Duan Ze’s eyelid twitched, and he tightened the grip he was about to loosen, pulling the fox back in front of him.

“Do you know who I am?”

“That’s right.” The fox’s blue eyes squinted, revealing a sly expression, and its big tail wagged slightly behind it.

As he guessed, the person in front of him was highly likely to be that powerful figure.

The latter squinted his eyes as well, a hint of killing intent rising in his heart. He didn’t like being threatened when the information was unequal. The other party had just broken his spell, was injured, and couldn’t beat him. Should he take the chance to kill the fox and silence it?

The fox crossed its front paws confidently and said, “You are the Immortal Xue Jiang from the Muxue Sect, right!”

In the entire world, apart from Duan Ze and the Demon Lord of the demon realm, only this person could subdue him so quickly.

The Muxue Sect and the Cangyu Sect were over a thousand miles apart, not too far. The ancestor of the Muxue Sect, Immortal Xue Jiang, and Duan Ze were old friends, so it was normal for them to have some similarities in behavior and demeanor. Recently, he also heard news of Immortal Xue Jiang coming out of seclusion.

The only one who could be with Duan Ze and have such formidable cultivation was Xue Jiang.

Duan Ze’s attack dissipated quietly after hearing the answer.

In the original book, Immortal Xue Jiang was just a background character with a strong name, without much information.

However, the original owner was quite familiar with Xue Jiang. On the surface, Xue Jiang was very reserved and not good with words, but in reality, he was vain and overly confident, liked to join in the fun, and had a completely opposite attitude to the original owner’s low-key behavior.

Later, while cultivating, Xue Jiang also developed trade in the mortal world, cultivation realm, and demon realm, making the Muxue Sect wealthier than the four major sects.

They used to hang out together when they were young and ambitious, but as their cultivation grew, they often went into seclusion for decades or even centuries, and their free time never matched up. The times they met for tea and sightseeing became fewer, and their relationship gradually faded.

In the fifty years since Duan Ze came here, he hadn’t seen or even heard of Xue Jiang’s name. Hearing it now felt like a lifetime ago.

He suddenly laughed, releasing his grip on the fox’s neck fur, “Is it that obvious?”

Chi Xiuzhu didn’t expect to guess correctly. Before falling to the ground, he reverted to his human form. The red robe made the man’s face as white as snow, and he patted his clothes.

Xue Jiang was human, unlike Duan Ze.

After confirming the other party’s identity, the fox suddenly felt itchy all over, his stomach churning. He barely held back for two breaths before casting over ten cleansing techniques on himself, even eating a cleansing fruit, cleaning himself inside and out.

After finishing everything, Chi Xiuzhu awkwardly cupped his fist towards the other.

“Understood.” Duan Ze waved his hand, generously forgiving the other party’s rude behavior.

He jumped down from the lotus seat, casually kicked a stone at his feet, and the stone flew high. In the next moment, a muffled groan came from a distant tree, and a person fell down.

He glanced at Chi Xiuzhu, “If you’re fine, you can leave now.”

Since the other party already knew he wasn’t Duan Ze, there was no reason to linger.

With that, Duan Ze walked straight towards the person following him. The person clutched his chest, standing up in a sorry state. It was Xie Qingyu.

The man looked up at him and asked, “Who are you?”

Xie Qingyu didn’t show any extra expressions and said directly, “I know you’re Brother Zhu who follows my shifu. There’s no need to pretend you don’t know me. I saw everything you did at the ruins entrance just now.”

“Oh? So you followed me intending to launch a sneak attack? Wasn’t the beating you took earlier harsh enough?” Duan Ze nodded, not a hint of panic.

“No,” Xie Qingyu suppressed the anger in his heart. Though the blow he received earlier didn’t break his bones again, it at least left a large bruise.

“I want to ask you something about my shifu.” Instead of beating around the bush and annoying people, it’s better to be straightforward.

Duan Ze raised an eyebrow and replied, “I’m not particularly familiar with him now.”

“Not familiar now?” Chi Xiuzhu, who was supposed to leave, didn’t leave but instead chimed in.

