However, the Chopin brothers beside him dared not be the slightest bit impolite and immediately went to greet him.
The group of people wore different clothes, clearly indicating they didn't belong to the same sect or organization. After inquiring about the situation, and giving a respectful look to the seemingly dying rooster lying beside Xiao Wenbing, they took their leave in a generally amicable manner.
Finally, only one burly, arrogant man with a full beard remained, staring intently at the rooster.
Upon seeing that gaze, Xiao Wenbing felt a chill run down his spine. That look was like that of a lecherous man seeing a beautiful woman, radiating blatant lust.
I looked up slightly. Could this person have some kind of unusual hobby?
After a long pause, the man finally asked, "Friend, is this chicken demon your servant?"
"Huh?" Xiao Wenbing asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"If this is your servant, I'll buy him; if not, move aside."
"Huh?" Xiao Wenbing was taken aback. Since he had made a name for himself in the Jade Cauldron Sect of the cultivation world, this was the first time he had heard someone speak to him like that. For a moment, he really didn't react.
The man frowned and said impatiently, "In short, I want this chicken demon."
Xiao Wenbing stared at him, speechless. After a moment, he said with a half-smile, "I wonder what you intend to do with it, brother? If you were to pluck its feathers and cook it, it would be a waste of its cultivation."
The rooster shuddered. Feng Baiyi's threat to strike it with lightning had already terrified it. But the man before it was even more ruthless, threatening to pluck its feathers and cook it.
"Hmph, nonsense! How could I possibly waste such a precious thing? This chicken demon has survived the heavenly tribulation, and I will take it as my servant."
"Take it as a servant?" Xiao Wenbing's smile deepened. "I'm afraid it might not agree."
"Haha..." The man laughed loudly and said, "Does what I, this young master, have to do with it?"
The rooster narrowed its eyes slightly, a dangerous glint in them. Despite its disheveled appearance, it wasn't even scratched. With its demon-immortal level strength, dealing with this arrogant and ignorant fellow who was only at the Nascent Soul stage would be a piece of cake.
So after hearing this person spout such nonsense, they already wanted to kill him.
Xiao Wenbing said with a forced smile, "Brother, you are just a Nascent Soul cultivator. This chicken... demon brother is also a Nascent Soul cultivator. Do you think it will willingly acknowledge you as its master?"
The man hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's alright, take it back. Raise it slowly, wear down its wild nature, and it will naturally be tamed."
Xiao Wenbing glanced at him disdainfully and laughed, "Such a protracted process is rather troublesome. How about I offer a suggestion? This chicken demon has just survived its tribulation and is currently at its weakest. Brother, why don't you use a binding technique to trap it, and then try to sign a master-servant contract? That would be much more efficient."
"Not bad, that's a good idea." The man's face lit up with joy, and he said happily, "Good lad, you know what's good for you. When the young master takes down this chicken demon, you'll definitely get your share of the rewards."
Xiao Wenbing and the Chicken Fairy both stared at him, their eyes looking at him as if he were an idiot. Xiao Wenbing shielded the rooster from view and then lightly tapped its head a few times. A mysterious light talisman flashed and disappeared.
Stepping aside, Xiao Wenbing made a respectful gesture and said, "Please, brother."
He then stepped back to Chopin's side and whispered, "Who is this idiot?"
Because of their proximity, the Xiao brothers witnessed the strange behavior between him and the Chicken Immortal, knowing there must be something fishy going on. They whispered, "Brother Xiao, this is Mu Xuanli, the youngest son of the current sect leader of the Xuanji Sect." They paused, then added, "The Xuanji Sect is a major sect in Huangzhou. Brother Xiao, please be careful."
With a slight smile, Xiao Wenbing said, "Careful? Yes, of course we need to be careful."
Mu Xuanli approached the rooster demon, casually bit his finger, squeezed out a drop of blood, smeared it on the rooster's head, and softly chanted a spell.
Xiao Wenbing raised his head, speechless, gazing at the sky. It was unclear whether this man was confident or genuinely unaware. To bleed directly without any protective measures—he was truly unique in the world. Back then, if it weren't for Zhang Daoren's intervention, Xiao Wenbing wouldn't have dared to rashly claim the Butterfly Fairy.
A pale yellow light emanated from the rooster's head, gradually growing stronger until it enveloped the wood spirit as well.
Xiao De was greatly surprised and asked, "Brother, what kind of master recognition ceremony is this?"
Chopin shook his head; he, too, couldn't understand the mystery. After a moment, the yellow light faded, and the rooster stood up spiritedly, showing no trace of dejection or dishevelment.
