Fairy, help me cultivate.

"Don't panic, come with me."

Chapter 165 Assassination Plan

The young Taoist priest silently followed Chen Yao and Jiang Bailin, no longer trying to stop them. On the contrary, he seemed quite uneasy.

The winding mountain path was nearing its end, the summit was within reach, and then everything, from the forests on both sides of the path to the occasional pavilions and towers, was as quiet as a tomb.

Jiang Bailin's face grew increasingly grim, and he reached out and grabbed the young Taoist boy by the collar.

"Tell me, what exactly happened! You were blocking me from the foot of the mountain, weren't you feeling guilty?"

Her murderous aura was so intense that the young Taoist boy turned pale with fright.

"I didn't..." The young Taoist boy hesitated for a moment, but quickly mustered his courage. "I won't talk to you now. I'll wait for the patriarch to return before we discuss your crime of trespassing!"

Jiang Bailin threw him far away. The little Taoist boy flipped several times in the air before he finally straightened up, albeit unsteadily.

Chen Yao glanced at him: "Where is the Jiang family patriarch?"

The young Taoist pursed his lips, seemingly unwilling to speak.

Jiang Bailin's brows furrowed, and he was about to actually teach him a lesson.

Chen Yao blocked her way, but Jiang Bailin angrily said, "Don't stop me!"

Having long held a position of power, she was now filled with anger and resentful of Chen Yao's obstruction.

Chen Yao did not retract his arm, but instead spoke with extreme composure: "Now is not the time to act rashly. Even if we beat him to death, it will be useless and a waste of time."

Jiang Bailin lowered his head, having to admit that Chen Yao's words made sense.

"let me."

Chen Yao walked towards the young Taoist boy.

The young Taoist priest drifted backward about ten feet as if on guard.

“I won’t do anything to you because the Jiang family and Daoist Qingniu have been friends for generations. However, if you continue to refuse to cooperate with us, and our ancestor handles matters on your mountain, with you being the only one on the entire Chaoqing Peak, then you should be thinking about what Daoist Qingniu will do to you.”

Chen Yao spoke slowly and deliberately, making sure the young Taoist boy could understand.

The young Taoist's expression changed, and he fiddled with his sleeve.

“I… they said it was an order passed down from our ancestors that no unauthorized personnel were allowed to remain on Qingfeng Peak, as it would hinder the flow of the peak's pure energy and slow down your ancestor's recovery…”

"Who?"

"People from the Ni and Li families."

The Li family had dealings with the Ni family when they were obtaining the scales of the Fire-Burning Golden Snake, while the Ni family was the most prestigious family in Jiujiang.

Chen Yao and Jiang Bailin exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

If the entire city of Jiujiang is targeting the Jiang family, the situation will likely become increasingly dire.

Where is our ancestor?

The young Taoist priest floated dejectedly towards a spot in the forest: "It's not on the peak, it's in a hermitage ahead."

“Take us there.” Jiang Bailin caught up with him first.

The hermitage is nestled amidst bamboo groves, with a clear stream flowing through it, creating a serene and tranquil atmosphere. It is indeed a rare and wonderful place for quiet contemplation and relaxation.

But Chen Yao and Jiang Bailin had no time to appreciate the tranquility and strode in.

On the bamboo and wood bed in the inner room, Jiang Mengyang lay quietly, his chest rising and falling only once every long while.

Jiang Bailin breathed a sigh of relief and rushed to the bedside, tears welling up in his eyes.

Hearing her and Chen Yao's voices, Jiang Mengyang opened her eyes with difficulty, but only managed to open her eyelids a crack, looking extremely exhausted.

He awkwardly stretched out his old, thin arm, as if he were moving a mountain, but he still lovingly stroked Jiang Bailin's hair before reaching out to Chen Yao.

Chen Yao quickly stepped forward, sat down on the edge of the bed, and held the weak hand.

Jiang Mengyang forced a smile, feeling quite gratified.

"Don't worry, we're here for you."

Chen Yao comforted him.

Jiang Mengyang nodded, loosened his grip, and fell into a deep sleep again.

“We need to move him,” Chen Yao said, looking at the young Taoist boy, “to the foot of the mountain.”

"No, no, no!" The young Taoist shook his head like a rattle-drum. "The ancestor instructed that this place has the fastest flow of pure energy in the earth's veins, making it the most suitable location. The turbid energy that gathers at the foot of the mountain is actually detrimental to his cultivation!"

Chen Yao approached him: "Listen, this is the Jiang family's Grand Elder. He was assassinated and then sent here. Your Chao Qingfeng has been lured away from the mountain. If he dies here, you won't be able to escape responsibility!"

The young Taoist nun bit his lip, and after a long while, he finally made up his mind: "Alright!"

"Help me get him down the mountain. Eldest sister, go and inform the family to send someone as soon as possible."

As Chen Yao and the young Taoist boy lifted the bamboo bed, they gave Jiang Bailin instructions.

