Noticing the melancholy atmosphere around her Master, Bai Ling didn't know what to do, so she just quietly stood behind him.

This silent, ancient aura around her Master was like a ferocious beast, unwilling to let go of its prey.

But suddenly, Hou Shu turned his head back and shot her a look. A deep, piercing look. This look stayed on her for what seemed to be an eternity, yet it was only for a few breaths.

The moment Hou Shu withdrew his gaze, the aura around him vanished. As if the ferocious beast was sent running by its own prey.

Then Hou Shu drank all the remaining wine in a single big gulp. As the warm, smooth yet acidic wine went down his throat, he couldn't help but say, "Good Wine! Wines aged above an earth vein are definitely the best of the current time."

Saying this, Hou Shu went quiet once again. But after what seemed like a few breaths of time, Hou Shu spoke up once more, this time addressing the disciple standing behind him.

"You came back with the wine when Daoist Que Zi left." Said Hou Shu with a somber voice, without turning back to look towards her.

Hearing this, Bai Ling lost all color on her face.

She quickly knelt and said, "Disciple has failed Master! Disciple deserves punishment!"

Seeing her determined face, Hou Shu couldn't contain it anymore and burst into laughter.

He turned around as he caressed her rough, yet delicate face and said in a gentle voice, "Why are you still so serious? Get up."

The instance he finished speaking, a gentle gust came by.

This gentle gust lifted Bai Ling to her two feet before she could even respond.

"Remember, I am not your previous Master. It's okay to fail, failure is a part of the Dao as much as success is." Said Hou Shu gently while directly looking into her eyes.

But before Bai Long could answer, Hou Shu started to recite, in a tone that almost seemed sonorous yet sacred, "What is and what is not give birth to one another, What is difficult and what is easy complete one another, Long and short complement one another, High and low incline towards one another, Note and noise harmonize with one another, Before and after follow one another."

"This is the teaching you were taught in that mortal temple right?" Asked Hou Shu with a smile.

"Y-yes..." Bai Ling answered softly, clearly recalling something she didn't want to remember.

"I don't think its a wrong teaching." Hou Shu said as his smile took on a sagely demeanor.

"But Master! These teachings are from the mortal world!" Bai Ling cried out, despite her less-than-ideal state of mind.

"So what if it is?" Asked Hou Shu.

"But... But... Master is a cultivator! How can a mortal teaching compare to a cultivator's?" Bai Ling voiced out.

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"A good teaching is a good teaching, no matter if it came from a mortal, a cultivator, or even an Immortal!" Hou Shu spoke with a laugh.

"I am saying this because I think this teaching is quite compatible with you," Hou Shu stopped for a moment and sent a deep, soul-moving gaze directly into her eyes, "My little Ling'er, you are stuck in the past. But by staying in the past, you lost the acknowledgment of both past and future."

This left Bai Ling speechless, but not because she was shocked, deep down, whether consciously or unconsciously, she knew she was stuck in the past, but she was unable to come up with an answer to refute her despite her mind screaming for one.

"Thus, let go, do not think, just follow the joy of the present. By wallowing in the present, you will be acknowledged by both past and future." Hou Shu said gently.

To this, Bai Ling couldn't say anything but softly say, "...Yes... Master..."

To this, Hou Shu gave a wide smile, showing his pearly teeth as he nodded and said, "Now that we have concluded this, let us talk about what I was originally about to say."

Hou Shu patted Bai Ling's shoulder as he said, "You may have arrived after Yan Que Zi left, but you were not that far from coming on time."

"Thus," He then turned around and said, "You are coming with me in this case!"

Just as he uttered the last syllable, he waved his azure, star-embroidered sleeve. From it, appeared a ship in the sky. A miniature ship one might use to decorate their dwellings.

But Hou Shu didn't give that any attention as he floated towards it.

The moment Hou Shu was two zhang away from it, it expanded in size into a huge majestic ship!

But that's not all, if one looks closely, they will notice that this ship was that it was solely made out of arrays!

Golden Sky Faring Hull Array, Space Stabilization Array, Lightning Wing Array Flag... One could see how ornate and sophisticated it was just from a glance even if one is not proficient in arrays.

But to Hou Shu, the owner of this ship, it was nothing of significance. Thus, gently floated onto its deck and then turned around to look back at his disciple and said, "Come up, Ling'er."

Not wanting to disobey her Master, she also floated onto the deck.

The instance she stepped on its deck, the Space Stabilization Array glowed and covered the sky above the deck in the shape of a dome and then turned invisible.

Then the ship started to fly in the southeastern direction. The ship's speed was so great that not many below Hou Shu's level could catch up to it.

But just as the Ship started to travel, Bai Ling couldn't hold back and voiced her newfound worries, "Master... Isn't it rude to include me in this when Senior Yan sent me away then?"

Of course, she can see through this blatant euphemism. She is, after all, someone who had come of age long ago, even if she is not considered old by the standards of cultivators. She was surprised earlier when she didn't see Yan Que Zi only because she was only thinking of the test her Master gave her and her fatigue from that.

Now that she is well-rested, she can easily figure out what happened without anyone telling her.

Hearing this, Hou Shu only let out a harrumph as he said, "What if it is? But where can I find such a prime opportunity to teach you?"

"Don't worry, while Daoist Que Zi may prefer this to be of utmost secret, I am sure knowledge of this has already leaked. Thus even if he thought ill of this, he won't speak out!"

Hearing this, Bai Ling let out a sigh of relief. She cuffed her palms and bowed, "Disciple understands!"

Hou Shu just let out a laugh, "Don't worry, if he speaks out for this, let's see who can find his daughter!"

The moment he finished, a gust of wind came, despite the barrier out up by the Space Stabilization Array.

This gust was so strong that even Bai Ling, a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage, had to block with a Spiritual Qi barrier.

But the moment the gust of wind stopped, Bai Ling realized her Master had vanished!

Just then, Hou Shu's voice echoed with a small chuckle, "Ling'er, go to your cabin now, for we are charging straight toward Yan family's Yan Hua Tower!"