This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 98 Shuang'er, Yue Qiluo, Zhong Bai Enters the Willow Grove

After saying that, Xiao Yong hurriedly went to the kitchen and brought out a small bowl.

It contains the internal organs removed after slaughtering chickens and ducks.

Xiao Yong felt that offal was not suitable to be served to Zhong Bai, but for them, it was a good thing and could be considered meat.

After leaving the kitchen, Xiao Yong looked at Yue Qiluo, who was coming downstairs, and said with a smile, "Shuang'er, hurry up and wash up. I saved some for you. You're growing now, so you can't go hungry!"

Yue Qiluo looked at the contents of the bowl. Although she wasn't a picky eater, she wasn't a real child and understood what it meant.

"Brother Yong, thank you!"

If Yue Qiluo couldn't truly integrate into the family after initially possessing Shuang'er's body, she is now truly experiencing what family affection is.

Zhong Bai naturally witnessed this scene.

Setting down his chopsticks, Zhong Bai looked at the two with a smile and said, "You two siblings, come and have breakfast with me. I always feel bored by myself."

"Let's leave it at that, Daoist Master..."

"Okay, okay!"

Two completely different voices: the former was spoken by Xiao Yong, and the latter by Yue Qiluo.

Ever since she was teased by Zhong Bai as soon as she stepped out the door early in the morning, Yue Qiluo simply stopped pretending. In any case, Zhong Bai's attitude towards her clearly showed that he didn't know her identity, and Yue Qiluo felt that she couldn't let herself and her brother suffer.

"Shuang'er!"

Xiao Yong looked at Yue Qiluo, his expression clearly carrying a profound meaning.

Yue Qiluo playfully stuck out her tongue, "Brother Yong, Master Qianhe isn't the kind of landlord who feels it's beneath him to eat with us. On the contrary, Master Qianhe is a Taoist master. Hehe, maybe he'll be even happier if we eat with him."

Zhong Bai smiled and said, "That's right. You two siblings should come and sit down. It's tasteless for me to eat alone. Shuang'er is much smarter."

Since Zhong Bai had said that, Xiao Yong naturally had no way to continue.

However, he was clearly still reserved after sitting down at the table, even when picking up food, he only picked up the vegetarian dishes.

Yue Qiluo, on the other hand, devoured everything in a flash. Usually, they ate only ordinary vegetarian dishes and coarse grains in the shop.

Yue Qiluo was so bored she was practically growing hair from all the talk; such opportunities were rare these days.

"Brother Yong, you should eat too!"

Yue Qiluo couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she finally put a big chicken leg in her brother Yong's bowl. Zhong Bai wanted to laugh, but he didn't actually laugh. The young man was already quite nervous, and if he laughed, he probably wouldn't be able to hold the bowl.

To put it bluntly, they are just too simple and honest.

Shortly after Zhong Bai finished breakfast, the innkeeper arrived at the inn with dozens of people.

Among these people were the three men who had come yesterday.

"This old man greets Daoist Qianhe!"

The leader was an old man with a cane. Upon seeing Zhong Bai, he immediately bowed and greeted him. The others followed suit, and Zhong Bai responded in kind.

“Sir, there’s no need for that.”

"No, no, no, Daoist Qianhe, you are a celestial being from Maoshan. My surname is Liu, and I am a schoolteacher in Willow Town. Although I am old now, my eyes are still sharp. Daoist, you are clearly a Daoist master. I am just an ordinary mortal, so I should treat you with the utmost respect!"

"So it was Old Master Liu in person. I suppose Old Master Liu and his fellow villagers came here for that so-called willow tree spirit?"

Upon hearing the words "willow tree spirit," Old Man Liu remained calm and composed, but the people behind him were filled with deep-seated fear.

"What you say is true, Daoist Master. We have come here for this very reason!"
Master Qianhe, to be honest, I have read a few books and even passed the imperial examination when I was young. So I know that it is not some willow fairy, but a willow tree that has become a spirit.

But... I am just an ordinary mortal, and I have no way to deal with that willow tree spirit.

At first, the willow tree spirit only asked for offerings of pigs, cattle, and sheep, but now it has started asking for offerings of young boys and girls.

If it weren't for you, Taoist priest, passing through Willow Tree Town, I'm afraid... alas!

The meaning of this statement is self-evident, but that's how times are; sacrificing a few people to ensure everyone's safety is the most likely choice.

"Don't worry, Mr. Liu, now that I've encountered this matter, I can't just sit idly by."

"A mere willow tree that has become a spirit dares to wreak havoc on the people? Does it really think that Taoist cultivators don't exist?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Liu knew that the situation was probably stable, so he relaxed a bit.

"Master, you come from Maoshan. I know that you must have extraordinary supernatural powers."

However, it's always best to be cautious. Since that willow tree spirit can speak human language, it means it has become quite powerful and possesses some cultivation.

Zhong Bai nodded, "That's only right. You all just wait for my news."

After saying that, Zhong Bai looked at the three men from last night and said, "Would you three be willing to lead the way for me, so that I can see what kind of monster is so audacious!"

When Zhong Bai looked at them, the three of them were startled. It was just leading the way, not difficult at all.

"Master Qianhe, alright, alright, the three of us will take you there right away!"

After Zhong Bai left, Yue Qiluo stood on tiptoe and watched him disappear from her sight before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"Tsk tsk tsk, a willow tree spirit in the late stage of demon soldier level encountering a Maoshan Taoist in the ninth stage of Qi Refining, there should be no suspense."

Yue Qiluo has a good eye; last night she roughly understood that Zhong Bai's breakthrough to the ninth level of Qi Refining was not as simple as it seemed.

