Chapter 58

Pangzi's ancestral master—could it not be the Great Emperor Huaguang? This gray rat before our eyes dares to call itself Huaguang; could it be that the Great Emperor Huaguang really looks so cowardly?

At his waist hangs a gourd general, from his pouch emerge fire‑crow troops—this is a line of the Huaguang sect's invocation chant. If what this gray rat says is true, it would be utterly shocking.

If not, then this gray rat is quite knowledgeable, knowing that the Great Emperor Huaguang commands fire‑crow troops.

The gray rat before our eyes continues to bare its fangs and brandish its claws at Pangzi, calling itself the Five Manifestations of the Great Emperor Huaguang, ancestral master of the Huaguang sect. Pangzi isn't angry; he just looks at it with a smile.

At first, the gray rat merely pretended to be the Great Emperor Huaguang, but seeing that this trick had no effect on us, it rolled its round, gleaming eyes and began to impersonate the Jade Emperor.

Wenchang Emperor, Guansheng Emperor, the Buddha, Guanyin—almost any deity one could impersonate has been claimed by this mouse; even the founding ancestor of my Yin‑Shan sect, Yin‑Shan Old Ancestor, was not spared, becoming one of the false identities fabricated by this gray rat.

Yao Yirong, on the other hand, found it novel; seeing a mouse that could speak, her first feeling was not fear but… even greater fondness, and she asked Pangzi whether he'd sell it, saying she'd pay any price.

By now I finally understood the mouse's origin: being able to speak human language, it had clearly cultivated a Spiritual Aperture. Moreover, it lies without blinking, impersonates great deities with such shameless bravado—this is clearly a trait of the gray immortals among the horse‑riding immortals.

Thinking about this, I really am a bit speechless. Anhui is said to be over a thousand kilometers from the Northeast, yet why do these immortals come one after another? It's as if Anhui has become a second Northeast, now producing immortals in abundance.

"Hehe, little mouse… Pang brother, I've lived this long and never eaten a mouse that could talk; this time I finally get to try a delicacy!" Pangzi rubbed his hands and licked his lips.

"Ah… you damned fatty, what are you doing?" Yao Yirong was about to scoop up the gray mouse in one grab, but I seized her with one hand.

I shook my head at her, telling her to let go. Pangzi's expression was so fake; it was obvious he was just trying to scare the mouse. Having known him for years, I know he isn't the type to do this out of boredom—there must be a reason. So I didn't stop him; instead I joined in, threatening the gray mouse: "Hehe, Pangzi, what you said makes sense. I heard that in Guangzhou there used to be a restaurant specializing in field deer (mice), whose main dish was field mice, but it later closed—what a pity." I mimicked his gesture, copying his glowing stare at the mouse, and drooled: "Now it looks like we can have our wish fulfilled!"

The gray mouse, frightened by us, shuddered and finally dropped its disguise.

"You can't kill me; I am one of the Eight Beams of the Great Unity Hall. If you kill me, the immortals above will avenge me."

This mouse, after being frightened by us, completely revealed its identity.

"What, you're one of the Eight Pillars of the Great Unity Hall?" I was startled at once. A complete horse‑riding hall usually has four beams and eight pillars; this is just a general term, and ordinary people can't say exactly how many branches there are. I only vaguely know that the four beams refer to the Hu, Huang, Chang, and Mang immortals, while the eight pillars include the Sweeping Hall, Pressing Hall, Transmission Hall, Circle Hall, Feng Shui Hall, Medical Hall, and so on. Those not initiated simply can't sort out the relationships. The Great Unity Hall is a branch of shamanism; the one who snatched the cat immortal, Fang Xin, comes from the Great Unity Hall. In that light, the appearance of this gray immortal might well be at the behest of Hu Nainai or Fang Xin.

Thinking this way, I momentarily forgot about the gray mouse on the ground.

Seeing my silence, the gray mouse took it for fear, then immediately swaggered forth, bellowing majestically: "You know fear now, don't you? If you don't want to be besieged by the millions of immortals of the Great Unity Hall, just obediently release this great immortal."

"Shut up, what's your relation to the Hu Nainai who snatched the cat immortal?" I slapped its forehead hard, threatening: "If you don't tell the truth, I'll boil you alive."

"Speak up… if you don't, Pang brother tonight I'll have a feast of field deer (mouse)." Pangzi rubbed his palms again, even pretending to wipe his drool.

Unable to withstand our two‑pronged threat, the gray mouse instantly blurted out the truth.

As expected, this gray mouse really is the emissary sent by the Hu immortal to tail us both. It said we had beaten the Great Unity Hall's cat immortal half to death, gravely insulting the hall's dignity; the Hu immortal sent it to spy on us to learn our whereabouts, so that one day it could come and regain face.

