Chapter 86: The Secret Techniques of the Millet Gate (Third Watch)

The last time he visited Jinshui Town was during the winter of last year, when the land was dusted with light snow.

The recollection flickered past. Watching the autumn wind sweep fallen leaves across the street ahead, Xu Cheng wondered to himself how Tang Guomeng and the others were faring these days.

He extended his spiritual sense, but found no trace of them. Instead, he noticed several new magistrates sent by the Xia Dynasty in town, the most advanced among them only at the Seal-Forming stage. It seemed that the extraction of souls and refining of ordinary people into elixirs had indeed shaken the Xia Dynasty’s foundations too deeply; if the dynasty lost its subjects, who would worship the Son of Heaven? Thus, even Xia Hao dared not employ that method indefinitely.

His spiritual sense swept across the entire Jinshui Town, yet Tang Guomeng and his companions were nowhere to be found, as if they had vanished.

“Mengdie, shall I mask your appearance, lest you cause a panic?”

Standing at the town’s gate, they drew the attention of passersby, especially upon seeing Yan Mengdie, who startled them and sent them fleeing like frightened rabbits. Xu Cheng seized the opportunity to erase their memories with a spell.

Otherwise, the rumor of a monster appearing in town would spread far and wide.

This time, Yan Mengdie was not upset, nor did she show any sign of annoyance. She nodded, agreeing to Xu Cheng’s suggestion.

With a gesture, Xu Cheng employed the Minor Five Elements Creation Art. Multicolored light enveloped Yan Mengdie, transforming her from the giant beetle-like creature into a plump young woman, her appearance now far less conspicuous. Xu Cheng followed up by purging the memories of all who had seen her.

Thus, no rumor of monsters would circulate in town.

Unable to detect any trace of Tang Guomeng, Xu Cheng was puzzled, and the trio made their way toward the teahouse.

At this hour, business at the teahouse was thriving, and Tang Guomeng was still performing as a storyteller.

Even at close range, Xu Cheng’s senses failed to locate Tang Guomeng, prompting him to marvel: was the occult concealment of the Millet Gate truly so formidable?

He waited until Tang Guomeng finished his tale. Dusk deepened, and the crowd dispersed.

Tang Guomeng took a sip of tea and sat boldly across from them, then said, “So, you’ve come again?”

“What, are we not welcome, even though we’re old acquaintances?” Xu Cheng retorted.

“That… certainly not!” Tang Guomeng replied after a sip. “My shop is small, yet you three great Buddha statues always come here—and always through the front door. If Xia Dynasty cultivators find you, I’ll have to move again. Will you pay my moving expenses?”

“With our abilities, who could possibly discover us?”

A sense of pride swelled in Xu Cheng, who had attained the Spirit Core stage.

“How do your hiding techniques compare to ours?” Tang Guomeng wore a sly smile.

“Well…” Xu Cheng was momentarily stumped. Even with his spiritual probing, he had failed to detect Tang Guomeng’s presence; clearly, the Millet Gate’s art of concealment was top-tier.

“Nothing to say, hmm?” Tang Guomeng stood up and drained his tea. “Even spirit cores cannot find us, but members of the Millet Gate must relocate periodically. Sometimes it’s due to conflicts with other cultivators or financial issues. And if we don’t disguise ourselves, our unchanging appearance will be noticed by ordinary folk—also a problem!”

“All right, you win!” Xu Cheng conceded.

“A sound argument will get you anywhere! Hmph!” Apparently finding the teacup insufficient, Tang Guomeng grabbed the teapot and gulped down several mouthfuls. “So, what brings you here this time? I’ll say it now—I don’t work for free!”

“How stingy!” Xu Cheng muttered to himself. “Then, can you tell me why the Millet Gate’s arts are so secretive?”

“That’s a sect secret. Unless you join the Millet Gate, I won’t tell you!” Tang Guomeng frowned, then smiled.

“Trying to recruit me into your sect, are you?”

Xu Cheng was taken aback. Though curious about the concealment art, he had no intention of joining.

“Indeed. And besides, you wouldn’t lose out by joining the Millet Gate!” Tang Guomeng stepped closer to Xu Cheng.

“Enough with the digressions. Let’s get to the real issue—how fares the battle at Gunzhou City?” Xu Cheng revealed the purpose of his visit.

“Well, Xia Hao led hundreds of spirit core cultivators straight to Gunzhou City. It was a spectacle—no one in the world could match it. Their ranks formed a giant Buddha statue, as if it could intimidate the heavens. With a sweep of its hand, it seemed able to tear the sky; with a stamp of its feet, it could shatter the earth. Such might—who could compare? The statue charged at Gunzhou City, as if to crush it to dust. But then, a monstrous apparition appeared above the city, many times larger than the Buddha statue conjured by the Xia cultivators. It opened its maw and swallowed the statue whole. Not a ripple remained.”

Tang Guomeng recounted the events in his storyteller’s cadence, stirring Xu Cheng’s heart. The actual scene might have differed somewhat, but not by much. He hadn’t expected Xia Hao, accompanied by hundreds of spirit core cultivators, to attack the city, only to be defeated and sent away in disgrace.

Knowing Gunzhou City was safe, Xu Cheng felt much relieved. Even Yan Mengdie, whose face had been clouded with worry, relaxed.

“Is there anything else you wish to ask, aside from Gunzhou City?” The storyteller seemed thirsty and continued to drink tea.

“I’d like to ask… about the national treasure of the Five Bushels of Rice Dao!” Xu Cheng said, half joking, half serious.

Tang Guomeng spat out his tea in surprise. He wiped his mouth and stared at Xu Cheng. “What did you say?”

“The national treasure of the Five Bushels of Rice Dao!” Xu Cheng replied boldly. He couldn’t fathom why Tang Guomeng reacted so strongly to the mention of the national treasure.

“Hahaha! Who told you… what national treasure? It’s just…” Abruptly, Tang Guomeng remembered something, and stopped laughing mid-sentence.

He straightened his face, dried off his tea-stained clothes, and said seriously, “Ahem, yes, it is indeed the national treasure. If one day you can obtain the tokens of the five branches of the Five Bushels of Rice Dao, you’ll gain that treasure and dominate the world!”

The rapid shift in his demeanor left Xu Cheng bewildered, uncertain whether to believe him. But Xu Cheng harbored no ambitions of world domination; he only wished to cultivate in peace, collect evil spirits and monsters into the Yellow Springs, and nothing more. His curiosity about the national treasure was just that—curiosity.

“Tempted? Anyway, you already have the Millet Gate’s token. Only four remain. Good luck—I’m rooting for you!” Tang Guomeng switched to an encouraging tone.

“You’re mistaken; in fact, I only need three more tokens! If they’re easy to obtain, I’ll see what the national treasure is like. If not, I won’t bother.” Xu Cheng produced the Daozi Gate’s token for Tang Guomeng to see. Tang Guomeng was startled, thinking Xu Cheng’s luck was truly remarkable.