Chapter 591: The Misunderstanding Deepens

An incredibly profound Daoist chant echoed in my ears, suppressing all other noise. I had been controlling the Five Plague Ghosts, intending to teach the sect cultivators a lesson, but who could have expected this sudden chant? It actually suppressed yin energy, carrying an imposing force that seemed to crush all other methods, severely disrupting my ghost art.

'Who's here?' I thought, instinctively realizing the danger. A powerful figure had arrived; even if I forced an attack now, I wouldn't gain the slightest advantage.

With the urge to retreat already blooming in my mind, I took the initiative to weaken the Five Ghosts, further preserving my strength.

In truth, the power of the Yin-Yang Ghost Art's Fourth Layer, Five-Direction Ghost Commanding, had far exceeded my expectations. I only needed to use half of my yin energy to match the eldest senior brother of the Golden Mountain Sect.

Of course, this might also be because he was caught off guard and had underestimated me far too much.

With the Daoist chant piercing my ears and my intentional retreat, the hideous Five Plague Ghosts in the corridor didn't last long before vanishing.

As the chant swept through, even the yin energy I had previously gathered was scattered.

Standing at the center of the yin energy, I was specifically targeted. I stumbled back several steps and slammed heavily into the wall. I suffered minor external injuries; though I looked miserable, I was actually fine.

The yin energy dissipated, and the wall lamps flickered back to life. Warm light bathed the corridor, stretching the newcomer's shadow incredibly long.

"Cultivators brawling in a bustling city—what kind of behavior is this?" Daoist Master Xu Yan approached from the end of the corridor, his green Daoist robes fluttering without any wind. Exceptionally hale and hearty, his face was taut with clear displeasure.

"I was reckless. Wenming is willing to accept punishment." The Golden Mountain Sect's eldest senior brother, Wei Wenming, immediately stepped forward, taking all the blame upon himself. His Daoist topknot was askew, and his gold-threaded robes were crumpled. He had lost every trace of a transcendent master's bearing; he looked even worse than Blind Liu.

Even as he admitted his fault, he secretly shot Daoist Master Xu Yan a meaningful look.

Expressionless, Daoist Master Xu Yan gave a slight nod, signaling that he understood exactly what had happened here.

I watched the two of them acting and scoffed inwardly. Daoist Master Xu Yan's timing was simply too perfect. Had he arrived even a second later, those Golden Mountain Sect martial brothers would have been severely injured by the Five Plague Ghosts.

'This old fox must have arrived a while ago,' I thought. 'Judging by his foul mood, he probably witnessed everything. He likely wants to tear Shi Youfu apart with his bare hands right now.' A perfectly good plan had been ruined by a single security guard; anyone would be furious.

'Shi Youfu, oh Shi Youfu, you really are my lucky star.'

Thinking about Century New Garden's security captain left me speechless. The first time we clashed, he had called in Mr. Gu, who later became one of my best helpers. Our second conflict at Century New Garden ended up bringing Tie Ningxiang and me closer together. And now, during this third clash, he had taken the lead in causing trouble and inadvertently became my scapegoat.

I let the sect cultivators put on their little play, watching coldly from the sidelines as I feigned weakness.

"We cultivators emphasize self-cultivation and nurturing our character. You must never let external matters shake your Dao heart. Fine, considering you were acting for the sect, I will let it slide this time. Do not let it happen again." Xu Yan provided a perfect excuse for Wei Wenming and Wei Jianming. Naturally, the two Golden Mountain Sect cultivators used the out he gave them, behaving themselves without daring to cause further trouble.

Having dealt with internal matters, Xu Yan turned to look at me, his face grim. "He can summon plague ghosts. Lu Chen, the intelligence you provided before was severely watered down!"

"The last time we met, he had indeed only just grasped the basics of ghost art. He could only command Grade C ghost entities, and even that had a time limit. Who could have known that after just a few days, his realm in ghost art would advance by leaps and bounds to reach such a height?" Lu Chen was equally exasperated. Cultivating the Dao and refining ghosts both required slow, grinding effort; how could anyone achieve success overnight? He simply couldn't understand it. "It's only been a few days. Even if his talent in ghost art was sky-high, he couldn't have broken through consecutively. Could he have been hiding his true strength back then?"

A flash of inspiration crossed Lu Chen's mind, and he lowered his voice to speak to Xu Yan. "I know what it is. This Gao Jian must be secretly in contact with the Ghost Mother. Last time at Xinhu High School, when the Three Yin Sect and I besieged this man, his own flesh and blood was in grave danger, yet he still held back his strength. It was because he was absolutely confident, knowing the Ghost Mother would definitely appear! This man is ruthless and cunning to the extreme! If he had revealed this level of strength from the start, I certainly wouldn't have been careless. Yet he deliberately pretended to be helpless, allowing his own child to be tortured, all so he could use the Ghost Mother's power to wipe out both me and the Three Yin Sect cultivators in one fell swoop!"

