Madam, please ascend.

Chapter 109: Encountering a Strange Man
In less than half a day, the Shahai Boat brought Yun Yi and the others to the northern edge.

The soldier in charge of the ship respectfully escorted the two men off the boat, saying as they parted: "Cui Wuming died for Crescent City. He was a brave man. You avenged him, and you are also a hero."

This is the simple value of ordinary people. As long as you eliminate harm for the people, punish evil and promote good, you are a hero.

As for the immortals in the mountains, they usually don't bother to believe in them unless they are seriously ill and on the verge of death.

Leaving the desert, the withered yellow gradually turned into dots of green, and then into a lush green, full of vitality, which made Ye Nianyi very happy. She would even pick up a piece of dogtail grass by the roadside, look at it carefully, and even smell it.

Seeing this, Yun Yi smiled and said, "You've never left the desert?"

Ye Nianyi said, "I've been in poor health since I was a child, and my father never let me leave the city."

"I think the scenery at Hongxiu Tower is nice. It doesn't look like the desert at all."

"No matter how beautiful those are, they can't compare to the real thing. To be honest, sometimes I even dream of leaving the desert. Seeing only yellow sand every day is really enough."

"In that case, just enjoy the scenery."

Ye Nianyi got tired of playing with the dogtail grass, threw it away, and walked over to Yun Yi and asked, "What should we do next?"

She looked so lively, like a canary that had finally escaped from its cage, eager to fly and sing all the time.

Yun Yi replied, "There's a post station not far ahead. We can go and ask about it."

Beside the ancient path stood a simple thatched cottage, a sign in front of which read "Yi Station." Wisps of smoke rose from the roof, merging with the distant mountain mist. Horses at the post station munched their hay leisurely, carefree and unconcerned.

He had just finished speaking when an old man suddenly rushed over on a bullock cart, shouting, "Make way! The bulls are going crazy!"

Ye Nianyi said in panic: "Brother Yun, be careful!"

Seeing this, Yun Yi remained calm and lightly tapped the forehead of the rushing green ox, which immediately stopped moving.

The old man on the ox's back was wearing a straw hat and a raincoat. When he saw Yun Yi display his magical powers, his eyes suddenly lit up and he asked, "Is it the immortal master on the mountain?"

Yun Yi answered the question irrelevantly: "Excuse me, sir, why did this cow suddenly become sick?"

"Alas, when people get old, both humans and animals tend to go crazy."

Ye Nianyi smiled after hearing this: "Grandpa, what you said is very interesting. Those immortals often live for thousands of years. Wouldn't they also go crazy?"

The old man sat upright on the green ox and said in a profound manner, "That's possible."

Yun Yi took a quick look at the old man. He seemed to be just an ordinary person, but he showed no respect for the monks, which was quite surprising.

The old man said again: "How about you take a look at what's wrong with this blue ox of mine?"

Yun Yi didn't hesitate, and in a few seconds he discovered a small insect hidden in the cow's ear. This insect was called an earwig, and it had a clamp on its tail. Once it clamped on the sensitive part of the cow's ear, it would make the blue cow run wildly.

"Is this the thing that killed my old cow?"

"It should be."

The old man took the insect and crushed it to death. He then asked, "Where are you two going? I can give you a ride."

Yun Yi always remained vigilant towards the old man, so he said, "That's not necessary. We plan to rest for a while at the post station."

"Post station, what post station?"

The old man laughed loudly. Yun Yi looked into the distance when he heard it. He had clearly seen the outline of the post station just now, but now he found that there was nothing there.

Ye Nianyi also noticed something unusual and asked curiously, "Grandpa, are you an immortal?"

The old man smiled and said, "I'm not an immortal, but I'm half a destined person. Come on, come on, let's ride together for a while."

Yun Yi felt that the old man seemed to have no ill intentions, and since he didn't know the other party's strength, it was not easy to act rashly. He simply pulled Ye Nianyi onto the ox cart.

Now that the bug was gone from Qingniu's ear, he instantly felt much more comfortable and began to move forward leisurely.

The old man asked, "Where are you two going?"

Yun Yi asked, "Do you know Black Cloud Mountain, old man?"

"of course I know."

"You are truly well-informed."

The old man found that Yun Yi was very much to his liking. He couldn't help laughing when talking to him, so he pointed to the distance.

I saw a dark area in the sky in the distance, which should be the Black Cloud Mountain.

The old man said, "The black clouds have not yet covered the mountain. There is no wind, no rain, and no clear sky. There are many monsters living in Black Cloud Mountain. It is not a good place to go."

Only then did Yun Yi realize that although Qingniu seemed to be walking slowly, he was actually extremely fast. During the conversation, he had actually crossed a mountain range, so he could see the location of Black Cloud Mountain clearly.

As for the post station where he had intended to inquire about the news, he had already left it behind.

After confirming that the old man had no ill intentions, Yun Yi's attitude became much more respectful: "Excuse me, Senior, what advice do you have?"

The old man said casually: "It's not really about teaching. Since you helped me heal the old cow, I will give you a ride."

He was deliberately using excuses to cover up the truth. Yun Yi felt helpless and could only stop asking.

On the contrary, Ye Nianyi was fearless and asked curiously, "Where are you going, Grandpa?"

The old man replied: "The ends of the earth..."

Ye Nianyi asked in surprise: "The end of the world?"

“I’ve been to all of them.”

"what?"

The old man shook his head and said, "The sky and the underworld..."

