Ziwei Immortal Path

Chapter 131 Taihe Academy
At this time, Xu Boyang had already disappeared. He quickly left the medicine shop and found a nearby alley. With a wave of his hand, Xu Bozhao flew out of the [Yin Shen Buddhist Shrine].

"Bo Zhao."

Xu Boyang said in a low voice, looking Xu Bozhao up and down to see if he was alright, but his consciousness was still fixed on the two monks in the river.

"Brother."

Xu Bozhao had been hidden away for nearly a month. When he suddenly came out, his vital signs and mental state were normal, but his hands and feet were a little stiff. He moved them a little before he responded.

"Bo Zhao, I'm being watched. To make a long story short, my elder brother will be attending the Taihe Jingwu Banquet tomorrow. Once you're at the Taihe Academy, you won't be able to leave. You'll need to wait for me outside. Every other day at sunset, find a random spot near the academy and wait for me. I'll use my magical powers to contact you, and there might be something I need you to do."

"Now, take these two tokens and the [Spirit Jade Pendant] and leave as quickly as possible. Find a place to stay and wait for news. Remember to be careful. I just used some tricks to stop them for a moment. Leave quickly, or they will come!"

Xu Bozhao was startled, but when he saw Xu Boyang finish his words very quickly, he handed him two tokens and a jade pendant, and then hurriedly urged him to leave. It seemed that the situation was extremely urgent, so he didn't dare to say anything more. He rushed out of the alley in two steps, looked around, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

After Xu Bozhao left, Xu Boyang hurried back to the original medicine shop, bought two bottles of medicine, held them in his hands, paid the bill, and walked out slowly.

When he was leaving, he happened to meet the two shop assistants hurriedly coming to the front of the shop. Xu Boyang remained calm and ignored them. He shook the porcelain bottle of elixir in one hand, passed by the two men, and went straight back to Qinghuan Inn where he was staying.

Xu Boyang was not stupid. Since someone was following him, it was no longer advisable to continue going to the Jiangzuo base "Liu Zongxuan". No matter why the Ding family became suspicious of him, he could not create any more trouble. Now that he had Xu Bozhao, a family member, to support him outside, he could let him go to find the trace of Lang Mo Changge.

Even if Xu Bozhao, a mere mortal, was unable to do it, it would not be too late to go find Chen Baochong later. After all, as the review officer of the Taihe Jingwu Banquet, he could not leave until the meeting was over.

After all, he was actually more worried about Lang Mo Changge's safety and the risk of going directly to the Jiang family. It was too great!

At this moment, Xu Boyang has seen the true face of the Taoist priest through the words of Fei Wenyu and Monk Li. Not everyone is as hard-mouthed but soft-hearted as Qi Fuling, and not everyone is a kind-hearted person with a celestial appearance. They may also be hypocritical and have evil intentions!
What if the Jiang family's Taoist priest "Liehuo Bianri" is not a good person and has bad intentions from the beginning to the end? What if he cannot take out the [Hidden Demon Mirror], will he force himself to serious injury and death before giving up?
The human heart is unpredictable, who knows, they might even kill to silence the witness!
The risk involved is no less than being seen through by the Taoist priest when he attended the Taihe Jingwu Banquet!

But seeing through it is just my own speculation. What if I can't see through it?

He can still clearly tell the difference between active exposure and passive exposure!
Because Wolf Mo Changge, who had come all the way to Qingshen to seek credit, suddenly disappeared, Xu Boyang was deeply irritated!

He no longer wanted to hand over the [Hidden Demon Mirror] at this moment. He just wanted to protect himself. Before getting any news from Wolf Mo Changge, Xu Boyang would not trust anyone he felt was unreliable!
He asked Zhang Guanzhi to check the whereabouts of Lang Mo Changge because he had no choice but to do so. It was an extremely dangerous and last resort. As the saying goes, risky moves are a must in war, but they must never be used a second time!
Xu Boyang had made up his mind that everything would have to wait until the Taihe Jingwu Banquet was over and the Ding family's suspicions were dispelled before he could slowly investigate.

After Xu Boyang returned to his room, some time later, the two innkeepers came back in a panic and explained the whole story to Xu Rucheng, but they did not dare to tell him about falling into the river for no reason, for fear of being punished.

Besides, it was only a few dozen breaths from the time they fell into the river to the time they came ashore and went to the medicine shop. Xu Boyang did not leave the shop. Moreover, the two of them checked the medicine shop afterwards and found no problems, so they decided to ignore it after discussing it.

After Ding Xuelian knew this, he was delighted and could not help but complain to Xu Rucheng again, humphing softly:
"Manager Xu, you are also surnamed Xu. You are so petty and have been harassing me for more than ten days. We will leave tomorrow. You should take care of yourself from now on!"

Xu Rucheng was a little embarrassed: "Alas, after doing this job, I always have some weird habits. I hope Xue Lian will forgive me!"

Ding Xuelian said nothing and left silently.

The next morning, everyone checked out of their hotel, refreshed themselves, and headed towards the Taihe Academy in the center of Yuchuan City.

