Chapter 146: Loyalty to He Mountain, Bones of the Yuan Chen

"Bawun Jian" eatery.

In the main hall, Chen Ci's face was calm, but inside he was cursing up a storm. To run into that Golden Core True Person surnamed Yang from Longhu Mountain—the one who didn't get along with Lin Laohu at Tianhe Daoist Temple—at a roadside stall? His luck was so bad it was a textbook example of jumping off a cliff only to find a treasure.

Oh no, he isn't here for me, is he?

A thought flashed through Chen Ci's mind, but he immediately felt he was suffering from persecution mania again, always feeling like some emperor wanted to harm him, a lowly commoner.

What kind of character was he, anyway, to be worth a Golden Core True Person putting in the effort to harm him?

It was probably just bad luck.

Chen Ci suppressed the unease in his heart and honestly entered the eatery. On the way, he glanced quietly at the counter; that old Daoist Zhuang had likely realized the two were extraordinary and was trying his best to act like an invisible person, not even raising his head, pretending he knew nothing.

"Greetings..."

Chen Ci cupped his fists respectfully and was just about to bow when he was stopped by a wave of this True Person Yang's hand.

"Pour the wine, pour the wine!"

True Person Yang was very impatient, pointing at the wine bowl on the table: "Fill it up!"

True Person Yang gave Chen Ci a look and continued asking: "The harmony of yin and yang is the Great Dao. Must a cultivator really be pure-hearted and desireless, acting like a block of wood, to seek the Great Dao?"

This...

Chen Ci weighed the situation at the table slightly, thought for a moment, and replied in a low voice: "Well... a little drink for pleasure is no fault."

Who was it that just said this was horse piss?

Chen Ci: "..." I'm not sitting, I want to leave, I don't even want my wine money anymore.

Chen Ci poured a cup for the other person as well, and took this opportunity to steal a glance at the person at the table.

"Good!"

?

True Person Yang's tone was somewhat indignant. Speaking of the three people at the table, this True Person actually looked the youngest and was the smallest in age.

Chen Ci vaguely felt something was wrong, gave a dry laugh, and didn't dare to respond.

"No matter, pour me a cup too. This wine looks quite pleasing; it is worth a taste."

However, looking at the fair palm holding the wine cup, it was more likely that this was a female cultivator.

"You tell me, kid, since neither is wrong, then how is it wrong for me to drink a little wine and visit the brothels? I was even chased and lectured by a junior—is there any reason to be found in this!"

This person had a tall, straight back, wore a golden crown, and was dressed in fine robes. Their skin was like jade, and their expression was gentle yet their brows were slightly high, making their features appear somewhat rugged and tending toward androgynous. Chen Ci didn't dare to conclude whether this was a male or female cultivator at a single glance. As for their cultivation, it should also be at the Qi Refining stage, but the specific level was too far beyond his own to judge.

"You sit down too. You're the only outsider at this table; you come and judge this."

Seeing Chen Ci find a stool and sit down obediently, he drained the wine in his bowl, slapped the table, and asked in a deep voice: "There is true intent in wine; is there any fault in a cultivator drinking?"

There were two people sitting at the table, but only one wine bowl and one wine cup. Chen Ci was just about to fill the wine cup as well, but was stopped by True Person Yang, who said lazily: "No need to pour. Others wouldn't look twice at this horse-piss wine of yours."

The female cultivator to the side had her hand holding the wine cup pause slightly, and she shook her head.

Oh.

The female cultivator chuckled, said nothing, and simply set the wine cup down.

The voice speaking seemed to carry a slight nasal tone, sounding very deep and magnetic; it was somewhat unique and hard to distinguish as male or female.

Chen Ci immediately transformed into a waiter, opened a jar of Peiyuan Yangshen Wine, and shamelessly poured the wine into the bowl. He had slightly adjusted the quality of the base liquor for this wine, using fine, common aged wine; although it wasn't strong and had no spiritual energy, it was very fragrant.

True Person Yang set the wine bowl down and was just about to slap the table when, after a glance from the female cultivator, he immediately lowered his voice. He only dared to glare at Chen Ci and asked coldly: "You tell me, where is there any fault?"

Chen Ci suddenly realized: so this Yang fellow was whoring... having fun in Pingkang Ward, listening to little tunes, and ended up getting cornered, right?

However, one look told him the two were not a cultivation couple; it was more likely they were of the same clan or the same sect and lineage.

