Chapter 83

Amidst the mist swirling around the Fire Peach Tree, the figure of Tao Qingshan, a dwarf, appeared.

He asked suspiciously, "Are you the descendant of the Sea Swallower King?"

"This is the token from my master," the young Taoist replied, smiling as he took out a jade tablet. On it was engraved a cloud pattern, forming the character 'Ge.' He waved it in the air.

Tao Qingshan immediately bowed respectfully, "I apologize for not welcoming you properly, young master. Please forgive me."

Ge Qian put away the jade tablet and said, "According to my master's calculations, there should be ripe fire peaches now. Could you please help me pick them?"

Tao Qingshan stiffened, hesitating, "To be honest, young master, you're a bit late. Just the night before last, three ripe fire peaches were taken by someone else."

Ge Qian frowned, "Who took them?"

Tao Qingshan pointed to a stone stele and said, "Please look, young master."

Ge Qian looked over and saw a line of elegant and sharp handwriting:

"Su Yi took three fire peaches on the evening of the fourth day of the second month of the Dazhou calendar."

Ge Qian's frown deepened, "Who is this Su Yi?"

Tao Qingshan, trembling with fear, replied, "Young master, Su Yi is a powerful immortal master with extraordinary abilities. From my perspective, he seems like a celestial being descended to earth, transcending the mundane. As for his background, I am not clear."

Ge Qian pondered for a moment, "He knew this place already belonged to my master, yet he still dared to take the fire peaches and leave a message on the stele. An ordinary person wouldn't have such audacity."

Tao Qingshan cautiously said, "Young master, I believe Master Su Yi is not an evil person but rather a highly accomplished sage. Before he left, he said that if the Sea Swallower King is displeased, he can go directly to him."

"Does this person not even fear my master?"

A hint of surprise appeared on Ge Qian's face.

After a moment, he asked, "Do you remember what he looks like?"

Tao Qingshan quickly said, "Please wait, young master."

He plucked a green leaf from the Fire Peach Tree and began to sketch on it. As a bit of spiritual light flickered, a tall and elegant figure appeared on the leaf.

Holding a bamboo staff and with his hair tied in a Taoist bun, he looked ethereal and transcendent.

Ge Qian examined it carefully and said, "I thought he would be an elder, but it turns out to be a young man..."

Tao Qingshan explained in a low voice, "He might have mastered the art of preserving his youth. After all, someone like Master Su Yi is far beyond the ordinary martial artists of the mortal world."

Ge Qian glanced at him, "You seem to be quite afraid of this Su Yi?"

Tao Qingshan hurriedly replied, "To be honest, young master, I only feel respect and admiration for Master Su Yi."

Ge Qian nodded.

"Tao Qingshan!"

Suddenly, Ge Qian's voice thundered.

Tao Qingshan trembled, instinctively looking up to see a faint purple light in Ge Qian's eyes.

Tao Qingshan felt his soul buzz, losing all sensation and becoming dazed.

A hint of helplessness flashed across Ge Qian's handsome face, "Old man, I'll leave the soul-searching to you. I just want to know if what Tao Qingshan said is true."

As he spoke, his soul trembled.

A low, hoarse voice then sounded, "In exchange, you must give me half of the Pure Yang Fire Peaches you obtain."

Ge Qian's handsome face showed a pained expression, "As an existence like you, you don't need such spiritual items, do you?"

"I indeed don't value these fourth-grade fire peaches, but this is a rule. It's to make you understand that to gain something, you must pay the corresponding price."

The hoarse voice continued, "Work hard, young man. The more you pay, the more you will gain. With me, you are the chosen one! Your future achievements will be a hundred or a thousand times greater than your current master's!"

The voice was persuasive.

Ge Qian, however, sneered, "If you really have such great power, why do you need to reside in my soul? When I met my master, you were too scared to speak. Now you're boasting to me, aren't you ashamed?"

The hoarse voice fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "A dragon in shallow waters is mocked by shrimp, a tiger in the plains is bullied by dogs. If I weren't... never mind, let's not talk about it. Those who understand me know my worries, those who don't know what I seek."

Ge Qian chuckled, speaking in a tone as if soothing a child, "Good, hurry up and act. I'll give you fire peaches later."

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Ge Qian felt a sharp pain in his eyes, and a vortex-like purple light appeared in his pupils, focusing on Tao Qingshan.

After a moment, the hoarse voice sounded with a hint of surprise and seriousness.

"What did you see?"

Ge Qian asked urgently.

After a long silence, the hoarse voice finally spoke, "Su Yi is just a Blood Transformation Realm youth, not an old monster who has mastered the art of preserving his youth. However..."

"What's the 'however'?" Ge Qian was anxious, as this was the first time he had seen the "old man" in his soul so hesitant.

In the past, even "Earthly Immortals" were not worth mentioning to him, filled with disdain.

"I can only tell you that Su Yi is peculiar and likely harbors a great secret unknown to others!"

The hoarse voice then suggested, "Young man, I have a feeling that if you can subdue and control Su Yi, we might gain an unexpected great fortune. What do you think, shall we try?"

Ge Qian became wary, but his expression remained calm, "This reason isn't good enough. Also, I'm naturally timid. My master says I'm the most cautious person he's ever seen, even covering my eyes when slaughtering a chicken."

"..."