Not long after, they arrived at the gate of the academy. Xu Boyang looked at the magnificent and huge building complex, which looked like a royal palace. There was a wide and flat square in front of the palace gate. Many people were already standing there, dressed in different clothes, in groups of three or five.

"This Taihe Academy is where the four Qingshen sects teach their disciples. Those who join the sect will spend a year here learning the basics of our Taoism. Only after reaching the fourth level of Condensation can they go into the mountains to gather Qi and practice."

"In each of the four Qingshen counties' administrative centers, namely Yuchuan, Cangwu, Fuyun, and Nanhuai, a Taihe Academy was built."

"All the Lingxizi from this Jiaozi Conference will be sent here through the city government. After the Taihe Jingwu Banquet is over, they will begin their one-year study journey."

"This time we are staying in their academy, but it is said that this academy is very large, more than enough to accommodate a thousand people. Lingxizi will stay in the West Palace, and we will stay in the East Palace so that we don't disturb each other."

Ding Xuelian was particularly happy today, her pretty face shining. She moved closer to Xu Boyang and explained in a low voice as they walked.

"Ah."

Xu Boyang responded softly, "Thank you, Miss Ding."

As he got closer, the crowd standing at the entrance of the academy gradually came into view. Xu Boyang swept his eyes over them. He saw people of all shapes and sizes, tall and short, but most of them were wearing brocade and silk robes. Although there were also some poor children wearing thin clothes, they were still very few.

Lu Yangxian couldn't help laughing beside him and whispered:
"Fei Da, look, look, that one!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Boyang followed his gaze and saw a young man in his twenties standing alone in the crowd, standing out from the crowd of people wearing fancy clothes.

Just because he was dressed too poorly.

He was wearing a thin black singlet with white cloth strips tied around his wrists. His hair was tied with a gray rope as thick as his little finger. His pants were also made of black coarse cloth. He wore a pair of straw sandals on his feet, but no socks.

He folded his arms across his chest, with a gray-brown, mottled jade flute inserted into his chest.

Fei Wenlong chuckled when he saw this:
"Brother Lu, there are many people from poor families in Qingshen. The fact that they can stand here shows that they are very powerful. Don't underestimate them."

Lu Yangxian smiled and said:
"What am I looking down upon? My family is also a small clan. Moreover, those who are unwilling to be ordinary are true heroes. It's a pity that in Qingshen, without a family background, it is difficult for a noble son to emerge from a humble family."

Xu Boyang looked at the young man, whose clothes seemed a little shabby, but his spirit was completely different. Just looking at his back, his body was straight, like a lonely cliff standing on the mountain. Such temperament was incomparable to ordinary people.

He looked up and saw the jade flute on his chest. His face changed slightly, and he suddenly remembered a person he saw on the list. Suddenly, he saw a young man with ordinary appearance in the crowd. He was wearing a light blue Taoist robe and a colorful sachet hanging around his waist. He walked towards him and said with a bow:
"Immortal Dao Guisheng, may I ask if you are Xie Shuge from Huaishang?"

"This person is indeed Xie Shuge!"

Xu Boyang's heart trembled. This young man who looked shabby was actually Xie Shuge, who was ranked first among the Tianyuan Liujia predicted by the Ghost Market, and was also the biggest favorite at this Taihe Jingwu Banquet.

"W-what did you say? He is Xie Shuge?"

A monk nearby accidentally heard the words and immediately widened his eyes and opened his mouth wide.

"Who are you talking about? Xie Shuge? Where is he? Where is he?"

"Xie Shuge is here? Where? Where?"

"Xie Shuge, the top of the last Diyuan Six Ding and First Class, a peerless genius from Qiantang Town, Yunfu County!"

"What? This person is Xie Shuge from Huaishang? He looks so inconspicuous, it's impossible, right?" "Hasn't he already joined the Huaishang Immortal Sect? Why is he still dressed like this? Aren't all cultivators from the Huaishang Immortal Sect supposed to wear platinum robes?"

In an instant, the crowd standing in front of the palace gate seemed to explode, heads moved, eyes looked over, footsteps approached unconsciously, and many people whispered to each other.

"what?"

Lu Yangxian was completely stunned and murmured,
"What? He's Xie Shuge? The top of the last class of the Diyuan Six Ding? No way, how is this possible?"

Fei Wenlong shook his head and smiled bitterly, whispering:
"Brother Lu, you can't judge a person by his appearance, but for such a person, who has already entered the Immortal Sect, to still dress like this, he is really a bit sloppy, it's hard to describe!"

Amidst the clamor, the young man in black turned a deaf ear and slowly tilted his head. He wasn't very handsome, but he had a straight nose and thin lips. He glanced at her calmly and asked,

"Who are you?"

The Taoist priest in green robes with colorful sachets pursed his lips and said:
"Huaiyou Fang knows peace."

There was another uproar among the crowd!
"This is Fang Zhian! Hehe! Let me tell you, this is a cultivator from our Yuchuan area! He's a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

"Fang Zhian, who ranked third in the last Diyuan Six Ding and First Class. Did you know that he's also one of the top six candidates for this year's Tianyuan Six Jia..."

