Sichong and Chengzhen's Obsession

The next day.

High noon.

Two uninvited guests arrived at Master Liu the Dough Sculptor's home.

They were Sichong and Chengzhen, currently the two most accomplished members of the Sanyi Sect.

Chengzhen was a tall woman of about thirty, with a feminine air, dark circles under her eyes, and long black hair.

Sichong was a slightly short, elderly man, but he was full of energy, as though he had an endless supply of it.

Master Liu the Dough Sculptor wore a pair of glasses. He was refined and gentle, with a tall, slender build. Facing the two imposing visitors, he remained completely calm, unlike the arrogant Quanxing members who had come before them.

There were also two newcomers who had joined Quanxing not long ago in the courtyard. At that moment, they were trembling with fear.

If they weren't fools, they'd have heard about Immortal Daying's passing.

And it seemed Immortal Daying's death had been closely connected to their sect leader.

The two had come in such a menacing fashion. They were surely here with ill intentions.

Master Liu the Dough Sculptor said coldly, "What brings you two here?"

Sichong said righteously, "Mr. Liu, you're not going to deny the work you've done, are you?"

Master Liu the Dough Sculptor replied, "I won't deny it."

Sichong glanced at the two Quanxing newcomers, his words carrying a veiled threat. "However you do it, tell Wu Gensheng that if he doesn't come within seven days, he can prepare to collect Mr. Liu's corpse."

The two newcomers immediately looked troubled.

Sichong's expression darkened. "What, do you want to die here?"

At that moment, Master Liu the Dough Sculptor burst out laughing, then explained, "At your age, with your seniority, why are you making things difficult for two youngsters?"

Sichong said nothing, his face dark as water.

As if he had put life and death out of his mind, Master Liu the Dough Sculptor spoke openly. "I'm already this old. I've had my fill of life. Do you really think your threats will trouble me?"

"I'll admit that Quanxing is a bunch of bastards. I joined Quanxing because, in some ways, I'm cut from the same cloth as those bastards."

"Living here in the middle of the city, I knew full well this day would come."

"I know exactly what kind of person I am. But do you?"

After hearing Master Liu the Dough Sculptor's words, Sichong furrowed his brow and drank a bowl of tea. "You're implying something. Why not come out and say it plainly?"

Meanwhile, Chengzhen remained on guard.

After all, the two of them had openly barged into Quanxing territory.

The moment they stepped into the courtyard, they sensed several different auras.

Clearly, those people were hostile toward them and didn't welcome them.

The longer they stayed, the more Quanxing members would likely arrive.

In truth, Wu Gensheng, Li Muxuan, and the other Quanxing members knew nothing about what had really happened. They hadn't bothered to ask, either.

All they knew was that their sect leader had apparently killed Immortal Daying, and now people from the Sanyi Sect had come to demand justice.

How could they let the visitors simply swagger away?

Quanxing members were no gentle souls. Calling them bandits or bullies would be giving them too much credit.

They did whatever they pleased, even more freely than bandits and bullies.

Master Liu the Dough Sculptor smiled again. "Don't understand? I'm saying that at your age, you still don't understand as much as a young man."

"Someone from your Sanyi Sect arrived before you did, and he's a man who understands."

"What?"

At that, Sichong raised his brows. He then saw a handsome young man with black hair and dark eyes walk out of the house.

Sichong looked astonished.

"Du Yang, you're back!"

Du Yang cupped his hands. "Uncle-Master Sichong, it's been a long time."

"It's good to have you back." Sichong first looked pleased, but his expression soon darkened, as though he'd remembered something. "It's a shame you couldn't see your master one last time."

Du Yang's expression was grave. "Uncle-Master Sichong, I wasn't home at the time. Was my master really killed by Wu Gensheng and Li Muxuan?"

Chengzhen hesitated slightly at his question, but Sichong answered firmly, "Yes. Those two Quanxing members killed him."

Du Yang shook his head. "I don't believe it."

Sichong immediately scolded him. "You fool! Have you forgotten your senior brother's teachings? How can you live with yourself if you don't avenge your master and senior brother?"

Chengzhen lowered her head. She wanted to say something, but couldn't.

Du Yang stood with his hands behind his back, his expression earnest. "Forgive me, Uncle-Master, but I can't believe it. With my master's abilities, no one in the world should have been able to harm him."

"Even if my master had simply stood there and let them attack him, they still wouldn't have been able to do it."

"To say such a thing is to underestimate Immortal Daying himself—Zuo Ruotong, one of the two paragons of the righteous path."

From the very beginning, Du Yang had never believed that Wu Gensheng and Li Muxuan alone could have killed his master.

Especially after he had reached the Triple Inverse Life realm, he had experienced its countless mysteries firsthand.

It couldn't make someone an immortal, but the realm was so profound, and its techniques so powerful, that others could only look on in awe.

He couldn't imagine how his master could have been killed.

Master Liu the Dough Sculptor smiled.

"Well said. The idea that Immortal Daying was killed by someone else is a huge joke in itself."

"The Sanyi Sect is always afraid of tarnishing the reputation it's built over a thousand years as a Daoist sect. Little do you know, we Quanxing members haven't done a thing. You've been repeatedly bringing shame upon the righteous Daoist sects yourselves."

Sichong's face was full of anger as he continued to insist on his view. "No matter what, my senior brother is dead. If those two hadn't broken into the mountain, how could this have happened to him?"

Du Yang then met his uncle-master's gaze.

Du Yang's eyes were fearless, while Sichong gradually began to look away.

Now he knew, without even returning to the Sanyi Sect, that his senior brother couldn't possibly have been killed by someone else. He must have taken his own life.

He understood the reason well enough.

The Triple Inverse Life realm still couldn't make someone an immortal.

That news was tantamount to destroying the thousand-year foundation of the Sanyi Sect.

His master had long clung to life by maintaining the peak of the second stage of Inverse Life. His only hope had been to break through to the third stage, become an immortal, and fulfill the thousand-year wish of the Sanyi Sect.

Du Yang tried to persuade him. "Uncle-Master, let's go. Even if you're right, the guilty party is the one who should answer for it. Even if you kill Master Liu, Wu Gensheng won't come."

Sichong realized his wishful thinking had been exposed, but he pressed on stubbornly. "You're being foolish! Do you really want to let this go? Do you want to see the thousand years of prestige our Sanyi Sect has built scattered to the winds?"

"If we do nothing, won't even a few Quanxing brats look down on our Sanyi Sect from now on?"

Watching his uncle-master grit his teeth in anger, Du Yang said quietly, "Uncle-Master, can't you let go of Master's death? Is it really that you can't let go of the Sanyi Sect's thousand-year reputation as a righteous Daoist sect, of the title 'one of the two paragons of the righteous path,' or of the name Immortal Daying?"