“Qingcheng Mountain?” Hearing the familiar name, Huang Yulang couldn’t help but stare blankly for a moment.
Qingcheng Mountain, one of the four great Taoist Sect Holy Lands in Huaxia, was the subject of many myths and legends.
The song about Bai Suzhen under Qingcheng Mountain, in particular, was a household name.
He never thought this world would also have a Qingcheng Mountain.
He searched his memory for a map of the area around the Yun Country, but it seemed there was no trace of it.
Huang Yulang collected his Heart Spirit and found himself somewhat interested in this so-called ‘true master’ from Qingcheng Mountain.
He looked up to size him up.
He saw an old man who was hale and hearty, with the face of a youth but the white hair of a crane.
His blue Daoist Robe was slightly worn, and a Duster hung from his hand.
An indescribable, unusual aura emanated from his body.
His eyes were especially striking.
They seemed to have witnessed the vicissitudes of time, making one feel as if they would be lost in them with a single glance.
Beside him, a Little Daoist Child with a wooden sword on his back had rosy lips and pearly teeth.
He was about the same age as Huang Yulang, his clear eyes sizing him up with curiosity.
For some reason, Huang Yulang’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
‘Dressed like such an enlightened master, he can’t be a fraud, can he?’
The corner of Huang Yulang’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.
‘If you can tell someone’s a fraud at a glance, can they even be called a fraud?’
‘A real scammer would look exactly like an enlightened master.
It’s the easiest way to make others lower their guard.’
At this thought, a cold sneer appeared on Huang Yulang’s lips.
‘Well now, this scammer has gotten more sophisticated.
I almost fell for it.’
“Hehe, I am Huang Yulang.
It’s an honor to meet you, Daoist Master.
Please, sit.” Huang Yulang politely stood up and gestured for the two to be seated with a smile.
The old Daoist seemed able to read minds.
He saw at a glance that Huang Yulang’s politeness toward him and his disciple was fake, and that he didn’t believe he was an enlightened master at all.
But the old Daoist had seen too much.
His hundreds of years of experience were far beyond what a young upstart like Huang Yulang could compare to, so he simply smiled in response, unconcerned.
“Thank you, little friend.” The old Daoist sat down, while the Daoist Child stood respectfully to the side.
“Fu, tell the kitchen to prepare a banquet!
This Young Master wants to properly entertain our two distinguished guests!”
“Yes, Young Master.” Fu was clearly taken in by the master and disciple’s appearance.
He left reluctantly.
When the Little Daoist Child heard Huang Yulang also call him a “distinguished guest,” he immediately broke into a proud smile.
“Kid, you’ve got some good eyes.
My master is incredible, so of course he’s an enlightened master.
And as his only disciple, my skills are also beyond the understanding of a mere mortal like you.
I deserve to be called a master too.”
The old Daoist remained silent, a smile on his face.
It was understandable for his disciple to be a little proud in front of a mortal.
He chuckled and looked at Huang Yulang.
He could tell with a single glance that Huang Yulang had some Spiritual Root, but it was mottled and impure.
It was far inferior to his own disciple’s, so he naturally had no intention of taking him on.
However, the old Daoist was slightly moved by the obsession with cultivation he saw in Huang Yulang’s eyes at such a young age.
Hearing the brat’s shameless boasting, Huang Yulang laughed in exasperation and let out an impolite scoff.
“You, an enlightened master?
I bet you’re not even as old as I am!
How dare you spout such nonsense in front of this Young Master?” The Little Daoist Child froze for a second, then flew into a rage.
“Kid, who are you calling a spouter of nonsense?
Believe it or not, this Daoist Master could slap you to death!”
As he spoke, the Little Daoist Child raised his hand to step forward and teach Huang Yulang a lesson, but he resentfully lowered it after receiving a glare from the old Daoist.
Huang Yulang, however, thought the boy was flying into a rage out of shame because his bluff had been called.
He sneered and continued to taunt him mercilessly.
“Oh my, did I strike a nerve?
