Master Liao’s words instantly sparked another round of discussion among the audience.
At that time, there were indeed many people at Su Family’s Mansion, but after all, not everyone was qualified to be invited here, and only a handful could attend the conference.
Although the organizers had increased the appearance fee for the identity of "Pei Laoliu," the other true believers in this matter were few and far between.
Zhang Xiaoman was very curious at this moment, he wanted to see what exactly Master Liao was selling in his metaphorical gourd and why he was elevating the status of "Pei Laoliu" so highly.
After finishing those words, Master Liao then turned his gaze toward a certain direction not far away, where a man in his late twenties was sitting. He was dressed in a Daoist robe and seemed to be one of the cultivators here for the exchange.
"Mr. Pei, I humbly request to see your marvelous ability once more, please forgive my boldness," said Master Liao.
Suddenly, Master Liao bowed to the man, but covertly signaled to him with his eyes. A few people around also echoed the sentiment, and soon all eyes in the area were focused on him.
Seeing that everyone around him was looking at him, the man first rubbed his hands nervously and then slowly stood up, a helpless expression on his face, and said to everyone:
"My surname is Pei, and thanks to everyone’s regard, I’ve been given the title ’Half-immortal Pei,’ a name I hardly dare to deserve..."
As he spoke, he walked away from the table, bowed to the crowd again, and continued:
"Ah, I truly prefer not to draw attention to myself... However, since I have been so cordially invited, it would be improper for me to refuse. Today, I will make a fool of myself; please forgive my inadequacies."
Zhang Xiaoman was stunned by this scene; he couldn’t believe that Master Liao had indeed pulled out a "Half-immortal Pei."
And looking at this man’s physique and appearance, he did bear some resemblance to himself, though he had no idea where Master Liao had found him.
With the enthusiastic support of a few people nearby, "Half-immortal Pei" reluctantly took the stage, and the entire hall finally got a clear view of him.
The buzz of voices was incessant, many were filled with strong curiosity about this fellow daring to take the stage to challenge, all eager to see what skills he actually possessed.
"How young is this Half-immortal Pei? He doesn’t even look thirty, is this man really a master? He’s not a fraud, is he?" asked a guest attending the conference.
"I haven’t seen this person before, but recently I’ve heard from fellow Daoists in the Jiangnan region that Half-immortal Pei is a cultivator with significant cultivation, almost mythically so... But in my view, it’s mostly just posturing," answered a cultivator who knew him from the table.
"Hehe, courting popular favor, a greenhorn dares to challenge the Ten True People and even claims to be a True Cultivator, I wonder where he gets his courage," said another cultivator mockingly.
Among the audience, many were Daoists from the Jiangnan region who were familiar with the name "Half-immortal Pei," as during these days, it was the most talked-about in their area.
Some of them even had participated in the Parasitic Spirit incident at the Su family.
However, due to the late hour of that incident, the distance, and also nearly a month having passed, now no one recognized that the person on stage wasn’t the real "Half-immortal Pei," but an imposter.
Nevertheless, among everyone present, the most infuriated was of course Pei Laoliu himself.
He had initially been delighted to come and receive his six-figure travel expenses, but hadn’t expected someone to intercept him halfway. Now seeing the instigator appear, he was naturally uncontrollably angry.
"So it was these bastards trying to scam me, just wait until I expose them!"
Pei Laoliu stared at the stage, his face filled with anger.
"Xiao Man, don’t you dare hold me back later, I must confront these villains today!"
Zhang Xiaoman was startled, "Uh... Master Liu, do you want me to hold you back or not? Or just a little?"
Hearing this, Pei Laoliu almost died of anger and glared fiercely at his clueless grandson, wishing he could grab his ears and tell him that ’don’t hold me back’ obviously means you need to play it by ear!
If they are too weak, then we’ll hammer them!
If they are too strong, then we’ll play it cool!
You’ve been with me for so long, how can you still lack such wits!
Of course, Zhang Xiaoman did not know what Pei Laoliu was thinking at the moment, but now he had his own concerns.
If it were as he had thought before coming here, Zhang Xiaoman would definitely not let the other party succeed, especially since part of the reason he came was for that sum of over a hundred thousand.
If he let them succeed in deceiving everyone, wouldn’t his trip have been in vain?
But things are unpredictable, and what Zhang Xiaoman hadn’t expected was that this cultivation exchange meeting wasn’t the small, private gathering he had imagined, but a large event that invited celebrities from all walks of life.
It wasn’t just about fooling around in their small circle of charlatans anymore. If he revealed his extraordinary ability, it wouldn’t be long before the government would hear of it, significantly increasing the risk of exposure.
Thus, Zhang Xiaoman was actually very conflicted now. If Master Liu couldn’t successfully take down the other party later, he was unsure whether to step up or not.
Reason told him that it wasn’t worth the risk for a mere hundred thousand, but he couldn’t bear to see the money, which rightfully belonged to them, taken by others.
While the grandson and grandfather were hesitating, "Half-immortal Pei" on stage had already started his performance.
He pulled an Eight Diagrams Compass from his bosom, looked around, and said:
"Fellow Taoists, surely some of you have witnessed my ability to absorb malicious energy at the Su family’s event. However, there must be many who have not met me and are curious. Today, I will use this opportunity to demonstrate again, and I welcome any advice on my shortcomings!"
He walked a circle on the stage with his eyes closed, mumbling a long mnemonic that nobody could understand, then suddenly opened his eyes and said to the audience:
"Look, everyone, the malicious energy has been forced out by my True Qi!"
No sooner had he spoken than the people who were watching the stage discovered that, unbeknownst to them, a very faint white mist had formed around them, which they might not have noticed if not pointed out.
The crowd began to whisper amongst themselves. Many of the guests at the exchange meeting showed intrigued expressions on their faces.
Seeing this, "Half-immortal Pei" was about to continue when he heard someone questioning from below the stage.
It was an old Taoist in a Daoist robe, who was looking at the stage with a furious expression and, without mincing words, said:
"Ridiculous boy, what nonsense! With so many fellow Taoists gathered here and the presence of the ’Ten True People’ and other masters, how can there be any malicious energy here!? You’re simply bluffing and fooling us all!"