The young Taoist priest reminded him, "The gatehouse at the top of the mountain has a flying sword for communication; it's the fastest in all of Jiujiang."

Jiang Bailin nodded to Chen Yao: "I'll go right away, be careful!"

"rest assured."

Chen Yao and the young Taoist priest escorted Jiang Mengyang through the dense forests and mountains to a somewhat secluded yet sturdy stone house at the foot of the mountain.

"They—I mean, if what you're saying is true—if they come to kill, wouldn't this place be the first to be affected?"

The young Taoist priest was puzzled.

What kind of patients do you usually treat here?

"For injuries from falls and blows, the air here is too turbid. The patriarch would not casually arrange for seriously injured people to be placed here, otherwise wouldn't that ruin his reputation..."

Before he could finish speaking, the young Taoist understood what Chen Yao meant.

"Alright, come with me to the mountain gate and take this pill. When you take it, imagine the most terrifying person or anything you've ever seen."

Chen Yao handed the young Taoist boy a Transformation Pill.

The young Taoist priest took the pill with suspicion, sniffed it, and found it to be non-toxic and harmless, which put him at ease.

"What kind of elixir is this?"

"If you don't want anything to happen here, cooperate with me and don't ask any questions. You're also a Golden Core cultivator, and from the renowned Chaoqing Peak at that. How can you be so cowardly and afraid of trouble?"

Provoked by Chen Yao's words, the young Taoist priest blushed and said, "Who said I'm timid and cowardly! I'll eat!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and swallowed the Transformation Pill.

"Alright, come with me to the mountain gate."

As soon as Chen Yao arrived at the mountain gate with the young Taoist boy, the boy's Transformation Pill took effect. A violent storm arose, and in a flash, he transformed into a giant, coiled python.

Its scales resembled translucent red jade, with flames occasionally rising from between the scales, like a net of fire covering its body.

Good heavens, a Fire Brocade Serpent...

Chen Yao was somewhat taken aback, but hoped that he could intimidate the newcomers!

Thinking this, he released the Three Purple Fire-Swallowing Pythons.

In an instant, two imposing and majestic snakes appeared coiled in front of the quiet mountain gate of Chaoqing Peak, visible from dozens of miles away.

"If someone really comes, they'll have to be at least at the Nascent Soul level, right?"

The fire serpent conjured by the young Taoist boy had none of the imposing aura of the original; its voice was very soft and trembling.

Standing atop the Three Purple Fire-Swallowing Python, Chen Yao could see it trembling slightly.

"What are you afraid of? Looking across the entire South China Sea, no family or sect dares to openly break into Qingniu Daoist's home to kill people. At most, they would lure us away and then sneak in to assassinate the patriarch. With our imposing presence, you can be more confident and there's no problem."

Before the words were even finished, several glittering streaks of light appeared on the distant ground line, flying rapidly closer.

Chapter 166 The Green Ox Taoist

Chen Yao heard the sound of the young Taoist boy's teeth chattering.

He's a Golden Core cultivator, and his combat power is intact, so why is he so weak?

He was actually very nervous inside, but he appeared very calm and composed on the outside.

"Show us the spirit of the number one medical cultivation sect in the South China Sea!"

Five or six beams of light of various colors flashed, already three zhang away. Chen Yao whispered a reprimand to the young Taoist boy.

Amidst a deafening roar, the young Taoist boy, in a moment of tension, overreacted, transforming into the Fire Brocade Serpent, which coiled down the mountain and swept towards the newcomer, accompanied by a sky full of fiery clouds.

The beams of light stopped.

Several of them confronted the "Fire Brocade Serpent." From Chen Yao's perspective, the little Taoist's tail was trembling like a leaf, and it was hard for him to maintain his momentum at the front.

The other people in the radiant light were staring at Chen Yao from afar.

Chen Yao calmly took out a rattan chair and placed it directly on the Three Purple Fire-Swallowing Python, then sat down and began to rock back and forth.

It was as if they had never seen those people at all.

Those people observed Chen Yao for a long time, exchanged glances, and then the light rose again before disappearing beyond the horizon.

Huo Jinchen shrunk back, his voice incoherent: "Call for reinforcements... What about them?"

He believed those people had gone to get reinforcements.

Chen Yao also felt that they couldn't just give up like that, so he looked up at the mountain path and said, "Now, let's just hope that your flying swords are fast enough and our people can react quickly enough!"

"You're also a Golden Core cultivator, right?"

The young Taoist asked hopefully, then continued, "That fairy is also a Golden Core cultivator. There are three of us Golden Core cultivators, and we're on Chaoqing Peak. You think they wouldn't dare to launch a full-scale attack? So, even if we can't win, we can still escape, right?"

Chen Yao leaned back in his rocking chair, glancing sideways at the snake's head pressing down on him by the young Taoist boy, his expression strange.

"how?"

The young Taoist priest had a vague sense of foreboding.

Chen Yao looked apologetic: "I'm sorry, all three of us Golden Core cultivators have now become counterfeit..."