TODC Chapter 23

The so-called Cai Lu, the boiled egg, seemed to have noticed Baoyu’s gaze and glanced back from beneath the brim of his hat.

He walked toward the outskirts with his hands in his pockets, but his steps appeared somewhat anxious and flustered.

Baoyu watched his retreating figure and clenched his fist.

Fighting was not allowed on the mountain, especially with the old Master Celestial present.

If he were to suddenly act and control that boiled egg now, simply because he suspected him of stealing the package, it would not be a shame to lose his belongings.

But if a thief had sneaked into the old Master Celestial’s domain, it would be a blow to the old Master Celestial’s face!

Let him stay calm for one more night, and deal with him tomorrow…

Baoyu thought to himself.

…

At this moment, a familiar voice came from not far away.

“Qingfu Shen? Haha, Zhang Chulan, your luck is too good. The three opponents in the first match of Qingfu Shen Dan Shitong couldn’t last even two minutes in front of him…”

Baoyu turned around and saw Feng Xingtong, who looked somewhat gleeful, standing next to Zhang Chulan and saying something!

Zhang Chulan, holding a note, had a furrowed brow with what seemed like cold sweat on his forehead.

Following Feng Xingtong’s pointing direction, Baoyu saw a man with long, bluish-gray hair tied in a long ponytail, looking sideways at Zhang Chulan…

…

At some point, the old Master Celestial had left the venue.

Zhang Lingyu was talking with several Taoist priests: “Ye Xing, Ji Yun, have the contestants’ rooms been arranged?”

“Don’t worry, Junior Uncle. Everything is arranged properly!”

“Then you all can take everyone back to their respective lodgings!”

Several Taoist priests accepted their orders and left.

Soon, a young Taoist led Baoyu and a group of more than ten contestants toward a certain direction.

The contestants accompanying him were unfamiliar to him, some he had only briefly met.

Meanwhile, Zhang Chulan and others walked in the opposite direction under the guidance of two Taoist priests…

…

The mountain sky seemed to darken unusually early.

Before long, guided by the young Taoist, the group arrived at their lodging place, which consisted of two buildings resembling Taoist dwellings.

The two houses were designed in an ancient Taoist style. Under the bright moonlight, the eaves and green tiles of the roofs appeared somewhat cold.

The houses were not small; each had five or six beds. Wooden beams had chandeliers hanging from them, emitting a somewhat dim yellow light.

The furnishings in the two houses were somewhat simple but appeared recently cleaned with no dust. The windows and doors were fitted with screens and curtains, so there were no mosquitoes…

“Everyone, the lodging is a bit rudimentary, please bear with us!”

After leading everyone to their rooms, the young Taoist cupped his hands in apology, with a sincere attitude.

Although some were dissatisfied with the accommodation, no one dared to make trouble on the old Master Celestial’s grounds.

Baoyu didn’t mind. He had often stayed in deep mountain forests with his senior brothers at Lingyin Temple, so the quality of the accommodation was not an issue for him.

Moreover…

Even though he had been busy all day and gone through a match, with his current cultivation, he felt no fatigue at all.

This level of exercise was nothing compared to his usual martial training, just like a drizzle…

But not all the contestants were like him.

For many, today had been a grueling battle, and they were already exhausted. After eating some of the meals prepared by the Taoists, many fell asleep immediately.

Baoyu ate a little and lay on the bed fully dressed, staring at the ceiling.

The signal in the mountains was poor, and the mobile network was intermittent…

He glanced at the others who had already fallen asleep, with their snoring loud and overwhelming.

Baoyu shook his head and got up from the bed. Cultivating one’s mind and energy is not just about having a strong body and abundant energy; it also helps maintain mental clarity. The saying “a full spirit doesn’t crave sleep” illustrates this principle.

For him, even a night without sleep would not affect his mental state the next day.

As he walked outside, a full moon hung in the sky, bright and clear. The night sky resembled a deep blue curtain, with clouds drifting, occasionally covering or revealing the sparkling stars.

The ancient trees and grass in the mountain were draped in a silver veil under the moonlight. The chirping of insects in the grass was dense like falling rain, and from time to time, birds would take flight in the forest, circling in the air.

It seemed that…

The night in the forest was not as quiet as it appeared!

However, compared to the humid heat of the day, the night in the mountains was somewhat cooler.

…

Baoyu was still reflecting on the plot of One Person Below, taking a solitary stroll through the forest.

From his previous life’s god-like perspective, he knew that this world had developed eight powerful and mysterious skills due to the chaos of the Jia Shen Rebellion!

But having only watched two seasons of the animation, he only knew four of them.

Zhang Chulan’s ‘Qi Body Source Flow’!

Lu Jin’s ‘Heavenly Script’!

The ‘Wind Behind the Scenes’ that would soon make Wang Ye shine!

And the ‘Spirit Binding and Dispatching’ that entangled the Feng and Wang families!

…

As for the other skills, Baoyu did not know of them at all.

“Ah…”

Baoyu felt a pang of melancholy.

Whether it was Feng Baobao’s mysterious background,

Or the deep secrecy surrounding the ‘Jia Shen Rebellion’!

Or the origin and functions of the so-called ‘Eight Strange Skills’.

…

And who exactly were the ‘Ten Elders’?

That was something he could return and ask his master about, to see if he knew.

Quickly, Baoyu shook his head in self-deprecation…

His master, the Great Monk Jie Kong, was just an ordinary monk now. How could he know about these hidden matters?

…

‘If only I had read the entire manga’s plot back then, I wouldn’t be in such an uncomfortable situation now!’

Baoyu’s current understanding of this world was even less than that of the characters in the plot!

So, he would not miss any opportunity to gain deeper insight into the world.

His mind kept turning…

Unknowingly, he had been wandering in the forest for quite a while.

At that moment, a man’s voice from not far away caught his attention!

“Understood… President… Keep an eye on it!!”

The voice was intermittent, seeming to be on a phone call.

Baoyu had no interest in eavesdropping on others’ secrets and was about to turn away…

But the mention of a name made him suddenly stop in his tracks!

The person said:

Feng Baobao!!!