Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1002: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (10)

At this moment, an unusual sense of oppression bore down on Mo Mo, reminding him of his recent duel with White Tiger’s young master, Huang Baifu.

This seemingly delicate girl before him… a girl who looked even younger than himself… could she actually be on the same level as Huang Baifu?

Mo Mo tightened his grip on the strange black wooden sword given to him by Xiao Shengmo, the Lord of Fengdu City. It was his only weapon at the moment.

Without talismans, a Heavenly Dao Master lost half of their combat power.

But why was this white-haired girl here? Mo Mo only remembered her from before his battle with Huang Baifu.

Back then, he had even asked Captain Ling Feng of the Management Bureau to investigate the theft incident. Unfortunately, after his fight with Huang Baifu, he had fallen unconscious, and upon waking up, he was immediately swept into exploring the mysterious cave dwelling. Later, Zhan’er had acquired the Edict by chance, and they had fled together—causing Mo Mo to nearly forget about the theft entirely.

“The Demon and Daoist worlds have a clear rule: no internal killings… and yet, you openly break the agreement?” No matter what, Mo Mo forced himself to remain calm and probed the white-haired girl with words.

“Oh? What agreement?” The white-haired girl chewed her gum indifferently. “Not that it matters to me. I’m not one of them.”

Her strange long blade dragged along the ground, making a grating sound that sent a shiver down Mo Mo’s spine. At his level of cultivation, his senses for danger were far beyond those of ordinary people.

Right now, he felt as if he had nowhere to escape—like invisible ice spikes had burst from the ground, locking him in place. A bone-chilling cold seeped through his body.The white-haired girl’s smile grew even brighter.

But Mo Mo let out a low shout, and his powerful spiritual energy burst forth, shoving away the icy oppression. Holding the mysterious wooden sword wrapped in cloth, he controlled his breathing.

“Oh? Much better than that big white cat from earlier. You must be worth quite a bit.” The white-haired girl smirked.

The tension reached a breaking point.

But suddenly, the girl’s nose twitched as if she had smelled something, and in an instant, the overwhelming pressure vanished.

Mo Mo was momentarily confused. Then, the girl—sweet-looking but terrifying in her methods—stepped closer and sniffed him.

…Was she part cat or something?

“This scent is so familiar…” The girl frowned, then seemed to realize something. “Did you recently meet a terrifying woman?”

“Terrifying woman…” Mo Mo instinctively glanced at the white-haired girl before him. Her sudden change in demeanor confused him. But if he had to name a terrifying woman… wasn’t she the one?

“Golden hair, always smiling, but extremely dangerous. Right?”

Golden hair? Always smiling? Could she mean… the maid from the senior’s shop?

“You… you know the senior?” Mo Mo’s heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, “And Miss?”

“You actually call them ‘senior’?” The white-haired girl narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Mo Mo. Then she suddenly asked, “Are you from the shop?”

Mo Mo shook his head.

“Then have you ever bought anything from the shop?”

Again, Mo Mo shook his head.

The girl’s eyes twinkled mischievously, and she grinned. “Hey, wanna make some money? Let’s team up and go hunting! There’s a lot of money to be made around here.”

“…Huh?”

“I’m hungry. Let’s grab a drink first!” She casually swung her blade, and a gust of wind swept through the dark alley. Then, with a flick of her hand, the blade shot into the scroll tube slung across her back.

She turned and strolled toward the alley’s exit.

“W-wait!” Mo Mo quickly secured his wooden sword and chased after her. This strange girl seemed to know a lot about the senior.

Before leaving, he glanced back at the corpse of the White Tiger clan member, frowning. In the end, he decided against dealing with it.

There were bound to be other demons nearby who would soon discover the body. It was better to leave this to the Demon Association and the Management Bureau. He was already a wanted man—why get involved?

He told himself: Intervening in injustice… maybe I’ve just been too naive.

Clenching his fist, he gritted his teeth and hurried after the white-haired girl.

---

Shortly after, two dark figures flickered into the alley, stopping beside the White Tiger clan demon’s corpse.

As the figures became clearer, one was revealed to be a man in his thirties, dressed in a black suit. The other was a burly, bearded man, wearing only a vest despite the cold weather.

The two came from different backgrounds. The suited man was a pure human, raised in an ancient sect called Yun Hui.

The bearded man, Lao Lang, belonged to the Greedy Wolf Clan from the highlands.

Despite their origins, both were part of the Special National Land Management Bureau.

They had been patrolling the area when they detected demonic energy fluctuations—along with something unusual—and rushed over. But they were already too late.

“A White Tiger clan member…” Yun Hui frowned, scanning the scene.

Lao Lang crouched, sniffing the air, then stood up shaking his head. “Nothing. No scent left behind. The killer was extremely cautious.”

Yun Hui’s expression darkened. “Demons have been disappearing recently. Yesterday, we even got reports of people vanishing from the Daoist World. Now we’re finding bodies… What do you think, Lao Lang?”

Lao Lang pondered. “The missing ones are probably dead. And with this corpse added… I’d say it’s the same culprit. The question is, what’s their goal?”

“Let’s report this to Captain Ling.” Yun Hui nodded. “I’ll set up a barrier to prevent civilians from stumbling in and causing panic. You call the cleanup team.”

“Got it.” Lao Lang pulled out his phone.

Meanwhile, Yun Hui contacted Captain Ling Feng, stationed at Crouching Dragon Estate.

Soon, a specialized cleanup team arrived and began processing the crime scene.

