Above the Great Dao

Qiongyang Ancestor let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "It seems that in his eyes, we're still not as important as his Dao. But that's fine, it saves us from competing with them for superiority."

Her eyes glistened as she looked at Chen Shi, saying: "Luckily, it's you who came this time. If it were your father, I might not resist giving him a hard time. Hmph, who knows which wild woman he fathered you with!"

Chen Shi laughed: "Ancestor, my father wouldn't dare to come. Ancestor, Yu Lingzi is imprisoned in the Demon Suppressing Cave, could you release him?"

"Yu Lingzi? He seems to have been punished to cultivate in the Demon Suppressing Cave for breaking a few senior brothers' fingers."

Qiongyang Ancestor said, "It's a minor issue."

She summoned a Daoist, took out a Jade Talisman, and said: "Take my command and go to Wenxu Peak to release Yu Lingzi."

The Daoist hesitated: "Yu Lingzi injured the Sect Leader's disciple; it's the Sect Leader who imprisoned him..."

Qiongyang Ancestor's face turned cold as she sneered: "I told you to go, so go! Stop dithering. If Chang Ying doesn't release him, I'll lock him in the Demon Suppressing Cave to reunite him with his master!"

The Daoist dared not speak, replied timidly, and flew off on his sword.

Qiongyang Ancestor looked at Chen Shi, her expression softened, and she said with a smile: "You don't need to be afraid; I'm not usually like this. My nature is very gentle, your grandfather knows that."

Chen Shi laughed: "I too think the Ancestor is a particularly gentle person."

Qiongyang Ancestor lowered her eyebrows with a smile, quite pleased.

Chang Ying Daoist rushed in and said with a smile: "Uncle Qiongyang, Yu Lingzi returned from Western Capital and didn't attend the Imperial Examinations, so a few senior brothers said a couple of words to him and he got furious, breaking their fingers..."

Qiongyang replied: "Imprisoned for this long, it's enough for him to have reflected."

Chang Ying Daoist said: "All ten fingers of my disciples have been broken by him. Even his Uncle Ai tried to mediate but got grabbed by the fingers too. If he wasn't more skilled, he would probably also have had his fingers broken."

Qiongyang said: "Surely the Daoist Ai pointed at him with his fingers, which led him to grab the fingers. That's not mediation; it's reprimanding."

Chang Ying Daoist tried to say more, but Qiongyang Ancestor's face turned cold: "If you keep blabbering on, you'll go down there to accompany your master!"

Chang Ying Daoist quickly urged another Daoist: "Why aren't you going to release him yet?"

The Daoist quickly affirmed.

Qiongyang Ancestor stopped the Daoist, saying: "You shall lodge a complaint with the Sect Leader, and for that, punish yourself by staying one day in the Demon Suppressing Cave!"

The Daoist's face turned pale with fear and he hurried away.

Qiongyang cast a glance at Chang Ying Daoist and asked in surprise: "Sect Leader, why are you still here? Go attend to your work; I want to take a stroll with Chen Shi."

Chang Ying Daoist affirmed, saying: "Uncle, don't make things difficult for Chen Shi. Chen Shi returned our sect's Immortal Sword, which is a great favor to our sect. I've ordered all the Taoists on the mountain not to say that people from the Chen Family are all demons anymore..."

Qiongyang Ancestor laughed: "Why would I give him trouble? When Little Ten died back then, I personally went to the underworld to save him. You can leave now, there's nothing here for you."

Chang Ying Daoist let out a sigh of relief before leaving.

Qiongyang Ancestor said to Chen Shi: "Don't misunderstand, I'm really gentle in ordinary days; the Sect Leader isn't afraid of me."

Chen Shi hesitated, feeling that his previous judgment might have been slightly misguided.

"I ordinarily reside at Green Bird Peak. Originally when your grandfather and I were Dao companions, we renamed Green Bird Peak to Red Bird Peak."

Qiongyang Ancestor conjured a cloud from under her feet, carrying her and Black Pot towards Green Bird Peak, reminiscing about the past, her smile full of emotion, saying, "Those were truly wild times; the mountain Daoists criticized us, even my master couldn't help urging me to restrain myself a little. I retorted, we practice Immortal Dao, seek the Dao. Why must we wear Daoist robes? Why must we be detached and emotionless? Is desire not also part of Dao? He couldn't argue further. Later, when your grandfather left, I was heartbroken and changed the name back to Green Bird Peak."

Her Cloud Stepping Skill was extremely fast; as she spoke, she'd reached Green Bird Peak and descended.

On the mountain was Green Palace, named Green Bird Palace, also enshrining a bronze statue of Qing Yang.

Presumably, it used to be called Red Bird Palace.

In Green Bird Palace, everywhere were women, not in Daoist robes, preserving youth techniques, graceful and lithe, dazzling to behold.

Chen Shi felt the influence of Lower Corpse God Peng Jue on him, hurriedly recollecting himself, curiously asking: "Qiongyang Ancestor saved me before?"

Qiongyang Ancestor laughed: "Your grandfather asked, how could I not go? I thought after he left Taihua Qing Palace, we were worlds apart, never to meet again. Didn't expect he'd come back for you. When I saw him again, I thought I'd forgotten him, but when turning back, he was still there."

In Green Bird Palace, many cultivation women frequently glanced at Chen Shi, very curious about him.

Qiongyang Ancestor reprimanded them: "All stay away. Hasn't this palace suffered enough injuries? You're still throwing yourselves into fire, provoking men from the Chen Family. You think he's handsome, but he's quite fickle at heart! Little Ten, I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about your grandfather!"

Chen Shi was long accustomed.

Qiongyang Ancestor drove them away and then inquired about Chen Yindou's final years in detail, laughed and reminisced for a long time.

"Grandfather wouldn't have left so early if it weren't for saving me." Chen Shi felt a bit sorrowful.

Qiongyang Ancestor sighed: "He's already old, and I'm old too. Perhaps someday I'll go down to accompany him, so no one will compete with me anymore. Alas, a lifetime of cultivation was meant for immortality, yet immortality was not achieved. If only I had been braver back then, casting aside everything to leave Taihua Qing Palace with your grandfather, maybe I'd be your true grandmother now."