Under One Person, your rebellious life has reached the heavens?

In a situation where no one knows anything.

Perhaps?

Zhang Huaiyi was caught in a dilemma.

He was shaken.

Chapter 178 Fate Made Him Make a Choice

Most importantly, what exactly is the 'interesting thing' mentioned in the letter that he should explore?

To be fair, Zhang Huaiyi had dealt with Wugensheng many times in private and had a general understanding of the man's character. He was always sincere and rarely... even had any deeds of intentionally harming or doing evil.

The invitation letter now seemed like bait thrown by the devil, causing Zhang Huaiyi to waver. In his chaotic mind, his subconscious kept telling him that the probability of encountering danger at the invitation was not high.

Not going would put us in a very passive position; there are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

Who knows, one day the demon will reappear, and the news of their friendship will be leaked by a third party. When disaster strikes, they won't even know how it happened.

If I go, how should I explain it to my senior brothers and master?

At this point... it's not easy to find a reason to go down the mountain.

"call......"

Zhang Huaiyi slowly exhaled, looked around, and found the courtyard empty, with no sign of his fellow disciples. Then, like a thief, he stuffed the letter into his inner pocket and pretended nothing had happened.

There are still several months until the agreed time.

He wasn't in a hurry or panic; instead, he quickly calmed down, knowing he had plenty of time to think of a solution.

For the past month or so, nothing has changed. Zhang Huaiyi has been staying at the Celestial Master's Mansion, serving his master and diligently cultivating with his fellow disciples.

On the surface, he seemed fine, but in reality, as time dwindled, Zhang Huaiyi would find it difficult to fall asleep every night. He would lie in bed, staring blankly into space, his mind blank.

Even in dreams, I often wake up startled, drenched in cold sweat and panting for breath.

This night.

He saw a blurry yet terrifying scene, as if dozens of people were gathered in one place, trapped in a desperate situation.

Before I could see clearly, the image shattered, and all I could see was a raging fire and one white figure after another standing atop the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood.

What terrified him most was that Senior Jiang from the Sanyi Sect, who, for some unknown reason, had driven him to his death.

"call....."

Zhang Huaiyi's limbs went weak. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and only then did he realize that his clothes were already soaked.

"Master..."

He murmured to himself, like a lost lamb, reaching under his pillow to find the letter. Several times he wanted to get out of bed, find the Taoist master, kneel down and beg for forgiveness, and confess everything, but he never had the courage.

Zhang Huaiyi knew that everything should be done in threes. When he was first discovered to have deceived his master and concealed his cultivation, his master almost crippled him and even scolded him severely. In the end, his anger subsided, and he still disregarded past grievances, willing to pass on the Thunder Technique to him, treating him as his own son, and bestowing upon him a surname and cultivating him.

The second time, before the demon came to Longhu Mountain, he couldn't withstand the pressure and confessed that he had been defeated by the demon but was let go. However, he deliberately obscured his other deeds. Even when his senior brother asked him if he had any relationship with the demon, he denied it outright.

Therefore, the matter was dropped. Even though the master only criticized him a few times afterward, it was not a big deal, since the old man was not really angry.

The third time, the demon secretly wrote a letter inviting him down the mountain. Zhang Huaiyi was completely clueless and could not foresee how serious the consequences would be.

Will Master cripple him?

Will Master forgive him?

What do my fellow students think of me?!

He was extremely distressed, tossing and turning all night.

Another half month passed before Zhang Zhiwei finally found time to visit Sanyimen and catch up with his friends.

After his return, Zhang Huaiyi subtly inquired and learned that his senior brother had also not seen Senior Jiang, and that the other party was suspected of disappearing from the sect. Only then did he feel somewhat at ease and stop being troubled by nightmares.

However, as time went on, he was never able to escape this problem that he had to face.

Just as Zhang Huaiyi made his decision and braced himself to hand the letter to his master, fate intervened, and he encountered a turning point that would change his life.