Lao Lang, bored, leaned against a wall, puffing on his pipe. Yun Hui walked over and suddenly asked, “Hey, after work, want to swing by Kunpeng Manor?”

Lao Lang glanced at him.

Yun Hui chuckled. “Your Greedy Wolf Clan’s young master is in town. Don’t you want to meet him? Even though we work for the Bureau under a contract, we still come from our own people.”

“We’ll see.” Lao Lang exhaled a puff of smoke. “Honestly, I don’t really care… If possible, I might apply to stay here after my term ends.”

“Huh…” Yun Hui raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further.

Once the cleanup team finished their work, Yun Hui and Lao Lang left together.

---

Mr. Blind hadn’t set foot in Crouching Dragon Estate for many years.

Back then, when he first arrived, Crouching Dragon Estate didn't have the rules it has now. Even earlier than that, the estate itself didn't exist—there were only a few grass huts built by Daoists who came to attend the gathering.

At that time, he was just a junior disciple in the sect... Mr. Blind sighed with some nostalgia as he stepped into the courtyard designated for the Plain-Clothed Dao.

He had only spoken with Lai Caisheng for the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, yet he already sensed that this young man was extraordinary. He wondered whether his senior brother had entrusted the Heavenly Heart to Lai Caisheng.

In truth, the Plain-Clothed Dao had inherited two great abilities: the Heavenly Eye, which could see through illusions, and the more advanced Heavenly Heart. The Heavenly Heart was not something one could attain through cultivation alone—it was, strictly speaking, a physical artifact, passed down from one generation to the next. His senior brother had inherited it from the previous sect leader.

"The room has been prepared," Miss Gong said politely. "Daoist Qingxiaozi, if you need anything, please feel free to ask. I’ve also arranged for your two attendants to stay in the adjacent rooms. However, I must ask you to keep them in check, as they are not officially recognized here yet… Entering the Dao through martial arts is extremely difficult, after all."

"They say that the True Martial Emperor attained the Dao through martial arts… What, Miss Gong, do you look down on martial artists?" Mr. Blind said indifferently.

Miss Gong replied calmly, "Precisely because of that, we understand just how difficult it is."

Mr. Blind turned to look at her in silence. She stood her ground, unfazed. Finally, he nodded. "Understood. I will tell them not to wander around."

"In that case, I won’t disturb you any further," Miss Gong said with a nod and was about to leave.

Just then, Mr. Blind suddenly asked, "Who else is in the Daoist Association now, besides Lai Caisheng? I've been away for too long and don't know the current situation."

This was not classified information, so Miss Gong answered directly, "The association’s president is still Daoist Baijie of Kunlun. One vice president is Hanyang Zhenren of Quanzhen Dao, and the other is Lai Caisheng as a representative. As for the rest of the chairman’s seats, they haven’t changed in the past thirty years—you should know them already, so I won’t list them."

Mr. Blind nodded. "Hmm… all familiar names. Go ahead, I won’t keep you."

Miss Gong bowed respectfully and left.

The moment she stepped outside, however, she saw an elderly man with white eyebrows standing at the courtyard entrance. She didn’t know when he had arrived.

"Ah, little Miss Gong, you're here too," the white-browed elder—Daoist Baijie—spoke in an extremely slow and deliberate tone.

"President… you've come?" Miss Gong was visibly surprised.

He was the current president of the Divine Land Daoist Association, an ageless figure known as the Evergreen of the Daoist World, Daoist Baijie of Kunlun!

"Heh, nothing much, just heard an old friend was back and thought I’d drop by to say hello," Daoist Baijie said with a leisurely expression.

Miss Gong hesitated for a moment before nodding. "In that case, I won’t disturb you."

She wisely chose to leave instead of staying.

Seeing her leave so calmly, Mr. Blind finally stepped out. He bowed toward Daoist Baijie. "Greetings, Mr. Baijie."

"Heh, Qingxiaozi, it’s been a long time," Daoist Baijie said, his hands clasped behind his back, his posture slightly hunched, exuding the aura of a long-lived elder as he slowly stepped into the courtyard.

Mr. Blind followed at a steady pace behind him.

Daoist Baijie didn’t enter the house; instead, he stopped beneath a tree in the courtyard and looked up. It was an old phoenix tree. After a moment, he muttered, "Has this tree grown taller?"

"I can’t see," Mr. Blind replied, shaking his head.

Daoist Baijie let out a soft sigh, glanced at Mr. Blind with a smile, and said slowly, "Is it that you can’t see, or that you don’t want to see?"

Mr. Blind replied calmly, "Better not to see."

Daoist Baijie chuckled. "Fair enough. But since you’re here, won’t you invite me in for some tea? While we’re at it, you can tell me about the wonders of the overseas lands—I haven’t left in over a hundred years."

"There are indeed some interesting tales. If you don’t mind, I can share a few," Mr. Blind said.

"Oh, I wouldn’t mind at all." Under his thick white brows, one of Daoist Baijie’s eyes slowly opened as he looked at Mr. Blind, smiling. "I’m just too bored, so I wanted to find someone to talk to. After living for so long, I’ve realized that longevity isn’t necessarily a good thing."

"Isn’t it good to live long?" Mr. Blind asked with a faint smile.

Daoist Baijie slowly opened his other eye and said, "The longer you live, the more you want to keep living. And when you live even longer, you still want more time. Qingxiaozi, tell me, how long do you think our lives can be? Can we outlive the heavens themselves?"

"That, only you would know," Mr. Blind said with a slight smile.

Daoist Baijie looked up at the phoenix tree again and murmured, "Hmm… it really does seem taller now."

(End of Chapter)