A resonant voice boomed from inside the gate. A half-aged man in yellow, with a dark face and no beard, strode out. His long hair was tied into a bun, secured by a wooden hairpin.
Stepping over the threshold, the old man bowed deeply to Ye Tian. "Immortal, your arrival, and I failed to greet you from afar. My sin, my sin!"
Ye Tian glanced at the old man. This person was on the verge of breaking through to Earth Immortal, but was not yet one. Strangely, his divine sense was incredibly powerful, almost comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Just moments ago, their divine senses had probed each other. Ye Tian's was stronger, but the old man's was not weak. Of course, if a real fight ensued, Ye Tian could defeat him ten times over! After all, one was a proper Earth Immortal, while the other was merely a powerful Human Immortal.
Ye Tian smiled. "I'm from the mountain opposite, just came to visit my neighbor. I didn't expect this young man to tell me to get lost."
The old man cast a glance at the youth. His expression was calm, but the latter recoiled in fear, then lowered his head.
"He is young and ignorant, unaware of the Immortal's arrival. Please do not blame him. I will educate him properly later."
Ye Tian continued, "It's fine if he's disrespectful to me. I am a cultivator, I won't bicker with a young person. However, on my way here, I saw you digging up someone else's ancestral graves. Such actions are utterly unreasonable."
The old man was startled and asked the youth, "Xiao An, what have you done?"
The youth hurriedly replied, "Great-grandfather, I saw those graves looked unsightly, so I had them dug up to plant some flowers and grass..."
"Slap!"
The old man struck the youth, sending him flying. He roared, "You scoundrel! How have I taught you? Go down now and restore the graves to their original state!"
Blood trickled from the youth's mouth. He clutched his lips and hurried down the mountain.
The old man looked ashamed and said, "Immortal, it is our failure to discipline him properly. I will personally go to the opposite side to apologize and seek Mr. Zhang's forgiveness!"
Ye Tian handed over the pastries and said with a smile, "You are about to attempt Earth Immortal. You must be kind to others as much as possible. Otherwise, if someone were to cause trouble when you break through, not only would you fail to become an Earth Immortal, but you might even become crippled. Wouldn't that be a huge loss?"
Cold sweat beaded on the old man's forehead. He nodded repeatedly in agreement. Ye Tian's words could be seen as a threat or a reminder, depending on his future actions.
The old man received the pastries with both hands and said, "Immortal, please come into my humble abode."
Ye Tian replied, "No need. I have other matters. We can chat another time." With that, he turned and descended the mountain.
Returning to the entrance of the Zhang family's residence, Zhang Longsheng was waiting. As Ye Tian approached, he hurried forward and asked, "Leader, how did it go?"
Ye Tian said calmly, "The opponent's cultivation is similar to a half-step Earth Immortal. I spoke with him kindly, and he has realized his mistake. He should be coming to apologize shortly. You might as well be magnanimous and forgive them this once, as you will see each other around in the future."
Zhang Longsheng sighed with emotion, "Leader, if it weren't for you, I would have had to swallow my pride today, and this grievance would never have been resolved!"
Ye Tian replied, "It's a small matter. Don't worry, the other party will become your good neighbor from now on."
Indeed, less than half an hour later, the old man arrived with generous gifts to apologize.
During this time, Ye Tian did not show himself, which seemed to disappoint the old man. After the visitor left, Ye Tian emerged and asked, "Do you know who they are now?"
Zhang Longsheng replied, "The other party only mentioned having some connections with Qingcheng and came here to cultivate in seclusion. I feel their background is not simple. I'll have to find someone to inquire about it when I have time."
Ye Tian nodded, "Yes, it's good to inquire."
After drinking more tea, Zhang Longsheng took Ye Tian to attend the assembly at Wudong. All the protectors and their subordinates would participate in this assembly, and Zhang Longsheng, as a protector, was no exception.
The path was entirely mountainous. The two walked for over forty minutes before reaching the mountainside of a peak. On the mountainside was a flat area of about two to three mu. At this moment, it was brightly lit by over a hundred torches.
When Ye Tian and Zhang Longsheng arrived, over a hundred people had already gathered. Some had seats, while more could only stand. The saintess from yesterday sat on a chair carved from jade, facing the crowd.