Chapter 2

Xuankong was fine as long as he didn't have to compete for the title with that monkey.

Xuankong happily returned to his seat, completely ignoring the commotion among his junior brothers.

"Haha, he was demoted by Master. In the future, won't he have to call us 'Uncle' when he sees us?" A Taoist who was a generation older than Xuankong laughed.

The person next to him was startled and quickly covered his mouth, whispering, "Shh, don't be too loud. Eldest Brother has extraordinary talent, and Master treats him well. He might be taken back into the sect at any time."

The Laoshan Sect ranks its members based on the order of their entry. Therefore, although Xuankong was not the oldest among his fellow disciples, as the eldest disciple of the old Taoist, he still ranked above his junior brothers. In fact, Xuankong usually stayed in the Yewei Cottage at the back of the mountain and had little interaction with the other disciples.

In recent years, apart from the old Taoist, no one truly knew how far his Daoist cultivation had progressed.

"Heh, if it weren't for Master's favoritism, he wouldn't be able to pass the annual exams with all those tricks," one said.

"I went to deliver food to Eldest Brother a few days ago and heard many shadows in his room. Could he be doing something secretive in the back of the mountain?" another asked.

"Who knows? Anyway, Master rarely goes there, so I don't think he's that great," another replied.

Xuankong had already returned to his seat to listen to the old Taoist's comments on the year-end exam results. His pair of iron arhat statues were still ranked last, barely passing, while his junior brother's wall-penetrating technique received praise from the old Taoist.

The old Taoist said he had a talent for Daoist cultivation.

However, the other disciples were used to it. Every new disciple who joined the sect in the first year would receive this evaluation during the year-end exam.

This was one of the reasons they didn't take Xuankong's position as Eldest Brother seriously.

After a few words, the old Taoist returned to the inner hall, and Xuankong's seat was readjusted to the door. As the junior brothers passed by him, their eyes were filled with disdain, ridicule, or pity.

"Eldest Brother..." Only Wang Qi walked to Xuankong's side, worried about his feelings.

After all the junior brothers left, Xuankong stood up from his seat, stretched, and patted Wang Qi on the shoulder. "It's fine. In the future, my rank will be below yours. But let me make it clear, I won't call you Master."

Wang Qi was stunned by Xuankong's words and bowed, assuring him that he would never dare to have Xuankong call him Master.

Xuankong's eyes slowly scanned Wang Qi, who was dressed in a brocade robe and wore a jade belt, looking quite handsome. At least he was better groomed than Xuankong. Could Pu Songling be fooling me again?

He walked up the stone steps of the Shangqing Palace and looked into the courtyard.

In front of the Shangqing Palace on Laoshan, many plants were planted, all of which were rare species that the old Taoist had sent Xuankong to collect from various places. Among them, a peony tree was over ten feet tall, blooming with flowers as brilliant as brocade.

There was also a camellia tree over twenty feet tall, with branches as thick as fists.

It was the most eye-catching.

"Wang Qi is from a noble family, and the peony and camellia were transplanted by me," Xuankong sighed, his gaze falling on the plants in the courtyard.

It seems my good fortune is still lacking.

At the foot of the mountain, a thatched hut was haphazardly built on the edge of a cliff, with only a small patch of grass in front of it, protected by Xuankong's magic, growing lushly against the winter wind. The moon was bright, and the stars were brilliant.

On the ground, there was a wine pot and some meat.

Xuankong lay lazily at his door, gazing at the moon, thinking that tomorrow would be another good day. How many years had he been in this world? Xuankong himself didn't keep track, but he remembered that the trees at the foot of the mountain had changed through several cycles of growth and decay.

"That's about ten years..." Xuankong sighed lightly, raised his wine cup, and then put it down.

Drinking alone was the most boring. He really missed his brothers from the gang.

Even though they were just drinking buddies back then, having them was better than having none!

Putting down the wine pot, Xuankong chuckled and walked to the dark corner of the thatched hut, grunting as he carried a human-shaped figure back. "Come, come, raise a cup to the moon, and with the shadow, we are three!"

Placing the human-shaped figure on the ground, Xuankong sat down again, offered three cups of wine to the statue, and laughed. "It's a long night, and tonight I'll have to rely on you to keep me company again." If the old Taoist were to check on him at this moment, he would be so angry he'd faint.

No wonder, soon after the Laoshan Sect was established, the Yama Temple on the mountain reported that the statue of Yama had been stolen.

The old Taoist was scared, thinking he had offended some Yama and feared it would bring trouble to Laoshan.

It turned out that Xuankong had moved the statue to the Yewei Cottage, where it had accompanied him for about ten years.

"Sure, sure, bring another set of bowls and chopsticks!" As he drank, a long laugh suddenly came from the opposite cliff.

"What demon is that?" Xuankong was so scared his legs went weak. He wanted to rush back to the thatched hut to draw his sword, but he couldn't get up from the ground. His mental cultivation was still lacking. Although he had known for a while that this was a world full of gods, Buddhas, demons, and monsters, he had never seen a ghost in over ten years, apart from the old Taoist who taught him magic and his junior brothers who followed the old Taoist.

It wasn't surprising. Laoshan was a blessed land, and no demon or ghost would come here to seek death.

The laughter grew closer, and a figure actually walked on the wind from the cliff. As he walked, he laughed, "Thank you, little brother, for inviting me for ten years. Tonight, I have the time, so I've come to repay your hospitality!"

As the figure approached, Xuankong drew a sharp breath. In the moonlight, he could clearly see that this person was definitely not a small ghost.

The person's appearance was exactly the same as the statue of Yama that had accompanied him for ten years.

"Y... Yama?" Xuankong stood up, leaning against the wall, in disbelief.

The person laughed and sat down next to Xuankong, pouring wine into his mouth. Then he looked at Xuankong and smiled, "I am King Qin Guang. You invited me for ten years, and I have come to thank you today."

King Qin Guang, also known as Jiang, is a famous deity in the underworld. He signs the summons for the souls of the virtuous when they die and is the first of the ten kings of the underworld.

"So, it's like that. My lifespan has ended? Can I be reincarnated back?" Xuankong's nature still had a bit of the reckless spirit from his previous life. Reading the *Huangting Jing* for ten years had only made him appear more refined.

But at heart, he was fearless.

He patted his sleeves, stood up, and was about to follow King Qin Guang. King Qin Guang was surprised, "Where are you going?" The Laoshan Mountain was full of spiritual energy, and King Qin Guang had sent a manifestation here to enjoy the incense offerings.

When he learned that someone on the mountain had been entertaining him for ten years, he thought it was a ghost immortal seeking his protection. But it turned out to be Xuankong using the statue for company. Out of curiosity, he decided to come and see for himself tonight.