That set of excuses sounded quite reasonable.
Gan Li, however, pressed further, “How long has the Tanhua Lang been up there?”
Xiang Zhen, who was listening on the side, looked utterly confused, wondering what these people meant by calling Brother Zhang “Tanhua Lang”.
Although the fame of “Tanhua Lang” was quite great for many people, he truly had never heard of it. Perhaps he had heard of it, but it had never really registered in his mind.
The leader said, “It has been nearly half an hour.” Gan Li immediately reprimanded him, “Nonsense…”
She wanted to scold him further but stopped herself. She wanted to warn the other party that the role of this “Tanhua Lang” might be even more important than the Grand Envoy in the eyes of the Earth Master. How could they throw the “Tanhua Lang” out to take such a risk? All the previous instructions had been given in vain.
However, such words could only be kept in her heart. There was really no way to speak them aloud. It was not wrong for them to prioritise the safety of the Grand Envoy.
Le Shu naturally knew her worries. He looked upwards and said in a deep voice, “Let me take two people and go up there.”
Gan Li asked worriedly, “Will that work?”
Le Shu said deeply, “If we cannot find the Grand Envoy and also lose that Tanhua Lang, there will be no way to explain ourselves when we return. Pay close attention to the movements above. If the situation turns bad, I will make an unusual sound. Once you hear it, immediately lead everyone to evacuate.”
Gan Li remained silent.
Le Shu selected two people and flew with them towards the giant tree, leaping and climbing up the trunk all the way.
The tree was too tall. Before long, the three of them disappeared from everyone’s sight.
Later, everyone pricked up their ears. They all faintly felt that the singing and dancing above had stopped, and they all held their breath and waited in suspense. The crowd did not wait for too long before they saw three figures floating down. It was exactly Le Shu and his two companions.
Seeing that the three of them were safe and sound, Gan Li asked urgently, “How is it? Is the Grand Envoy there?”
Le Shu said in a deep voice, “There are five great demons up there. One of them sits in the middle and is called the Great King. According to that Great King, the Grand Envoy and Huan Yushan did indeed go up, but they have already left.” “Left?” Gan Li frowned and looked around, then asked again, “Is that Tanhua Lang still up there?”
Le Shu shook his head. “That Great King said he had never seen those fellows go up at all. However, he felt that a few people had climbed the tree, but they went around to the other side of the tree and then came down. I do not know if they are the people we are talking about.” Gan Li asked, “Could they have run away?”
Le Shu was already staring coldly at the leader.
The leader immediately became nervous and said, “That should not be the case.” As he spoke, he pointed at Xiang Zhen. “We are on the same side. They even left him here as a hostage…” He quickly recounted the process of Yu Qing leaving someone behind as a hostage.
“Hostage?” Le Shu sneered upon hearing this. He and Gan Li were close aides to Xiang Lanxuan and knew more about certain matters. He immediately asked Xiang Zhen, “Do you know the true identity of that ‘Zhang Zhichen’?”
Xiang Zhen asked doubtfully, “Is he not a disciple of the Longguang Sect?”
Le Shu sneered again and asked, “Did you know them before the Chaoyang Assembly?”
Xiang Zhen hesitated and shook his head.
Le Shu pointed at him and questioned the leader, “He knows nothing at all and has absolutely no friendship with those fellows. You actually let them leave this kind of person behind as a hostage? What is your brain even used for?”
“I…” The leader stammered, wanting to say that they clearly looked like they were in the same group.
He was indeed acting out of momentary anxiety at the time, concerned about the safety of the Grand Envoy, and had let his guard down.
Xiang Zhen lowered his head and remained silent.
Gan Li asked Le Shu again, “Are you sure that Great King was not lying?”
Le Shu pondered and said, “There should be no need for him to lie. He said he only gave the Grand Envoy and Huan Yushan one day. If the Tanhua Lang is not handed over to him before daybreak the day after tomorrow, he will launch a hunt.” As he spoke, he swept his gaze across the crowd. “The time given to us is the same. If we cannot hand the person over to him, we will also become targets of the hunt.”
Everyone looked at each other in dismay.
After pondering for a while, Gan Li asked, “How strong is that Great King?”
