"Here I am." Zhang Chen walked out of the house to the front door, and saw the little Daoist Child standing outside: "The Crown Prince invites Brother Master to a banquet."
"Zhang Xiaohua invited me?" Zhang Chen mused to himself, then said to the little Daoist Child, "One moment, please."
Zhang Chen went to the stove and, with a thought, a cover of ice rose and directly sealed the entire stove in ice.
With Zhang Chen’s magical power infused with the osmanthus of laurel, his methods became increasingly mystical. Even if the ice was one meter away, it would not melt but would transform into ordinary ice.
Zhang Chen looked at the steaming boiler, then at Xiaodouding inside the house, and with a thought, he applied Automatic Cruise to the Treasure Sword, placing it inside the house to prevent Xiaodouding from being disturbed by evil spirits during meditation. Only then did he feel at ease to follow the Daoist Child out of the courtyard.
"Zhang Xiaohua inviting me is like a weasel sending Lunar New Year greetings to a chicken—up to no good. I must see what trick this scoundrel is playing." Filled with disdain, Zhang Chen thought to himself that no matter what tricks the other party used, he would only take the benefits and do nothing. And when he was strong enough, he would secretly kill Zhang Xiaohua, making the entire Prince Pingbian’s Mansion accompany him in death.
Zhang Xiaohua resided in a private courtyard within the Daoist Temple, occupying the most luxurious courtyard. When Zhang Chen arrived, he saw that wine, cakes, and various dishes were already laid out in the courtyard.
"Nephew, you’re here, please take a seat quickly!" Zhang Xiaohua was extremely enthusiastic upon seeing Zhang Chen, his eyes filled with a burning light.
Zhang Chen looked at the enthusiastic Zhang Xiaohua, smiled, and responded with feigned interest, as Zhang Xiaohua poured wine for him. As they enjoyed the drinks, Zhang Xiaohua finally held Zhang Chen’s hand and asked, "There’s something I’d like to ask my dear nephew."
"What is it, Crown Prince?" Zhang Chen became vigilant and asked. He knew the main topic had come; Zhang Xiaohua, like a weasel to a chicken, wouldn’t do anything without benefit.
"I’ve heard that my dear nephew has means to restrain evil spirits. Could you teach me? Name your price, I won’t haggle. If you desire, any position in Prince Pingbian’s Mansion is yours to choose." Zhang Xiaohua’s voice was sincere, his eyes filled with greed.
Zhang Chen stared at Zhang Xiaohua, shocked: ’How does he know about my methods? It must have been that Fox Spirit I first injured who told him.’
Otherwise, back then, Zhang Xiaohua was just a mortal; how could he have seen my invisible Golden Light?
Even now, with Zhang Xiaohua still just a mortal, he couldn’t possibly see my Golden Light technique.
Zhang Chen, appearing tipsy, responded, "Crown Prince, you asked too late. That treasure of mine was something I accidentally picked up from a large tomb. I’ve used it a few times, all on the Fox Spirit, after which it became useless. Otherwise, why would I risk my life fighting with the Fox Spirit?"
"Such a pity, if you had asked earlier, Crown Prince, I would have sold that treasure to you for a minor official position, which would have brought glory to my ancestors." Zhang Chen explained as though he were drunk, rambling on.
This explanation was reasonable. Zhang Xiaohua listened, half-believing, half-doubting, but did not pursue further questions. The two drank for a while longer before Zhang Chen and Zhang Xiaohua dispersed from the banquet.
Watching Zhang Chen stagger away, Zhang Xiaohua was filled with suspicion, unable to discern whether Zhang Chen’s words were true or false at that moment.
As for Zhang Chen, still seemingly drunk, he made his way back to the courtyard. After shutting the courtyard door, all traces of alcohol disappeared, and there was no longer any sign of drunkenness.
"Zhang Xiaohua really doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth, thinking he can take advantage of me without knowing his place." Zhang Chen sneered.
