The Taoist Gathering was set to last three days, a surprisingly long duration for what seemed like an orientation event. The three "entertainment" programs for the days were Ghostly Forest Adventure, Zombie Tomb, and Human Skin Campus.
Lin Feng held the program list handed out by the resort staff, utterly baffled.
"Wang Qian, did your sect recently open some kind of horror survival experience at Baihu Amusement Park and use us as guinea pigs?"
The program list clearly stated the location: Baihu Amusement Park, Nanyang City.
These three programs—how were they supposed to be "entertaining"? The first two might be tolerable, but Human Skin Campus? Were they filming a movie?
Wang Qian, sipping his juice, was equally puzzled.
"How would I know? I've been abroad this whole time, okay? It's my first time here at Green Bamboo Hill! And I've never participated in a Southern Sect Taoist Gathering either."
The program description mentioned that only Taoist peers could join these events. The goal was simple: find the key to clear the stage. Each stage had three keys to find, but what exactly the keys were, participants had to figure out themselves.
These three stages were collectively called the "Three Ghostly Trials," a long-standing tradition of the Southern Sect's gatherings.
After a while, Nie Chuxia arrived, accompanied by a handsome young man—Lu Zhen.
As a Talisman Sect disciple from the Earth Hall, Lu Zhen was both talented and accomplished. Dressed in traditional robes instead of a suit, he radiated righteousness and looked strikingly dignified.
"Hello, sir," Lu Zhen said, addressing Lin Feng. "I'd like to invite Junior Sister Nie to join me in the Three Ghostly Trials. I hope you won't mind me stealing your partner?"
Lin Feng, initially puzzled by Nie Chuxia's companion, quickly realized he was just another admirer.
With a chuckle, Lin Feng replied, "I wouldn't mind being replaced by a handsome guy."
"Great to hear! It's an honor to join Junior Sister Nie in this event. Junior Sister, shall we?"
Lu Zhen's warm smile became a touch more intimate as he leaned closer to Nie Chuxia, whose face turned visibly colder.
"But if I'm replaced by someone as self-absorbed as you, then yes, I do mind," Lin Feng said, his smile vanishing.
Nie Chuxia's expression brightened slightly, while Lu Zhen's darkened considerably. Lin Feng's blunt words left no room for politeness, and in front of Nie Chuxia, no less.
In the martial world, face was everything.
"You're far too arrogant!" Lu Zhen glared at Lin Feng, his tone frosty. "A ghost hunter from who knows where dares to speak to me like this? Do you even know who I am?"
Having already torn down the niceties, Lin Feng didn't hold back. "Who you are? Go ask your mother—though she might not even know. Nie Chuxia is my friend, and if anyone tries to take her from me, I'll crush them."
Lin Feng could tell Nie Chuxia didn't like Lu Zhen, though she might have been too mindful of sect face to outright refuse him. As her friend, Lin Feng decided to be the bad guy. He understood her character well and felt it was his duty to stand up now.
Lu Zhen was seething. This brat's words were infuriating!
"Do you believe I'll make sure you don't leave this place alive?"
Lin Feng sneered. "Oh, I believe it. Talisman Sect is powerful. But when it comes down to it, my humble life and your lofty one—you wouldn't win."
The cold gleam in Lin Feng's eyes startled Lu Zhen. His tone was casual, but his demeanor showed he was absolutely serious.
Just as Lu Zhen was about to retort, Nie Chuxia interjected. "Senior Brother Lu, Lin Feng is my friend. Please show some respect."
Lu Zhen felt as though he might explode. Him? Disrespectful? This was clearly Lin Feng's fault!
Even Wang Qian chimed in, yawning. "Talking so much but not doing anything—what a waste of air."
"Who let this fatso speak?" Lu Zhen shot back, his fury mounting.
Wang Qian glared at him, pulling out a greasy talisman that seemed to have been used as a napkin. Tossing it at Lu Zhen, he said, "Shut-up Talisman?"
