She didn't know what level of Great Cultivator this man was, but to a little mortal like her, facing such a cultivator, it didn't matter what level he was at; any level was enough to take her life. This middle-aged man, unlike the old master from the Exotic Beast Hall, who was also a Great Cultivator, kept all his energy contained within, not showing the slightest outward sign, while this one...
Gu Shiyi felt the presence of the man sitting there as if a wall had suddenly appeared before her. Standing there, she felt the wall closing in on her, suffocating bit by bit, her chest heaving more and more violently, as she found it increasingly hard to breathe. Gu Shiyi felt like a fish out of water, slowly suffocating...
Gu Shiyi bit her lower lip, holding back the urge to step back, bowed her head, and sweat began to bead on her forehead. The middle-aged man saw this and let out a cold laugh,
"Humph!"
Suddenly, the sense of oppression increased sharply. Gu Shiyi felt the wall in front of her transform into a towering mountain, bearing down on her from above, relentlessly crushing her,
"I can't breathe!"
Gu Shiyi's lower lip was almost bitten through, her whole body trembling, a profound sense of impending doom, helplessness, and panic enveloped her...
Under normal circumstances, with her slick nature, she might have prostrated and begged for mercy before the other person even spoke, but today, for some reason, Gu Shiyi's knees just wouldn't bend. She trembled like a solitary leaf in the wind, and the middle-aged man was somewhat surprised,
"Eh? You've got quite the backbone!"
He was about to flaunt his power further when he suddenly heard a gentle voice by his ear,
"Shang San, don't meddle. We don't have much time!"
Upon hearing this, the spiritual pressure emanating from the middle-aged man instantly subsided. Gu Shiyi felt her body lighten; her knees gave way, and she fell to her knees. The middle-aged man asked without even looking at her,
"Are you from a Taoist Sect?"
Gu Shiyi nodded,
"My teacher hails from the Tongxuan Sect..."
The middle-aged man had never heard of this sect and spoke with indifference,
"Since you are from a Taoist Sect and carry a ghost with you, it seems you know the Ghost Control Technique?"
Gu Shiyi replied cautiously,
"In front of the grown-up, how dare I claim to be skilled? I only know a little!"
The middle-aged man seemed satisfied with her awareness and nodded,
"Good, there's something I want you to do today. If done well, there's a reward!"
Gu Shiyi cursed inwardly,
"Dammit, just say what you want; why start off by intimidating? Seeing me tremble, do you find it amusing?"
She managed a bitter smile and said,
"Please give your orders!"
She didn't have the right to say "no," after all.
The middle-aged man commanded,
"Step forward!"
Gu Shiyi stood up as told, hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward. In front of Gu Shiyi, the middle-aged man flipped his right hand, and a jade box appeared in the palm. Gu Shiyi, familiar with the Divine Skills of Great Cultivators, wasn't surprised but focused on the jade box covered with three talismans, speaking softly,
"Grown-up, this is..."
The middle-aged man interrupted,
"You don't need to ask what it is, just remember, bring it intact to Blue Moon City. Once you get there and hand over the item to the person I've designated, you will be handsomely rewarded!"
Having been around the Itinerant World for a while, Gu Shiyi understood the situation immediately, cursing inwardly,
"I'm f*cked, you have the power to injure a Fish Kui Beast with a single blow, yet you're making me deliver something for you? You've provoked someone even more formidable and are worried you can't protect the item, so you want me to take the fall!"
For a mere mortal like her to do this, one careless move could result in being obliterated with a flick of a finger!
Gu Shiyi cursed in her heart,
"Dammit, what do the affairs of the Great Cultivation World have to do with me? Why involve me, of all people? I must have had incredibly bad luck!"
While internally ranting, she still had to ask,
"May I know to whom the grown-up wishes me to deliver this?"
The middle-aged man explained,
"In Blue Moon City, there's a hidden market only accessible to Great Cultivators. You seem to know some Taoist Techniques, and unlike those useless ones, you should be able to sense a bit of nature's spiritual energy..."
And with a lift of his hand, Gu Shiyi's whole body stiffened, being moved like a puppet on strings toward the middle-aged man who then wrote the character "enter" in her left palm with his index finger,
"When you get there, look at the character in your palm. If it glows, that's the place. Press your palm against the wall, and you will be able to enter the market. Once inside, find a place called the Hundred Herbs Pavilion..."