If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1181 Strict precautions, rotating surveillance

Upon hearing this, Zhongli Mo understood what he needed to do.

Despite feeling helpless, he still took off his clothes and said, "Master, please leave the Du Yu mark on my arm!"

Since it involved the safety of Xiang Lianggong and the hegemony of the Xiang family, what other choice did he have?

Xiang Liang was delighted, but quickly tried to dissuade him, saying, "Zhongli Mei, you don't need to do this. No one in my Xiang family should suffer such a great humiliation."

Zhongli Mo said solemnly, "My lord already has spiritual markings on his body, how can I, as his subject, remain unaffected?"

Moreover, this is a protective spiritual rune, not a mark of punishment.

I possess the same spiritual runes as my lord; I am honored and proud!

"Well said!" Xiang Liang and the Xiang family members and retainers nearby praised in unison.

In the end, apart from Xiang Yu, who remained arrogant, everyone else in Xiang Family Village, including Master Zhao, had Du Yu marks on their bodies.

The whole process was indeed as simple as Master Zhao had said.

Some have the spirit patterns engraved on their arms, some on their calves, and others on their necks and faces.

They were all soldiers, and soldiers had to wear heavy armor and could not hide their spirit runes in places easily covered by armor, such as their chest or back.

With the matter of the spirit runes concluded, everyone dispersed.

Zhongli Mo then spoke privately with Xiang Lianggong and recounted the story of the "Radish Taoist".

"No wonder you value him so highly. Although Master Luobo is young, he is a virtuous and loyal man who keeps his promises! What a pity, what a pity, I have missed such a virtuous man."

"It's my bad luck! I've even dragged you down, brother, making you miss a great opportunity to meet with old friends."

Xiang Lianggong did not raise any questions; his face only showed regret and annoyance.

Zhongli Mo felt very comforted and moved, and quickly said, "Missing the meeting is because my fate with Brother Luobo is not good enough, what does it have to do with Lord Xiang Liang?"

Besides, although I wasn't able to properly entertain Brother Radish, my mother spent several days with him, fulfilling her promise from that day and agreeing to meet again in the future, so she has no regrets.”

He truly didn't blame Xiang Liang; he only blamed the timing.

As is customary, even if Yu Fengxian did not come to Kuaiji County, he would still go to Taihu Lake to train troops during this period, ultimately avoiding meeting with Brother Luobo.

"It's getting late, brother. Don't keep the old lady waiting. You should go back now; you can stay home and rest tomorrow," Xiang Liang said gently.
Zhongli Mo bowed respectfully before turning and leaving Xiang Family Village.

After he left, Xiang Liang immediately summoned Master Zhao.

With only the two of them present, Xiang Liang solemnly recounted the story of "Radish Taoist".

"Master, what is the background of that Radish Taoist? Is his family clean?"

Master Zhao asked, "I have never seen or heard of Daoist Luobo before."

There are too many Taoist temples and even more Taoist priests in China, so it's normal not to have heard of them.

What did Xiang Liang think was wrong with him?

Xiang Liang said, "It seems there's no problem. When Zhongli Mo came to seek refuge with me, he already told me about the Radish Taoist."

I had been genuinely looking forward to him for a long time.

But the timing of his arrival in Kuaiji Commandery is odd; how did he happen to run into Grand Tutor Yu?

Master Zhao's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in surprise, "You suspect that 'Radish Taoist' is Yu Fengxian in disguise?"

Xiang Liang honestly replied, "I don't know, so I'm asking the Taoist priest for guidance."

No matter which Taoist temple a Taoist priest belongs to, he must have a specific background.

I remember Zhongli Mo said that Luobo Daoren claimed to come from a small Taoist temple in the northwest border region.

The location of the small Taoist temple is unclear, and given the Taoist priest's reputation as "Thunder Hand," could he possibly find the temple and check his ordination certificate?

Master Zhao nodded and said, "This is not a difficult matter. Please wait a moment, Lord Xiang Liang."

He went outside and drew a communication talisman in the air.

The talisman burned into a ball of fire and disappeared into the sky with a "whoosh".

In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, a golden light descended from the sky and landed in Master Zhao's palm, transforming into a small origami crane.

The little paper crane flapped its wings, its eyes gleaming with golden light, and uttered a childlike, tender voice, saying, "Luo Bo Dao Ren has no problem. He comes from Yunzhong, from Huanghua Temple on Cuiyun Mountain. He descended the mountain at the age of fifteen to seek immortality."

