The vast hall suddenly beca quiet.
Now only a handful of people remained.
Lin Mu.
ng Bai.
Little Shrubby.
The twin serpents.
Temple Head Puyi.
And Minister Ren.
Lin Mu turned toward the temple head.
"I can answer your earlier question."
"But there is sothing to consider first."
He glanced toward Minister Ren.
"I believe it would be best if the temple head determines whether Minister Ren should hear this matter."
Minister Ren blinked.
"...What?"
His confusion grew rapidly.
Sothing he was not permitted to know?
He was the Minister of Rites and Religion!
He oversaw the kingdom's spiritual institutions.
Yet here he was being told that there were matters even he was not qualified to hear.
Still, he did not dare interrupt.
Temple Head Puyi held far greater authority than him. In fact, the temple head's authority rivaled that of the king. The temple did not answer to the throne. It answered only to the Guardian Beasts themselves.
Lin Mu calmly took out a talisman.
It was a sound isolating talisman.
He activated it.
A faint barrier of spatial distortion ford around him and Temple Head Puyi. The rest of the hall beca muffled.
ng Bai watched curiously while Minister Ren frowned in growing confusion.
Inside the barrier, Lin Mu stepped closer to the temple head. Then he leaned slightly forward.
And whispered sothing into the old foxkin's ear.
For a mont, nothing happened.
Then-
Temple Head Puyi froze.
Every strand of fur across his body stood on end.
His pupils shrank.
His entire expression transford from calm curiosity into absolute shock.
The old foxkin's breathing actually halted for a mont.
His aged hands trembled slightly.
His mind struggled to process the na that Lin Mu had just spoken.
That title...
That impossible na.
Even after tens of thousand of years of life...
Even after becoming the head of the Guardian Beast Temple...
Even after mastering the spatial arts...
He had never expected to hear that na spoken by soone standing before
him.
The barrier dissolved.
Temple Head Puyi slowly turned his head.
His wide eyes landed on Minister Ren.
For a brief second, the minister thought the temple head might speak calmly.
But instead-
The old foxkin suddenly roared.
"OUT!"
The sound exploded through the temple hall like thunder.
Minister Ren jumped in shock.
"Wha-"
"GET OUT OF HERE!"
The temple head's voice bood again, shaking the hall.
"NOW!"
Minister Ren looked utterly bewildered.
"I"
"OUT!"
The temple head pointed furiously toward the temple doors.
"Leave this hall imdiately! I command you with my authority as the Temple
head!"
The guards outside the temple nearly stumbled hearing the roar echo through the sacred chamber.
anwhile, ng Bai stared wide-eyed.
Little Shrubby tilted his head curiously.
The twin serpents flicked their tongues.
And Minister Ren...
...stood there completely stunned, trying to understand what in the world had
just happened.
The poor Minister stood frozen in the center of the grand temple hall.
His mind had completely stopped working,
One mont he had been calmly escorting an honored guest.
The next mont...
The Temple Head had suddenly roared like an enraged thunder beast and
ordered him out.
"OUT!"
The echo of the command still rang in his ears.
Minister Ren swallowed.
He had about a thousand questions in his mind.
'What did Lin Mu say?"
'What did the Temple Head hear?"
'Why had the atmosphere suddenly changed so drastically?"
But there was one thing he knew with absolute certainty.
Temple Head Puyi was not soone to argue with.
The man technically did not even answer to the king.
If the Temple Head decided that soone should leave the temple, then that
person left.
Imdiately.
Minister Ren looked at the furious foxkin priest, then at Lin Mu, then back at
the priest again.
His instincts scread one thing.
Move.
Now.
Because if he delayed even a second longer, there was a very real possibility
the Temple Head might simply grab him with spatial techniques and teleport him sowhere random.
Preferably sowhere far away.
Perhaps the desert.
Or the ocean.
Or possibly halfway up a mountain cliff.
Minister Ren had heard stories.
Without daring to ask another word, he bowed quickly.
"Yes! Of course!"
He practically sprinted toward the temple doors.
The mont he crossed the threshold, the doors slamd shut behind him
with a heavy echo.
Outside, the royal guards looked at him in confusion.
The minister stood there stiffly.
His robes were slightly crooked.
His face looked stunned.
One guard cautiously asked, "Minister...?"
Minister Ren raised a hand slowly.
"...Do not ask."
Inside the temple hall, however, sothing far stranger was happening.
ng Bai was still standing near the entrance when suddenly-
THUD!
The sound echoed loudly across the stone floor.
ng Bai jumped in shock and turned his head.
A mont later... his jaw dropped.
Temple Head Puyi... The ancient foxkin who commanded the entire Guardian
Beast Temple... Had just dropped to his knees!
Not only that, but he raised both hands respectfully in a cupped salute.
His voice trembled with reverence.
"This junior pays his respects to Great, Great, Great, Great-!"
He continued.
"And Great, Great, Great, Great-!"
And then again. "And Great, Great-!"
ng Bai blinked.
Then blinked again.
The old foxkin was still talking. "-Great, Great, Great-!"
ng Bai slowly leaned toward Lin Mu and whispered.
"...Master."
"Yes?"
"...Is he stuttering?"
The Temple Head was still going.
"-Great, Great, Great, Great Granduncle Master!"
Lin Mu quickly stepped forward.
"Alright."
He raised a hand.
"That is enough."
The old foxkin imdiately stopped mid-sentence.
Lin Mu sighed.
"Just 'Great Granduncle Master' is fine."
"If you continue like that, we will be here until sunset."
Temple Head Puyi bowed even lower.
"If the Great Granduncle Master commands so, then it shall be so."
ng Bai's brain was currently experiencing a full collapse.
'Great... what?'
'Granduncle master?'
'Who?'
'Why?'
'How?'
Before he could even ask-
The temple head suddenly turned toward him.
ng Bai froze.
The old foxkin bowed again. "This junior greets Grand Uncle Master!"
ng Bai's mouth fell open.
"?!"
He pointed at himself.
"GRAND UNCLE MASTER?!"
"I'M NOT EVEN A HUNDRED!"
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