When the spiritual energy of heaven and earth rushed into the inn, it was incredibly tempting, but unfortunately Yue Qiluo couldn't start cultivating yet.

Therefore, she understood even more how terrifying Zhong Bai was; otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed up all night.

"Oh, right, this Maoshan Daoist seems to have cultivated thunder magic. Maoshan's thunder magic is nothing more than those three things. It's definitely not Shangqing Thunder Magic until you reach the Foundation Establishment stage. As a Daoist, he probably wouldn't cultivate Shenxiao Five Thunder Technique. It's probably just Lightning Thunder Fist. Willow Tree Spirit, you could be arrogant before you met the Maoshan Daoist, but after meeting this guy, your life or death is uncertain!"

Yue Qiluo chuckled softly, delighted that the threat weighing on her had vanished, allowing her to once again peacefully recover her divine soul.

"It'll be soon, almost there. In another year, I'll be able to try cultivating..."

Yue Qiluo was overjoyed, while Zhong Bai arrived at a willow grove at noon.

About a hundred meters from the willow grove, the three men stopped and looked at the willow branches swaying in the wind, their steps filled with trepidation.

“Master Qianhe, look, that’s the willow grove in our Willow Tree Town. The Willow Immortal… the Willow Tree Spirit is in this willow grove.”

Zhong Bai nodded. A faint demonic aura permeated the air, indicating that there was a demon in the willow grove.

"The three of you don't need to follow any longer. I'll go into the forest first and see what's going on."

Hearing this, the three felt as if they had been granted a pardon and looked at Zhong Bai with gratitude. They were genuinely worried that something might happen to them, after all, they all had wives, children, and elderly parents to support.

Zhong Bai headed into the willow grove.

The distance was less than a hundred meters, and Zhong Bai quickly entered the willow grove.

The willow trees all around were tall and thick, clearly hundreds of years old. This was Zhong Bai's conservative estimate. Logically speaking, the probability of trees becoming spirits is far lower than that of monsters becoming spirits.

After all, people thrive when they move, while trees die when they are moved. Monsters can devour herbs and flesh to accelerate their transformation into monsters, while plants can only slowly accumulate over time.

Zhong Bai continued walking forward when suddenly, a willow branch flew towards him from behind with a whooshing sound!
Zhong Bai reacted quickly. The moment he heard the whooshing sound, he leaped forward. The willow branch lashed out at the spot where he had just stood, striking the ground hard and leaving a foot-deep lash mark.

Zhong Bai turned to look at the willow branch and saw that the branch that had just been lashing at him was now swaying in the wind again. Zhong Bai roughly understood that this demon soldier had deep roots and could control all the willow trees in the entire willow forest. However, these were not something Zhong Bai was afraid of.

This was the first time Zhong Bai had encountered a plant spirit, and he didn't plan to release his Samadhi Fire to burn them all right now, as that would consume too much of his energy. He decided to find the willow spirit's true form first.

Zhong Bai continued forward, and during this process, countless willow branches tried to intercept him. Unfortunately, once Zhong Bai unleashed his Golden Light Divine Incantation, the willow branches, which he merely controlled, could not possibly do anything to him.

After walking for several hundred meters, a clearing suddenly appeared ahead. There was only one willow tree there, but the demonic aura emanating from the willow tree made Zhong Bai realize that this was its true form.

Looking up, the willow tree, which would take several people to encircle, was enormous, with countless branches hanging down. The moment Zhong Bai arrived, countless branches rushed towards him.

"How dare these mere plant spirits, so reckless as to try and attack us?"

As Zhong Bai finished speaking, golden light appeared around him, preventing the piercing willow branches from getting close. At that moment, a human face appeared on the trunk of the willow tree, its ferocious expression filled with rage.

"You stinking Taoist priest, we've always kept to ourselves, so why are you getting involved in this mess!"

Zhong Bai was not surprised when the willow tree spirit spoke, and casually replied, "This humble Taoist is not quite sure how this can be considered wading into muddy waters."
"Even plants and trees that have become spirits are so rampant, offering sacrifices of young boys and girls. For this alone, I, this humble Taoist, cannot spare your life!"

Good and evil are in opposition, and words are meaningless. A bolt of lightning surged from Zhong Bai's palm and instantly struck the willow tree spirit's trunk!

"Damn it, thunder magic!"

Plant spirits are most afraid of thunder and fire, but Zhong Bai is the most restrained. A bolt of lightning struck his trunk, and even though the willow tree spirit had lowered countless branches to protect itself, it was still in a sorry state.

Drip, drip, dark green blood flowed from the branches. Zhong Bai never imagined that plants and trees could become spirits and possess blood.

Although it's green...

"It really is blood. In that case, we can't just burn you. We should make the most of it. It would be a real shame not to take your blood..."

After saying that, Zhong Bai's terrifying blood and qi surged out. He stopped using thunder magic and, accompanied by the Golden Light Divine Incantation and his blood and qi, Zhong Bai fearlessly headed towards the willow tree spirit's true form.

In the short distance of ten meters, Zhong Bai lost count of how many willow branches pricked him in an attempt to stop them, but all his efforts were in vain.

Finally, Zhong Bai arrived at the tree trunk, took out the spirit sword given to him by his master when he came down the mountain from his Qiankun Ring, and thrust the sword at the tree trunk without hesitation!
The blow struck straight through the trunk, and the willow spirit's painful roar echoed throughout the willow forest. Even the three men waiting outside the forest heard the commotion.

"Damn it, what kind of stinky Taoist priest are you trying to become!"

The willow tree spirit was somewhat frightened, unable to withstand any blows, yet the other party's gaze towards it was filled with an eerie intensity.

It admits it panicked...

Happy weekend, fellow book lovers!

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(End of this chapter)