The Shut-up Talisman temporarily paralyzed the tongue, rendering the victim mute. As a common Talisman Sect tool, it would be a massive embarrassment for a senior disciple like Lu Zhen to get hit by one. Panicked, he quickly countered with another talisman.
The two talismans collided mid-air, igniting in a small burst of flame before disintegrating into ash.
"Do you even know who I am?" Lu Zhen growled.
Wang Qian yawned again, his chubby face showing only disdain. "Know you? You think you're worth knowing?"
"You—!"
Compared to Lin Feng's bluntness, Wang Qian's disrespect cut deeper, enraging Lu Zhen further.
Lu Zhen, the Earth Hall's senior disciple and manager of the Talisman Sect's mainland enterprises, couldn't believe a junior sect member dared insult him.
"Fine! If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll forget your place!"
Lu Zhen flung three talismans in rapid succession toward Wang Qian's face.
Wang Qian's eyes widened. "Shut Speech, Shut Movement, Shut Life?"
Before he could react, the three talismans struck his forehead, jaw, and chest like magnets, leaving him frozen on the spot.
"Fatty?" Lin Feng called out, stunned.
Wang Qian's pupils rapidly lost focus, and his pulse vanished. He was… dead?!
"Fatty! Don't scare me like this!"
Lin Feng frantically tried to tear off the talismans, but they felt as though they were sewn into Wang Qian's skin, rigid and immovable.
"Nie Chuxia! Explain this!" Lin Feng's voice rose with fury.
He didn't care about Lu Zhen's feelings for Nie Chuxia or their relationship. Wang Qian was his teammate, and Lin Feng would never let anyone hurt him. Even if Nie Chuxia didn't chase Lu Zhen away for face's sake, Lin Feng wouldn't give her any either.
Nie Chuxia rushed forward, a stream of green smoke pouring from her nose and mouth and enveloping Wang Qian. After a moment, she retracted the smoke and said, "He's not dead. It's a false death caused by the sealing of his Yang Body and Yin Soul."
The Yang Body referred to the physical form, while the Yin Soul represented the spirit. Certain mystical arts could induce a state of false death, where prolonged exposure could lead to permanent death as bodily functions ceased.
Nie Chuxia raised her head, her delicate face flushed with anger. "Senior Brother Lu, what are you doing?"
Lu Zhen assumed the air of a proud disciple from the Talisman Sect's Di Division. "This is just discipline! Junior Sister Nie, I heard from the master that this Ghost Triple Gate is fraught with danger, but passing through it brings great benefits. My senior brother from the Tian Division has returned from abroad specifically to participate. When the time comes, I'll invite him to bring us along!"
Nie Chuxia responded coldly, "That won't be necessary. I won't be going with you."
Lu Zhen chuckled, though his expression turned slightly cold. "Junior Sister Nie, aren't you being a bit ungrateful? I've heard your father is the CEO of Qixing Real Estate, which has many business collaborations with our sect in the mundane world—most of which depend on our support…"
Nie Chuxia's voice became frosty. "Lu Zhen, what are you trying to say? Are you threatening my father? Do you not know who my grandfather is?"
Lu Zhen smirked. "Of course, the renowned Senior Master Nie. But my uncle happens to be the director of the Nanyang City Land and Resources Bureau. Are we really going to pit worldly power against each other?"
Ghost exorcists like them belonged to the Jianghu Daoist sects. Historically, Jianghu was distant from the ruling court, and the two rarely clashed. No matter how rampant Jianghu's specters and demons ran, the court always stood high above. As a result, many legendary figures of Jianghu were labeled as mere "eccentric talents" with no real authority.
The court maintained a delicate balance with Jianghu—sometimes drawing them in, sometimes holding them at bay. Nobody liked forces they couldn't control. Thus, any rumors of Jianghu legends had long been intentionally suppressed by the authorities. Legitimate sects and wandering practitioners alike were driven underground, and any who dared to show themselves publicly were swiftly eradicated as "superstitious propagandists."