The rooster transformed back into the lean man and returned the greeting to Xiao Wenbing, saying, "Brother Xiao, you're too kind. A servant like this is nothing to brag about except for being shameful!"
Looking at Mu Xuanli again, his eyes were now vacant, as if he had lost his soul, and he remained motionless.
"Brother Xiao, what's going on here...?"
"It's nothing. This Mu Xuanli overestimated himself and wanted to take Brother Chicken as his servant, but his cultivation was too shallow. As a result, he was backfired by the incantation and became Brother Chicken's slave."
The Chopin brothers looked on in astonishment. "Is such a thing possible?"
Failure to recruit servants will certainly have consequences, but it's the first time I've ever heard of someone else becoming a servant themselves.
Chopin's expression suddenly changed, and he said, "This is bad."
"What's wrong with it?"
"The sect leader of Xuanji Sect has always doted on this youngest son, but now that he has become someone else's servant, how could he possibly let this go?"
"Where is the Xuanji Sect? Is it very powerful?"
Chopin pointed to a towering building that seemed to reach into the clouds in the distance and said, "That's where the Xuanji Sect's underground location is. According to my master, there are at least three immortals guarding that sect, and one of them is a great master who has reached the avatar realm."
"Your teacher is..."
“My master is an ascended immortal, just like your master, he is a celestial being,” Chopin said solemnly.
Xiao Wenbing then understood why the two brothers knew the story of "half a catty, eight taels"—they had indeed met fellow countrymen from the same planet.
It's rare to meet someone from the same hometown! Xiao Wenbing immediately asked, "Where is your master currently gathering herbs?"
"Our master went to Huangzhou and instructed us brothers for three years. Before leaving, he only told us to return in a few years. As for where he would gather herbs, that remains unknown." Xiao Bang sighed sadly and said, "It is precisely because our master was an ascended immortal that we still have some influence in Huangzhou. It's a pity that his stay was too short."
Xiao Wenbing and Ji Xian nodded simultaneously. They now understood why those Nascent Soul cultivators had been so polite to these two. As for the Xuanji Sect, with three immortals presiding over it, they were naturally different. They probably had some minor conflicts with the two of them; otherwise, Mu Xuanli wouldn't have been so arrogant.
"thump."
Everyone turned to look, and saw Mu Xuanli bend his knees and kneel down heavily, then support himself with his hands, looking at Ji Xiandi with eyes full of fear.
Neither the Chicken Immortal nor Xiao Wenbing paid any attention to this. But Xiao Bang said with a heavy heart, "Gentlemen, we should break the contract. If the Xuanji Sect comes to question us, it will be troublesome."
"Gentlemen, please don't joke around," Xiao Wenbing laughed. "You think you can come here to interrogate me just because there are three immortals?"
“Three…immortals?” Chopin stammered, and after a long pause, he tried to be tactful, saying, “Brother Xiao, those are immortals, genuine earth immortals.”
"So what if they're immortals? I'm one too... I have immortals helping me."
"Ah!" The two brothers' eyes lit up. No wonder Xiao Wenbing wasn't worried at all; it turned out he had such a powerful backer.
Considering that Xiao Wenbing had once seen the Seven-Colored Winged King and survived, their imaginations ran wild. Xiao Bangdi's voice carried a hint of anticipation: "Brother Xiao, is your master perhaps an immortal?"
Immortal? Xiao Wenbing thought for a moment, and realized that the old Taoist priest Xianyun could hardly be considered an immortal.
However, his face was full of mystery: "What do you two think?"
At night, a torrential downpour fell on Huangzhou City.
Xiao Wenbing and Ji Xian were alone in a room. Outside, Mu Xuanli stood blankly at the door, letting the wind and rain lash him, not daring to move an inch.
If it were up to the Chicken Immortal, such a burden would be better off gone, but Xiao Wenbing had other plans. Therefore, he spared the Chicken Immortal's life, but the Chicken Immortal could not escape physical suffering.
"Brother Chicken, what are you doing here?"
"Of course, I will protect Fellow Daoist Xiao closely."
"Protect me?" Xiao Wenbing was greatly surprised and asked, "Who sent you here?"
"It was Elder Yan who ordered me to come."
It turned out that Elder Yan and the others were immediately worried after Xiao Wenbing came out alone.
Although they were hidden within the Starry Sky Illusion Realm and could see everything happening outside, this created an additional obstacle to responding to any situation. Therefore, after discussing with Elder Yan and Quini, they dispatched five demon immortals. Apart from the chicken demon who was there for close protection, the other four demons were to follow them in secret as covert troops.
