I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Chapter 367 - 296 Walking Into a Trap_2

"Thirty percent tax, who would have thought that Senior Brother was so well-versed in the laws of Daheng."

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Zhou Yi asked, "What did Senior Brother do before he began his cultivation?"

Gu Xiao replied, "When I was born, the Gu family had already been passing down its legacy for a thousand years. When I was young, I would often recite the scriptures, and my physical body was bathed and refined with Spiritual Objects to forge a superior Dao foundation."

"Junior Brother stands too high, how would he know of worldly affairs."

Ling Ming shook his head and said, "The Imperial Court taxes thirty percent, and neither the state nor the county government should impose miscellaneous fees. It’s especially those petty officials who are the most odious. Back when my cultivation had some success, I first beheaded a few jailers in the heavenly prison!"

"Why would Senior Brother go to such lengths?"

Zhou Yi couldn’t help but touch his neck, grateful that he wasn’t in Dongsheng Divine Continent back then, as he would have died in the aftermath of a spell battle.

Or perhaps with the reputation of the old Blood Prison Demon, it would likely attract some cultivator to come with flying swords to slay the demon and bring justice to the prison, restoring a clear and bright world.

"Back then, my father was framed by treacherous people and ended up in the heavenly prison. The jailers took turns humiliating him, and before the case was thoroughly investigated, he died from illness in prison. How could I not avenge such a grudge?"

Ling Ming’s tone was calm, clearly having let go of the past long ago, but he suddenly sighed, "Now that I think about it, over five hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye, and it’s been over a hundred years since I last paid homage at my parents’ tomb."

"The higher your cultivation, the farther away the people you know will go, leaving only yourself to tread the path alone!"

Pei Yuanzhou looked at the Mountain God Statue and mused for a moment before saying, "Merely mortal grain is not worth a Spirit Stone, and Uncle-Master could have been exempt from tax, yet he still collects thirty percent; is it because of the resentment from measuring rice?"

"That’s about right."

Zhou Yi nodded and said, "Far from being grateful, the common folk will only become greedier and bully the good people."

"Interesting, really interesting, even within these mortal trappings, one can find profound truths."

Gu Xiao said, "After some time, I’ll refine a division of myself, merge into the lives of mortals, and experience the turbulent world of red dust to comprehend the Dao heart!"

Zhou Yi’s face looked strange. A Nascent Soul Daoist merging into the mortal world would unpredictably change many people’s fates. He kindly warned,

"But you must be careful of a few types of people to avoid attracting great karma!"

Gu Xiao asked in surprise, "Which types of people?"

"For example, those who speak nonsense, those whose personality changes drastically, those with bizarre behavior, upstarts from nowhere... as well as the four surnames Ye, Lin, Xiao, and Chu!"

Zhou Yi said, "Anyone with even one of these traits should not be trifled with lightly. They could very well be some old monster or a Son of Destiny; not only are they impossible to kill, but they’ll also grow stronger and stronger!"

Gu Xiao furrowed his brow, puzzled, "Is the mundane world really that dangerous?"

"Haha, Junior Brother Zhu is just joking. Don’t take it seriously, Gu Xiao."

Ling Ming couldn’t help laughing out loud. He had climbed up from the bottom rung by rung, and having seen plenty of stories about commoners, he understood what Zhou Yi was referencing. Just as he was about to explain it to Gu Xiao, a woman’s voice came through,

"Good brother, you haven’t visited me for so long, I’ve missed you..."

The voice was ethereal and elusive, intentionally or unintentionally igniting one’s desires.

"This Demon Head has been spying outside for a year and finally dares to come knocking."

Zhou Yi clicked his tongue, "And she’s even pretending to be Miaomiao Daoist. It’s clear she hasn’t visited the Flying Immortal Pavilion enough. That place is an orthodox sect and has long established rules against meeting guests outside."

"Uncle-Master knows so much; even I was unaware of this rule."

Pei Yuanzhou had a strange look on his face, feeling helpless towards his thrift-shop Junior Uncle-Master, fearing that the long-standing traditions of his sect might become skewed.

An Yunguang asked, "Then what should we arrange, directly move to capture the demon?"

"Brother An, don’t rush; we are catching turtles in a jar," Zhou Yi chuckled and said, "A mighty Nascent Soul Daoist disguised as a female cultivator, putting on an act with all the coy gestures. This kind of entertaining scene isn’t something you ordinarily see, so why not have a good time playing around?"

"How delightful!"

Ling Ming said, "We should record the spectacle and propagate it throughout Dongsheng Divine Continent. It surely will please the old ancestors of our sect!"

"Brilliant!"

Zhou Yi said, "Then shall we go to the Eternal Prosperity Hall behind here, pretend to feast and taste wine, letting that demon head enter?"

Gu Xiao reminded, "It’s fine to have fun, but we can’t neglect the Formation and Prohibition. If we let this Demon Head escape, it won’t look good for the sect elders."

"Don’t worry, brother, the Eternal Prosperity Hall has more than three hundred layers of Formations in place, and the temple outside has several hundred layers as well," Zhou Yi reassured him. He didn’t set up these Formations just to trap a mere Hundred-Eyes Demon Lord, but to defend against a potential attack from a Divine Transformation Heavenly Monarch, allowing enough time for him to escape.

A short while later.

