“Fairy Baihua, Miss Lüluo, long time no see, this old man has missed you dearly.”
Longmei Zhenren greeted the two ladies.
Fairy Baihua ignored him, as the Palace Master of Baihua Palace, she had her own pride.
Lüluo, however, said, “Longmei Zhenren, I haven’t missed you one bit.”
“No way!” Longmei shamelessly replied, “I missed you so much, and you didn’t miss me at all?”
“You’re not Young Master Ye, why would I miss you?” Lüluo said with disdain, “Besides, you’re so ugly.”
Longmei nearly spat blood.
“Young lady, you’re mistaken!” Chongxu Daoren said, “This dog may be old, but sometimes he’s quite cute, don’t you think he looks a bit like a pug?”
Pfft.
Fairy Baihua and Lüluo both burst into laughter.
Longmei was furious, “Ox-nose, haven’t I beaten you enough in one day? Is your skin itching again?”
Chongxu scoffed, “Don’t act tough in front of me, I know exactly what you’re capable of.”
“Looks like you’re begging for a beating, fine, I’ll give you one.” Longmei rolled up his sleeves and warned Ye Qiu, “Little brat, don’t help Ox-nose later, I’m going to thrash him today.”
Ye Qiu said, “I won’t meddle in your affairs, but old man, don’t be so cocky, I’m not looking down on you, but Huzi could take you down right now.”
Huzi?
Longmei glanced at Huzi, initially dismissive, but then his eyes narrowed.
“Huh, you’ve improved quite a bit, I can’t even see through your cultivation, what realm are you in?”
Before Huzi could speak, Ye Qiu cut in, “Want to know Huzi’s realm? Why not spar with him and find out?”
“Come on, let’s have a go.” Longmei, who’d been sparring daily with Chongxu, had developed a habit of fighting, feeling restless without a bout.
Huzi glanced at Ye Qiu.
“Go on, show the old man what you’ve got,” Ye Qiu said.
Huzi nodded and stepped forward.
“Huzi, don’t say I didn’t warn you, when we fight, you’d better give it your all, or if I beat you to a pulp, your master will lose face too.”
Longmei beckoned Huzi with a finger and shouted, “Bring it!”
Boom.
A terrifying aura erupted from Huzi, like a fierce tiger breaking free from its cage, surrounded by rolling black mist, utterly horrifying.
“What the hell, your cultivation…”
Before Longmei could finish, Huzi sent him flying with a single punch, crashing into the snow dozens of metres away, leaving a deep pit, looking utterly dishevelled.
Chongxu jumped in shock, staring at Huzi with a grave expression.
“How did this kid break through to the peak of the King realm so quickly?”
Huzi stepped forward, ready to continue.
“Stop!”
Ye Qiu called Huzi back, then looked at Longmei in the snow pit, smiling as he said, “What a coincidence, inspiration struck, I’ve composed a poem.”
“From afar, the old thing, up close, the thing’s old. Truly an old thing, indeed an old thing.”
“This poem’s title shall be ‘Old Thing’!”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Then Chongxu said, “I’ve got a poem too.”
“The world’s one big blur, a black hole in the snow. A black dog’s covered white, face bruised and swollen.”
As Chongxu finished, Longmei climbed out of the snow pit, his face bruised and swollen.
“Hahaha…”
The group couldn’t hold back, roaring with laughter.
“Hmph, you’re all bullying me, I, I’ll cry for you to see, boo hoo hoo…”
Longmei acted like a wronged little wife, pretending to wipe tears.
But no one paid him any mind.
Chongxu said, “Everyone, it’s freezing outside, come inside and warm up by the fire!”
With that, they all entered the stone house.
Upon entering, Ye Qiu looked surprised, seeing a large fire pit in the middle of the room, with several animal carcasses in the corner.
Chongxu explained, “The dog and I were bored, so we caught some wild animals, eating meat and drinking wine, quite enjoyable.”
“You’ve travelled far, rest for a bit.”
“I’ll whip up something tasty for you.”
Chongxu grabbed a beast from the corner and got to work.
Lüluo whispered, “Young Master Ye, don’t Taoists abstain from meat? Why are they eating meat and drinking?”
Ye Qiu chuckled, “They don’t follow those rules.”
About an hour later.
Chongxu brought in a large iron pot filled with steaming, fragrant meat, making everyone’s mouths water.
He placed the pot on the fire pit, and they all gathered around to eat.
During the meal.
Longmei said, “Little brat, let me tell you, in the past half month, I’ve seen the dragon vein of Kunlun Mountain several times, but sadly, I couldn’t catch it.”
Chongxu added, “The dragon vein is too powerful, even the dog and I together couldn’t capture it.”
Ye Qiu pressed, “Senior Chongxu, you mentioned changes in Kunlun Mountain, are they related to the dragon vein?”
Chongxu said, “I’m not sure if they’re related, but every time an anomaly appears, the dragon vein is there.”
“Anomaly?” Ye Qiu asked curiously, “What kind of anomaly?”
“Don’t rush, you’ll understand when you see the anomaly at midnight,” Chongxu said with concern, “I don’t know if this anomaly is good or bad for Kunlun Mountain.”
Longmei said, “Ox-nose, we’re all gathered here, stop talking and drink more. Come, let’s have a toast.”
Time passed quickly.
At night.
The heavy snowfall suddenly stopped, the clouds parted, and a crescent moon hung in the sky, stars twinkling, serene and tranquil.
The group stepped outside to admire the moon.
Ye Qiu checked his watch, four hours until midnight.
“Little brat, what’s the deal with Huzi? How did he reach the peak of the King realm in such a short time?”
Longmei sidled up to Ye Qiu and whispered, “Did Huzi unlock the third life-and-death talisman?”
“Mm,” Ye Qiu nodded slightly.
Longmei said, “I knew it, it must be the talisman, that kid’s background isn’t simple! Little brat, I’m jealous, you’ve got yourself a fine disciple.”
Ye Qiu smiled and asked, “What’s this anomaly Sect Leader Chongxu mentioned?”
“Don’t rush, you’ll know at midnight.”
Time slipped by quietly.
Finally, midnight arrived.
Suddenly, the crescent moon in the sky grew large and round, and…
