Chapter 257: The Old Temple Master of Qingfeng Temple, Heading to Kunlun

At South Lake, Ning Fei had ordered another batch of lumber and was currently building a fence around the water.

He had contracted South Lake for ten years, making it his private territory. Putting up a fence to enclose the area made it feel a bit more official.

On the forest path leading from the mountain road to South Lake, Ning Fei specifically erected a sign.

The sign read:

"Wild Bear Crossing. Do Not Approach. Enter at Your Own Risk."

When he set up the sign, Xiaoxiong had been following right beside him.

The bear looked a little plumper now, but still just as goofy as ever. Watching him, the netizens felt he possessed zero intimidating presence.

"Temple Master Ning isn't trying to tell us that Xiaoxiong is the 'wild bear' mentioned on the sign, is he?"

"Looks like it."

"Are you guys looking down on our Xiaoxiong?"

"He does seem a bit fatter now, and not quite as terrified of people."

After nailing the sign in place, Ning Fei returned to South Lake.

"Xiaoxiong, come here."

Ning Fei called out.

"I'm going to teach you a few combat techniques."

On screen, Ning Fei stood face-to-face with a black bear, looking as though they were exchanging respects before a martial arts bout.

"Lunge at me," Ning Fei ordered.

Hearing this, Xiaoxiong was clearly reluctant. Ning Fei added, "Don't worry, it's fine."

Only then did Xiaoxiong pounce toward Ning Fei.

Though Xiaoxiong was on the scrawny side, he was still a black bear. His charge carried an imposing momentum.

He lunged at Ning Fei, but just as he was about to attack, Ning Fei firmly pressed down on his head, pinning him to the ground.

"You jumped too slow."

"Running over from that direction, you should have reared up earlier to prepare your strike."

"If you wait to rear up until you're right in front of me, another bear would have already pinned you from above."

Ning Fei carefully instructed him, then had Xiaoxiong attack again.

Seeing this, the netizens exchanged looks of dismay, staring blankly at their screens for several seconds.

What was going on here?

A human was teaching a black bear martial arts?

"Am I seeing things? Temple Master Ning is teaching Xiaoxiong martial arts?"

"Good lord, I definitely didn't see that coming."

"The Temple Master's stream is always full of surprises."

"Rare early footage of an immortal training a black bear spirit."

"Having to personally teach martial arts to the security guard he hired... Temple Master Ning really has way too much free time."

By the lake, Ning Fei and the black bear continued to spar and play.

Xiaoxiong had never learned combat techniques before. With Ning Fei guiding him, he found it incredibly exciting and had the time of his life.

After wrestling with Xiaoxiong for a while, Ning Fei sat down on a rock overlooking South Lake. Xiaoxiong plopped down beside him.

"I'm leaving in a couple of days. I'll be gone for a while, so behave yourself and stay here at South Lake."

Ning Fei told the Little Black Bear.

Hearing this, Xiaoxiong let out a low cry, his voice tinged with reluctance and sorrow.

The environment around South Lake was excellent now, and relatively secluded.

Furthermore, moving deeper past Qinshan Village, there were virtually no other households. As a result, very few people ever passed by South Lake.

It was a pure haven, far removed from the mundane world.

Next, Ning Fei boarded the Chengfeng Wooden Boat and rowed out onto South Lake, continuously scattering the fish feed he had won from the lottery.

The initially calm surface of South Lake soon resembled boiling water as a massive school of fish relentlessly churned and splashed around.

With Thermal Beads and aquatic plants at the bottom of South Lake, Ning Fei didn't need to worry about the fish surviving the winter.

Once he finished, Ning Fei carefully hid the wooden boat and returned to Qingfeng Temple.

While on the mountain, he cast one last glance back at South Lake.

He didn't know how long he would be gone on this trip, and he felt a deep sense of attachment to his territory.

Back at Qingfeng Temple, the little ones were as full of life and boundless energy as ever.

Ning Fei peeked into the house. By now, the three little black kittens had familiarized themselves with the Daoist temple's environment. Gradually losing their fear of strangers, they spent every day happily playing alongside Little Fox.

"Assemble."

Ning Fei called out upon returning to the courtyard.

The moment he spoke, the small animals all came running over.

Viewed through the live stream, Qingfeng Temple now truly resembled a large, bustling family.

"In two days, we're setting off for Kuncheng, right at the foot of the Kunlun Mountains."

"I'll take you to meet the previous Temple Master of Qingfeng Temple—my master."

"Everyone needs to prepare for a long, grueling trek."

Listening to Ning Fei, the little animals all looked thoroughly confused; it was hard to tell if they understood him at all.

The netizens, however, paid close attention to his announcement.

"Temple Master Ning, tell us some stories about the previous Temple Master."

"Yeah, what kind of person is the old Temple Master? To pass down Qingfeng Temple, he must be a Daoist priest with an ethereal immortal demeanor, right?"

