Marvel: The Alchemist Just Wants a Peaceful Life

Looking at the two figures, one large and one small, who were still lying on the ground like corpses even after regaining their human forms, the Bodhisattva silently placed the food on the table inside the house before speaking to them.

"Alright, eat something. After you're done eating, clean yourself up. Nezha, you need to go to the guild hall. Yu Di has assigned you a task. Sherlock, I'll take you to Lao Jun to pick up Doro and take him home."

Upon hearing the Bodhisattva's words, Sherlock and Nezha could only weakly respond before getting up to eat.

After quickly eating a couple of bites of rice, Nezha decisively took out the Beacon Fire Universe Ring, stepped on it, and flew away.

Sherlock ate a few bites and then went into the bathroom. After cleaning himself up, he took a basic energy pill before coming out to follow the Great Master to pick up Doro and take him home.

To Sherlock's surprise, the Great Master did not take him to Lao Jun Mountain, but instead teleported him directly to a misty, cloud-shrouded place through the guild's portal.

Beneath their feet lay a sea of ​​clouds, as if covered with a layer of dry ice. If it weren't for the railings on both sides, Sherlock wouldn't even know where the road was!

What surprised Sherlock the most was that, in the misty distance ahead, stood a huge golden-domed palace? The palace even faintly emitted a sacred light.

???

The moment Sherlock saw the palace, he was dumbfounded. What the hell was he doing here? Was this still Earth?

However, it was clear that the Great Master had no intention of explaining anything to Sherlock, and led Sherlock straight toward the huge golden-domed palace complex.

However, to Sherlock's utter surprise, the moment he followed the Bodhisattva through the gates of the palace, which seemed to be a manifestation of golden light of merit, he was struck hard on the head with a ruler.

"You little rascal! I taught you the art of alchemy, and all you did was use it to boost your energy? And you even went and made those weird and wonderful pills? What a waste! What a waste!"

An old man with a white beard, dressed in a Taoist robe, held a ruler and looked at Sherlock with anger and disapproval, constantly scolding him.

Meanwhile, Sherlock was completely bewildered when he saw the old man in front of him, who looked like a wise and venerable elder, and whose tone of voice even seemed to be stern and stern.

No, who are you?

Chapter 557 Laozi? Who is that blue Christmas tree?

Looking at the white-haired, youthful-looking old Taoist priest in front of him, who held a ruler and whose simple Taoist robes could not hide his otherworldly and dignified air, Sherlock was completely bewildered.

However, the Great Master quickly dispelled Sherlock's doubts with his actions. After the old Taoist appeared, the Great Master bowed slightly to him before speaking.

"Laojun, it's been a long time. I have brought Sherlock here as you instructed."

After hearing what the Great Master said, the old Taoist nodded slightly to him and said something in a calm tone.

"Yes, thank you for your trouble, Great Master."

There was a vague feeling that they weren't on good terms, but the Bodhisattva didn't seem to care. After bowing slightly to Laozi, his figure vanished without a trace in an instant.

Only then did the old Taoist priest turn his gaze to Sherlock, whose eyes were wide open and whose jaw was almost dropping to the ground.

Seeing Sherlock's extremely exaggerated expression, the old Taoist rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"You unfilial disciple, why do you look at your master with that expression?"

Faced with Laozi's questioning, Sherlock was completely flustered. He gestured wildly in the air, trying to make a Christmas tree shape with his hands, while stammering out a bunch of questions he wanted to ask but couldn't get them out. In the end, he could only manage a broken question.

"Lao Lao Lao Lao Laojun?"

Seeing Sherlock's utterly bewildered expression, Lao Jun looked on with disgust, tapped Sherlock's head again with his ruler, and then said to Sherlock in an annoyed tone.

"It is indeed I!"

Sherlock was so struck by Laozi's ruler that he saw stars, crouched on the ground holding his head, and even tears welled up in his eyes as he frantically rubbed his head.

After a while, Sherlock finally recovered and once again gestured the shape of a Christmas tree in front of Laozi before asking him a question.

"Can……"

Before Sherlock could finish speaking, Laozi raised the ruler in his hand, and Sherlock almost instinctively darted far away.

Seeing Sherlock's cowardly behavior, yet still unable to suppress the curiosity on his face, Lao Jun gave a cold snort of annoyance.

"What's so strange about it? It's just a mortal body, so naturally I'll choose what I like."

"So, you made yourself a blue Christmas tree?"

Upon hearing Lao Jun's reply, Sherlock almost instinctively chimed in. However, the instant Sherlock finished speaking, the ruler in Lao Jun's hand shot out with a whoosh and hurtled straight at Sherlock's head.

When Sherlock saw the ruler rushing towards him, he panicked and jumped around trying to dodge it. But to Sherlock's utter surprise, this damn thing was an automatic tracking model!

As expected, Sherlock was once again beaten by Laozi's ruler, and he squatted on the ground, wiping away tears and rubbing his head.

Seeing Sherlock's miserable state, Lao Jun finally smiled, waved his hand to let the ruler fly back into his hand, and then turned his back to Sherlock, who was squatting on the ground rubbing his head, and said.

"After all, I really love ACG culture. The imagination of mortals is truly amazing. It has provided me with some fun during my seclusion. It can also give me some ideas for refining treasures in my spare time. Why not?"

As Laozi uttered these words, Sherlock, though still squatting on the ground, looked up at Laozi with disbelief in his eyes, and even his eye twitched involuntarily.

No, so Lao Jun is using ACG culture as an 'idea bank' for inspiration?

No, that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that you, with such an otherworldly appearance, are saying things that only a blue Christmas tree would say, which is just a bit too jarring!

