Of course, it's pleasant for a beautiful girl to love Yuan Gang, but at the same time, it's a bit of a headache. After all, he knows the Monkey's true nature, and the Monkey desires pure love.
It's not that the Monkey doesn't appreciate beauties. Who doesn't appreciate beauties? They are pleasing to the eye, after all.
In his previous life, with the Monkey's abilities and wealth, many girls threw themselves into his arms. But that wasn't true love. Over time, such girls became repulsive to the Monkey.
One could say that the Monkey was a pure and honest man. He wasn't like Lord Dao, who in his previous life never missed an opportunity to have fun with a girl. And the Monkey himself had frequented "paradise gardens" and tasted many varieties of flowers, gaining rich experience in that regard. Yet, what the Monkey truly desired was a pure girl, pure in character and soul.
For him, appearance wasn't the top priority. Of course, a girl shouldn't be ugly like Shu Qing. However, he favored a girl who wouldn't disdain working with a hoe, who would stay with him through difficult times. He preferred a simple village life. He wanted to come home after work to be greeted by a loving wife with delicious food prepared.
In principle, Niu You Dao found sense in the Monkey's judgments. However, he believed the Monkey's standards were too high. Such girls were even rarer than unparalleled beauties. And that was normal. What woman wouldn't desire better living conditions? Yet, since ancient times, among ascetic monks, there had been a few women with lofty ambitions. They were the ones who truly needed to meet the Monkey. Such a girl, with a calm and simple nature, would be a perfect match for the Monkey.
If everyone tells a girl she's ugly, she'll keep her feet on the ground. But if everyone tells her she's an unparalleled beauty, she'll float among the clouds.
In short, Yuan Gang was always looking for a girl who matched his character.
Upon learning that Hao Qin Qin had fallen for Yuan Gang, Niu You Dao couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Black Peony and the others entered the room, while Niu You Dao sat in his chair, beaming with amusement.
Black Peony:
"Lord Dao, is this Yuan Gang... your friend?"
"My brother!" Niu You Dao replied.
Returning to the room, Wei Duo looked at Yuan Gang with apprehension.
Inside the room, Yuan Gang looked at him and understood Wei Duo's worry. He wanted to know if he had been accepted or not.
Yuan Gang understood that Lord Dao was being overly harsh with Wei Duo. But he also understood that Lord Dao was a man who relied solely on sound reason. He was a cold-blooded individual and didn't want anyone from the Supreme Purity Sect to be tied to him. And Yuan Gang keeping Wei Duo, one could say, had somewhat added to Lord Dao's troubles.
If anyone else had spoken in Wei Duo's favor, Lord Dao would not have agreed to keep him.
Yuan Gang, comforting him, replied, "Calm down. Lord Dao won't drive you away."
Wei Duo immediately brightened and nodded his head:
"Thank you... thank you!"
Yuan Gang: "By the way, the Supreme Purity Sect is now in Beizhou. Do you want to return there?"
Wei Duo shook his head: "S-s-sect leader is h-h-here, the Supreme P-P-Purity S-S-Sect is h-h-here. And I will b-b-be h-h-here!"
Yuan Gang nodded approvingly.
In truth, the more time he spent with Wei Duo, the more he came to respect him. And there were quite few people he truly respected.
"Alright, and one more thing. You shouldn't call him 'sect leader' aloud. Yes, for you, he can be the sect leader in your heart. But address him as 'Lord Dao'."
"O-o-okay." Wei Duo nodded his head.
"It's alright." Yuan Gang patted his shoulders, signaling that all was well.
Wei Duo exhaled in relief, as if a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders.
In another room, Lady Pei had already interrogated Chai Fei about what had transpired, and looking at Hao Qin Qin with displeasure, she said:
"Mistress, where is your shame? You are still a young lady. How can you say such things to others?"
Hao Qin Qin, pouting, retorted:
"If I don't like someone, I say so. If I like someone, I say so too. Must I keep silent about it? If I meet someone I dislike, I scold them. If someone pleases my heart, I tell them I love them. What's shameless about that? The moment I saw him, I fell in love."
Lady Pei angrily said:
"You've only just met him. You don't even know him. And you dare say you love him?"
Hao Qin Qin:
"I've seen many people. Many suitors came to me, and all of them were repulsive. But the moment I saw him, I immediately felt strange and couldn't help myself. I felt a flutter in my stomach. I feel that this Yuan Gang... he's not a bad person. There's a masculinity and righteousness emanating from him!"
