Daoist Competition

Hearing the regret and envy in his tone, Brother Jin laughed heartily and said, "Junior Brother Zhao, among the three of us, only the girl from the Shan family looks human and follows the Qi Dao path, allowing her to blend into the Zhenluo Alliance. If it were either of us, our appearance would immediately reveal us as demons, raising suspicions and making it hard to accomplish anything."

Junior Brother Zhao tossed the wine jar in his hand and suddenly howled at the sky, seemingly venting his grievances. The echo reverberated through the valley, but Brother Jin didn’t stop him.

After a good round of venting, Junior Brother Zhao finally fell silent and said resentfully, "When we were under the Demon Lord Luo, although we were not close aides, at least we lived freely, doing whatever we wanted and capturing a couple of young ladies for fun during leisure time. Lv Junyang just entered earlier, why should he supervise us? This is not allowed, that is not allowed, even drinking is restricted to once a month, it’s really stifling."

Brother Jin’s expression changed, and he sternly said, "Junior Brother, quiet down immediately. Can you talk about the senior brother like that? If you want to seek death, don’t drag me into it."

Chided by him, Junior Brother Zhao seemed to sober up a bit. He had blurted out those words without much thought and, recalling the person’s methods, he could not help breaking out in a cold sweat. He looked around nervously, then smiled awkwardly, "Brother Jin, it was a slip of the tongue on my part."

Brother Jin’s expression softened, and he advised, "Junior Brother Zhao, ever since we became the master’s disciples, receiving the great demon essence blood that our master found for us, our cultivation advanced considerably. We owe a debt of gratitude greater than the heavens. These little restraints are nothing. When we were under the Demon Lord Luo, we were just idle demon kings. Yes, it was carefree, but when great danger struck, didn’t we flee our lairs? Now, we are part of the Daoist sect. If, in the future, our master returns to Mingcang and takes the position of Sect Leader, we would no longer be rootless nobodies. Even if we reincarnate to cultivate again, the sect will guide us; maybe we could even become immortals."

Junior Brother Zhao curled his lip and said, "I, Old Zhao, don’t dare to hope for such good things. I just want to live freely and not be bullied. Can’t you see, Brother Jin? The senior brother treats us seemingly politely, but in reality, he pays us no regard. Right now, we are useful. If one day we return to the Mingcang Sect, hehe..."

Brother Jin shook his head and said, "Since the three of us entered the sect, we haven’t achieved the slightest merit yet, and instead, have only enjoyed many benefits from our master. No wonder the senior brother doesn’t value us. However, now is the opportunity. If we can capture this person and take that Dharma Treasure, let’s see who dares to look down on us thereafter."

Junior Brother Zhao chuckled and said, "Old Zhao doesn’t think Zhang Yan is easy to deal with. He is one of the Mingcang Sect’s top ten disciples. Although ranked ninth, his cultivation is already on par with yours and mine. I’ve heard his Daoist skills are strange, and he probably has many Dharma Treasures. I think he’s not easy to handle."

Brother Jin looked at him and deliberately provoked, "According to the senior brother, anyone holding the Heroic Festival Fish Drum in hand must be someone Sect Leader Qin greatly trusts. If he were easy to handle, it wouldn’t require the three of us to act together. So, Junior Brother Zhao, are you perhaps afraid?"

Junior Brother Zhao hiccupped and shook the hair behind his head, saying, "Brother Jin, ever since you became the master’s disciple, you’ve become so scheming. If you talked about this with the girl from the Shan family, it might make some sense, but to an old golden retriever like me, Old Zhao, it’s not to my taste."

Brother Jin, having his origins exposed and being countered with a retort, was somewhat annoyed. However, remembering that they needed to work together on the matter, he held back his temper, thinking to himself, "This is an urgent matter, so I won’t argue with such foolish and vulgar swine now. Once we get back, I’ll see how I can trip you up."

Junior Brother Zhao complained for a long while, then lay down on the ground and fell asleep, muttering continuously, occasionally waving his hand to swat the stench-drawn flies. Rolling around, he soon made himself filthy.

Brother Jin glanced at him with disdain, raised his sleeve, got up, and moved to a different, cleaner spot to sit, seemingly ashamed to be associated with him.

After about an hour, suddenly, a breath of red mist blew over with the wind, mixed with peach blossom petals. As a soft pink brilliance flashed, a bewitching woman appeared before them, with willow-like waist and full chest, captivating and irresistible, her enchanting eyes seeming to hold infinite affection.

Beside her stood a rotund Daoist with beady eyes constantly darting around, as if his mind was full of schemes.

Brother Jin was overjoyed to see her, stood up, and said, "Sister Shan, you’ve finally arrived." Then he glanced at the fat Daoist and inquired, "And you are Hong An?"

Hong An bowed repeatedly, saying, "Indeed, indeed, this humble person is Hong An. Greetings to the two, no, three True Masters."

Junior Brother Zhao also awoke from his intoxication, glaring at Hong An with red eyes and muttering to himself, "This chubby boy is full of fat and oil, perfect as a drinking snack."

Hong An shivered in fear, his legs weakening, and knelt before Miss Shan, pleading with a long face, "Master Shan, didn’t you promise to give me a way out when we came?"

Miss Shan giggled, exuding endless charm, and said, "Daoist Hong, you are too timid. Brother Zhao was just joking with you."

Brother Jin had no patience to linger, and sternly said, "Hong An, since you’re the Second Temple Master of Haohang Dao Palace, you must know the Entering Array Method, so hurry up and reveal it. If there’s any mistake, I’ll hand you over to Brother Zhao to feast on."

Hong An dared not keep anything hidden, and truthfully revealed the Entering Array Method. However, he kept an eye out for himself. The entering and exiting methods of Kunyu were different, two separate Dharma techniques. He only disclosed the entering method without mentioning the exiting method. In this way, if the three succeed, it’s fine, but if they fail, they’ll die in the array and can’t come back to target him.

...

...(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)