Chapter 166: Da Zhen Hidden Immortal

“You are definitely not Daoist Qingsong. I know Qi Xuan's background very well; he's just a mediocre fortune-telling Daoist priest,” Chu Mingcai said, narrowing his eyes.

The other party was clearly waiting for him to arrive, and he had no idea when he had been targeted. In any case, a mortal like Huang Xingye could not possibly have invited the person before him. The individual had taken on Daoist Qingsong's appearance, and it was unknown when this scheme began. Perhaps the "Daoist Qingsong" who had been wandering Dongle County telling fortunes for a long time was no longer the real one, but this very person.

But since they hadn't attacked immediately, it seemed there was something to discuss.

Ji Yuan was also contemplating in his mind how to respond.

“You are not Chu Mingcai either, are you? Let's not state the obvious. If it's convenient, perhaps we could step aside for a private chat?”

A faint "gurgling" sound came from Chu Mingcai's stomach, as if something was stirring, and his gaze inadvertently flickered towards Huang Xingye. Huang Xingye himself was initially a little confused, but being a clever man, he quickly realized something was wrong from the brief exchange between Ji Yuan and Chu Mingcai. A chill now ran through him.

Ji Yuan's left hand, clasped behind his back, was already sweating in the palm, but his right hand remained resolutely extended, forming an illusory barrier in Huang Xingye's direction.

“I know this Human Spirit is extremely rare, but I didn't expect even a true demon to covet it. However, since I am here, it would be best for you not to pursue this idea for now. If you and I were to fight, leveling Maoqian Town and even Dongle County by three feet would be a light consequence.”

Behind him, the Green Vine Sword hummed. Among the large characters "Spirit-Cultivated Green Vine, Ten Thousand Blades Concealed" on its scabbard, the character for "Concealed" subtly faded, while the character for "Blade" glowed faintly.

Whoosh... Whoosh...

A faint breeze swept through the Huang family's reception hall. Huang Xingye and the attending maids immediately found it difficult to breathe. In Chu Mingcai's eyes, a brilliant sword light seemed to flare up behind Ji Yuan, but when he shook his head, there was nothing.

“I wondered why Huang Xingye could give birth to a Human Spirit. I never thought there was a true immortal hidden behind him. Hehehe... You are right, it wouldn't benefit either of us to fight. Is there a convenient place where we can talk?”

Up to this point, both sides were extremely restrained, even using respectful forms of address despite the inherent animosity between immortals and demons. Ji Yuan was extremely wary of the true demon; even with his immortal sword by his side, he felt very vulnerable. Chu Mingcai was equally wary of Ji Yuan, and felt anxious about the opponent being in the dark while he himself was exposed.

'I must put on a show now!'

This thought arose in Ji Yuan's mind, and with it, an idea.

“Heh heh, neither of us trusts the other, and neither of us wants to be too far from Huang Xingye. A good place to talk... well, we'll have to ask the right person...”

Saying this, Ji Yuan carefully lifted his leg and stamped it on the ground, trying not to provoke the other party.

“Earth God, come quickly.”

A yellow halo rippled past, and mist rose from the ground. The Earth God was summoned, swirling into existence. Chu Mingcai's eyes narrowed again. This was a genuine "Spirit Summoning," and not only was it executed with such effortless ease, but there was also hardly any magical power leakage. The feeling of "what is spoken becomes law" was exceptionally strong, and a sense of unease settled in his heart. He uncontrollably began to consider how to escape safely.

The moment the Earth God appeared from the swirling mist, he immediately bowed to Ji Yuan.

“This humble deity greets the High Immortal. That evil thing has not appeared in Maoqian Town. This humble deity...”

Mid-sentence, the Earth God suddenly froze. The words he intended to say, "monitor day and night tirelessly," caught in his throat as he finally noticed Chu Mingcai standing opposite the "High Immortal." In this tense atmosphere, though he knew the Earth God was startled, hearing the aborted end of his sentence still held a comedic touch reminiscent of his previous life, making Ji Yuan involuntarily smile.

“In Maoqian Town, there's no one better to ask about a suitable place than the Earth God. Earth God, we need a quiet place to talk. Where would be appropriate?”

The Earth God calmed himself, looking from Chu Mingcai to Ji Yuan. He astutely sensed that the other party was not simple; otherwise, why would the High Immortal waste words on them? However, with the High Immortal beside him, the Earth God remained composed. At least the High Immortal was still talking and laughing, while the fellow opposite didn't dare utter a sound.

“Replying to the High Immortal, perhaps we could go to my Earth Temple's precinct? Although it's simple, no mortals will appear there, nor will underworld envoys disturb us.”

The "temple precinct" was not the temple itself, but the Earth God's residence beneath it.

Ji Yuan looked at Chu Mingcai. “What do you think, Your Excellency?”

Chu Mingcai pondered incessantly, his eyes subtly flickering. “This Earth God was summoned by you. Rather than him choosing the place, it's more likely you already decided it. How could a mere Earth God dare to refuse a true immortal? I am a demon; I use evil to guide people. I won't go to that Earth God's residence. Let's find somewhere else.”

Though his words were forthright and logical, from Ji Yuan's perspective, they barely concealed his "guilty conscience." This realization instantly bolstered Ji Yuan's courage.