The hoarse voice fell silent for a moment, then said, "But he stole three fire peaches. As a disciple of Ge Changling, shouldn't you reclaim your honor? How about this: if you deal with Su Yi, I'll break my rule and help you! We'll split the benefits. Is that fair?"

Ge Qian became even more wary.

He shook his head, "I'll report this to my master and let him decide."

The hoarse voice became visibly agitated, "With your courage, how can you talk about dominating the world and defeating all enemies on the path of cultivation? Pah! Your master was right, you're a coward to the core!"

Ge Qian laughed, "Only by being cautious can one live longer. Being careful is never a bad thing. If I listen to you and deal with Su Yi, and if he has some peculiarities, not only will I be in trouble, but you, the old man, will also be destroyed."

With that, he turned and walked out of the peach grove, his apricot-yellow Taoist robe fluttering, a shadow of gloom on his handsome face.

This was the first time he had seen the old man in his soul so eager to deal with a youth his age, which made him even more wary.

The hoarse voice fell silent on the way, seemingly realizing that no matter what he said, it would be hard to change Ge Qian's mind.

"Su Yi, you stole my master's peaches, and this debt will be settled on you. Perhaps it won't be long before I come to find you..."

After leaving the peach grove, Ge Qian took a deep breath and rode a celestial crane into the sky.

...

On the Dacang River, on a huge building ship.

In the Jia No. 9 Pavilion.

"Mr. Su, this pavilion has two floors. You will stay on the second floor, and we will stay on the first floor," Yuan Luoxi said crisply.

The ship had nine-story buildings and twelve independent pavilions. Occupying a pavilion wasn't just a matter of money but also required special connections and strong social networks.

This Jia No. 9 Pavilion was obtained by Fu Shan through Zhang Yiren's connections.

"This place is really nice," Huang Ganjun said, his eyes scanning the surroundings with admiration.

The two-story pavilion had its own courtyard, complete with various furnishings and decorations, all in an ancient and elegant style. Standing at the window on the second floor, one could see the stunning scenery along the Dacang River.

"Would you like to stay here too?"

Su Yi asked casually.

"..."

Huang Ganjun was greatly tempted. His father had spent a lot of money to secure a room in the nine-story building, which was considered a top-tier room.

But how could it compare to this independent pavilion?

"Let's do it this way. There are two rooms on the second floor, you can stay in one of them," Su Yi decided without hesitation.

Huang Ganjun's face lit up with joy, and he thanked Su Yi repeatedly.

Yuan Luoxi couldn't help but glance at him, realizing that compared to herself, Huang Ganjun seemed to be closer to Su Yi.

After everything was settled, everyone sat around the courtyard table, enjoying tea and resting.

"Mr. Su, when I talked with Zhang Yiren, he specifically mentioned that the first to fifth floors of the building house eight hundred demon beasts," Cheng Wuyong suddenly said. "These demon beasts were captured by Lord Wu Ling, Chen Zheng, and his Blue Armor Army from the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain. He advised us not to go near those areas."

" Demon beasts?"

Su Yi was surprised, "Why capture these demon beasts alive?"

In the Dazhou region, there were many desolate and dangerous areas where demon beasts often roamed.

The Bloodthorn Demon Mountain, guarded by Lord Wu Ling, Chen Zheng, was one of the famous "Eight Demon Mountains" in Dazhou.

In Dazhou, demon beasts were classified into nine ranks based on their danger level.

First-rank demon beasts were the weakest, only slightly stronger than wild animals.

Ninth-rank demon beasts were the strongest, possessing a certain level of intelligence and innate demonic powers. Even a martial arts grandmaster would have to retreat when encountering one.

Only a先天武宗 (Xiantian Wuzong) had the strength to fight them.

According to Dazhou legends, above the ninth-rank demon beasts were demon spirits, terrifying beings capable of challenging Earthly Immortals.

Of course, Su Yi knew that such classifications were limited to the Cangqing Continent.

In the Great Wasteland Nine Provinces, so-called demon spirits could be easily dealt with by small sects.

"These demon beasts will mostly be sent to Yunhe County for top-tier forces to purchase, to serve as training tools for martial artists. Institutions like the Tianyuan Academy, the Qinghe Sword Mansion, the County Governor's Office, and our Yuan family regularly buy demon beasts captured from the front lines," Cheng Wuyong explained. "This is common in Dazhou. After all, a martial artist who hasn't experienced bloody battles doesn't deserve the title of 'martial artist.'"

Huang Ganjun's face turned red with embarrassment. He had never even seen a demon beast, let alone hunted one.

He couldn't help but ask Yuan Luoxi in a low voice, "Miss Yuan, have you ever killed a demon beast?"

Yuan Luoxi rolled her eyes, disdainfully saying, "When I was nine, I stabbed a wild stork demon to death with a knife. Since then, I've killed a demon beast every seven days. By now, the number of demon beasts I've killed is countless. You're asking if I've ever killed one? How ridiculous."

She smiled proudly, her rosy lips curling.

Miss Yuan, that's a heartache...

Huang Ganjun felt like covering his face and walking away.

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Ps: Thank you to Brother Bandit, Shallow, Three Bowls, and other readers for your support and votes!

Goldfish is struggling with writer's block. If I can smooth things out today, I'll add an extra chapter.