Ye Nianyi: "Have you been there too?"

"If I had been there, I wouldn't be here!" Yun Yi sat aside, listening to the old man and the young man talking about some meaningless things, feeling helpless.

I don’t know who the old man is and what the meaning of his deliberately letting the bull hit him is.

The old man smiled and said, "Young man, don't be so serious. If cultivation can't make you free and at ease, what's the point of it?"

Yun Yi said respectfully, "Thank you for your advice."

The green ox was moving very fast. The ox cart was getting closer and closer to the black cloud. The journey that would normally take half a day was completed in just one stick of incense.

Moreover, this ox cart is far more powerful than the wind-controlling technique. Ye Nianyi did not feel any discomfort when sitting on it. Instead, she felt leisurely and happy.

The old man patted the ox's head, and the green ox stopped immediately. "Okay, I'll take you here."

Ye Nianyi nimbly jumped off the ox cart, raised her head and waved, saying, "Thank you, Grandpa, for giving us a ride."

Yun Yi also bowed respectfully: "Thank you, senior."

"Haha, you and I are destined to meet. Maybe we will meet again." The old man looked at Yun Yi deeply, then drove the ox cart away.

From behind, it seemed as if the blue ox was just strolling leisurely, but in the blink of an eye, the man and the ox had already reached the hill ahead, and in the blink of an eye again, they disappeared.

Ye Nianyi asked curiously, "Is Grandpa an immortal?"

Yun Yi shook his head: "This is also the first time I've encountered such an otherworldly expert."

"Since he knows immortal magic, he can definitely heal the blue bull himself... Is he deliberately trying to flirt with us?"

"That's probably the case. Maybe he's attracted by your aptitude for cultivation and wants to take you in as his disciple."

"Brother Yun is wrong. I noticed that the old man kept looking at you along the way. He must have been attracted by you."

After the two chatted for a while, Yun Yi confirmed the surrounding situation and found that he was indeed in the territory of Black Cloud Mountain. Only then did he finally feel relieved.

The old man probably had no ill intentions, it was just a chance encounter and most likely not a coincidence.

Yun Yi had never experienced a similar situation in his previous life, and the old man's aged appearance was obviously an illusion, and his true appearance was still unknown.

But since it has happened, we should make the best of it. Being targeted by such a hermit is a blessing, not a curse. If it is a curse, it is unavoidable.

……

The ox cart traveled hundreds of miles.

The blue ox suddenly stopped, broke free from the ropes on its back, and transformed back into human form. It turned out to be a little servant boy, whose hair stood on end, gritting his teeth and saying, "Why did you just leave me in the East China Sea? Why did I come here with you to be treated like a slave?"

The old man's disguise gradually disappeared, revealing his black hair and long beard, which swayed in the wind, revealing a sense of transcendence.

This man's clothes were casual yet elegant, with wide sleeves flowing along with his body, giving him the elegant temperament of a scholar.

It was the God Wang who was sailing alone in a boat on the shore of the East China Sea not long ago!

The book boy was originally a turtle spirit in the East China Sea. He was greedy and wanted to eat the wine that Wang Shenlai accidentally spilled into the sea. As a result, he was fished out by Wang Shenlai and forced to transform into a book boy to take care of Wang Shenlai's food and daily life.

Wang Shenlai had been resisting his urge to drink for a long time, and when he finally had time, he quickly took a couple of sips.

He said: "If you don't want to, you can go back on your own."

"The East China Sea is tens of thousands of miles away from here, and you just brought me here but didn't bother sending me back?"

"There's a saying, 'Kill without burying,' have you ever heard of it?"

The servant felt humiliated, but he didn't dare to anger the drunkard, so he could only change the subject and ask, "Sir, was that Peach Blossom Immortal Body the fellow practitioner you were talking about?"

"No."

"Ah? Could it be that young man?"

"Yes."

"I see he's only at the Transformation Spirit Realm despite his age. Is such a person worthy of being on the same path as you, sir?"

"Oh, only the mountain sects care about the age and physique of the cultivators, but they don't know that character and fate are the key to whether a person can go far."

The servant boy transformed from the turtle spirit did not talk back, because he felt that what he said made a lot of sense. He had been practicing in the sea for a thousand years and had not been able to transform, but with just a little help from this old drunkard, he was able to transform into a human form.

This is an opportunity, an opportunity that many sea monsters have practiced for thousands of years but have yet to encounter.

The servant had been serving Wang Shenlai for some time and knew that he was a relaxed and easygoing person with no airs. As long as he didn't disturb him while he was painting, he wouldn't make him angry.

Therefore, the book boy said in a disrespectful manner: "That stupid boy is so blind that he has been so wary of the teacher all the way. He doesn't know that he has missed a great opportunity."

Wang Shenlai smiled and said, "Who said he missed it?"

"Ah? Sir, you're really enjoying being treated so coldly?"

"I think he has good manners and a good heart, which is quite good."

The servant boy was surprised and asked, "Are you thinking of taking in a disciple?"

"That's true."

"What on earth did you like about him, sir?"

"This boy and I are destined to be together. This is a feeling."

"Then should we go back and secretly watch him?"

"No need. Once he leaves Black Cloud Mountain, he still has to go to Fusheng Temple. We'll wait for him on the way!"

"Sir, are you really not a god? How come you know exactly where he goes?"

"Why are you asking so many questions? Hurry up and take me out for a drink!"

(End of this chapter)