Chapter 8, the path is clear yet obscure again

Qing Xuan was very familiar with the situations of each disciple and quickly arranged their respective tasks. Only nine disciples from the Qing generation remained in the training ground. Rong Chenzi personally guided them in swordsmanship. These nine disciples had been with him the longest; although their skills were not yet perfected, they had already established a very solid foundation.

At the hour of the snake, Qingxu Temple opens its gates to welcome incense offerings from devotees from all directions. Aside from cooking, which is handled by a designated fire worker, various chores such as sweeping, fetching water, chopping firewood, washing clothes, and watering the vegetable garden are rotated among the junior disciples, all of which are fully arranged by the senior disciple Qingxuan

The clam paid no heed to these matters and immediately slammed the table, declaring, "In any case, giving less is unacceptable!"

Today, when Rong Chenzi got up, the river clam also woke up. Rong Chenzi did not want to groom himself in front of her, so he had to go to the secret chamber. He casually draped the replacement clothes over the couch and inadvertently discovered a half spirit stick hanging from the gold hook inside the gauze curtain. He picked it up and took a glance; it was a lower fortune stick, inscribed with: The path ahead is clear yet unclear.

Qingyun covered her panda eyes, looking quite distressed: "That is because in the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, odd numbers represent Yang and even numbers represent Yin. Therefore, the numbers given to female devotees are odd, based on the principle of Yin and Yang complementing each other, as well as the diagrams and texts."

The next day, everything in the observatory was normal. The disciples in the observatory rose at the hour of the rabbit, and after grooming themselves, began their training. The content of the training varied among disciples at different stages; some practiced leg techniques, some performed stances, some trained with swords, and others practiced boxing techniques.

The river clam shook its head: "My eyes hurt, I can't eat."

It is like advising Qingyun, but more like advising myself

Fried rice cakes! By God, I want to eat fried rice cakes! The clam on the iron chain let out a cheer, its eyes squinting into a narrow slit. It swung lightly on the iron chain and, like a butterfly, landed gracefully on the ground, still bouncing and hopping towards the viewing area

The large river clam swayed its small foot over her head, hearing but not perceiving. Fuya became somewhat impatient; she considered herself a top expert in the witchcraft realm and had some understanding of demonic entities. However, this was the first time in her life she encountered such a situation: "You are also here for the divine flesh, aren't you?" She lowered her voice, suggesting a negotiation, "Since our goals are the same, why not cooperate."

Rong Chenzi shook his head and then turned to converse with Fuya. Fuya was intentionally probing into the origins of this river clam spirit, but Rong Chenzi merely changed the subject and did not mention it at all

At that time, before dawn had broken, the scenery and the books were still somewhat hazy. Rong Chenzi practiced swordsmanship with Qingxuan, occasionally lifting her gaze to see, in the faint night, her skirt flowing gracefully and her long hair dancing lightly, resembling a celestial maiden from the heavens.

The entire technique flowed like clouds and water, almost without any flaws. Only he himself knew that the force should not have been that strong. Normally, Qingxuan would only feel a numbness in his wrist, not pain

Master Zixin, the teacher of Rong Chenzi, was not fond of accepting disciples in the past, having only taken in three closed-door disciples in total. However, Rong Chenzi seems to have a strong sense of duty as a disciple, with significant intentions to promote and expand the Qingxu Temple.

Next to the training ground, there are many iron chain posts, each about a person's height, which serve as a place for disciples to practice their lower body skills. At this moment, the river clam is sitting on the iron chain between two wooden posts. She is not sitting still; her small feet swing back and forth, and the sound of the bells around her ankles is crisp like birdsong

Rong Chenzi shook his head: "What do you want to do again?"

The river clam did not cause any trouble, quietly sitting on the luohan bed waiting for him to finish dressing. Rong Chenzi, dressed neatly, came out and, seeing her sitting obediently on the couch, asked with a kind expression: "Are you hungry? I will have someone bring some food; it is still early, so you can continue to sleep."