Did this Young Master expose you?
If you really have any skills, why don’t you show me a thing or two?”
“You stinking brat, who are you looking down on?
This Daoist Master will open your eyes today and see if that doesn’t shut you up!”
The Little Daoist Child was filled with righteous indignation and was about to perform a technique to put Huang Yulang in his place.
But the old Daoist, looking slightly disappointed at his hot-headed disciple, placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
He chuckled and said to Huang Yulang,
“Techniques cannot be taught lightly, nor can they be displayed casually to mortals.
This is a rule of the cultivation world, to prevent mortals from becoming restless and forgetting their place.”
“Hmph.” The Little Daoist Child grunted unhappily at Huang Yulang, his proud expression returning to his face.
Huang Yulang sneered inwardly.
‘This old scammer is so calm and composed.
He’s clearly old and crafty, not easy to fool.
But this little scammer is much easier to deal with.’
‘Trying to act like a master in front of me, spouting nonsense about how Immortal Techniques can’t be shown to mortals…
He really thinks he’s some enlightened being.
Who does he think he’s looking down on?’
‘Today, this Young Master is going to force you to show your true colors.
My banquets aren’t for any Tom, Dick, or Harry to freeload off of.’
“Tch.” Huang Yulang scoffed contemptuously at the Little Daoist Child.
“Don’t give me that ‘can’t be displayed casually’ nonsense.
I think you two are just scammers.
You’re the old scammer, and you’re the little scammer.”
The old Daoist was clear on Huang Yulang’s purpose.
He just wanted to confirm whether he was a legendary Immortal.
The old man was unperturbed and simply laughed it off.
But the little Daoist was furious, his aura threatening to burst out of his control.
“You…
you bastard!
Who are you calling a scammer?
I’m so mad!
You’re just a mortal, no better than an ant!
This young master is going to beat you until you kowtow and beg for mercy today!”
But before the Daoist Child could move, his body was frozen in place.
His little face turned beet red, unable to even speak, as he glared angrily at Huang Yulang.
Huang Yulang assumed the boy was holding back, afraid he couldn’t win a fight and just putting on an act.
If it came to a real fight, Huang Yulang didn’t take the boy seriously at all.
Although these Jianghu Sorcerers didn’t know Immortal Techniques, some of them were truly skilled in martial arts, comparable to the masters from wuxia novels.
Many of the guards and servants in the Huang Mansion were masters with bulging temples.
The original owner of his body had learned some martial arts since childhood, but because he couldn’t endure the hardship, he never got very far.
Still, Huang Yulang was confident he could handle a fight with his peers.
Well, in the end, the other boy just stood there as if he were rooted to the spot, refusing to make a move.
The mockery on Huang Yulang’s face deepened as he spoke with disdain.
“Alright, I see you don’t know any Immortal Techniques.
Today, this Young Master will open your eyes.”
As Huang Yulang spoke, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a stack of blank paper.
He showed it to the old Daoist and the furious Daoist Child, then with a flick of his wrist, the stack of blank paper suddenly turned into a stack of silver notes.
The ever-composed old Daoist was momentarily stunned by this sight.
Then, the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch, and his expression turned peculiar.
The Child, still frozen in place, hadn’t seen it clearly.
The sudden transformation left him staring blankly, his eyes filled with confusion.
“Hehe, see that?
Blank paper into silver notes.
Never seen that before, have you?”
Huang Yulang smugly put away the silver notes.
With a casual snap of his fingers, a pale blue flame suddenly erupted from his hands.
The old Daoist’s mouth twitched again.
The Daoist Child, however, looked as if he’d seen a ghost.
He clearly hadn’t felt any fluctuation of Magical Power from Huang Yulang, so why did flames rise from his palms like an Immortal’s?
Seeing the master and disciple’s expressions, Huang Yulang thought they were shocked.
He grew even more pleased with himself.
He reached for a wine cup on the table, drained it in one gulp, and then showed the empty cup to the astonished pair.
“It’s empty.
Nothing inside.”
