My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

The bearded man was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter:

"Master, you don't understand. Drinking gives us courage! Without drinking, how dare we fight that beast?"

Another hunter also said:

"Exactly! Besides, we've been hunting for so many years, what haven't we seen? What's a little drink?"

The young hunter even patted his chest confidently:

"Rest assured, Taoist priest, we'll head deep into the mountains first thing tomorrow morning and rid the people of those two tiger demons!"

Ye Qingfeng didn't say anything, picked up the rough porcelain bowl on the ground, and slowly drank the hot water.

The bearded man continued, talking to himself:

"We've been searching for two days now, but we still haven't found that beast's lair. Dongzi and Lao Wu are still searching ahead today. We'll see if they find anything when they get back."

The young hunter looked into the distance:

"It's already dark, why haven't they come back yet?"

The man with the thick beard was also a little worried:

"Wait a little longer, they might be back soon."

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the bushes not far away.

A figure stumbled out, his face filled with panic, panting heavily, and barely able to speak:

"No...something terrible has happened! Dongzi and Lao Wu...they've fallen!"

The hunters jumped to their feet.

The bearded man grabbed the man:

"Where did it fall? Explain clearly!"

The man pointed in the direction he had come from, panting heavily:

"There's...there's a ravine over there, and a rock on the edge of the ravine has come loose. They lost their footing...and fell in! I can't pull them up by myself, quick...quick, go help them!"

Without saying a word, the bearded man grabbed a pitchfork and was about to leave.

The other hunters also grabbed their weapons and started running in that direction.

Shen Zhaoyue suddenly frowned.

She looked at the person who had run up to her for help and whispered:

"Something's not right."

Ye Qingfeng, holding the bowl, casually replied:

"If it's not human, its aura is definitely wrong."

Shen Zhaoyue looked at him:

"You figured it out a long time ago?"

Ye Qingfeng didn't answer, he just continued drinking water.

Lü Yang leaned closer and lowered his voice:

"Not human? Then it is..."

Shen Zhaoyue: "A ghost."

Lu Yang's expression changed, and he subconsciously moved closer to Ye Qingfeng.

The hunters hadn't heard their conversation and were already preparing to follow the man.

Just then, Ye Qingfeng spoke.

"Wait a minute."

The sound wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

The hunters stopped and turned to look at him.

Bearded man: "Master, what's wrong?"

Ye Qingfeng: "It's getting dark, and the mountain road isn't safe. If you want to go, wait until dawn."

The person who ran to ask for help paused for a moment, looked at Ye Qingfeng, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.

He asked the young hunter beside him:

"Who is this person?"

The young hunter casually remarked:

"A Taoist priest who was passing by stopped here to rest."

"Taoist priest?" The person seeking help scoffed inwardly.

Another fake Taoist priest, daring to ruin the mountain lord's plans. We'll eat him together later.

But on the surface, he appeared to be very anxious.

"Don't hesitate any longer! Old Wu and the others are waiting for us to save them! If we don't go now, they'll really be dead!"

Upon hearing this, the hunters no longer hesitated and jumped up, ready to follow the person who had cried for help.

But at this moment, Lü Yang disagreed. He knew that this was a ghost, and that these hunters were just throwing their lives away.

He had been so frightened by the wolf that his legs went weak, but now he was surprisingly tough. He rushed to the bearded man and spread his arms to block him.

"We can't go!"

The bearded man was taken aback: "Young man, why are you stopping me?"

Lu Yang pointed at the person who ran up for help: "Something's not right with this person! In the middle of the night, a man ran out of the mountains and said that Dongzi and Lao Wu had fallen down."

But think about it, if he really came seeking help, how come he has no injuries whatsoever? Not even a tear in his clothes?

Upon hearing this, the hunters instinctively looked at the man.

The man stood in the firelight; his clothes, though tattered, were neat and tidy, certainly not like someone who had come from the deep mountains.

The young hunter hesitated, "But he... he said Dongzi and Lao Wu..."

Shen Zhaoyue also stood up, walked to Lü Yang's side, gripped the hilt of her sword, and spoke calmly:

"He ran downhill from where he came from. If he really came from that direction, he should be covered in dew, mud, and bits of grass. Look at him, what does he have?"

The hunters looked at the man again.

His feet were clean and his clothes were dry, so he certainly didn't look like he had just crossed mountains.

The bearded man frowned even more deeply: "This..."

Seeing that the situation was not good, the man forced a smile:

"Gentlemen, I really didn't lie to you! Dongzi and Lao Wu are just ahead, if we don't go now, it'll be too late..."

The hunters hesitated; something was definitely amiss. There were many spirits and monsters in the mountains, and the hunters were naturally afraid of falling into their trap.

The person who had called for help realized that the situation was turning bad.

His eyes darted around, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he pointed at Ye Qingfeng's feet, screaming:

"Quick, run! Look! He has no shadow!"

The hunters all lowered their heads and looked in the direction the man was pointing at Ye Qingfeng's feet.

The light of the campfire shone on him—

There was nothing beneath my feet.

The hunters' expressions changed drastically, and they retreated hastily.

The bearded man gripped the steel fork tightly, his voice trembling:

"He...he doesn't have a shadow either!"

The young hunter turned pale with fright: "He's a ghost! How could you be with a ghost?!"

The other hunters also raised their weapons, aiming them at Ye Qingfeng and his companions.

Ye Qingfeng held the bowl and looked down at his feet.

There was indeed no shadow.

He froze for a moment.

Then he smiled.

That smile carried a hint of helplessness, a touch of amusement, and a hint of absurdity that "this can actually work."

He had lived two lives, and this was the first time he had ever encountered something like this—

A ghost pointed at this enlightened master and shouted, "He's a ghost!"

However, the fact that there was no shadow was definitely not something that the evil spirit did; even if the mountain lord came, he wouldn't have that ability.

This is because now that his cultivation level has increased, his popularity has decreased, and he can no longer make a name for himself.

Lü Yang was the first to jump up, pointing at the man and cursing:

"You're talking nonsense! How could a celestial master be a ghost!"

He was so angry his face turned red, and he became incoherent:

"You...you're a ghost yourself, the real ghost, how dare you criticize others?!"

The man pointed at Lü Yang and shrieked, "You're all in cahoots! You're all devils!"

The hunters were thrown into complete chaos. Some retreated, while others raised their knives and arrows, aiming them at Ye Qingfeng and his companions.

The bearded man shouted, "Don't move!"

He looked at Ye Qingfeng, then at the man, his eyes filled with wariness and confusion.

"Which of you is human, and which is a ghost?"

Ye Qingfeng put down the bowl and stood up.

He brushed the grass clippings off his robe and looked at the ghost who had called him "ghost".

The ghost felt uneasy under his gaze and instinctively took a step back.

Ye Qingfeng smiled slightly:

"You just said that Dongzi and Lao Wu fell down. Now tell me, where are those two people now?"

The ghost opened its mouth to answer, but suddenly stopped.

Ye Qingfeng answered for him:

"They're dead. They were eaten by the tiger demon."