76: Chapter 76 The master told me to come, so I came.

The motorcade slowly came to a halt in the courtyard of the Municipal Building.

Zhao Qi and Yue Ruo, who was driving, pushed open the doors and got out, with Ye Ming following behind.

The three walked side-by-side through the main entrance, took the elevator to the top floor, and turned right into the conference room.

In the conference room, the Director—who had decided to personally come to Su City to oversee things after receiving the video—sat at the head of the U-shaped conference table.

He appeared to be in his sixties, with the thick eyebrows and large eyes that fit the aesthetic of his generation.

His features were well-defined; if his balding head were filled in and his protruding beer belly slimmed down, he could be called a handsome older man.

Ye Ming estimated that this Director, who had personally interviewed him, must have been a handsome young man known for miles around in his youth.

Hearing them open the door, the Director turned to look: "The Old Leader is... Zhao Qi, what on earth are you wearing?"

Yue Ruo and Ye Ming glanced at each other and simultaneously looked at Zhao Qi.

He was still in his work attire of black trousers and a white shirt, but compared to his previously clean-cut appearance, he had added a few items.

Buddhist beads hung around his neck and wrists, a small Copper coin sword dangled from a red string at his waist, and a Horsetail whisk was tucked behind his back, its fibers poking out over his right shoulder.

Their facial muscles twitched twice, and Yue Ruo and Ye Ming quietly stepped a bit further away from Zhao Qi.

Unaware, Zhao Qi replied to the Director, "What do you mean, 'what on earth'?"

"Look, these two strands of Buddhist beads were blessed by a master, and this Copper coin sword was sold to me by a genuine Taoist priest."

"That old priest even gave me a handful of talismans..."

"Fine, fine, fine." The Director waved his hand dismissively. "Take them off quickly. An investigator from the Special Investigation Bureau engaging in feudal superstition—the leader will laugh me to death later."

Seeing the Director's displeasure, Zhao Qi didn't dare talk back. He took off the items he was wearing and stuffed them into a nearby low cabinet, muttering under his breath:

"Now that Cultivators have appeared, who knows if there are gods and ghosts too..."

Ignoring the fool, the Director asked Ye Ming, "Little Ye, you're responsible for explaining the situation to the leader. How are things?"

Ye Ming's reply was simple and direct: "His meaning is that a single video can't prove anything."

"But that video has already been tested; it wasn't edited with any software!"

"Yes, but there is indeed a possibility of using tools and lighting effects to achieve a similar scene."

Just as the Director was about to ask more, the door was pushed open again. Over a dozen soldiers in camouflage and carrying live ammunition filed in, checking the conference room for security risks.

After ten minutes, the search was complete.

A white-haired old man with a composed aura walked in slowly.

Seeing him, the Director hurriedly stood up. "Old Leader, please, take a seat."

"Little Wang, you've made quite a fuss this time, dragging even me all the way here."

"That's unfair, I'm not just making a fuss." The Director grew anxious, gesturing wildly. "That video was..."

"I went to the scene." The white-haired old man took a thermos from his secretary and took a small sip. "I was also the one who sent the people to check the video."

"You rascal, your methods of making a fuss have certainly improved. This time, I couldn't find a single flaw."

The Director felt a bit embarrassed and quickly explained, "This time it's real. We're still looking for evidence."

"Enough. Su City has been under control for so long; I've discussed it with them, and it's about time."

"Aren't you just afraid the Special Investigation Bureau will be disbanded? I'll talk to a few of the old-timers when I get back. We won't disband your bureau, but the funding will have to be cut."

"No, Old Leader, I..."

"You insist there is one?"

"There is!"

"Then have him come out and show his face, and I'll believe it."

"Sir, what do you seek from me?"

A voice as smooth as jade drifted into everyone's ears, possessing a magical quality that left a lingering echo.

The five instinctively looked for the source of the sound, gazing across the conference table.

What met their eyes was a man with his hands clasped behind his back, wearing a traditional plain white robe, with his waist-length white hair half-tied at the back of his head.

Everyone was stunned, a single thought instinctively popping into their minds: where did he come from?

Except for the three—Ye Ming and the others—who had witnessed the Cultivator's previous appearance.

The first to react were the soldiers responsible for security.

"Don't move! Hands up!" They raised their rifles, over a dozen black muzzles aiming at the man in ancient clothing who had appeared so mysteriously.

"Everyone, stop." The old man finally snapped out of it, stopping the guard who had picked up a walkie-talkie to call for backup.

He pressed against the table to stand up, glanced at the tightly closed door, and then turned his gaze back, locking onto the man in ancient clothing. "How should I address you?"

"Just the single name, Xu."

"Xu... Immortal Xu, for what purpose have you come here?" He instinctively adopted a semi-archaic tone.

"Sir called for Xu, and since Xu was willing to come, I came."

This Cultivator didn't seem difficult to deal with.

The old man suppressed the excitement that hadn't surfaced in his heart for decades. "Are you an immortal?"

"Heh." Xu lightly flicked the hem of his robe and sat at the end of the conference table. "I have walked the world for some time, so as for your doubt, it depends on what you consider an immortal to be."

"Omnipotent."

"Then, Xu cannot be considered an immortal."

"Flying through the sky, burrowing through the earth, moving mountains, and filling seas."

"In that case, Xu can be considered one."

The old man's fingernails left deep scratches in the exquisite lacquer of the conference table. "Why has there been no trace of immortals for a thousand years?"

"There is nothing worth seeing in the traces of immortals."

"Look, sir, you see me now. How is my appearance any different from yours?" Xu spread his hands and said with a light laugh.

"May I see an immortal technique?" The old man's questions came one after another, as if they would never end.

"Immortal techniques..." Xu's smile slowly faded. He turned his face to the left, his gaze piercing through the window glass toward the distant horizon. "Immortal techniques can be seen,"

"but at what cost?"

Xu seemed to be talking to himself, yet also to them.

Following his gaze, the old man and the others looked toward the sky together.

The bright sunlight from ten minutes ago had vanished, covered by layers of thick, heavy clouds.

Faint flashes of lightning streaked through them, yet no thunder was heard.

"What do you mean?" The Director finally found a chance to interject, while his eyes sneakily scanned Xu up and down.

"There is a tribulation."

"What kind of tribulation?" The old man's expression suddenly turned grave.

"A tribulation is a tribulation."

"How can it be resolved?"

"I shall transcend it."

"Sir." Xu remained seated, but his figure began to dim. "Immortal techniques are not to be used lightly; if they are used, there must be a reason."

"Where do you live, Immortal!" Seeing him about to leave, the Director shouted in excitement.

"A mountain need not be high." The nearly transparent Xu pointed toward the hills in the outskirts.

"This, this!" Zhao Qi was frantic, holding his items. "Are these... uh, real?"

"Mortal objects."

The seated figure vanished, leaving everyone present looking around in speechless silence.

After a long silence, there was finally some movement.

The old man let out a shout that belied his age: "Everyone present, sign a non-disclosure agreement immediately!"

"Little Wang!"

"Yes!"

"Call and have someone come to set up bedrooms. Everyone will stay in the Municipal Building for now. Anyone who leaves without permission will be executed on the spot!"

"Yes!" The Director pulled out his phone and put it on speaker to notify his subordinates to call for renovation workers.

The secretary did the same, ordering the Guard Regiment outside the courtyard to surround the entire building.

Zhao Qi didn't care about any of this.

He clutched his items to his chest, looking grief-stricken.

That bastard Taoist and that stinking bald monk cheated me of my money!