Le Shu replied, “I do not know. I did not dare to test him. I suppose the Grand Envoy would not dare to act rashly without knowing his true strength either.” Gan Li asked, “Where do you think the Grand Envoy would go after meeting that Great King?”
Le Shu and she almost simultaneously looked towards the direction of the exit. They both had the same thought, guessing that after Xiang Lanxuan met that Great King, she would probably try to find a way out to contact the Earth Master.
“Let us go!” Le Shu waved his hand and called out, leading everyone in a rushed dash towards the exit.
They knew the exit was closed. If they rushed over now, they might still run into the Grand Envoy.
Only one person was left at the scene. Xiang Zhen looked up at the giant tree with an indescribable expression.
Surprisingly, no one paid any attention to him, the “hostage”. He, the “hostage”, had actually been directly abandoned.
Le Shu and the others, who were moving swiftly, looked back and saw Xiang Zhen leap into the air. He stepped on the tree trunk and ran all the way up, actually charging up there all alone.
They still ignored him and sped away.
Xiang Zhen, soaring straight up, suddenly did a mid-air somersault and landed on the tree branch plaza. He swept his gaze around and saw towering, blazing furnaces. He saw two bare-chested men and two enchanting women beating drums and singing. It seemed they intended to spend this long night in song and dance so as not to waste the evening.
There was also a man in colourful clothes with a small moustache lying on his side on the large drum in the middle. He supported his head with one bent arm while his other hand gently tapped the rhythm on the belly of a wine jar fallen in front of him. His eyes were closed, and his face wore a smile full of drunkenness.
The smell of alcohol filled the entire plaza.
Xiang Zhen, carrying his sword on his back, walked straight over. He walked among the drums and asked, “Who is the Great King?”
The four people singing, dancing, and beating drums stopped and looked together at the drunken man in colourful clothes.
So Xiang Zhen walked over, stood beside the large drum, cupped his hands, and said, “Xiang Zhen greets the Great King.”
The man in colourful clothes slowly opened his eyes. “Why are you looking for me?” Xiang Zhen said, “I boldly ask the Great King, did a fat man, a big guy, a man with a moustache, and a woman carrying a bow and arrow, three men and one woman in total, come up here before?”
The man in colourful clothes let out a drunken burp and chuckled, “Three people just came up and also asked about these four. They have not been up here. I have not seen them.”
Xiang Zhen was silent for a moment and then asked, “They said that after one day, if that man with the moustache is not handed over to you, you will launch a hunt. Is that so?”
The man in colourful clothes smiled, “Yes.”
“Thank you for your guidance, Great King.” Xiang Zhen cupped his hands in thanks, turned around, and walked away. However, he did not leave this place. Instead, he walked to the edge of the plaza and sat down cross-legged, facing the night outside.
Seeing this scene, the man in colourful clothes lying on the drum was somewhat surprised. He truly felt that Xiang Zhen was different from the others. He had just felt that this person’s temperament revealed a sense of pure sincerity.
At his waving signal, the booming drumbeats soon sounded again, and the chanting singing voices also resumed.
Before long, the man in colourful clothes came over swaying and staggering. He held a wine cup in one hand and carried a wine jar in the other. He walked to Xiang Zhen’s side and poured a cup of wine under Xiang Zhen’s sideways gaze.
Just as he had done with Xiang Lanxuan and the others before, a cup of wine was delivered in front of Xiang Zhen. “A guest who comes from afar, please drink this cup to the full.” Doing as the host wished, Xiang Zhen nodded slightly to express his thanks. He took the wine cup, brought it to his mouth, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. Then he licked his lips to savour the aftertaste and gave a two-word evaluation, “Good wine!”
The man in colourful clothes took back the wine cup and smiled. He actually bent down, squatted, and sat next to Xiang Zhen. He did not sit cross-legged like Xiang Zhen. Instead, his bare feet dangled in the air. He smiled and asked, “Are you not afraid there is poison in my wine?”
Xiang Zhen shook his head, stared at the night outside, and said with a melancholy expression, “There is no need to use poison to kill me.”
