Chapter 979 - 818: Settling Down

In front of the Great Tongming Treasure Hall, Zhang Li remained silent for a long time.

Chen Ji looked at the young Taoist standing under the plaque with his head down, his eyes shadowed and indistinct. Ever since meeting this chief disciple of the Huangshan Dao Court, the man seemed to always be smiling, except for this time.

After a moment, Zhang Li raised his head and asked, "What did Master say when the Superior issued the decree?"

Zhang Ning recalled, "Master said to follow the instructions."

Zhang Li asked again, "What other decrees did the Superior issue?"

Gripping the Seven-Star Sword tightly, Zhang Ning turned to look at the Big Green Ox by the bronze cauldron, still sneaking the last wisp of incense: "This beast steals the incense and power of the devotees, rebellious and obstinate, it must be killed as a warning."

Everyone’s eyes turned collectively to the Big Green Ox, which was caught red-handed eating incense, its throat suddenly blocked, and it spat out the incense it had just stolen through its nostrils.

Zhang Li frowned: "Our Dao Court has incense offerings in the tens of thousands, this dumb cow isn’t fully conscious, how much incense could it possibly steal? Our Dao Court’s three treasures are kindness, frugality, and the determination not to be the first in the world. The Superior creates life, great sage philanthropy, is it necessary to bother with it over every little thing?"

Zhang Ning shook his head: "Senior Brother, we don’t argue with you. We only need to follow the decree of the Superior."

Zhang Li said in a serious tone: "What if I say no?"

Zhang Ning raised his head to look at Zhang Li on the stone steps: "Senior Brother, you don’t practice regularly, you are no match for me."

Zhang Li let out a cold laugh: "Perhaps you’ve forgotten how many times your palm was spanked when you were little..."

Seeing Zhang Ning unmoved, he changed his wording: "When you were young, it was Senior Brother who washed your pants when you wet them."

Zhang Ning’s expression finally softened: "But..."

Before he could finish, Zhang Li suddenly shouted at the Big Green Ox: "Idiot, hurry and run! Jiu Jin, help send it away!"

Zhang Ning’s face changed, and he turned back only to see the Big Green Ox sprinting away, mindlessly rushing out the Mountain Gate towards Chaotian Palace. He was about to chase but saw Zhang Li throw a handful of chicken-blood processed soybeans into the sky from his sleeve.

Zhang Ning and the others drew their swords in vigilant anticipation, watching the densely packed soybeans bounce off the ground around them, yet after several breaths, they did not turn into ghost soldiers.

When they looked back at the stone steps, Zhang Li’s shadow was nowhere to be found.

Scanning with his eyes, Zhang Ning saw Zhang Li awkwardly chasing after the Big Green Ox, shouting loudly: "Senior Brother spends all day immersed in theatrical stories, long neglecting the skill of conjuring soldiers from beans, you ought to return from wandering astray!"

Zhang Li called back without turning his head: "What do you know! When I was practicing, you were still wetting your pants; if you want to teach me a lesson, wait until the next life!"

Zhang Ning frowned: "Pursue!"

More than ten Taoists chased after him, but just as Zhang Li crossed the Mountain Gate, he suddenly turned around, once again grabbing a handful of soybeans and scattering them at them.

With his right hand, Zhang Li first executed a sword technique and opened the altar; with his left hand, he used the Thunder Technique to summon the Northern Ghost General. Just as the soybeans were about to hit the ground, he moved his feet in the Kui Gang Step, using his left hand to cut the Tansu Dou, and his right hand to perform the Kuiwu Zidou, both hands forming the Three Platforms: "Quick!"

The densely packed soybeans hit the ground, instantly transforming into three-foot-tall ghost soldiers, clad in red helmets, armor, and robes, with red flags and weapons, charging at Zhang Ning and the others.

Zhang Li laughed aloud: "Junior Brother, in war one must use deception, you’ll learn, there’s plenty for you to learn from Senior Brother’s abilities!"

Zhang Ning and the others retreated quickly, hearing shouts behind them, only to see that the first handful of soybeans had also transformed into ghost soldiers attacking.

"Form an array!" Zhang Ning whispered, and the group of Taoists formed a sword array on guard.

A ghost soldier charged to the front of the array, Zhang Ning swung his sword to cut, and as soon as the Seven-Star Sword struck the ghost soldier, it exploded into a puff of smoke, reverting to a soybean.

Zhang Ning’s face grew grave; when the next ghost soldier attacked, he simply kicked it in the face, and it also transformed back into a soybean with a puff.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of ghost soldiers were all transformed back into their original form by the Taoists of Huangshan, leaving everyone looking at each other, bewildered.

A young junior brother hesitated: "We were truly fooled by Senior Brother; he managed to even walk the Kui Gang Step wrong."

Holding the treasure sword upside down, Zhang Ning looked towards the Mountain Gate, but Zhang Li’s figure was nowhere to be seen: "He didn’t walk the Kui Gang Step wrong; he was afraid of injuring us. You all came up the mountain late, never witnessing Senior Brother at his most glorious... When I was young, I saw him calling the wind and rain, stirring up the sea of clouds, and he was only eight years old then."