Huang Yulang held the cup in his left hand.
With his right, he took an Iron Ball from his sleeve and placed it under the bottom of the cup.
“Watch closely.” He slapped the bottom of the cup with his right hand and let go with his left.
CLINK!
The clear sound of the Iron Ball striking the inside of the cup rang out.
Huang Yulang triumphantly held up the cup in his right hand for the master and disciple to see.
The Iron Ball that was originally under the cup had seemingly passed through the bottom and was now inside it.
“So?
Learned anything?
Next time you go out scamming, you’d better keep your eyes peeled.
Not everyone in this world is so easily fooled.”
“That’s impossible!” The Child, now free to move, looked excited.
He flashed in front of Huang Yulang, reached out, and snatched the cup away.
Before Huang Yulang could react, the cup in his hand was gone.
An Iron Ball lay quietly in his palm.
Huang Yulang was mortified.
He cursed inwardly, ‘How is this kid so fast?
Has he practiced some superior light body technique?
Otherwise, how could he cross several meters and snatch the cup before I could even react?’
The Daoist Child looked at the Iron Ball in the cup, then glanced at the Iron Ball in Huang Yulang’s palm, and instantly understood.
“You…
you’re the scammer!
You’re a big scammer!”
The Daoist Child was utterly humiliated.
He, the great head disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, had actually been tricked by a mortal!
This was outrageous!
He couldn’t help but start cursing.
“You have no martial decency!
That was a sneak attack!” Having his trick exposed on the spot, Huang Yulang was also getting annoyed.
The old Daoist, however, was smiling playfully.
His gaze toward Huang Yulang held a new level of interest.
For a boy in his early teens to be so skilled in these unorthodox tricks was truly rare.
Huang Yulang and the Little Daoist Child got into a shouting match, with neither gaining the upper hand.
The Little Daoist Child, unwilling to give up, looked at the old Daoist.
“Master, he’s the scammer!
He’s the big scammer!”
“And you’re the little scammer,” Huang Yulang retorted.
The Daoist Child was furious.
If not for the Immortal Realm’s rule that cultivators must not attack mortals at will, he would have shown this ant what an Immortal’s power truly was.
Suddenly, an idea came to the Child.
He knelt directly before the old Daoist, a look of determination on his face.
“Master, my heart is filled with resentment.
If I do not vent it today, my thoughts will not be clear, and my future cultivation will be hindered.
I ask for Master’s permission.”
The old Daoist saw that his disciple’s competitive spirit was overwhelming his reason.
Since he had elevated the matter to the level of his cultivation, what could the old Daoist do but nod helplessly?
“Don’t make too big of a scene.
We cultivators do not deign to compete with mortals.
This is the only time.”
Seeing the master and disciple seemed about to lose it, Huang Yulang curled his lip.
“Talk is cheap.
If you’ve got the guts, come put this Young Master in his place.”
Seeing his master agree, the Child was overjoyed.
When he saw Huang Yulang still mocking him, he forcibly suppressed his anger and kowtowed to the old Daoist.
“Thank you, Master.
Your disciple understands.” The Daoist Child slowly rose, turned to the clueless Huang Yulang, and said coldly,
“A mere mortal.
How can an ant compete with the bright moon?
Open your dog eyes and watch this Daoist Master closely.” Huang Yulang was also enraged by his words and was about to curse him out, but suddenly, the Daoist Child’s aura erupted from his body.
An overwhelming pressure swept over them like a gale wind tearing through a canyon.
Huang Yulang felt his shoulders sink as if a mountain had suddenly been dropped on him.
How could someone as young as him withstand it?
With a THUD, he collapsed to the ground, his face instantly turning as white as paper.
The next moment, BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
The tables, chairs, and benches in the room shattered into pieces.
Pinned by the pressure and unable to move, Huang Yulang’s face filled with horror.
Seeing the furniture instantly disintegrate, he was struck with terror.
He looked up at the Daoist Child, who was about his age, now stepping on empty air as if he were a Celestial God looking down on an ant.