Lady Pei: "You don't know him at all, yet you dare say such things. What if he already has a wife?"
Hao Qin Qin: "So what? If I like him, I'll take him. One cannot miss the chance of a lifetime, or they'll regret it forever!"
Liu Feng Hai and Chai Fei's expressions changed. If a man had said that, it might have been excusable. But for a girl... that was the height of audacity.
"You..." Lady Pei, pointing at her, angrily said:
"Do you truly dare to go to his room?"
Hao Qin Qin, with her hands clasped behind her back, sighed and said:
"I'm thinking about it. However, what do I have to lose if I go? It's still unknown who will end up sleeping with whom..."
The moment she uttered that, everyone in the room was struck speechless. It was as if they'd been hit by lightning. Hao Qin Qin was practically overturning established notions of morality! And this seemingly delicate girl dared to utter such words?!
Lady Pei paled. She even became frightened. She covered her mouth to suppress a cry.
When she lowered her hands, she immediately grabbed Hao Qin Qin to stop her from moving, and turning her head, she said:
"This cannot happen again. We cannot be held responsible for this. We're returning! Contact home, have them send people to meet us!"
"Understood!" Liu Feng Hai and Chai Fei nodded and quickly departed.
Hao Qin Qin, however, wide-eyed, began to shed tears...
Over the snowy mountains, more than 200 figures flashed by. Their attire identified them as disciples of the Liuxiang Sect. Among them, a one-armed elder soared. This was Elder Wu Shao Huang of the Liuxiang Sect. On either side of him were two other elders.
For the capture of Niu You Dao, the Liuxiang Sect had dispatched three elders and over 200 disciples.
Among them were Gao Su Cun and Cui Yuan.
The shop in Zhaixing City was no longer under their charge; they had been recalled to the Liuxiang Sect. Their masters had learned of the consequences left behind by Niu You Dao. Not only had their disciples failed to capture Niu You Dao, but they had also allowed their shops to be robbed. The damage was immense, amounting to nearly a million gold coins lost.
It was later revealed that Niu You Dao had most likely stolen everything. This was because in the city, Black Peony and others were seen entering the Liuxiang shop and other shops in the evening, and then proceeding to the Ling Sect shop and other establishments. It wasn't hard to guess that they had most likely sold the goods there.
Later, their people inquired about the matter at the Ling Sect shop. They didn't deny it. They stated that someone had sold them a large quantity of valuable items at a low price, and that they had profited greatly from it. However, the Liuxiang Sect could do nothing to the Ling Sect, much less reclaim their own belongings.
And they could do nothing against the Flowing Clouds Mountain. Therefore, Gao Su Cun and Cui Yuan received severe punishment.
Even Gao Su Cun, a Jin Dan level cultivator, was relegated to gate duty, and for 10 years, he was only permitted to use resources meant for common cultivators.
As Cui Yuan held a lower position, he consequently received a less severe punishment.
This time, both of them were sent here because they already knew Niu You Dao, and Cui Yuan had even seen Niu You Dao in person. Now they had a chance to redeem themselves.
Gao Su Cun genuinely wanted to atone for his mistakes.
Cui Yuan, however, was not as eager, because some of his secrets might be exposed. After all, Niu You Dao had let him go, and he himself had told Niu You Dao about the shops. But here, he was no longer his own master.
Along the way, Cui Yuan constantly thought about how he might kill the witness. Unfortunately for him, he was no match for Niu You Dao at all. He wouldn't be able to kill Niu You Dao.
He also thought about how he might warn Niu You Dao, but that too proved impossible.
As soon as they received news from the Song family, they immediately set out and didn't stop throughout the entire journey.
When they arrived here, Elder Wu Shao Huang took more than ten people and headed into the canyon with them.
"Master?"
They immediately headed to the Liuxiang Sect shop. Wu Shao Huang happened to be the master of the shop's manager, Xiao Tie.
Xiao Tie hadn't expected his master to arrive so quickly.
Wu Shao Huang merely waved a hand and asked:
"Has the target appeared?"
Xiao Tie clasped his hands:
"He has. He's at the Rainbow Inn. However, the situation has changed slightly..." He then recounted how Niu You Dao had been with Chu An Lou.
More people arrived later.
Upon hearing this news, Cui Yuan relaxed. He had worried for nothing.
Wu Shao Huang frowned and asked:
"What does this mean? What is Chu An Lou doing with him?"
"This disciple does not know himself. And we haven't yet managed to find out what's happening." Xiao Tie, clasping his hands, respectfully replied.