Chapter 14 The Ten Cultivators of the Dao Sect
The rabbit meat is golden in color, with oil and juices seeping out and dripping, emitting a fragrant aroma.
Ji Mingran stared intently at the rabbit meat, silently swallowing his saliva.
She was so focused on the rabbit meat that she didn't notice a gaze constantly falling on her.
"You brat!" the bearded man snapped, "What are you looking at? Put your head back in!"
That good-for-nothing has no self-control whatsoever. Unlike me, who, when faced with that strikingly handsome young man, maintained my composure and didn't foolishly stare at him.
The young man with stubble was startled by the bearded man's voice and his whole body trembled.
The bearded man was exasperated and about to reprimand him again when the long-bearded man stopped him: "Calm down, don't scare the others. Junior Brother doesn't usually act like this, there must be a reason."
His gaze swept over the displeased young man, and the man with the goatee said gently, "It wouldn't be good if the young lady and gentleman misunderstood."
Upon hearing this, the bearded man and his gang all turned to look at Ji Mingran.
Ji Mingran was stunned.
Is the shop so famous that even the shop assistants are recognized?
"Has this guy been here before? Uh, sorry, I didn't recognize him."
Boss Jiang's business is booming. Although she has many customers, she is not so unlucky as to need to visit frequently, so she naturally does not remember every customer.
Seeing that Ji Mingran did not deny it, the man with the stubble on his stubble said happily, "It really is you. When the elders of the clan suddenly passed away, I hurriedly took over as the clan leader. My uncles and elders all watched coldly as I handled the funeral rites. It was only thanks to your careful guidance that I was able to handle things properly, avoid being laughed at by others, and allow the elders of the clan to be buried with dignity."
As a professional shop assistant, Ji Mingran was very familiar with the rules of the shop, and the more he sold, the more he would talk. According to the young man, he was probably a big customer who had bought the entire set of funeral supplies from the shop.
"That happened before I joined the sect." The bearded man excitedly told his senior brothers about what happened back then. "Miss Ji is an honest person. That nanmu wood is really top-notch. My picky uncle was speechless when he saw it."
He looked at Ji Mingran more closely and exclaimed, "It's been seven or eight years since I last saw you. Miss Ji has become much more outstanding. I almost didn't recognize you."
Having been well-fed for eight years and spending long periods indoors, Ji Mingran is no longer as dark, sallow, and withered as he was back then.
A pair of bright, clear eyes, set against translucent white skin, with slightly upturned corners, exuded a naturally aloof and ethereal aura. Interestingly, those eyes were also large and luminous; as she spoke, her long, thick eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes brimmed with life, captivatingly lively.
He still looked frail and weak, especially with the dark circles under his eyes, which were bluish and heavy.
Despite his prominent dark circles, the stubble-covered man still managed to recognize Ji Mingran.
Upon hearing this, Yu Tianxing glanced at him indifferently, then turned slightly to the side, seemingly unintentionally blocking the bearded youth's view.
The man with the stubble stretched his neck to speak to Ji Mingran, "Miss Ji rarely goes out, what brings you here today?"
Ji Mingran said frankly, "I heard that the Heavenly Gate is about to open, so the boss asked me to come over."
While grilling the meat, the bearded man, who had been listening intently, clapped his hands loudly and said, "No wonder! I was wondering why you and he were bothering to join in the fierce fighting here without a Foundation Establishment cultivator leading the way! Indeed, those who challenged the enemy might have kicked the bucket halfway through. Elder Jiang's quick dispatch of people to keep watch on the business is truly brilliant!"
Ji Mingran didn't understand: "Why is the Taoist priest so certain that we're here to do business?"
The bearded man laughed loudly: "Of the two of you, only you have the slightest sign of Qi cultivation. Unless Elder Jiang has lost his mind, letting you cross the formation is just to make you seek death, isn't it? Elder Jiang wouldn't be this ruthless even if he were heartless."
Ji Mingran remained silent.
She couldn't very well go out of her way to label her boss as insane or heartless.
