Zhang Chuan carried a load of vegetables to the back kitchen of Mount Xi. There was a small vegetable garden here that grew some produce as well, but it was not large, far from enough to supply the daoists of an entire mountain. Moreover, what was planted in this little garden were only varieties rarely seen at the foot of the mountain. Presumably, the owner of the garden had never intended for it to sustain all the daoists on the mountain.

"Elder Brother Zhang, how come you're personally carrying vegetables up the mountain again this time? Didn't you stop doing the work yourself long ago?"

A daoist spotted Zhang Chuan and teased him curiously. Zhang Chuan had taken on the job of delivering vegetables to Mount Xi ten years ago, but in the past three years, he had rarely come up the mountain himself. After all, the business had grown, and he only needed to control the quality of the vegetables now, there was no need for him to do everything personally.

Zhang Chuan laughed. "Well, today just happens to mark exactly ten years of delivering vegetables to Mount Xi. On such a fine day, I had to come personally, consider it a commemoration."

The daoist let out an "oh" and smiled. "That's true, ten years isn't short."

For ordinary people, ten years was indeed quite a long time.

But for cultivators like them, it was not that long.

The daoist glanced at the vegetable farmers behind Zhang Chuan and noticed a man wearing a bamboo hat. Somewhat puzzled, he asked, "And this is?"

The daoist, who had been cooking in the back kitchen for who knew how many years, could remember what each of the vegetable farmers who came up the mountain looked like. Though he had not yet seen this man's face, even judging by his build alone, he felt he was unfamiliar.

Zhang Chuan paused for a moment, then quickly reacted. "A newly hired hand, he's quite sharp. I'm planning to hand the job over to him in the future, so I brought him up this time for immortal elders to take a look."

The daoist smiled faintly. After hearing that, he did not pursue the matter further. A vegetable farmer delivering produce was indeed not worth much attention to him. Besides, Zhang Chuan had handled deliveries for ten years without any mishap.

Thus, the daoist took out some money from his robes and said casually with a smile, "There's nothing particular about this job. As long as the vegetables Elder Brother Zhang brings are fresh enough, nothing else really matters."

Zhang Chuan accepted the money and smiled. "It's thanks to the immortal elders' tolerance. Otherwise, how could we be working so comfortably?"

After chatting for a while, Zhang Chuan was about to take his people and leave. Just as he was turning around, the daoist suddenly said, "There have been quite a few matters in the mountain lately, and the back kitchen is short of someone to tend the fire. How about you leave someone behind to help? It won't take long, just a short while."

As he spoke, he handed Zhang Chuan some more money.

Zhang Chuan pushed the silver back and said with a smile, "It's not a big matter, no need to add more money."

Then Zhang Chuan looked at the man wearing the bamboo hat and said, "You stay and help out. When it's time to go down the mountain, the immortal elders will naturally show you the way."

After saying this, Zhang Chuan left with the others, leaving only the man in the bamboo hat behind.

After watching Zhang Chuan leave, the daoist got straight to the point and said with a smile, "So, what made you think of sneaking onto the mountain? You spies of Great Liang really do have sharp noses, you can sniff out even the slightest trace. Truly good dogs.""

The man in the bamboo hat did not say a word.

"Take off the hat already. What's the point of keeping it on? Don't tell me you plan to bring it into your coffin?"

The daoist sneered and reached out to remove the man's bamboo hat. But before his hand could touch it, his wrist was seized by the man. The daoist was even more shocked to find that his hand seemed to have sunk into a swamp, no matter how he tried, he could not pull it free.

Before the daoist could speak, the man in the bamboo hat raised his hand and removed it himself, revealing his true face.

The daoist’s eyes widened, and he found himself at a loss for words.

Because he had seen that face before.

After all, that man had once come to Mount Xi. Coupled with his reputation, he was not someone easily forgotten.

Chen Chao looked at the daoist and said calmly, “If this official does not wish to enter a coffin, it is very difficult for anyone to send this official into one.”

The daoist did not dare to speak, not only because he knew Chen Chao’s cultivation realm, but also because he knew his reputation.

Although the Myriad Heaven Palace was on good terms with Great Liang, Chen Chao’s reputation in the foreign lands was still enough to make people fearful.

“What has happened on Mount Xi recently?”

Chen Chao went straight to the point, calmly looking at the daoist before him as he questioned him. Though he did not state the consequences of refusing to answer, the daoist could already read them from his eyes.

The daoist’s face turned deathly pale, but he clenched his teeth tightly, unwilling to speak.

Seeing this, Chen Chao did not waste words. In the next moment, the daoist’s wrist shattered.

Chen Chao said, “I do not know whether you can keep silent until all your bones are broken, but this official would very much like to try.”

Beads of sweat the size of beans covered the daoist’s forehead. Hearing these words, an indescribable terror spread through his heart, gradually taking hold of him.

