Who let him join the Sword Sect?!

Huang Silang, who admitted after the reunion while still squirming on the ground.

He actually isn't a disciple of the old celestial master; he was just bluffing earlier to boost his courage.

Though the old celestial master indeed showed him some guidance, he never took him as a disciple.

Huang Silang believes the old celestial master possibly enlightened him merely for convenience's sake.

Yet Huang Silang remembers the old celestial master's kindness, after all, gaining a hundred years of lifespan and intelligence is a huge blessing for an ordinary Yellow-skinned Rat like him.

And the tasks he did, aside from acting mysterious, included stealing things from nearby towns as instructed by the old celestial master, like Yellow Books and roasted chicken.

However, he was still just a non-transformed rat, so things were somewhat inconvenient for him.

Later, the old celestial master came up with an idea; he gave the incense burner to Huang Silang, telling him to find a fated person and pass on the incense burner.

Let the person use the incense burner to come here, where Huang Silang would convey the old celestial master's instructions, and once the mortal finished the task and left, Huang Silang would then steal the incense burner back and erase the mortal's memory of that time using a Talisman.

"Wait a minute? If those mortals' memories were erased, then what's the story about the Six Paths Immortal and the father and son Liu Yong?" Zhang Ze asked.

Huang Silang, still wrapped up in a leather sack, said while munching on roasted chicken.

"Hey, wasn't that the old celestial master drawing with a single stroke?"

"That Talisman sometimes works, sometimes doesn't, and sometimes doesn't clean thoroughly, so some mortals will dream of the nonsense I made up."

"As for that father and son… it's not entirely my fault; the blame also lies with that crackdown."

According to Huang Silang, he always picked honest folks. After getting a reward and a scare, naturally, they would do the job without making a fuss.

But that time, Huang Silang miscalculated, not expecting Liu Yong's father, Liu Dahai, to be so bold as to start an evil cult.

By the time Huang Silang realized things went south, it was already too late, and before he could fix it, the Beast Taming Sect and Medicine King Valley came to sweep out the evil.

Fearing he'd be caught up in the clean-up, Huang Silang hid himself first.

However, when things settled, old Liu had already moved away, and the incense burner was also hidden by him.

"The old celestial master is quite magnanimous, saying it's destiny and fate yet unfinished, so there's no need to force it, and he didn't blame me."

"Recently, Liu Dahai's son actually came back here with the incense burner, and it just so happens that the old celestial master had run out of books to read, so he gave him a few more tasks."

"Because I messed up last time, this time the old celestial master handled it himself, but unexpectedly, hehe, still no success."

Huang Silang said while chewing on chicken bones.

"So, what's the story with Little Tang?" Zhang Ze asked.

"Naturally, I discovered it." Huang Silang said with pride.

"Fourteen years ago, one day I was borrowing 'Silver Bottle Plum' for the old celestial master, and on the way back, I found an abandoned baby by the river; that was Haoran."

"I saw him lying in a basket, drifting down the Little White River, so I fished him up."

"At that time, Haoran was still small, so I entered the cave with him, planning to ask the old celestial master what to do."

"Unexpectedly, the old celestial master saw Haoran and instantly predicted he had great fortune."

"The old celestial master immediately ordered me to take Haoran to the nearby mountain, and using the Talisman bestowed by the old celestial master, I performed a Secret Technique, manifested a Spiritual Crane, and sent Haoran back to Dragon Tiger Mountain."

"Even the name Haoran was given by me!"

"If I hadn't given him this name, Haoran would have been called Tang Xiaoji."

Huang Silang was a bit proud.

With the misunderstanding cleared, there was naturally no need to keep Huang Silang in the sack.

Little Tang was about to untie the sack but saw Huang Silang scuttle away.

"Hold on, the sack is full of my fart smell now."

"Besides, I can get out myself."

Huang Silang continued to wriggle on the ground, only to shrink his body and squeeze out once he had moved far enough from Little Tang.

As soon as he came out, he started to dry heave, but not too violently, lest he regurgitated the roasted chicken he just ate.

Huang Silang pursed his lips, began rummaging in his clothes and pockets, and after a long while, he pulled out a crumbled Talisman, unfolding it and sticking it on himself.

Fortunately, the Talisman worked without a hitch, and a burst of Clear Qi removed all odors.

Once he was sure there was no smell on him anymore, Huang Silang ran back to Little Tang.

"Let's go, Haoran; I'll take you to see the old celestial master."

However, as soon as he spoke, he remembered that Tang Haoran was no longer the newborn baby he once was, that the cave was too small for him to pass through now.

For a moment, he felt a bit awkward.

Little Tang didn't mind, though; he bent down, picked up Huang Silang, and placed him on his head, "Can I call you Uncle Four?"

"Um…" Huang Silang scratched his head, unsure how to respond.

"Don't worry, Uncle Four; my senior brother will surely have a way." Little Tang took it as Huang Silang's agreement to the nickname.

Little Tang, with Huang Silang on his head, looked at Zhang Ze, who then turned to Li.

Li patted her chest, "No problem, Silang, just lead the way."

As they were about to enter the ground, Zhang Ze remembered something and asked, "You said the Six Paths Immortal story was just your made-up nonsense, so it's all fake then?"

"Not entirely; the Six Paths Immortal thing is not completely false; you… never mind, you'll know when you see it."

Huang Silang didn't explain further, motioning them to follow him.

As Li led the group underground following Huang Silang's directions, Zhang Ze discovered that beneath this place was actually a grand Dongqi tomb, but judging from the occasional pass-through of tomb corridors and chambers, it had long been empty.

Zhang Ze suspected the tomb was excavated by the old celestial master, and the ghosts earlier might have been gathered from this tomb by the celestial master.

But the closer he got to the old celestial master, the less Zhang Ze understood what the master intended to do.

Surely it couldn't be because this place was quiet and convenient for reading Yellow Books?

"We're here."

When Li led everyone into a cave, Huang Silang excitedly said.

This cave was not naturally formed but artificially carved, seemingly a part of the grand tomb, but its specific purpose was unknown.

Using the Luminous Pearls on the cave ceiling for lighting, Zhang Ze scanned the surroundings.

Then, he saw several large faces staring at him.

"That's the Big Head Taoist I saw in the divination!" Little Tang said.

Hearing Little Tang's voice, those big faces didn't have much reaction, only nodding at him.

These Taoists had bodies made of rock, wearing tattered Taoist robes, with disproportionate heads and bodies, yet they didn't seem eerie.

Moreover, their cultivation was very high, making Zhang Ze think they might be like his master, Li.

These were Divinity Transformation stage Stone Taoists.

"These are the Six Paths Immortal," Huang Silang introduced.

Zhang Ze recalled the scene when the misunderstanding wasn't yet cleared, where Huang Silang tried to trick them by using the Escape Technique underground.

Fear was they would be slapped to death by these Stone Taoists as soon as they entered.

However, after observing the Six Paths Immortal for a while, Zhang Ze spoke.

"You are the Six Paths Immortal?"

"Indeed." They all spoke at once, their voices low and deep.

"So why are there seven of you?"

Zhang Ze counted again and asked his question.

"Hm? Why do you also ask that?" They all spoke again, seemingly puzzled by Zhang Ze's question.