Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

"Keep screaming and I'll slaughter you too," Yi Chen said with a gentle smile to the plump female cultivator. At this moment, the woman felt as if a giant hand had grasped her heart, terror engulfing her like a tsunami, and her screams came to an abrupt halt.

At this moment, the entire tavern fell into silence, everyone shocked by the scene unfolding before them.

The thin monkey who had earlier called out to the bearded monk for guidance now sat restlessly in a corner. Just moments ago, his long-time collaborator, the black panther, had died.

Someone had been killed with brutal force in the midst of the bustling market, their blood splattering across the ground in a horrific display, some droplets even staining the surface of his shoes.

"Hiss, this person couldn't possibly know my relationship with Brother Panther, could he?"

"He shouldn't. I have always been in touch with Brother Panther directly, just helping out with some minor tasks."

After some consideration, the thin monkey felt slightly relieved.

Nearer now, ever nearer.

Yi Chen's figure passed by him, casting a shadow over the monk's heart like a heavy cloud.

Nothing happened.

As the cloud dissipated and sunlight returned, the thin monkey was filled with the joy of having narrowly escaped disaster.

The shadow moved on, slowly approaching the tavern's madam.

The eyes of everyone in the tavern converged on Yi Chen and the madam.

"Old Yi, you..."

"Madam, here are a few bottles of aniseed beans for you," Yi Chen said with a grin, offering her a jade box.

As a Taoist, he had 'dealt with' countless people and has been given a vast stockpile of storage rings. Finding a few pills to help one break through into the True Person Realm was... indeed not an easy task. He had to rummage for quite a while before finding these.

"I'm leaving," Yi Chen said as he turned around and waved his hand behind him to say goodbye.

He casually walked toward the table where the thin monkey monk sat.

"Almost forgot."

In an instant, a large hand slammed onto the monk's head.

The thin monkey monk shrank a head shorter and fell to the cold ground.

"Sorry for interrupting your fun, everyone. Today's drinks are on me, Old Yi," he announced.

With a swift motion of his hand, the possessions on the corpses of the thin monkey and bearded monk flew towards the table where Mrs. Zhuo, the tavern madam, was sitting. His figure flickered, and he disappeared from the hall.

After Yi Chen's figure vanished, the tavern erupted into chaos, with people clamoring to ask Mrs. Zhuo about her relationship with the senior. Only after the noise had subsided did Mrs. Zhuo hang up the "Closed" sign, secured the doors and windows, and opened the jade box.

"Hiss!"

With her mouth agape, Mrs. Zhuo's face was a mixture of shock and ecstasy~

Unbeknownst to her, the seemingly insignificant items Yi Chen had casually thrown out could change the destiny of a cultivator. The pills were the reward for the note he had given Mrs. Zhuo.

...

...

Revisiting the old haunts, the Tower of Quiet Dreams.

Yi Chen, dressed in an exquisite cyan Taoist robe, sat opposite an old scholar wearing a tall scholar's hat. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

The robe was an expensive purchase from the largest ready-to-wear shop in Zeyang City after he had left the tavern.

He had to dress well; otherwise, the Confucian scholars might think members of the Hidden Dragon Alliance couldn't afford decent robes.

It was a must-buy!

"Brother Hidden Dragon, please!" the scholar invited as he poured a cup of crystal-clear, fine wine from his fiery red gourd, with a gesture of his hand.

A pleasant and fragrant aroma wafted over, mingled with some indescribable and strange scents.

"Excellent wine. Out of the one hundred and eight different aromas, I can barely detect one hundred and seven. I wonder what the last and most crucial ingredient might be?" Yi Chen picked up the cup, gave it a taste, and then downed it in one gulp.

This wine ranked first among all the fine wines he had tasted.

"What a spirit you have, and such keen senses too. I thought I was the only one who could smell the unique fragrance of the wine bug. I never expected to meet someone like you today," praised the scholar, giving a thumbs up before gesturing, "Please take a look."

A tiny, blue, gourd-shaped meat worm, about an inch long with eight legs and a mouth resembling a wine barrel, appeared on the table.

The scholar brought out a large wine vessel and took out various wines from his storage ring—bamboo-leaf green, daughter red, and grape wine—and mixed them together in the vessel. To Yi Chen's surprise, the scholar then picked up the wine bug and dropped it into the liquid, resulting in a perfect, harmonious blend of the three distinctly different wines.

The blue meat worm was none other than the wine bug, ranked tenth on the list of unusual insects in the cultivation world.

In the eyes of a true wine connoisseur cultivator, not even the top three insects on the list, such as the gold-eating worm, could trump this wine bug.

"My friend, please drink a few more cups today," the scholar said as he put the wine bug back into the gourd, then urged Yi Chen to drink again.

Yi Chen looked at the elderly man before him and, instead of drinking, smiled and said, "It seems you rarely ask for help. Speak plainly; drinking in such a mood wouldn't be enjoyable anyway."

At these words, a look of embarrassment crossed the scholar's face.

Taking a deep breath, he began to spill out his request like pouring beans from a bamboo tube, "Indeed, I have a favor to ask of you."

"I have already sent a letter calling for a friend's assistance, rather than involving you in this matter. But this morning, I received a message saying that my friend will be delayed by a day and will not arrive until tomorrow evening."

"The issue of the disappearing cultivators in Zeyang City points directly to the steward of the ruler of Zeyang City, His Highness the Prince. Therefore, I think it's only proper we pay a visit to His Royal Highness today; I will hold the Prince while you capture the steward. This way, the truth will surely come to light."

"After careful consideration yesterday, I realized that our original strategy of a feigned attack to catch the tiger might take too long. If we wish to rescue the abducted cultivators quickly, we shouldn't delay. We need to take a riskier, more direct approach."