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

Those out-of-town businessmen who originally had some ulterior motives all shut their mouths obediently at this moment.

They finally understood—this village was protected by God.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

The elder, leaning on his cane, stood still, watching the gray-blue figure.

He has lived most of his life and has met many people.

Ginseng gatherers, merchants, corpse drivers, spirit mediums, and some other ambiguous and unclear characters.

But this was the first time he had ever seen a Taoist priest like this.

The figure walked slowly, yet each step seemed to tread on clouds, light and steady.

There were so many people and so much noise around, but that figure walked through the crowd as if there was an invisible veil between them. The liveliness belonged to others, and had nothing to do with him.

The elder suddenly remembered what he had heard in his youth—that a true immortal is like this.

It can be admired from afar, but not touched.

When you look at him, you feel like he's right in front of you, but when you reach out to touch him, you feel like he's separated by thousands of miles.

He quickly walked over, leaning on his cane.

"Taoist priest, please wait! Taoist priest, please wait!"

Ye Qingfeng turned around.

The clan elder rushed to him, took a few breaths, and cupped his hands, saying, "This old man thanks the Taoist priest for upholding justice."

Ye Qingfeng nodded slightly: "It's nothing."

The elder shook his head: "It's just a small favor for the Taoist priest, but for that girl, it's a matter of saving her life."

Those two ginseng roots were her food for the next few days; if someone took them from her, she would go hungry for the next few days.

He paused, then said, "If I may be so bold as to ask, Daoist Master, you are not from the Ten Thousand Mountains, are you?"

Ye Qingfeng looked at him without saying a word.

The elder smiled and continued speaking to himself: "The people in the Ten Thousand Mountains practice unorthodox methods and take shortcuts."

Those who transport corpses, walk among the dead, use witchcraft, or practice shamanism all deal with the dead, ghosts, and poisonous insects.

They all carried an aura of yin and evil. But you, Taoist Master, are different—”

He looked up at Ye Qingfeng, his cloudy old eyes holding an indescribable light.

"You give me the feeling of...like an immortal. You are clean and tidy, refreshing and make people feel at ease just by looking at you."

Ye Qingfeng remained silent, but the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

The elder then said, "Daoist, please don't think I'm being nosy. I've lived for seventy-three years and spent my whole life in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and this is the first time I've ever met someone like you."

"Just now, when that ginseng spoke, and thunder roared in the sky, I saw it all. That wasn't magic; that was real skill."

He bowed deeply: "Thank you, Taoist priest."

Ye Qingfeng finally spoke: "Old man, there's no need for such formalities."

The elder straightened up, a smile appearing on his face: "Daoist Master, have you all eaten yet?"

"I've prepared some simple food at my home. If you don't mind, would you do me the honor of coming over for a visit?"

When Lü Yang heard the word "eat," his eyes lit up immediately.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then held back, only staring longingly at Ye Qingfeng.

Miao Gui also swallowed.

He had been driving corpses all day and had walked for most of the day, so his stomach was already growling.

Ye Qingfeng glanced at the sky, then at the elder's wrinkled face.

His face was smiling, but his eyes held a cautious anticipation.

He nodded: "Sorry to bother you."

The clan elder was overjoyed and quickly led the way.

Just then, a clear voice came from behind: "Immortal Master!"

The group turned around and saw that it was A Luo.

She ran after him, carrying the cloth bag, and reached Ye Qingfeng, panting heavily.

"Immortal Master, thank you so much for what you did earlier." She said, bowing deeply.

Ye Qingfeng looked at her face, still streaked with tears, and said calmly, "It's alright."

A Luo straightened up, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.

She just stood there, holding the cloth bag, looking at Ye Qingfeng with bright eyes.

The elder smiled and said, "A'Luo, the Daoist is coming to my house for dinner. Why don't you come along too?"

A'Luo paused for a moment, then quickly waved her hand, "No, no, elder, I have to go back... there are people waiting for me at home."

The clan elder knew she was referring to the stranger she had rescued, so he didn't press the matter: "Alright, then you can go back now. You can thank the Taoist priest properly another day."

A Luo nodded, bowed to Ye Qingfeng again, and then turned and ran away.

He ran a few steps, looked back once more, and then disappeared into the crowd.

The clan elder watched her retreating figure and shook his head: "That girl has a hard life. Her parents passed away early, and it's not easy for her to live alone. If it weren't for the Taoist priest today, her two ginseng roots would be gone."

Ye Qingfeng remained silent.

The clan elder said no more and led the group back to his home.

The clan elder's house is located at the east end of the village; it is a rather large courtyard.

The house, with its blue bricks and tiles, and two osmanthus trees planted in front, looks much more impressive than the surrounding houses.

As soon as you enter, you can smell the aroma of food.

The clan elder's daughter-in-law was busy in the kitchen when she saw her father-in-law bring guests back, and she quickly came out to greet them.

The clan elders told her to add a few more dishes and asked her son to bring out the jar of rice wine that had been stored in the cellar for ten years.

Lu Yang sat at the table, smelling the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen, his stomach growling even louder.

Miao Gui was also restless, his eyes constantly glancing towards the kitchen.

Shen Zhaoyue remained calm, holding the knife and leaning back in her chair, closing her eyes to rest.

Ye Qingfeng sat in the host's seat, his expression calm.

One dish after another was served. There was stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts, stewed pheasant with mushrooms, stir-fried wild vegetables, cold black fungus salad, a steaming bowl of wild mushroom soup, and a plate of pickled radishes.

The dishes weren't many, but each one was exquisite, and the aroma alone was enough to make your mouth water.

The clan elder personally poured Ye Qingfeng a cup of wine: "Daoist Master, this is rice wine that I brewed myself, and it's been aged for ten years. Please have a taste."

Ye Qingfeng picked up his wine glass and took a sip. The wine went down his throat, carrying a sweet taste and a subtle aroma; it was indeed quite good. He nodded: "Good wine."

The elder's eyes narrowed with laughter: "I'm glad you like it, Daoist! Come, eat!"

Lu Yang couldn't wait any longer. He reached out with his chopsticks, picked up a large piece of cured meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it until his mouth was full of oil.

Miao Gui didn't stand on ceremony, picked up a piece of pheasant with his chopsticks, and ate it while nodding in approval.

Shen Zhaoyue ate slowly, but she didn't stand on ceremony.

Ye Qingfeng picked up a piece of wild vegetable with his chopsticks and chewed it slowly. The wild vegetable was slightly bitter, but it had a refreshing fragrance, the taste of the mountains.

The clan elder ate with them, and while eating, he kept asking, "Daoist Master, where are you all headed?"

Ye Qingfeng: "Return to Jingyang Prefecture."

The clan elder was taken aback: "Jingyang Prefecture? That's very far. It's hundreds of miles from outside the Ten Thousand Mountains."

Ye Qingfeng nodded.

After a moment of contemplation, the elder suddenly said, "Taoist priest, if you are not in a hurry to continue your journey, why don't you stay in the village for a few days?"

These mountains are vast and the roads are difficult to travel. Why don't you rest here and recharge before continuing your journey?

After he finished speaking, he looked at Ye Qingfeng, waiting for his reply.