“It’s pretty good,” said Meng Hao, “pretty good. Very complete, with plenty of private rooms. Really, it doesn’t seem common in any aspect.” His praises sounded very sincere. “These luminescent pearls are especially incredible. It seems the spiritual energy here is quite abundant. Don’t tell me you have a Spirit Spring, too?” He asked the question in a very astonished tone.
“There absolutely is a Spirit Spring,” said Second Brother Huang with a laugh. “That’s exactly why the five of us decided to build our Immortal’s Cave here.” The contempt in his eyes grew more obvious. In his mind, Meng Hao was prey trapped in a tiger’s lair.
The Third and Fourth Brothers Huang both gazed at Meng Hao, their hideous grins growing wider. They clearly viewed Meng Hao as a sheep in a wolf’s den!
As for Fifth Brother Huang, he continued to eye the bag of holding strapped to Meng Hao’s waist. His smile grew more brilliant. He obviously thought that today was his lucky day to have snatched up such a cash cow.
Meng Hao also smiled. Although he still looked a bit bashful, his smile was genuine, and quite happy. The Immortal’s Cave really seemed to contain some good opportunities, as did this group of men. They continued to herd him along.
“Eldest Brother recently brought in an artist to paint a portrait of him,” said Second Brother Huang. “It’s not really convenient for him to come out. Fellow Daoist Meng, why don’t we go see him?” Without giving Meng Hao a chance to refuse, he pulled him toward the middle of the Immortal’s Cave, where there was a vast, open area filled with luminescent pearls. At the far end was an enormous throne.
The throne was constructed from crystals, and upon it sat a large man. He appeared to be about fifty years old. He wore a long violet robe, and had a very dignified countenance. Even though he tried, it was impossible to cover up his fierceness. He radiated an intense killing aura.
His Cultivation base was not at the Qi Condensation stage, but the early Foundation Establishment stage!
In front of the large man sat a stooped, withered old man with long white hair. His body trembled and the paintbrush in his hand quivered. The outline of the large man could be seen on the canvas in front of him.
The man’s eyes flashed over the group as they approached. He completely ignored Meng Hao, focusing instead on the yellow-robed man. He gave a cold harrumph.
“If you don’t have something important to do, don’t leave,” he said. “I’ve been jumpy lately, and have a bad feeling. Now that you’re back, sit down. I’ll have this painter do a portrait of all of you.”
Eyes filled with veneration, the yellow-robed man nodded his head in agreement. He stepped forward and sat down next to the violet-robed man. Second Brother Huang and the others clasped hands in respectful salute. Ignoring Meng Hao altogether, they moved forward to sit down.
No one said anything, and soon Meng Hao was standing there alone, an awkward expression on his face.
The large, violet-robed man looked at the painter and said, “You paint some good portraits of us, you hear? If you do, then I won’t cause any trouble for you.” Hearing the man’s cool words, the stooped, white-haired old man shivered and nodded.
“Second Brother, I’ve really been feeling uneasy lately. Don’t forget to check the teleportation portal. If any problems occur, we can get out of here instantly. Third and Fourth Brothers, you two listen well. No going outside!” Each and every word uttered by the violet-robed man caused the others to nod in agreement. None of them payed any attention whatsoever to Meng Hao. He stood there awkwardly. In his opinion, the man should at least greet him. Finally, he gave out a dry cough.
They ignored the cough and continued talking. The violet-robed man didn’t so much as look at him. The others, including the yellow-robed man, didn’t look his way either.