Ghost Immortal

The tavern was small, with five or six square tables, all of which were kept very clean.

It was noon, but there were hardly any customers in the shop, except for an elderly man with gray hair who was dozing behind the counter.

There was also a guy in a coarse cloth jacket wiping the table in the corner.

Upon seeing the guests enter, the waiter immediately came forward with a beaming smile: "Three esteemed guests, are you here for a meal or to stay the night? Our inn has fine wine and food, and there are also clean guest rooms in the backyard."

"I heard that the wine here is so good that you can't pass the hill after three bowls. Is it really that good?" Qiu Sheng plopped down at the square table by the window and asked casually.

The waiter smiled smugly: "Sir, you've come to the right place! Our boss's homemade 'Toupingxiang' is a famous fine wine for miles around Black Wind Ridge."

"Every merchant who passes through here praises it! However, this wine has a strong aftereffect; most people will be drunk and unconscious after three bowls, hence the saying 'Three bowls and you can't cross the hill.'"

Qiu Sheng slammed his hand on the table, adopting the air of a chivalrous outlaw: "Then give me three bowls first! I want to see just how potent this wine is!"

"Okay!" the waiter replied, assuming that each of the three of them would have a bowl, and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

At this moment, the old man who had been dozing behind the counter slowly opened his eyes.

He looked to be in his sixties, with gray hair and wrinkles on his face that looked as if they had been carved by a knife.

His eyes, however, were completely out of character for his age, with a sharp and bright gaze.

A strange light flashed in his eyes when he saw Li Feng and the other two.

Li Feng happened to be looking at him too.

Their eyes met in the air, and the old man nodded slightly and slowly stood up.

"Are you three young Taoist priests from the Maoshan Sect?" the old man chuckled.

Before Qiu Sheng could speak, Li Feng stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "This junior is Li Feng, the thirty-seventh generation disciple of the Maoshan Sect. These two are my senior brother Qiu Sheng and senior sister Qiu Lan. May I ask your honorable names, senior?"

The old man smiled slightly: "I dare not call myself a senior. My surname is Wu, and my given name is Chi. I am just the manager and brewer of this tavern, making a living."

He walked to the three-person table, looked at Li Feng, and showed a hint of approval in his eyes: "This young Taoist priest is so young, yet his cultivation is quite high. The Maoshan Sect is indeed full of talented people."

Qiu Sheng glanced at Li Feng in surprise, wondering how the old man could tell.

Li Feng used the Concealing Breath Technique, and even his master could only detect the level of a six-inch spiritual root.

Li Feng, however, understood perfectly.

The fact that this shopkeeper could discern his cultivation level at a glance indicates that the other party's eyesight far exceeded the range that his concealment technique could deceive.

With a nine-inch spiritual root cultivation level, coupled with the inheritance of the Drunkard lineage from the lowest of the low, this Manager Wu is definitely not simple.

Wu Chi sat down opposite the three men and gestured to the waiter to bring out the wine and dishes.

The waiter quickly brought over a jar of wine and three large, rough porcelain bowls. As soon as the mud seal on the jar was lifted, a rich aroma of wine wafted out.

Its aroma is refreshing and mellow, making one's mouth water just by smelling it.

Qiu Sheng eagerly picked up the wine bowl, about to pour it into his mouth, when Qiu Lan grabbed him.

"Senior brother, have you forgotten what Master said? No drinking before serious business!"

Qiu Sheng stared longingly at the wine in the bowl, swallowed hard, and looked pitifully at Li Feng.

Li Feng didn't stop him, but turned to Wu Chi and asked, "Manager Wu, my senior brother wants to try your wine, but Master did instruct us not to drink alcohol before entering the mountain. Could he just have one bowl to taste it?"

Wu Chi smiled and said, "It's alright. Although my wine is called 'Three Bowls and You Can't Cross the Hill,' drinking just one bowl will not make you drunk. On the contrary, it will refresh your mind and dispel the miasma in the mountains. If you are going to Black Wind Ridge, one bowl is just right."

Qiu Sheng immediately beamed and picked up the wine bowl, gulping down half of it in one go.

As the liquor entered his throat, his eyes widened instantly, and his expression was as if he had been struck by lightning.

Qiu Sheng put down his wine bowl, panting heavily: "Damn! This wine is too strong! One sip and my throat feels like it's burning!"

Despite saying that, he couldn't bear to put down the wine bowl, and picked it up again to sip it slowly, a look of intoxication on his face.

Qiulan couldn't help but roll her eyes at his behavior.

Li Feng also picked up the wine bowl and took a small sip. The moment the wine entered his mouth, a warm current surged through his body, and his body, which was somewhat tired from traveling, was restored to some of its energy by the warm current.

This wine truly has a special quality; it's quite remarkable.

Moreover, the spiritual energy is extremely pure, as it is produced using a special brewing method that infuses the medicinal properties of the spiritual ingredients into the wine.

This method of brewing wine should be the unique secret technique of the "drunkards" among the lowest classes.

