I Just Won't Be Surnamed Zhang

"Strange. Why have so many cultivators gathered here?" Jade Rabbit wondered, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward the storyteller's seat.

It was still empty. Clearly, Su Yang had yet to show himself.

Forget it. I'll wait a little longer. She recalled the task Heaven's Court had assigned her.

To search the Earthly Immortal Realm for traces of one of the Seven Fairies—Ziwei. At the thought, the corners of Jade Rabbit's mouth lifted slightly.

"This is the perfect opportunity to stay in the mortal realm for a few more days."

At the same time, the City God was in a panic, wondering whether he should withdraw and report back to Heaven's Court to lessen his own guilt.

Just as he hesitated, Su Yang stepped into the inn.

Since I've already made a mistake, there's no point worrying about it any further. I might as well first listen and find out what exactly is hidden along the Ancient Starry Road.

The City God made his decision in secret.

Su Yang looked over the packed audience, surprise flickering across his face.

There were far more listeners today than yesterday. Could they really have come because of his reputation?

A surge of excitement suddenly welled up inside him!

More people meant more points. The more points he had, the more chances he had to draw prizes in the System Space, and the faster his strength would naturally increase!

There was no doubt this was something worth celebrating.

His gaze swept across the crowd. With a smile on his face, his mood had already become light and buoyant.

When the listeners saw Su Yang appear, their faces also filled with delight.

They all began calling out, "Mister Su is here! Hurry and get ready to start!"

"That's right, Mister Su. You stopped just as you reached the Ancient Starry Road yesterday. I couldn't sleep a wink all night—I kept thinking about the Ancient Starry Road and the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin."

"Exactly, Mister Su. You can't keep us in suspense today."

"That's right, Mister Su. So many people came today just to hear your storytelling. You have to tell us more today."

Su Yang did not respond to their enthusiasm and walked straight to his seat.

First, he neatly arranged his belongings. Then he replaced the tea in his cup with fresh tea.

His unhurried movements only made everyone in the room even more anxious.

They were all already bursting with impatience, but Su Yang remained calm and leisurely, his expression unchanged. For a time, they could do nothing but wait.

Get angry? Then they really wouldn't be able to hear the story anymore!

All they could do was suppress their impatience and wait for Su Yang to finish before they could continue listening to the strange events along the Ancient Starry Road.

In the crowd, Jade Rabbit watched Su Yang's manner and felt anger rising inside her.

She gripped the jade pendant in her hand tightly and complained inwardly, Why is this man so infuriating? Is he deliberately whetting our appetites just because his story is so interesting?

Not far away, Ziwei, one of the Seven Fairies, also showed a trace of restlessness between her brows.

"Queen Mother introduced me to this storyteller, but why is he so long-winded? I still have plenty of chores to do at home."

At that moment, Su Yang finally finished arranging everything and casually struck the wooden clapper.

Crack!

The crisp sound rang out, and the tabletop actually split into several pieces beneath the blow.

Everyone was startled. Just how much strength had Mister Su used?

Su Yang himself was somewhat surprised. Looking at the shattered table, he frowned slightly. "It seems my strength has increased too quickly, and I still can't fully control it."

"Forget it. I'll make do."

As he spoke, he tossed the wooden clapper aside, opened his folding fan, and said softly, "Last time, we reached the part where Ye Fan and several other protagonists emerged from the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin."

"They stepped onto the Ancient Starry Road, and the sight before them left them utterly shaken!"

As soon as his voice fell, everyone in the room seemed to be transported instantly onto that mysterious and unfathomable Ancient Starry Road!

This was Ziwei's first time experiencing such a sensation, and a trace of surprise flashed through her eyes.

What kind of Dharma Gate is this? Could it truly make people feel as though they're there in person?

"Ye Fan and the others slowly stepped onto the Ancient Starry Road. In this vast, empty land, a Five-Colored Altar suddenly appeared."

The listeners' hearts all jolted, and they began guessing inwardly.

Who exactly had built this Five-Colored Altar?

"Above the altar, a huge Taiji Bagua Diagram suddenly appeared! The space around the diagram twisted, and light and shadow interwove. Countless runes shimmered with Eerie Light across the Taiji, like ancient and mysterious codes quietly recounting secrets unknown to the world."

Everyone listened, entranced, their gazes seeming to turn toward the Five-Colored Altar.

On the altar, the Taiji slowly rotated. The two yin-yang fish drifted through the diagram, vivid and lifelike.

"Just as Ye Fan and the others were preparing to approach and investigate, the Bronze Coffin suddenly trembled slightly, as though something unusual had happened!"

Boom! A loud crash rang out! The Bronze Coffin suddenly shook violently. As it trembled, an irresistible suction force surged from within, instantly sweeping everyone back into the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin!

Everyone's bodies jolted, and they all retreated half a step, their expressions changing slightly as they clearly felt that strange force pulling at them.

What exactly was going on?

What did that rotating Tai Chi Diagram represent?

What was the Five-Colored Altar truly used for?

All they could see before them was a desolate wasteland, yet their hearts were trembling violently.

"The Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin moved slowly forward, and Ye Fan and the others finally arrived at the first stop of their journey—the legendary Ancient Starry Road: Yinghuo."

"Upon entering Yinghuo, they found the ground covered in reddish-brown soil and rubble. As far as the eye could see, the land stretched endlessly, silent and dead."

"As everyone slowly moved forward, a ruined palace complex suddenly appeared before them, like a giant beast that had slept for a thousand years, standing silently amid the wind and sand."

