First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1674: The Silkpants, Shen Mu

After Gu Dongliu and his companions arrived, they stood not far away. They obviously weren’t afraid of Tang Yuyan, and they fully intended to get mixed up in this.

“Miss Tang, how about we split this good fortune fifty-fifty?” Gu Dongliu asked with a smile. He obviously knew how capable she was. Had she been an ordinary Immortal Lady, he would have kicked her out a long time ago.

“Why should we split it? We got here first!” Tang Yuyan said coldly.

Gu Dongliu gestured at the blood-red, baleful mists blotting out the sky. “Utterly terrifying demonic creatures lurk within the mists. If we have a falling out, we’ll alert them, and none of us will acquire any good fortune.”

A moment later, he shifted tacks. “But if we work together, we can ensure each other’s safety, and we’ll all benefit. What’s not to like?”

Tang Yuyan and the others’ expressions shifted. All of them felt stifled and frustrated, for the simple reason that they knew Gu Dongliu was right!

“We can split the good fortune, but we’re taking seventy percent,” Tang Yuyan said coldly. “Otherwise, there’s no room for any further discussion.”

“Seventy percent?” Gu Dongliu frowned, and his smile faded. “That won’t cut it. It has to be fifty-fifty. I respect you, Miss Tang, but don’t mistake me for a pushover!”

The atmosphere was instantly stifled and tense. Everyone readied themselves for battle.

“Finding this good fortune was a blessing of fate. This humble monk naturally must claim his share too.”

A handsome young monk in Buddhist robes appeared accompanying this voice. It was Zhuo Yun!

He had an ethereal air about him, and with every step he took, lotuses bloomed beneath his feet. He had the countenance of a Buddhist statue, and he was extraordinarily eye-catching.

“It’s that shameless, black-hearted baldy!” one of the experts of the Church of Divine Flame cried out. His face filled with terror and dread.

Over in Tang Yuyan’s camp, everyone looked stunned, and their expressions shifted.

Who didn’t know of Zhuo Yun, the unrivaled Immortal Lord of Lotus Temple?

Those who truly understood him knew that beneath his compassionate veneer, he was utterly ruthless, and he loved nothing more than smacking people with square, brick-like treasure seal.

When Zhuo Yun appeared, the situation abruptly shifted. Even the Church of Divine Flame experts found this troublesome.

Tang Yuyan rubbed her forehead. She felt a headache coming on. Barely any time had passed, but so many competitors had come crawling out of the woodwork. This was entirely unexpected.

She didn’t even need to think to know that they had little hope of monopolizing this good fortune!

“‘Black-hearted baldy?’ It seems you’ve deeply misunderstood this humble monk,” sighed Zhuo Yun.

He approached from afar, but when he inadvertently caught a glimpse of Su Yi standing in Tang Yuyan’s camp, he stiffened, and the corners of his lips twitched. What’s he doing here!?

Despite his panic, Zhuo Yun maintained his external calm. “This humble monk has divined that this good fortune is not destined for me, so I shan't disturb you any further. Farewell!”

With that, he turned to leave.

The crowd was flabbergasted. What’s going on? You only just got here, but you’re leaving already?

“Stop right there,” said a calm voice.

Su Yi had spoken.

Tang Hanfeng and the others’ expressions shifted. Shen Mu, why do you have to make trouble? Why on earth are you dead-set on keeping that black-hearted monk here?

But against all expectations, Zhuo Yun whipped around and plastered a delighted smile on his face. “Ah, so you’re here too, Fellow Daoist Shen! I didn’t notice!”

“...” It was obvious to everyone that Zhuo Yun was insincere and that his “smile” was fake. They couldn’t help but find this strange.

Tang Yuyan couldn’t help but take another glance at Su Yi. Don’t tell me this guy knows Zhuo Yun?

Su Yi smiled. “Since you’re here, do us a favor and help Miss Tang send those Church of Divine Flames people packing. Then you can leave.”

Gu Dongliu and the others’ expressions shifted.

Zhuo Yun couldn’t help but grumble to himself. You could handle all of them yourself, so why make me do it?

A moment later, he clasped his palms and said with solemn austerity, “Well spoken, Fellow Daoist Shen. Eradicating evil and upholding righteousness is the sacred duty of all Buddhist cultivators. I, Zhuo Yun, might be untalented, but I am willing to become a fierce golden vajra in the name of righteousness!”

His voice boomed throughout the surrounding area, and he sounded righteous indeed.

The crowd almost thought they were hearing things.

Tang Yuyan, however, was delighted. With Zhuo Yun’s help, how could she possibly be afraid of Gu Dongliu?

“Zhuo Yun, what’s that supposed to mean?” Gu Dongliu’s expression darkened.

Zhuo Yun held his bricklike seal aloft and said solemnly, “I’m going to assist Miss Tang in eradicating evil and upholding justice, of course!”

With that, he took a step forward, raised his seal, and slammed it at Gu Dongliu. He was the very picture of ferocity; he didn’t seem like a compassionate monk at all.

Tang Yuyan had long since felt stifled. How could she possibly be polite at a time like this? When she saw Zhuo Yun attack, she leaped into the fray without hesitation.

“Tang Yuyan, don’t you want good fortune here? If a grand battle breaks out, we’re sure to lure out the creatures hiding deep within the mist!” Gu Dongliu bellowed.

