Chapter 7: The Night is Restless

Hey," the middle-aged man shook his head and sighed, a faint expression of melancholy appearing on his face

I am a solitary cultivator," the middle-aged man replied淡淡地, glancing at him again. "The hardships of solitary cultivators are something you, the scions of noble families, cannot possibly understand.

Once again, that stout man reacted quickly; his legs went weak and he knelt down. "My lord, we are blind and have offended you. I am from the Qing Stone Zhou family. I implore you to consider the legacy of our ancestors..."

Eight thunder deer approached leisurely, consisting of one stag, three does, two yearlings, and two fawns, appearing to be a family

Killing and arson may not necessarily lead to a golden belt, Chen Taizhong scoffed.

"Hey, I can't believe I'm having such greedy thoughts," the middle-aged man chuckled, shaking his head. "I really shouldn't... However, I am quite curious, do you truly believe that you can keep the Xumi Ring in front of me?"

The rest consists of a few pieces of clothing, pots, bowls, and other essential household items

"Can the lower realm disrupt the celestial realm?" This was the first time Chen Taizhong had heard of such a thing.

"I am not a member of a prominent family," Chen Taizhong couldn't help but protest. "If I were from a prominent family, would I need to go out on missions? Would I be bullied by others?"

It seems that something is amiss. He carefully sensed the positions of the armored tiger and another person, and there was not a trace of breath leaking out. This is not right.

If a middle-aged person can accept such humiliation, what he will inevitably face next is the loss of this storage bag

"You are only allowed to rob others, but I am not allowed to rob you?" The middle-aged man took a sip of fine wine, leisurely biting into the skewered meat, "I am not one to be pretentious; if I want to rob, I will rob. Unlike you, who still need to find a reason... Truly, it is like being a prostitute while wanting to maintain a facade of respectability"

When he was on Earth, he did not have much contact with people, nor did anyone discuss cultivation with him. He did read some xianxia novels, and whenever they mentioned killing and robbing storage bags, it was as if one had seized mountains of gold, with everything one could desire at hand.

However, at this moment, he was still not very clear about it, so he curiously exclaimed, "Is it that you cannot gain the support of your family in the ninth level of the Immortal Journey?"

Chen Taizhong busily got to work, and in less than ten minutes, he had sliced off dozens of pounds of horse meat from the horse's leg, strung it together, and coated it with the mixed barbecue seasoning he had brought from Earth, then set the iron skewer over the fire

"Two spirits buy a string," the middle-aged man lazily replied, "It is impossible to get it for free; the wildebeest is a Level 3 wild beast"

"No work, no reward," Chen Taizhong threw the storage bag back, "What I need, I will naturally earn back with my own hands"

Chen Taizhong raised his wine cup to take a sip, casting a sidelong glance at him, and said no more.

"Do not use your family to intimidate me; I have no intention of killing anyone," the middle-aged man snorted coldly. "However, if you do not obey, I might truly consider killing. I will give you three breaths' time to think it over"

"Why should I try? You haven't offended me," the middle-aged man said, spreading his hands in a dismissive manner. "I never bully people casually... Even when I ask you for something to eat, I always pay with spirit stones."

"We are all here to make a living. Brother, being so money-minded is somewhat inappropriate," another man spoke, then stepped forward ominously and said, "You'd better know your place."

A middle-aged man tossed a storage bag to him, smiling as he said, "It's delivered to your door, and everyone who sees it gets a share"

This person has a slightly plump figure, a charming smile, and somewhat resembles a businessman who roams the rivers and lakes

Chen Taizhong was momentarily taken aback, and then began to contemplate whether he should inquire about certain matters concerning Earth

Hmm? The middle-aged man let out a grunt, and an overwhelming pressure suddenly emanated, vast and imposing, bringing an endless sense of suffocation to those around him

"What did you say?" the woman immediately screamed

After a long while, he finally spoke, "You two leave the storage bags behind, that woman... take off her clothes and get lost."

Oh? The middle-aged man glanced at the jade tablet, then intentionally or unintentionally cast a look at the Xumi ring on his hand

At this moment today, he truly feels nothing, indicating that there has been a change in circumstances

My friend does not make a living by selling his skills; he simply enjoys your wine

"It's nothing much," the man said casually, a slight smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "If I wanted to seize your Xumi Ring, do you think you could stop me?"

Before long, a rustling sound came from afar. Peering through the grass, he was overjoyed to discover that it was a Thunder Deer

I do not recommend that you try it," Chen Taizhong replied earnestly, "for there are nuclear bombs in the Xumi Ring.

Of course, if the other party is willing to pay, that is another matter. After thinking it over, he replied, "No money, just give me a cup of the wine from your gourd."

"You do have an eye for value; my drink is worth at least 5 ling per cup," the middle-aged man chuckled, then nodded, "Alright"

Chen Taizhong means the same; he can help others, but it must be of his own volition. For those who come in with an arrogant attitude, he truly feels discontent, even if he is merely a second-level wandering immortal

At this moment, he finally remembered a question, "What level are you, exactly?"

The middle-aged man was stunned for a while before he slightly nodded and said, "Indeed, the people of the lower realm are not to be underestimated. The lower realm has stirred the Yellow Realm into chaos more than once or twice... You possess an extremely rare cultivation technique, which speaks to your background."

