Xu Taiping said nothing in response, just baring his teeth in a smile.
The tiger demonâs unguarded reply just happened to confirm what the ghost had said earlier, which put him at ease to a considerable extent.
"Brat, three months from now, I will definitely flay your skin, extract your tendons, and turn your soul into a wick to suffer the torment of divine soul burning day and night!"
When had the Tiger King ever been toyed with like this? His furious roar, even as just a soul shadow, still made the houses in the Green Bamboo Residence shake violently.
Xu Taiping, standing right in front of him, was shaken to the point where his blood and qi surged.
If not for the protection of the Residual Afterglow True Qi, he would have fainted.
However, after this roar, the Tiger Kingâs shadow also dissipated with a loud boom, as if it had exhausted all the strength hidden within the ghostâs body.
"This is still his strength after being severely injured. If he hadnât been injured, how powerful would this Tiger King be?"
Xu Taiping was greatly alarmed, gaining a new understanding of the Tiger Kingâs strength as described by Qingmei and the ghost.
Although he was shocked, he did not feel timid or fearful; instead, a strong fighting spirit arose in him.
This was probably related to his upbringing, where he had to face difficulties head-on, unable to choose to escape like other children who had their parents to rely on.
Just as the flames were extinguished, a sound of coins hitting the ground suddenly came from the trap.
Xu Taiping cautiously peered inside, and under the moonlight, he saw a pile of merit coins and two indistinct objects lying in the center of the ashes.
"Could these be things the ghost hid using a secret method?"
Xu Taiping speculated in his mind.
When reading the introductory scroll earlier, he had seen that ghosts and demons had their own ways of hiding items, such as tiger demons hiding things in their stomachs and elephant demons hiding things in their trunks.
"To prevent any tricks, I should leave them inside for a few nights and check again after I repair the array in the Green Bamboo Residence."
Regardless of whether they were treasures, for safety, Xu Taiping did not plan to go down there immediately.
On the Yanglu Mountain behind the Green Bamboo Residence.
"Brave and wise, I didnât misjudge you."
A white-haired old man, leaning on a tree branch, nodded with a smile, seemingly very satisfied with Xu Taipingâs performance tonight.
"However, the path of cultivation is long. Temporary bravery and temporary wisdom are minor matters; ultimately, it depends on talent. If you can break through to the Opening Gate realm in three years and perform well in the Seven Peaks Sword Inquiry, I might consider taking you as a disciple."
The old man stroked his beard and then tilted his head to finish the wine in his gourd.
"The lazy and greedy bunch at the West Wind Pavilion not only extort money and goods from the outer disciples but also allow the cultivation sites and water springs to be dug up without anyone checking. Truly lawless!"
At this point, the old manâs face turned cold, and his small eyes shot out a piercing light.
"Such a trivial matter, and they still need me, the founding master, to handle it. Ridiculous, ridiculous!"
After saying this, the old man staggered to his feet, tucked the wine gourd at his waist, and took a step forward into the air. A bronze longsword flew to his feet, carrying him as he burst through the air.
Yanglu Mountain, Purple Bamboo Forest.
Xu Taiping spent four or five days finally unblocking the spring and activating the array near it, hiding it again.
"Todayâs luck is good. Not only did I repair the spring, but I also hunted a yellow sheep."
Looking at the yellow sheep frozen into an ice block by his Residual Afterglow True Qi, Xu Taiping couldnât help but smile.
Solving the ghost problem and advancing his Residual Afterglow cultivation to the freezing stage, everything was going smoothly.
"Taiping, youâre finally back."
As Xu Taiping dragged the yellow sheep back to the Green Bamboo Residence, the long-unseen spiritual bird, the white-headed eagle, suddenly appeared at the gate, and beside it stood an old man with gray hair and a wine gourd at his waist.
"When did you come back, Uncle Bai?"
Xu Taiping put down the yellow sheep.
Although he was asking Bai Hong, his eyes were on the gray-haired old man.
"I just got back. This is someone I met on the way... a... friend. Everyone calls him Old Nine. We happened to pass by the Green Bamboo Residence and thought weâd come to you for a meal."
Bai Hong, who usually spoke with a very authoritative tone, was stuttering today, which surprised Xu Taiping.
"Little friend Taiping, Bai Hong and I have traveled a thousand miles and are starving. Could you start a fire and cook us a meal?"
Old Nine rubbed his hands and asked with a smile.
"Uncle Bai is my friend. I wouldnât mind if he came to eat every day, but you, old man, have to pay."
Xu Taiping was generous to friends but stingy with strangers, just like his grandfather.
"Ha ha... Little friend Taiping is right. Eating does require payment!"
Hearing this, Bai Hong clearly became nervous, as if he wanted to explain something to Xu Taiping, but was interrupted by Old Nineâs laughter.
Old Nine threw a money bag in front of Xu Taiping.
"Little friend, there are three hundred merit coins in here. Is that enough for a meal?"
He asked Xu Taiping with a smile.
Xu Taiping didnât answer immediately. He took seven merit coins from the bag and then threw it back to the old man.
"Thereâs nothing special at my place. A meal will cost seven merit coins."
After receiving the money, Xu Taipingâs face showed more smiles when he looked at Old Nine.
Old Nine laughed heartily again and gave Xu Taiping a thumbs up.
Bai Hong, seeing this, wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed in relief.
"Little Taiping, do you know who is standing in front of you? Fortunately, he isnât angry."
However, before coming, Old Nine had already warned him, so he could only keep these words to himself.
"Old man, the fire shouldnât be too big, smaller, smaller."
"Uncle Bai, help me peel some garlic and chop some scallions."
In the kitchen of the Green Bamboo Residence, Old Nine tended the fire, the eagle-headed Bai Hong chopped vegetables, and Xu Taiping cooked, all busy and happy.
"Little brother Taiping, Iâm already tending the fire for you. Could you reduce the meal cost a bit?"
Old Nine smoothed his hair and smiled, negotiating with Xu Taiping.
"You old man, why are you still haggling? If you didnât help me with the fire, this meal would cost eight merit coins!"
Xu Taiping wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave Old Nine a look.
"Reasonable, reasonable."
Bai Hong, who was chopping vegetables nearby, was startled again, nearly cutting his claws.