The Young Swordsman: The Taoist Priest of Qingcheng Has Descended the Mountain

"I was just teasing you because you were spacing out, huh? Hiss~"

what are you thinking?

I've noticed that you've been distracted lately, no matter what you're doing.

Tang Lian paused for a moment: "Really?"

"Yes!" Lei Wujie raised his voice. "How could there not be? If you don't believe me, ask Xiao Se."

Xiao Se turned around, his face also wearing a mask, but this mask was a pig's head, and a pink pig's head at that.

Tang Lian saw a kind of despondency in his eyes, a sense of utter despair.

Xiao Se put his hands in his pockets and nodded: "Even this little blockhead can tell you have something on your mind. What do you think?"

Tang Lian paused for a moment, then shook her head in the end: "It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things."

I've thought about it pretty much now.

Xiao Se gave him a deep look but didn't say anything more.

In fact, he could guess some of Tang Lian's thoughts.

Moreover, he is also closely related to this whole matter.

However, Xiao Se is also a deep thinker, and even if he has something on his mind, he will only keep it to himself.

Sikong Qianluo, wearing a monkey mask, came closer and put one hand on Tang Lian's shoulder.

"Hey, Senior Brother Tang Lian, come out and have some fun!"

"Look, the mask I picked out for you, isn't it nice?"

Tang Lian seemed to be infected by her emotions. She looked at the blue Sha Wujing mask in her hand and took it with a smile.

"It looks good, let's take it! There's a lot of gongs and drums going on ahead, I wonder what they're doing, let's go join in the fun."

Everyone on the street was wearing all sorts of masks, creating a chaotic, almost demonic atmosphere.

Tang Lian put on the mask as instructed, thus forming a group of three fellow disciples with Xiao Se and Sikong Qianluo.

Lei Wujie wore a Yaksha mask, while Ye Ruoyi chose a half-face mask. It wasn't a demon or monster mask, but just an ordinary wooden mask that wasn't even painted.

But no one noticed that after they left, a person suddenly appeared where they had been standing.

This person was short and stocky, and looked like a child who hadn't grown up.

Wearing a monkey mask identical to the one on Sikong Qianluo's face, he quietly watched the five people leave laughing and joking. Suddenly, the mask on his face also grinned, and the next moment, the monkey mask transformed into a divine general with a vertical eye in the middle of his forehead, his gaze becoming incredibly deep.

"Sorry, give in."

"Borrowed, borrowed."

In front of a temple, a huge crowd of people, men, women and children wearing masks, gathered together, occasionally bursting into cheers.

Lei Wujie led the way, and somehow, he had already taken Ye Ruoyi's hand and held it tightly.

Ye Ruoyi wore a mask covering half of her face, from her eyes down.

No one could see the slight upturn at the corner of her mouth hidden beneath the mask.

Lei Wujie was, after all, a master of the Free Realm, and it didn't take him too long to squeeze through the crowd.

They quickly squeezed into the inner circle of the crowd.

Lei Wujie seemed to have forgotten to let go of that hand, and Ye Ruoyi also forgot to pull her hand back.

A group of solemn-looking monks were holding up a strange fish-dragon made of straw, which they tumbled up and down in the middle of the field. The fish-dragon looked as if it were alive, and it was quite a sight to behold.

"Xiao Se, hold on tight to me, don't lose me in the crowd."

Sikong Qianluo held Xiao Se's hand, turning back every now and then to give him a word of advice.

Xiao Se sighed and could only nod: "Don't worry, it won't get lost, you're holding on so tightly."

"What? What did you say? Speak louder, I can't hear you."

As the fish-dragon snatched a monk dressed as a monster into its mouth, the crowd erupted in a deafening roar of cheers, drowning out Xiao Se's subsequent words.

Tang Lian didn't squeeze in with them. He found a mulberry tree that wasn't too tall, jumped up, crossed his arms, leaned against a branch, and looked like a deep, still spring.

But when Sikong Qianluo turned around and punched Xiao Se, the still spring finally rippled, and was eventually replaced by a smile.

He put his hands behind his head, as if he had let go of some burden, and his whole body felt relaxed.

However, this ease did not last long. A feeling of being watched made him feel uneasy.

Tang Lian subtly adjusted her posture, glancing out of the corner of her eye in the direction of that gaze.

He saw a figure that looked like a child, a short figure wearing a silver mask on its face, with a closed vertical eye in the center of its forehead.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Tang Lian suddenly saw the painted vertical eye slowly open.

The next moment he saw a beam of divine light emanating from that vertical eye.

A sudden dizziness struck Tang Lian, and she felt as if her head had been struck hard with a sledgehammer.

My thoughts were a jumbled mess, unable to coalesce into a coherent idea.

His gaze fell upon Sikong Qianluo jumping onto Xiao Se's back, gesturing wildly as she did so.

Ultimately, the world was plunged into darkness.