Previously, he had met friends during his travels. Their village, nestled against the mountains and by the water, was plagued by evil spirits, resulting in heavy casualties. They hurriedly came to seek help from the Celestial Master's Mansion.

"Brother Qi!!!"

Upon seeing his friend, who looked haggard and had pale lips, Zhang Huaiyi asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

"Brother Huaiyi... Waaah... Please help me..."

"Several children and elderly people in the village have already been eaten by that filthy thing... We beg the Taoist priests of the Celestial Master's Mansion to help us!!!"

The farmer, whose clothes were patched, knelt for a long time, weeping bitterly.

"Brother Qi, please get up first."

Zhang Huaiyi helped his old friend, who had once treated him kindly, and felt a pang of sadness. Death is like a lamp going out, let alone such a sudden and unexpected calamity. He was at a loss for words to comfort him.

Having learned the whole story, Zhang Jingqing sighed silently, feeling a pang of reluctance, and gave the following instructions:

"Huaiyi, why don't you go with this benefactor?"

"Let's see what's going on there. If there are evil spirits causing trouble, then get rid of them; then set up an altar and perform a ritual to help those lost souls find peace."

"Yes! Master."

Zhang Huaiyi replied, "This disciple will never let that monster go."

"Brother Qi, please rise quickly. I am unworthy of such a generous gesture of kowtow."

"Waaah... Thank you, Celestial Master... Thank you, Brother Huaiyi..."

The farmer choked up, tears streaming down his rough, barren face.

When he arrived, the youngest of the three children in the family, who was just learning to walk and talk, was harmed by evil spirits. As a father, he was heartbroken and worried about the safety of his other two children.

instantly.

Zhang Huaiyi hurriedly packed his bags and went to the village with his old friend to exterminate the evil spirits, but he forgot about the letter.

When he reached the foot of the mountain, he suddenly remembered something, his expression changed slightly, but he didn't say anything and continued walking.

After leaving Longhu Mountain, Zhang Huaiyi felt inexplicably relieved, as if the shackles that restricted his mind and body had been quietly removed.

However, he did not expect that without the supervision of his master and senior brothers, a single wrong thought in the near future would lead to utter ruin.

........

Tangmen.

As dusk fell, two figures, one strong and one thin, sat in a stone hut in the jungle. One had thick eyebrows, large eyes, a thick beard, wore a long brown robe, and appeared to be middle-aged with regular features.

One of them was relatively young, wearing a white shirt, with his hair slicked back, and his eyes, though not large, contained a sharp glint.

At this moment, they all frowned slightly. The letter in their hands made them restless, unable to understand what was going on. How could the villain who had caused chaos in the martial arts world still be alive?

Like Zhang Huaiyi of the Celestial Master's Mansion, they also received an invitation from Wugensheng, and the contents of the two letters were almost identical except for the honorifics.

After a long while, I finished reading it.

With a "whoosh!", Dong Chang, without the slightest hesitation, handed the letter to the candle on the table, letting the flame devour it, turning it into a pile of ashes in an instant.

"What are you still standing there for?"

"Are you planning to hand the letter over to the sect leader later?"

Seeing Xu Xin's slightly surprised expression, Dong Chang's face turned serious, and he cautiously said:

"Given his personality, he would never allow us to heed such an absurd invitation."

"Even if they grant permission, it will only mean that we lead the way while they secretly dispatch the best men in the sect to kill that demon."

"......"

Xu Xin remained silent for a moment, then said, "I think we should mention the news that the Demon Lord is still alive to the Sect Leader."

"At least we can't pretend this never happened."

“Especially you… Old Dong, you still have Wugensheng’s list on your books…”

At this point, a complex look appeared in Dong Chang's eyes. Before he could say anything, Xu Xin continued:

"Although the employer placed the order a long time ago, and he is not in the country."

"But the reward has always been with the sect. Ever since Wugensheng died at Longhu Mountain a year ago, the sect leader has never been able to find an opportunity to return it."

