the Heavenly Venerable Sword on the altar, his expression extremely complex.

I'm walking down the long street~

"Listen to the actors sing about the capital city~"

A clear, melodious voice, out of place in this world, suddenly rang out behind him.

The old man, who had lost his mind and looked completely dazed, trembled violently as if waking from a deep dream, and suddenly turned around with a start.

"Holy crap!!"

"That scared the hell out of me!!"

Unbeknownst to anyone, Lu Yuan was leaning against the gate of Zhenlong Temple, carrying several bottles of fine wine in his hand.

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly and tilted his head.

"You really want the Celestial Sword that badly?"

As Lu Yuan spoke, his gaze fell upon the sword inside the hall.

"You should have said so earlier!"

Lu Yuan paused, then spoke clearly, word by word:

"How about... I try to get you a Celestial Sword this time?"