Chapter Ninety-One: The Young Taoist

“I am a cultivator of the Daoist school, and I am not inclined toward the demon clans. I merely hold a few superficial views on how the human race treats the other races. If fellow daoist wishes to hear them, I may as well speak,” the daoist said, gazing steadily at Zhou Qi.

By then, the wine and dishes ordered by Xiaohua had already been served. The table was piled so full that there was still not enough room, and the local specialties Zhou Qi had been eyeing were all among them. Very well, the three of them would surely never finish it all. Better to invite this fellow daoist over to dine with them as well, and take the chance to inquire about Ansi Valley.

“Miss, I would like to invite that fellow daoist to our table. May I have your permission?” Zhou Qi asked Xiaohua. Since they had already taken on the roles of master and servant, they had to see it through.

“Zhou, do as you please,” Xiaohua said. She no longer dared to stir up any more trouble. Even self-destruction had its limit; if she pushed too far, real death would not be far behind.

“Fellow daoist, why not come over for a chat?” Zhou Qi invited.

The daoist laughed heartily and came over with his wine jar in hand.

Xiaobai whispered to Zhou Qi, “Boss, are you sure he didn’t come just to mooch a meal?”

The daoist sat down, cupped his hands toward Xiaohua in salute, and then said nothing at all. He lowered his head and began to eat. His manner was exquisitely proper, almost elegant, but his speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, more than half the table had been swept clean.

Zhou Qi was speechless. Had Xiaobai really guessed right? After the daoist’s furious eating spree, the empty dishes were taken away, and only then was there finally room to set out the rest.

Having eaten his fill, the daoist looked satisfied and slowly asked, “Fellow daoist, what is your opinion of my human race?”

“It is naturally immensely prosperous, the strongest of all the myriad races,” Zhou Qi replied.

“Not so. I believe the human race is like a great tree riddled with rot. From the outside it appears strong and flourishing, but inside it has already decayed to the core. A single strong wind may yet bring it down,” the daoist sighed.

“How so?” Zhou Qi asked.

“Our human race has been invincible for far too long, and has long since lost its spirit of advancement. The high-level cultivators pay no mind to the lives and deaths of the low-level ones. Vast resources are held in the hands of the powerful, while newly risen cultivators cannot grow. If the high-level cultivators either reach the end of their lifespan or die by accident, the human race will be left without successors. Who then will be able to hold up the banner of humanity?”

“Besides, over the years the human race has oppressed the other races far too brutally. I need not speak of anywhere else; just within my own Daoist sphere, they are slain on sight. Too much hatred has been accumulated. If the other races ever rise again, our human race will be in grave danger,” the daoist said, shaking his head.

“Fellow daoist, be careful with your words. Those above have their own considerations; such things are not for the likes of us to fathom,” Zhou Qi reminded him. What the daoist said was more or less the same as what he himself had thought. If the man were silenced for speaking too freely, that would be a pity. After all, there were not many who could see the human race’s crisis clearly.

“No matter. If we don’t even have the most basic right to speak, then how are we any different from the oppressed races? I have heard that in some major sects of the human mystic realms, a number of them have even been stirred up by other races into offering regular tribute in exchange for protection. Yet after those races take charge of certain regions, they turn around and oppress the humans within their domains, and those old clans and great sects do nothing at all. The humans living there suffer terribly,” the daoist said with deep anguish.

There was such a thing? Zhou Qi was startled. Had they really abandoned even the last shred of pretense?

“Then according to fellow daoist, how should the human race’s crisis be resolved?” Zhou Qi asked, wanting to hear what other insight the man might have.

The daoist did not answer. He only gave a bitter smile and shook his head. Knowing is one thing; knowing how to solve it is another.

“Then what does fellow daoist think: within the Daoist school’s sphere of influence, are the measures of exterminating other races right or wrong?” Zhou Qi pressed.

“Of course they are wrong. This has already gone to an extreme. Fellow daoist, look at the cultivators under my Daoist school’s rule—where is there any sense of crisis left? Every so often, when a few members of other races appear, everyone swarms in together and buries the enemy beneath sheer numbers. Where is there any real combat strength in that? Right now, we can still win by numbers, but the number of people keeps growing while the spirit stones keep dwindling. How many of them can ever cultivate to the higher realms? If one or two powerful demonic beasts or monstrous creatures appear, no matter how many people there are, they would be nothing more than food,” the daoist said angrily.

His voice was loud and he made no effort to keep it down. There were quite a few other cultivators in the tavern, and though they glanced over with curiosity, none of them stepped forward to suppress this supposed heretic. Zhou Qi could not help but grow curious about the man’s identity. There were only two reasons why the cultivators dared not rush up and perform their righteous duty: either he was extraordinarily powerful, or his status was exceptionally noble—or perhaps both.

“Fellow daoist, how much do you know about Ansi Valley? We have long heard of its name and wish to go see it for ourselves. Might you offer us some guidance?” Zhou Qi asked, not inquiring about the man’s background. They were mere chance acquaintances, and probing too deeply would be impolite.

“Oh? In that case, perhaps we can travel together. I was just about to go there to temper my body. Fellow daoist, you and I met like old friends and have spoken so happily—why not go together?” the daoist said with delight.

Xiaobai whispered to Zhou Qi, “This guy is looking for a long-term walking ATM. Boss, don’t be the sucker.”

By then the daoist had eaten too quickly for Xiaobai to even taste one of the dishes, so he could not help but remind Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi had no such intention either. The man had been the one doing all the talking; Zhou Qi himself had not expressed any opinion at all, so how could he say they had spoken so happily? Besides, he and the little fox still had to maintain their disguise from time to time. If they traveled with him all the way, would they not expose their identities?

“Fellow daoist, there is no need for that. My lady still has other places to go. Coming to Ansi Valley was only one of our plans, and we would not dare delay your journey,” Zhou Qi said with a cupped-fist salute.

“In that case...” The daoist looked greatly disappointed. “Ansi Valley is not far from here. If you travel by sword, it will take no more than half a month. It is filled with dense baleful energy, and one must never attempt body tempering there in haste. Progress must be gradual. If you rush ahead recklessly, you may well be injured by the baleful energy and end up losing more than you gain.”

“I wonder how this baleful energy came to be, and what effect it has on body tempering?” Zhou Qi asked again.

“I do not know how it formed, but from time to time one can vaguely hear dragon roars. Perhaps there is a dragon inside! Yet no one can go deep within, so perhaps it is something else entirely. The baleful energy is extremely harmful to the human body. It corrodes flesh and blood, and it also contains killing intent. But if one can endure its battering and refine that killing intent, a cultivator’s body can become far stronger, and their aura far more formidable. There are even some supreme body tempering experts who can take lives with killing intent alone,” the daoist explained patiently.

Dragon roars? Could there really be a living dragon inside? That would make things troublesome. It surely would not sit by and watch him take its dragon pearl.

“Fellow daoist, with such a place, surely no great experts have gone in to investigate over the years?” Zhou Qi asked curiously. The dragon race was strong, yes, but the human race was by no means weak. It was impossible that no one had ever entered.

“That I do not know. With baleful energy this intense, it is probably no kind land inside either. Moreover, within the range of the baleful energy, one cannot use spiritual power. Outside the perimeter, it can still be used with difficulty, but the deeper one goes, the more severely it is suppressed. Unless there is a compelling reason to enter, those great experts may not be willing to place themselves in such danger,” the daoist explained.

Unable to use spiritual power? That was certainly new. Zhou Qi silently noted it down.