He came here for that final magical artifact. At that time, Duan Ze and the person in front of him were the first to enter the entrance. When he and Xie Qingyu entered later, they were directly teleported out, indicating that the artifact had been taken. Duan Ze and Xue Jiang each had a fifty percent chance of obtaining the artifact.

Xue Jiang’s chances were slightly higher, as Duan Ze had delayed a bit to guide them, and Xue Jiang went in earlier.

Although the possibility of snatching it back was slim, he still wanted to try.

Duan Ze looked at Chi Xiuzhu, who was meddling, and secretly regretted not having the fox caught and sold earlier.

“We were okay before, but later, because we couldn’t find time, we didn’t meet for a long time, and our relationship faded,” Duan Ze lowered his eyelids, organizing his thoughts, a hint of melancholy in his expression, “This time he called me, I thought it was to have tea and enjoy the scenery, but it turned out to be to accompany him to see his good apprentice.”

Duan Ze deliberately emphasized the words ‘good apprentice,’ causing Xie Qingyu’s face to change slightly.

Since the other party started speaking, he had been observing Duan Ze’s every move but found no flaws.

“As far as I remember, my shifu has always been a loner. May I ask who you are?” Xie Qingyu asked again.

Standing beside him, Chi Xiuzhu helped answer, “He is Immortal Xue Jiang from the Muxue Sect.”

“Immortal Xue Jiang?” Xie Qingyu was stunned, “But I remember last year, the sect leader shixiong said Immortal Xue Jiang was still in seclusion.”

Duan Ze’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained unchanged. A sudden pressure rose, and Xie Qingyu was immediately forced to kneel, a trace of red appearing at the corner of his lips.

Although Chi Xiuzhu wasn’t directly oppressed by the pressure, his face turned pale, and he barely managed to stand.

The man looked down at Xie Qingyu, his tone angry, “What? Do I have to announce to the world that I’ve come out of seclusion?”

“…No, I just thought Immortal Xue Jiang coming out of seclusion would be a big event, and there should be some news about it.” Xie Qingyu swallowed the blood in his mouth, maintaining a humble posture, but his words were aggressive.

“Hmm?” Duan Ze was slightly displeased.

Xie Qingyu was immediately pressed down by the intensified pressure, unable to straighten his back.

Chi Xiuzhu, standing beside Duan Ze, his nostrils slightly flaring, used the keen sense of smell of a demon at the Mahayana stage. He detected a faint trace of nervousness emanating from the other party.

The fox grew suspicious and, still concerned about the magical artifact possibly in the other’s possession, continued to help, “You dare bring up last year’s news? My information comes from Qingxuan Pavilion, and Immortal Xue Jiang has indeed come out of seclusion.”

Qingxuan Pavilion is the number one brothel in the world, secretly holding the most detailed information network on the continent. People from all walks of life buy and sell information there, with guaranteed accuracy.

Besides being the demon realm’s ruler, Chi Xiuzhu is also the secret owner of Qingxuan Pavilion. However, apart from Chi Xiuzhu’s confidants and himself, only Duan Ze, who has read the book, knows this identity.

Seeing Chi Xiuzhu speak with such confidence, Xie Qingyu half-believed it. He felt the pressure on him lighten a bit, raised his head slightly, and asked, “Although it’s been a long time since Immortal Xue Jiang and my shifu met, they knew each other before. I want to ask if you noticed anything different about my shifu compared to your memory during this journey?”

“Different?” Duan Ze listened to the young man’s words, his fingers trembling slightly. This question clearly indicated that Xie Qingyu had begun to suspect whether the person in Duan Ze’s body was actually him.

When did he notice?

He habitually rubbed the storage ring on his left hand, quickly thinking of a countermeasure.

Standing beside him, Chi Xiuzhu, who had been secretly observing Duan Ze, inadvertently glanced at his actions, his eyes suddenly darkening.

Author’s Note: Duan Ze: “Duan Ze? Who? Not familiar, don’t really know.”

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Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or poured nutrient solution during 2020-09-05 23:51:47~2020-09-07 07:54:02~

Thanks to the little angels who poured nutrient solution: Everything is like a dream, illusion, shadow, Blue Lin 1 bottle;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!