'Good that you're intimidated! Though I am too, you don't know that!'

“Then why don't you choose a place, Your Excellency? Anywhere is fine with me, even outside Maoqian Town, whatever suits you.”

“Then let's stay here in the Huang manor!”

Chu Mingcai sat back down in his seat. Huang Xingye, sweating coldly, dared not move, looking pleadingly at "Daoist Qingsong." Although the recent conversation implied this might not be the real Daoist Qingsong, at least he seemed to be on their side.

Chu Mingcai's moment of apprehension earlier emboldened Ji Yuan to act a bit more.

“Alright, the Huang manor it is. To avoid disturbance, I think we should do this: Earth God, please send Huang Xingye and all the servants and attendants of the Huang manor away.”

After saying this, Ji Yuan purposefully walked towards Huang Xingye's position. Though his pale eyes couldn't offer a reassuring glance, his slight nod still significantly calmed Huang Xingye.

“Your command is received!”

The Earth God dared not delay. After receiving the command, he first went to Huang Xingye's side, tapped him with his vine staff, and disappeared into the ground with Huang Xingye. The Huang family's maids and servants also vanished one by one. Throughout the entire process, Ji Yuan smiled faintly, watching the front of the living room without looking at Chu Mingcai. The other party also sat with narrowed eyes, tacitly allowing the Earth God's actions.

Only after everyone in the Huang manor had vanished did the characters on the Green Vine Sword's scabbard fade, returning to their normal state. Chu Mingcai's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Just a moment ago, he had been ready to erupt, highly suspecting that the moment all mortals were gone, the person beside him would immediately attack. Fortunately, it was just his overthinking.

Ji Yuan had been organizing his thoughts for a while. Now, making a gesture of goodwill, he sat in Huang Xingye's original seat, picked up the teapot, refilled Chu Mingcai's cup, and then took a new cup from the tea tray to pour one for himself. Only then did he speak appropriately.

“To be honest, seeing you within the borders of Dazhen, outside of Yuhuai Mountain and Tongtian River, quite startled me.”

Chu Mingcai naturally didn't interpret the act of pouring tea as a sign of weakness. Those who cultivate the Way of Profound Truth are naturally unrestrained and often act stranger than even demons.

“Seeing you also gave me quite a fright! It seems there are quite a few people coming to Dazhen to join the fun, even true immortals!” Taking a sip of tea, Chu Mingcai deliberately added a sarcastic remark. It was said that true immortals of the Profound Way possessed deep understanding and were difficult to sway by earthly desires, yet here they were. However, "Chu Mingcai"'s sarcasm was only superficial, a mere textual mention, not daring to go too far. From their brief interaction, he had already understood that in terms of cultivation and mastery of the Way, he was likely significantly inferior, not to mention the opponent had an exceptionally spiritual immortal sword hanging behind him, possessing formidable destructive power.

Ji Yuan naturally detected the sarcasm in his words, but he was even more astonished by the other information in Chu Mingcai's statement: "joining the fun"? What kind of "fun" was there to join in Dazhen? Did the old dragon know something?

“Mr. Chu, I fear you've misunderstood. I am originally from the land of Dazhen—though, at that time, it wasn't called Dazhen. But I genuinely did not come from an external place.”

“Hmm?” Chu Mingcai turned his head and looked at Ji Yuan. “Besides a true dragon, Dazhen actually has a true immortal like you. Does that old dragon not know?”

Ji Yuan gave him a genuinely surprised, yet sincere, look. “Even if old Mr. Ying knows, must he go around shouting it for everyone else to know? The Tongtian River lineage and I are old acquaintances; even the dragon's sons and daughters call me 'Uncle'!”

This was the plain truth, spoken by Ji Yuan without any pressure, yet it made Chu Mingcai's human body instinctively want to swallow, a physiological reaction from the body's previous habits. Fortunately, he suppressed it. Immortals and demons generally dislike each other, and Chu Mingcai hadn't expected these two factions to actually know each other. Could it be a bluff?

Then Ji Yuan added another sentence. “A few days ago, I sent a message to Tongtian River saying I planned to stay in Dongle County for a short while. Given that old dragon's temperament, he'll probably come looking for me very soon, heh heh.”

Ji Yuan's statement was a factual assertion, yet it served as a subtle threat, and he finally saw some reaction from the person beside him: the demonic energy within his body fluctuated slightly. Although it was quite restrained, others might not have noticed, but Ji Yuan was now enduring the soreness and keeping his eyes wide open; not a single flaw could escape his discerning gaze.

However, Ji Yuan was now itching with curiosity, like a cat's paw, to know what the "joining the fun" mentioned by the true demon actually referred to. It sounded as if something unusual was going to happen within Dazhen.

At this moment, the sky began to darken, but it wasn't because night was falling; rather, ominous clouds were gathering.

“Rumble... Roar...”

Amidst the thunder, a faint, hidden dragon's roar was subtly mixed in. Ordinary people couldn't hear it, but both Ji Yuan's and Chu Mingcai's expressions changed. Ji Yuan's brows showed delight, while the latter's face turned extremely grim, unable to maintain his composure.

'Good assist, Old Brother Ying!' Ji Yuan couldn't help but cheer inwardly. Better timely arrival than early!