“Chapter 89 Update.”

"Chapter 89 Update."

The more Li spoke, the quieter his voice became. At the time, he hadn't noticed anything amiss, but now recalling it, everything seemed eerily suspicious. How had he been so oblivious?

"Ma-Master..." Li's voice trembled as he earnestly looked at Xie Qingfeng.

Xie Qingfeng, seeing his pitiful state, offered rare words of comfort, "The food you ate is not the issue. The problem likely lies in the tea before the meal and the special soup afterward."

Li shuddered, "What were the tea and the special soup... exactly?" He was frightened.

Xie Qingfeng explained, "Nothing inedible, just some tampering. If I'm not mistaken, the tea was made from dried locust flowers soaked in special talisman water, then mixed with some of your classmate's blood. The purpose was to create a connection between you and your classmate, transferring the evil array from him to you as a means of initiation."

The choice of floral tea was because of the abundance of locust trees here, likely intended to use their shade for attracting and harboring spirits. The special talisman water treatment also served to suppress the blood's scent, so you wouldn't notice anything unusual.

After hearing this, Li was completely unsettled. Hao Jixin glanced at him sympathetically, patting his shoulder, suggesting he take it easy.

"Although it's blood, at least it's nothing messy. Otherwise, I'd probably have even deeper psychological scars."

"Li, on the verge of tears, thought to himself that he already had a shadow cast over his heart."

"Xie Qingfeng noticed Li's dejected gaze and turned his eyes to the incense burner nearby: 'As for the special soup later, it's probably just incense ash.'"

"Li, now numb, had already drunk blood. The idea of incense ash didn't faze him anymore. Suppressing the feeling of disgust, he thought that a month had passed, and probably everything had been digested by now."

"Hao Jixin watched him, lost in a dazed stupor, thinking that Li would probably hesitate to interact with unfamiliar classmates in the future."

"This has literally scared him into a psychological trauma."

"The young man from earlier quickly returned, his expression changing from indifference to caution as he looked at Xie Qingfeng and his group. He spoke in a steady, subdued voice: 'Our host invites you, esteemed guests...'"

"Li shivered and silently followed Hao Jixin, hiding behind the long-haired gentleman, head bowed in dependence."

"Just as he hid himself, Li noticed the broad-shouldered figure in front, who had been shielding him and Mr. Hao, step forward, leading Master Xie towards the bamboo curtain."

"Confused, Li looked at Hao Jixin: 'Do we... continue to hide?'"

"Hao Jixin touched his nose: 'Hide? With the master here, there's surely nothing to worry about.'"

"Li looked at him skeptically: 'Then why did you hide just now?'"

"Hao Jixin played dumb, as he couldn't admit his fear, wanting to maintain his dignity."

"But clearly, Jing Yingdi was more concerned about the master, taking the initiative to scout ahead. By comparison, he couldn't lose face, so he straightened up and followed Jing Xiu, also proceeding inside."

"Li followed next, with Xie Qingfeng trailing last. As they passed the young man, he was still sneakily scrutinizing the four, unable to discern who among them was the expert mentioned by his master."

"With such a high level of mastery, anyone surpassing my teacher should be at least in their seventies or eighties, right? But all the visitors this time are young. Could it be that the real master didn’t come and only sent his disciples to scout?"

"Once Xie Qingfeng and his group entered through the bamboo curtain, they found themselves in a different world. The exterior was just an ordinary tile-roofed house, but that was merely the facade. Inside, it was spacious. First was an antique corridor, with roof beams covered with tiles overhead, and further ahead, a wide wooden floor surrounded by walls adorned with many strange and ancient runes."

"In a corner, there was a small incense burner, much smaller than the one in the courtyard, surrounded by a faint mist of odd-smelling smoke, neither pleasant nor unpleasant, but somewhat discomforting."

"The strangest part was a passage carved between the circular corridor and the room doors, seemingly splitting the interior and exterior. The passage, over a meter wide, appeared bottomless, with only the faint sound of water echoing, adding to the eeriness."

"Even more bizarre was the back of the house, which opened up to a spacious semi-circular courtyard illuminated by daylight, enclosed by tall walls. The ground level was significantly lower than the house, giving the impression of sinking."

"In a corner of the courtyard stood an ancient locust tree, its sprawling canopy covering most of the area."

"Thus, it created a stark contrast: the back was dim, but the space between the room doors and the sunken courtyard was brightly lit, forming a sharp contrast with the dark water canal in front of the corridor, where the sunlight shone brightly yet eerily."

"Hao Jixin couldn't help but rub his arms: 'Damn, what a setup! It gives you the chills.'"

"Under the shadow of the locust tree laid a bamboo mat, where an old Taoist in a robe, with a bun on his head and a wooden hairpin, sat cross-legged in meditation. His beard was grey, indicating he was well over fifty."

"The young man, seeing them stand still, urged, 'Aren't you here to see the master? Don't block the way; the master has other guests later.'"

"Hao Jixin glanced back at him: 'Doing this kind of harmful business and still expecting guests? Dream on.'"

"Xie Qingfeng, expressionless, continued along the corridor. At the wall's base, there was a narrow passage just wide enough for one person. He walked through it to reach the end of the room, where wooden stairs descended."

"Xie Qingfeng stepped down the ladder, but stopped at the bottom without proceeding further."

