"Uncle-Master, please wait!"
Just as Bai Cang rode the clouds and roared out of the mountain gate.
Suddenly, a desperate shout came from below, as if it possessed an astonishing magic, causing Bai Cang to sway and almost fall off the cloud.
"Damn it! What bad luck!"
Bai Cang looked down with displeasure. "Which bastard is so rude?"
He looked down and saw Xu Yang chasing his cloud as if he had gone mad, waving his arms and shouting loudly.
At the mountain gate, outside the guest hall, many people were attracted by this scene and looked over.
Not wanting to be chased by a "pervert," Bai Cang immediately descended from the clouds, his expression indifferent, and said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Xu. May I ask what business you have with me?"
Fellow Daoist Xu, I see signs of an untimely death; I fear your life is nearing its end.
We hit it off immediately, but now you're leaving, my friend. Let me see you off on your journey so you can leave in peace. What do you say?
"Uncle Bai, my Uncle Bai, I've finally waited for you."
Xu Yang was unaware that he had unintentionally committed a grave offense against Bai Cang. His face was filled with a joyful smile, but his eyes were filled with bitter tears. He grabbed Bai Cang's sleeve as if afraid that he would run away, and almost couldn't help but cry out, "Uncle Bai, I have been waiting for you for so long!"
Xu Yang's words were sincere, but Bai Cang only felt a chill. He immediately flicked his sleeve, causing Xu Yang to stagger and almost fall. "Fellow Daoist Xu, in formal occasions, please address me by my title!"
Bai Cang's expression was indifferent, as if the words "we are not familiar" were written all over his face.
Even though Xu Yang was still agitated and slow to react, he finally realized what was happening and was stunned.
It's just "lax management of subordinates," why hold a grudge until now?
Besides, haven't I already retaliated in an even more severe way, just as you instructed?
How dare they take their anger out on me?
As expected, the rumors were not unfounded; "Bai Zhenchuan's" mind was probably smaller than a pinhead.
Meanwhile, outside the guest room door.
Many people gathered in small groups, all casting gossipy glances their way, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
Some busybodies couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
"What's going on? Has Master Xu gone mad again?"
"What do you mean 'crazy'? This is because we've met the real deal."
"Is that the legendary Master Bai? He truly is handsome and extraordinary!"
"I heard that Master Xu accidentally offended Master Bai, and he's been going crazy lately."
"What kind of obsession are you talking about? Is it just that you spend every day guarding the mountain gate and waiting for the true disciples to come?"
"Didn't you notice that almost all the young boys guarding the guest hall have been replaced?"
"I heard that all the people with connections inside have been expelled by Manager Xu."
"Isn't he the biggest beneficiary himself? Has he really gone mad?"
"Is this considered insane? Three families, twenty-eight households, all disappeared overnight. Guess who did this?"
"Wow, Xu Mentou has gone berserk!"
"What's so special about that? Anyone can be ruthless to others, but Xu Mentou is ruthless to his own family. That's true ruthlessness."
"What do you mean? Does he intend to wipe out his entire family?"
"I heard that he has almost emptied out the entire Xu family, leaving them completely clean."
"That's really ruthless, it bankrupted them!"
"That's why they say it's better to provoke the Five Academies than to offend the true master."
"Silence! Master Bai is a magnanimous man; how could he tolerate such slander from you?"
"That's right, it must be because Master Xu acted on his own and misunderstood Master Bai..."
Hearing these people's almost loud, secret discussions, Bai Cang couldn't help but chuckle.
If he wasn't mistaken, these people were all specially arranged by Xu Yang, right?
What a clever ruse! They're all so smart!
However, Bai Cang was not opposed to Xu Yang's unique "report meeting," nor did he feel the slightest bit guilty for making dozens or hundreds of people disappear in order to establish his authority.
The young Taoist priest who was able to sneak into the guest hall, take on a lucrative position, and even dare to act so recklessly could not possibly be a kind person.
If he's like this at such a young age, you can imagine what kind of people his family is.
The entire Taiyin City, and even the entire Xia Kingdom under the rule of the Heshan Sect, is an invisible and enormous arena where good people cannot thrive.
If you want to climb up, you either "eat people" or get eaten; it's just a matter of big fish eating small fish and small fish eating shrimp.
No "snowflake" is innocent; which "meat-eater" doesn't have blood on their hands?
It's simply a matter of whether you eat nicely or not, and whether you spit out the bones or not.
Even he, "Master Bai," who was supposed to be a "father and son" with Lao Han, was thrown onto the life-or-death arena before he even brushed his teeth.
If you don't eat people, people will eat you; it's that simple.
But none of that matters. So what if they are a kind family?
Along the way, all Bai Cang saw was deceit and treachery, the survival of the fittest, and his heart had long since turned black.
Aside from upholding the last vestige of being human, his morality is practically nonexistent; he has no morality whatsoever.
As long as I have no morals, I will not be held hostage by anyone!
Do you really think you can make me hesitate over a mere hundred or so lives, artificially creating a weakness for me?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Of course, it's also possible that Bai Cang is overthinking things, and that the other person didn't mean it that way at all.
However, he never hesitates to assume the worst about others.
But now that the appetizers are over, shouldn't we start the main course?
Just then, Bai Cang suddenly felt a brocade pouch appear in his sleeve.
Xu Yang bowed deeply, his face full of shame, "This disciple has failed in his duty; please forgive me, Master."
Bai Cang squeezed the brocade pouch and knew it was a storage bag. He released his divine sense and put it away, already knowing the contents in his mind: eight thousand spirit pearls plus the storage bag, a total of fourteen thousand spirit pearls as an "apology"—it was truly a generous gesture.
So he immediately smiled and said, "It was just a joke, why are you being so formal, Junior Nephew Xu?"
Faced with Bai Cang's lightning-fast change of expression, Xu Yang didn't even have the courage to grumble in his heart.
Learn from your mistakes, and take heed of the lessons of the past!
So he simply said respectfully, "What the true teachings say is the golden rule, and this disciple would never dare to be negligent in the slightest."
Bai Cang smiled and said, "Look, we're still so distant."
"By the way, who was Junior Nephew Xu's master again?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yang's face lit up with a hint of pride. "In terms of family background, Li Gong's given name is Shang Chunxia Feng."
"Li Chunfeng's apprentice?"
Bai Cang's eyes turned cold instantly. "It seems that I have indeed been unworthy of Fellow Daoist Xu!"
Before he could finish speaking, Bai Cang flicked his sleeves, turned around and left with a blank expression.
Xu Yang was dumbfounded: Are you a dog? You turn on me like that!
In his haste, Xu Yang blurted out, "Is the true disciple going to Beishi? I still have some connections and am willing to serve the true disciple."
Bai Cang's face darkened upon hearing this. "How could I be such a lustful person? Fellow Daoist Xu, please watch your words!"
Having said that, Bai Cang rose into the clouds, turned around, and disappeared into the depths of the mountain gate, heading straight for the Sutra Repository.
You, a scholar who reads the Spring and Autumn Annals, how dare you ruin my reputation?
Bai Cang, who had originally intended to alert the enemy, had now made up his mind to make a big fuss about Xu Yang.
Li Chunfeng, is it? Just wait and see if I chop off your dog paws!
[Thanks to "Liu Wei who loves spicy duck sauce", please give me a free gift]
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