One person: Starting with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, his grandmaster uncle emerges from seclusion.

"Changbai Mountain is the ancestor of the Chinese dragon veins, and its spiritual energy is so abundant that the compass will naturally fail."

Ryosuke looked at the eerie green flame in his hand and a cold smile appeared on his face:

"My talisman has locked onto it. That white dragon can't escape."

Behind these two.

Several other people followed.

One of them was a fat man with the build of a sumo wrestler, named Taro.

He carried a military backpack that was taller than himself, filled with array materials and various other items.

With each step he took, he left a large crater in the snow, his panting louder than the wind.

"Huff...huff...I'm freezing..."

Taro sniffed his red, frozen nose and complained, "This lousy place is so cold. I want to go back to Tokyo and eat a hot bowl of tonkotsu ramen..."

"Shut up, you fat pig!"

Walking next to him was a man as thin as a bamboo pole, with a pointed face and monkey-like features, Kenji.

Kenji held up a paper lantern that emitted a red glow.

Shivering from the cold, she kicked Taro:

"If you hadn't eaten all the rice balls down the mountain, we wouldn't be so hungry now."

"If we don't catch that dragon this time, Lord Ryosuke will definitely chop us up and feed us to his shikigami!"

"Ugh... I think I just heard a strange sound..."

Taro is strong, but he is very timid.

He shrank back in fright and looked around nervously: "Kenji, are there any Chinese monsters in these mountains?"

"Idiot! Don't scare yourself!"

Although Kenji was cursing, he was still holding the lantern tightly in his hand.

Ryosuke Tsuchimikado, who was walking ahead, frowned.

"Quiet."

Ryosuke didn't turn around, but simply uttered two words.

The line stopped.

Taro and Kenji immediately covered their mouths, not daring to even breathe.

Ryosuke stopped in his tracks.

He raised his head and looked at the majestic snow-capped peaks in front of him, which were shrouded in wind and snow.

"Chizuru, send Kanko ahead to scout the way."

"Hi!"

Chizuru formed a hand seal, and the fox spirit on her shoulder darted into the snowstorm with a "whoosh".

Chapter 156 Do I look like your father?!

After a long while.

"Whoosh!"

A mournful whooshing sound came from the wind and snow ahead.

Chizuru stopped and reached out her hand.

The fox she had sent out to scout the way fell into her palm.

This shikigami is in a truly pitiful state right now.

Most of its fur had been plucked off, and its once long tail was tied in a tight knot.

"What's going on?!"

Chizuru frowned and quickly used Yin-Yang magic to soothe the fox spirit.

The fox spirit huddled up, trembling, as images flashed through Chizuru's mind:

"Lord Chizuru... there's a group of local foxes ahead..."

"They not only ganged up on me, but also stuffed soybean paste into my mouth and mocked me for looking like a stunted white mouse... They were so barbaric!"

Upon hearing this, Chizuru's face turned ashen: "Lord Ryosuke, the native spirits of Changbai Mountain have already noticed us. The road ahead is probably swarming with spies."

"It's alright."

He tightened his cuffs: "The resistance means we've found the right place. That heavily injured white dragon is nearby. Let's keep going."

The group continued their journey against the wind and snow.

However, as they walked, the wind and snow around them seemed to lessen a bit.

Suddenly, two scarlet lights appeared in the white blur ahead.

"That's... a lantern?"

The fat guy Taro, who was walking behind, rubbed his eyes.

He sniffed hard, and his small eyes, which had been listless from the cold, instantly lit up:

"Sir! There's a house ahead! I think... I smell stewed pork with vermicelli!"

Skinny Kenji was also shivering from the cold, his teeth chattering: "How could there be an inn in this deep mountain forest? It must be a hallucination... But, it would be nice to go in and warm up by the fire..."

The group approached and took a closer look.

Amidst the wind and snow, a two-story building adorned with red lanterns stood out prominently.

A tattered signboard hung above the entrance, which read "Hu's Cart Inn".

A warm, yellow light shone through the crack in the door.

It was accompanied by the boisterous sounds of drinking games and the rich aroma of food.

On this freezing snowy night, it was an irresistible temptation.

"It's a maze."

Chizuru's eyes narrowed, and she pulled out two talismans from her sleeve: "You dare to show off your inferior skills in front of an expert with such a low-level illusion? Lord Ryosuke, I will break it right now."

"and many more."

Ryosuke Tsuchimikado reached out and stopped Chizuru.

He looked up at the red lanterns of the inn.

"The dragon vein of Changbai Mountain has ruptured, and my 'Fire-Seeking Compass' has been interfered with by the magnetic field, making it impossible to accurately locate the exact position of that white dragon."

Ryosuke slowly took off his glasses and wiped the ice crystals off them with a handkerchief:

"Since these local bullies have come to our doorstep, why don't we go in to warm up and, while we're at it... find a place to go?"

Chizuru was taken aback: "You mean... to turn the tables on them?"

"Let's go."

Ryosuke didn't explain further.

He tucked his hands into his oversized winter coat and, like an ordinary lost tourist, swaggered open the wooden door.

"Squeak!"

As soon as the door was pushed open, a wave of heat mixed with the smells of tobacco, wine, and meat rushed out.

There were three or four tables of guests sitting in the inn.

There were burly men from Northeast China wearing leather coats and young women in floral jackets, all of them flushed from drinking.

The inn fell silent for a second when Ryosuke and the others entered.

Immediately afterwards, a short old man wearing a tattered little jacket and a worn-out straw hat came up from behind the counter, rubbing his hands together.

"Oh dear! Gentlemen, it must be freezing outside! Please come in! Please come in!"

The old man's voice was somewhat shrill.

Ryosuke observed the old man without making a sound.

"Shopkeeper, please bring us some hot tea."

Ryosuke spoke in slightly broken Chinese, leading his men to sit down at an empty table in the center.

Fatty Taro was starving; his mouth was watering as he looked at the roast chicken on the next table.

But Ryosuke didn't say anything, so he didn't dare to move.

"Alright! Hot tea coming right away!"

As the old man poured tea, his small, bright eyes kept darting between Ryosuke and the others.

Just as the tea was poured to the brim.

The hustle and bustle in the inn quieted down.

The guests sitting around stopped what they were doing.

They turned their heads expressionlessly, their eerie green eyes fixed intently on Ryosuke and his group.

The atmosphere was very strange.

"Guest officer..."

The short, old man who was pouring tea suddenly stopped.

He didn't leave, but stood directly in front of Ryosuke.

A chilling scene unfolded.

The old man stood on his tiptoes, his body upright like a human.

His tattered straw hat was slightly raised, revealing a face covered in yellow hair and with a pointed, monkey-like face.