220: Chapter 219 The Taoist, Zhou Chu!

After The Drunkard left, the small courtyard became quiet once again.

Xia Jin sat by the stone table for a while, gazing at the empty stone chair opposite him, lost in thought.

He sat there, drinking bowl after bowl of wine until dawn broke.

"How did this night pass so quickly?"

The wine bowl in Xia Jin's hand was already empty. He glanced at the nearest wine jar and found it empty as well, causing him to shake his head involuntarily.

"Forget it, I'll stop drinking here for today!" Xia Jin rubbed his eyes and stood up, his body swaying slightly. "Fine, since it's just dawn, I'll go see what that Yuanling Pool actually looks like!"

He muttered to himself as he stepped out of the courtyard gate.

He didn't know how long he had been walking, but he found that he indeed hadn't encountered a single person.

The Third Heaven itself had few people, and those out at this hour were likely even fewer.

Xia Jin didn't find it boring. As he walked, he observed the surrounding scenery.

"According to what that Third Senior Brother said, the Yuanling Pool should be right here."

Xia Jin stood at the entrance of the valley and peered inside.

The valley was shrouded in mist, which emitted a faint milky-white luster, looking like some kind of energy visible to the naked eye.

He stepped inside.

The mist grew thicker, and an indescribable aura gradually filled the air.

Xia Jin took a deep breath, feeling as if every pore on his body had opened slightly, greedily sucking in the strange energy from the air.

"This Yuanling Pool... it seems there really is something to it."

He thought this, but his footsteps did not stop.

However, just as he was about to reach the middle of the valley,

Several hazy silhouettes suddenly appeared in the mist ahead.

"Hmm!? Could someone still be Cultivating in the Yuanling Pool at this hour?" Xia Jin stopped walking, his brow furrowing slightly, but his gaze remained fixed ahead.

Those silhouettes were moving, and... they were coming in his direction.

When those things finally emerged from the thick fog, they gave Xia Jin a start.

Mudmen. Walking toward Xia Jin was not an Immortal Master, but Mudmen.

To be precise, they were Mudmen only about one meter tall.

At this moment, three Mudmen were carrying a massive piece of Ebony Wood on their shoulders, walking toward Xia Jin with synchronized steps.

That Ebony Wood was at least three or four zhang long and thicker than an adult's thigh, looking incredibly heavy. Yet these three small Mudmen, barely a meter tall, carried it with perfectly steady and unwavering steps.

"What on earth are these things?" Xia Jin looked at the three Mudmen in surprise.

He subconsciously released his Divine Sense to investigate, but the result was nothing.

These three Mudmen had no life force, no fluctuations of Qi, and not even a trace of residual Soul Power.

Yet they were clearly moving.

Not only could they move, but they could also carry things, and carry them steadily.

This was definitely the first time Xia Jin had seen such a thing. He had seen many strange things in this world, but the scene before him truly left him baffled.

He stood in place, his gaze scanning the three Mudmen back and forth, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

Just as he was staring at the Mudmen in a daze,

"Ding-ling~"

The crisp sound of a bell came from the mist ahead.

Then, another sound.

"Someone is controlling these Mudmen!?" Xia Jin looked up toward the direction of the bell sound.

Another figure appeared in the mist ahead.

It was a middle-aged man who looked to be about forty years old. His hair was tied in a loose Daoist bun, and a string of bells was tied to his waist. His face was thin, his cheekbones slightly high, and he wore a delicate mustache, giving him a somewhat comical appearance.

The man seemed to notice Xia Jin as well, and he couldn't help but slow his pace, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

The three Mudmen carrying the Ebony Wood had also stopped at some point, standing quietly by the side of the road as if making way for this person.

The middle-aged man, dressed as a Daoist, walked up to Xia Jin and stopped.

The distance between them was only three or four steps.

"Young man, you look a bit unfamiliar."