A young Taoist muttered: "No wonder he was taken by Master to observe that battle with the Mountain Master at such a young age... But if Senior Brother is so talented, why did Master choose Yan Chi to practice the Heavenly Phenomenon Technique instead of Senior Brother?"

Zhang Ning sighed: "Perhaps it’s the reason for his resentment. But now’s not the time to dwell on this; seal the Mountain Gate, summon the Eight Great Merchants, the Superior wants us to retrieve the scattered Ten Thousand Gods’ Residence before the Universal Sacrifice ends, without error."

All the young Taoists held their swords and cupped their hands: "Yes... What about Senior Brother and that ox?"

Zhang Ning said calmly: "Following the Superior’s decree, the Green Ox must die."

...

...

At this moment, Chen Ji, Old Ears, Yuan Xing, Zhang Li, and the others stood in silence before Wangxian Bridge.

The passing townsfolk observed this oddly assorted group, which included a big black horse, a little black cat, a big green ox, a young man, a middle-aged man, an old man, and a Taoist.

No matter how one looked at them, these seven individuals seemed unlikely to be together, yet there they stood silently.

After a long time, Zhang Li curiously asked, "Where are we going now?"

Old Ears replied with irritation, "Who’s ’we’? We originally planned to stay at your Chaotian Palace, but we couldn’t, and now we have to drag along someone as burdensome as you."

Zhang Li grinned cheekily, "You’ve got it wrong, elder. I’m not a burden. In Jinling, I know all the best places to eat and have fun. You won’t regret bringing me along."

Old Ears scoffed, "You just mean spending silver, right?"

Jiang Chai looked at Old Ears, then at Zhang Li, "You’re that little Taoist who’s rumored to have gone outside Chongli Pass with the Apostle, aren’t you... aren’t you scared?"

Zhang Li laughed, "The elder’s sword only cuts down Great Grandmasters, not insignificant people like me. There’s nothing to fear. The ones who should be scared are those so-called geniuses who dare not step into the Divine Realm. Elder, I know a few waiting for you to ascend before they dare to step into the Divine Realm. Shall I take you to find them? There’s one at the Great Bao’en Temple."

Old Ears sneered, "Being expelled from the sect, and still wanting to use this old man’s blade to see the Buddhist monks?"

Zhang Li took out his talisman Dudie from his chest, "See, I still have it. I ran away."

Yuan Xing remarked, "It’s my first time meeting such a shameless Taoist."

While they bickered, Chen Ji was already leading Zhaolei across Wangxian Bridge, "Let’s go find a place to stay first."

Zhang Li immediately jumped onto the big green ox and followed, "I bet the Hu Family and the Eight Great Merchants are all looking for you here in Jinling. You can’t stay at inns, they’re all spies..."

Yuan Xi looked at Chen Ji, "Foster Father, why don’t you go look for Mother?"

Zhang Li perked up, "There are even more spies there, but with the elder present, they won’t be a problem."

Old Ears mocked, "You really think this old man should intervene? If I really get involved, the Zhang Family won’t be able to stay in the Ning Dynasty anymore; they might as well pack up and head to the Southern Ocean."

Yuan Xing suddenly suggested, "Let’s stay by the Qinhuai River. It’s crowded and bustling, perfect for concealing our whereabouts."

Jiang Chai sneered, "Your abacus beads are about to hit my face."

Yuan Xing countered, "Having come to a place like Jinling, don’t you, a lonely old man, want to see the sights?"

Jiang Chai paused for a moment, "I do."

Chen Ji ignored them, strolling through Jinling City on his own, his gaze sweeping over the signboards.

Zhang Li approached, "Are you looking for the Denghuo Inn?"

Chen Ji nodded, "Staying at the Denghuo Inn is the safest option now."

Denghuo was the only trustworthy place in Jinling for him. Perhaps Mrs. Lu had also arrived in Jinling by now, which would make it even more reliable. But from dusk till 9 to 11 PM, when the night patrol beat the copper gong on the streets, he still hadn’t found the couplets of the Denghuo Inn.

Old Ears urged, "Can you find it or not? You can’t expect this old man to sleep on the street with you."

Chen Ji pondered for a moment, "If I can’t find Denghuo Inn, there’s another place. Daoist Master Zhang Li, how do we get to Quanfu Alley?"

Zhang Li replied meaningfully, "In the end, didn’t you end up staying by the Qinhuai River?"

With that, he rode the big green ox, leading the way in winding turns to Quanfu Alley, where outside lay the debaucherous Qinhuai River.

Yuan Xing and the others stood on tiptoe, eagerly watching as decorated boats sailed past the mouth of the alley. The see-through attire on the songstresses on the boats, mingling with music and singing, drew Yuan Xing forward as if enchanted.

When he reached the mouth of the alley, Chen Ji lightly coughed, prompting Yuan Xing to turn back: "The Qinhuai River is great! Foster Father, why don’t we take a look on the boats later? No one knows us anyway."

Chen Ji stopped at a mansion, looked up at the signboard: "Not yet time."

Everyone looked at the signboard, which had ’Feng Mansion’ inscribed in gold lacquer, alongside knife marks from Li Si’s short knife transmission.

Chen Ji drew the An Nan National Guardian Divine Sword at his waist, slicing the lock off: "Let’s stay here for now. Lord Feng shouldn’t be returning to Jinling anytime soon."