There's something wrong with me

Chapter 177 The Master Zhang Feng

"has a problem?"

The Taoist thought for a moment and then suddenly realized, "That's right, after he came to our side, my senior brother's aura changed!"

The moment the words fell.

The Taoist priest, unsuspecting, turned swiftly, picked up the corpse, and ran off.

"Hurry up..." The corpse cheered him on from behind, and actually channeled its evil energy into the Taoist's feet, which helped to propel him forward and save him effort.

call-

With the enhancement of the evil aura, the Taoist priest moved three or four meters with each step, and then seven or eight meters with each subsequent step.

After that, he ran faster and faster, reaching a stride of about ten meters.

"road……"

The shopkeeper kept a close eye on the Taoist priest.

When he saw that the Taoist priest was not eating or paying, and was rushing around like he was being reincarnated, he didn't dare to stop these "masters who command gods and ghosts".

Or rather, he had just uttered the word "Tao".

In less than two breaths, the Taoist priest had run far away, away from the entrance of the inn.

And then, in the next second...

Just as the shopkeeper was about to tell the kitchen not to make the dishes the Taoist had ordered.

Ding-

A soft thud came from the ground outside.

The shopkeeper, who was used to using an abacus, immediately smiled upon hearing this.

I jogged around the counter and went to the door to take a look.

Under the light of an old-fashioned kerosene lamp, there was a silver dollar.

'The Taoist priest is generous! He's meticulous!'

The shopkeeper was very happy because this meal only cost 720 copper coins.

In the current unstable situation, a large silver dollar can be exchanged for 1,500 copper coins at the government-run money exchange.

Of course, things are quite chaotic right now, and prices are uncertain.

Because the local warlords were all enthusiastically building [the war].

It won't be long before copper coins experience a sharp price drop.

Silver dollars were the only hard currency.

The shopkeeper's nephew works at the "money factory" and knows it inside and out.

In short, exchange copper coins for silver coins as soon as possible.

"Have Zhang Feng run an errand in town tomorrow."

The shopkeeper, in the blink of an eye, had already calculated everything in his mind while picking up the money.

And they didn't stop the kitchen from cooking, since they had already paid them. What if the Taoist priest came back but the food wasn't ready?
at the same time.

Wow…

This is the kitchen area.

Zhang Feng stir-fries the food over high heat, holding the wok in one hand and flipping the food quickly with the other.

Next to Zhang Feng were the chef and his apprentice, watching Zhang Feng cook with wide eyes.

The two of them were genuinely surprised to discover that Zhang Feng, who usually ran errands honestly, actually possessed such skills.

Let's not even talk about how the food tastes.

Even a chef in his thirties with over twenty years of cooking experience wouldn't be as adept at this skillful stir-frying and tossing.

"All right."

While they were secretly studying.

Zhang Feng used a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pot, and poured a fragrant braised vegetable dish into the plate. The savory sauce overflowed from under the dish, slowly spreading across the plate and intensifying the sweet aroma in the air.

"Gulp..." The chef swallowed hard, feeling extremely hungry.

But twenty minutes earlier, when he was cooking for other guests, he had to try several dishes before he was full.

"Brother Zhang... Brother Zhang..." The chef's voice became much softer in the face of such tempting delicacies.

It's like a novice in the martial arts world encountering an invincible master.

Before the competition even started, he was so frightened that he couldn't move.

"I……"

At this moment, he looked at Zhang Fengshi with a weak plea, "I...can I try some?"

"Please." Zhang Feng left the stove.

"Thank you..." The chef took a deep breath of the aroma in the air, then picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of green vegetable, and savored it slowly.

In an instant, the sweet and savory sauce, along with the fresh and fragrant vegetable leaves, exploded on the taste buds.

He tasted a flavor of braised pork in a simple stir-fried vegetable dish?

The braised pork belly, in particular, is top-notch, with absolutely no greasy texture.

Since it's made with vegetables, it's naturally not greasy.

"You..." The chef was stunned. He never expected that there would be such a top chef in the inn.

How can a simple vegetable dish be made to look so realistic as to resemble meat?
"The Taoist priest ordered braised meat; let's use the ones from our shop first."

Zhang Feng is practically the head chef at the inn now. He casually instructed the astonished chef, "After you finish cleaning the big pot these next two days, I'll make the braising. You can just help out."

Your braised pork is terrible.

"Okay...okay..." The chef nodded hurriedly, looking like a humble apprentice eager to learn.

