Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

"Ok."

The black cat eventually followed the other cats and left.

A white sparrow flew down from the branch and, in a wisp of blue smoke, transformed back into the form of a child.

"Are you just going to let them go like that? Aren't you afraid they'll pretend to believe you, use this as an excuse to escape, and then come back later?" the boy said.

"If you want to gain people's trust, you must first gain their trust," the Taoist said. "If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them. I am sincerely befriending the demon, so I should express my sincerity."

“It would be a pity if someone like you died,” the boy laughed. “It has been quite interesting to have met you.”

Chapter 326 Encountering a Deity

Ten days later.

A group of outsiders arrived in a small village in southern Chenzhou.

Under the old tree at the village entrance, young children with blond hair, elderly people with canes, and women holding babies all turned their gazes toward the old dirt road.

The group of people led horses and mules, which in turn pulled wooden carts. The contents of the carts were unknown and were covered with gray tarpaulins.

The wooden wheels creaked as the carriage drew closer.

"They are traveling merchants from out of town," the old man said.

“No, they’re not from out of town, they’re locals,” another elderly man retorted.

“Isn’t that the Taoist priest who came that day?” the woman said.

Ten days ago, a Taoist priest with a sword came to the village. Although he only borrowed a stove and stayed for half a day, in such a remote village, there are not many memorable things throughout the year, so the villagers still remember the handsome Taoist priest clearly.

The Taoist priest seemed to be leading the way, and someone stepped forward to ask him questions.

"What brings you here, Taoist priest?"

"Keep the appointment."

"Would you like to stay overnight in the village?"

"We're just passing through, we're leaving now."

The Taoist priest was right; there just happened to be a road here that led to their destination, so they decided to take this route.

They were just passing by. Although the villagers were curious, they didn't pry into what the other person was doing.

But in private, they still chattered and discussed things in hushed tones.

Neighbors and villagers all came out to join in the fun. The men pulling grass in the fields straightened their backs, the cowherds climbed onto the backs of the oxen, and the women washing clothes under the waterwheel wiped the sweat from their foreheads. All eyes were drawn to one place.

If there were people around, they would share their guesses with others; if there were no people around, they would quietly watch the horses and mules walk forward.

Many people never leave this small village in their entire lives; Taoist priests, horses, mules, and wooden carts are all novelties to them.

Soon, the Taoist priest led the group from the village entrance to the village exit.

But there was no longer a road to the place those carriages and horses were going to. It led to a wild forest, and the old people in the village said that there were man-eating monsters in that forest. If children were disobedient and did not close the door properly at night and stay at home, the monsters would grab them and eat them.

There was clearly no road there, but the Taoist priest kept walking forward, and the carriages and horses followed him into the roadless area.

The blond-haired boy, worried that the Taoist priest would also be eaten by the monster, shouted, "There's a monster over there that eats people!"

The Taoist priest smiled slightly at the child, said nothing, and continued to stride forward.

The voices behind him grew louder.

There was no smooth road ahead; the vines of cocklebur and the lush grass blocked the way.

If it were just a person or a horse, they could slowly inch their way across by stepping on the leaves. But the Taoist was followed by more than thirty people and seven or eight horses and mules pulling a wooden cart. Even on a muddy road, the cart could barely pass. How could the cart possibly get through a place where no one had repaired or leveled the road?

I'm afraid that the horses and mules would only take a few steps before their wheels got caught in the grass or tripped over hidden rocks and potholes, leaving them unable to move.

"Immortal Master, there's no road over there!" someone kindly reminded. "If you still want to go forward, you have to come this way. Only by going this way can you reach the main road, and the official road is over there too."

"Thank you for pointing us in the right direction, but that's exactly where we're going," the Taoist replied, bowing respectfully.

The man's eyes were filled with suspicion. How could he possibly get through this place?

He fell silent, watching the Taoist priest walk away, his eyes fixed on him.

The woman beside the Taoist priest walked to the front. She was also a Taoist priest, dressed in simple Taoist robes, with her black hair simply tied up with a hair tie.

Even without dressing up, seeing her is like a breath of fresh air.

The young woman, with her long hair flowing, bent down, reached out her hand, and gently touched the grass and plants.

A vibrant green light swirled around her fingertips, a light so full of life that even an ordinary person could discern its profound mystery.

It was like a pebble falling into a lake, creating ripples.

It was as if a strong wind had blown by, causing the blades of grass to sway and shake.

Then, the grass parted, making way for them.

The road was neither too wide nor too narrow, just wide enough for one vehicle or horse to pass through.

