Chapter 546: Chapter 543: Long Admired, My Ass
The big-nosed elder was named Di Zhong. For generations, his family had served the Demon Sect, specifically responsible for guiding successive Sect Leaders and Young Sect Leaders onto the path of the Demon Dao.
To put it bluntly, his position was similar to that of an Emperor’s Tutor.
For the Di Family, beyond training a qualified Sect Leader, their more important responsibility and mission was to one day reawaken the *Demon God Grand Ceremony*.
Di Zhong, in particular, had taken this as his personal mission since childhood, dedicating himself to researching the *Demon God Grand Ceremony*.
Xiao Zhang’s birth had caused the *Demon God Grand Ceremony*, which had been dormant for countless years, to finally show a reaction. Di Zhong had been ecstatic.
He thought the monumental achievement of awakening the *Demon God Grand Ceremony* would be his. But who would have thought that even after more than ten years of research, he was still completely clueless.
After the *Demon God Grand Ceremony* drilled into Xiao Zhang’s body, it fell silent again. Everything was back to square one.
Di Zhong never imagined that the fruits of victory would ultimately fall into the hands of a mere Vajra Realm Cultivator. This left him feeling incredibly resentful and displeased.
Of course, this "fruit of victory" was something he had merely imagined; it had nothing to do with him at all.
"Teacher, please just wait a little longer. Master will be out soon." Xiao Zhang really couldn’t show Di Zhong any disrespect, so he could only try to placate him patiently.
It would have been better if he hadn’t said anything. The moment Di Zhong heard Xiao Zhang’s two different terms of address, he was filled with rage.
Although "Teacher" and "Master" have similar meanings, their significance is completely different.
The title "Teacher" can be used for any elder, or for someone with high attainments in a particular field.
Out of respect, one might even bestow the title of "Teacher" upon a stranger.
But "Master" is different. Once you call someone "Master," it signifies a true master-disciple relationship between the two.
It represents the true passing down of the Dao, the imparting of knowledge, and the resolution of doubts.
In terms of intimacy, the bond between a master and disciple is no less than that between a father and son.
This was one of the main reasons for Di Zhong’s fury.
He had taught Xiao Zhang for over a decade, yet he was apparently worth less than some snot-nosed kid in the Vajra Realm whom they had just met.
How outrageous!
"Hmph. I’d like to see just what this ’Master’ of yours is capable of!" From the very beginning, Di Zhong never believed Mo Qi truly had the ability to awaken the *Demon God Grand Ceremony*.
He thought it was all just a matter of luck.
Xiao Zhang was at a loss and could only turn to the middle-aged man sitting beside him, who had been silent the entire time.
This was Xiao Zhang’s father, Xiao Zhengheng, the Sect Leader of the Demon Sect.
"Teacher, please calm yourself. If we were to inadvertently disturb a certain existence, our Demon Sect could not bear the consequences." As Xiao Zhengheng sent the voice transmission, he shot Di Zhong a meaningful look, glancing toward Elder Ku Mu, who was dozing not far away.
Di Zhong followed Xiao Zhengheng’s gaze. His expression changed drastically, and he immediately clamped his mouth shut, even holding his breath.
’Could this be the legendary Master of the Doomed Mountain Range?!’
Di Zhong had been in the tavern for some time, yet if Xiao Zhengheng hadn’t pointed him out, he would have never noticed the old man sleeping nearby.
He looked perfectly ordinary, but intuition told Di Zhong that this old man was countless times more dangerous than anyone he had ever met.
The longer Di Zhong stared at Elder Ku Mu, the more terrified he became.
Gradually, he began to feel an immense aura radiating from Elder Ku Mu, as vast as the sea, that pressed down on him until he could barely breathe.
It was an illusion, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing, and he was their enemy.
Though he knew it was an illusion, Di Zhong could not break free.
In that moment, his mental state fell into chaos. The Immortal Essence in his Dantian ran rampant, surging wildly through his meridians. This caused his qi and blood to churn violently, flowing in reverse to relentlessly assault his heart.
His Sea of Consciousness began to boil, completely out of his control.
