The dance before his eyes was passionate and unrestrained. Though accompanied only by hand drums, it didn’t feel monotonous at all. Just a few simple notes played repeatedly, striking out a light rhythm. The dancers’ bare feet flew across the wooden floor, their voluminous skirt-pants billowing without giving the slightest sense of bulkiness – like fluttering butterflies in flight.

This was the closest thing to modern clothing Yun Ye had seen in Tang Dynasty attire. The dancers tied colored veils behind their heads – different colors, varying lengths. Their upper bodies wore only small, short garments that barely covered their full bosoms, exposing large expanses of snow-white skin. The pants below were extremely voluminous – no problem fitting two or three dancers inside – yet they tightened rapidly at the ankles. Set off by slender, snow-white little feet, they actually carried a hint of playfulness.

Xu Jingzong sat restlessly. After witnessing the conversation style between Yun Ye and Yetuo, he deeply regretted his rashness. Yun Ye had no intention whatsoever of talking properly with Yetuo. He seemed to constantly want to provoke the robust man before him. A person so vicious even to himself – Xu Jingzong had long since stopped hoping he’d have Buddha-like compassion. Coming here with Yun Ye was a major mistake. Yun Ye had harmed this demon king to such a state, yet still didn’t take him seriously. No apology, no guilt – only a mockery that chilled Xu Jingzong to his core.

Did Yun Ye still not realize he was fish on someone else’s chopping board? Why had he waded into these muddy waters? Being with Yun Ye was too dangerous. He was a madman, and Yetuo before him was also a madman. Perhaps madmen had some mutual appreciation, but he pitied himself – a normal person caught between madmen. If he escaped this calamity, he must stay far from Yun Ye. He had no problem dealing with normal people, but dealing with madmen – he had no confidence. Keeping distance wouldn’t hurt.

The drums stopped and the dance ended. Yun Ye clapped lightly, offering the warmest applause for the artists’ performance. He had to applaud – if such a group of beautiful women were steamed and served up by Yetuo, that would be bad. A pervert who constantly thought about immortality saw little difference between ordinary people and livestock. He’d better be careful, at least not harm anyone. Having one bastard like Du Yu was enough – he dared not follow in his footsteps.

Yetuo kept watching Yun Ye, growing more puzzled the more he looked. No matter how much pressure he applied, before this man, such pressure seemed nonexistent. He consistently displayed an attitude as if he were the host. The several “Quest for Immortals” paintings behind him were drawn by artists based on his personal account, depicting his experiences seeking immortality. The dark water of Heaven Lake, calm as a mirror – they were so mysterious. Seventeen men celebrated joyfully by Heaven Lake, celebrating their arrival at the immortal land. Before they could even see beautiful immortal maidens, they attracted terrifying divine punishment. The white snow between heaven and earth surged toward them together. In an instant, six people were swallowed by white snow. Only by virtue of his strong body, rolling and crawling, did he escape the valley and avoid calamity.

Looking back again, Heaven Lake was obscured by snow peaks, its true face impossible to glimpse again.

“Marquis Yun, how did you learn there was such a pool of divine water on Kunlun Mountain? Not to mention human traces – even birds and beasts rarely tread there. I’ve been there. I know how arduous the journey was. How did you and your master arrive?” Yetuo finally couldn’t help but question Yun Ye.

Only now did Xu Jingzong notice those paintings on the wall. Hearing Yetuo’s question, he pricked up his ears to listen. He’d originally thought Yun Ye’s talk of an immortal land was nonsense, but through Yetuo’s mouth, he finally understood Yun Ye wasn’t speaking nonsense but had really been there.

“You spent enormous effort just to verify my words? I already told you there’s nothing there – no immortals, no longevity fruit trees, no divine beasts. There is a pack of wolves though. You didn’t take it to heart, did you? A small broken lake with freezing cold water – grass doesn’t even grow in summer. By the way, when you went to Heaven Lake, did you catch one or two snow maggots? Master said they’re a rare delicacy.”

Yun Ye suddenly remembered what the tour guide said about snow maggots. Since Qing Dynasty people had seen them, Tang Dynasty people had no reason not to see them. Just thinking about red insects weighing dozens of pounds each crawling around in the snow excited Yun Ye. Too miraculous!

Yetuo’s face turned red with fury – not from his lungs, but from anger. He pointed at the red insects in the painting and roared loudly: “The delicacy Marquis Yun speaks of is this kind of insect? Whether it’s delicious or not, I, Yetuo, don’t know. I only know three of my brothers were considered delicacies and devoured by these insects.”

Yun Ye stood up and curiously examined the red insects in the painting. Ugly, extremely ugly – they even had teeth. In the painting, an insect over ten feet long opened a mouth full of teeth, biting a person’s skull. That poor fellow had two more coiled around his body, their big mouths biting into him. Just looking at those sharp teeth, one knew that being bitten must be extremely, extremely painful.

“Hey, Yetuo, do you know what that tallest snow mountain you saw is called? It’s called the Divine Mountain – extraordinarily wondrous. You encountered an avalanche, encountered snow maggots, and probably encountered baboons too – a kind of large monkey, very fierce. Back in the day, I was entangled by monkeys who threw my backpack down a cliff.”

Looking at the angry Yetuo, Yun Ye knew that if he didn’t work harder to deceive this fellow now, once he sobered up, there’d be no chance. Back at Xinjiang’s Heaven Lake, he’d had no opportunity to see those legendary animals. The tour guide said there were baboons – the very large kind – that Qing Dynasty people had seen. Yun Ye had run all over one large and two small lakes without seeing any, so he had to substitute the misdeeds of monkeys on Mount Emei.