Suddenly, he felt as if he had returned to his childhood, to the time when he knelt down and kowtowed to his master, begging him to pass on his skills.

As for the apprentice next to the chef, when he smelled the irresistible aroma and saw his master being conquered, he looked at Zhang Feng with even more admiration. He never expected that this waiter was actually the senior chef hiding in the small inn in the suburbs!
Zhang Feng naturally wanted to show off his skills. Firstly, he had a certain status, so he would focus on the inn and the manager to find a starting point for the mission.

Secondly, since the inn is the center, it is natural to raise one's status level.

Third, as planned, we will exchange information with the Taoist priest using delicious food, so the first two points are just going with the flow.

Thinking.

Zhang Feng declined the chef's offer to serve him the food, and instead carried the braised meat in one hand and a tray with a plate of vegetables and a pot of wine in the other.

Step out of the kitchen.

"Why does it smell so good?" The shopkeeper, who had already returned to the counter, looked at Zhang Feng.

"What dishes?" The only two guests at the table also looked over with their hazy, drunken eyes.

"Vegetables," Zhang Feng replied casually, then looked towards the door.

The Taoist priest and the corpse over there have disappeared.

"Shopkeeper." Only after noticing the person he was looking for was Zhang Feng properly addressing the shopkeeper, who was looking at him curiously. "Where did that Taoist priest go?"

"How would I know?" The shopkeeper shook his head and continued calculating. "Anyway, the money has already been paid, so let's save the food for him for a while."

"Why don't you come over here!" a customer at the other table called out. "Shopkeeper, bring it over here!"

"That's right!" another customer said, swaying slightly. "Hey, bring it over!"

"It's a Taoist's dish." The innkeeper hurriedly shook his head and lowered his voice, saying, "Didn't you two see it just now? It was a Taoist who transports corpses."

These dishes are all his.

"Master Dao?"

"Catch the corpse?"

Upon hearing these words, the two sobered up somewhat.

Or perhaps it was autumn, and the wind blowing outside made them feel a chill down their spines, even with the effects of the alcohol.

After that, they stopped talking.

'Gone?'

After thinking for a few moments, Zhang Feng decided to give chase.

Seeing that the Taoist priest didn't seem to have any spiritual energy, he should be fine.

Otherwise, if we miss this opportunity, we don't know when we'll meet these people again.

"Shopkeeper, I'm going out for a bit to get some fresh air."

Zhang Feng acted swiftly, placing the food on the counter and walking outside without waiting for the shopkeeper's reply.

This is where the benefits of having the ability to see ghosts become apparent.

Because a very faint trace of malevolent energy can be clearly seen in the air.

There is no need to use your spiritual senses too much, which indirectly consumes your spiritual cultivation and thinking (computing power).

"Zhang Feng!" The shopkeeper called out when he saw Zhang Feng about to leave, "Where are you going for some fresh air in the middle of the night? We have to go to the city early tomorrow morning."

As he spoke, he didn't think Zhang Feng was going after the Taoist priest, because he knew his waiter didn't have the guts.

"I know." Zhang Feng ran away based on the scent.

……

Fifteen miles away.

In a woods.

"Senior brother..."

The Taoist priest stopped, panting, and put the corpse down again. "Senior brother, I can't run anymore..."

"I told you to...study hard...practice diligently..."

Instead of skipping and hopping around, the senior brother walked somewhat awkwardly, saying, "Now... I'm... crippled, and no one... can protect you..."

“I’m already practicing,” the Taoist sighed, “but my talent is far inferior to my senior brother’s.”

If I possessed my senior brother's talent, we, his fellow disciples, wouldn't need to disguise ourselves as corpse-drivers and travel at night; we could openly roam the martial world during the day.

The Taoist priest said with a sense of helplessness, "If I had the ability to set bones and tendons back together, my senior brother would not need to cultivate the 'corpse liberation' technique."

"Hmph..." Upon hearing this, the senior brother angrily retorted, "Even the miraculous healing arts... cannot cure me, who is half-dead..."

"And my talent... is what you call... high, but now, it's been crippled..." "It's hard to guard against a hidden arrow." The Taoist helped his senior brother walk, "Senior brother is upright and honest, but that warlord surnamed Tao from Qi Province is untrustworthy."

Last year, I asked my senior brother to come out of the mountains to help me find the relics of the True Man of Yangshan.

After receiving the news, they stabbed me in the back!

"Things have come to this..." the senior brother sighed, "And the day he invited me... even if I knew I was dealing with a tiger for its skin, I had no choice but to go..."