In an instant, Sherlock felt that his 'divine filter' for the Laozi in front of him had shattered.

Ok?

and many more?

Ontology?

If Sherlock remembers correctly, the Laozi who called him was supposed to be a very grumpy Laozi with a thick Henan accent, right? What the heck is this other version of him?

Seeing the ever-changing expressions on Sherlock's face, like a spilled palette, how could Lao Jun not see what Sherlock was thinking? He gestured for Sherlock to follow him, and said this as he walked towards the main hall.

"You guessed right, it was my clone who called you, but I intercepted it."

"What about the master chef from Henan?"

Upon hearing Laozi's answer, Sherlock cautiously asked the Laozi figure before him.

Faced with Sherlock's question, Lao Jun, who was walking in front, turned around and glanced at Sherlock, who was already trembling a little, and waved his hand at the ground.

As Laozi moved, the clouds and mist that had appeared to be covered by dry ice on the ground vanished without a trace in an instant. Only then did Sherlock realize that the huge palace they were in was actually covered by a spherical dome, making it look as if they were in the realm created by the Space Stone.

Of course, what shocked Sherlock the most was not the location of Laozi's true form, but the scene outside the cover.

Outside the dome, dozens of blue Christmas trees were frantically attacking it, and the most vicious one's ferocious expression stunned Sherlock for a long time.

Judging from the shape of their mouths, the blue Christmas tree was swearing the most filthyly, but unfortunately, Sherlock, standing inside the dome, couldn't hear what the blue Christmas trees outside were swearing at all.

Not to mention any curses, you couldn't even hear the shockwaves or explosions caused by the attack.

Fortunately, Laozi did not intend to show Sherlock the outside world forever. After Sherlock only glanced at it, the clouds and mist began to drift away again, and the next second, the entire palace returned to its original ethereal appearance.

At that moment, Laozi's voice rang out.

"Don't worry about your masters causing you trouble. After all, in front of my true form, your masters can only call themselves princes at most!"

Sherlock: ? ? ?

Putting aside the messy ethical issues, just the childish tone and lines made Sherlock genuinely want to give a crazy piece of his mind about Laozi's true form.

The most important thing right now isn't anything else, but uninstalling the tomato app first! It's practically been marinated in short dramas!

Of course, because of the intimidating presence of the ruler in Laozi's hand, which was suspected to be a treasure and had an automatic tracking function, Sherlock thought this, but he didn't dare to say it out loud.

After holding it in for a long time, Sherlock's face turned red before he finally managed to utter a sentence.

"Master, your relationship with your clone is truly peculiar!"

Laozi: ?

Ruler: (*｀ω)

Chapter 558 Holy crap? Holy crap!

What does it mean to say "trouble comes from the mouth"?

If Sherlock didn't have a specific understanding of this idiom before, then after he subconsciously picked up on Laozi's original words, he gained a real understanding of it.

With just a glance from Lao Jun, the ruler seemed to have eyes, shooting out of Lao Jun's hand and launching a continuous attack on Sherlock's head.

Most importantly, this ruler seemed to be completely undefendable. Even when Sherlock was in so much pain that he put on his armor, the ruler could still penetrate the armor and make Sherlock run away with his head in his hands.

At first, Sherlock could endure the intense pain and even had the thought of resisting, but later, he had given up. All he could see were tiny golden stars, and he lay on the ground looking completely hopeless. He even started to see his vision blurred.

Seeing Sherlock lying on the ground pretending to be dead, Lao Jun sighed helplessly before beckoning the ruler back into his hand.

"It's all about timing and fate!"

Shaking his head helplessly, Lao Jun said this seemingly random sentence, then paused before speaking to Sherlock, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead.

"You unfilial disciple, why aren't you getting up and coming inside with me? If you don't want to take Doro home, I can take care of him for you!"

Although he didn't understand why Lao Jun sighed at the beginning, when Sherlock heard Lao Jun's next words, he jumped up from the ground, decisively removed his armor, and gave Lao Jun an extremely obedient smile.

However, it's clear that Sherlock's attempt to flatter backfired.

Lao Jun looked at Sherlock, who had stood up, and his eyes showed even more disdain. He even cursed.

"Hmph, they're starting to look more and more like those bald monks from the West."

After saying this, Laozi flicked his Taoist robe and walked towards the main hall, leaving Sherlock standing there dumbfounded.

After a while, Sherlock took out a small mirror from his four-dimensional pocket and looked at himself. After looking at himself, Sherlock was not very happy.

No wonder Laozi dislikes Sherlock so much, after all, Sherlock's hairstyle is no different from Buddha's!

That's a real headache!

Sherlock looked at himself in the mirror and felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. With this hairstyle, he could only lift his foot and catch up with Laozi ahead.

On the contrary, Lao Jun showed utter disdain for Sherlock, who was catching up with him, and even quickened his pace unconsciously.

Only when he brought Sherlock to the main hall's entrance did Lao Jun's undisguised disdain instantly transform into a gentle, warm smile, like that of an elder seeing his grandchildren.

Laozi's face-changing skill left Sherlock speechless, but Laozi didn't even bother to glance at Sherlock.

They pushed open the main hall door with utmost care, as if handling a fragile object, being extremely cautious.

The moment the light from outside shone into the main hall, Sherlock, who was following behind Laozi, also saw the situation inside.

The main hall was completely empty, without any decorations or even objects. There were only a few seemingly scattered futons, but upon closer inspection, they revealed a subtle, discernible pattern.

On one of the prayer cushions, a pink-haired girl wearing a blue Taoist robe was sitting with her back to Sherlock.

The moment Sherlock saw the girl, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. However, this familiarity only made Sherlock more puzzled, because he knew that none of the people he knew had pink hair.