Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 166: Dazhens Hidden Immortal

“You, Sir, are definitely not Taoist Qingsong. I know Qi Xuan’s background quite well. He is nothing but a poor Taoist fortune-teller.”

Chu Mingcai narrowed his eyes and asked.

The other party had obviously been waiting for him to come, and he didn’t know since when he had started targeting him. Either way, it was impossible for a mortal like Huang Xingye to have invited the person in front of him on his own.

The man in front of him was donning the appearance of Taoist Qingsong. No one knew when he had started this scheme. It was possible that the man who had been wandering around Dongle County telling fortunes all this time had never been the true Taoist Qingsong, but was instead the individual in front of him.

But since he hadn’t taken any immediate actions, it seemed he had something to say.

Ji Yuan was also pondering what to say.

“You, Sir, are not Chu Mingcai, so I won’t waste time saying things that are obvious. If you don’t mind, why don’t we move on to having our discussion?”

Chu Mingcai’s stomach let out a slight “gurgle,” as if something were stirring inside. His eyes glanced at Huang Xingye. It was difficult to tell whether or not the glance was intentional.

Huang Xingye himself was a little confused at first, but he was still a smart man. He realized that something was wrong from Ji Yuan and Chu Mingcai’s simple exchange. Now, he felt a chill run through his body.

Ji Yuan’s left hand, which was hidden behind his back, was already slick with sweat, but he still stretched out his right hand firmly and made a vague gesture as if to block Huang Xingye.

“I know that this ‘personal god’ is extremely rare, but I didn’t expect even a true demon to covet it. But since I am here, Sir should not pay attention to it for the time being. If you and I start fighting, the entire Maoqian Town, and even Dongle County, might have its land shaved down three feet in depth.”

Buzz…

The Green Vine Sword behind him rang out with a sharp sound. Of the large characters on the scabbard, the word “concealed” from “Spirit nurtures the green vine, the sharp edge deeply concealed” gradually faded, while the word “sharp” glowed.

Whoosh… Whoosh…

A faint breeze blew through the Huang family’s living room. Huang Xingye and several of the maids beside him suddenly felt that it was difficult to breathe. In Chu Mingcai’s eyes, it seemed as if a thousand-foot beam of sword light shone behind Ji Yuan for an instant, but when he shook his head, it had vanished.

“I was wondering why Huang Xingye could nurture a ‘personal spirit,’ but I never imagined that there would actually be a true immortal behind him. Hahaha… Sir, you are correct; if we fight, it will not benefit anyone. I wonder if there is a place where we might chat?”

Up until now, both sides had been acting with extreme restraint. They even used respectful titles, despite their positions as immortal and demon being irreconcilable.

Ji Yuan was extremely afraid of this true demon. Even with the immortal sword by his side, he was still in great danger. Chu Mingcai was equally afraid of Ji Yuan; he felt anxious that the other party had remained hidden, while he had clearly been revealed.

‘I have to put on an act, now! ’

This thought arose in Ji Yuan’s mind, and suddenly he had an idea.

“Haha, neither you nor I can trust each other. We definitely don’t want to be too far away from Huang Xingye. We can only ask someone to provide us a suitable place…”

Having spoken, Ji Yuan gently raised his feet and stomped on the ground, making sure that his movement did not agitate the other party.

“Land God, please come quickly.”

A yellow halo ripples across the air, smoke rose from the ground, and the Land God was summoned, spinning where he appeared.

Chu Mingcai’s eyes narrowed again. This was the genuine “Spirit Binding” technique, and it had been performed so casually, without much spiritual energy leaking out. The pressure of his words actualizing was extremely strong. He felt a little uneasy in his heart, and couldn’t help but begin thinking of ways to escape safely.

As soon as the Land God appeared from the smoke, he immediately bowed to Ji Yuan.

“The Land God pays his respects to the Immortal. That evil being has not appeared in Maoqian Town, I will…”

The Land God suddenly froze halfway through his sentence. The words he wanted to say, “I will continue monitoring day and night,” were stuck in his throat. He finally noticed Chu Mingcai, who was standing opposite the “Supreme Immortal.”

In such a tense atmosphere, even though he knew that the Land God was frightened, Ji Yuan still found humor in the Land God’s ending words, a sense of humor that had followed him from his previous life.¹ Ji Yuan smiled.

“In Maoqian Town, when looking for a good place, there is no one better to ask than the Land God. Lord Land God, we need to find a quiet place to talk. Where might you recommend?”

The Land God calmed himself down. He looked at Chu Mingcai and then at Ji Yuan. He quickly realized that this was no simple request, otherwise the immortal would not have wasted time talking with the other party.

However, with the immortal beside him, the Land God remained calm. The immortal was still talking and laughing, while the being on the other side didn’t dare move.²

“Replying to the Immortal, why not go to my Land God Temple? Although it is simple, neither mortals nor underworld ghosts or gods would disturb you.”

The Land God Temple he spoke of did not refer to the temple building, but instead the Land God’s residence beneath the temple.

Ji Yuan glanced at Chu Mingcai.

“What do you think, Sir?”

Chu Mingcai kept thinking to himself, his eyes flickering slightly.

“You are the one who summoned this land god. Rather than saying that he decided the place, it might have been decided by you long ago. How would a small Land God dare refuse an immortal? I am a demon, and I influence people with evil. I will not go to the Land God’s residence. Let us choose another place.”

No matter how transparent and reasonable this statement seemed, from Ji Yuan’s perspective, it was difficult to hide the underlying lack of confidence, which made Ji Yuan feel a lot bolder.

It is good that the other party felt weak! Although he was weak too, the being didn’t know that!

“Then why don’t you decide a place? I can go anywhere, even leave Maoqian Town. It’s up to you.”