To be able to leave this True Person Yang speechless, the female cultivator at the table was at least a "fairy second generation." It wouldn't be surprising if her background was even tougher than this Yang fellow's. Can't afford to offend them, can't afford to offend either of them.

No, is he sick? What does this have to do with him, Chen... Huang? He had always been at odds with gambling and drugs; heaven and earth could bear witness.

Besides, as a Golden Core True Person from Longhu Mountain, what kind of fairy, demoness, or enchantress couldn't he find? To come to Pingkang Ward for fast food—it seems he really was hungry.

"Uncle-Master, stop quibbling. Fine wine and beautiful people are human nature. Even if the sect advocates for disciples to cultivate in purity, it never disregards human ethics."

The female cultivator's voice was low but pleasant, and she said unhurriedly: "If you were entertaining guests in your own cave dwelling, drinking and making merry, and keeping beautiful maids, no one would say anything. But in this place of flowers and willows, as a True Inheritor of the sect, you should cherish your reputation. Especially at a time like this, even if you quibble, the sect rules and the Discipline Hall will have you facing a wall to reflect on your mistakes."

"Vulgar, utterly vulgar! Don't you dare use the sect rules to pressure me."

This True Person Yang showed disdain, leaned back slightly, lifted a jar of wine, and poured it into his mouth. After he had his fill, he sneered and replied: "We cultivators seek the truth; we must look at the essence of things to attain freedom. Actually, everyone knows there's no difference, but they insist on using layers of clauses to restrain themselves, deceiving themselves and others. No wonder those old immortals in the Discipline Hall never make any progress in their cultivation their whole lives—they've all drilled themselves into a dead end."

"Uncle-Master, watch your words."

The female cultivator's expression didn't change, and she chuckled: "Sect rules and regulations, the sect's reputation—Uncle-Master, since you hold the position of True Inheritor, you are the face of the sect when walking outside. Naturally, you should have the responsibility of a True Inheritor."

"Hmph, I am shedding the cage to point directly to my original heart; only then can my Daoist practice improve. You don't understand."

True Person Yang hummed twice: "I have high seniority and deep cultivation, so I won't bully you. There is an outsider here; let him speak on it."

Chen Ci kept his head down, as if the wooden table in the eatery contained the patterns of the Great Dao, the principles of Longevity, and the mysteries of the universe, and he was deeply immersed in them, unable to spare a single thought.

You keep talking, I'm listening.

But seeing the gazes of the two high-level cultivators press down on him, Chen Ci could only raise his head blankly, his face full of helplessness.

"You speak. If you speak well, there will be a reward."

True Person Yang gave a chuckle, the meaning in his eyes self-evident.

The female cultivator also smiled; she only glanced at Chen Ci, seemingly wanting to hear what he had to say as well.

Should he say he hadn't been there and didn't know what the difference was?

But looking at the situation at the wine table, this Yang fellow had to believe it too. And one look showed this Yang fellow was petty; he couldn't afford to offend him at all.

"Well... my vision is shallow, and I have no right to interrupt. However, we cultivators should judge by the heart, not by the tracks; if we judge by the tracks, there is no perfect person on the immortal path."

Chen Ci gave a sheepish laugh: "I haven't been to Pingkang Ward, but I have heard that many people in the flower and willow industry do so out of necessity—perhaps their father is a gambler, their mother is critically ill, their late husband left debts, or their younger brother has the ambition to succeed but lacks the means. It is not easy for low-level cultivators and commoners to live; it is common for them to struggle at every step. If a cultivator only drinks and seeks pleasure, and loves luxury and enjoyment, that is naturally wrong. But if they harbor kindness and save the pitiful from fire and water, that is another matter. To judge by the heart—it is mainly about the heart."

Wait, how the hell could listening to tunes in a brothel be linked to harboring kindness and saving people from fire and water?

True Person Yang was greatly shocked. He glanced at Chen Ci, drank some wine in a daze—it should have been like this all along, but today he had learned something.

Seeming to see the disbelief in the female cultivator's eyes, Chen Ci quickly added: "I only heard it said; I dare not say it is entirely true. Maybe seven or eight out of ten, perhaps."

Heh, he truly didn't believe these second-generation immortals understood the implications within; regardless, if one were to just find a few people and ask around superficially, there wasn't a single poor young lady who didn't fit the four criteria above, so he wasn't exactly lying—it was all hearsay anyway.