After saying that, the gray mouse rolled its round, gleaming eyes again, coughed twice, and said: "I advise you to surrender peacefully; the immortals of my Great Unity Hall are already rushing to Anhui and will be here in two days. If you still want to live, feel free to send me back—I might even plead with Hu Nainai for mercy and spare your dog's life."

"Damn it…" I was furious, slamming the floor hard.

The Hu immortal of the Great Unity Hall is simply bullying people to extremes—its subordinates commit crimes, kill people, and instead of being pursued, they come looking for a fight. What kind of world is this, where might makes right?

Unable to suppress the resentment in my heart, I immediately cursed: "That damned Hu immortal, that damned Great Unity Hall—not only did it snatch away the killer of Qingqing, but it dares to act so arrogantly; I will certainly make her taste the power of my Yin‑Shan command banner."

"Hu Nainai says your Yin‑Shan sect has long since declined, being even worse than our gray immortals. If you don't want your Dao lineage exterminated, I advise you to surrender quickly—perhaps Hu Nainai's great compassion will spare you." Though the gray mouse was curled in a corner, its tone remained overbearing.

"Shut your mother's fart" I slapped, flinging the bound gray mouse on the ground away.

My eyes turned blood‑red, and I felt a surge of reversed blood rushing up my throat.

When did my Yin‑Shan sect fall to such a state that someone would claim it's not even as good as a street‑crossing mouse? Since the emergence of our Yin‑Shan Dao lineage from the Buddhist teachings, everyone has held it in awe. Even the Celestial Master Dao, the head of Daoism and the lineage of talismans, would never dare speak such harsh words against my Yin‑Shan sect, let alone threaten to exterminate our Dao lineage.

Could it really be that, with the elephant dead, the ants can't help but swarm over to feast?

"Hai Sheng, calm down a little." Pangzi offered words of comfort to me, who was burning with rage.

I gave a cold smile: "Calm down? How can I calm down when someone threatens to exterminate my Yin‑Shan Dao lineage, trampling on my Yin‑Shan sect's fame and fortune, even making me have to defecate on my own head? How do you expect me to stay calm?"

I turned, seized the gray mouse on the ground, glared at it menacingly, and said in a grim tone: "Tell me, where is your Dragon‑Phoenix Hall in Anhui?"

Unable to withstand my intimidation, the gray mouse instantly blurted out the address of its hall.

"Good, very good. Go back and tell the Hu immortal that she doesn't need to come looking for me—I'll go find her right away and make her wait for me." I swallowed my surging anger and spoke in a harsh voice.

Having said that, I released the rope binding the gray mouse and let it leave just like that.

"Hai Sheng, calm down a little; the Great Unity Hall has plenty of immortals—charging straight in like this is practically suicide. Wouldn't it be better to go back and find my father first…

Pangzi hadn't finished speaking when I waved my hand to cut him off: "Your father, QingSongShu, belongs to the Huaguang sect, not my Yin‑Shan sect. Even if QingSongShu comes to settle things, the credit wouldn't go to my Yin‑Shan sect.

Pangzi was still about to argue with me when a weak voice came from the corner.

"Brother…" it was Meng Xue, who had just awakened.

I waved my hand, telling Pangzi to go look after Meng Xue first. Then I took up the Yin‑Shan command banner and walked out.

"Wait, Chen Hai Sheng."

I turned around and saw Yao Yirong biting her lips, standing behind me.

I asked her, "What's the matter?"

She stepped forward and softly said, "Thank you."

I shook my head and said, "No need."

"Wait."

"What else do you need?" I said impatiently.

"If you're going to look for that trouble‑making Great Unity Hall, remember to bring me—I can be of use." Yao Yirong raised her fist: "I'm not the kind of person who lacks righteousness; you helped me, so I'll definitely return the favor." Her tone was ringing and forceful, showing no trace of fear.

This time I gave a light laugh and again told her, "No need."

Perhaps at this moment my heart had already begun to change its view of her.

But this is an affair of my Yin‑Shan sect; outsiders really have no place to intervene, and besides, although she's skilled in martial arts, she is fundamentally not a member of my Daoist gate.

Recalling how Qingqing died horribly before my eyes, and how the Dragon‑Phoenix Hall had bullied people to extremes, I gritted my teeth and stepped toward the direction of the graves.

You claim to command millions of immortals, but my Yin‑Shan also has Yin masters and Yin generals; today, even if I must sacrifice my lifespan to summon aid, I will protect my Yin‑Shan Dao lineage.

Even if my magical power is slight, I must still defend it, fearing neither fiends nor evil gods—only for the Yin‑Shan's former glory, which others could only look up to, and so that future Yin‑Shan disciples may lift their spines with proud bones, raise their heads, and walk fearlessly across every inch of the land of China.