The young Taoist priests ate with expressionless faces. Qing Xuan, as if it were nothing, picked up a slice of yam and quietly remarked, "I told you that even if the master comes, it would be of no use, wouldn't it?"

Qingyun still wanted to argue, but Rong Chenzi remained silent for half a day before finally asking: "You hit him... just because of this?"

As Rong Chenzi was instructing his disciple, Fuya approached the giant clam. The clam sat on a chain, towering over her, requiring her to look up at it: "Who exactly are you?"

Rong Chenzi took a deep breath, standing at the table for quite some time. After a long while, he turned around and picked up two passion fruits from the Qingxuan table for the river clam. He remained silent for another long moment before finally nodding in affirmation: "It should be done."

The clear melody still needed to be expressed. Rong Chen extended his hand to stop it, lowering his head to observe the river clam gnawing on the fruit. After watching for a long time, he sighed, "Forget it." He shook his head and said once more, "Forget it."

At the end of the Chen hour, breakfast begins. After breakfast, everyone starts to collectively engage in the morning lessons, which include chanting scriptures from various paths, high-level blessings, reciting the sutras, and studying new texts.

The diligent individual responsible for procurement often accompanies Rong Chenzi on outings, spending little time in the temple.

By noon, the river clam had struck a little Taoist priest named Qingyun. The disciple was unable to deal with the river clam and had no choice but to run to find Master Rongchen. At that moment, Master Rongchen was busy divining for a worshipper. Upon hearing the news, he hurried to the dining hall, standing before the river clam with a serious expression: "What has happened again?"

The river clam accepted two fruits, and only then was satisfied: "It is still wise to reason and discuss."

As if sensing the gaze of Rong Chenzi, she turned her head to look over. Rong Chenzi calmly shifted his gaze, and with a swift change of technique, the wooden sword pierced towards Qing Xuan's wrist. Following the momentum, he flicked upward, and Qing Xuan felt a sharp pain in his wrist, causing the long sword in his hand to slip away.

The river clam spoke with confidence: "Of course, I am not someone who lacks reason. Would I randomly hit someone? ! Rong Chenzi, you be the judge, should he be hit or not?"

The river clam smiled so widely that its mouth curled up like a pea pod: "I will go watch you practice!"

The sign was centered and folded, and Rong Chenzi speculated that it must be that river clam causing trouble again, shaking his head as he placed the sign into his sleeve

The veins on Rong Chenzi's forehead bulged, and he slammed the table, ready to erupt in anger. He Bange quickly touched his own eyes.

He is a cautious person, and at this moment, he has sent Qingsu down the mountain to investigate the situation, while this Fuya naturally remains by his side for easier monitoring, to prevent any further troubles and to keep an eye on the books.

"May you be blessed with boundless fortune." He first performed a bow to Fuyah, which could be considered a complete display of etiquette. When he spoke to the clam, he instinctively lowered his voice by two tones: "The dining hall has prepared fried rice cakes; let us return to the room to eat."

From then on, the members of Qingxu Temple understood that the master was strict; however, in the presence of this cauldron, even the strict master was devoid of integrity

The river clam seemed either disdainful or too lazy to respond, but Rong Chenzi hurried over.

... ...

The river clam was still indignant, grabbing his sleeve and exclaiming: "Zhi Guan! How outrageous! This little Taoist is so inconsiderate! He gave two to others but only one to me!"

In the training ground at the back mountain, Rong Chenzi was dressed neatly, his demeanor solemn, and his conduct proper, followed by a lively river clam hopping behind him. All the disciples bowed in reverence to him, and he nodded, signaling Qingxuan to arrange for everyone to practice today's lessons

Before long, Fuya also arrived at the training ground. In addition to her proficiency in witchcraft, she was also skilled in the use of a staff. Today, she wore a vibrant red short outfit, which made her appear lively and striking. Since the giant river clam fell victim to the Blood Eye Technique, Rong Chenzi had been somewhat indifferent towards her. However, due to the lack of concrete evidence, he had not turned against her.