Li Feng put down his wine bowl and said seriously, "Manager Wu, I have a question I would like to ask you."

The old man opened his palm: "Please speak."

Li Feng asked curiously, "Is there really a tiger demon in Black Wind Ridge?"

Wu Chi's smile froze.

He nodded: "Not only, but it's very powerful. This tiger demon has been entrenched in Black Wind Ridge for a hundred years. It was already here when I was young. Back then, it couldn't transform into human form; it was just a tiger with sentience, occasionally coming down the mountain to steal a few sheep. It couldn't hurt anyone."

"But over the past few decades, it has somehow learned a wicked cultivation method, and its cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds. It can now transform into human form. In recent years, it has become even more ruthless, not only eating people but also capturing living people to use as its accomplices. Within a radius of dozens of miles around Black Wind Ridge, it has killed at least eighty to a hundred people!"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Sheng nearly dropped his wine bowl: "One hundred and eighty lives? Doesn't the government care?"

Wu Chi shook his head helplessly: "The government can't do anything about it. Black Wind Ridge is a dangerous place with high mountains and dense forests. The government troops went into the mountains to suppress them twice, but each time they got lost in the mountains and lost more than a dozen people for nothing. Later, the court stopped caring and just said that it was the mountain bandits who caused trouble, and the Black Wind Bandits took the blame."

He sighed and continued, "The leader of the Black Wind Bandits, Hei Sandao, keeps to himself and the Tiger Demon. The Black Wind Bandits occupy the west side of Black Wind Ridge, while the Tiger Demon occupies the east side. They each have their own territory and usually do not interfere with each other."

"Hei Sandao would occasionally restrain his men from provoking the tiger demon, so over the years, the tiger demon has mostly eaten passing merchants and nearby villagers."

Qiu Lan put down her chopsticks and looked at Li Feng with concern: "Junior brother, those two ghosts we're looking for, could they be in the tiger demon's territory? Maybe they've become its accomplices!"

"Perhaps."

Li Feng was also a little apprehensive, looking at Wu Chi: "Shopkeeper, do you know the exact location of that tiger demon?"

Wu Chi's expression grew increasingly serious: "Young Taoist priest, are you not going to provoke the tiger demon?"

Li Feng frankly said, "The purpose of our trip is to capture two escaped wandering ghosts. According to the detection of the Innate Bagua Formation, these two ghosts drifted to the depths of Black Wind Ridge. If they happen to land in the territory of the tiger demon, we can only try to avoid the tiger demon and capture the ghosts."

Wu Chi stood up, walked behind the counter, rummaged through the drawer, and took out a yellowed parchment, handing it to them.

"This is a map I drew when I was young, when I was collecting herbs in Black Wind Ridge. Black Wind Ridge is several miles in circumference, with complex terrain and many forks in the road. Without a map, you will get lost. This map marks the approximate activity range of the tiger demon. Try to avoid these places, and you may be able to enter the mountain safely."

He pointed to an area circled in cinnabar on the map and said in a deep voice, "This area is the tiger demon's territory. Remember, never enter this area. Also, it gets dark early in Black Wind Ridge, so try to come out before Shenshi (3-5 PM) after you enter the mountain."

"Once it gets dark, the miasma in the mountains will intensify, and the tiger demon will come out to patrol. By then, it will be too late to leave."

Qiu Sheng hurriedly asked, "Shopkeeper, how do you know so much about tiger demons?"

Wu Chi smiled wryly and said, "To be honest, although I am not a master, my ancestors did learn some Taoist magic. Among the family's brewing techniques, there is a technique called 'Drunken Immortal's Guide,' which can temporarily bewitch the minds of demonic beasts. When I was young, I relied on this technique to gather herbs and brew wine in Black Wind Ridge, and I lived a peaceful life for several decades."

"But in recent years, the tiger demon's power has grown stronger and stronger, and my Drunken Immortal's Guide has no effect on it anymore. Now, I am guarding this tavern, and I am only barely able to protect this place by relying on some protective talismans left by my ancestors."

"When you entered the shop just now, I was dozing off. Actually, last night the tiger demon was wandering around at the foot of the mountain, less than three miles from the tavern. I didn't sleep all night and kept watch until dawn before it retreated."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Sheng felt a chill run down his spine.

Last night, the tiger demon was only three miles away from the tavern. So, if they are sitting in the tavern drinking now, aren't they also very close to the tiger demon?

Seeing his expression, Wu Chi pretended to be relaxed and said, "Little Master, there's no need to be nervous. It's broad daylight now, and the tiger demon won't come down the mountain. Although it has high cultivation, it is still a demon after all and cannot withstand the yang energy at noon. You should go into the mountain now and hurry up and get things done. You'll be fine as long as you come out before dark."

Li Feng put the map away, stood up and bowed deeply to Wu Chi: "Thank you for the map, shopkeeper. I will remember your kindness. I will definitely come to bother you again when I return after I have finished my business."