Where there was no road before, a road appeared, so the Taoist continued on his way, gradually disappearing into the distance, the creaking of his wooden cart carrying him away, until he vanished from the villagers' sight.

The village fell silent for a moment; no one dared to speak carelessly anymore, especially gossip.

Until an old man broke the silence.

"This is like encountering a deity..."

...

In the forest, the old fox and his monsters awaited the arrival of the Taoist priest.

Not many monsters came. Apart from the old fox, each demon clan only sent a few representative demons.

Hearing that humans and demons were on good terms, most of the demons in the mountains were suspicious.

However, the demons' predicament was not unfounded, so they each sent out some demons to discern the human's intentions.

Before long, the wolf demon that had been lying there pretending to sleep opened its eyes.

“Someone’s coming,” the wolf demon said.

The monsters stood up and assumed a defensive posture.

The fox pricked up its ears, hearing the sounds of carriages and horses, and also smelling the Taoist's scent.

The convoy emerged from the forest, accompanied by more than thirty people.

There was no path in this forest, but the plants and trees themselves "made way" for it.

The sharp-eyed demon had already recognized that it was the woman's doing.

This is a profound technique, and the woman's cultivation level is something even demons fear.

Several wolf demons bared their teeth and charged forward, looking ferocious and menacing.

The Taoist priest raised his hand, and the carriages and horses behind him stopped.

He had never seen these wolf demons before. Previously, there were only dog ​​demons and cat demons in this forest, none of which were as ferocious as these wolf demons.

The three wolves before him were quite different. The largest one was as big as a calf, and the smallest one was not much smaller. They were no ordinary wolves and were at least as strong as the white-tailed jackal he had seen in that dilapidated temple years ago.

Their fur is pale and stiff, and their claws are sharp, leaving white marks on the mud and rocks. They are clearly not benevolent creatures.

Zhuang Xingxian bowed and said, "Gentlemen, ten days ago, I made an appointment with Fellow Daoist Hu to come here. We have arrived on time and should not have been impolite."

The old fox hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Sir, these three are the captains of the wolf demon clan. I have already relayed to the wolf demon clan everything you talked to me about that night, but the wolf demon clan is not the same as ordinary demon clans."

"Among wolf demons, seniority is determined solely by strength. Even though I've come to see you, sir... I also wish... I also wish to spar with you first..."

"A friendly spar?" Zhuang Xing looked at the wolf demon.

He thought to himself, "Is he probably not interested in a friendly match, but rather in testing my abilities?"

The demon race lives in the mountains and wilderness, where the strong prey on the weak.

Wolves are also extremely disciplined; wild wolves will spontaneously gather together to form settlements.

In a wolf pack, there is always a dominant wolf, which is what people call the alpha wolf.

They rank themselves according to strength, with the weak obeying the strong; this is the rule of the wolf pack.

Even after transforming into demons and becoming like a human army, taking the title of "Crusader," their inherent habits seemed to remain unchanged.

It was called a friendly exchange, but it was probably more about testing how skilled Zhuang Xing really was.

In the wild, most wolf packs consist of only about ten individuals. Here, they are called "ten-man leaders," which means they are the alpha wolves.

Within their own pack, they are either the wolf king or the leader.

Perhaps he was resentful, or perhaps he didn't believe what people said, so he wanted to start a fight first.

“Taoist, if you are afraid, you can still turn back now,” said the largest wolf demon.

"Do the three of you really want to spar with me?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"If you can defeat us, we can follow your arrangements. But if you can't, stop talking big. Instead, offer us some cattle and sheep so we can have a peaceful winter. That way, we can spare your village and avoid any blood feud with you," the wolf demon said.

“What you say is true, fellow Daoist,” Zhuang Xing said. “Then let’s see what you are capable of. Will you come one by one, or all three of you together?”

“We are wolves, and wolves always hunt together,” the wolf demon said. “However, we won’t take advantage of you. You can call two more people to fight us, but you can only call two at most.”

"Was there any restraint in your strike?"

“We often fight within our own tribe, but it’s just to decide who gets to eat the meat first; we don’t kill each other.”

"That's enough for now."

"Stop it here?"

"When it's time to stop, stop without harming their lives or damaging the harmony."

"Then let's stop here."

“Then, please come over there, you three.” Zhuang Xing pointed to the open area under the Chinese toon tree. “Let’s spar over there to avoid accidentally injuring anyone unrelated.”

The three wolf demons exchanged glances and walked to the open space first.

The men leading the horses were hesitant and uneasy, and dared not speak loudly.

The wolf demon's appearance was truly terrifying. Such a large wolf could probably bite a person's head off in one bite, and it could even talk. It had truly become a monster.