Under One Person: The Puppet Immortal in the Tang Sect

A Miao witch doctor? A sacred artifact stolen?

This certainly sounds suspicious.

The Earthly Immortals live deep underground year-round, detached from worldly strife.

They are basically on two parallel lines, like the Gu Master in Miao territory. How could they suddenly be connected?

"Brother Wang, please calm down. This matter does indeed sound suspicious."

"Where is Elder He now? Could you take me there for a detailed discussion? Perhaps we can find out what exactly happened together."

"Alright! The elder is inside overseeing everything! Hall Master Cui, this way please!"

Wang Qingshi grasped at a straw and quickly led the way, guiding Cui Ming and Yong En into the deep yet bright cave.

After traveling for about ten minutes, winding east and west, light came from in front of the cave.

With Wang Qingshi leading the way, the journey was peaceful.

However, Cui Ming sensed several streams of Qi underground. After sensing the earth vein Qi that Wang Qingshi deliberately emitted, he quietly dispersed them.

It seems this seemingly simple-minded guy is actually quite clever.

Cui Ming didn't point it out and silently followed Wang Qingshi forward.

Soon, the once deep and quiet cave was filled with the sounds of birds and people.

Once we emerged from the cave, a bright and open space appeared before us.

Unexpectedly, this wandering immortal found such a paradise.

The territory of the Earthly Immortal Clan is not much different from ordinary villages and towns outside.

The houses stand in rows, all busy with planting and farming.

All the villagers were dressed in earth-yellow clothes, and in this paradise, apart from the poor medical conditions, they were basically no different from the outside world.

Wang Qingshi greeted people along the way and introduced the village of Earth Veins to Cui Ming.

“Our village generally relies on selling ores for a living, but since people with special abilities are scarce, most ordinary villagers still rely on farming to make a living.”

"There is a small river behind the village, and we wandering immortals can be considered self-sufficient here."

As they talked, more and more villagers gathered around, since no outsiders had visited Dimai Village for a long time, and they were all handsome men and beautiful women.

The enormous mechanical box behind Cui Ming amazed everyone, regardless of age or gender.

"What are you all doing here! Don't disturb the elder's distinguished guests! Disperse, disperse!"

"You little brat! Have you finished your homework yet before you start showing up? If you mess up the ore again, your dad will skin you alive!"

Wang Qingshi chased away the surrounding villagers and led Cui Ming to the center of the village.

In the center of the village, several elderly men were walking towards them together.

"Elder! Master Cui of the Tang Clan has arrived!"

Wang Qingshi immediately reported this loudly.

He Zhengxing was among them. He quickly stepped forward, greeted Cui Ming first, and then introduced the two sides to him.

"Clan leader, this is Cui Ming, the hall master of the Tang Clan whom I mentioned to you."

Beside He Zhengxing stood an even taller, white-haired but spirited old man.

Seeing He Zhengxing's introduction, he struck up a conversation.

"I had long heard of the name of Cui, the rising star of the Tang Clan in the martial arts world, but I never expected him to be so young and promising."

I am He Zhengyan, the patriarch of the Earthly Wandering Immortals and the younger brother of Elder He Zhengxing.

I sincerely apologize for the offense committed by a younger member of my clan against the Tang Clan.

After saying this, the Earthly Immortal Clan Chief bowed to Cui Ming.

"Chief He, you're too kind."

Cui Ming returned the greeting with a cupped hand and got straight to the point.

"I just heard Brother Wang mention that the nobles are being harassed by the Gu masters of Miao territory?"

He Zhengyan sighed deeply, his face clouded with worry.

"exactly."

"This happened suddenly, without any warning."

“Our clan and the Gu masters of Miao territory have always kept to themselves. This accusation is truly inexplicable, leaving us speechless.”

"Those Gu masters use bizarre methods, employing insects and Gu poison. They've already destroyed a small mine on the outskirts of our clan, and they've threatened to use even more powerful methods if we don't hand over the sacred artifact within three days..."

Chapter 90 Dan Shi > Gu Poison?

It seems that even the wandering immortals are completely baffled.

Cui Ming pondered for a moment and then asked.