"Which six are the hottest? How come I don't know?"

"Huh? Didn't they rush into the Diyuan Liuding together in the previous session? Don't they know each other? Weird!"

"Wow! The two favorites meet early! Sparks are flying! Isn't this a plot straight out of a storybook?"

Xie Shuge looked at Fang Zhian quietly, expressionless.

"So it's you. I remember you. You were defeated by me twice last time. It's been eight years since we last met. You've established your foundation, which is not bad."

Fang Zhian narrowed his eyes, his expression unchanged:

"It's been eight years since we last met, and Master Xie's attire has changed significantly. Zhian doesn't dare to recognize him rashly, so I have a question. Please forgive me, Master."

Xie Shuge looked indifferent and shook his head.
"My family is originally from a poor family. I am not used to wearing the Taoist robes of Huaishang. I prefer to be free and easy."

Fang Zhian smiled slightly and said:
"Eight years since we last met, your hair hasn't changed. You are truly a man of deep affection."

"It's him. He was the one who told me about the Yuchuan Ghost Market that night!"

Fei Wenyu watched the two of them talking in low voices, and then he leaned over to Xu Boyang's ear and whispered,

"This person is Fang Zhian, a cultivator from the Huaiyou Immortal Sect branch."

Xu Boyang nodded silently, glanced at Fang Zhian, and then looked around. Sure enough, he found many familiar figures in the crowd.

Wen Zaixian was wearing a green velvet robe and standing intimately with his wife Xu Boqing. They were a talented couple and a beautiful woman.

After not seeing each other for two years, Xu Boqing's face became more rosy. She was also looking around. When she saw Xu Boyang, there was a hint of surprise in her eyes, as if she remembered the strange guest of the Ding family on Longmen Creek two years ago.

When Xu Boyang saw her gaze coming at him, he looked away silently. After all, Ding Xuelian was by his side, so it was better not to cause trouble. Now that he was in Yuchuan, there was plenty of time after the conference and everything was done.

As his eyes moved, a burly man with a broad face and wide ears came into view.

"Lin Huaisheng!"

At this moment, he was standing in the middle of a group of young monks, like a moon surrounded by stars. He was talking in a low voice, with a smile on his face, as if he didn't care at all. He was relaxed and carefree, without any sense of urgency to participate in the competition.

Xu Boyang glanced at him and then stopped looking. His eyes kept flickering around until he finally noticed a long-haired man in a gray robe standing silently at the edge of the crowd, with his head lowered and his hands folded.

Zeng Shuming!
There was also a burly man wearing a brown shirt, looking up at the huge palace gate, not knowing what he was thinking about, with his chin raised high. The whole man was like a giant tower, standing out from the crowd like a crane among chickens!
Zhao Jiuchang!
Almost all the people on the gambling house's roster in the Ghost Market appeared one by one!
"Yunshan!"

Suddenly, Ding Xuelian beside him called out with a smile. Xu Boyang turned around and saw a young man wearing a light blue Taoist robe walking over. He had a kind face and said with a smile:
"Auntie!"

"Come here! Brother Yang, let me introduce you. This is my nephew Ding Yunshan. He is one of our own family members. He is now a cultivator of the branch of the Immortal Sect. You probably haven't seen him before!"

Xu Boyang bowed and said:

“So you are the cultivator from the main family Ding’s family, Boyang is polite!”

Ding Yunshan's eyes flashed with a cunning look, and he smiled and said:

"So it's Feng Qing's guest Xu. I've heard of your great name for a long time, and today I finally meet you in person."

After saying this, he looked surprised and shouted:

"Oh my, when did Xu Keqing actually reach the ninth level of Condensation Yuan? This really makes me ashamed. I'm only at the ninth level now."

Xu Boyang remained calm and smiled slightly: "It's a coincidence that leads to enlightenment, it can't be called fast."

Ding Yunshan smiled and said:
"Xu Keqing is truly blessed with a great opportunity. His cultivation speed is already catching up with that of the Immortal Sect."

Xu Boyang smiled without saying anything, but he was secretly shocked. This person's words seemed nonchalant, but in fact he had a hidden meaning. To be one of the six favorites for Tianyuan Liujia, he was indeed not an easy person to deal with.

Then the three of them exchanged pleasantries again. At this moment, the surroundings suddenly became quiet. Xu Boyang turned his head and saw three Taoists in light green robes suddenly flying from the left, middle and right in the air above the academy and landed lightly in front of the palace gate.

The man in the middle looked to be about thirty years old, with long drooping eyebrows, a hooked nose, and a pointed chin. He looked just like the evil ghost described in the storybooks. His face gave off a sinister look.

He just spread out his sleeves and said in a calm voice:

"I am Jiang Shanzhou, a cultivator from the Huaiyou Immortal Sect. I am the head of the Yuchuan Taihe Academy. It is noon now. Please prepare to enter the palace with your identification cards in hand! All unrelated persons, please leave immediately!"

Thanks to book friends 8349, Feng Ruobingxin, Dulule Zaizai, and Zhu Yuyan for their monthly tickets!
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(End of this chapter)