“Then let’s stay in the Huang Mansion!”

Chu Mingcai sat down in his seat again.

Huang Xingye was in a cold sweat, and he didn’t dare to move. He looked to “Taoist Qingsong” for help. Although he could tell from conversation just now that this might not be the true Taoist Qingsong, at least he was on his side.

Chu Mingcai’s weakness just now made Ji Yuan more daring.

“Okay, the Huang Mansion is fine. To avoid further interruptions, I think we should leave it at that. Land God, please send Huang Xingye and all the servants in the Huang residence away.”

After Ji Yuan finished speaking, he took the initiative to walk towards where Huang Xingye was standing. His eyes were back to their original pale color now, and he couldn’t give him a reassuring look, but even just a slight nod made Huang Xingye feel more at ease.

“As you wish!”

The Land God did not dare delay. After receiving his order, he first walked to Huang Xingye, pointed his rattan stick at him, then they both vanished into the ground. Then the Huang family’s maids and servants each disappeared one by one.

During the whole process, Ji Yuan kept smiling and staring towards the front of the living room, without even looking at Chu Mingcai. The latter sat in place with his eyes narrowed, tacitly allowing the Land God’s actions.

It wasn’t until everyone in the Huang residence had vanished that the words on the Green Vine Sword’s scabbard faded away and everything returned to a state of calm.

Chu Mingcai didn’t show it on his face, but he felt inexplicably relieved.

For a moment just now, he had been ready to attack violently. He had suspected that the man in front of him would take action immediately after all the mortals had been sent away. In the end, it seemed that he was just being overly suspicious.

Ji Yuan had already organized a few words in his mind, and decided on a gesture of goodwill. He sat in Huang Xingye’s original seat, picked up the teapot, and refilled Chu Mingcai’s cup of tea. Then he took a new cup from the tea tray and poured himself some tea. Finally, he decided it was time for him to speak.

“To be honest, in addition to Yuhuai Mountain and Tongtian River, I was quite shocked to see you, Sir, in Dazhen.”

Naturally, Chu Mingcai did not think of someone pouring him tea as a sign of weakness. High-level cultivators and Taoists practiced with ease and thoroughness, and their actions would often be even more bizarre than those of demons.

“I was also quite frightened when seeing you, Sir! It seems that quite a few people have come to join the fun here in Dazhen. Even a True Immortal has come!”

Chu Mingcai deliberately made a sarcastic remark after taking a sip of his tea.

It was said that the teachings of true immortals were profound, and it was difficult for them to be tempted by things in the mortal world. Yet one had still come. “Chu Mingcai” only used his sarcasm very lightly in words, not daring to go too far.

After only having been in contact with this man for a brief moment of time, he already understood that in terms of Taoism and cultivation, he was likely far inferior. Not to mention, the other party had an extraordinary spiritual sword hanging in the air behind him, and its killing power was not to be taken lightly.

Ji Yuan could naturally hear the sarcasm in his words, but he was even more surprised at the other information Chu Mingcai had let slip. Join the fun? What particular fun was there to be had in Dazhen? Did the Old Dragon know anything?

“Mr. Chu, you may have misunderstood. I am originally from Dazhen. Of course, it was not called Dazhen at the time, but I am indeed not from a foreign land.”

“Hmm?”

Chu Mingcai turned to look at Ji Yuan.

“It seems that in Dazhen’s territory, in addition to a true dragon, there is actually a true immortal like yourself. Does that old dragon know?”

Ji Yuan looked at him with a very strange but sincere expression

“Even if Mr. Ying knew, would he be obliged to shout that fact to the rooftops for others to know? I’m an old friend of the Tongtian River clan, all the dragon’s children have to call me ‘uncle’!”³

This was simply the truth. Ji Yuan said it without any pressure, but Chu Mingcai’s body subconsciously wanted to gulp after hearing his words. It was a completely instinctive reaction in his body. Fortunately, he managed to regain control over himself.

Most immortals and monsters didn’t like each other. Chu Mingcai didn’t expect these two individuals to know each other. Could it be a lie?

Then, Ji Yuan added another sentence.

“A few days ago, I sent a letter to the Tongtian River, saying that I was planning to stay in Dongle County for a while. With the Old Dragon’s temperament, he might come to see me soon, haha.”

Ji Yuan’s statement was fact, but it was also a veiled threat. This finally provoked a reaction in the being in front of him, and the demonic energy in his body became a little turbulent.

It was relatively restrained, so others might not have been able to see it, but Ji Yuan had been enduring the pain and keeping his eyes wide open, so that no flaws could escape his supernatural eyes.

However, Ji Yuan was now eager to know what the True Demon had meant by “join the fun.” It sounded like something special was going to happen in Dazhen.

At this moment, the sky began to darken. It wasn’t that it was growing late, but rather that dark clouds were gathering.

“Boom… Roar…”

A dragon’s roar faintly mixed in with the sound of thunder. Ordinary people could not hear it, but Ji Yuan and Chu Mingcai’s expressions changed. Ji Yuan showed a faint joy, while the latter’s expression grew so ugly that he could not longer pretend to hold his composure.

‘Good assist, Brother Ying! ’

Ji Yuan couldn’t help but cheer in his heart. It was better to arrive at precisely the right time than to arrive early!

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T/n: Something’s brewing in Dazhen… I sense… plot? 😀

1. The cut off words are 小神我日 which was intended, loosely, as “This God will…” Potentially, JY finds it funny because it could also be translated as “My God!” (or as a swear word by Google Translate, which is why you can never stop at MTL) or because it’s just a situationally funny moment to see the Land God flounder.
2. Lit: didn’t dare to fart
3. Calling someone “uncle” when not blood-related is usually a sign of respect from a younger individual to an older individual