As a disciple with ties to the court, Lu Zhen was a rarity in the sect. But with modern sects needing to engage with the world to grow, such disciples had become especially valuable.
The Land and Resources Bureau? It indeed posed a threat to a real estate tycoon like Nie's father. For a moment, Nie Chuxia was at a loss for words.
"Oh? Lu Zhen? What's going on here?"
From a distance, a handsome man with peach blossom eyes approached. He was clad in a loose bathrobe with the front left open, revealing a chiseled physique that could drive women wild. Flanked by two beauties, he carried an air of playful nonchalance, as if he had just come from a swim.
Seeing him, Lu Zhen immediately put on a flattering smile. "Senior Brother Wan, you're as debonair as ever."
Lu Zhen threw him an admiring look. The peach-eyed man laughed, "One should live with flair in their youth, after all."
His gaze shifted to Nie Chuxia. The youthful girl had an icy beauty about her, the type he understood well. Such women, while cold on the surface, burned passionately underneath. He had plenty of tricks to deal with her type.
However, when his eyes landed on Lin Feng and the pudgy Wang Qian, he paused briefly.
The peach-eyed man patted the backsides of the two women beside him and kissed each on the cheek. "Wait for me tonight, okay?"
The two women blushed and giggled with delight. "Don't forget to come, Senior Brother Wan! We're counting on you to tutor us in Taoist arts tonight!"
"Of course, we'll have an in-depth session tonight," he replied with a roguish grin.
Once the women left, the peach-eyed man's gaze landed on Lin Feng. "This young brother's fate is rather peculiar…"
Lin Feng, already in a foul mood, felt even worse seeing someone not only more handsome but also better built. He knew what Peach Eyes was about to say, so he raised his middle finger. "Take a look at this finger of mine—isn't it peculiar too?"
Instead of getting upset, the peach-eyed man chuckled. "Don't flaunt your weapon of mass destruction. By the way, what's this fatty doing lying here with his face covered in talismans? Your handiwork?"
Peach Eyes squinted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Wait a minute, aren't these the Talisman Sect's Three Severing Talismans? Lu Zhen, you didn't stick these on him, did you?"
Well, well—this guy could banter even more provocatively than me. I like his style!
Lin Feng barked, "Cut the crap. Can you undo the curse or not? If not, get lost!"
Peach Eyes shrugged. "I'm not from the Talisman Sect—what do you expect me to do? But Lu Zhen, man, you've got guts sticking talismans like that on Wang Qian's face."
Wang Qian—the fat guy's name—had been mentioned multiple times tonight. But the way Peach Eyes kept emphasizing it piqued Lin Feng's curiosity. Was this fatty someone important?
"Wang… Wang Qian?!"
Lu Zhen's expression turned comically sour, as though he had swallowed a fly. The name landed like a thunderclap, leaving him momentarily dazed.
He knew exactly what those two words signified.
Peach Eyes casually kicked Wang Qian into the swimming pool. "Fatty, I know you're awake. Stop pretending! We've still got an unfinished fight!"
The pudgy man sank below the surface, leaving Lin Feng stunned. Just as Lin began to wonder if he was really dead, a ball of flesh suddenly leaped out of the water, coughing and spluttering. "Pervert! Can't your Fight Sect come up with a gentler way of waking people? All my talismans… soaked…"
The pudgy man pulled a crumpled wad of talismans from his pocket, tossing them aside. He then tore the three talismans from his face, wincing in pain. "Damn it, wasting precious silk-printed talismans like this—it's a travesty!"
Lin Feng gawked. "You're… okay?"
The pudgy man smirked. "These low-grade talismans might work on you, but on me? Forget it. I grew up with death-severing talismans stuck to me!"
Wang Qian's eyes narrowed as he fixed Lu Zhen with an icy stare. "Lu Zhen, isn't it? I'm Wang Qian from the Tian Division. I'd like to see how you plan to discipline a fellow sect member who disrespects you."
With his face now devoid of humor, Wang Qian looked formidable. Lu Zhen, meanwhile, seemed as pale as a ghost.