Volume Two: Bandits Here Chapter 141: Human Faces Unknown, Where Have They Gone

The Daoist priest finished his meal, a simple, incredibly earnest smile returning to his face.

Xuan Ziye had not disguised himself as an old man this time; revealing his true appearance—that of a youth as refined as pine and jade—made it difficult for anyone to stay angry with him.

Lin Changtian looked at the chaotic mess of empty cups and plates, his gaze vacant.

Indeed, what malicious intentions could a young man possibly have? He was simply at the age where he needed to grow... and so he ate just a little bit more.

"Xuan Ziye, are you a pig?" Lin Changtian looked at him, delivering a question that pierced straight to the soul.

The youth’s face flushed red. Maintaining the demeanor of an expert by sheer force of will, he slowly replied, "What's wrong with having a big appetite? Did I eat the rice from your family's pot?"

"Daoist priest, do you even have the money to pay the bill?"

"If this poor Daoist had money... would I have been reduced to the point of banditry!" Xuan Ziye retorted with righteous confidence.

Lin Changtian pulled a long face, his tone laced with helplessness. "Daoist priest, logically speaking, if you have no money, I should be the one to pay. That would count as you eating my family's rice, and I would have every right to scold you a couple of times. But given the current situation... I don't have any spare cash on me either."

"Then what do we do?"

"Flee before things get tight."

Xuan Ziye shook his head, his entire body radiating with the brilliance of morality as he said righteously, "How can someone walking the pugilistic world eat without paying? Even if our purses are a bit tight, we can always clear our debt through our own diligent labor. To think of running away the moment a disagreement arises—how is that any different from those bald donkeys of monks!"

That radiance grew even more blinding, causing Lin Changtian to cry out involuntarily, "Who is putting on such a grand act? It's so dazzling!"

"What the Daoist priest says is right. I'll go call the waiter over right now and let him beat and scold me however he likes, and I promise not to fight back!" Lin Changtian said, turning on his heel as if to leave.

Xuan Ziye reached out and yanked him back, his face beaming with an immensely warm and friendly smile.

"Such a humiliating task should be left to this poor Daoist. You just wait right here."

A pang of emotion stirred in Lin Changtian's heart. Although this scoundrel ate, drank, made merry, frequented brothels, and engaged in banditry, he was truly a good Daoist at heart.

He was the guiding light on the path of ideology, a fine companion to the people, and a good comrade to the bunnies. As for why bunnies, it was probably because out of the seven spicy rabbit heads just served, he had gnawed on six of them.

Xuan Ziye slowly stood up, walked straight over to the waiter, pulled him aside, and whispered something in his ear.

The tavern servant was rather tall, so calling him a "waiter" felt slightly inappropriate, yet calling him "Waiter Number Two" sounded rather unpleasant, while just "Number Two"... well, that didn't seem entirely proper either.

As the two men talked, they cast benevolent glances toward Lin Changtian.

Xuan Ziye turned his head and flashed him a smile. Lin Changtian gave a slight nod, inwardly astonished. This fellow might seem unserious, but he actually possessed such capability! He had pacified the fierce-looking attendant in just a few words—he truly was a high adept of the Daoist gates without a doubt.

The two talked for a short while before the attendant escorted Xuan Ziye downstairs and then walked back toward Lin Changtian with a smile on his face.

Lin Changtian grew even more astounded. What a mountain Daoist he was; a mere few words had actually managed to make this burly, bearded fellow submit wholeheartedly.

"Your tavern's food is quite good," Lin Changtian praised with a thumbs-up, rising as if to leave.

The attendant smiled, leaned in, and respectfully said to Lin Changtian, "Thanks to your flattering presence, would you mind settling the bill now?"

"Didn't that Daoist tell you?"

"He did. He said he was with you and that you'd be the one paying."

Lin Changtian: .......

The attendant paused, looked Lin Changtian up and down carefully, wiped the smile from his face, and said leisurely, "You were just nodding at us earlier, too... Don't tell me you're broke and trying to act like a big shot here at my expense?"

"How could I dare?" Lin Changtian waved his hand, feigning a search through the folds of his robes.......

Xuan Ziye walked down the street, having slipped back into his disguise as an old Daoist. He looked around in all directions, seemingly waiting for someone.

"You dog of a priest! Stop right there!"