Lu Chen didn't know that not only was I skilled in ghost art, but my Daoist arts had also entered the Breath Listening Realm. I heard every single word of his whispered conversation.

'It seems they've misunderstood me again,' I thought. Ruthless, willing to let his own child be tortured while remaining completely indifferent, deeply scheming, and cruel in his methods—this was Lu Chen's new evaluation of me.

'Let them misunderstand. At this stage, this misunderstanding actually benefits me.' The more the sect members believed I maintained contact with the Ghost Mother, the less they would dare to act rashly. They were still hoping I would lead them to her. 'No rush. We have plenty of time to play this game.'

In terms of true strength, I was nowhere near a match for the sect members. Leaving the others aside, Daoist Master Xu Yan alone could suppress me.

If I wanted to turn the tables and win, I could only rely on unorthodox tactics and catch them entirely off guard.

After Lu Chen and Xu Yan finished their conversation, the looks they gave me were a bit strange. Perhaps due to psychological suggestion, I felt that both of them were now harboring a trace of killing intent toward me.

Their discussion concluded, they walked over. "Why were you trying to leave in the middle of the night?"

'Weren't you just hoping I'd try to slip away?' I muttered inwardly. 'Why are you even asking me now?'

After a brief thought, I replied, "Where I want to go—do I need to discuss it with you? Aren't you sticking your noses a bit too far into my business?"

"You are the Ghost Mother's husband. The Ghost Mother murdered Three Yin Sect cultivators and true disciples of the Miaozhen temple. Her crimes are the Ten Unpardonable Evils, and you were present at the time. We highly suspect that you and the Ghost Mother colluded in this." At a signal from Xu Yan, Lu Chen stepped forward. "Return to your room. Once we eliminate the Ghost Mother, we will naturally let you out."

"And if I say no?" I didn't agree immediately, as that would arouse suspicion.

"If I were you, I wouldn't say that," Xu Yan remarked coolly, flicking his sleeve. He walked straight away, leaving those words drifting in the air. The old Daoist's retreating figure felt like a heavy mountain pressing down on my chest.

"Go back to your room. The sects have united; you have no chance," Lu Chen said. He and Wei Wenming flanked me on the left and right, blocking my path.

With nowhere to run, I had no choice but to return to my room under their escort.

Bang! I slammed the door shut. Facing the inner room, I waited until I confirmed no one was around before a smile finally broke across my face. All my suspicions had been verified, and I now had a solid understanding of the sect members' strength.

'When the day of the live stream arrives, I'll just leave Wang Shi in the room and pull a golden cicada shedding its shell, leaving without a soul noticing.' I thoroughly inspected the room again. Finding no bugs or hidden cameras, I opened the east-facing window. Bathed in the morning sun, I began to cultivate the Heavenly Eye and the Profound Truth Mental Method.

'The live stream isn't until the night after tomorrow. I have plenty of time, so I'll use this period to let my body recover.' Sakurako was severely injured, Ye Bing remained unconscious, and the culprit who hurt Blind Liu at the hospital was still at large. The situation was as tangled and confusing as running hares. Yet, amidst all this, I was actually enjoying a rare moment of peace. I was staying in a top-tier suite, with someone delivering my meals right on schedule.

Having grown accustomed to a thrilling, life-and-death existence, this sudden stability left me feeling a bit out of place.

Knowing that eyes were on me around the clock, I didn't dare wander. I stayed cooped up in the room, practicing the Profound Truth Mental Method during the day and ghost art at night. By early morning of the second day, my body had fully returned to its peak condition.

'My Kidney Aperture and Liver Aperture have already opened. After consuming the Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruit, my Heart Aperture has also loosened a bit. If I can open the Heart Aperture, I wonder what else I'll remember?' The heart was the most important organ in the human body. I had a premonition that once the Heart Aperture opened, the results would be absolutely extraordinary.

'I still have one full day left.' There was a massive pile of matters waiting for me outside, but I couldn't get away. Pacing back and forth across the room, I realized this wasn't getting me anywhere. I drew the curtains and began to read that manual on the ancient disguise technique.

I studied the methods as I read. Sometimes, disguising oneself didn't require external props at all.

The human face is composed of forty-four muscles, with blood vessels and nerves weaving around cartilage and bone, all wrapped in a layer of skin. These tissues interconnect and interact, capable of pushing, pulling, twisting, and contorting into more than 5,000 different expressions.

In the ancient disguise technique, there was a method for mastering the facial muscles. Simply by controlling these muscles, a person could drastically alter their appearance in a very short amount of time.