Yetuo seemed somewhat sorrowful. He retrieved another painting from a chest and opened it before Yun Ye and Xu Jingzong, saying to Yun Ye: “The monkeys you encountered only threw packages. The monkeys I encountered ate people. My younger brother Hesang was torn apart alive by what Marquis Yun calls monkeys and eaten by them.”

After saying this, his breath seemed insufficient. He struck his chest forcefully several times, producing thunderous sounds. After pounding his chest, he grabbed a black pottery jar and drank straight from it – some kind of nameless strong liquor. The turbid liquid poured down his chest – very bold indeed. Just didn’t know how much actually went down. What a waste! Toasting your younger brother didn’t require spilling it all over the floor, right?

Yetuo’s eyes reddened. Though he’d killed countless people and never treated human life as important, when his own brother died, he still felt heartache, still shed tears.

After drinking the wine, a serving girl immediately brought up an exquisite wooden tray with a white porcelain dish containing a pigeon egg-sized red pill. Its pure fragrance assailed the nostrils – a scent somewhat familiar to Yun Ye, though he couldn’t recall what it was. Yetuo picked up the pill, brought it under his nose and sniffed it intoxicatedly, then swallowed it in one gulp. It stuck in his throat, making his face flush red. He quickly drank some wine to successfully send the pill down.

Such a host – not knowing to respect guests at all! Having good things, he ate them himself first. What a miser!

Just as he was sighing, he noticed Xu Jingzong opposite him looking envious, even bowing and asking: “Wise master, what good fortune to obtain superior immortal elixirs. Seeing its color, smelling its fragrance, discerning its form – one knows it came from a famous master’s hand. We idle people have no fortune to obtain such things. Truly makes others envious.”

After taking the pill – perhaps a psychological effect – Yetuo’s face glowed red, his spirit and energy abundant. Just moments ago he’d been sad about his brother being eaten by monkeys, yet in an instant seemed to forget about it entirely, laughing heartily, appearing extremely pleased.

“Yetuo also obtained this Spirit-Condensing Pill through fortuitous circumstances from an enlightened master. The quantity is scarce and difficult to find in the world, so I haven’t shared any with you two. Please don’t take offense.”

“Such immortal treasures are obtained by those with fate. We lack such fate and cannot force it. Being able to see one is already great fortune. Wise master need not be concerned.” Xu Jingzong always knew what to say when to please his host.

Yun Ye wiped cold sweat. He’d planned to trick Yetuo into taking Li Chunfeng’s Bone-Dissolving Pill – seemed unnecessary now. There was something even more vicious. The Bone-Dissolving Pill was only soybean-sized, yet Yun Ye considered it highly toxic. This pigeon egg-sized pill – who knew how long Yetuo could endure it? To be safe, Yun Ye decided to ask for one to examine.

“Yetuo, I’m also someone with some experience, yet I’ve never seen such a fragrant immortal treasure. Could I perhaps take one for this marquis to observe and broaden my knowledge?”

Hearing this, Yetuo laughed even more boldly. Today he’d suffered Yun Ye’s contempt all day – now he could finally turn things around. How could he not be delighted?

A serving girl brought up the tray again. With a wave from Yetuo, she carefully placed it before Yun Ye, watching him like guarding against a thief.

The pill in hand, Yun Ye immediately felt relieved. Heavy and substantial – the same weight as an iron ball. Under the light, the pill’s radiance flowed, gleaming with metallic luster. Applying slight pressure with his fingers, he found it somewhat soft. Excellent – it was lead! Li Chunfeng’s Bone-Dissolving Pill was pathetically weak. His pills – ten couldn’t match one of these. Who knew what medicinal ingredients could neutralize lead’s toxicity? Previously hospitalized at the labor research institute, he’d seen plenty of lead-zinc factory workers constantly clutching milk bottles to expel lead, shuffling miserably down corridors – what a pitiful sight. Moreover, Yetuo’s pill was wrapped in a layer of mercuric oxide on the outside. Double insurance!

Reverently returning the pill to the tray, Yun Ye immediately filled with respect for Yetuo. Someone who could persist this many days under such deadly poison had earned his respect.

“The path to immortality – difficult and treacherous. Brother Yetuo, able to explore the immortal way without fearing hardship – truly a person of great wisdom and courage. Little brother admires you immensely. My earlier words were offensive. Please don’t take offense, brother. Little brother apologizes here.” Yun Ye stood up, straightened his clothes and cap, and respectfully bowed to Yetuo.

Xu Jingzong was extremely delighted. Yun Ye finally willing to lower his head – this was good news for him! His life was now guaranteed. Actually, he’d seen that Yetuo felt more respect than hostility toward Yun Ye. As long as the conversation went pleasantly, Yun Ye might gain many benefits from Yetuo.

Seeing Yun Ye bow, he had no reason to remain seated either. He stood to the side, hands lowered, smiling as he bowed.

At banquets, someone always needed to be dominant. In the first half, Yun Ye was too dominant. No matter how good Yetuo’s temperament, his pride would be provoked by self-respect. Now, with Yun Ye admitting defeat under the shock of the peerless elixir, he greatly satisfied Yetuo’s proud heart. He was originally the bandit king who dominated the desert grasslands – ordinarily high and mighty, self-supremely arrogant. Maintaining restraint toward Yun Ye was also due to that last thread of hope for longevity troubling his heart. If it were anyone else, they’d have long been skinned and dismembered.