A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

There was silence.

The wind was gentle, and the grass was soft and fluffy.

The four heroes of Kunshan looked at each other, their minds filled with questions.

White Python: ? ? ?

That's it?

If you weren't a Taoist priest in green, would you, a complete weakling, dare to chase after me?

Zhang Zhengdao sighed and said to the one-eyed leader of the Kunshan Four Heroes, "You guys come on!"

"it is good!"

The one-eyed leader roared, "Brothers, follow me to slay—the demon—!"

The four men drew their weapons simultaneously.

At the same time, the blade struck the giant white python's seven-inch spot, and like a hot knife cutting through lard, the enormous snake head shot skyward, blood spurting high into the air.

The white python twisted and turned on the ground for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before slowly calming down and lying still on the ground.

A thousand years of waiting, a thousand years of solitude, in the long night, do you know for whom I gather flowers to mend my wounds? In the mortal world, do you know for whom I gather my lingering yin energy...?

From Qixian Lake to the human world, from a thousand years ago to the present...

One-Eyed Boss: "They've cut open his abdomen to remove his gallbladder."

According to the rules of the underworld, whoever kills the enemy gets the loot.

In this respect, the middle-aged Taoist priest had nothing to say. He had been given all the opportunities; it was his own fault for not having a sharp enough peach wood sword and for not being skilled enough. He had no one to blame but himself.

As for the fact that these four people received help from a real person, that was their fate, and they have no one to blame but themselves.

They could only watch helplessly as the four men disemboweled the giant snake, removed its gall bladder, and even pulled out its inner core.

Demons possess inner cores; these are demons that have achieved mastery through cultivation.

Unfortunately, it encountered Zhang Zhengdao and could only meet a tragic end, dying without a trace. Having escaped the great battle at Qixian Lake, it never expected that it would suffer such a calamity in the human world, where it thought it could roam freely, and die with its eyes wide open in disbelief.

"Neidan!"

The one-eyed leader, beaming with delight, held the inner core, which was bigger than his head, and rushed to Zhang Zhengdao to claim credit.

"Taoist Master... here you go!"

Zhang Zhengdao took the inner core, nodded, and said, "The four of you have killed this thousand-year-old snake demon. Cut off its head and go to the government office to claim your reward. Just treat me to a drink when you get the reward money."

"Thank you, Taoist Priest!"

The four of them immediately understood Zhang Zhengdao's high regard for them, and were overjoyed. They bowed and thanked him together.

The crooked-mouthed fourth brother came over again, carrying the snake gall, and presented it to Zhang Zhengdao.

"You can use this yourselves. You can eat it raw or soak it in alcohol. It's very beneficial!"

The middle-aged Taoist priest standing nearby was filled with envy.

He couldn't help but say, "I also have some alchemy techniques. If you give me this snake gall to refine into pills, it will be more effective than eating it directly or soaking it in wine."

She's also skilled in alchemy.

Zhang Zhengdao's eyes lit up.

"This... Taoist priest, you know alchemy?"

The middle-aged Taoist priest immediately replied, "That's right. This thousand-year-old snake gall, with the addition of seasonings, would be even more effective if refined into an elixir. It would be a waste to eat it directly."

Zhang Zhengdao stroked his beard: "I have an alchemy furnace at home... and I have a servant boy to tend the fire, but I'm still missing a servant boy to fan me..."

Middle-aged Taoist priest: ? ? ?

"This humble Taoist still wishes to enjoy a few more years of carefree life in the mortal world. Thank you for your kind offer, fellow Taoist."

The middle-aged Taoist priest remained reserved.

Although this person appears to be an enlightened immortal, he also has a lineage of cultivation, so naturally he is unwilling to easily bow down to others.

They seem to have lost all backbone.

"Oh... okay, I won't force you."

Zhang Zhengdao nodded in understanding.

The middle-aged Taoist priest breathed a sigh of relief, but still tentatively asked, "I am a novice and would like to follow you to observe and learn from you, Master. I wonder..."

"can!"

Zhang Zhengdao immediately agreed.

"My Taoist temple is currently under construction, and we are temporarily staying at the residence of a wealthy family in Linbin Town at the foot of the mountain. If you wish to visit, our meals are quite good, and the accommodations are exquisite. We won't charge you much for food and lodging; you can contribute according to how much you feel you've learned. As for academic activities such as mutual discussion and joint improvement, those are free... It's about exchanging knowledge and resources, what do you think?"

Since we're here to be customers, we should stay here and act like customers.

The middle-aged Taoist priest readily agreed.

How much would the food and lodging cost?

When I traveled through the mortal world, the most expensive inn, which included food and lodging, only cost me fifty taels of silver for half a month. Even when I stayed at the homes of wealthy families, a hundred taels would have been enough for a few days.

