Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 445 218 Scare

The narrow path was flanked by wild grass that clearly hadn't been tended to in years.

After a short walk, a secluded little courtyard came into view, instantly catching the eye.

The small enclosure sat amidst the noisy and majestic Imperial Palace, clashing with its surroundings.

Like a crane amongst chickens, it was immediately apparent that the courtyard was filled with a variety of blooming flowers, competing for beauty and fragrance. The scent of hundreds of flowers melded together, casting a unique and mystical aroma around the yard.

The tall trees grew lush and were sparsely scattered around, adding embellishments to the courtyard.

The Scabby Taoist's heart leaped with joy upon seeing the little courtyard. He always felt that the yard had a unique charm that became more comforting the longer one looked.

He cleared his throat softly, composed himself, and with a profound smile, asked, "Have we arrived?"

The two kids hurriedly nodded and said, "Yes, yes!"

"Good, today the old Taoist will open your eyes." With that, he pushed open the gate and strode boldly inside, ready to overwhelm Liu Qingyun's senior apprentice brothers in presence from the outset.

"Which one of you is the senior apprentice brother of Kui Ping and Kui An? The Scabby Taoist has come to visit for some enlightenment!" the Scabby Taoist called out loudly.

At that moment, Liu Qingyun was sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, meditating and refining the White Pagoda, when suddenly he heard the Scabby Taoist's voice.

He opened his tightly shut eyes, frowned slightly, and glanced at Xiao Qi, who was also cultivating nearby, noting his equally puzzled expression.

"It seems an uninvited guest has arrived. It must be our dear junior disciple causing trouble!" Liu Qingyun said with a smile, standing up and walking towards the front courtyard, with Xiao Qi quickly following behind.

Meanwhile, the Scabby Taoist was posturing proudly in the front yard, unable to wait to teach Liu Qingyun's senior apprentice brothers a lesson. He was fantasizing about receiving their adoring gazes and them begging tearfully for him to take them on as disciples.

A lewd grin appeared on his face, but he quickly realized it was unbecoming of his lofty image and hastily composed himself, still maintaining the appearance of a sage-like figure.

Yet he called out, "Are you not coming out to meet me? Could it be that you are scared?"

He then stole a glance at the two kids, hoping to glean some satisfaction from their expressions.

However, contrary to his expectations, the kids were grinning mischievously, showing no regard for his imposing stature, leaving the Scabby Taoist quite disheartened.

Just then, Liu Qingyun came from the back courtyard, his face showing displeasure as he asked, "Who is causing such a disturbance here?"

Liu Qingyun's face was so overcast it seemed it could drip water. He had been at a critical juncture of the Ritual Refinement of his Magical Treasure, preparing to give one final push to completely refine the White Pagoda, when he was interrupted by this uninvited guest, naturally filling him with displeasure.

Upon hearing Liu Qingyun's question, the Scabby Taoist was displeased, thinking that for someone of his stature, it was already a slight not to come forward and greet him, let alone be so rude.

He opened his eyes slightly wider and looked down at him while starting to say, "So you are their senior appre..."

But he couldn't bring himself to finish the word "apprentice," as if a duck suddenly choked, unable to speak another word.

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A scene flashed through his mind where he was once brutally beaten; if not for the protection of his Magical Treasure, he likely would have died.

The shadow of the past burst forth in his heart, and it was only then that the Scabby Taoist realized why he had always felt these two youngsters seemed familiar as if he had met them somewhere before.

At this moment, the Scabby Taoist was soaked in cold sweat. He tried his best to calm down and said with some nervousness, "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else."

After finishing his words, he turned and ran away, with the two youngsters following behind, shouting, "Taoist Priest, don't go, didn't you say you wanted to show my senior brother a thing or two?"

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"Exactly, exactly, didn't you promise to take us on as your disciples?"

The voices of the two youngsters were crystal clear, but to the Scabby Taoist, they sounded like the whispering of demons from Hell, causing his entire body to shiver as he ran even more frantically for his life until he vanished from everyone's sight.

It was only after he had run out of Treasure Elephant Country and stopped in a dense forest that the Scabby Taoist finally caught his breath. Looking back and seeing no one was following him, he said with lingering fear, "That was close, I almost didn't make it back."

The Scabby Taoist would never forget Liu Qingyun's face until his death as he was the first person who made him feel utterly powerless.

Although their previous encounter was brief, the power of Liu Qingyun had deeply imprinted in his heart. There was a clear palm print on his big jar that could never be erased, a kind of despairing strength he truly did not want to experience a second time.

Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Palace, Liu Qingyun was puzzled. The Taoist had rushed in with an aggressive air, spouting some nonsensical words, then turned tail and ran as if he had seen some Primordial giant beast.

Xiao Qi was equally baffled and pointing in the direction where the Scabby Taoist had fled, he asked Liu Qingyun, "Big senior brother, was that guy here to make us laugh?"

Liu Qingyun, watching the hastily fleeing figure of the Scabby Taoist, felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

Glancing down to see the two youngsters rolling on the ground with laughter, he suddenly understood something and pointed at them, saying, "Although I don't know the reason, it must have a lot to do with these two little rascals."

"Big senior brother, it's not our fault. He was the one who wanted to spar with you, and he said he wanted to show us what a true expert looks like."

"Exactly, exactly, he even made me lose a string of candied gourds."

The two youngsters said, laughing. Just thinking about the Scabby Taoist's change of expression, the two of them were beside themselves with mirth.

"You two little rascals, always learning the wrong things; where did you come up with such sly tricks?" Liu Qingyun shook his head and sighed.

"Wait, doesn't that guy seem to recognize big senior brother? Otherwise, why would he have been so terrified upon seeing big senior brother's true face, panicking and running away?" Xiao Qi asked, puzzled.

"Has the second senior brother forgotten? He's that Scabby Taoist who was blocking the gate, the one we just ran into after escaping the pursuit of the crowd with a trick of deceiving the heavens and crossing the sea," one of the young ones explained.

After hearing the explanation from the youngsters, the two of them finally understood why the Scabby Taoist had reacted in such a way; it was probably the result of the shadow left in his heart by the previous encounter.

Liu Qingyun shook his head lightly. He hadn't expected that he could scare the Scabby Taoist to such an extent.

However, he immediately turned his head, looking earnestly at the two jubilantly dancing youngsters, and said sternly, "It seems you two have too much free time on your hands!"

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