"Jing Xiu, silent from the beginning, stayed a step behind Xie Qingfeng, his eyes sharp and vigilant, carefully watching the old man nearby, ready to protect the national master from any potential harm."

"The young man didn't dare to approach, instead kneeling at the edge: 'Master, they have arrived.'"

"The old Taoist slowly opened his eyes, his murky gaze wandering, blending almost seamlessly with the shadow of the locust tree behind him. His eyes scanned the four individuals, finally resting between Li and Xie Qingfeng, locking eyes with Xie Qingfeng: 'Was it you who solved it?'"

"Xie Qingfeng's gaze was cold as he looked at the old Taoist: 'What does it matter if it was or wasn't me?'"

"The old Taoist stared intently at Xie Qingfeng's half-covered face, trying to read his forehead but failing to discern anything. 'Who's backing you? Quite skilled, to be able to shield your fate like this.'"

"Hao Jixin, seeing the old man's self-righteous demeanor, couldn't help but roll his eyes: 'Oh please, why not just admit you can't see it? What shielding? You just can't!'"

"Used to decades of reverence, the old Taoist was taken aback by such disrespect from a youngster. His murky eyes darkened. He remained motionless, but the talismans on the walls beside him stirred, one suddenly falling and flying towards Hao Jixin."

"This all happened silently, with Hao Jixin unaware as his back was turned. He only saw the master raise his hand and felt something brush past his ear, followed by a loud bang and the smell of something burning behind him."

"It was a strange smell, like burning flesh, quite unpleasant."

"Reacting instinctively, Hao Jixin turned to see a charred talisman on the floor three or four meters away, just as it burned out its last spark."

"And there was a gap on the wall."

"Realizing what had happened, Hao Jixin's face darkened with anger. He turned back and said, 'You harm others first and then play the elder card. I said you couldn't and that's a fact. Are you really upset? And you resort to hurting people just because you're mad? Damn, no skills and a black heart!'"

"No wonder he willingly harms others. There's not a trace of a nobleman's temperament or integrity in his bones. He's rotten to the core."

"The old Taoist, however, was no longer paying attention to Hao Jixin. He frowned and looked unpleasantly at Xie Qingfeng, surprised that he had misjudged the young man, who truly had skills and wasn't just relying on someone else."

"'Who are you? Who taught you?' To have such skills at a young age, and even he couldn't see the talisman Xie Qingfeng used to destroy his."

"Since realizing the layout of this place, Xie Qingfeng's expression had been grim. Jing Xiu, sensing his mood, saw the national master this angry for the first time. It seemed this vile person must have taken many lives."

"Jing Xiu glanced coldly at the old Taoist, not even bothering to show a shred of respect. His death would be deserved."

"Xie Qingfeng's voice grew colder: 'I'm curious about who taught you, allowing your hands to be stained with blood without consequence, letting you wreak such havoc.' My initial intention was merely to find Li's middle school classmate and undo the malevolent formation on Li, returning it to its originator."

"But upon arriving here, I unexpectedly discovered this place. The bamboo curtain concealed everything at first, but now, standing under this sole ray of sunlight, I see the locust tree shrouded in dark energy, hiding untold sins."

"And this old Taoist in front of me is steeped in sin, bottomlessly greedy for money."

"The old Taoist laughed in irritation: 'Such arrogance from a youngster. I'm old enough to be your grandfather. Don't think your talent and proficiency at such a young age gives you the right to disrespect your elders.' He then pulled out a bell from his robes, similar to those hanging outside."

"Xie Qingfeng, seemingly oblivious to his actions: 'Does your employer know that while solving their problems, you also partially nullify their fortunes, thereby shortening their lifespan as part of the karmic retribution?'"

"No one is indifferent to their own lifespan. If his employers knew, this old Taoist wouldn't last long in this business."

"But that's not the point."

"'You deliberately harm your employers' enemies, generating resentment at their death. You nurture this resentment with these locust trees, using forbidden practices to exponentially increase your own power. But can you truly... enjoy this ill-gotten gain?' As Xie Qingfeng spoke, the old Taoist's face turned extremely ugly. He didn't believe that the other party had the ability to discern his fate at a glance. Having used so many lives and resentments to barely scratch the surface of his power at sixty, he knew it was impossible to see one's fate so easily."

"So this young man must have investigated him thoroughly: 'Who sent you? What do you want? Want a share of the profits?' Over the years, he had amassed a fortune dirty enough to last several lifetimes. But no one ever thinks they have enough money, especially when he needed more talismans to increase his power."

"His ultimate goal was to find the secret to immortality, to extend his lifespan."

"But what did this young man say? That he wouldn't live to enjoy it? Ridiculous!"

"The old Taoist shook the bell, but the sound it made was not pleasant; instead, it was a grating noise, almost unbearable."

"Almost instantly, the talismans hanging on both walls behind him flew up, forming a line that blocked the only source of sunlight above Xie Qingfeng and his group."

"At the same time, the locust tree behind the old Taoist began to shake, as if the resentment it harbored could materialize, continuously absorbed by the old man, plunging the surroundings into darkness."

"Hao Jixin was stunned: 'Damn... what is this?'"

"Having followed the master for some time and seen much, this was still his first encounter with such a phenomenon. Clearly, this old Taoist was the most formidable they had met so far... He and Li clung together behind Jing Yingdi: 'Attack! Take him down!'"

"Jing Xiu: '...........'"