An angry shout came from behind. Xuan Ziye didn't even turn his head; with his back to the voice, he offered a faint smile. At least the kid was smart and had managed to slip away pretty quickly.

"Young friend, did you settle the bill?" Xuan Ziye glanced back at him and chuckled.

Lin Changtian nodded, looking rather smug. "Didn't clear it, but when I ran, I dropped a name, and the moment they heard it, they shut right up and stopped chasing."

"Oh? Could it be you dropped the name of Ma Hui? Though just relying on a few words... I doubt they'd have believed it so easily."

"Hah, Daoist priest, what kind of talk is that? A great man born between heaven and earth—how could he borrow the prestige of a famous person to play the hero? Don't I have a name of my own?"

"Then whose name did you drop.......?"

Lin Changtian waved his hand. "I dropped yours, Daoist priest. You're so unfathomable, such a master of swindling and playing the deity, so I figured the name 'Xuan Ziye' must be fake anyway."

Xuan Ziye lowered his head, remaining silent for a long time.

"Do you know why the people there didn't chase you?"

"Why?"

"Because there is a Daoist temple in the west of the city, known to everyone in Anma City, and the temple master has a senior disciple... whose name happens to be Xuan Ziye. And as it turns out, that person is me."

Lin Changtian choked back his laughter, feeling rather uncomfortable. With a straight face, he remarked, "Well, it seems you can run away as a Daoist, but you can't run away from your temple."

"You seem to be laughing quite happily. Do you find this amusing?" Xuan Ziye shot him a sidelong glance laden with murderous intent.

"Daoist priest, you must be seeing things. We people from Sishan have undergone professional training; no matter how funny something is, we never laugh—unless... we can't help it."

Xuan Ziye let out a long sigh. Once he got back, his ears would probably never know peace again.

"It's no big deal anyway. As someone on the path of cultivation, what use is worldly vanity?" Lin Changtian patted Xuan Ziye's shoulder with an air of bold generosity, looking utterly untroubled.

Xuan Ziye ignored him and walked on by himself. Lin Changtian hurried to catch up, unable to resist asking another question: "What kind of relationship do you actually have with Ma Hui? Besides, there are only four Qingtian realm masters in the Northern Territory. When did another Daoist pop up..."

"Those four are just the ones out in the open. There are plenty more hidden away."

"Oh? Could it be that those well-known figures are merely front-men pushed out to keep up appearances?"

Knowing Lin Changtian was fishing for information, Xuan Ziye curled his lip in mild annoyance. "No, quite the contrary. Aside from Liu Qingshan who came from elsewhere, the remaining three... are actually the strongest Qingtian realm masters in the Northern Territory."

"Huh?" Lin Changtian scratched his head, feeling this deviated somewhat from what he had imagined. "Usually, isn't the one who stays hidden the final boss? Sort of like some girls' clothes—you peel them back layer by layer only to find... that true plainness was the reality all along."

Xuan Ziye couldn't help but chuckle, and then inwardly scolded himself. *Xuan Ziye, Xuan Ziye, how can a man of the Dao understand such vulgar things the moment he hears them? You really need to reflect on yourself!*

"Anything else? If you know how to talk, say a bit more. I'm getting old; if I can't listen to other people's coughing, I at least need to hear these life-prolonging words." He rubbed his hands together, looking somewhat... excited.

Lin Changtian was taken aback. He was an upright gentleman; where was he supposed to find all these dirty jokes to entertain this Daoist?

Yet immediately afterward, he felt a twinge of melancholy. Looking at Xuan Ziye, he said with utter desolation, "I don't have any right now."

"True. Judging by your expression, you probably don't have an endless supply of such marvelous remarks. After all, raunchy lines come naturally to heaven, and even seasoned drivers find them hard to come by."

"Hmph!" Lin Changtian flared his nostrils, slanted a cold look at him, and said flatly, "Before the World Awakening, I had five terabytes of resources in the Central Plains. Do you know what that represents.......?"

"Say no more!" Xuan Ziye interrupted, bringing his hands together in a gesture of prayer as a stray beam of Buddhist holiness—totally unsuited to him—radiated from his body. "I've been to the Central Plains.... So, fellow Daoist, do you happen to have any European-style ones? Please 'lend me a part' to speak of."

.......