Chapter 205: Celestial Master of Taoism

The same chair, but with a different guest.

Li Jun raised his hand to rub his brow, his heart filled with helplessness.

He had barely enjoyed half a day of leisure when unwelcome visitors came one after another.

Yuan Mingfei was at least polite enough to knock first.

But this nonconformist Taoist with a ponytail had actually dismantled the restaurant's mechanisms, leaving Li Jun somewhat irritated.

"My door hasn't rotted away, has it?"

"Ah?"

The Taoist froze for a moment, quickly waving his hands. "No, I merely blasted a bit of control authority, squeezing through a gap between two trigrams."

"There's a path, yet you choose to sneak in and pick the lock?"

Li Jun cut him off mid-sentence.

"A Yin-Yang sorcerer's home—I feared that knocking might result in an empty room."

As the words fell, the Taoist pushed back his chair and stood.

He clasped his hands before his chest, his posture upright and unyielding, bowing with a clasped-fist salute toward Li Jun.

"My intrusion was indeed unseemly. I hope you, Mr. Li, will forgive me."

As the saying goes, a smiling face is rarely met with a clenched fist.

This gesture left Li Jun, who had been ready to strike, momentarily bewildered.

"You're from Longhu Mountain?"

Chen Qisheng nodded. "A Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain's 'Duel Department,' Chen Qisheng."

Li Jun's expression grew more puzzled. "You're not here to seek justice for Shenxia Daoist Wang Wenqin?"

"Duty calls, of course."

"Then what's this process of showing courtesy before taking action?"

It turned out the visitor was not benevolent.

A cold glint flashed in Li Jun's eyes as he slowly rose, his aura of bandit flames seeming almost tangible.

Behind him, the figure shrouded in black robes, Ma Wang Ye, held the Jing Ke sniper rifle, its red-eyed tiger scope locked onto its target.

The atmosphere crackled with tension, yet the Taoist remained composed.

"There are matters of varying urgency. Compared to the affairs of Qixia Group, I intend to deal with those two Buddhist wanderers first."

Li Jun sneered. "Drive out the external threats before securing the internal?"

Chen Qisheng remained noncommittal.

"The southwestern territories of the empire form the Taoist sect's foundation. In the past, allowing a Luohan Temple to operate and profit was already generous. Now that they can't hold their ground, there's no need for them to remain here."

Though his tone was low, his voice carried an unmistakable arrogance.

"The Heavenly Master of the Taoist sect intends to kill the Buddhist wanderers—do you fear this will spark a conflict between the two sects?"

"Shared grievances, divergent interests. Since the 'Division of Military Power' a year ago, the Buddhist and Taoist sects have no common enemy left. Conflict is inevitable."

Li Jun smiled wryly. "Is that something a Taoist should say?"

Chen Qisheng's gaze remained calm. "The ways of the world are clear—they are destined by the Heavenly Dao. The annual simulations of the 'White Jade Capital' have reached the same conclusion. No doubt the 'Ling Mountain' faction shares this view."

"In the end, you're merely using the pretext of driving away wolves to devour the tiger. We all know why I should ally with you—our blood feuds are no secret."

The Taoist countered: "Better than having wolves before and tigers after?"

"Wouldn't it be better for me to sit atop the mountain and watch the tiger fight?"

"Two against one—this mountain won't let either of us sit securely."

Li Jun's expression grew grave, forced to concede the other's logic.

From Chen Qisheng's words, it was clear that both major factions had sent their agents to Chongqing Prefecture under the guise of hunting the "murderer," but in reality, they were merely hindering each other.

One sought to protect their own, the other to drive them out.

Yet Li Jun remained at the heart of the conflict.

Regardless of who prevailed, he would have to account for the consequences.

The current situation clearly favored the Buddhist sect. If he chose to remain neutral, the outcome might indeed be "two against one."

Li Jun asked, puzzled: "It's well-known that both Shaolin and Dazhao will send wanderers. Why has Longhu Mountain sent only you?"

Chen Qisheng paused before replying: "A powerful figure wishes to mediate. But we can't refuse the courtesy—fortunately, each side can only send one person, leaving room for maneuver."

A powerful figure.

Li Jun's heart stirred; he suddenly looked upward.

His eyes gleamed like knives, as if piercing through layers of pavilions to the very peak of the cliff.

"As for the blood feud you mentioned, that's the karma of the previous generation. I'm not one of those fanatical sequence adherents—just a traditional, old-school Taoist. I have no interest in your ancestral blood and flesh."

Chen Qisheng spoke gravely: "Nor do I harbor any innate hostility from rituals or genes. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to speak face-to-face like this."

Indeed, since Chen Qisheng entered the Heping Restaurant, Li Jun's heart had remained as still as a lake.

"If we cooperate, who will take the lead?"

The Taoist laughed. "Since we're here to kill, strength will speak for itself."

Li Jun raised an eyebrow. "Precisely my intention."

Click—the sound of a bullet being chambered was crisp and clear.

Chen Qisheng's face tightened, but he forced his smile to remain unchanged. "Just a sparring match—don't ruin the harmony. Why don't we all hold back a bit?"

"I won't use flying swords."

"Then I won't wear armor."

Li Jun's palm twitched, and Ma Wang Ye immediately withdrew his weapon.

At the same time, the restaurant's furnishings began to shift with the trigrams.

The wine cabinet, sofa, and long table—all furniture sank into the ground.

The surrounding walls were replaced by two-finger-thick alloy steel plates.

The Eight Trigrams' Death Gate, the Palace of Rest and Vitality, born in great peril.

Unlucky and inauspicious, fit only for hanging corpses and funeral rites, executions and battles, hunting and slaughter.

"Without flying swords, what will you use to fight me? Engraved talismans, or some Taoist artifact?"

Chen Qisheng smiled without answering. He stood with his legs together, knees slightly bent, hands raised from below to press against his palms, his left foot stepping forward to shoulder-width.

This stance carried a hint of martial arts form.

"Several hundred years ago, nearly half of the world's martial arts originated from the Buddhist and Taoist traditions, and have never been exclusive to your lineage. My Tianshi Wudou Fist may not be inferior to the martial arts you've infused."

"So, you intend to fight me with your fists?"

Chen Qish extended his palm toward Li Jun, bending his fingers in a beckoning gesture.

"We can try it. However..."

"Then let's try it!"

The Taoist's words had not finished when Li Jun's explosive shout interrupted him.

The soles of his shoes scraped the bricks, a sharp crack sounded, and Li Jun's figure shot out like a cannonball.

Though it was supposed to be a sparring match, Li Jun's strike was vicious as if to kill. In just two explosive steps, the rugged, jutting fists had already smashed toward the Taoist's face.

The powerful gust swept past, blowing away the loose hair hanging over Chen Qish's forehead, revealing his delicate and handsome face.

Click...

A crisp sound came from the Taoist's mouth.

In an instant, dense blood threads coiled around the chestnut-colored pupils, like a demonic and beautiful lotus blooming in the eyes.

Bang!

A single hand, like covering the sky, blocked the fist's edge.

"Interesting."

Li Jun watched the Taoist who had stepped back and didn't rush to pursue, but looked at the opponent's jaw still chewing.

Chen Qish's throat moved, swallowing what was in his mouth, and facing Li Jun's curious gaze, he grinned.

"Old-school Taoist fighting, of course it's fists and kicks plus taking pills!"