The Hidden Master and the Gathering Tempest
A Sanctuary in Bamboo
After narrowly escaping death at Mao Tai's hands, Zhou Chun found himself whisked away by the Drunken Daoist, soaring through the air like a leaf caught in a tempest.
When his feet finally touched ground, he stood before a secluded bamboo grove, a tranquil retreat nestled outside Chengdu.
The yard's moss-covered walls and rustling bamboo seemed to hum with latent spiritual energy.
Kneeling, Zhou Chun bowed deeply to the Drunken Daoist. "Thank you, for saving this unworthy one's life."
The Daoist merely grunted, leading Zhou Chun into a hut where two young attendants served tea. Zhou Chun's eyes darted around the immaculate room, its simplicity belying an undercurrent of spiritual energy.
"Take me as your disciple!" Zhou Chun pleaded, kowtowing again.
Though Zhou Chun pleaded to become the Daoist's disciple, the man shook his head.
"Your heart is pure, but you're no longer a
Zhou Chun pressed for answers. "Who is this immortal? Where might I find him?"
But the Daoist vanished at dawn, leaving only cryptic words:
"You can go out and walk, and you will meet him when fate condescends to reveal him.."
The Trickster's Gambit
Days blurred into fruitless searching.
Returning to his inn, Zhou Chun learned that Li Ning—his old comrade—had come seeking him, only to leave a baffling message:
"I've taken vows as a monk. Do not return to Mount Emei."
Why would Li Ning abandon the world? Where is his daughter, Yingqiong?
Zhou Chun's thoughts churned until a commotion erupted on the street.
A gaunt, ragged old man sat cross-legged outside a restaurant, his eyes shut as the owner berated him.
"You devoured three roasted ducks and a jug of wine! Pay up, or I'll drag you to the magistrate!"
It turned out that this old man had been running to this restaurant since the morning and had been eating it until now. The boss asked him to settle the bill, but he didn't, and said that his disciple would help him pay. But after waiting for so long and not seeing his disciple, the boss suspected him of eating overlord meals.
The crowd jeered, but the old man remained serene. Suddenly, his eyelids snapped open, locking onto Zhou Chun.
"Ah, my disciple arrives! Settle the bill, boy."
Zhou Chun froze. "I don't know this man—"
The owner seized his sleeve. "He called you 'disciple'! Pay, or I'll call the guards!"
Grudgingly, Zhou Chun tossed a
A Feast of Deception
Zhou Chun was very depressed and walked alone on the street for a long time.
Came to a hotel, a waiter ushered Zhou Chun to a table laden with half-eaten delicacies—roast pheasant, braised pork, and a jug of aged baijiu.
"Your master left this for you," the waiter chirped.
Zhou Chun's jaw tightened. "What master?"
"The old beggar! He said you'd pay."
The waiter explained: "Not long ago I heard him call you an apprentice on the street, and you paid for him."
Cursing under his breath, Zhou Chun ate the cold remnants, his pride simmering.Decades of honorbound service, reduced to a fool's errand!
He realizes that he has met a scammer.
As he reached for his purse, the floorboards shuddered. A hulking man with violet-tinted skin and boar-like tusks stormed in.
"You're Zhou Chun?"
Before Zhou Chun could answer, the man grabbed his wrists with
The Forest of Revelation
The man strides devoured the road to Ciyun Temple, Zhou Chun's protests drowned by the wind.
The man had too much strength, and he used his skills to make Zhou Chun unable to move.
At this time, he had arrived in the woods in front of the temple, and the big man put him down, did not speak, and was straight at Zhou Chun.
"Explain yourself!" Zhou Chun roared, massaging his numb arms.
When he was about to ask the big man why he did this to him, he saw a light in front of him, a white light, and there was an eighteen or nineteen-year-old scholar standing in front of him, wearing a white satin dress.
When he looked at the big man again, he was already stunned, standing there, sweating hotly, and it turned out that he was
The young man sneered: "Take advantage of people to be unprepared for a sneak attack, do you want to be ashamed?" "
Zhou Chun hurriedly persuaded: "The man may have a hard ..."
Before he finished speaking, the young man suddenly froze!
He saw the old man who had cheated on eating and drinking before dangling out from behind the tree, patting open the big man's acupoint and saying:
"Stupid donkey! Asked you to carry Zhou Chun on your back, and you were almost cleaned up, right? "
Turning his head and flicking his fingers at the young man, the young man was relieved, and opened his mouth to spew out sword light in shame.
The old man laughed and grabbed the white light with his bare hands: "The pearl of rice grains also dares to shine?" "
The white light seemed to understand human nature, and in the hands of the old man, like a snake, he just bent and stretched, as if he wanted to escape.
The young man was shocked and begged for mercy.
The old man said: "Go back and tell your master
Then young man paled. "You... you're the Cloud-Chasing Elder?"
Zhou Chun's breath hitched. This grimy beggar is one of the Three Immortals? He dropped to his knees.
"Master, accept this unworthy disciple!"
The Cloud-Chasing Elder grinned, his teeth yellowed but sharp. "I'll take you—on one condition. Fund my wine. Three jars a day, top-shelf."
Reunion and Reckoning
As Zhou Chun swore allegiance, rustling leaves announced newcomers—the Drunken Daoist and a young woman in black.
"Father!" Zhou Qingyun rushed forward, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears.
It turned out that Qingyun delayed his trip for refining magic weapons, met a drunken Taoist on the way, and learned that his father was here.
Everyone was reminiscing, and the drunken Taoist looked solemn: "Zhitong has found a lot of helpers, we have to finish his lair as soon as possible!"