Convinced that the two weren't competing with his own people for a spot, the bearded man was completely relieved. He turned over the wooden stick with the rabbit meat on it and continued, "It's just that you're too late. The ten cultivators of the Dao Sect have somehow colluded with the government to set up an array on Qiwang Mountain, keeping everyone except their sect disciples and the people in the county town out."
"The Ten Cultivations of the Daoist Sect?" Ji Mingran felt the term sounded familiar, but couldn't quite place it.
The bearded man scratched his beard and shook his head, saying, "Didn't Elder Jiang even tell you this?" The little girl didn't understand anything, so she was probably just an ordinary shop assistant in Elder Jiang's shop. The reason she could vaguely grasp the way of Qi cultivation was probably because she needed to ward off evil spirits while working in the funeral industry.
Upon hearing Ji Mingran's question, the man with the stubble quickly replied, "I know the answer to this question. A hundred years ago, there were numerous sects vying for power and constantly clashing. Later, ten powerful figures stepped forward to take charge, balancing the various forces and reaching an alliance, which quelled many troubles. The sect alliance behind these ten powerful figures was the Ten Cultivators of the Dao Sect." Worried that his senior brother's words might make Ji Mingran overthink, he added, "Elder Jiang was one of the original Ten Cultivators, but she later said she wanted to focus on her business and withdrew. Perhaps that's why she didn't mention it to Miss Ji."
Ji Mingran didn't care at all. If I'm not mistaken, Boss Jiang had completely forgotten about it.
Ji Mingran continued, "The Daoist Ten Cultivators sound quite upright, so why do they forbid others from entering the city?"
The bearded man turned his head and spat, saying disdainfully, "It's just a group effort. This Heavenly Gate usually only appears once every sixty years, but who knew it would come again after twenty years. Everyone is worried that it will not appear again for another hundred years after this one, so they are all rushing to do it. The ten cultivators of the Dao Sect simply set up an array to ensure that their direct disciples can seize the initiative."
As they were talking, the ground suddenly shook violently, as if it were about to violently throw all the creatures on the ground off.
Yu Tianxing grabbed Ji Mingran and pulled her into his arms, then turned to face the tree, holding her tightly. Ji Mingran immediately clung to the tree trunk. The two of them, together, managed to keep their balance.
Several beams of light fell from the distance, illuminating the mountains and forests as bright as the sun.
The bearded man and the goatee standing beside him stood firmly on the ground like rocks, protecting the firewood as they continued to roast the rabbit meat, but their expressions were unfriendly.
The bearded man was the first to curse, "That damned bastard is here again!"
"One or two at a time, how many people have come these past few days!" Goat Beard was furious.
The bearded man continued to curse: "You scoundrel, you lowlife!"
Amidst a continuous stream of curses, the tremors gradually subsided.
Ji Mingran poked his head out: "What's going on?"
The stubble-faced young man, who had fallen flat on his face, looked up and shouted, "An outsider, someone who came from a small world."
Goat Beard said angrily, "They felt they couldn't compete with others in their own world, so they took advantage of the opening of the Heavenly Gate and the gaps that appeared in various realms to cross over and seize our opportunity."
Transcending time...
Even someone as ignorant of cultivation as Ji Mingran could not fathom the extent of a cultivator's abilities to traverse worlds.
Ji Mingran seemed to be deep in thought.
Even such powerful beings have to vie for the Dao in other worlds, which shows how fierce the competition is among cultivators in different small worlds.
They were already blocked outside the city and couldn't get in, and then they watched helplessly as many powerful beings from other worlds arrived. No wonder the bearded man and his gang were so excited.
The bearded man was gesturing and cursing while holding up the rabbit meat when he suddenly realized his hand was empty, and he found that the rabbit meat in his hand had been put into the hands of the handsome young man.
The latter took the rabbit meat he had been roasting for half a day and handed it to the little girl as casually as if it were his own: "Eat it."
Not polite at all.
But the little girl actually took it, expertly tore the meat in half, handed one half back to the young man, and took a bite.
The bearded man took a deep breath.
With things already going this way, all you're doing is eating!
The worst part is that they didn't even leave him any!