They were pressing me again about the secrets of Yangshan that day...

Despite all my divination skills... faced with a hundred muskets... I could only jump off the cliff, hoping for a sliver of hope.

Fortunately, my junior brother had hidden himself at first... and then secretly followed me...

Otherwise, I would have fallen off the cliff that day... Even if I had miraculously survived, I would have lived to see myself... become food for wild beasts..."

The fellow students chatted, their words filled with sighs.

But they kept walking, continuing to move away from the inn.

Because of General Tao's matter, the fellow disciples are now being extra careful.

His senior brother was also covered with a white sheet, firstly to disguise the body, and secondly to prevent being recognized.

Because they knew that General Tao would definitely send people down the cliff to search for the body.

When they learned the body was not there.

Then we'll definitely have to search all over the mountains for our senior brother.

This is inevitable; there is no other possibility.

Although the senior brother was afraid of the general's open attacks, he had no choice but to negotiate with the tiger for its skin.

But after the general saw that his senior brother was still alive, he naturally feared the revenge of his magic.

Letting a sorcerer with whom you have a mortal feud escape is terrifying.

They were even wondering if the waiter from earlier might be one of General Tao's henchmen.

General Tao also had some extraordinary individuals under his command.

at the same time.

The two brothers chatted idly for a while, and then walked for another mile or so.

But just as the two of them passed through the dense forest and arrived at a clearing illuminated by the bright moon,

Standing in the open space was a man dressed as a waiter, who was none other than Zhang Feng, whom they had seen before.

'How did he find it?' The junior brother was astonished.

“This person might be a Qi Seeker…” the senior brother said warily. “You’ve just entered the Qi Refining stage… your Foundation Establishment Qi hasn’t been gathered yet… once your Qi leaves your body, it will dissipate quickly without a root.”

He must have intercepted my breath..."

My senior brother was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but he's now half-crippled.

Zhang Feng, while gathering the internal energy he had used up during the journey, looked at the wary man and 'corpse'.

The corpse is no longer holding its breath.

Zhang Feng discovered that he was also a living person, but he was lifeless.

"Gentlemen, I've already prepared a meal for you, why are you suddenly leaving without saying goodbye?"

Zhang Feng smiled and asked the two men, saying it was just like chatting with friends.

The senior brother paused for a moment, then said to the junior brother, "He's probably trying to catch his breath while chatting... His breathing is uneven right now, you run!"

My senior brother is now crippled and relies entirely on his evil energy to drag his body around.

Under such inconvenience

He knew he would be a burden to his junior brother, so he told his junior brother to run quickly.

Furthermore, Zhang Feng's smile appears gentle and friendly.

But the two had been through too much together, and now they were prejudiced, thinking that Zhang Feng was a bad person.

So much so that, in their eyes, Zhang Feng's smile was more like the villain's laugh of "Hahaha, I've caught you!"

"Now that you've come looking for me..." Despite his senior brother's words, the junior brother showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he took out a talisman and looked at Zhang Feng, who was showing a wary expression.
"I'll show you the magic of Xuan Yun Mountain; you can't just bully anyone!"

His spiritual energy is circulating.

However, his own spiritual energy is not high, so it will take some time to activate this talisman.

Beside him was his senior brother, who was currently cultivating the Corpse Dissolution technique within the 'Fierce Qi', which did not align with the elemental attributes of talismans, so he couldn't be of any help either.

They also pointed the white cloth at Zhang Feng with a shared sense of righteous indignation, as if they were determined to fight to the death today.

To be honest, Zhang Feng suddenly felt confused, but then he realized that they had misunderstood him, which was why he felt so confused.

"Please wait, gentlemen. There may be a misunderstanding between us."

While the Taoist was casting the talisman, Zhang Feng dodged back more than ten meters in a few quick movements.

My physical condition is not good enough right now, and I don't want to break the law.

This kind of talismanic technique (a stable structure of spiritual energy) is especially unfamiliar.

It's also possible that this is their only copy.

Therefore, Zhang Feng didn't want them to waste it.

Furthermore, it's absurd to want to fight to the death when there's no grudge between you.

Instead of wasting time, why not have some tea, exchange ideas, and take a look at your talismans? Wouldn't it be better if everyone improved?

"Misunderstand?"

Seeing Zhang Feng retreat voluntarily, the Taoist priest said, "You disturbed my senior brother's cultivation at the inn, and it seemed like you were probing our foundations."

Now they've come chasing after us from dozens of miles away...

Is it a misunderstanding?

