Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

"Hehe, Brother Yi, rest easy on this journey, ol' Leopard isn't always so kind-hearted."

Hearing Yi Chen's agreement, Black Leopard stroked his muttonchop sideburns and burst into hearty laughter.

"Brother Leopard, why not take me along too?" A somewhat unfamiliar, skinny monkey among the patrons couldn't help but speak up.

"Scram, scram, scram, go chill somewhere else, we've got enough hands."

With a keen eye observing the reactions of everyone in the tavern, Yi Chen's lips curled into an odd smirk.

"Brother Leopard, how much gold can we earn at the very least from this trip to the mountain?"

"At the very least this much." The muttonchop-sporting man held up five fingers, laughing proudly, "Five hundred taels of gold."

Soon, the smile on Muttonchop's face froze.

"Brother Leopard, since that's the case, advance me three hundred taels of gold, and I, Brother Yi, will cover tonight's drinks for the tavern!"

"Brothers, Brother Leopard is so generous!"

Yi Chen clapped Muttonchop on the shoulder, raised his cup high, and the atmosphere instantly became rowdy, lifting Muttonchop up on a pedestal.

Watching the jeering crowd around him, Muttonchop, feeling like he was screwed over, had already thought up more than a dozen plans to deal with Yi Chen. Grudgingly, he took out three hundred taels of gold and slapped it onto the table, watching someone show off with his money.

"Pah, old fool, no wonder you've fallen to such lows, destined never to reach the Qi Refinement Realm in this lifetime."

If Yi Chen had known what was going through Muttonchop's mind, he would have surely given him a thumbs up.

However, obviously, he was preoccupied at the moment, as he was busy flirting with the graceful Mrs. Zhuo of the tavern.

"Madam, have you heard of 'The Golden Lotus'?"

"No, what about 'The Book of Laughter'?"

Muttonchop watched Yi Chen, who was spewing flirtatious nonsense without shame in the tavern, and finally let go of his last scruples.

Such a slick old hand couldn't possibly have that flavor without soaking in pleasure grounds for decades.

The wool comes from the sheep, he thought of the three hundred taels of gold as paying for Yi Chen's coffin.

At night, under the sparse moon and stars, a flock of magpies flew south.

Yi Chen, drunk as a skunk, staggered into a courtyard with five rooms.

As a cultivator, even one at the bottom rungs, he had ways to make money far surpassing ordinary people, so he wouldn't stoop to living in a slum, nor would he have to deal with a female cultivator next door throwing out her nightsoil to water the plants each morning.

After opening the courtyard door and returning to his room, Yi Chen's eyes instantly became clear and sharp.

He spread his hand open, revealing a small piece of paper.

"Tigers devour men; men devour men; do not go!"

The paper slip had been secretly flicked into Yi Chen's sleeve by the tavern's landlady using a spell.

Nobody knew that the seemingly boisterous tavern landlady was actually a Qi Refinement master near the True Person Realm.

Among all walks of life, there was no shortage of perceptive people, nor those wise enough to protect themselves.

The tavern landlady clearly knew some insider information about Muttonchop, the cultivator.

"Heh, they want to eat me? I'm afraid they don't have the teeth for it!"

Yi Chen sneered, a plume of golden fire rose in his palm, instantly burning the paper slip to ashes.

Nevertheless, he accepted the landlady's kind intentions.

The next day was bright and clear, with a pleasant and gentle breeze.

Yi Chen left the eastern city gate, accompanied by Muttonchop and two burly men clad in black.

Watching Yi Chen's retreating figure from a distance, the buxom and attractive landlady shook her head.

"Good advice is lost on the doomed."

Gazing at the clear, azure sky, the landlady felt a cloud of darkness looming over Zeyang City.

In Mount Qinglian, after walking dozens of miles inward, a strange fragrance wafted over, and Yi Chen was surprised momentarily before wisely playing dead. Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire

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Inside Zhengyang Sect.

In Qinghui Hall.

A Daoist with a strangely handsome appearance stood in front of an altar, softly chanting sutras.

As the clear sound of a bell rang out, a sigh of lamentation came from beneath the altar.

"Junior brother, you keep making mistakes. Even if you chant the sutras over and over, what's the use?"

A clean white hand lifted the yellow cloth embroidered with charms that draped over the altar, revealing a person's head, or rather, a head in a jar underneath.

Yun Yangzi leaned close under the altar, sneering, "Brother, you're as foolish as ever."

"Do you really think I'm doing this out of compassion?"

"Oh? If not, why mend bridges and roads, recite sutras incessantly?"

"That's why I say you're foolish, brother. How else could Junior Brother's business have grown this big? It's all thanks to four words: 'an appearance of propriety!'"

"Otherwise, how could that person place such trust in us? Without sacrifice, there's no gain. Those fools contributing to our cause with their measly strength is their greatest value!"

Yun Yangzi's voice grew more impassioned, and he slammed his fist on the altar, his beautiful but eerie face contorted with ferocity.

"Brother, you don't understand, you've never been to Zeyang's royal palace, you don't know how high and long the staircase is!

"Where am I lacking compared to them? All I'm lacking is an opportunity. Brother, I kept you alive to prove that you were wrong— to let you watch with your own eyes how I climb to the very top, step by step!"

"What matters in a man's actions are ruthlessness and unscrupulousness, no place for the kindness of a woman; that's why you lost to me back then!"

"Just you watch, brother, I will take Zhengyang Sect to a height you can't even imagine!"

Yun Yangzi's tone gradually calmed, his demeanor became contained, as the momentum of a nearly-complete Daoist engulfed the room, making his robe flutter subtly!

At that moment, with a creak, the door opened.

An ominous-looking Daoist pushed the door and walked in, not at all surprised by the head in the jar beneath the altar. He bowed respectfully to Yun Yangzi.