The lackey was pulled into an unknown location by the strong force. When he woke up, a young man stood before him with his hands behind his back. “Who are you?” the Daoist asked.
“Who I am is not important. What’s important is that you tell me who you all are, and what are you planning in Xuanyang Mountain?” Chen Hao slowly turned around to look at him coldly.
The moment the lackey saw Chen Hao, he froze and said, “Wait, you’re... the Young Master?” Following that, he fell to his knees with an audible thud.
“Young Master?” Chen Hao frowned curiously.
“When did you get here, Young Master?” the lackey asked.
“Hehe, I come and go as I wish!” Chen Hao scoffed. He had no idea why this lackey was calling him Young Master, but he might as well take advantage of it and get some information out from him.
“Alright, answer me!” Chen Hao commanded.
The lackey kowtowed in fear. “Have you forgotten, Young Master? We’ve received your family’s secret orders to excavate the magical stones! There’s an underground vein here in Xuanyang Mountain called the Xuanyang Vein, which is why we’ve been trying to excavate the Xuanyang Stone for over a month!” he said truthfully.
“The Xuanyang Stone?” Chen Hao nodded, having grasped the gist of it. “Does that mean the original Daoists of Xuanyang Temple are…?” he asked.
“Those who resisted were killed, and the rest are being held in a prison!” the lackey replied. “Young Master, is Master Chen Haotian aware of your arrival? I’ll report to him at once!”
“There’s no rush for that. Tell me, have you heard of an elder called Master Ghost?’ Chen Hao asked. He felt that Xuanyang Mountain held countless secrets.
“Master Ghost? Of course, Young Master. Weren’t you the one who ordered us to hunt him down? He has been captured and Master Chen Haotian is watching over him, just as you commanded!” he replied.
“Ah, so it was you lot who took Master Ghost!” Chen Hao raised an eyebrow.
“Young Master?” The Daoist suddenly looked up and realized that this young man was acting completely unlike his young master; not to mention the way he kept asking questions was very suspicious.
Not bad, it seems like I’ve saved quite a bit of effort, Chen Hao thought to himself. Come to think of it, it might’ve been months since Master Ghost escaped to Xuanyang Mountain and hid himself in the temple, which explained how he had made the prediction for Wan Xue. Soon after that, these people had turned the place upside down in an effort to capture Master Ghost and excavate the Vein.
That explains why I haven’t been able to secure any leads on Master Ghost! Chen Hao realized.
“Who’s this Chen Haotian you speak of? And who’s your young master?” Chen Hao asked with a smile.
“What? You’re not my master?” The man stood up abruptly and looked at Chen Hao warily.
“Have you only just noticed?” Chen Hao smiled faintly. The man tried to run, but another pulling force instantly sent him airborne, tearing at his insides so violently that it felt like torture.
“Mercy! Please, have mercy!” he screeched.
However, these golden needles merely turned to dust the moment they came into contact with Chen Hao’s vital energy, a full 50 centimeters away from Chen Hao himself without him lifting a finger. Meanwhile, the man was shocked to see this.
“Since you already know who I am, we’re technically distant relatives. Why would you want to kill me?” Chen Hao asked, surprised.
“There’s a big bounty for your head!” the Daoist lackey replied alarmingly.
“Who put it on me?” Chen Hao still couldn't figure out the reason behind all of this, so he continued to ask confusedly, “Also, did you take my family?”
“About all of that, you should ask Master Chen Haotian yourself.” As he spoke, the man quietly ignited a talisman, which soon dissolved into colorful smoke that clearly indicated a signal.
“Hahaha! I know, you must be one of those lowly Chen people we missed. I bet you didn’t notice me sending the emergency signal while I was answering your questions. You’re dead, kid!” The man gloated.
Chen Hao felt even more confused. “What are you so excited about? I did actually notice you sending the signal, but it’s not like I’d simply walk away now that I’m here, right? Why are you so happy?” he asked.
“Haha, since you look so similar to my young master, I figured that you might be a big deal to the lowly Chen family. If I capture you, I might even be promoted to Deputy Master. In a while, this place will be surrounded by experts and you’ll be dead meat. How can I not be happy?” The man laughed wholeheartedly.
“I see. You’re being proud of your wit and your achievement in capturing me!” Chen Hao smiled. “You claim that my family is the lowly one, but do you know you lot are mere nobodies in my eyes?”
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