Chapter 68: Old Taoist Chu

At that moment, Elder Qian, the guardian who had remained silent all along, suddenly spoke up, saying, "Everyone, please feel free to go in with peace of mind! There is no danger whatsoever inside."

His voice was calm and resolute, acting as a reassuring anchor for everyone present.

Hearing this, those who had previously harbored doubts and concerns exchanged glances and quickly cast away their hesitation.

After all, since this most powerful figure had already spoken, how could they not believe him? Consequently, one after another, the group filed in, slowly walking through the mysterious stone door.

However, no sooner had Liu An's trio and Jiang Qing's group stepped through the stone door than an old Daoist priest with a goatee and slightly protruding front teeth hurried over with a beaming smile on his face.

He enthusiastically greeted them, saying, "Ah, fellow cultivators, come over and take a look! Everything I have displayed here is a rare treasure hard to come by in this world!

Look at this spiritual Ganoderma mushroom, aged a full four hundred years; it can be yours for a mere five hundred low-grade spiritual stones! And look over here, this is a five-hundred-year-old Fuchunzi herb, and the special price I'm offering now is as low as only one thousand low-grade spiritual stones!

Such an opportunity comes only once in a millennium. If you miss it, you will likely regret it for the rest of your lives!"

Faced with the old priest's endless stream of sales pitches, Jiang Shu, standing nearby, could not help but frown.

With a proud and disdainful tone, she retorted, "Hmph, go away! We won't be fooled by you! Do you really take us for bumpkins who have seen nothing of the world? That so-called spiritual mushroom of yours is, at most, forty or fifty years old. How dare you quote such an outrageous price to cheat others? It's sheer wishful thinking!" Her words were merciless, directly exposing the old priest's lies.

Seeing that the guests standing before him seemed quite knowledgeable, the goateed old priest flashed a fleeting glint of craftiness in his eyes. Then, with a gentle smile, he carefully reached out and opened another jade box.

As the lid slowly opened, a peculiar fragrance immediately diffused into the air, instantly refreshing everyone's minds. What came into view was a vibrant, fiery red flower. Its petals were layered upon layered, swaying gracefully like a dancer's skirt, breathtakingly beautiful.

"Hehe, esteemed guests, with such outstanding bearing and demeanor, you must surely be the young elites of an immortal-cultivation family!

Old Daoist Chu naturally wouldn't dare to use ordinary, low-grade spiritual herbs to fool you. However, I believe you will all be deeply interested in the spiritual herb contained within this box!"

The goateed old priest was all smiles as he spoke, triumphantly shaking the box in his hand at the crowd.

Everyone's gazes were instantly drawn to it, fixed tightly upon the mysterious and beautiful red flower.

At this time, Du Jin, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, "If I am not mistaken, this should be the 'Red Immortal Dress'? It is said to be a rare herb found exclusively on the Three Fairy Isles overseas, and an indispensable medicinal ingredient for refining immortal pills."

Hearing Du Jin accurately name the origin of the flower, the smile on Old Daoist Chu's face grew even brighter.

He nodded repeatedly in praise, saying, "Ah, this young master is truly exceptionally knowledgeable! Correct, correct, it is indeed the Red Immortal Dress.

Although it is no easy task to gather all the spiritual plants required to refine immortal pills, the Red Immortal Dress itself is an extremely rare and hard-to-find precious herb in this world!"

At this point, Old Daoist Chu paused slightly, swept his gaze over the people present, and then slowly added, "Of course, if you several are interested in acquiring this Red Immortal Dress, you only need to pay me a top-grade Post-Heaven spiritual treasure."

As soon as he finished speaking, he carefully placed the exquisite jade box containing the Red Immortal Dress onto the table, then stood quietly to the side, his eyes filled with eager anticipation as he awaited the reaction of everyone present.

Just then, a low and slightly majestic voice suddenly rang out, "This is truly a lion's maw opening wide; aren't you afraid of choking yourself to death? Do you dare let this old man pick it up and experience it himself?" The speaker was none other than Elder Qian, the guardian who had been standing silently in the corner.

Old Daoist Chu had completely failed to notice Elder Qian's presence earlier. Hearing these words now, he felt a jolt of shock in his heart and hastily turned his gaze toward where Elder Qian stood.

Upon seeing the other party clearly, Old Daoist Chu could not help but secretly curse his bad luck. He discovered that the aura surrounding Elder Qian was profound and deep, clearly showing that his cultivation was unfathomable—definitely not something he, a mere fifth-realm cultivator, could contend with.

"Oh dear, this is bad! I never expected to run into young masters and ladies from a genuine immortal-cultivation family today, and there's even such a powerful sixth-realm guardian here. With my fifth-realm cultivation, how could I possibly fool him?" Old Daoist Chu muttered to himself inwardly, fine beads of sweat beginning to break out on his forehead.

Realizing this, Old Daoist Chu dared not show the slightest bit of negligence. He hurriedly cupped his fists, bowed respectfully to Elder Qian, and said with a flattering expression, "Senior, please do not blame this lowly one. It is simply that I was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai, actually daring to attempt to deceive you esteemed young masters and ladies.

It is all because this lowly one was momentarily blinded by greed; I beg Senior, in your vast magnanimity, to spare this wretch this once!" As he spoke, Old Daoist Chu continuously offered apologies while fiercely slapping his own face, producing loud, crisp smacking sounds.

Seeing how tactful Old Daoist Chu was, Jiang Qing frowned slightly, then waved his hand and said indifferently, "Alright, make way."

Granted mercy by Jiang Qing, Old Daoist Chu felt as though he had been granted a pardon, letting out a long sigh of relief in his heart.

Knowing that escaping unscathed this time was already a stroke of immense good fortune, he was well aware of how to seize the opportunity to ingratiate himself with them. Therefore, without a second word, Old Daoist Chu quickly stepped forward, opened the jade box,

carefully retrieved the contents, and respectfully handed them to Jiang Qing, saying, "Thank you, Young Master, for your magnanimity in not bickering with this lowly one. Please accept this immensely precious Qi-Blood Flower as a small gift from this lowly one to you, Young Master."

Du Jin experienced a complex mix of emotions inside. He had misjudged the situation and even shouted out so loudly; it was utterly humiliating.

Sensing Senior Brother Du Jin's awkwardness, Liu An quickly comforted him, saying, "Senior Brother, let go of such minor matters. Don't take it to heart."

"Indeed, Junior Brother is right. Let it go. Next time, if you don't know something, don't speak up, otherwise what will you do when your face gets slapped?" Jian Yi naturally wouldn't let go of such a prime opportunity to kick a man while he was down.

Du Jin was left speechless.