Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 180 Seeking Old Friends After the Banquet

As soon as Fang Shu broke through the barrier, the host, his second uncle Yu Le, and others who had been waiting in the hall immediately appeared in front of the entrance to the underground garage.

As they listened to the noise coming from below the basement, joy immediately spread across their faces.

If the breakthrough had failed, Fang Shu's footsteps wouldn't have been so steady. However, Fang Shu only went into seclusion for five days before emerging, which was quite fast and still made the group somewhat uneasy.

Fortunately, this unease vanished the moment she saw Fang Shu.

Fang Shu faced the two people in the courtyard and immediately greeted them with a smile: "Master, Second Uncle, I am fortunate to have fulfilled my mission."

Joyful laughter immediately rang out from the faces of the owner of the guesthouse and his second uncle, Yu Le.

The owner of the pavilion managed to maintain some composure, after all, Fang Shu had only survived the fifth tribulation, not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage. However, his second uncle, Yu Le, quickly stepped forward and patted Fang Shu's shoulder heavily:

"Promising!"

The three walked toward the council hall. Later, the master of the hall would also help Fang Shu examine his physique and magical abilities, so there were quite a few small things to do.

However, when they appeared in the courtyard, the news that Fang Shu had successfully broken through and advanced to the Fifth Tribulation Immortal first reached the ears of the disciples of the Dugu Pavilion, then reached the ears of some people outside the pavilion, and quickly became known to the various pavilion masters in the town.

"This old woman is really lucky. Not only is her disciple sentimental, but she has also just come down the mountain and has already broken through to the fifth tribulation."

Upon hearing this news, some people felt envy, while others felt jealousy.
"A fifth-level immortal! It seems this boy's chances of becoming an inner disciple have increased considerably."

"Is this person really just a pseudo-spiritual root?"

It didn't take long.

Before the Dugu Pavilion had even extended its invitations to all the heroes, every Qi Refining Immortal in the town came to visit, and none of them came empty-handed. They all brought gifts, whether spirit stones, medicinal herbs, or rare and precious books.

On that very day, under the arrangement of several managing deities, a continuous feast was already set up in the town.

Unable to refuse, the members of the Dugu Sect had no choice but to attend the banquet. For a time, even the menial servants in the sect were in the limelight.

It is foreseeable that if the academy recruits disciples again this year, it will have to carefully select them, otherwise there will be too many people and the academy master will not be able to handle them all.

At the banquet, Fang Shu interacted with the restaurant owners in the town in a poised and generous manner.

Since the owners of the restaurants in Guling Town were all retired from the mountains, he treated them all with the courtesy due to fellow disciples, which made him appear both warm and reserved.

Before they had even finished their meal, and before Fang Shu and the others could bring up the matter of inner disciples, these masters of the academy all patted their chests and gave their guarantees.

"Don't worry, young friend Fang. We're all from Guling Town. If we don't support you, who else can we support?!"

"If there is anything our establishment can help with, you only need to send a message back. Whether it's medicinal herbs or minerals, our establishment will take care of it for you. As for money and provisions, we can discuss that when you have more money in the future."

"So that Fellow Daoist Fang may know that I still have a few unworthy disciples in the temple. I already sent a message yesterday, asking them to help you out in the temple."

These innkeepers, whether shouting loudly or blushing, all seemed to be showing off, behaving no differently than ordinary old men after drinking.

Only a few people, like the owner of the exclusive pavilion, were more reserved, but they all nodded and made corresponding promises.

Fang Shu remained unfazed by their flattery. He knew that sweet words were easy to say, but getting things done was another matter entirely. However, gaining the support of a certain immortal town was still a good thing for him in accumulating Dao merit within the immortal sect. At the very least, it gave him many more connections down the mountain, making it much easier to collect certain materials.

So he bowed to that person in a circle:
"I, Fang Shu, thank you all, seniors and fellow Daoists! Cheers!"

He raised his glass and drank the wine in it with gusto.

As he drank, his aura surged forth, and his every move was like that of an eagle about to take flight. His youthful vigor and vitality caused the Dugu Pavilion Master and others around him to momentarily lose their senses.

Such a young prodigy is truly enviable.

Unfortunately, these guys are all old and their youth has long since faded.

The restaurant owners were all just envious or sighing, but those below the restaurant owners at the banquet, especially the merchants from Guling Town, were all staring at Fang Shu with burning eyes, as if they wished they could devour him alive.

Disciples of immortal sects like these have no chance of competing for the inner sect. Even if they fail to compete, they are already fifth-tribulation immortals before the age of thirty. Even if they cannot break through in the future, they are already at the level of a sect master and can easily go down the mountain to open a sect in the immortal town.

If one could establish a connection with such a person, even if it was just sending one's children to serve as servants, it would be worthwhile, as one might unexpectedly rise to prominence.

Among these merchants, many wore expressions of envy mixed with more complex emotions.

For example, a group of people in the southeast corner all had blank stares.

This group consisted entirely of women.

At this moment, the owner of the Seven Fragrance Pavilion was filled with unbearable regret, and so were her daughters around her.

But no amount of regret will help. To Fang Shu, Qixianglou is now as insignificant as roadside grass and trees, not even worthy of a second glance.

Perhaps they should be thankful that their family wasn't punished by certain people for their past entanglement with Fang Shu, hoping to gain a second glance from someone like Fang Shu.

The banquet lasted until night.

The banquet gradually ended only after Fang Shu used the excuse of consolidating his cultivation.

However, the owner of the private residence and his second uncle still needed to continue to cultivate relationships with certain people while they were there.

Fang Shu left the banquet alone without needing anyone to accompany him. Instead of returning to the Dugu Pavilion, he headed towards his family's courtyard house.

According to my second uncle, the room in the courtyard is still reserved for him, and the neighbors in the courtyard are still the same old friends.

Soon, the familiar courtyard appeared before Fang Shu's eyes, and a familiar figure also came into his perception.

He first went back to his room and looked around.

The room was exactly the same as when he came up the mountain nine years ago, without any changes, but it was extremely clean, obviously someone was taking care of it regularly.

Moved by the sight, Fang Shu immediately moved his body and headed straight for the familiar figure he had sensed earlier.

(End of this chapter)