But before he could speak, a voice suddenly sounded from behind, “Why bully a little fellow at the Divine Trove Realm?”

Hearing this, Chen Chao released the daoist’s hand and turned around. A white-haired daoist with a withered face was currently standing at the doorway.

Chen Chao asked, “And your esteemed self is?”

The white-haired daoist smiled. “Just a vegetable grower.”

Chen Chao gave an “oh,” then smiled faintly. “Since your esteemed self has spoken, then this official will bully you instead.”

The white-haired daoist chuckled. “Young man, you have quite the high-sounding tone. I only fear you do not have the ability.”

Chen Chao said nothing, only smiled.

He looked at the white-haired daoist before him and simply stepped forward.

A pressure like a towering mountain spread out in an instant, enveloping the white-haired daoist.

The white-haired daoist’s expression changed. The ease from before vanished, replaced by a hint of gravity.

“Who the hell are you?”

The white-haired daoist’s face changed. For so many years, he had remained here by the vegetable garden, focusing on growing vegetables as his cultivation. Over the years, let alone matters outside the mountain, even among the daoists of Mount Xi, he likely could not recognize them all.

Chen Chao let out a faint laugh. “This official thought you recognized this official.”

The white-haired daoist’s expression turned ugly. He had initially assumed the young man before him was merely an ordinary official of the Great Liang Dynasty, but at this moment, he realized how gravely mistaken he had been.

The young man before him was certainly no ordinary figure, he was likely at least in the Nepenthe realm.

Chen Chao said indifferently, “Putting on airs because of your age may work in front of others, but trying that in front of this official is truly a mistake.”

The white-haired daoist could no longer speak. His aura continuously surged outward as he resisted the young martial artist before him.

Yet this young martial artist, long since famous, merely said calmly, “You’d better think it through. If this official still doesn’t get the answer I want in a while, then you can go die.”

Those words were not directed at the white-haired daoist.

......

......

Several minutes later, the white-haired daoist collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, no longer able to stand. Chen Chao glanced at him, then turned and walked back into the rear kitchen.

Another few minutes later, Chen Chao stepped out again. When he looked at the white-haired daoist this time, his gaze was no longer as calm as before, there was now a clear killing intent within it.

Seeing Chen Chao like this, the white-haired daoist already understood that this young martial artist now knew everything.

Chen Chao looked at the old daoist before him and asked, “Since you couldn’t survive yourself, you chose to let others die in your place?”

The white-haired daoist said nothing.

A trace of disgust appeared in Chen Chao’s eyes as he said flatly, “Answer this official.”

The white-haired daoist let out a cold laugh. “Who do you think you-”

Before he could finish speaking, he could say no more. Chen Chao had already reached out and grabbed his throat, looking at him indifferently. “In your eyes, was Zhu Xia nothing more than a fruit?”

The white-haired daoist’s expression turned extremely ugly. Unable to breathe, his face grew red, then gradually turned bluish-purple.

He was destined never to speak again.

Veins bulged along Chen Chao’s arm as his grip tightened. The white-haired daoist’s throat was crushed in an instant.

After that, the killing intent in Chen Chao’s eyes exploded.

When he first learned something had happened to Zhu Xia, he had already had some vague suspicions. Now that they were confirmed, aside from anger, Chen Chao also felt a great deal of surprise.

He had always thought that the people of Myriad Heaven Palace cultivated in a carefree manner, that the daoists on the mountain were all detached from worldly strife. But now it seemed that was not the case.

Thinking about it, it was only natural. Within a sect, it was impossible for everyone to be a good person.

Since that was so, it needed to be cleaned up.

Chen Chao took a deep breath, then dragged the white-haired daoist’s corpse and walked toward the mountain.

......

......

Between the rear kitchen and the great hall lay a not-short mountain path. At this moment, daoists were continuously gathering along it. Myriad Heaven Palace stood as the leading force of the Great Peace Dao lineage could never be compared to those minor sects, it truly possessed deep foundations. Moreover, with such a major incident occurring, even those old daoists who usually cultivated in seclusion could no longer sit still and naturally appeared.

Thus, at this moment, there were quite a number of daoists on the mountain path.

When Chen Chao appeared on the path, dragging the corpse of the white-haired daoist, the expressions of those daoists turned grim.

“Chen Chao, this matter is an internal affair of our Mount Xi. I’m afraid it’s not your place to interfere!”

A daoist spoke loudly from the path. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Chen Chao released the corpse in his hand. He did not answer that daoist’s question, only looked ahead calmly and said, “This official only wants to know, where is Zhu Xia?”

But when Chen Chao spoke these words, not a single daoist along the entire mountain path answered him.

Chen Chao looked at them, merely rolled up his sleeves, let out a breath of turbid air, and said calmly, “Zhu Xia... had better still be alive.”