Pei Laoliu, upon hearing Zhang Xiaoman’s words, immediately shut his mouth and asked no more.
Although he couldn’t calm his mind for a long time, he was after all an experienced man, capable of discerning the importance and urgency of the situation.
After finishing all that, Zhang Xiaoman also lost the desire to stay on stage any longer.
Due to the large number of guests at the event, he wouldn’t have considered making an appearance if it weren’t to help Master Liu.
The audience below, initially excited and expectant upon witnessing a series of extraordinary means, showed anxious expressions when they saw their host planning to leave suddenly.
However, just as Zhang Xiaoman was about to step down from the stage, a somewhat weak voice rang out from not far away:
"Master Pei! Please, hold on!"
The speaker was none other than Qin Yan.
Zhang Xiaoman stopped in his tracks and looked over with a puzzled face.
The person approaching was a middle-aged man in his forties, solidly built but with an unnaturally pale face, resembling a seriously ill patient.
"What is the matter?" he asked.
By this time, Qin Yan had walked over and, upon a close inspection of Zhang Xiaoman, his heart couldn’t help but grow more excited.
The black shadow surrounding the other party, as well as the two armored men wielding giant spears, all told him that this was a true Transcendent!
And his only hope for salvation!
"Master, my name is Qin Yan, the investor of this conference. I never expected that this Cultivation Exchange Conference could have the honor of your presence. If there has been any neglect before, please forgive me, Master," Qin Yan said, bowing.
He continued, "Here, I would like to apologize for those two earlier; they truly disgrace our profession. From today onward, the Cultivation Exchange Conference will no longer recognize their status and will never invite them again! I hope you can forgive us, Master."
Zhang Xiaoman waved his hand and said:
"Mr. Qin, please don’t be overly courteous. I was just passing by and couldn’t stand to see someone impersonating me and behaving recklessly, hence I taught them a lesson. You need not worry about it. If Mr. Qin has nothing else, I’ll take my leave."
"Ah, wait a moment, Master! I... I indeed have a rather unreasonable request, and I hope you can help me!" Qin Yan, sensing a hint of impatience in his voice, did not dare to beat around the bush any further and cut straight to the chase:
"To be frank, I have recently been plagued by an Evil Ghost, and my health has rapidly deteriorated. I’ve sought out doctors and Cultivators, but to no avail. Hence, I had no choice but to try my luck here... I never expected to actually meet a transcendental figure today. Please, save me, Master!"
"Oh? What kind of evil ghost?" asked Zhang Xiaoman curiously.
Qin Yan quickly recounted his experiences of recent times, not daring to omit a single detail.
Zhang Xiaoman, listening to his story, immediately raised his eyebrows and blurted out a term:
Seeing that Zhang Xiaoman could name the eerie presence plaguing him just from a description, Qin Yan’s hopes grew even more. He immediately answered all the questions Zhang Xiaoman asked.
"Master, please help me. If you can solve this troubling issue for me, I will definitely provide a generous reward!"
"Oh? A generous reward? How much are you willing to pay?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaoman’s spirits immediately lifted.
Qin Yan was stunned, the other party’s response catching him off guard.
"Uh... Master, to be honest, although I am an investor, I don’t have much liquid cash on hand... If you agree, I can transfer some shares to you..."
Zhang Xiaoman immediately shook his head in refusal, "I don’t want shares, only cash."
Qin Yan gritted his teeth, extended a hand, and displayed the gesture for five.
"Five million, that’s the maximum amount I can mobilize right now! Please, Master, save me!"
Zhang Xiaoman decisively agreed, a smile unable to stop itself from spreading across his face, thankfully concealed by the Eternal Veil, so the other party couldn’t see his expression at that moment.
Pei Laoliu, standing nearby, became even more dazed upon hearing this number, his mind suddenly filling with skies full of geese...
Five million, how many geese could that buy!
"Thank you, Master, for saving me!" Qin Yan said excitedly.
"No need to be polite, we both got what we needed. Now, lift up your shirt for me to check, I need to see to what extent the Parasitic Spirit has developed on your body."
At that point, Qin Yan didn’t care if there were people around, and he decisively lifted his shirt, revealing the human face printed on his stomach.
"Hmm... It’s indeed a Parasitic Spirit, but it seems not as clear as the one on Su Changqing’s body, probably hasn’t reached the stage he was at then..."
Zhang Xiaoman muttered to himself.
"Master, how can I get rid of this? It shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
Qin Yan said nervously.
"No worries, I’ll take care of it now. Hold your shirt and don’t move, it might get a bit noisy later... just endure and focus your attention."
He spoke, also telling Pei Laoliu to stay back from the stage. Seeing this, the rest of the audience gradually stepped back, although a few brave souls stayed in place, not wanting to miss a thing.
"For the Parasitic Spirit, I can directly use the Soul Absorption Technique to deal with it, but since I’ve taken five million, might as well add a special effect..."
Thinking this, Zhang Xiaoman raised his arm, directed with his sword fingers, and cast his Sword Formation Skill — Sky Shattering.
Sky Shattering had already reached the Second Level, which could increase his energy attack by 10%, and with ’Master of the Mind’ passive doubling the energy damage effects, he didn’t believe he couldn’t overcome a mere Parasitic Spirit.
Qin Yan saw the high-ranked individual lightly point his finger at the ground in front of him, and then the nondescript black sword actually soared into the air, circling for a while before fiercely plunging into the stage.
"A Sword Immortal! He really is a Sword Immortal! Look, that must be the Sword Control Technique!"
Someone shouted out, and the rest of the onlookers echoed the sentiment, all widening their eyes, afraid to miss a scene.
"Mr. Qin, please stand over here," Zhang Xiaoman indicated the range of the Sword Array.
"Ah? I just walk in? That’s alright?"
Qin Yan looked at the area emitting the Energy Flow in front of him, his heart filled with anticipation and excitement, but also a hint of fear.
Zhang Xiaoman gave him an encouraging look, but due to the Eternal Veil, he missed it.
"Alright, I’m going to start now. Once I extract this monster, it will emit a terrifying howl, it’s a kind of Spiritual Shock, just focus your mind to resist, and try not to faint if possible."