Above the Great Dao
Chapter 357 - 178 Independent Gathering, Dominating King (Requesting monthly ticket!)_3

Chapter 357: Chapter 178 Independent Gathering, Dominating King (Requesting monthly ticket!)_3

"Thank you, senior brother!"

The Independent was painting and sketched the portrait of Mazu. Chen Shi took the portrait and was slightly startled. The Mazu in the portrait bore some resemblance to the Red Mountain Lady, yet the Red Mountain Lady appeared much younger.

"After the gathering of Independents, I shall pay another visit to the Mazu Temple!" he thought to himself.

As Chen Shi was sauntering around Mist Ridge, he noticed numerous pairs of eyes fixated on him. Puzzled, he followed their gaze but couldn’t spot anyone. Then, that feeling of being watched returned more intensely, making him rather uncomfortable.

However, there was no malice in those stares.

"Who’s secretly watching me? Could it be Granny Sha and the others?"

He had just thought this when suddenly a voice came: "Are you the Child Scholar, grandson of the Five Lakes Wanderer?"

Chen Shi turned to see a handsome young man in white approaching him, an outstanding figure with a face fair as jade and starry eyes, dressed in a Scholar’s Daoist robe, and wearing a golden crown, looking quite dashing.

"I am Chen Shi, may I ask who you are?"

The young man in white smiled and said, "My name is Ren Hang, you can call me Young Master Ren."

Chen Shi nodded and asked, "Is there something you want, Young Master Ren?"

Ren Hang suddenly fanned himself with a swath of his folding fan, smiling ambiguously, "You know the principle—possession brings trouble, right? Child Scholar? You possess the Water and Fire Refining Technique and were refined into a Corpse Disintegration Immortal, possession brings trouble indeed. Wouldn’t you attract coveting by many? At the gathering of Independents, where everyone shares their learning and insights, why not impart the Water and Fire Refining Technique and rid yourself of others’ coveting?"

His words instantly attracted the attention of many Independents, their gazes falling upon Chen Shi with whispers passing through the crowd.

"So he’s the Child Scholar."

"I heard he returned from death, the Five Lakes Wanderer refined him into a Corpse Disintegration Immortal."

"The Five Lakes Wanderer has passed away."

...

Chen Shi felt discomfort, saying, "Whether or not I should pass on the Water and Fire Refining Technique is my affair, and it has nothing to do with you. Are you coveting the Water and Fire Refining Technique, or is it my body that you desire?"

Ren Hang laughed out loud, "You misunderstood. Everyone just wants a glimpse of the Water and Fire Refining Technique and the Corpse Disintegration Immortal. Why so stingy? I have heard the fame of the Child Scholar is known across the land, talent unparalleled in fifty provinces. I, myself, have achieved some little success in Taoist Skill. How about this—I have a lesson from you in the Water and Fire Refining Technique, to see how formidable the Corpse Disintegration Immortal is..."

"Teach your ass!"

A child-like roar of anger rang out, surprising and infuriating Ren Hang. He turned towards the voice and saw a scholar carrying a bookcase walking over, with a child sitting inside the bookcase, his face bruised and swollen as if beaten.

"Tianyang Child?"

Ren Hang felt a surge in his heart and quickly said, "Senior Tianyang, are you also interested in the Water and Fire Refining Technique?"

"Interested my grandma’s leg!"

The Tianyang Child was furious, raised his hand, and struck down with a loud boom, flattening Ren Hang to the ground.

Ren Hang lay there, face up to the sky, his Qi-Blood scattered, his cultivation nearly ruined by that palm strike from Tianyang Child, still clueless about what had happened.

Tianyang Child flew out of the bookcase, landed beside him, grabbed his collar, and punched his face repeatedly, shouting, "The Five Lakes Wanderer just died, and you’re already plotting against his grandson? Do you even deserve to be called an Independent? You heartless wretch, I’ll beat the devil out of you today!"

Ren Hang, his face bruised and swollen, lay unable to resist.

At that moment, a Musician in green clothes rushed out of the crowd, punching and kicking Ren Hang, anger flushing his face, shouting, "The Five Lakes Wanderer was our senior, with tremendous merits for us Independents. How dare you make a move on his grandson, are you even human?"

Feng Feihua also charged forward, aiming a kick at Ren Hang’s lower body, fuming, "You’re not even a person, what right do you have to be called an Independent?"

Changping Duke, Yuan Shan Wanderer, Liu Santong, Daoist Cao, and over a dozen other Independents swarmed him, beating Ren Hang furiously, scolding non-stop, and quickly turning him into an unrecognizable mess.

The crowd dispersed, cursing under their breath.

Ren Hang lay there covered in bruises, his clothes barely clinging to him, his face swollen like a pig’s head, gazing listlessly at the sky.

Tianyang Child climbed back into the bookcase, and then, seemingly out of nowhere, got angry again, jumped down, and kicked him fiercely a few more times to vent his wrath.

"Little brother, rest assured, during this gathering of Independents, anyone who dares to touch you is making an enemy of me, Tianyang Child!" Tianyang Child declared, thumping his chest.

Daoist Cao, Changping Duke, and the others also thumped their chests, saying, "Making an enemy of us!"

"Yes! We can’t let the Five Lakes Wanderer be disturbed in his afterlife!"

"We are your backing at this gathering of Independents!"

Chen Shi was profoundly moved and hastily expressed his gratitude.

Granny Sha, the man with a goat beard, and a muscular man, hidden in the shadows, watched the scene, wide-eyed and speechless.

"Tianyang and the others seem even more concerned about Little Ten’s safety than we are!"

—Today’s 9,000 words are up. On the first day of September, I ask for your monthly ticket to surge to the top!