Xu Taiping said nothing in response, just grinned.
The Tiger Demon, caught off guard by this response, was relieved to have his words confirmed by the Evil Ghost's words.
"You little thing, three months from now, I will skin you, pull out your tendons, and turn your soul into a wick, suffering the burning of your spirit day and night!"
The Tiger King had never been so humiliated, and his angry roar shook the houses in the Green Bamboo Residence, even though it was just a spiritual shadow.
Standing directly opposite him, Xu Taiping was shaken by the roar, his blood and energy surging.
If it weren't for the protection of the residual Qi, he would have fainted.
After this roar, the spiritual shadow of the Tiger King also dissipated, as if it had exhausted the power hidden in the Evil Ghost's body.
"This is the strength after a serious injury. If it hadn't been injured, how powerful would this Tiger King be?"
Xu Taiping was shocked, gaining a whole new understanding of the strength of the Tiger King mentioned by the Green Bamboo and the Evil Ghost.
Although he was shocked, he did not feel timid or afraid, but instead, a strong fighting spirit arose within him.
This was probably related to his environment of living alone since childhood. When faced with difficulties, he could only face them head-on, unable to escape like other children who had parents to rely on.
"Clatter…"
Just as the flames were extinguished, there was a sudden sound of coins falling inside the trap.
Xu Taiping cautiously looked inside, illuminated by the moonlight above, and saw a pile of Merit coins and two indistinct objects lying in the center of the ashes.
"Could it be something that the Evil Ghost hid using a secret method?"
Xu Taiping speculated in his mind.
When he read the introductory book before, he had seen that evil spirits and monsters had their own ways of hiding items, such as the Tiger Demon liking to hide things in its belly, and the Elephant Demon liking to hide things in its nose.
"To prevent any tricks, I'll leave it there for a few nights and check it after I repair the large array of the Green Bamboo Residence."
Regardless of whether there was treasure inside, for safety's sake, Xu Taiping did not plan to go down there now.
…
Behind the Green Bamboo Residence, on the Sheep and Deer Mountain.
"Courage and strategy, I didn't misjudge you."
A white-haired old man leaning against a large tree branch smiled and nodded, very satisfied with Xu Taiping's performance tonight.
"However, the path of cultivation is long. The courage and wisdom of the moment are just superficial. In the end, it still depends on talent. If you can break through the Opening Realm in three years and perform well in the Sword Inquiry of the Seventh Peak, I might consider making an exception and accepting you as a disciple."
The old man stroked his beard lightly, then raised his head and drank all the wine from the gourd.
"The lazy and greedy people of the West Wind Pavilion not only demand money and items from the outer disciples, but also dig up the water veins and springs of the cultivation place, and no one comes to check. It's outrageous!"
When he said this, the old man's face suddenly turned cold, and a gleam of light shot out from his small eyes.
"For such a trivial matter, I, as the ancestor, have to come. Ridiculous, ridiculous!"
After saying this, the old man stood up crookedly, hung the gourd at his waist, and took a step forward, stepping into the air. A bronze long sword "swooshed" and flew to his feet, supporting him as he broke through the air.
…
"Boom, boom, boom…"
"Finally finished."
Sheep and Deer Mountain, Purple Bamboo Forest.
After spending four or five days, Xu Taiping finally dug through the blocked spring and activated the mechanism near the spring, hiding it once again.
"Today's luck is good. Not only did I repair the spring, but I also hunted a yellow sheep."
Looking at the yellow sheep next to him, which had been frozen into an ice block by his residual Qi, Xu Taiping couldn't help but smile.
He had solved the problem of the Evil Ghost, and had cultivated the residual Qi to the stage of freezing, everything was going smoothly.
…
"Taiping, you're finally back."
"Uncle Bai?"
As Xu Taiping dragged the yellow sheep back to the Green Bamboo Residence, the long-unseen Spirit Bird, White-Headed Eagle, suddenly appeared at the gate of the courtyard. Standing next to the White-Headed Eagle was an old man with white hair and a gourd hanging from his waist.
"Uncle Bai, when did you come back?"
Although Xu Taiping was asking White Rainbow, his gaze was on the old man with white hair.
"Just got back. This is a friend I met on the road… friend. Everyone calls him Old Nine. We happened to pass by the Green Bamboo Residence and thought of coming here to have a meal."
White Rainbow, who usually spoke with great authority, was stuttering today, which surprised Xu Taiping.
"Taiping, my friend and I have traveled thousands of miles and are starving. Can you start a fire and cook us a meal?"
Old Nine rubbed his hands and asked with a smile.
"Uncle Bai is my friend. Even if it's not just one meal, if you come to eat here every day, I would welcome it. But, old man, you have to pay."
Xu Taiping was as generous to his friends as he was stingy to strangers, just like his grandfather.
"Taiping, you…"
"Haha… Taiping is right. You have to pay for your meals!"
Hearing this, White Rainbow was obviously nervous, as if he wanted to explain something to Xu Taiping, but was interrupted by Old Nine's laughter.
"Clang!"
Old Nine threw a money bag in front of Xu Taiping.
"Young friend, there are three hundred Merit coins in here. Is it enough for a meal?"
He asked Xu Taiping with a smile.Xu Taiping did not immediately respond. Instead, he counted out seven Merit coins from his purse and then tossed the purse back to the old man, saying:
"There's nothing much to eat at my place, so for this meal, seven Merit coins will do."
After receiving the money, Xu Taiping looked at Old Nine again, his face now bearing a few more smiles.
Old Nine burst into a hearty laugh upon hearing this and gave Xu Taiping a thumbs-up:
"Fair deal."
Beside them, Bai Hong wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking:
"Little Taiping, oh Little Taiping, do you even know who you're standing in front of? Thankfully, the old man didn't get angry."
However, before coming here, Old Nine had already informed him, so these thoughts had to be suppressed in his heart, not daring to be spoken aloud.
…
"Elder, don't make the fire too strong, keep it low, keep it low."
"Uncle Bai, help me peel some garlic and chop some green onions."
In the kitchen of Green Bamboo Residence, Old Nine tended the fire, the eagle-headed Bai Hong chopped vegetables, and Xu Taiping was busy and happy stir-frying, holding the wok.
"Brother Taiping, look, I've made the fire for you, can you give me a discount on the meal?"
Old Nine flicked his hair and then negotiated with Xu Taiping with a smile.
"You old man, still haggling over the price? If you hadn't helped me with the fire, this meal would have cost eight Merit coins!"
Xu Taiping wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave Old Nine a sidelong glance.
"Fair point, fair point."
Old Nine chuckled again upon hearing this.
Bai Hong, who was chopping vegetables beside them, was startled by the conversation and nearly cut his own claws.