Chapter 28

The journey to Beihai was long, and along the way, people would often stop to hitch a ride. By noon, the carriage was already filled with over ten people.

Xuan Kong sneered and secretly tugged at Wang Qi’s belt, signaling him to be on guard.

Wang Qi still didn’t believe it. He looked at the people in the carriage; some were dressed as accountants, others as scholars, none of whom seemed like bandits. However, Xuan Kong whispered, “Look at these dozen people; they are all townsfolk from the foot of Laoshan Mountain, who have always lived around here.”

Wang Qi had only been on Laoshan for a short time and was not familiar with the townsfolk at the foot of the mountain. But after Xuan Kong’s hint, he began to understand. It was true, how could so many people from such a small town be going out, and coincidentally gather in this carriage?

These dozen men were all robust, especially the one dressed as a scholar, who almost seemed to be bursting out of his scholar’s robe.

After they got in the carriage, they didn’t talk to each other but would glance at Xuan Kong and Wang Qi from time to time, as if considering where to make their move. “You two look unfamiliar!” the scholar-dressed man said, clasping his hands and greeting Wang Qi, who was sitting at the back of the carriage.

The others focused their gazes on Xuan Kong, all with disdainful expressions, as if Xuan Kong hadn’t come down from the mountain for a long time.

It was normal for the people below the mountain not to recognize him. Wang Qi slightly turned his body and looked at the scholar. “Who are you, sir?”

The scholar grinned. “I’m known as the Poison Scorpion in Laoshan.”

“Poison Scorpion?” The name didn’t ring any bells for Xuan Kong. He glanced at the scholar and ignored him. Wang Qi also just said, “Oh,” without further comment, which made the Poison Scorpion’s face turn awkward.

With a wave of his hand, someone made the driver stop the carriage.

Seeing their leader angry, the other men in the carriage laughed maliciously. “Please get down, gentlemen, so we can get to know each other better!”

Xuan Kong shook his head and smiled bitterly, not expecting such bad luck. He didn’t want to deal with these mortals and simply sat cross-legged on the seat, closing his eyes to meditate, leaving it to Wang Qi to handle the situation.

Seeing the Daoist at the back not moving, the Poison Scorpion was cautious. He exchanged a glance with another man dressed as a woodcutter, and they both took out a talisman from their bags, grinning. “Don’t blame us when you reach the netherworld; blame yourselves for offending Brother Li!”

Xuan Kong didn’t want to get involved, but when he saw these bandits using Laoshan Sect’s talismans, he raised an eyebrow. “What’s your relationship with Li Er?”

The second senior disciple of the Laoshan Sect was surnamed Li. After the sect was established, he was well-known in the surrounding towns, and the townsfolk respectfully called him Brother Li. Initially, the Poison Scorpion didn’t dare to provoke Xuan Kong and Wang Qi, who were wearing the Daoist robes of the Laoshan Sect, but someone had given him a talisman from Brother Li, which fueled his greed.

Knowing that Brother Li was the second senior disciple of the Laoshan Sect, in charge of all sect affairs, the Poison Scorpion deliberately laughed. “I see you two are blind. How dare you steal from the Laoshan Sect under the nose of the old immortal?”

“Steal?” Xuan Kong and Wang Qi exchanged puzzled looks.

The Poison Scorpion laughed. “Brother Li is kind and won’t pursue you, but I won’t be so lenient.” He remembered that the Laoshan Sect disciple who gave him the talisman had whispered that Xuan Kong and Wang Qi had a lot of silver notes on them.

Moreover, after following them, he saw how generously they treated even a simple driver, which confirmed the rumors on the mountain.

“Enough talk!” the woodcutter-dressed man couldn’t wait any longer, activating the Laoshan Sect’s talisman.

The Laoshan Sect’s tradition didn’t emphasize talismans, and the second senior disciple’s cultivation was far inferior to Xuan Kong’s. Sitting still, Xuan Kong simply drew a line with his sword finger, and the thunderbolt from the woodcutter disappeared.

“Immortal... Immortal...” In the Poison Scorpion’s eyes, the second senior disciple was only this level.

Clearly, they couldn’t handle Xuan Kong. He also activated the talisman, but Xuan Kong coldly snorted, and two silver lights from his sword finger severed the Poison Scorpion’s left hand holding the talisman.

Seeing their leader unable to match Xuan Kong, the remaining men, who had grown up at the foot of Laoshan, knew the power of the immortal’s magic. They all shouted and tried to run.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Wang Qi drew his sword. He couldn’t handle a hundred-year-old zombie, but dealing with a few mortal bandits was no problem.

He leaped in front of the men, and after a brief fight, quickly subdued them. Wang Qi looked at Xuan Kong in the carriage. “Senior Brother, what should we do? Kill them?”

Wang Qi had encountered many such situations on his journey from Beihai. In the past, he would have just killed them. But in front of his senior brother, he chose to respect Xuan Kong’s opinion.

Xuan Kong opened his eyes, thought for a moment, and asked, “Are there many people like this now?”

Wang Qi forced the men to kneel and said, “These bandits? Yes, there are a lot, really a lot!”

Xuan Kong frowned. Living on the mountain for a long time, he hadn’t realized the world was like the movies he had seen. “The world is in chaos, and the people are suffering.” Xuan Kong sighed. Even as an immortal, he couldn’t solve such problems.

He just lamented that in his previous life, he wouldn’t have dared to act so openly. He looked back at the town, where a few soldiers had already seen what was happening but hadn’t moved.

Wang Qi urged, “Senior Brother, what should we do with these people?”

The Poison Scorpion, holding his severed arm, kept kowtowing. “Great Immortal, please spare me. I only did this because my family was starving.”

The others also started pleading. They were all locals from Laoshan, and despite their respectable appearances, their fields had been stripped by the government. Their families were struggling to survive, and in such times, finding a job to make a living was extremely difficult.

Xuan Kong shook his head. “They are all townsfolk from the foot of Laoshan. How about...”

Before he could finish, the Poison Scorpion’s eyes turned venomous. “You took my arm, I’ll take your life.” He pulled out a sharp knife from his waist and lunged at Wang Qi. Although Xuan Kong had crippled his arm, he didn’t dare attack Xuan Kong and chose Wang Qi instead.