"Clan Chief He, did you have any contact with strangers today? Or, has anything unusual happened in the vicinity?"

He Zhengyan thought about it carefully and shook his head.

“Our people live in seclusion and have very little contact with outsiders.”

"Aside from receiving a message from my brother mentioning that you might be visiting, Master Cui, there has been nothing else unusual recently...etc!"

He suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Although our village is isolated from the outside world, we still exchange goods with merchants at a fixed location outside."

"It's usually the same group of people, but the merchants who came last time were all different."

When asked why, they all said that the previous merchants were their relatives, and that they had to leave due to family matters, so they were the ones who took over.

"I didn't think too much about it at the time... Could it be...?"

The clues seem to point to a third party who has been hiding behind the scenes.

Cui Ming couldn't help but connect all the events together.

Robbery of merchants...seizure of mines...strife...could it be...?

Cui Ming had some things he needed to verify, and this also served as a way to forge an alliance with the Earthly Wanderer.

"Clan Chief He, in my opinion, this matter is probably not a simple misunderstanding."

"If you trust me, I am willing to assist you in finding out the truth of this matter and resolving this crisis."

He Zhengyan looked at Cui Ming with a hint of admiration in his eyes. He was indeed a young hero!

“Master Cui! This Miao Gu Master is no ordinary poison master. Although you are a disciple of the Tang Clan, you still need to be extra careful.”

"If Master Cui can resolve this crisis for our Youxian, we will be eternally grateful!"

Cui Ming's words invigorated He Zhengyan and several other clan elders.

The Immortal Realm is currently in a stalemate; it's not advisable to actually fight.

I tried to explain, but the other party wouldn't listen.

If a strong external ally were to step in and mediate at this point, it would undoubtedly be the best option to break the deadlock.

"Clan Chief He, you flatter us. We are people of the martial world, and we should help those in need when we see injustice."

Cui Ming waved his hand and then asked.

"The most urgent task is to understand the situation."

"Where are those Gu Masters who came to demand justice? Also, how are the injured clansmen? May I take a look?"

"Of course!"

He Zhengyan quickly led the way.

"Those Gu Masters are currently gathered at the entrance of a mine, dozens of miles east of the village. That is also an important passage for us to the outside world."

"They set up camp there, blocking the exit. As for the wounded tribesmen..."

A bitter look appeared on his face.

"They're all in the village clinic, but the situation... is a bit tricky."

Led by He Zhengyan, Cui Ming and Yong En arrived at a makeshift clinic on one side of the village.

Before even entering the room, one could hear suppressed groans coming from inside.

Upon entering, one sees seven or eight people lying on hospital beds, their faces contorted in pain.

Five of them had particularly peculiar symptoms; it seemed as if something alive was slowly wriggling beneath their exposed skin.

This caused the five people excruciating pain, making their forehead veins bulge and their bodies drenched in cold sweat. Even mobilizing their internal energy became extremely difficult, as if they were being tightly imprisoned.

Cui Ming's gaze swept over the five people, and his eyes became strange.

These five were the very same five wandering immortals who had tried to rob the Tang Clan's goods.

Cui Ming looked at He Zhengyan, who was standing to the side. The clan leader also looked embarrassed.

"Master Cui, these five are the descendants who were misled and offended you back then."

"Originally, it was meant as punishment, sending them to work day and night in remote mining areas—a form of torture. But this is unexpected..."

Cui Ming suddenly realized that these five unlucky guys were having a double whammy, having just been sent down to a remote area.

It just so happened that the Miao Jiang Gu Master came to question him, and this strange man was naturally the first to be caught in the trap.

The five men also saw Cui Ming at this moment, and their faces all showed extremely complicated expressions.

Shame, embarrassment, and pain intertwined, making me wish I could just find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

What? It was originally designed for burrowing underground? Then it's alright.

Now look what happened. They tried to steal from Cui Ming, but they were discovered and easily apprehended.

Now that he's been tricked by the Gu Master, he has to rely on Cui Ming to save him. He's completely lost face.

Cui Ming didn't seem to care about their awkwardness, since he wasn't the one who was embarrassed.