"Just as Ye Fan and the others were bewildered, unable to understand why such a magnificent group of buildings would exist here, a faint glimmer suddenly flashed in the distance..."

The voice rang out, and everyone turned their heads in unison, their gazes converging on the source of the light.

For some reason, they involuntarily followed Su Yang's pace and slowly walked toward the radiance.

"After drawing closer, they saw that the light came from an ancient temple. Before its entrance stood a Bodhi Ancient Tree twisted like a dragon, its entire body withered."

"Only at a height of two or three meters above the ground did it bear several green leaves. They were crystalline as jade, shimmering with green light like divine objects."

"Looking again at the temple gate, they saw a plaque hanging above it. Four ancient characters were written upon it, their ink-like radiance faintly gleaming and endlessly flowing..."

Everyone's gazes were drawn toward the plaque, and they all looked up, eager to see the writing clearly.

"Ye Fan was well versed in ancient script, and he recognized the meaning of those four characters at a glance. This ancient temple was actually the legendary—Great Thunderclap Temple!"

When the words fell, everyone was shocked. Disbelief showed in their eyes as they began whispering among themselves.

The name Great Thunderclap Temple was famous throughout the Earthly Immortal Realm. It was no ordinary place.

It was said to be the dwelling of the gods and Buddhas of the heavens. Buddha, Guanyin, and the various great bodhisattvas all lived there.

Yet according to legend, the Great Thunderclap Temple should have been located in the Western Ox Continent. How could it have appeared on Yinghuo?

Even more puzzling was why this place was so desolate and dilapidated.

Wasn't the Great Thunderclap Temple a sacred Buddhist site? Countless Buddhas and bodhisattvas had once lectured on the scriptures and comprehended the Dao there. How had it become so deserted?

The ruined temple before them was simply impossible to imagine as the same place as the glorious and magnificent Great Thunderclap Temple of legend.

Where had those legendary Buddhas and divine beings gone? Why was there not a single person in sight?

Crack!

Su Yang suddenly struck the wooden pillar beside him with the wooden clapper in his hand. The crisp sound exploded through the inn.

The listeners came to their senses as if awakening from a dream, all turning back. Their gazes were complicated as they stared at the storyteller on the platform.

Had they truly seemed to set foot on Yinghuo just now, nearly becoming lost in it?

Such total immersion was simply unheard of!

After returning to reality, everyone was still marveling when Su Yang spoke again, his tone as steady as ever. "Ye Fan and the other protagonists slowly entered the depths of the ancient temple, searching in all directions in hopes of finding the priceless treasures left behind by the gods and Buddhas of old..."

"Yet just as everyone was focused on their search, Ye Fan suddenly saw a stone Buddha in the temple and froze on the spot."

He seemed to hear a solemn and profound voice in his ears.

As soon as he said this, everyone once again felt as if they were experiencing it themselves. That mysterious whisper quietly surfaced beside their ears.

"Om, ma, ni, bei, mi, hum..."

As the voice faded, the listeners' expressions grew solemn. They seemed to feel a Buddha Light descending from the heavens and enveloping their bodies.

In their daze, they even felt as if they were about to ascend.

But at that very moment—

Crack!

The wooden clapper sounded again. Su Yang snapped his folding fan shut with a crisp, practiced motion.

The listeners' expressions changed drastically, and unease rose in their hearts.

"Could it be..."

"To learn what happened next, wait for the next installment."

Before his voice had even faded, everyone was glaring at him furiously.

"Damn you, are you seriously pulling this stunt?"

The entire inn was filled with aggrieved faces.

Again!

Every time the story reached a crucial moment, it stopped abruptly.

Wasn't this too torturous?

Was he relying on his popularity and the size of his audience to torment them without restraint?

Couldn't he say just a few more words?

What exactly was that Buddha Light?

Why had the Great Thunderclap Temple appeared on Yinghuo?

And what about that group of palaces? They looked like the ruins of a heavenly palace. Was he really not going to say anything more about them?

Every time, he had to stop at the most crucial moment...

Everyone was seething with frustration.

If someone else had been telling the story, they might have let it go. After all, those storytellers merely recited from books without the slightest emotional rise or fall.

But Su Yang was different. Every word he spoke tugged at their hearts, making them feel as though they were there themselves, as if they were the protagonists who had been swept into the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin.

Now, just as the Buddha Light was shining over their bodies, before they could comprehend it, he had forcibly cut the story off!

Who could stand that?

At that moment, if looks could truly hurt people, Su Yang would probably already have been riddled with holes and dead beyond dead.

"Why did you stop again? You always stop at the crucial moment. Isn't this practically killing us?"

"Again! Again! You only ever say half of it. It makes my heart itch so badly that I want to go up there and kick him twice!"

"Was it easy for my father to crawl out of his grave? He barely held on long enough to hear half the story. When he goes back, he'll be so angry he'll have to lie down again!"

"Alas, I know this is a storyteller's trick, but I still can't help getting anxious. Every time he reaches the important part and stops, it feels like a cat is scratching my heart. I wish I could know right away what happened afterward."

"Who isn't like that? Mister Su is far too good at torturing people. Can't he say a few more words? He just has to stop when everyone is at their most desperate..."

"Damn it! I've seen through him. Mister Su is deliberately holding something back so we'll have to come back tomorrow! I'm telling you all, if I step through this door again tomorrow, I won't be surnamed Zhang!"