Chapter 260
Chapter 260
“Get out of my way!”
After lightly kicking each man, I stepped directly over them.
I climbed the remaining stairs and reached the door of the Prosperity and Wealth luxury private dining room.
This was the finest private dining room in Lianghe Town’s largest restaurant. Even its door was solid wood.
It was thick and sturdy.
I reached out to knock.
But something strange happened!
My hand passed straight through the door as though entering a bank of mist. It was as if the large wooden door did not exist.
When I pulled my hand back, the door returned to normal.
Oh?
I raised an eyebrow. This had to be another glamour spell or illusion created by the old-school conjurer Ni Yang.
Wasn’t that precisely what his trade excelled at?
Old-school conjuring combined trained hand speed and technique with glamour spells, illusions, and similar methods to produce all kinds of incredible performances.
Sometimes it used sleight of hand like the “magic” ordinary people could perform. At other times, genuine magical arts were mixed in!
The room door before me, which looked normal but became air and mist when pushed, was one such example…
“Interesting.”
I nodded slightly.
Ni Yang did possess some skill. No wonder he had thrived in the city and caught the eye of a tycoon worth over one hundred million yuan.
His success was not entirely due to his smooth personality.
But this was as far as it went…
I drew a talisman from my pocket between two fingers, instantly infused it with qi, then flicked my wrist.
Whoosh!
The talisman flew forward, caught fire midway, and transformed into a ball of flame.
The talisman flame struck the door.
Boom…
Firelight exploded, scattering illusory sparks.
The wooden door warped and rippled like water struck by a stone. Then the ripples stopped.
When I reached out again, my hand met a sturdy solid-wood door.
The two men who had just climbed up from the floor stared dumbfounded and swallowed repeatedly.
I ignored them and knocked three times: bang, bang, bang.
The door soon opened.
A thin, middle-aged face appeared behind it.
His features were fairly handsome, but there was a somewhat flippant look in his eyes, along with the calculating smoothness of someone seasoned in society.
I sensed qi flowing inside him. Clearly, this was the old-school conjurer Ni Yang whom Yuan Fei had mentioned.
Surprise flashed in his eyes when he saw me. Then his face immediately blossomed into a warm, welcoming smile, and he called out enthusiastically.
“You must be Young Brother Wu, whom Brother Yuan praises endlessly! What a handsome, distinguished young man. Your magical arts are superb too; you broke my humble No Door[^no-door-pun] trick with ease. Heroes truly do emerge young! Please don’t take offense. I was only joking. First, let me apologize to you.”
He cupped his hands as he spoke.
So this trick, which made the entire door intangible without allowing anyone through, was called No Door in old-school conjuring. The name was rustic, but this was a folk branch of the esoteric arts whose practitioners traveled for a living, so it made sense.
And it fit the effect perfectly.
I had to admit that Ni Yang was a seasoned social operator.
He knew how to deal with people, changing his words to suit whoever stood before him…
The two bodyguards and the No Door obstruction had left me displeased and resentful.
They had invited us to help, yet had set obstacles even at the door to dinner.
The reward was large, but what cultivator lacked temper and pride?
Yet the moment Ni Yang opened the door, he greeted me with a smile and showered me with praise. It embarrassed me a little, but it also felt good.
As the saying went, no one struck a smiling face!
Besides, I had always responded to kindness rather than force. Give me a foot of respect, and I would return three; take a foot from me, and I would seize ten!
The anger in my heart subsided.
I smiled at him.
“You must be Uncle Ni Yang, whom Uncle Yuan mentioned. That old-school conjuring was impressive. What would have happened if I’d walked straight in instead of testing it with my hand?”
“Hahaha! An ordinary person, or someone with weaker cultivation, would probably faint. But you, Young Brother Wu, could surely have burst my little trick apart with the qi inside you. Please, come in! Brother Yuan and the others are waiting. They said the feast wouldn’t begin until you arrived.”
Speaking warmly, Ni Yang took my hand and led me inside.
Sure enough, Old Cao, Yuan Fei, Big Bull, and the others were all there.
I sat beside Old Cao. We exchanged smiles and nodded.
…
Ni Yang remained extremely lively throughout the meal. Apart from Yuan Fei, he barely knew anyone, yet his witty conversation kept everyone laughing.
He also performed several old-school conjuring tricks. Naturally, these were not the kind used to fool ordinary people, but genuine qi-powered methods capable of killing or injuring an enemy.
Partly he entertained us; partly he demonstrated that he was not weak and should not be underestimated.
All in all, although Yuan Fei said Ni Yang’s character was poor, he was certainly pleasant company as a drinking companion or disreputable friend.
The details regarding Daling Village and the payment matched what Yuan Fei had told us, and everyone confirmed them over dinner.
A contract?
People of the esoteric world could hardly formalize such affairs as ordinary businesspeople did. They generally relied on verbal agreements and mutual trust.
Unless rogue cultivators were colluding in evil, verbal promises between upright cultivators normally counted for something.
Ni Yang merely had poor character and some unsavory or immoral tastes. He was not a rogue cultivator. Otherwise, Yuan Fei would probably have dealt with him personally long ago and certainly would not have brought us in to cooperate.
…
Everything was ready.
On Saturday morning, we traveled together toward Guxin Town.
Besides us cultivators, six or seven burly men in black carried stun batons, long knives, and other weapons. They were probably Wang Wenguang’s trusted hired fighters assigned to Ni Yang.
They were there both to help and to monitor him.
Among them were the two I had taught a lesson with Taijiquan.
When we boarded the vehicles, they avoided my eyes. They also whispered to their companions, perhaps describing how formidable I was, or cursing me behind my back…
I could not be bothered listening, though I could have heard them if I wished.
The convoy stopped before a narrow road into the mountains.
Vehicles could go no farther. We had to hike another five kilometers or so to reach the former site of Daling Village.
That was familiar territory for me!
Geographically speaking, Daling Village was actually less remote than Wujia Village.
Four drivers stayed behind to guard the vehicles. Everyone else entered the mountains fully armed!
At around eleven in the morning, we reached the site of Daling Village.
It was exactly as described: a wilderness forest without the slightest trace of human habitation.
The instant I arrived, I sensed a concealed, sinister aura!
There really was something wrong here…
[^no-door-pun]: The Chinese name literally means “no door,” but is also a colloquial expression meaning “no way” or “not a chance.”