Chapter 84: Journey to Pingdan

Ye Yuan froze for a moment, his entire body stiffening.

Wait—

He hadn’t thought of that before, had he?

“As you wish,” he replied solemnly, his expression that of someone reluctantly humoring his disciple’s whim.

“…” So he really hadn’t thought of it until now!

The next instant, his entire body glowed with white light. His flawless features began to shift—the elegant lines of his face grew rougher, a thick beard sprouted across his jaw, his height shortened, his build broadened, and his belly began to bulge. In moments, he looked exactly like…

—Old Zhou!

“…”

Both Yun Jiao and Bai Yu were speechless.

What was that supposed to mean? Even if he wanted to change appearances, did he have to copy someone they knew?

“How’s this?” the newly bearded man asked with utmost seriousness, as if proud of his handiwork.

“Uh…” Yun Jiao’s mouth twitched slightly. She drew in a deep breath before suggesting carefully, “Grandmaster, maybe… you could turn into someone a bit younger?”

Preferably not a carbon copy of Old Zhou.

He frowned but nodded slightly. The white light flared again—the beard vanished, his frame grew taller, his features smoother and sharper. Within moments, he had turned into…

—Shao Xian!

Both: “…”

Was he joking?!

“How about this?”

“Uh… maybe a little more… composed. Yes! More composed!”

“Alright.”

The white glow pulsed again, and his appearance shifted once more—this time into…

—Xu Qingfeng.

Both: “…”

Taking along someone who looked exactly like the Hall Master of Tianshi Hall—wasn’t that practically announcing to everyone that they were impostors?

“This one’s a bit too composed,” Yun Jiao said through gritted teeth. “Maybe one more try?”

“Mm.”

Next transformation—

—Jiao Hengyi.

“Next…”

—Bai Yu.

Yun Jiao: “…”

Bai Yu: “…”

Was this transformation technique or just straight-up cloning?!

Alright, clearly her Grandmaster could only take the form of people he’d seen before. Worse still, he seemed to be enjoying himself, changing faces one after another—each more familiar than the last. And judging by the way his aura was starting to shift, he might even try non-human forms next.

They had to stop him immediately.

“Okay! This one! Don’t change anymore—perfect! Absolutely perfect! Let’s go with this!”

“Are you sure?” he asked suspiciously, tilting his head—the face he now wore was an exact duplicate of Ji Chen’s. “Does this look… composed enough?”

“Composed. Very composed!” they both chorused. It couldn’t be more composed!

“…Alright then.”

Finally satisfied, Ye Yuan stopped transforming. The two disciples let out a long, weary sigh of relief. Any longer and the sun would’ve set before they even left.

———

Pingdan City was a frontier town in the northern borderlands—unfortunately, located in the complete opposite direction of Qingyang. Traveling there on foot would take two months, and even using the mystic sect’s interconnected teleportation arrays required switching through more than a dozen formations—a three-day journey at best.

But for Yun Jiao and Bai Yu, who had a literal cheat-code of a Grandmaster, distance was not an issue. With a single talisman, Ye Yuan transported them straight to the gates of Pingdan City in under three seconds.

Travel was easy. The Grandmaster, however, was the problem.

Yun Jiao had guessed correctly—ever since Ye Yuan changed his face to Ji Chen’s, all those wild, lovestruck reactions—the “marry me,” “take me,” “make soup of me” nonsense—vanished completely. Ji Chen’s face was decent enough to draw some attention, but it only earned a few passing glances, nothing more.

Ye Yuan, on the other hand, looked absolutely fascinated by this new experience. Like a curious child, his eyes sparkled as he examined everything—the streets, the shops, and especially… the food stalls.

He stopped at every stand they passed: steamed bun shops, nut vendors, snack carts, candied haw stalls…

If he had just wanted to eat, that would’ve been fine—they had money, after all. But no, he would stare at the food with an expression of pure disdain and mutter things like, “Filthy stench… oily and vulgar… unfit for consumption… worse than pig slop…”

And then, as if that weren’t enough, he’d turn to Yun Jiao and solemnly instruct, “You make it.”

Yun Jiao: “…” Are you kidding me?!

He was going to get them killed.

The shopkeepers’ faces were already dark as burnt pans, so she and Bai Yu grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away before things turned violent.

“Little disciple…” Ye Yuan asked in mild confusion, “why are we leaving? Those things—”

“I’ll make them! All of them! When we get back, I’ll make everything! Happy now?” Yun Jiao blurted out immediately.

That finally satisfied him. He nodded in approval, clearly pleased. “A good disciple indeed.”

Yun Jiao & Bai Yu: “…”

They both wished they could swap for a less high-maintenance Grandmaster.

---

Finding Tianshi Hall’s local branch wasn’t difficult. Soon after entering the city, they spotted its familiar emblem. Being a remote outpost, it was sparsely staffed—only a middle-aged steward sat behind the front counter, a copper token hanging at his waist engraved with the character Four, marking him as a Fourth-Rank Heavenly Master.

When he saw them approach, his eyes fell on the emblem at the elder’s collar. He immediately stood up and greeted them politely. “May I ask what business brings you here, fellow Daoists?”

“We’re disciples of the Qingyang Sect,” the elder answered smoothly. “We’ve come to handle the commission issued by Tianshi Hall.”

“Qingyang?” The steward blinked, stunned. After a moment, his eyes widened as he turned toward Yun Jiao. “Could it be—you’re Master Yun herself?”

She wasn’t wearing the Hall’s standard uniform today, so he hadn’t recognized her at first glance.

“I’m Yun Jiao.”

Master? What kind of title was that supposed to be?

“You came so quickly…” The steward looked even more surprised. “Weren’t you expected in three days?”

Realizing his slip, he quickly corrected himself and smiled. “In any case, your arrival is a great relief! This case was beyond the ability of our lower-ranked Heavenly Masters, which is why we escalated it.”

“What exactly is the situation?” Yun Jiao asked.

The steward sighed, his tone growing heavy. “It concerns Lian Village, ten miles outside Pingdan. Their village chief came to report a string of child disappearances. The authorities investigated for a long time but found nothing, and they suspect some foul supernatural cause. At first, we didn’t think much of it and sent a few of our people to check. But none of them came back. They vanished—no trace, no response, not even through transmission talismans.”

“What ranks were they?” the elder asked.

“Two Third-Rank Heavenly Masters, one Fifth-Rank, and…” he hesitated, glancing at the elder before adding quietly, “one First-Flower Heavenly Master.”

“A First-Flower Heavenly Master disappeared?!” the elder exclaimed.

“Yes.” The steward nodded gravely. “We searched the entire village and surrounding area but found nothing. No sign of demonic energy either. Yet the kidnappings continue—one child disappears every three or four days.”

“How many are missing in total?” Yun Jiao asked.

The steward thought for a moment. “Last report said fifteen children. Likely more by now.”

Yun Jiao and Bai Yu exchanged a grim look. The situation was clearly serious. They asked a few more detailed questions before turning to leave for Lian Village.

“Ah—Master Yun,” the steward suddenly called out, rummaging behind the counter. He handed her a sealed envelope. “This is the official commission letter. Take it to the village chief—he’ll brief you on the rest.”

Both nodded and thanked him before setting off toward Lian Village.

(End of Chapter)