The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 302 Run Fast (3k)

The only difference was that Du Yuan was pleasantly surprised, Cui Yuancheng was shocked, and the emcee was puzzled.

Something feels off.

Before the emcee could figure it out, Du Yuan grabbed his wrist and asked urgently, "Fellow Daoist, are you sure there are really so many people?"

The emcee sighed softly and said in a low voice, "It won't be much different."

In fact, he knew in his heart that the actual number was probably more than that, but he deliberately underestimated the number because he didn't want to scare the other party.

After saying that, he tried to pull his hand away: he had given all the necessary reminders, and he could at least be true to his conscience.
But as soon as he took a step, he suddenly stopped in his tracks: Does it really count?
He remembered that he had once been a renowned wandering swordsman in the martial arts world.

When the three-foot-long sword at his waist is drawn, it has swept away countless injustices in the world.

If a county magistrate is corrupt and lawless, he would sneak into the county government office at night, personally behead the evil official, and hang his head on the beam of the courtroom so that the people of the whole city could see what justice is.

When demons and monsters roamed the mountains and forests and caused endless trouble, he ventured alone into the demon cave and single-handedly vanquished the evil spirits, restoring peace and tranquility to the land.

He had done that kind of thing countless times.

And now? Just because we're afraid of getting into trouble, we're just going to watch people fall into danger?
If I were to simply walk away like this, could I truly look back on it with a clear conscience and say, "My conscience is at peace," in the nights to come?

His throat tightened, and his lips trembled uncontrollably.

Finally, the emcee suddenly grabbed Du Yuan's wrist tightly, his voice urgent:

"Sir, since you can produce such a treasure, your cultivation level must be quite high. But please heed my advice."

"Please wait here for a moment. After about half an hour, when everyone is busy discussing secret matters behind closed doors and has no time to attend to anything else, I will quietly send a disciple to escort you away in secret."

"When the time comes, give me an object imbued with your aura. I have a secret technique that can temporarily create the illusion that you are still here, to deceive those who are watching you!"

"Once you leave this restaurant, regardless of whether you have a way to avoid the secrets of heaven, you must blend into the crowd and use the atmosphere of the mortal world to disrupt their calculations and confuse their vision."

"Then you must rush straight out of the city! Go southwest or towards Qingzhou, it doesn't matter. But remember, once you're out of the city, you can't stop for even a moment, just keep running forward as fast as you can!"

O God of Dawn's Wine!
That's a treasure that could make countless people take risks.

Moreover, Du Yuan was not only alone, but his cultivation level was also far less profound than everyone had initially estimated.

In the master of ceremonies' view, this brief moment is Du Yuan's only chance to escape!
However, although Du Yuan's eyes gleamed with admiration, she ultimately gave the emcee an answer that completely overturned his expectations:
"In that case, I'll leave now to avoid causing trouble for your clan later."

Before the emcee could react, Du Yuan continued:
"And that matter you mentioned, absolutely not. You've already meant well, how can we drag you into this?"

"As for hiding among the crowds, haha, that's out of the question. How can I let the common people shield me from disaster? I'll just find a secluded spot and head straight out of the city!"

After saying that, Du Yuan chuckled and took a step away.

Before leaving, he turned back to the two hesitant figures and said:
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. A bunch of petty scoundrels can't do anything to me!"

Then, Du Yuan disappeared from their sight.

Only two people were left standing there, stunned.
-
Meanwhile, in another location, the father and daughter of the Chen family in Bashui listened in horror to the conversation of these madmen:
"I've seen that fellow. He was with a young man from the Gewu Cave Heaven. His cultivation level was decent, but only decent. And most importantly, hehe, he's not a traditional Confucian, and he doesn't have any manuals or golden books on him."

"The fact that he could produce this item suggests that he only managed to snag it during a time of great upheaval!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room nodded and smiled.

The father and daughter, however, kept twitching at the corners of their mouths.

Being with someone who studies things and explores the heavens is tantamount to saying that he is a teacher of Confucian scholars.
The absence of the official Confucian classics does indeed suggest that this person is not part of the orthodox Confucian school. But the problem is, the very first few Confucian masters weren't among them either!

For example, among the saints worshipped in the Confucian Temple, more than half of them do not have copies of their teachings or books, because that's what they wrote!

And since your cultivation level is not bad, can you see through the Confucian Temple Master?

"In that case, we'll find an opportunity to ambush him later. As for who gets this jar of wine afterward, well, that depends on how much effort or profit each party contributes!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Seeing that everyone had nodded, the people who had organized the gathering were about to say that it was settled, but then they noticed that the Chen family of Bashui did not react.

This made them laugh:

"Oh, Brother Chen, do you have another brilliant idea?"

These words almost made the middle-aged man curse. It's one thing for you to be courting death, but why do you want to drag my Bashui Chen family into this?

But his rage turned into:

"I have other important matters to attend to, and I'm afraid I cannot keep you company any longer."

"Oh? Could you tell me what it is?"

The man scoffed at this:

Why should I discuss the affairs of the Chen family of Bashui with outsiders? Do you intend to change your surname to Chen?

