"Brother Liang, youâre so considerate. Thank you for your trouble."
Liang Jiuding replied with an affable manner,
"Not at all, not at all, itâs just a small effort. Brother, youâre too polite. Actually, I arrived a little early and heard you talking to them. I can tell youâre an honest person. They fell into this situation because their skills were inferior. Although it was tragic, they attacked first, so thereâs no blame on you.
However, although each sect has its own methods for crossing tribulations, I canât really comment on them. But I do know that their lineage was once the personal maids of the Mysterious Woman, making them the elite among the Mystic Sect, with a direct lineage spanning thousands of years. Therefore, they have always prided themselves as the true inheritors of the Mysterious Woman. Yet, their disciples are quite arrogant and difficult to deal with.
This generation, they finally found two who were of decent talent, only to be killed by you. If their ancestor calculates this, finding out you killed their personal inheritors and took their sectâs most treasured item, Iâm afraid they will make a scene, and even the nine major sects might make things difficult for you..."
Huangfu Yi was suddenly alert, caution rising once more. He tested with a tower,
"In your opinion, Brother, should I hand over these Yin Yang Double Rings, and let you take them back to Songshan Mountain to apologize? Or should I bind myself and plead guilty?"
Liang Jiuding waved his hands repeatedly,
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. Brother Zhang, youâve misunderstood again. These magic treasures were won in your righteous tribulation. Why return them? Just because she comes from a renowned family means she must win, while we who look ordinary must die? Even Heaven must be reasonable.
Itâs just that I noticed you havenât learned the means to conceal the Heavenly Mechanism. You kill without covering it up at all. If you continue like this, the more you kill, the more chaotic it gets. Endless tribulations, endless killing difficultiesâsooner or later, your enemies might track you down, causing big trouble.
Why not let me accompany you for seven days to help you cover this calamity?"
Huangfu Yi grew more suspicious,
"Brother Liang, weâve never met before, so why are you so eager to help?"
Liang Jiuding replied amiably,
"Though weâve never met, we have now. Youâve seen my ugly, strange appearance, yet you didnât insult me nor drive me away. You even let me have a bite to eat. Truly, youâre a good person!
We Mystic Sect People have always valued repaying kindness and seeking revenge, so I thought I must help you to repay this kind fate."
Huangfu Yi was shocked.
This guy, heâs so civilized and polite, knowing gratitude? Is he really a cultivator from the Central Plains?
Liang Jiuding swallowed a gulp,
"Brother, pardon me, Iâm really starving, so Iâll start eating now."
"Uh, please, Brother Liang..."
So Liang Jiuding thanked again, then immediately began eating. His palms flew as he tore apart the dragon meat, devouring one piece after another with great enthusiasm. His expression visibly filled with happiness, and the folds on his face seemed to stretch out, giving him a glowing, radiant appearance.
Huangfu Yi stood dumbfounded, watching this guy eat half a dragon in one go before coming to his senses. Now he believed it.
The guy was truly hungry, and his teeth were impressive, crunching through the raw dragonâs bones and meat. Watching him chew so vigorously made Huangfu Yi hungry too.
Liang Jiuding ate until he was half full and finally felt at ease. He made a gesture, blew a breath, which turned into a large yellow hand, grabbed the Infinite Jade Ruler embedded in the dragon bone, shrunk it with a gesture, handed it to Huangfu Yi with one hand, and scooped up the remaining meat scraps with the other to eat, smiling as he said,
"Brother Zhang, you should eat too. Thereâs still half a dragon left."
Huangfu Yi noted that he truly wasnât interested in treasure, only in grabbing meat and recognized the Qi Gong techniques and attire that seemed similar to those of a previous yellow-robed Daoist who sheltered refugees, so he relaxed his guard a bit and casually asked,
"Brother Liang, your hand wind technique seems to be Xuanhuang Qi-shifting Divine Skill?"
Liang Jiudingâs eyes lit up,
"You have keen insight. Brother Zhang indeed has a connection to our Songshan Mountain! We have several people from your family here. Are you sure you donât want to join us?"
Huangfu Yi politely declined,
"Thank you for considering me, Brother Liang. A Taoist once used a water talisman to treat my illness and taught me a bit of your sectâs Breathing Skill, so I recognize it.
But I must deal with an expert from the Demon Sect, and I am heading to Nine Yin Mountain seeking the Dao and using the sword to slay demons. I can only respectfully decline..."
Liang Jiuding was gnawing on a dragon claw as he said,
"So youâre looking to apprentice under the Sword Immortal. Thatâs really popular these days. I wonât press further.
However, we at Songshan Mountain are different from his Sword Sect. We donât care about internal and external divisions, sect barriers, or rules about who can teach what. Our brothers originally gained the Dao as Loose Cultivators. Whatâs yours and whatâs mineâseeking the Dao should be about comprehensive learning and understanding multiple schools. It shouldnât be restricted by sectarian views.
Besides, cultivation is personal. As long as oneâs skills reach the level and they cross the tribulation, everyone can return to the mountain gate and receive the True Inheritor of our Dao. You have such Immortal Fate now, much more formidable than I was at your age. You will undoubtedly make a name for yourself in the world. If the Sword Immortal Fate isnât favorable, you can come to Songshan Mountain. Iâll introduce you to the fellow brothers, then we can discuss the Dao together and plunder together, wouldnât that be great?"
"Oh? Might I inquire, which spirit does your honored master hail from? Which True Monarch of the Dragon, Tiger, or Crane Temple? Can they defeat the Demon Sectâs Dharma King?"
In fact, Huangfu Yi had always been curious about the internal affairs of the Mystic Sect, but the ones heâd encountered before were all lunatics who shouted to fight and kill without any normal human communication. Now he finally met a normal person, who merely ate more with a large appetite, so he grabbed the chance to ask him.