At the first sign of trouble, Daoist Chu lost all dignity and turned to leave.
But Xu Feng was not about to let him go. He grabbed him.
The grip hurt so much that Daoist Chu wanted to fight back.
Xu Feng's strength was formidable. Once he had hold of Daoist Chu, the man could only fret, unable to get away.
Meanwhile,
Master and Da Wa had been standing together.
Nothing had happened on their side.
But when Daoist Chu tried to leave, Coiling Dragon Daoist appeared from somewhere.
At first, he had been looking toward Lost-Trace Forest like the others. Then he heard what Daoist Chu said, and without a word, he looked ready to strike him.
Master noticed.
"Da Wa," Master said quickly.
Da Wa looked at Master, puzzled, but Master had already stepped forward to intervene. Da Wa followed and grabbed Daoist Panlong's leg.
Daoist Panlong glared at him. "Why are you holding my leg?"
Da Wa shook his head.
But he clung to the leg all the same.
The shake meant Da Wa did not know why. His grip meant he was doing as he had been told.
Xu Feng ignored the commotion and looked at Daoist Chu. "Daoist Chu, why won't it work?"
This was crucial to his plan.
Xu Feng could not wait any longer. For one thing, the County Magistrate was about to be promoted.
Even with the County Magistrate's help, inviting a Daoist from Golden Immortal Abbey again would have to wait until the middle of next year, if not later.
By then, the County Magistrate would be gone. And for another thing, Xu Feng's Yin Virtue would not last. Once it ran out, he could not even sustain his Sacrificial Flame to please the gods. Both his Greater and Lesser Calamity-Stitching