Chapter 40: Circle

  Shen Geng's speech in the cafeteria had an immediate impact, and Xiao Qingtuo, the only one among the Pei family siblings who had integrated into the group, lost almost all of her friends after breakfast.

  She was very calm at the time, and said to Fangfang who had not left yet: "It's okay, I'm used to it. Before coming to Pongshan, my parents had already reminded me that such things would happen. I still have two younger brothers, and I am not lonely at all." Her voice was still soft and childish like a little girl of a few years old, but her tone and expression were like those of a seasoned person who had experienced many hardships. The tears in her eyes rolled around several times, but never came out.

  Shen Geng drew two circles in the dining hall, one for friends and one for people to be wary of. Outside these two circles were ordinary disciples who didn't stand out. After him, four other Taoist door disciples also chose their own friends. Shen Hua and Fang Fang were lucky enough to be selected in this batch. The other young men from Ye Lin Town could only be envious onlookers. They were already happy that they hadn't been ostracized because of their demonic nature.

  Xin Youtao was also selected, and he washed away the gloom on his face. He spent the entire morning in high spirits, spreading all sorts of stories about Shen Geng and others to the "ordinary disciples". No one could tell whether these stories were things he had heard or just made up.

  Shen Geng and Shen Ji were two brothers, only one year apart in age. As for why "Geng" was the older brother and "Ji" the younger brother, Xin Yu Tao couldn't explain clearly and could only gloss over it. The parents of the Shen brothers were both law enforcement officials in the Department of Punishments, and were highly respected on Mount Pang.

  The parents of the other three were also disciples of various schools, and one person's mother was even a Hui Feng Master of the Five Elements School - which means she is proficient in three major categories of five-element magic, and is a rare elite among the nine major paths.

  Shen Hao walked back from Sheng Yi with an abnormal gait, his knees raised too high as if he was about to take off in flight, but instead looked a bit clumsy. His facial expression was half pleased and half bewildered, like a mischievous student who had just received praise from the teacher for the first time. "He asked me to call him Sheng Yi Dao You, so it's easier to distinguish him from his brother. He also said my staff skills are not bad, if I'm willing to work harder, maybe I can earn the title of Pang Shan disciple."

  The young men of the Ye Lin Town all gathered in a room, now they all showed envious eyes, only Xiao Qiu slightly frowned, "He spoke to you like that?"

  "What's wrong?" Shen Hao still didn't understand.

  "How can you lecture me? You're just about the same as us, a new apprentice who's just started to learn the basics. What qualifications do you have... to speak in such a tone?"

  The young men looked at Xiao Qiu in surprise, and Da Liang Shen Xiu Ming said: "The parents of the Shens are all Taoists, they have been cultivating Taoism since they were born, even if we enter Mount Peng together with them, how many years have they been practicing? We've only been doing it for a few months, our level... should be different, right?"

  Shen Hao scratched his head, "They've lived in the mountains since they were young and have no contact with ordinary people, so their way of speaking is like this. Actually, they're quite kind-hearted."

  "Ah, yes, Shengong Daoist was quite polite during breakfast, taking the initiative to come over and talk to us. Little Autumn, shouldn't we return the visit later? Or should we wait until lunchtime?"

  Indeed, considering the status of the Shen brothers, their behavior and tone were quite polite, much more so than Shen Haoli, the second young master of the Shen family in the past. However, Xia Qiu still felt awkward, "Shen Geng shouldn't have spoken to Xiao Qingtong like that, Xiao Qingtong has never offended anyone."

  Everyone still remembers the scene where Pei's siblings walked out of the dining hall in a flurry, the young men fell silent for a while, Er Liang Shen Xiuyi said: "What can be said is that Shengui Dao friend told the truth, everyone thinks so, it's just that no one dared to say it publicly before, Little Autumn brother, didn't you also object to being friends with them?"