At the same time, a peach wood sword in his arms gleamed faintly.

Chapter 154 Tang Lian

"I am back."

The simple wooden door, pieced together from several pieces of wood that were clearly not of the same material, was slowly pushed open.

Yang Xin rubbed his face. The mask on his face, like paint melting away, slowly seeped into his skin, revealing an ordinary face.

This face has no distinguishing features whatsoever; you'd easily blend into a crowd and not notice it.

His height increased significantly the moment he stepped into the courtyard, making him look more like an adult than a child.

This is a stilted building, close to the sea, where even the wind is damp.

Such buildings make it easier to keep the rooms dry.

The thick pillars formed the foundation, supporting a two-story wooden pavilion.

"Is it done?"

Yang Xin closed the courtyard gate behind him and looked up to meet a pair of pale eyes.

Those were murky eyes, like those of a dead fish, white and solid, without a trace of light.

This was also a young boy, wearing straw sandals, with a sword hanging at his waist—a dark bamboo sword.

Yang Xin always felt that this should be called bamboo strips, as any child could make them.

But he insisted on calling it a sword.

This pale-eyed boy is named Duan Zhixin.

Both of their names contain the character "鑫" (xīn), which made them feel that it was a divinely ordained destiny.

Yang Xin bolted the door, seemingly only then having time to answer Duan Zhixin's question, and rubbed his nose with his thumb with a hint of smugness.

"With me personally taking charge, how could I possibly fail?"

Those five simpletons clearly had no experience in the ways of the world; they were only interested in having fun.

I think the elders are overestimating them.

"Young Master Duan, do you really think the elders will guide us in cultivating immortality after we complete this mission?"

Duan Zhixin touched the bamboo sword at his waist with his hands covered in scars and calluses, but his face remained expressionless.

"Cultivating immortality? Like the elders, eating jade and swallowing gold every day?"

In any case, it is a technique that consumes a great deal of energy.

Do you think the elders will pay this money?

Besides, what's so great about cultivating immortality? Compared to that, I prefer eating meat, especially beef.

Yang Xin paused for a moment; it seemed he had never considered this question before.

Eating jade and swallowing gold does seem to cost quite a bit of money.

These words stirred up his troubles.

"What you said makes sense, but that's cultivating immortality. Aren't you tempted?"

Besides, who is this young master?

"I am a reincarnated immortal, but I've forgotten the immortal arts. Without cultivating immortality, how can I reach the immortal realm?"

As Yang Xin spoke, his facial features were faintly obscured, replaced by various masks that flashed by like a revolving lantern.

This is the skill he practiced. The elder said that no one in the entire Baiyujing could master it.

But Yang Xin mastered it.

Through these masks, he could always hear voices that ordinary people could not hear. These were the teachings of immortals. When he entered the Vajra Mortal Realm, he possessed the Great Sage Mask, which was truly indestructible. Within the Jade Capital, he had never been defeated.

When he entered the Realm of Freedom, he acquired the God General Mask, which could cause people to die silently.

He felt that he must be a reincarnation of an immortal, otherwise why would he be the only one who could hear the immortal preaching?

Unfortunately, his partner didn't seem to trust him.

Duan Zhixin didn't believe in these things because he knew very well that even immortals were first and foremost just human beings, and only later became immortals.

He only trusted the sword in his hand.

He practiced the Heart Sword technique, which led him to gouge out his own eyes.

"Alright, stop showing off. No matter how much you show off, I won't be able to see it."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xin's mask disappeared again, and he sighed, "I forgot you're blind."

Never mind, there's no beef here, only sea fish.

I'll make you some fish soup. Tonight, we'll act together, finish this quickly, and leave this awful place.

If I stayed any longer, I felt like I was going to smell like fish.

You'll have to do the work tonight.

Duan Zhixin gripped his sword tighter and nodded: "I will intervene if necessary."

Boom~~~~

A muffled clap of thunder sounded, and raindrops began to fall.

Yang Xin looked up, feeling the raindrops hitting his face, and then reached out to wipe them away.

"This place is so humid, it looks like it's going to rain again. I'll bring the clothes in first."

The rain is pattering outside the window, and it's been falling for three days and three nights...

"Child, what is your name?"

"My name is Tang Lian."

"You've been waiting for someone here every year around this time for the past three years."

"My parents said they would be back in a year."

"Your parents are not coming back. My name is Tang Lianyue. From now on, you will live with me. I will be your master."

"Sigh, just as Tang Lianyue said, it's a stone."

From now on, you'll have one more master. My name is Baili Dongjun.

"This humble Taoist is Zhou Huanzhen from Qingcheng!"

"Tang Lian, this book is written for you, and it is called Eight-Armed Nezha."

"As I always say, when in doubt, strike with a peach wood sword."

"Senior Brother Tang Lian, Senior Brother, hurry, Senior Brother is awake."