These three individuals dined and dashed, merely as a beginning; if the middle-aged person shows even a slight weakness, the next step will be the loss of their storage bag

Isn't it that I have no way out? Chen Taizhong helplessly curled his lips, picked up the storage bag from the ground, and quietly sat down in the patch of "artificial grass".

At your age, you are only at the second level of the Immortal Ascension; you cannot possibly be a disciple of the sect,

"So fragrant," a voice of admiration came from the darkness. Two men and one woman appeared not far away. One of the round-faced individuals greeted with a smile, "In the wilderness, everyone shares... I hope you two won't mind."

In the future, you will understand. The middle-aged man did not wish to elaborate on the matter; he merely cast a meaningful glance at him. "In this vast world, there is everything... You have your own trump card, do you not?"

Oh," the middle-aged man nodded, then looked at the three individuals, asking with a half-smile, "Next, are you planning to steal my storage bag?"

The middle-aged man saw Chen Taizhong standing still, first taken aback, then he reacted and added, "I will give you a processing fee of 2 ling... but you must use your ingredients."

Then he straightened his expression, cleared his throat, and said, "A couple of days ago, we were pursuing a Level 4 mutated wind snake, and in the chaos, someone stole it. That person has a build similar to yours... You'd better let us check your storage bag"

He could not help but secretly raise his vigilance—out in the wilderness, he was merely a minor level two wanderer.

I am also a loose cultivator, and I just ascended a few days ago. Chen Taizhong shook his jade tablet to show it off.

This is indeed a relentless pursuit. Demanding some food in the wild is not overly excessive, but inspecting someone else's storage bag is somewhat overstepping the bounds, as it is akin to searching someone without cause

At the ninth level peak, he was stuck and could not ascend to the realm of immortals. The middle-aged man sighed and replied faintly

"How could we possibly snatch it?" said the slightly plump fellow with a dry laugh

"Has the Zhou family provoked you?" The chubby man, undeterred, insisted on dragging the grievances into the family.

The figure is quite good ... Chen Taizhong did not hide his gaze as he watched the woman leave

Hiss, those three are also discerning; they immediately gasped in surprise—this is at least a seventh-level wandering immortal, a high-ranking wandering immortal

By the time dawn arrived, he finally probed into the storage bag with his spiritual sense, discovering a medium-grade spirit stone, over twenty low-grade spirit stones, several bottles of elixirs, a long sword, and a long knife.

Am I now at level 2?" Chen Taizhong muttered discontentedly, but after thinking it over, he realized that against such a strong opponent, there was really no difference between level 1 and level 2

If one could find some immortals who have ascended from Earth, it would be considered a form of support for oneself

Long after, Chen Taizhong came to realize that in the celestial realm, inquiring about another's cultivation level is considered quite taboo, much like asking someone on Earth how much money they earn—it's irrelevant and reflects a shallow relationship.

"You may give it a try," Chen Taizhong replied with a slight frown.

He is attuned to the flow of energy, being particularly sensitive to the changes in breath. Yesterday, he was able to sense the presence on both sides—though the energy was faint, it consistently made him feel something unusual

Chen Taizhong noticed that the woman was looking at the middle-aged man's storage bag with a glimmer of intense light in her eyes

It is better to have no books than to believe them entirely. He collected his thoughts and then said he wanted to see if the big creature from yesterday had left the water, and whether he could catch a couple more fish. Suddenly, he felt that the surroundings were unusually quiet

Not to mention what is inside this storage bag, just the bag itself is a high-end item, a level four or five celestial artifact; those without a storage bag are truly at a disadvantage.

He was hesitating, while the middle-aged man had already stood up, waved his hand, and put the unfinished horse meat into his storage bag. He turned around and left leisurely, saying, "The life of a loose cultivator is too difficult. If you have any connections, it would be better to find a way to enter the system."

Hmm? Chen Taizhong was immediately taken aback; he truly did not expect the other party to recognize this thing. Thus, he furrowed his brows and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Under the pressure of the high-level celestial beings, the three individuals had no choice but to abandon two storage bags. The woman also removed her outer layer of tight-fitting clothing, leaving only her inner garments. Taking advantage of the night, she covered her face and fled in a state of disarray.

The rules of the celestial realm dictate that only spiritual immortals are qualified to establish cultivation families. A middle-aged man at the ninth-level peak will undoubtedly be vigorously nurtured within the family. Once he ascends to spiritual immortal, it will add another top-tier combat force.

"Meeting is indeed a form of fate," the middle-aged man chuckled softly, then lowered his voice to speak, "That Xumi Ring of yours... it must not be convenient to use at all times, right?"

That horse meat is yours; what does it have to do with me? Chen Taizhong found it strange how he got involved in this matter. However, after some thought, he couldn't help but remind, "If you hand over your storage bag, it is likely that nothing will happen."

Hehe, the middle-aged man chuckled softly, turned his head to look at the young man beside him, and asked with great interest, "Young man, do you think I should just give it to them for free?"

He took twenty minutes to roast the meat until it was cooked, and casually accepted the wine handed to him by the middle-aged man