The female cultivator thought for a moment, her brows slightly furrowed: "Sophistry."

"See, outsiders say the same."

True Person Yang spread his hands and smiled: "This kid is from the He Mountain Sect; he wouldn't speak up for me, so you should stop bothering me."

Seeing the female cultivator remain silent for the moment, True Person Yang rubbed his chin and sized up Chen Ci for a moment before suddenly speaking: "You kid are actually more pleasing to my eyes than that fellow surnamed Lin. There's no future following that guy; how about coming to my side to be a wine-brewing boy? It wouldn't be impossible to take you in as a Registered Disciple in the future; it would be a hundred times better than the He Mountain Sect, heh."

"True Person, since this Apprentice is a member of the He Mountain Sect, how could I change my allegiance? As for a bit of wine, if the True Person just sends someone to say the word, this Apprentice will naturally offer it with both hands."

Chen Ci's expression was respectful, his tone firm: "Born in He Mountain, loyal to He Mountain!"

Although He Mountain had a thousand faults, and Chen Ci might eventually find an opportunity to leave the heterodox path and wouldn't truly hang himself on the He Mountain Light, he couldn't just show signs of being tempted because someone else said a single sentence.

If he agreed to this, he would truly be demeaning himself; he, Chen, still wanted to cling to the thigh of Jiao Zhenren.

Therefore, regardless of whether this man surnamed Yang was sincere or feigning, he had to refuse, and he couldn't be indecisive and provoke this person.

Moreover, Chen Ci reckoned that this man surnamed Yang was either targeting his cheap senior brother or just wanted to disgust Lin Laohu; he himself was merely an add-on.

"Huh?"

This True Person Yang seemed not to have expected Chen Ci to refuse so decisively, and a trace of surprise appeared on his face: "Since you are hanging around with that fellow surnamed Lin, you are definitely not a disciple of the five surnames of the He Mountain Sect. A mere Outer Transmission, do you understand the meaning of a disciple of Longhu Mountain? If you follow me as a boy, even the Liang Kingdom royal family would have to treat you as an honored guest, and Longevity is not without hope. Could it be that that fellow surnamed Lin or the He Mountain Sect gave you some reward that made you choose this?"

"Reporting to the True Person, loyalty does not require a reward, because loyalty itself is the reward."

Chen Ci cupped his hands in a salute, speaking righteously: "This Apprentice is a person of He Mountain in life and a ghost of He Mountain in death; True Person, please do not tease this Apprentice anymore."

True Person Yang: "." Damn, who is the heterodox one here? You said that so righteously, you almost left me speechless.

And what was that about loyalty itself being the reward?

Bah!

He's acting so damn well. He had heard what that fellow surnamed Lin had done—a guy who didn't show mercy when killing his own sect members; could the people under him really be loyal to the sect?

The female cultivator on the side revealed a trace of a smile in her eyes; as for whose joke she was watching, that was a matter of opinion.

"Heh, He Mountain Sect, do you think I am teasing you and want to see Lin Laohu's joke?"

True Person Yang gave a disdainful laugh: "I find you pleasing to the eye and want to save you. Did that fellow surnamed Lin pass you a White Bone Magic Tool?"

Chen Ci subconsciously pretended not to understand and shook his head.

"Hmph, I don't mind telling you, that fellow surnamed Lin obtained an overseas heterodox inheritance called the Bone Origin Star Great Divine Demon. It contains thirteen Dharma spells that can be refined through the hands of others; when practiced to a profound level, he can take back the Dharma spells and refine them with the general outline to make them his own."

True Person Yang chuckled a few times: "If you haven't obtained the Bone Bone Magic, it means you aren't valued by him; if you have obtained the Bone Bone Magic, you are being watched closely by him. But now, even if you beg me, I won't take you into my sect, haha."

Chen Ci: "."

A sowing-discord scheme; someone is using a sowing-discord scheme here!

"Still saying you don't know? Your expression, turning pale and then blue, is written all over your face. Truly funny, interesting, interesting."

The man surnamed Yang chuckled a few times, flicked his sleeve, and swept the wine on the table into it: "It seems you are in a hurry. I gave you a chance, but you were useless. I'm going to go help those lovely ladies first. Junior Apprentice-niece, settle the wine bill for me."

As his voice fell, the white-robed cultivator on the table actually faded like a bubble and disappeared, leaving only Chen Ci and the female cultivator sitting at the table, looking at each other in silence.

(End of chapter)