Eternal Prosperity Hall.

Mists wound around, and the fragrance of wine suffused the air.

Zhou Yi brought out a five-thousand-year-old Spiritual Wine, truly surprising his fellow disciples; their continuous exclamations showed that it was worth the journey.

At that moment.

Outside the Mountain God Temple.

Wu Ming transformed into the Lady Miaomiao, her dazzling red palace dress dancing in the wind, a vision of incomparable elegance, as she awaited the momentary glimpse of the shining spirit light of the formation, revealing the passage leading into the temple.

Upon closer observation, these were merely rudimentary formations that could only fool those at the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core levels.

Wu Ming, a master of formations and alchemy, could easily break such crude prohibitions with a wave of his hand, and he couldn’t help but snort disdainfully in his heart.

"After all, he is just a newly advanced Nascent Soul who was lucky enough to be accepted into the sect and has reaped so many benefits, yet he still lacks the profound foundation compared to me!"

With this thought, he smirked and quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve.

He stepped lightly, his waist supple and swaying, as he slowly entered the Mountain God Temple, and under the lead of the golden-armored general, came to the Eternal Prosperity Hall.

"My lord, I have missed you so dearly... Hmm!"

As Wu Ming spoke, he pushed open the doors of the hall, and his sorrowful expression instantly solidified as the five Nascent Souls inside turned to look at him unison, and with a stiff voice he said, "My lord, do you have guests today?"

He secretly circulated his mana, ready to attempt an escape at any moment.

"Lady Miaomiao’s arrival is most timely, I was just inviting my senior brothers to taste some wine," Zhou Yi introduced, "This is Senior Brother Pei, who has promising prospects for Divinity Transformation. Here is Senior Brother An, who commands armies to guard the frontier. And this is Senior Brother Ling Ming, whose escape skills are profound, unrivaled in the Nascent Soul Realm..."

Listening to the introductions, Wu Ming’s heart was already in terror, but on the surface, he smiled warmly, "I have met with all the seniors. Miaomiao has never before seen so many eminent figures from the sect, and I was momentarily overwhelmed."

The real Miaomiao was only at the Foundation Establishment level, and it was understandable for her to be overwhelmed in the presence of several Nascent Soul Daoist Lords.

"It is of no consequence."

Zhou Yi sat in the seat of honor, praising to the brothers by his sides, "Lady Miaomiao hails from a prestigious background, most skilled in the arts of song and dance. Today, as we gather joyfully to taste wine, it would be wonderful to request her performance to add to our enjoyment!"

"It should indeed be so!"

"Fine wine should be accompanied by a beauty!"

"Exquisite!"

Pei Yuanzhou and the others had slightly flushed faces, seemingly from drinking wine, but in reality, they had never behaved so unrestrainedly before and felt somewhat ashamed.

The sect’s rules were strict; they never frequented the courtesan houses to listen to music, much less engage in dual cultivation with those from the unorthodox paths.

Gu Xiao had once invited Zhou Yi to join the sect, waiting outside the Flying Immortal Pavilion for nearly half a month!

"Then I shall humbly perform," said Wu Ming, feeling relieved that his identity hadn’t been exposed. As long as he could get through the wine tasting, not only could he escape safely, but he could also take advantage of the double cultivation session with the Green Cloud Mountain God to launch a surprise attack.

Diving into the dragon’s den and the tiger’s lair, he could easily slay a member of the Heavenly faction, then drift away!

Such an achievement, once spread, would be another grand tale for the Demon Path!

Wu Ming hadn’t systematically learned dancing, but having observed numerous dances at banquets and discussions in the past, he could easily mimic the movements perfectly from memory.

His garments fluttered, his long sleeves wafted in the air.

His body seemed as pliable as if boneless, with every step blossoming like lotuses underfoot.

One had to admit, a Nascent Soul cultivator was remarkable—for his first ever dance performance to be on par with the top courtesans, the grace of his movements like a fairy descended to the mortal realm.

"Wonderful!"

Zhou Yi applauded, "Lady Miaomiao’s dance is peerless. Please, grace us with another!"

Wu Ming dared not refuse, and performed another set of martial choreography.

Then Gu Xiao expressed a desire to hear singing, so Wu Ming hummed and sang softly, taking the role of a songstress for a turn.

After performing several more dance sequences and singing a few songs, and noting that they still did not invite him to join at the table, Wu Ming felt a twinge of suspicion and pleaded in a voice tinged with weariness.

"My lord, I am tired. Why not rest for a while and pour wine for you?"

"Tired? How could a mighty Demon Monarch be tired?"

Zhou Yi swirled his wine cup, jesting, "I’ve seen nearly ten thousand dancers in my day, if not eight thousand, and none can compare to the Demon Monarch. Indeed, it is a natural gift!"

At those words, Wu Ming knew he had been exposed. His mana flowed, transforming into an escape light, and he crashed headlong toward the top of the palace.

Hum!

Formation spirit lights flashed, manifesting colorful prohibitions that layered like a net, enveloping Wu Ming.

"This formation may seem simple because I laid down an Illusion Array. Others’ illusion arrays create fog and clouds, but mine simply makes people lower their guard!" Zhou Yi remained seated, gesturing a salute to the four senior brothers.

"This junior is not skilled in battle magics, I must trouble my senior brothers to capture this Demon!"