One person: I, Daoist Master, am a cultivator of immortality!

"Master Dao, you are a timely rain for us Xieling!"

Chen Yulou's eyes lit up when he saw the cultivation method. Previously, the members of the Unloading Ridge sect had considered stealing cultivation methods, but very few would bring them into a tomb.

Secondly, aside from sects, those who control cultivation methods are mostly extraordinary families. If you were to desecrate someone's ancestral grave, wouldn't that be tantamount to courting death? Unlike those with established traditions like the Grave Robbers, Tomb Raiders, and Mountain Movers, the Unloading Ridge sects rely solely on their numbers.

The matter of this cultivation method had been a knot in Chen Yulou's heart since his grandfather's generation, and it remained unresolved even after being passed down to his father and then to him. Unexpectedly, today, his simple act of expressing goodwill had brought the first extraordinary inheritance to the Unloading Ridge.

Who is visiting?

"Reporting to the chief, they claim to be the Nine Gates of Shacheng."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Zhang Qishan and Er Yuehong. This was because Zhang Qishan had created the Nine Gates, and he had even invited Er Yuehong to join them.

"What, Zhang Qishan, do you know anything?" Sun Yao didn't make any move based on their reactions, but just asked Zhang Qishan with feigned confusion.

He certainly knew why these people were looking at Zhang Qishan; after all, Zhang Qishan was the leader of the Nine Gates. If the Nine Gates hadn't informed Zhang Qishan of this matter beforehand, then Zhang Qishan's authority within the Nine Gates would undoubtedly be questionable.

"Reporting to Daoist Master, this matter is my fault, and I will personally go out to resolve it." Upon hearing this, Zhang Qishan immediately stood up. These people from the Nine Gates came here without consulting him at all, and he was caught off guard.

"I'll go out with him and take a look too." Er Yuehong also decided to accompany Zhang Qishan to resolve this matter after hearing this, since he was now the Second Master of the Nine Gates, one of the three upper gates of the Nine Gates.

"No need. Since they've already said they're here to visit me, wouldn't it be disrespectful for me, the host, not to show up? Since we're in Shacheng, we should at least meet the local bigwigs. I just don't know if this outsider can keep these local bigwigs in check."

Sun Yao smiled, then rose from his armchair and strolled out of the hall. As soon as he arrived, everyone present became restless and rose to follow him out of the reception room.

An elderly man with a pale face and white hair was already waiting outside the reception room; presumably, this was the butler that Chen Yulou had chosen for him.

"What is your name, sir?"

“My ancestors were coroners. I followed the old foreman when I was young, and my brothers all called me Knife Handle. Sir, you don’t need to call me by my name, just call me Old Knife.”

"Old Knife Handle, you actually have such a nickname. It seems you're quite skilled with your hands."

"It's all a joke in front of you. It's just some rudimentary skill, not even close to being an extraordinary person."

His words made Sun Yao very certain. In fact, the Unloading Ridge had known about the news about the Extraordinary People for a long time, but they just hadn't been able to obtain the relevant inheritance.

"Old Dao, tell me, how many of the Nine Gates of Sand City have come?"

"Reporting to you, sir, four of the nine families from Shacheng have come: the Li family, the Shui family, the Huo family, and the Xie family."

"Although I have lived on Longhu Mountain for the past three years, I have heard that you, Zhang Qishan, have been making great strides with your Nine Gates. The Upper Three Gates are for officials, soldiers, actors, and swindlers, just like the moon in the smoke. The Middle Three Gates are for thieves, Yama, prodigal sons, and smiling Buddhas, just like wine in a cup. The Lower Three Gates are for merchants, beauties, strategists, and chess masters, just like romance under the flowers."

"You flatter me, Daoist. It was just a small matter, nothing to mention in front of you." Zhang Qishan dared not accept Sun Yao's offer, but he felt more annoyed with this ungrateful member of the Four Sects.

"Now that the Immortal of the Guai Zhong, Yama, the Beauty, and Qi Tongtian have all come to visit, I'd like to see what they're really up to."

After Sun Yao finished speaking, he ignored Zhang Qishan and instead turned and walked directly towards the entrance of his mansion.

In no time, Sun Yao arrived at the gate of the mansion. Half-Li, Shui Huang, and Huo San Niang were waiting for him there, but the chess master Jie Jiu Ye, whom he most wanted to see, was nowhere to be seen.

"Didn't you say all four would come at once? Why haven't we seen Ninth Master Jie?"

After Sun Yao arrived, he ignored the other three family heads present and instead immediately asked about the missing Master Xie.

The gatekeeper immediately came over. "Master, Master Jie said that you must have a lot to do today, so he left the gifts and said he would come to visit again another day." As he spoke, he pointed to the pile of gifts that was as tall as a person next to the gate.

Sun Yao smiled slightly upon seeing the pile of gifts. This Jie Jiu was indeed a remarkable person. If it were an ordinary visit, Sun Yao wouldn't have been particularly impressed by him, but his choice to come in this way and then turn back halfway had left a deep impression on Sun Yao.

Qi Tongtian truly lives up to his name; with his ability to manipulate people's hearts, the other families are utterly useless in comparison. No wonder the Xie family grew so powerful later on, while the others were just so-so.

"Since Master Jie has said so, I will not insist. May I ask what brings the other three family heads here?" The first half of the sentence was perhaps somewhat humorous, but the tone suddenly changed, revealing a hint of coldness.

“Sir, please don’t be so aloof. We heard that a great man has come to Shacheng, so we came here to pay him a visit.” Huo Sanniang spoke first. After all, as a woman, she would be forgiven even if she offended Sun Yao in the slightest.

Women always seem to have an easier time dealing with men, and the women of the Huo family are generally adept at this. Especially skilled at maintaining a delicate balance of closeness and distance—this is precisely why the women of the Huo family, as heads of households, have thrived in this world. Every head of the Huo family has mastered this strategy, but perhaps precisely because of this, none of them have been able to ultimately marry the man they love; this was true for Huo San Niang, and it was also true for Huo Xiangu.

"Is this all there is to a visit? If you hadn't said you were here to pay a visit, it would have looked like you were here to interrogate me. Are you three here to ask me why I didn't go? Are you three here to pay homage to my family?" Although Sun Yao said this, his voice was filled with coldness.

However, Shui Huang's face hardened at these words, and his posture clearly indicated that he wanted Sun Yao to go and pay respects at the threshold of his door. Seeing Shui Huang's expression, Huo San Niang frowned. She thought to herself, "Does this brute not understand the situation?"