He then dispelled the ice-sealing on the stew, reignited the fire for cooking. As the sky darkened, he entered the house and saw Xiaodouding still meditating.
Zhang Chen calculated the time and felt that Xiaodouding had been cultivating for too long, just as he was about to wake him, he suddenly saw a flame of light appear on Xiaodouding’s head. The palace formed by Power of Incense appeared above Xiaodouding’s Baihui acupoint, and Xiaodouding’s young soul struggled to push it out.
The palace of Incense Qi seemed as heavy as a mountain, making Xiaodouding’s soul contorted under its pressure. Just as Xiaodouding managed to poke his head out, he couldn’t hold on, and the palace forcefully pushed him back.
"How could this be? The palace is suppressing Xiaodouding’s soul, preventing a Soul Emergence?" Zhang Chen was shocked at the scene.
At this time, Xiaodouding’s face turned pale as two crimson trails of blood streamed from his nostrils, staining his robe.
"Zhang Chen!" Xiaodouding opened his eyes and weakly called out.
"No more practicing." Zhang Chen hurriedly took Xiaodouding’s pulse, sensing the flow of Qi within him. Thankfully, there was only slight turmoil in the Qi Mechanism; nothing too serious.
"Zhang Chen, that Golden Light is so heavy, I can’t lift it! That damned thing keeps pressing on my soul, blocking my path for a Soul Emergence. It’s so hard!" Xiaodouding said with grievance, instinctively wiping his nose, smearing his whole face blood-red.
Zhang Chen took a deep breath and carefully wiped the bloodstains from Xiaodouding’s face with a soft cloth, instructing, "Stop trying to have a Soul Emergence. Continue cultivating the Visualization Technique to strengthen your soul. Your soul is too weak now to overturn that palace. Once your soul is strong enough, you’ll naturally be able to move it."
Zhang Chen sensed the abnormality of that palace. Entirely formed by Incense Qi, it seemed to suppress Xiaodouding’s soul; such a phenomenon could not be good.
"Why is it like this? Where did that palace made of Incense Qi come from? Why does it appear in Xiaodouding’s Forehead Ancestral Acupoint?" Zhang Chen felt worried, sensing something was amiss but could not pinpoint what.
His cultivation was still too low to discern the nuances.
"Wow, the stew smells so good, Zhang Chen, are you stewing meat again?" Xiaodouding, being carefree, said, still talking about Soul Emergence, but the very next moment was drawn by the aroma of the meat from the courtyard.
He immediately leaped off the couch and ran towards the courtyard.
Zhang Chen watched Xiaodouding’s retreating figure with a heavy gaze: "This matter cannot be delayed any longer; it needs to be resolved soon. Since I can’t solve this myself, I’ll have to ask for outside help."
The experts he knew included the Great Freedom Celestial Demon, Xie Lingyun, and the unpredictable Xie Xuan.
Judging by his relationship with Xie Lingyun, Xie Xuan was most likely an ally.
He wasn’t planning to consult the Great Freedom Celestial Demon, who was notoriously deceitful and might betray him at any moment.
Since experiencing the Sea of Blood catastrophe in the Netherworld, he knew that, although he had means to counter these old timers, he couldn’t stop them from digging a pit for him.
"If only Mr. Wu hadn’t returned to Kyoto, Mr. Wu is a Yang God cultivator and might have discerned something." Zhang Chen sighed regretfully.
"Zhang Chen, come eat the meat." Xiaodouding’s voice came from outside the door. Zhang Chen carried a large bowl out and saw Xiaodouding, who had already lifted the pot lid, eagerly waiting. He picked up a ladle to serve Xiaodouding a full scoop of stew, and then he himself took a bowl. Together, they ate heartily.
Eating away, Zhang Chen looked at Xiaodouding’s pure face and internally resolved to invite Xie Lingyun for a chat tonight.