The Taoist priest didn't believe it at all.

My senior brother didn't believe it either.

Seeing how stubborn the two were, Zhang Feng knew that saying anything would be useless.

"offend."

The words fell.

Zhang Feng's overclocking and spiritual energy burst, thanks to the rapid combat system from the previous world, have now reached 40 bodies.

call-

Zhang Feng took two steps across the thirty-meter distance. Just as the Taoist raised the talisman, he slapped the Taoist's wrist with one hand, using resonance to deflect the force and pull the talisman out of the Taoist's tight grip.

With his other hand on his senior's shoulder, he used resonance to disrupt his nerves and prepare to control him.

Just one second.

Zhang Feng sensed that most of his bones and blood vessels were shattered and were now a haphazardly assembled mess, only maintaining basic function thanks to the malevolent energy.

Zhang Feng then let go of his hand.

Because if he dared to make a tremor and break the small circulation of evil energy within his body, he would die instantly.

"Don't move." Although Zhang Feng released him, he also raised his sword finger to the side and pointed it at the Taoist who had just turned around, with his fingertip only three inches away from his neck.

The fingertips seemed to emanate spiritual energy, carrying a deadly aura as sharp as a knife.

The Taoist priest dared not move, knowing that the two of them had been defeated in a short time.

The newcomer is a master.

And he is a master of both physical and spiritual cultivation!
But Zhang Feng looks to be only in his early twenties.

They truly had no idea how Zhang Feng had cultivated both paths to such a profound level.

"Senior..." the Taoist

“I told you, I meant no harm.” Zhang Feng withdrew his hand, then carefully searched his senior brother’s body with his palm. In less than five seconds, he revealed his physical condition in a single sentence.
"Seventy percent of the bones are broken, and twenty percent of the meridians (blood vessels) are disordered."

The only reason I'm alive now is because of this malevolent energy.

But there were traces of earth-elemental spiritual energy before. This earth-elemental energy has turned into yin-elemental energy, and earth and evil are mutually generating.

In Taoism, is it the Yin Earth element?
"You intend to use the method of 'opening the corpse' with Yin Earth? To prolong your own lifespan with malevolent energy?"

"How...how did you know?" The senior brother's tone was filled with undisguised fear. He never expected that his physical condition and the wonderful secret technique he had only studied for half a year would be seen through so quickly!

He originally thought that his newly created 'Yin Earth Corpse Dissolution' technique must be the ultimate life-extending technique in the cultivation world!
If an ordinary person were to see this, they would surely be amazed!

But looking at this 'waiter' now, there's no surprise at all. Instead, he seems to be thinking, commenting, and searching for something better.
This was the first time he had ever met such a person, someone whose 'knowledge' could only be described as 'terrifying'!
Even though he had been called a genius by his sect since childhood, he felt like a babbling infant in front of Zhang Feng.

'Who exactly is he...' The Taoist looked at Zhang Feng with unease, feeling that beneath Zhang Feng's youthful face lay an old face of unknown age.

Only those who have cultivated themselves know how difficult it is for a person to cultivate both body and spirit, let alone to also cultivate medical skills.

In particular, Zhang Feng not only possessed all three skills, but he could also instantly discern his senior brother's ultimate secret technique.

Such a person no longer inspires awe and admiration, but rather a silent fear.

So when the two saw that Zhang Feng seemed to be distracted and thinking about something, they did not make any rash moves.

But in reality, they just want to stay far away from Zhang Feng, or even never see him again.

Zhang Feng didn't care what they thought; instead, he felt that the corpse was quite interesting and could even be categorized as '30% over the limit'.

100% exceeding the standard is the case for guests like Chen Tiancai and others.

Furthermore, Zhang Feng was well-versed in the teachings of Taoism and knew the method of "corpse liberation," which was essentially about separating from the physical body and allowing the "spirit" to ascend.

According to this theory...

This person's body is in such a state that, from a normal person's perspective, he is already dead.

However, it was precisely this person who used the method of 'corpse disintegration' that indirectly allowed his spirit to live, and then relied on the spirit to circulate evil energy to maintain the basic functions of his body and prolong his life.

This can be considered a 'life-saving solution' when certain death is imminent.

Zhang Feng had never encountered this situation before, but seeing how he did it, he quickly learned by analogy.

Because I myself have studied the concept of malevolent energy.

After experiencing his specific situation, he used the lessons learned from others to improve himself.

Zhang Feng also gained a deeper understanding of the corpse refining technique.

(End of this chapter)