If this continued, there would only be one outcome for him: qi deviation.
The most crucial problem was that no one else had noticed his predicament, not even Xiao Zhengheng, so the question of saving him was moot.
Di Zhong cursed his luck. He knew that Elder Ku Mu wasn’t targeting him deliberately. Rather, a flaw had just appeared in his own mental state, which, when combined with Elder Ku Mu’s naturally overwhelming presence, had created this situation.
Just at that critical moment, a voice broke the deadlock, pulling Di Zhong back from the brink of Elder Ku Mu’s oppressive aura.
"Hahaha, esteemed guests have arrived! Forgive me for not coming out to greet you sooner."
Mo Qi walked slowly down the stairs from the second floor, cupping his fist in a gesture of apology.
The Pig Emperor was perched on his shoulder, and the Scab Chicken followed behind him. His gaze swept over Xiao Zhengheng and Di Zhong.
Having returned to normal, Di Zhong’s face was ashen, and he was filled with lingering fear.
He gasped for breath, his entire body drenched in sweat.
Upon seeing Mo Qi, he quickly circulated his Immortal Essence to dry his clothes, making himself look less disheveled.
"Master, you’re finally here." Xiao Zhang licked his large buck teeth and sent a voice transmission to Mo Qi: ’Master, that big-nosed old man is my father’s and my teacher. He has a bit of a short fuse, so please bear with him.’
Mo Qi gave a noncommittal wave of his hand. "Mo Tu, go serve our two esteemed guests some tea."
The Scab Chicken shook its bald neck. ’???’
’Serve tea?’
’Making this Chicken Ancestor do manual labor is no problem at all—after all, you’re the master. But if you want me to serve tea, you have to give me tea leaves first, right?’
’How the hell am I supposed to serve tea with empty hands?!’
’Stupid chicken, don’t get hung up on the details. Just bring them two bowls of plain water,’ the Pig Emperor transmitted, rolling its eyes at the Scab Chicken.
The Scab Chicken had a sudden realization and, dragging its plump body, scurried off to the kitchen.
"Young friend Mo Qi, there’s no need to be so formal. We are the ones imposing," Xiao Zhengheng said, rising and returning the cupped-fist salute.
Since Mo Qi was Xiao Zhang’s Master, their seniority was technically equal, at least on the surface.
Moreover, with Elder Ku Mu nearby, they couldn’t afford to skip any of the proper courtesies until they understood the relationship between him and Mo Qi.
"Master, this is my father, Xiao Zhengheng, and this is my teacher, Di Zhong."
"Father, Teacher, this is my Master, Mo Qi."
Xiao Zhang took the opportunity to introduce everyone.
"I’ve heard so much about you," Mo Qi said with a polite smile. "Please, both of you, have a seat."
Who would have known that the moment he finished speaking, Di Zhong would sneer, "Hypocrite. We’ve only just met. ’Heard so much about you,’ my ass!"
Mo Qi was taken aback, not quite understanding how he had provoked this old man.
’Even if the old man has a short fuse like Xiao Zhang said, you still need a proper reason to pick a fight, right?’
If it had been anyone else, Mo Qi probably would have lost interest in continuing the conversation and prepared to show them the door.
But seeing Xiao Zhang at the side, frantically making gestures to plead with him, Mo Qi smiled. "You’re right. I also didn’t expect that the person I’ve ’heard so much about’ would turn out to be an ass."
"How surprising. How thrilling."
Di Zhong’s brow furrowed. It took him a long moment to realize that Mo Qi was sarcastically calling him an ass.
"How dare you!"
Enraged, Di Zhong was about to slam the table and fly into a rage when he caught a glimpse of Elder Ku Mu stirring in his peripheral vision. He was instantly so frightened he didn’t dare to breathe.
It wasn’t until Elder Ku Mu merely shifted his neck, found a more comfortable position, and continued to doze that Di Zhong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Kid, don’t you think you can do whatever you want just because our Xiao Zhang took you as his Master!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Mo Qi looked at Di Zhong coolly. "It seems you’re not satisfied. In that case, fine. Just take Xiao Zhang back with you."
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