This person possesses extraordinary potential, but lacks good fortune and is not worth mentioning.

After speaking, the little paper crane turned into a real paper crane.

In fact, it was originally made from folded ordinary straw paper.

It was a celestial being who endowed it with spirituality, allowing it to have a short life.

After delivering the message, its spirituality dissipates, and its brief "fairy life" comes to an end.

"Lord Xiang Liang, the investigation is complete. The Radish Taoist comes from Yunzhong County, and his identity is without any problems."

He was merely a seeker of immortality, wandering far and wide, who happened to encounter Zhongli Mo.

Master Zhao spoke with absolute certainty, without a trace of doubt in his eyes or heart.

He didn't personally investigate the whole thing using his supernatural powers.

If Luo Bo Dao Ren is truly Yu Feng Xian in disguise, even with his level of cultivation, he might not be able to find anything out by personally investigating.

He just asked a celestial being for help, and the paper crane also came from that celestial being.

He wouldn't dare trouble the immortal with other trivial matters.

But the immortal had specifically instructed him that nothing related to Yu Fengxian was trivial. He could contact him if he felt he needed anything.

Yu Fengxian could deceive him, but she could never deceive the Great Immortal.

Now that all the sages say that Luobo Daoren is fine, then he must be fine.

"Sigh, Grand Tutor Yu's aura is too overwhelming, making me uneasy and a bit paranoid," Xiang Liang said with a wry smile.

He had no doubts; Master Zhao was an immortal from the Shenxiao Sect, possessing extraordinary abilities.

Master Zhao comforted her, saying, "It's better to be suspicious than careless and oblivious when facing Yu Fengxian."

The Great Immortal certainly wouldn't make a mistake and wouldn't be fooled by the "Radish Taoist." The main reason is that when Xiao Yu first entered Shenzhou, his methods were still a bit crude, and the "Radish Taoist" could fool ordinary ghosts and gods.

Scammer?
At the time, she hadn't even considered that. "Jiudian, why are you helping Yu Fengxian conceal her whereabouts?"

Mount Kuaiji, the Great Primordial Heaven of the Ultimate Mystery.

A solitary peak pierces through the clouds, bathed in sunlight all by itself.

The surrounding mountains and land were completely covered by a sea of ​​clouds, with no scenery visible. Only this peak was so high that even the sea of ​​clouds could not submerge it.

The sea of ​​clouds rippled with golden waves under the sunlight, and the solitary peak resembled a small boat bobbing on the sea.

There were only two people on the summit: a young man and an old man with blond hair.

The two were playing chess when the young man looked at the old man with a puzzled expression and said, "Although I haven't gone to the Northwest to investigate in detail, I can determine with just a little calculation that Luo Bo Dao Ren is probably Yu Feng Xian in disguise."

"So what if it's her, or it's not? 'Wu Yazi' is definitely her. But who deliberately spread this news around so that the whole world knows?"
She changes identities to play the game of the mortal world, so do you, so do I, even immortals often do this.

"If one day you change your identity and form karmic connections in the mortal realm, and I go around shouting everywhere that it was you, would you be happy?" The golden-haired old man, whose Daoist name was "Nine Peaks Elder," said calmly.

The boy said matter-of-factly, "Anyone who dares to make a scene and ruin my plans is deliberately picking a fight and making an enemy of me. I'll beat them until their mouths are swollen."

The old man from the Nine Peaks said irritably, "Then why are you asking? 'Radish Taoist' was just her identity when she first entered the Divine Continent, and it is obviously unrelated to this great calamity of heaven and earth."

Perhaps his visit to Wuzhong this time was intended to test Xiang Liang through the "Radish Taoist".

However, the "Radish Taoist" did not see Xiang Liang, but only reminisced with Zhongli Mo's mother.

It has nothing to do with the great calamity; it's purely her own private matter. Exposing her past will definitely embarrass her.

But what's the point of this kind of argument based on personal feelings?
She's become a real worry for us now, that's for sure.

But she is also an immortal. You broke the tacit understanding between immortals. Doesn't she have the ability to break the unspoken rules and make you uncomfortable?

If we really want to figure out what each side has to offer, we should ask her not to break the rules.

She doesn't even need to do anything; all she has to do is reveal the identities of the dragon veins and hidden dragons she has investigated.

For example, imagine someone publicly shouting, "The Xiang family has a powerful leader! Chen Sheng, Wu Guang, and the Four Heroes of the Tian family are all just fodder for the king, doing all the work for the Xiang family's benefit." What do you think the result would be?