  "It doesn't matter whether we're friends or not, but Shen Gong shouldn't humiliate Xiao Qingtong in public." Zhenzi Mufei Huang suddenly interjected, he didn't receive much attention from the Daoist sect's disciples, and while admiring Xia Qiu and others, he also felt a bit envious, and had some sympathy for the Pei siblings.

  "That's just how straightforward we disciples of the Taoist school are." Er Liang Shen Xiuyi explained.

  "It's not just that." Shen Hao recalled some rumors he had heard, although the source was Xin Yutao, but also a few points worth believing, "Shen Geng, Shen Ji's grandfather and an aunt died in the land of demons many years ago, so their whole family extremely hated the demon race, no matter what kind."

  "I really don't understand why Pong Shan wants to take in a few non-supernatural beings as his disciples?" Er Liang Shen Xiu said angrily, now completely standing on the side of the Shens.

  Xiao Qiu had nothing more to say, shrugged her shoulders and said, "Let's just go practice our boxing skills instead, no need to get involved in other people's business."

  Shen Hao walked to the door and took a look, "Fang Fang hasn't come back yet? She's been chatting with that female disciple for quite a while."

  Er Lang Shen Xiu smiled and said: "Fang Fang likes stories about Daoist unity the most, of course we have to chat a bit more."

  Xiao Qiu thought Fang Fang wouldn't just break off contact with Xiao Qingtong like that, so he led the way out of the room to the martial arts training ground between the main house and the east wing, where they all went to practice boxing. After a round, everyone dispersed, but Shen Hao and Er Liang Shen Xiuyi were eager to make new friends and ran especially fast.

  Only Xiao Qiu was left alone, he practiced his Iron Bone Fist again, then sat down on a stone bench under the tree to rest.

  It's mid-October, and the Wild Forest Town should be quite cold by now. However, Mirror Lake Village, which is also located in the northwest but thousands of miles away, only has a slight coolness, and Xia Qiu doesn't even need to add any outerwear.

  Perhaps the Taoist of Pongshan had cast a spell over the entire region, preventing the climate from changing too drastically. Looking back, Xia Qiu discovered that the rain here was always very timely, and every time it rained, it was at night, without interfering with daytime activities.

  Magic is really versatile, this idea just disappeared, Xia Qiu concentrated her mind to listen to the sounds in the house, having a supernatural ability and not using it is like having toys that are not played with, having gold and silver that are not spent, it always makes people's hearts itch.

  It only took once, and soon Xia Qiu easily found the voices of Shen Geng, Shen Ji, and three other Taoist disciples, still as elegant and cold as ever, even if there were probably no outsiders nearby.

  They were discussing topics of spiritual cultivation, some of which were quite abstruse. If Xia Qiu hadn't read some books and listened to Fang Fang's stories over the past few months, she probably wouldn't have understood a single sentence.

  Just as Xiao Qiu was about to give up, a female disciple mentioned his name, "That one called Mu Xingqiu seems to be very arrogant."

  Shen Gang said, "Normally, relying on his talent and looking down on others, he is the strongest among these disciples, so it's natural for him to be a bit arrogant. I just hope he doesn't become stupidly arrogant, definitely has to interact with Fei Yao, that Qin Ling Xue..."

  Just as Sheng Gang mentioned "Qin Lingfeng", Fangfang's voice came over, "Xiao Qiu..."

  Xiao Qiu was momentarily unable to distinguish where the voice came from, her heart skipped a beat, and she hastily withdrew her hearing, feeling a wave of dizziness in her mind.

  "What's wrong with you?" Fangfang stood in front of Xia Qiu, only five or six steps away from him.

  "It's nothing, just a bit dizzy." Xia Qiu shook her head, "Looking for me with something?"

  Fang Fang bit her lip, thinking for a moment before speaking up, "Xiao Qing Tao is my good friend, I won't break off our friendship just because of someone else's words. But you and the others don't need to mind my choice, go make new friends if you want, as long as...as long as we're clear in our hearts."

  "Shen Geng and Shen Ji had a family member killed by the demon, so they hated all demons, just like the destruction of Ye Lin Town at the hands of the demon..."

