Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 123 Huang Wu
The people inside the towers were dumbfounded.

Even though I had heard countless rumors about the "White Stone Immortal," nothing could compare to the shock of witnessing this creation out of thin air with my own eyes!
The towering building rising from the ground, with such an ethereal and otherworldly grandeur, even stunned Murong Zhen.

"Ping An, please take this young friend Zhu to the tower to watch the ceremony!"

After laying out the buildings—written as towers but actually as arrow towers—that he had prepared in his backpack in case he didn't have enough, Zhang Chengdao gave an order to Chang Ping'an.

Then, the young man behind the nearest table stood up in response, nodded to Zhu Ye from afar, and then flew up on the wind, landing in front of Zhu Ye. He politely cupped his hands and said, "I am Chang Ping'an from the White Stone Immortal Sect. I greet you, Mr. Zhu. Please follow me!"

Chang Ping'an had heard of Zhu Ye's great name before.

The profession of "know-it-all" is everywhere in the martial arts world. In addition to being well-informed, one must also be eloquent, perceptive, and have excellent communication skills.

This line of work brings together people from all walks of life. Most of these self-proclaimed "know-it-alls" also work as "local guides" and "brokers," earning them a less than stellar reputation. Many of them are actually from the beggars' guild.

This is not the kind of beggar gang depicted by Mr. Cha, but the beggar gang of this era that reeks of filth and oozes pus and blood. They commit all kinds of evil deeds, abducting and maiming young children to make money, stealing women and selling them as slaves for profit, and in some places even engaging in pimping and running illegal gambling dens. They are even the "black gloves" used by some wealthy people who lend money at exorbitant interest rates.

Besides, some "know-it-alls" who weren't from the Beggars' Sect and were doing poorly had to tell stories in teahouses and restaurants to make a living.

However, those who can achieve the title of "Number One in the World" like Zhu Ye are simply engaged in the trade of information. There was once a rumor that a single word in a message was worth a thousand taels of gold!

Having achieved this level of success, Zhu Ye naturally no longer needed to get involved in other businesses, which is why he had a good reputation in the martial arts world.

Although Chang Ping'an was very polite, Zhu Ye didn't dare to be presumptuous and quickly returned the courtesy, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Little Immortal Chang!"

As they exchanged pleasantries, the inner demon realm not far away suddenly flashed—

Huang Wu, looking completely bewildered, appeared before everyone's eyes, sitting on the ground with his hand seemingly supporting something, appearing utterly oblivious.

Zhang Chengdao was also taken aback.

Huang Wu spent only a few minutes in the Demon Realm!
It didn't even take Tang Xiaoyu a tenth of her time!

Aren't we all gold card holders? How come you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, have such an outrageous qualification?!
Not only was Zhang Chengdao surprised, but the others also looked puzzled, thinking that Huang Wu had failed the test and had been forced to leave.

Huang Wu looked around at the empty surroundings, scratched his head, and then his eyes lit up when he saw Zhu Ye. He jumped up and ran over to ask, "Mr. Zhu? You're out too?"

"I didn't go in." Zhu Ye gave a wry smile, shook his head, and asked, "What did you see?"

Huang Wu's face remained expressionless as he gestured wildly, saying, "It's nothing much, I just saw the old yellow ox my family raised when I was a child. My mother died of illness, and I wanted to secretly kill the old yellow ox to help her recover. The old yellow ox knelt down before me and shed many tears, like it had become a spirit!"

Zhu Ye frowned, somewhat puzzled as to what kind of "questioning the heart" this was. Chang Ping'an, standing beside her, asked curiously, "Then did you kill him?"

"Of course I had to kill him! But just as I was getting my knife, that bald-headed Luo from the same village called the officials to arrest me, saying that I had slaughtered a draft ox without authorization and that I should be beheaded according to the law. My mother was so frightened that she died!"

At this point, Huang Wu finally showed a hint of sadness. Zhu Ye was increasingly confused, while Chang Ping'an, having tried the "Mind Demon Illusion Technique" with his junior brothers and sisters, had some experience and continued to ask, "Then... how did you break out of the illusion?"

"I don't know either. I just asked the officer who arrested me, saying that there was no danger to my life during the trial, so why did he still want to kill me... and then I was released!"

At this point, Huang Wu even showed a hint of regret on his face, not for the content of the illusion, but for his own slowness—

"I haven't had a chance to kill that bull yet!"

Chang Ping'an's eyes showed clear doubt: "This works?"

Zhu Ye, however, seemed to vaguely understand something. With a hint of apology in his expression, he asked, "Brother Huang Wu, please forgive my intrusion, but how did your mother die?"

"That's how she died! I wanted to kill the old ox to give my mother some meat, but then Lai Tou Luo came over and threatened me, saying that killing a draft ox in secret would get me beheaded. But Fan Da Gui in the village was kind-hearted and bought the old ox at a high price. He asked me to buy some meat, so I stewed a pot of meat soup for my mother. She drank the soup and then died!"

When Huang Wu mentioned this, although his face was etched with sadness, he was quite frank and didn't hold back at all. He even added loudly, "My mother said that everyone has to go through that day. I was already very content to have a bowl of meat soup before I passed away!"

Zhu Ye then asked, "Then why not use that money to buy medicine for your mother?"

Huang Wu asked in confusion, "Why buy medicine? My mother's condition is beyond the reach of medicine! Instead of wasting money, it's better to buy some meat for her. She hasn't had meat in years!"

It was only at this moment that Zhu Ye suddenly realized that she had never inquired about Huang Wu's background, only knowing that he was a carpenter.

So it seems that Huang Wu was very poor when he was young?
"And then what happened? Brother Huang, how did you become a carpenter?"

"I used to know how to do it; I learned from the old craftsman next door! But after burying my mother, I ran out of money, so I went to the prefectural city to find work and became a carpenter!"

As Huang Wu spoke, he even grinned smugly, showing his big yellow teeth, and said, "Back then, Master Fan even suggested that I go to the Sword Forging Manor to be a handyman disciple. He could have introduced me to it. Luckily, I didn't go back then! Otherwise, if I had really learned martial arts and were now cultivating immortality, wouldn't I have made a huge mistake!"

After listening to Huang Wu's story, Zhu Ye was at a loss for words.

Every choice Huang Wu made was unexpected—he felt that no normal person would do such a thing, but Huang Wu did it anyway, and even thought he was right.

For example, when he had money, he would buy meat for his seriously ill mother instead of medicine.

For example, someone might have a powerful person recommend them to learn martial arts, but they insist on becoming a carpenter.

Even after carefully following Huang Wu's line of thought, Zhu Ye realized that it wasn't entirely incomprehensible...

What a ghost!

I just can't understand it!

(End of this chapter)