The young man's expression changed several times, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Are you sure she already knows that the Xiang family has a destiny and will be the protagonist in the upcoming great calamity?"

The old man from the Nine Peaks sighed, "We can console ourselves—she can only find the dragon veins and determine the size and potential of each one, but she doesn't know that the Xiang family has a destiny."
Is it useful to deceive yourself like this?
Anyone who dares to underestimate her now is the biggest fool in the world.

I even suspect that she knows more than any of us.

The young man exclaimed in surprise, "Impossible! After we complete this final tribulation, we will attain the Great Luo Dao and completely transcend."

She's even more powerful than us. Has she transcended the Five Elements, escaped reincarnation, and achieved true freedom?

"She's still a long way from 'freedom'!" The old man from the Nine Peaks said dismissively, "What era are we living in? She's still practicing some messy ancient techniques."

In this life, she's definitely just accumulating good fortune. To attain enlightenment, she'll have to wait for the next life, to see who will bestow upon her the arts of immortality.

"What good fortune has she accumulated? If she has a next life, it will surely be extremely tragic."

At that time, countless gods and immortals in the Three Realms will seek revenge for their grievances and vengeance for their enemies.

"She's made of iron, how many nails can she drive in? Even the Dao Ancestor, as her master, couldn't protect her," the young man said.

"Who knows what the future holds? In any case, she is unfathomable right now and should not be underestimated," said the Old Man of Nine Peaks.

"Alright, we'll talk about the future later. Now that you've covered up the 'Radish Taoist' thing for her, will she still be hiding in Wu County?"

Have you ever met Xiang Liang and his nephew? Have you done anything to them?
We need to figure out all of this! The young man looked distressed.

The old man from Jiudian was also conflicted and hesitant. "She should have left a body outside of herself in Wu County. Whether she is hiding somewhere, observing the situation of Xiang Liang and his nephew, I cannot be sure."

Her transformation techniques, even if not the Chan Sect's "Eight-Nine Arcane Arts," are almost identical.

"It's too exquisite; even my 'True Spirit Heavenly Eye' cannot see through it!"

"That is the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts! I confirmed with the Great Immortal Guang Chengzi that it is a fragment that the Great Immortal Huanglong accidentally left in the Jihe River Water Palace in his early years."

It is very incomplete, containing only the general outline and the first chapter.

"Theoretically, there shouldn't be such unpredictable and supernatural methods as we have today," the young man said.

The old man from the Nine Peaks sneered, "You actually believe that it was accidentally left behind?"

"If it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn't believe it. But if it's Huanglong Daoist... you know what I mean."

The young man gave him a look that could only be understood, not explained.

"Huanglong Daoist is indeed careless, but the Chan Sect's precious scriptures are no big deal. He shouldn't have done it, whether it was by accident or intentionally."

It is a certainty that even the immortals of the Chan Sect cannot recognize Yu Fengxian's transformation techniques at a glance.

"We can't count on the great immortals of the Chan Sect; at most, we can borrow a few magical treasures from them," said the Old Man of Nine Peaks.

"You still want to borrow magic weapons!" The young man rolled his eyes. "Our reputation has already been ruined by Huang An and Ye Jiutian."

The magical artifacts borrowed to deal with Yu Fengxian all ended up in her hands; no powerful immortal was willing to lend them any more!

The old man at the summit remained silent.

The young man added, "Whether or not we can break Yu Fengxian's transformation technique is not the key point."

The key lies with Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu themselves.

If Yu Fengxian truly posed a threat to them, they should have sensed it.

After leaving Dongting Lake, Xiang Liang silently practiced the "Qingxin Jue" without triggering any crisis inspiration. He should not have been taken advantage of by Yu Fengxian yet. Whatever her plan is, it is definitely detrimental to Xiang Liang.

A threat of harm should be felt.

The old man at the Nine Peaks was silent for a moment, then said, "Inform Lord Fuqiu that Yu Fengxian has gone west again, and it's their turn to keep watch."

As long as she stays within our sight for a moment, we're not afraid of her doing anything mischievous.

The young man said, "Lord Fuqiu will not leave Tianzhu Peak. We should inform the King."

He had been watching over Ying Bu and Wu Rui in Jiujiang, which was closer to Lujiang where Yu Fengxian was at the time.

“That works too.” The old man from the Nine Peaks nodded.

Wang Jun, Fuqiu Gong, Luding Xian, and others were actually competitors of the two of them.

However, they shared a common goal in dealing with Yu Fengxian and became allies.

(End of this chapter)