"Now this sorcerer has come back to life..."

Xu Xin didn't finish his sentence, but Dong Chang naturally understood his junior brother's implied meaning and could only sigh:

"Let's find another opportunity to see."

His words were evasive and unclear, and he couldn't even give a definite answer.

If it were any other disciple who had a grudge against Quanxing, they would have already been thinking about how to gather their men and kill Wugensheng, the leader.

Seeing this, Xu Xin didn't know what to say. After all, his senior brother Dong Chang was older than him and always more thoughtful and steady in his work, so he decided to trust him for the time being.

Thinking of this, Xu Xin rolled up the letter and placed it over the candle flame. In just a few breaths, it burned to ashes.

For the next period of time, the two of them tacitly acted as if nothing had happened, only occasionally asking each other's opinions on whether or not they would keep the appointment during their free time.

Xu Xin, as the junior apprentice, was worried that Dong Chang might go alone and something unexpected might happen. After much deliberation, he decided to take a gamble and go see for himself.

When he voiced his thoughts, Dong Chang suddenly smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and teased him:

"Heh, you little rascal... you're worried about me now?"

"You are you and I am me."

"There's no need for me to change my choice, and besides... I have a backup plan."

"A backup plan?!"

Xu Xin hesitated, slightly tempted, and raised an eyebrow in thought: "Hmm... is this a safe bet?"

"Hard to say."

Dong Chang shook his head, not minding to explain the arrangements in detail: "I wrote a letter and left it in the room."

"If anything unexpected happens, at least when the people in the sect are sorting through my belongings, they'll be able to see how I died and where I died."

"In addition, the sect's ultimate technique, 'Dan Shi,' is my training goal. There's still a long time before the appointment, so I'm prepared to go all out... and try to see if I can overcome this hurdle."

"Going there at that time will naturally provide an extra layer of security."

"Even if something unexpected happens, if I can take the devil down with me, my life will be worthwhile. I won't have let my master down."

Dong Chang's words and emotions were unusually calm. After weighing the pros and cons for more than ten days, he decided to follow his heart and go to the devil's territory to take a look.

Xu Xin, who was standing to the side, was speechless for a long time after learning about his plan. He never expected that his senior brother would leave and never return.

a few days later.

Dong Chang went to the Tang Clan's council hall to discuss requesting leave with the sect leader.

As soon as I crossed the threshold, I saw Tang Bingwen sitting in a grand chair, holding a letter and reading it, seemingly deep in thought.

Beside her, Gao Mei, with her delicate features and lively spirit, was making tea for the old man. Her dimples held a faint smile, as if she was filled with great anticipation for what she was doing.

Dong Chang stepped forward lightly, knelt on one knee, and sincerely explained his purpose:

"Sect Master, I have recently encountered a bottleneck in my cultivation and have been unable to break through it."

"I hereby request leave from you, as I wish to go out to relax and rejuvenate, gradually entering a state of spiritual enlightenment, and seek a quiet place to cultivate the Dan Shi technique. I hope you will grant me permission."

The disciple's voice interrupted Tang Bingwen's thoughts.

He slowly put down the letter, slightly raised his head, focused his gaze on Dong Chang standing nearby, and said with a sense of satisfaction:

"Really? That's good..."

A hint of reminiscence flickered in the old man's single eye, followed by a sigh:

"You're just as good as I was back then. It's rare to see someone with such ambition. Approved."

"Your disciple has been nurtured by you and has surpassed you in ability. It is only natural that I have done so well. Everything is thanks to your teaching."

Dong Chang had great respect for his master. Since he entered the sect, Tang Bingwen had taught him meticulously. If he could not stand on the shoulders of his predecessors and achieve greater success, then he would be slacking off.

Even without the demon's invitation, Dong Chang planned to master Dan Shi soon, just so he could contribute more to the sect in this chaotic world.