A murmur of laughter immediately rippled through the room. The person being mocked wasn't angry; he simply shook his head and said:

"Hey, brother, don't be so angry. But since we're willing to work with you on this grand plan, isn't your behavior a bit too cold-hearted?"

Chen's man frowned slightly. This guy wanted to use his position to pressure me and get me to tell the truth.
That's good, I was just wondering how to get you guys to take the lead!
He didn't dare to reveal the fact that there were three gentlemen here.

After all, they didn't say anything! What do you want to do by speaking up like that?
But how can he escape safely without anyone noticing anything amiss? Wouldn't that mean his fellow cultivators would die?

After pondering for a moment, he smiled and said:
"We've found the location of that thing, so I'm leaving now. Kyoto is yours to enjoy!"

These words initially shocked everyone present, but they immediately shook their heads and smiled.

If it were true, how could this guy possibly speak up in public?
But after just one smile, the father and daughter resolutely got up and left.

This scene immediately surprised and puzzled everyone.

Unexpectedly, the person who organized the gathering scoffed:
"Do you all really believe that? That fellow is just trying to use this to hide what he really wants to do."

Finally, he said quietly:
"Moreover, it's probably related to their patriarch, because I noticed that they purchased several pieces of divine source at high prices under the guise of being independent individuals. It seems that the foundation of the Ba Shui Chen Clan is somewhat shaken!"

Upon hearing this, everyone narrowed their eyes slightly and glanced in the direction the other party had left. They saw that he paused for a moment before quickly walking away.

Everyone suddenly realized.

It’s actually true!

Just as I was about to chuckle, two more families stood up and said:
"Gentlemen, we have some other things to take care of. Hehe, goodbye!"

After saying that, he left.

The reason is obvious to everyone: they were planning to take advantage of his misfortune.

After all, one of them has always been at odds with the Chen family of Bashui!
The remaining people not only didn't care about their departure, but were actually quite happy about it, because their numbers were already far more than enough.

Having fewer troublesome ones is just right!
After they returned to their room, the man, drenched in cold sweat, said to his daughter:

"Quickly, quick, let's get out of here. These lunatics are probably going to rush up and get kicked to death soon. If we don't leave soon, it might be hard to get out of here."

If we don't leave now, we'll really be seen as birds of a feather.

Now that they've run away, they can still claim ignorance and lack of involvement.

Of the other two families who left, one family, upon entering the house, also addressed their younger relatives with a grim expression:

"Quickly, quickly, let's get out of here right away!"

The younger nephew, who had been reprimanded earlier, asked curiously:

"Uncles, why are you in such a hurry? The Chen family of Bashui may not really be in trouble! And isn't this haste just making them more prepared?"

In response, his uncle slapped him so hard he was dizzy.

"Fool! We've been fighting the Chen family of Bashui for so many years, how could you not know their true nature? Do you think they're in such a hurry to leave because something happened to their ancestor? If something really happened, they would just stay put and die here!"

Such urgency can only mean one thing!

The younger person covered their face and exclaimed in surprise:

"This means they really found the whereabouts of that thing?!"

Upon hearing this, both of his uncles covered their faces, and then his second uncle slapped him again, cursing:

"Fools! What can they say if they actually find it! They're clearly using that thing as an excuse, and their ancestor's misfortune as a cover, to hide their true purpose—which is to run away as fast as they can!"

"Those bastards must have noticed something we didn't, and realized they had to leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, why have the monsters of the Flower-Shifting Paradise also disappeared?"

The younger man exclaimed in horror:

"The Blessed Land of Transplanted Flowers has also disappeared?"

"Hmph, otherwise why would we be so sure? Don't delay, hurry up and pack!"
-
After leaving the room, Du Yuan headed out of the restaurant without any attempt to conceal herself.

Just as she was about to leave, Du Yuan suddenly stopped, then grabbed an old scholar and said:

"Old man, have you come to the wrong place tonight?"

The old scholar, who had been pulled back by Du Yuan, was so frightened that his legs trembled. He hurriedly cupped his hands and said:

"Immortal Lord, spare me! Immortal Lord, spare me! I, I had no intention of trespassing into the immortal gate. I really don't know how I ended up here!"

The old scholar remembered that he was pondering how to make it to the imperial examinations with the little silver he had.

Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by silence. When he looked up again, he realized that he and the pedestrians beside him were standing clearly on opposite sides of the restaurant.

The area around him was crowded and bustling with people, but his side was completely empty, as if no one was there at all.
Then he bumped into a Taoist priest, who scrutinized him for a long time before pulling him into the restaurant. The priest then gave him a final instruction:
"This is a secret realm of immortals, and you'll probably only see it once in your life. Take a good look, but whatever you do, don't let anyone know you're a mortal! Don't worry, I'll find you later!"

Then it vanished, leaving him alone in this bizarre and wondrous realm of immortals, filled with both fear and joy.

Now that he realized he had been seen through by a deity at a glance, and remembering the Taoist's warning, he was naturally terrified.

In response, Du Yuan waved her hand repeatedly and said:

"Hey, old man, don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person. It's just that this place is really not suitable for you to stay any longer. Here, I'll take you out!"

In just a few words, Du Yuan pulled the old scholar back into the bustling world.

At the same time, countless gazes swept over in unison.

(End of this chapter)