As he spoke, he led his allies further away for fear of being surrounded. If that happened, they might well be doomed.

“Who cares about good fortune? I’ll be happy so long as I can disqualify the lot of you!” Tang Yuyan was seething with murderous intent as she swung her short saber.

Zhuo Yun was even more tyrannical. He raised his seal and swung like mad.

“Retreat!!” Gu Dongliu was so furious that his voice boomed like thunder, but he dared not fight them head-on. He led his allies away, and soon, the whole group had fled.

One-on-one, he wouldn’t have been afraid of either Tang Yuyan or Zhuo Yun, but the two of them were fighting together. He had no hope of victory.

It had only been three days since the start of the Divine Hunt. There was no need to fight to the death over good fortune.

“Hah! How could I possibly let you escape?” shouted Zhuo Yun.

But just as he was about to give chase, Su Yi said, “Enough. Don’t bother.”

Zhuo Yun immediately stopped in his tracks and put the treasure seal away. When Tang Yuyan saw this, she could only let it go too.

“Amitabha! How wondrous! Fellow Daoist Shen, in your great compassion, you’re unwilling to make trouble for even those Demonist fiends. Your magnanimity is admirable indeed,” Zhuo Yun exclaimed, then sighed.

“...” Tang Yuyan and her allies didn’t know what to say. Weren’t you just going on about punishing evildoers? Now you’re praising Shen Mu’s compassion in letting them go? You sure are capricious! You don’t mean a word you say!

Su Yi couldn’t help but find this amusing too. He waved. “You can leave.”

“Fellow Daoist, you have important business at hand, so this humble monk shan't disturb you any longer. Farewell,” said Zhuo Yun. Then, without any further delays, he turned and dashed off, disappearing in the blink of an eye. It seemed he couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

Just like that, this tense staredown ended without conflict.

Now, when everyone looked at Su Yi, they looked bewildered. How could this guy possibly command Zhuo Yun, the unrivaled Immortal Lord of Lotus Temple?

And it was obvious that Zhuo Yun wasn’t at all happy about it. He just dared not disobey Shen Mu’s orders!

It was far too astonishing. Given Zhuo Yun’s status, even Immortal Kings had to treat him with respect. He was a peak figure among Immortal Lords, the cream of the crop. How could he possibly obey someone like Shen Mu, who’d only gotten into the Divine Hunt through his connections?

But although they had questions, none of them asked. For one thing, their dignity prevented them from taking the initiative to approach Su Yi. For another, they’d jeered, belittled, or criticized Su Yi so many times by now that their relationship was already tense.

They truly couldn’t bring themselves to ask him anything.

In the end, it was Tang Yuyan who broke the awkward silence. “Are you… friends with Zhuo Yun?”

Su Yi shook his head. “I wouldn’t call us friends.”

“....” Tang Yuyan took a deep look at him, but she didn’t ask any further questions. She just took out her Spirit-Binding Rope and got to work.

Whoosh!

The rope expanded, shooting into the fog and silently wrapping around a Star Origin Essence Stone. A gentle tug, and the rare divine material landed in the palm of Tang Yuyan’s hand.

She then proceeded to repeat the process, plucking one Star Origin Essence Stone after another out of the fog. All the while, the other Immortal Lords oversaw the perimeter.

Fortunately, nothing else unexpected happened, and before long, she’d emptied the fog of treasure. She looked absolutely delighted.

“These are you for,” said Tang Yuyan, distributing a portion of the Star Origin Essence Stones to the other Immortal Lords.

Then, she split what remained, taking half for herself and passing the other half to Su Yi. “This is your share.”

Su Yi hadn’t helped directly this time, but his relationship with Zhuo Yun had averted a potential conflict. Thus, Tang Yuyan gave him a large share.

“This many?” Su Yi laughed.

Tang Yuyan said, “I always strive for fairness. You earned this. I trust that no one will object.”

The other Immortal Lords remained silent, but this was tacit agreement. How could they not have realized that it was thanks to Shen Mu that they’d acquired this good fortune so smoothly?

Su Yi wasn’t polite. With a wave of his sleeves, he put the almost fifty pieces of Star Origin Essence Stone away.

Before long, Tang Yuyan led the group on their way. As they traveled, the Immortal Lords transmitted to each other in secret.

“Shen Mu’s strength might be unexceptional, but he most likely has an extraordinary status. Otherwise, how could Zhuo Yun have followed his orders?” someone said.

“That’s right. If he were just an ordinary Immortal Lord, he couldn’t possibly have convinced the Tang Family to give him a spot in the Divine Hunt,” Tang Hanfeng said with certainty.

“So we’ve encountered someone with an extraordinarily lofty status, huh? I’m sure his background is impressive. Perhaps he’s the descendant of one of those legendary experts at the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao. That could explain his special treatment, right?” exclaimed an Immortal Lord.

“So what if he has a lofty status? His strength is negligible. He couldn’t even make it into the Divine Hunt on his own power. He himself admitted that his cultivation was insufficient, and that he needed the Tang Family’s help. He might be an Immortal Lord, but he’s nothing but a silkpants!” said one of the Immortal Lords. His voice was tinged with undisguisable jealousy.

After this silent, transmitted conversation, the Immortal Lords concluded that Su Yi had an incredibly extraordinary background… and that he was a total silkpants!