  "I know." Fang Fang slightly raised her head, and in a moment, the proud expression on her face was even more than Shen Geng's. "But grievances have a beginning and debts have an owner. The Pei family has been living in Furong Mountain for seven or eight generations, and their feud with the Shen family is not related to them at all. Xiao Qingtiao hasn't even seen what a demon looks like, she shouldn't be discriminated against."

  "But..."

  Fang Fang smiled sweetly, "I didn't mean for you to be friends with the Pei family siblings. I myself only get along with Xiao Qingtong. You're a boy and I'm a girl, we should naturally have our own separate friends."

  "I understand, I think so too." Xia Qiu said immediately, Fang Fang's idea indeed made things simpler.

  The two of them didn't speak for a while, and finally it was Fangfang who broke the silence. "Among us people in Yeli Town... nothing has changed, right?"

  "It hasn't changed." Xia Qiu replied, but in her heart she felt a bit bewildered, unsure what hadn't changed, and kicked away the stone at her feet.

  Things aren't as simple as the two of them imagined.

  At lunchtime, the atmosphere in the dining hall changed from its usual state. Everyone who walked in seemed like an audience rushing to watch a show, quickly finding their own seats and scanning around with their eyes, searching for today's protagonist.

  Five Taoist disciples were divided into two tables, male and female. Two female disciples called over their chosen friends, making a total of eight people, just enough to fill one table. Three male disciples took a bit longer to gather their friends, but Xin Youtao, Shen Hao, Er Liang Shen Xiuwei, and another young man were lucky enough to sit at this table. The first three looked pleased and composed, while the last three seemed a bit nervous, keeping their heads down and not daring to make a sound.

  Then the others sat down, Pei Zihao and Pei Ziqi hid in a corner, eating with their heads down, while Fangfang and Xiaocitao sat in another corner, these two tables looked deserted.

  Several village women watched this scene with great enthusiasm and almost forgot to cook dinner.

  Xiao Qiu had practiced the Bone Fist twice and arrived a bit late. Er Liang Shen You immediately waved at him, and Xiao Qiu walked over under everyone's gaze, with only one spot left next to Shen Kang.

  Shen Gang's right hand pressed on the stool, he raised his head and looked at Xiao Qiu, "There is something I think it's better to say first."

  Xiao Qiu nodded, he had been practicing his fist for a whole morning, and there was some sweat on his face. He raised his hand to wipe it off with his sleeve. Shen Hao and Er Liang Shen Xiuyi were both agape, their faces filled with shock and uncertainty.

  "There is only one way to cultivate the Tao, no other path exists. Being a person is also like this, you can't waver back and forth. I believe some non-humans are good, but this requires evidence, it needs to be seen how they choose at critical moments."

  "Uh-huh." Xia Qiu nodded again.

  "Go make Qin Lingfeng understand this point, then you can sit here."

  "Uh-huh." Xia Qiu nodded again.

  Shen Hao and Er Liang Shen Xiu let out a sigh of relief, but Xin Yu Tao on the opposite side showed an extremely interested expression, staring at Xiao Qiu without blinking. In fact, most people in the dining hall were staring here, even forgetting to eat. Most people didn't hear what Sheng Geng said, they only saw that Xiao Qiu hadn't sat down yet.

  Xiao Qiu turned around and walked over to the village woman who was delivering food, took a bowl of rice and a bowl of dishes, the village woman knew he had a big appetite, so she gave him an extra large serving.

  Xiao Qiu held a bowl in one hand and walked quickly to the table where Fangfang and Xiaocitao were sitting, asking: "May I sit here and have lunch with you?"

  Xiao Qing's face was flushed, her eyes sparkled, and her expression was unclear whether it was excitement or fear.

  Fang's face was just slightly red, and her expression was even more calm than usual. She nodded slightly and pushed the bowl of food in front of her towards Xia Qiu after he sat down.

  Xiao Qiu lowered her head and started eating, without saying another word.

  (Collection wanted, recommendation wanted)