"Xia Jin has just arrived. May I ask how to address you, Senior Brother?" Xia Jin had already guessed that the other person must be a Disciple of the Third Heaven, so he nodded and asked.

"Xia Jin?" The man's eyes suddenly lit up upon hearing this. "So you are Xia Jin!"

"I heard from that drunkard Li Zhan yesterday that a new Junior Brother had come to our Third Heaven, a generous person who gave him two jars of fine wine!" The man looked Xia Jin up and down as if confirming something. "Not bad, not bad. You do look quite interesting."

As he spoke, he took a step closer to Xia Jin and patted his shoulder familiarly.

"Let's get acquainted. My name is Zhou Chu. Here, you can also call me Fifth Senior Brother."

Zhou Chu.

Fifth Senior Brother.

Xia Jin committed the name and title to heart and cupped his hands again: "Xia Jin greets Fifth Senior Brother."

"Eh, why so polite?" Zhou Chu waved his hand. "Our Third Heaven doesn't have that many rules."

"By the way," Zhou Chu suddenly changed the subject, his startlingly bright eyes looking at Xia Jin, "Are you... going to the Yuanling Pool?"

Xia Jin nodded: "Indeed. I heard Third Senior Brother mention the Yuanling Pool yesterday, so I wanted to come take a look."

"Oh? That drunkard Li Zhan is rarely so industrious as to give directions to a newcomer." Zhou Chu stroked his mustache with a half-smile. "However, don't believe everything that comes out of his mouth. If five out of ten things he says are true, that's already good. The other five are all drunken ramblings."

"By the way, Junior Brother Xia, you aren't in a hurry, are you?" Zhou Chu suddenly asked.

Xia Jin was slightly taken aback and shook his head: "I'm not in a rush."

"That's perfect." Zhou Chu stroked his mustache with a grin. "Sit down and have a chat with me, your Senior Brother."

As he spoke, without waiting for Xia Jin's reaction, he pulled out a few palm-sized Paper Figures from his robe and tossed them onto the ground.

"Rise," Zhou Chu said lazily.

As the Paper Figures hit the ground, the soil on the ground began to move.

Moist mud gathered from all directions, covering the Paper Figures layer by layer.

The mud accumulated more and more, piling higher and higher, gradually taking shape. In just a few breaths, three Mudmen about a meter tall stood vividly before Xia Jin.

They were identical to the three Mudmen carrying the Ebony Wood earlier.

Zhou Chu brushed the mud dust off his hands, stood up, and shouted to the three freshly made Mudmen:

"Go, bring a table and chairs over here."

Having received their orders, the three Mudmen ran off quickly on their short, thick legs.

Xia Jin watched, dumbstruck.

Not long after,

A series of heavy footsteps echoed from the mist.

The three Mudmen that had just run out were now carrying a stone table and two stone chairs, running back quickly.

They ran to Zhou Chu's side and placed the stone table and chairs down steadily with two "thuds." After setting the items down, the three Mudmen stood still.

Then, their bodies began to collapse.

As the mud fell away automatically, those palm-sized Paper Figures drifted up from the ground and fell back into Zhou Chu's open palm.

Zhou Chu tucked the Paper Figures back into his robe, patted his hands, and jerked his chin at Xia Jin.

"Sit."

After saying that, he sat down first on one of the stone chairs, leaned back, and crossed his legs.

Xia Jin glanced at him and remained silent for two seconds. Then he walked to the other stone chair and sat down.

"Fifth Senior Brother," Xia Jin finally couldn't help but ask, "What method was that just now?"

He pointed to the pile of mud on the ground.

"Those Mudmen... they clearly have no life force or Qi fluctuations, yet they can move, carry things, run, and even understand commands. This..."

Hearing this, a look of pride appeared on Zhou Chu's face. "Hehehe, just some minor Daoist tricks. If there's a chance in the future, I'll teach you!"

"Daoist?" Xia Jin's eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression became somewhat solemn, though he did not press further.