Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Chapter 1457: Chapter 788: Reincarnation?

Zhao Sheng’s mind was racing, instantly connecting more possibilities. He feared there might be a bigger secret hiding in the small town than just the treasure.

He looked up to observe the expressions of the others and, sure enough, saw a few faces showing odd expressions, indicating that some people also considered this possibility.

The room suddenly fell silent, but was quickly broken by a middle-aged woodcutter speaking up.

"Staying here is futile. I shall take my leave first. If there are new discoveries in the future, I will share them with each fellow Taoist. Farewell!" The middle-aged woodcutter cupped his hands and bid farewell to the crowd, then left the room without looking back.

Seeing someone take the lead, a group of people with different thoughts also found excuses to leave.

Before long, only Zhao Sheng and the middle-aged scholar remained in the room.

Zhao Sheng walked to the window, opened it a crack, and looked outside.

After observing for a while, he calmly turned back to sit at the table.

The middle-aged scholar poured him a cup of tea and asked lightly, "How is it?"

"As we expected, there are indeed people outside secretly watching. But they are not the main players, just a few petty hooligans." Zhao Sheng took a sip of tea and replied in a calm tone.

The middle-aged scholar said solemnly, "In this case, that person must have considerable power, and he is one from the guild."

"Might also be someone from the government, or someone living off the docks."

Although the two seemed to be playing games with their words, their meaning was quite clear.

That "person" was another Fellow Daoist but had chosen to spy in secret instead of revealing himself.

Even before the bonfire was lit, Zhao Sheng and the middle-aged scholar had anticipated a similar situation, so they were not surprised.

A few moments later, the middle-aged scholar suddenly asked, "Which one do you think he will choose?"

Zhao Sheng answered without hesitation, "The little beggar!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged scholar slapped the table with a laugh, "Great minds think alike!"

Among the seven, only the little beggar was the weakest and most powerless, choosing him as a target not only was the easiest to succeed but also posed the least danger.

Of course, even if all cultivation is lost, an "Immortal Ruins Guest" should not be underestimated.

Nobody can know who hides within the little beggar, and they might accidentally hit a brick wall.

At this point, the middle-aged scholar remained keenly interested and suddenly suggested, "Since that’s the case, why don’t you and I join in the fun?"

"If Nangong Dao You wishes to go, then go ahead. I wish to wander around the town more and won’t join the fun."

"Ah, if you don’t go, I’ll be too weak alone, surely you’ll fall short."

The middle-aged scholar sighed, expressing regret, "Never mind, then we’ll just wait and see. Other Fellow Daoists can’t be ruled out as having ulterior motives. As the saying goes, ’the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!’ Until the end, who knows who is the cicada and who is the oriole?"

Zhao Sheng drank the entire cup of tea and then stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "I have some guesses to verify, let us part ways here."

The middle-aged scholar stood up as well, cupped his hands in return, and smiled, "It’s a coincidence, I also have some discoveries to make. Before we each leave to do our thing, shall we first decide on a place for our next meeting?"

"Sure." Zhao Sheng agreed readily and then suggested several places, along with setting various secret phrases.

The middle-aged scholar also mentioned a few locations and agreed on a time. After finalizing the arrangements, the two walked out of the teahouse one after the other and went their separate ways.

As soon as the two left, two people suddenly emerged from a street corner diagonally across the teahouse.

Watching Zhao Sheng and the middle-aged scholar leave, they hurriedly turned and dashed into a small alleyway, twisting and turning before arriving at the entrance of a hall several streets away and rushed inside.

Not long after, the two reached the back hall and successfully met their own Hall Master.

The Hall Master was a poised Great Han, with muscular arms and large, dark hands, his joints and veins prominently revealed, indicating he was skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

Among the two who were tailing, the middle-aged hooligan reported respectfully, "Hall Master, the last two have left."

As he spoke, the middle-aged hooligan carefully described the appearances of Zhao Sheng and the scholar, finally adding, "I happen to know the identity of one of them."

Oh?

Upon hearing this, the Hall Master immediately showed interest and asked, "Tell us."

The middle-aged hooligan licked his lips, spoke with envy, "That young master is the son of Landlord Zhao, named Zhao Gongzhuo. He is famously a wastrel, indulging in wine and women while still young."

The Hall Master sat upright and suddenly fell into thought.

The hooligans dared not speak to disturb him, so they stood there nervously.

After a dozen moments, the Hall Master suddenly tossed a piece of broken silver into the middle-aged hooligan’s arms and praised, "You two did very well, leave now."

The hooligans were both surprised and pleased, hastily nodding and bowing as they backed out of the room.

Once the two had left, the Hall Master stood up abruptly and strode out of the room.

A moment later, seven or eight burly men emerged from the back door. Led by the Hall Master, they boarded two fast boats and quickly disappeared into the river depths.

...

An hour later.

Outside the small town, in a deserted Earth God’s temple, a fierce siege was unfolding.

Seven or eight burly men armed with long knives were joining forces to attack a little beggar, but ended up suffering heavy losses, with three Great Han having their eggs smashed by the little beggar and rolling on the ground in pain.

As for the little beggar, he was as agile as a loach, darting in and out of attacks, with only a few bloody scratches and sustaining only minor injuries.

Yet even so, the little beggar dared not flee the place because a brawny Great Han was standing at the temple entrance, staring at him menacingly.

The threat posed by the brawny Great Han to the little beggar was immense. Just by standing there, he exerted a strong pressure, constantly provoking the little beggar’s spirit.