Just as the bearded man was about to speak, Ji Mingran looked up and showered him with praise: "Delicious! Brother, your cooking is superb. I've never tasted such delicious rabbit meat before! Brother, you've already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, so you must have already abstained from grains. The others must have fallen quite hard and need to recover. Brother, if you don't eat this rabbit soon, it'll get burnt. We'll eat it first as a sign of respect. Thank you, Brother!"
Hey! The bearded man, who was always complained about by his picky junior brothers, immediately lost his resentment and grinned, "You know your stuff! Little sister knows your stuff! There's one more coming soon, just you wait, girl!"
At the same time, I had a second thought.
That's true. They're here to do business. No matter how many otherworldly beings come, it's none of their business. Their top priority is naturally getting enough to eat.
Even Goat Beard chimed in, "Me too, try my cooking."
Ji Mingran was happy to eat more and said with a smile, "I'm really lucky to have met you all."
"We're all just fellow sufferers, unable to enter the gates of Minghua County." The bearded man sighed. "Eat more, it's not easy for the girl to come all this way only to have it all for nothing."
Ji Mingran was surprised to hear this: "Big brother, even with your Foundation Establishment cultivation, you failed to break through the formation?"
The bearded man blushed, thinking that luckily his beard covered his face so that no one could see his embarrassment: "It's not just us, these past few days, cultivators have been falling into Minghua County like dumplings being dropped into a pot."
"Fell down?"
"The city gates were heavily fortified and guarded by soldiers. Everyone thought that the formation might be weakened in the air, so they tried to break through in various ways."
He touched his backside with lingering fear: "We dared not force it again, so we watched from a distance."
"Hey," Ji Mingran said, intrigued, "How did these people fall down? Did they all fall in different ways?"
The bearded man thought Ji Mingran was getting really into it, enjoying the spectacle.
Since he had nothing better to do, he replied, "Those going to the southeast usually crash straight down, falling vertically and screaming loudly. Those going to the northwest get caught in the fall, spinning around as they fall, leaving everyone dizzy and seeing stars." He then handed the freshly roasted rabbit meat to Ji Mingran, "Try this."
Yu Tianxing, who had been eagerly grabbing the meat, made no move at this moment.
Ji Mingran's gaze subtly swept over the bearded man's hand, which had just been patting his buttocks, his smile still bright: "Brother, you don't need to be so polite, we're full. Let the other brothers eat, they're still hungry."
The bearded junior brothers, preoccupied with checking each other for injuries, hadn't noticed the bearded man's actions and cried out eagerly, "Yes, senior brother, we're still hungry!"
"Senior brother, don't forget about us."
The bearded man glared at them: "I told you to practice diligently, but you still haven't even mastered the art of fasting."
"I came here with my senior brother to see what it's like."
"Yes, perhaps we'll have an epiphany after we've seen more of the world."
The bearded man, annoyed by their noise, grabbed the goat-bearded man and tossed all the rabbit meat he was holding to them. Turning around, he saw Ji Mingran quietly squatting by the fire, chin in hand, face scrunched up, deep in thought.
Having served as the senior disciple for many years, the bearded man believed he understood perfectly what troubled her. "Little sister," he said, offering advice, "this business is difficult! Forget it!"
The man with the goat beard stroked his beard and said, "Even Foundation Establishment cultivators have difficulty entering the city, let alone you. I'm sure Boss Jiang will understand."
The man with the stubble added, "Miss Ji, please don't be sad. This matter has indeed put you in a difficult position."
"Yeah yeah."
The people biting into the rabbit meat also said repeatedly.
"Brother, the meat of this rabbit is much more tender than that of other places. I wonder what it's called?" Ji Mingran asked abruptly.
The bearded man was completely bewildered, finding the little girl's thoughts to be jumping around. Just moments ago she was frowning over the matter of going to the city, but now she was suddenly paying attention to rabbits.
"The Fire Rabbit can breathe fire and leap ten feet into the air."
This place is rich in spiritual plants and creatures, and is abundant in Firefly Rabbits, so they specially caught them to provide their junior brothers with spiritual food to replenish their spiritual energy.
“Fire Rabbit…” Ji Mingran took a big bite of rabbit meat, his eyes shining brightly. “I have a way to get into the city.”
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