Xiao Wenbing turned his thoughts, but apart from the chicken demon in front of him, he only sensed the Starry Sky Illusionary Realm. As for the other four demon immortals, he was completely unaware of them.
He nodded secretly, his opinion of these demon immortals rising several notches. Indeed, a strong general has no weak soldiers under his command; none of them were mediocre!
Volume 7, Chapter 19: Manipulation
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The next morning, Xiao Wenbing had just woken up from his meditation when he heard a commotion outside the door.
With five immortals protecting him both openly and secretly, Xiao Wenbing was naturally very at ease. So even though he heard the sounds outside the door, he didn't care at all and didn't pay any attention to them.
It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that he lazily opened the door.
Outside the door, two groups of people faced each other. On one side were the Chopin brothers, and on the other side was a group of strangers.
Xiao Wenbing could tell at a glance that these strangers were all at least at the Nascent Soul stage, and one of them was even at the Separation and Union stage. However, they stopped a few feet away from his door, and no matter how he called out to them, they dared not take another step forward.
It wasn't that they were cowardly, but rather that in front of Xiao Wenbing's house, a man held a sword with its blade against his own neck, which terrified them.
"Young Master, please don't do anything rash..." This was a desperate plea.
"Yes, let's talk things over. You can do whatever you want. A long and good life awaits you. Just put down your sword." This is a tempting offer of persuasion.
"Young Master, the Sect Master is arriving soon. If he sees you, you'll be scolded again." This was a threat.
However, no matter how they tried to persuade him, Mu Xuanli remained unmoved. Only his eyes darted around erratically. In fact, this unfortunate fellow didn't know what was wrong with him either. Just now, in a daze, he put the sword to his neck and said that if anyone came within seven zhang, blood would splatter five steps away. As for why he said and did that, he couldn't figure it out.
His actions terrified the disciples of the Xuanji Sect. They had no idea what this spoiled young master was up to this time.
However, this time the situation seemed bad, so two people were immediately sent back to report the news, while the rest of the group tried to persuade him with earnest words, but no one dared to actually get within seven zhang of him.
Xiao Wenbing smiled slightly, glanced at the Chicken Fairy beside him, and saw him nod slightly, immediately realizing that it was indeed this masterpiece.
Yesterday, the talisman that Xiao Wenbing placed on the Chicken Immortal's head was actually a secret method for the divine realm to recognize its master.
If Mu Xuanli's cultivation level were higher than that of the Chicken Immortal, with this secret talisman, he could easily subdue it as a servant. However, the true level of this overconfident fellow was far inferior. Thus, under the effect of the secret talisman, Mu Xuanli became the Chicken Immortal's slave instead, and the most thorough kind of slave, even sacrificing his soul.
So, the Chicken Fairy made him stand guard outside the door all night, and he couldn't muster the slightest thought of resistance.
Early this morning, several disciples of the Xuanji Sect sneaked up to their door and found their young sect leader, who hadn't returned all night. Mu Xuanli was initially extremely excited, but suddenly, a strange thought popped into his mind. So, without hesitation, he drew his sword and did a series of things that even he himself couldn't understand.
However, what frustrated him to no end was that although he knew in his heart that what he was doing was wrong, his hands and feet carried it out without any mistakes, and he did it cleanly and efficiently without any hesitation.
Xiao Wenbing pulled up a chair, found a well-ventilated spot to sit down, and watched with great interest while basking in the sun, clearly adopting the posture of a spectator.
His actions immediately drew everyone's attention. The Chopin brothers exchanged a wry smile; wasn't this just adding fuel to the fire?
Sure enough, the group immediately turned their attention to Xiao Wenbing, shouting angrily. However, despite their insults, they dared not approach to teach him a lesson. This was because Xiao Wenbing was sitting within seven zhang of the wooden suspension point. They feared that if they made a move, they might provoke their young master, and if his sword were to tremble even slightly and something were to happen to him, they would be unable to clear their names even if they jumped into the Yellow River.
Several people even regretted their decision. Why had they come looking for the young sect leader? Hadn't they just created trouble for themselves?
The sound of something cutting through the air came, and two middle-aged men in flowing robes appeared beside the group.
One had slightly balding hair, a simple and honest face, and piercing eyes. The other had delicate features and appeared dashing and elegant, but his eyes revealed deep worry.
"Greetings, Sect Master." The group bowed simultaneously, all letting out a sigh of relief.