Chen Mu took a deep breath and held it.
Although this young man looked very extraordinary, he still had to strike with his rod.
At… at most…
This future Immortal Emperor here would owe the man a favor!
It was a worthwhile exchange for sure!
Step step…
Step step…
The sound of steady footsteps came closer and closer. Chen Mu crouched in the grass like a cheetah that had locked onto its prey.
However, at this moment, the youth suddenly stopped.
At that moment, the teenager, the boulder, and Chen Mu had formed a straight line!
Chen Mu did not dare to breathe. His heart started racing.
Splash splash…
A few seconds later, the sound of water splashing came from below. Chen Mu then realized what had happened.
The young man must have been thirsty and was using his hands to scoop water from the stream.
It was well said in the animal world that animals were the least vigilant when drinking water!
This was a good opportunity!
Chen Mu stuck his head out slightly. As he had expected, the teenager was drinking water by the stream.
Swoosh…
A breeze blew past, and Chen Mu's breathing became barely audible.
At this moment, his eyes were extremely sharp as he stared at the youth…
Target the back of his neck!
After practicing martial arts with his master for a year, he knew very well what acupuncture points were and where to hit to knock people unconscious.
...
Lowering his body!
Accumulating his strength!
With another gust of wind, Chen Mu exerted strength in his legs and flew out from behind the rock like a giant bird!
The wind howled in his ears. At this moment, he felt like he had merged into the wind!
This was a leap of faith!
What was martial arts?
Martial arts required years of training!
One year…
No, this was twenty years of hard work for an ordinary person!
Who could stop him?
...
Zhou Jinglei was drinking water by the stream. For some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of danger!
Looking at the flowing stream in front of him, there was a flash of light!
As he had been walking on the edge of danger all year round, he was extremely vigilant. When he suddenly sensed danger, all the muscles in his body tensed up reflexively!
Bang!
The cobblestones beneath his feet were instantly shattered by the powerful force!
Zhou Jinglei's right hand grabbed onto the handle of the saber on his back!
Then, he suddenly turned around!
The entire movement was done in one go, and just like his name suggested, he was as fast as lightning!
...
"Uh… Brother, hello…"
Chen Mu landed steadily on the ground and scratched his head with an awkward expression.
Initially, he wanted to launch a sneak attack. However, he realized that the young man's body had suddenly stiffened.
Immediately after, his aura changed from a defenseless lamb to a ferocious tiger!
Coupled with the crushed cobblestones beneath his feet…
It made him realize…
Even if the other party's current state was not good, his strength was still much higher than his.
After all, this was a world of immortals. Although his strength was almost at the peak of mortals, there were many people in this world who were not mortals at all.
For example, those from cultivation clans who grew up taking all kinds of medicinal baths and medicinal pills. Even without cultivation, their physical strength had already exceeded the limits of ordinary people.
This young man was obviously such a person.
Against such a person, there was only a 20% chance that his attack would succeed.
In a moment of desperation, he quickly stopped the leap of faith and landed steadily on the ground.
Zhou Jinglei did not let his guard down just because of this. His right hand was still tightly gripping onto the hilt of his saber as he swept his gaze across Chen Mu's body like a blade.
Anyone would have to be careful if someone jumped out of nowhere.
When Chen Mu saw this, he took two steps back and explained helplessly, "Brother, you've misunderstood. I mean no harm."
"I'm ashamed to say this, but I'm someone who is prepared to enter the Azure Yang Sect to seek immortality…"
"However, I have already missed the Azure Yang Sect's disciple recruitment date. If it were in the past, I would have shamelessly gone."
"But this year…"
"The Azure Yang Sect killed the spirit monsters and even built such an immortal road. I'm actually late… I'm really too ashamed to go to the Azure Yang Sect like this."
"I was hesitating on the side of the road whether I should turn back or not, but when I suddenly saw you, I became a little emotional."
"Brother, are you also planning to join the Azure Yang Sect?"
"If so, why don't we travel together?"
Chen Mu's cheeks turned slightly red as if he was ashamed.
The meaning behind his words was easy to understand.
It was like being late for school in his previous life.
If he was the only one who was late and was punished to stand outside the classroom, he would feel terrible.
But if there was a fool who came later than him, he would feel much better.
His words sounded reasonable when compared to the previous guy who left.
...
Zhou Jinglei sized up the person in front of him and gradually relaxed his grip on the hilt of his sword.
The person in front of him was young and dressed simply. There was no murderous aura on him and he did not look like a bad person.
More importantly, this person had a saber hanging from his waist and had not unsheathed it from the beginning to the end.
If he really wanted to harm him, why would he jump out barehanded?
Perhaps he really was just a late Immortal Seeker.
When he thought of this, he completely released his grip on the handle of his saber and coldly replied, "I am an Immortal Seeker who is preparing to enter the Azure Yang Sect."
Chen Mu was pleasantly surprised.
"With brother as my companion, I will feel less embarrassed to head to the Azure Yang Sect."
"May I know your name?"