Faced with the viewers' questions, Ning Fei simply shook his head and said, "Sorry, everyone. I won't share any information about my master."

"If we end up staying in my master's courtyard in Kunlun, I might take some time off from streaming. I'll start the broadcast back up once I actually climb the Kunlun Mountains."

Seeing Ning Fei's stance, the netizens felt it was quite a pity.

Judging from Ning Fei's past anecdotes, the old Temple Master was clearly an incredible figure.

Now that his master sought tranquility, Ning Fei had no desire to disrupt his peaceful life.

Furthermore, while his master had a life full of stories, he had also made mistakes in his youth. It would easily invite public gossip and judgment, which was completely unnecessary.

To be specific, back when Bai Yuanche was wandering the Kunlun region, he encountered Another Hidden Sect in Kunlun. It was rumored to be a branch of Emei, accepting both men and women, and was a massive faction.

Then, Bai Yuanche fell in love with a beautiful female cultivator from that sect.

Facing fierce opposition from her sect, the two agreed to elope. But precisely at that time, the Temple Master of Qingfeng Temple prior to Bai Yuanche—now 110 years old—was on his deathbed.

Learning of his master's severe illness, Bai Yuanche rushed back to the Daoist temple in desperation, only to find the old Temple Master had already passed away.

Bai Yuanche took up the mantle of Qingfeng Temple, but in doing so, he failed the female cultivator, who was already pregnant at the time.

That female cultivator was utterly ruthless. She vanished for eighteen years and never contacted Bai Yuanche again.

Thus, Bai Yuanche threw himself into ascetic cultivation at Qingfeng Temple, and naturally, Ning Fei grew up undergoing the same rigorous training alongside him.

At Qingfeng Temple, every former Temple Master would tell their successor:

"Qingfeng Temple belongs to you from now on. You can shape it into whatever you desire."

"Even if you feel Qingfeng Temple has no reason to exist, you can raze it to the ground and go live a carefree life elsewhere in the world."

"The lineage of Qingfeng Temple lies in the heart. If this inheritance is broken, then let it be broken."

Every past Temple Master said this, yet how could any new Temple Master ever truly let the lineage die?

Back then, Bai Yuanche had told Ning Fei the same: if he preferred the bustling life of the big city, he could always bulldoze Qingfeng Temple and go live there in the future.

Ning Fei had merely smiled and replied, "This is a blessed land. I'm never leaving."

Inside Qingfeng Temple, Ning Fei contacted Bai Yuanche once more.

"You're asking if there's any way to accommodate the little guys?"

"Don't worry, there's plenty of space. You hardly have any animals anyway."

Hearing Bai Yuanche's response, Ning Fei felt completely relieved.

That evening, Ning Fei streamed from the pet bathroom.

Right now, Little Fox was teaching the Three Black Chirps how to use the toilet.

The netizens found the scene incredibly amusing.

"Little Fox is way too smart."

"That's nothing. Back when Little Dog first arrived, Little Fox taught him a ton of things too."

"She really is the sweet big sister of Qingfeng Temple."

"Temple Master Ning just saved another huge chunk of money on cat food."

"Watching the Three Black Chirps use the toilet reminds me of that line from Luo Xiaohei: Have you ever seen a cat that knows how to use a toilet?"

"Raising these animals is so worry-free. Aside from feeding them, Temple Master Ning barely has to lift a finger."

Beside the toilet was a paw-print icon shaped like a plum blossom. All the little ones had to do was give it a gentle press, and the toilet would flush.

The pet bathroom was originally one of Ning Fei's most highly creative designs.

A netizen chimed in with a joke:

"This streamer is an absolute legend—actually live-streaming three little black kittens going to the bathroom!"

"But I can't lie, even as a macho man, I really love watching this stuff."

The atmosphere in the stream remained as great as ever.

Sometime later, Ning Fei shut down the stream and returned to his room to pack.

He opened Weibo to let his audience know that he would be traveling the next day and wouldn't be able to stream.

Glancing at his Weibo follower count, he saw it had already surpassed 30 million.

His Weibo account had only ever posted a single update—a repost of the People's Daily commentary about him. Aside from that, he hadn't posted anything else.

Even so, the comments on his Weibo were incredibly enthusiastic, with netizens constantly urging him to post updates and share selfies.

"I have to travel tomorrow, so there won't be a stream. Please forgive me."

Ning Fei typed out the single line on Weibo, hit publish, and immediately ignored the app.

When his fans saw the news, they actually grew incredibly excited.

"Temple Master Ning actually posted on Weibo?"

"He finally remembered he made an account?"

"Weibo's missing person has returned!"

"Temple Master Ning finally remembered his password."

"Hold your horses, everyone. Temple Master Ning is saying he won't be streaming tomorrow."

Inside the Weibo comment section, the netizens eagerly chattered away once again.