With the plan finalized, I could hardly contain my joy.

To be able to exchange ideas with a virtuous and enlightened person is an extremely fortunate opportunity!

The disappointment of not getting any treasures earlier instantly turned into relief. Then, looking back, he realized the monk hadn't followed, and he couldn't help but bow to Zhang Zhengdao.

“Master, I have other matters to attend to, but I will definitely visit Linbin Town in a few days.”

Zhang Zhengdao didn't try to keep him, and bowed to say goodbye.

Zhang Zhengdao then said to the four men, "Snake skin can also be peeled off."

So the four of them began to skin the animals.

The snake was huge, and skinning it was a massive undertaking, but fortunately, the four of them were strong enough. They skinned it until well past midnight.

A campfire was lit. Zhang Zhengdao then roasted some of the skinned snake meat to eat.

The snake meat, which had been around for a thousand years, was still very tender; this was all thanks to the demon cultivator.

After a thousand years of painstaking cultivation, it has become a delicacy in our mouths.

What's the difference between a pig that's been raised for a thousand years and one that's ready for market?

The four men, tired from peeling the skins, then devoured the meat with gusto.

The snake meat grilled by the Taoist priest was highly nutritious. After eating it, the four of them immediately felt a restless heat surging through their bodies. Even the crooked-mouthed fourth brother couldn't resist taking off his clothes.

He was initially a little embarrassed to undress in front of the Taoist priest, but when he turned around, he saw that his three brothers were all naked and scratching themselves.

It was practically smoking from above.

Zhang Zhengdao flicked out four streams of energy, enveloping the four people, and shouted, "Guard your mind, circulate your energy throughout your body, and do not let your mind wander or have any wild thoughts."

This shout was like a cleavage of heaven and earth in the chaos, from which a blue lotus slowly emerged and took root in the hearts of the four.

Suddenly, the heat in my body transformed into a warm current that flowed through my entire body.

After an unknown amount of time, the one-eyed leader, who was the first to open his eyes, suddenly shot forward into the air. His eyes seemed to burst with golden light, and he was filled with inexhaustible energy. A surge of power arose from his heart, and he was soaring into the air. No one knew how high he had gone, but his voice could be heard from afar.

"what--"

Then, with a loud "thud," it crashed to the ground, causing a great tremor and sending dust flying.

Zhang Zhengdao asked curiously, "How did you fall down?"

The one-eyed leader laughed awkwardly: "I jumped too high, I was scared, I felt dizzy..."

Zhang Zhengdao: ...

The one-eyed leader was also embarrassed. He had never jumped so high before. He couldn't do it before, and he never thought he could. Suddenly he could do it, and he was a little unaccustomed to it.

Then three more figures shot into the sky, followed by three more sounds.

"Boom" "Boom" "Boom"

Three piles of dust rose up.

"Bah bah bah!"

"Boss, did I get poisoned by that lecherous 'Thousand Flower Bee's Sky-Piercing Firewood? How come I shot up so high? It scared me to death..."

"Wait a minute, it's not a piece of firewood, it's a person who's charged forward, feeling like they're flying, their whole body is so energetic!"

"Big brother, second brother, third brother, do you guys feel like there's anything wrong?"

The fourth brother said firmly.

Zhang Zhengdao: ...

Isn't such an obvious change just wrong?

However, the four of them quickly realized what was happening and knelt down before Zhang Zhengdao.

"Thank you so much, Master, for saving me again."

He kowtowed nine times.

Those who kowtowed sincerely had blood pooling in their foreheads.

"Again?"

The one-eyed leader said, "Last time I had a feast at the Taoist priest's house, I received a great fortune. Now, this time I'm having meat with the Taoist priest, and I've received another great fortune. Isn't this a double blessing?"

The other three answered in unison, "That's right."

Zhang Zhengdao laughed heartily: "Alright, alright, I'll be going now. Eating too much of this snake's meat would be bad for you. I'm taking it. You take care of the skin and the snake's head, carry it down the mountain, and hand it over to the government office. That would be a great service."

Zhang Zhengdao said, and simply threw the purple gourd away.

The purple gourd floated in the air and aimed at the white python's body. Instantly, the mountain of flesh was collected into the gourd.

The four people who saw it were filled with admiration.

"Let's go, let's go!"

As Zhang Zhengdao spoke, he took a step forward, but the person had already disappeared.

The python's body was absorbed into the gourd, splitting in two. One half was stored away, while the other half fell from the sky with a "thud," crashing into the lake. The dragon, startled and uncertain, raised its head.

After seeing what it was, I was so scared that my whole body tensed up.

The snake's body was half-eaten, its skin peeled off, and its head was gone.

Before he transformed into a dragon, wasn't he just a snake? Has the Taoist priest finally decided to kill him?

Suddenly, I felt like the sky had fallen.