"Zhou Jinglei."
"My name is Chen Mu. Cough, cough. Actually, I didn't want to be late either, but I encountered bandits on my way to Flying Bull City. I only managed to escape two days ago…" Chen Mu explained.
He had already thought of this reason a long time ago. Originally, he was prepared to tell it to the people of the Azure Yang Sect, but now he had to tell it to Zhou Jinglei first.
This way, he could avoid leaving a bad impression on the other party.
After all, both parties would have to continue interacting after entering the sect.
Zhou Jinglei's expression softened a little as he nodded and did not say anything else.
In fact, he felt a little disdain in his heart.
The person before him was thinking too simply.
By the time you reach the Azure Yang Sect, why would they listen to these reasons?
Being late meant being late.
Even if you encountered bandits, you were still late. This could only mean that you did not have any immortal affinity.
As for himself…
Heh.
His talent was obvious.
Forget about being late, the Azure Yang Sect would happily accept him even if he picked a random day to go visit them.
Of course, these words were too hurtful, so he would not say it out loud.
When outside, one should not offend others unless they took the initiative. This was the principle of dealing with people.
...
On the other side, Chen Mu was also secretly making plans.
Since he had failed, he could only use his wits.
At the thought of this, he touched the contents in his bag, which contained a vat of good wine.
This was one of his backup plans.
He definitely could not take it out for Zhou Jinglei to drink directly.
As the saying goes, one who was unaccountably solicitous must be hiding evil intentions.
This sentence was telling ordinary people to be careful when facing people who were nice to them for no reason.
At the same time, it was also telling the villains that if they were prepared to do something bad, they could not be too solicitous, lest the target raise their guard.
Of course, if one needed a reason to do things, they just had to find an excuse.
He could ask a few questions and get answers from the other party. By then, he could invite the person to a drink.
Indeed, it was logical and reasonable.
Chen Mu was in no hurry to carry out his plan. Instead, he followed Zhou Jinglei for a while.
The two of them were on the same path. It was impossible not to walk together like this.
However, Zhou Jinglei was extremely cautious and maintained a one-meter distance from Chen Mu.
After the two of them walked for two to three kilometers, Chen Mu said, "Brother Zhou, your bearing is extraordinary. I don't think you come from an ordinary family, unlike me. I was born in an ordinary village and know very little about the Immortal Sects."
Zhou Jinglei did not react.
He did not really want to bother with this person who was destined to never cross paths with him again.
Chen Mu continued shamelessly, "Do you know how many immortals there are in the Azure Yang Sect? Are there legendary Foundation Establishment experts?"
Upon hearing the words 'Foundation Establishment Experts', Zhou Jinglei inadvertently smiled and replied subconsciously, "Foundation Establishment Cultivators are not considered experts. Many of the core disciples in the Azure Yang Sect already have the strength of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, let alone the elders."
Chen Mu was pleasantly surprised.
Then, he asked a few simple questions. Throughout the whole process, he looked like a frog in the well.
This greatly satisfied Zhou Jinglei's vanity.
No matter how mature Zhou Jinglei was, he was still only an 18 to 19-year-old youth. Deep in his heart, he was filled with the desire to show off.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Chen Mu took out the wine from his bag.
"Brother Zhou, it is all thanks to your answer. Otherwise, I would have become a laughing stock in the Azure Yang Sect."
"This wine was stolen from a bandit's den in the mountains and brewed from fresh fruits from the mountains. It's refreshing, sweet, and has a rich aftertaste. Brother Zhou, do you want to try it?"
As he said that, Chen Mu opened the lid naturally and brought the wine vat to Zhou Jinglei.
Smelling the fragrance of the wine, Zhou Jinglei subconsciously wanted to take the wine vat. However, his hand stopped in mid-air.
When one was out, they could not drink the alcohol that strangers passed to them.
This was something his mother had taught him repeatedly when he was young.
At this thought, he pushed the wine vat back.
"I don't drink."
With that, he turned around and continued on his way.
The smile on Chen Mu's face froze slightly. He could not help but praise in his heart.
As expected of the person destined to face the calamity!
To have such vigilance at this age, he would definitely become a great person in the future!
There were too many tricksters outside.
He could only avoid being scammed by others if he remained unmoved himself.
Retrieving the wine vat, Chen Mu raised his head and gulped down the wine.
There was a mechanism on the wine vat. The moment the other party took it, he would trigger the mechanism, and the specially made medicinal liquid would mix into the wine.
This type of medicinal liquid could quickly make one tired, and also produce a strong feeling of sleepiness.
If the other party did not accept it, then there was no need to trigger it.
If he drank it directly, the other party would let down his guard.
After finishing the wine, Chen Mu walked closer and said apologetically, "Brother Zhou, I was a little presumptuous just now, but this wine is indeed good. Please don't misunderstand."
Seeing the sincerity in Chen Mu's eyes after finishing his wine, Zhou Jinglei waved his hand and spoke in a gentler tone than before.
"It's fine."