“Haha…” The man in colourful clothes laughed heartily to the sky, looking extremely happy. After laughing to his heart’s content, he casually put down the wine cup, hugged the wine jar, and drank heartily from the mouth of the jar.
The people who came up before, including Le Shu and the others who came later, no one drank the wine.
After putting down the wine jar and hugging it in his arms, he observed Xiang Zhen’s expression again and asked, “Little brother seems to have something on his mind. Would you care to share it?”
Xiang Zhen indeed had something on his mind. Being made a “hostage” made him feel a bit stifled inside. He shook his head.
The man in colourful clothes asked again, “Then why are you sitting here with me?” “Waiting for someone.” After Xiang Zhen replied, he seemed to realise something and quickly stood up. “If it is inconvenient, I will go down and wait.”
“It is fine, it is fine.” The man in colourful clothes grabbed his shoulder and pressed him back down into a sitting position. “Just sit here and wait slowly. It is fine.”
He turned his head and made a “one” gesture towards the dancing side.
So one woman stopped dancing, flew and landed at a cave entrance, and entered the tree hollow, unknown what she went to do. Having obtained the host’s permission, Xiang Zhen did not act hypocritically and sat there peacefully.
Seeing the man beside him hugging the wine jar and drinking again, he suddenly asked, “After they catch the man with the moustache, will you kill him?” The man in colourful clothes put down the wine jar and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Why? Is he your friend?” Xiang Zhen thought about the situation where he was sold out, sighed lightly, and shook his head. “In his eyes, I definitely cannot be considered his friend.”
The man in colourful clothes asked strangely, “Then why do you care whether he lives or dies?”
Xiang Zhen said, “If you are going to kill him, could you let me fight him first?”
“Fight? Why? Do you have a grudge against each other?”
“No grudge. I just want to fight him and feel his sword intent. But he has never agreed. I chased after him and accidentally entered this place.”
“Oh, I see. So you want to comprehend his sword intent.” The man in colourful clothes looked like he understood immediately. He raised his hand and patted his shoulder. “Rest assured, leave this matter to me. After catching him, I will definitely grant your wish. I will force him to fight you.”
Xiang Zhen was just about to thank him when he suddenly frowned and raised his hand to cover his stomach.
Seeing this, the man in colourful clothes smiled and said, “Do you feel a hot and cold wine power causing pain in your abdomen? There is no need to be nervous. Just let the wine power wash into your meridians. It is harmless.”
He raised his hand and pointed. “This tree is named ‘Earth Origin Immortal Pillar’. It is an immortal tree that is immune to all evil. My wine is brewed from the fruits collected from this tree.”
“Encountering shackles in cultivation and stagnating in realm is a common occurrence. Countless cultivators spend their whole lives stopping at the Initial Xuan realm. Drinking this wine regularly will greatly benefit your cultivation and have a miraculous effect on breaking through the Xuan realm. If ordinary people or those with too low cultivation drink this wine, it is like drinking deadly poison. They will surely die with their liver and intestines torn apart.”
Hearing this, Xiang Zhen, who was covering his abdomen, was surprised. He did not know if what he said was true or false. If it really had such miraculous effects, would it not cause people in the cultivation world to fight over it?
At this time, a woman arrived, carrying two wooden bowls. There were two wooden spoons in the bowls. She knelt and sat in front of the two men and presented them, “Great King.”
The man in colourful clothes put the wine jar aside, took a bowl, and handed it to Xiang Zhen. “Taste it. If you want to gain a foothold here, this is a good thing.”
Having said that, he did not allow Xiang Zhen to be polite and forced a bowl into Xiang Zhen’s hands.
Xiang Zhen could not figure out what was in the bowl. It looked like a bowl of paste, colourful and brocade-like, with a pearly lustre and a refreshing fragrance. Just taking a breath of it made one feel refreshed. The man in colourful clothes also took a bowl in his hand, scooped a spoonful into his mouth to taste it first, and said, “This is the honey syrup brewed by my people. It has a certain detoxifying effect and is better than some miraculous cures. For some illnesses of ordinary people, just one sip can bring relief. It can also stop your current abdominal pain. Eating a bowl like this will make it hard for the evil energy from the outside world to invade you in the slightest for seven days. The taste is quite good. Little brother, please taste it.”