When the white-haired elder appeared, Haha'er and the other demonic beings did not dare to show any disrespect and quickly retreated.
Clearly, they all held great reverence and awe for the white-haired elder.
As the elder walked slowly forward, leaning on his Bone-Jade Staff, his deep, turbid eyes remained fixed on Gu Qingfeng. Yet the longer he looked, the deeper his brows furrowed; the longer he looked, the more horrified his expression became; the longer he looked, the thicker his confusion grew; and the longer he looked, the greater the fear in his heart became.
When he finally stopped, the white-haired elder suddenly lowered his head, bent at the waist, and performed a cupped-hand salute, saying, "This humble one is Guntong, paying respects to the Worthy One."
This salute not only shocked the two immortals, Zijin and Ziqing, but also caused Haha'er and the other Great Desolate Spirit-Demons some trepidation.
"Haha'er, what are you all still standing there for? Hurry and pay your respects to the Worthy One!" the white-haired elder scolded in a low, angry voice. Haha'er and the other demonic beings exchanged glances, then without hesitation, transformed into human forms and performed the salute of respect.
Seated on the grand carriage, Gu Qingfeng, with his legs crossed and head slightly tilted, squinted as he looked at the white-haired elder and laughed, "Why do you call me 'Worthy One'?"
The white-haired elder replied respectfully, "Your Honor is neither an Immortal, nor a Demon, nor a ghost. Although you are Human, you are not a mortal, but a Human above Humans—thus, a Worthy One."
"Heh." Gu Qingfeng asked, "Then tell me, how exactly am I not a mortal? And how exactly am I a Human above Humans?"
"Please forgive this humble one's poor eyesight; I truly cannot see where Your Honor is extraordinary."
"If you can't see it, then how can you determine that I am a Human above Humans?"
"This humble one merely feels fear in his heart, and from that fear comes dread."
"Fear in the heart, dread from fear..." Gu Qingfeng shook his head with a faint smile. "Worthy One... heh, I have to say, it sounds quite novel."
In Gu Qingfeng's memory, the term 'Worthy One' could only be found in some very ancient texts.
Because although there are Three Thousand Great Daos, the Human Dao had long since fallen. So-called Humans, in the eyes of the Great Daos, were nothing more than ants.
If they are ants, how could they be called 'Worthy Ones'?
There were only Immortals, demon-people, and devil-people.
Of course.
Throughout the countless years of Heaven and Earth, every era always produced a few extraordinary individuals. These people were neither Immortal, nor Demon, nor ghost, nor Buddha, and existed outside any Great Dao. Though mortal, they were not ordinary. Such people were hailed as Worthy Ones.
However.
Worthy Ones throughout history were exceedingly few, as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns—even rarer than Sages. Gu Qingfeng had only ever read about records of Worthy Ones in ancient texts before. He had never seen one, not even once. Having lived most of his life, this was also the first time anyone had ever addressed him as a Worthy One.
For some reason, hearing someone call him 'Worthy One' stirred an indescribable feeling deep within Gu Qingfeng's heart. It felt as if he had finally found his place, and finally felt like a true Human.
"What was your name again? Guntong, right?" Gu Qingfeng asked, "Are you the Mountain Lord of this demonic mountain?"
"No! This humble one is merely an Old Monster cultivating on this Black-Scale Mountain."
"Then who is your Mountain Lord?"
"Worthy One, our Black-Scale Mountain has no lord."
"If there's no Mountain Lord, there must be some kind of leader, right?"
"Our Black-Scale Mountain has no leader either. We cultivate here merely to exchange experiences and look out for one another from time to time. There is no other meaning."
"Don't misunderstand," Gu Qingfeng laughed. "As you just said, I am not an Immortal, nor a Buddha, nor some demon or ghost. So, what you do on this mountain, I neither know nor care to know. My reason for coming here today holds no other meaning; I merely wish to inquire about a few matters."
The white-haired elder named Guntong looked up and stared at Gu Qingfeng for a moment. After a brief silence, he gestured with an inviting hand and said, "If the Worthy One does not mind, you are welcome to visit this humble one's modest dwelling for a few cups of wine."
"Oh? That sounds excellent."
"Please."
After dismissing Haha'er and the other demonic beings, Guntong led Gu Qingfeng toward Black-Scale Mountain.
Black-Scale Mountain was a mountain range, with many peaks and ridges rising and falling, connected to one another. Guntong resided on the summit of one of these peaks.
The summit was not large.
There was only an ancient tree growing from a sheer cliff face. Beneath the tree stood a simple-looking stone hut. Outside the hut was a pavilion, within which sat a stone table with four stone stools.
"Your 'modest dwelling' truly lives up to its name," Gu Qingfeng remarked.
He had initially thought that this Old Monster's so-called modest dwelling would at least be some kind of Cave Dwelling. After all, he could see that with the Old Monster's abilities, carving out a Cave Dwelling in this place wouldn't be difficult. Even if not a Cave Dwelling, he could at least have built a decent estate or mansion on the mountain. He never expected the Old Monster to live right on the bare peak.
"This humble dwelling is crude and simple, making the Worthy One laugh," Guntong said.
"Why not carve out a Cave Dwelling?"
"The space within the Liúshā Small Secret Realm is unstable. Dwelling within a Cave Dwelling would be far too dangerous."
"That's true. But even without a Cave Dwelling, you could still build a manor to live in."
"It is merely cultivation. Where one cultivates is all the same."
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng chuckled dryly. "Luckily I know you're an Old Monster. Otherwise, hearing those words, I'd have thought you were some transcendent, Daoist senior with an immortal demeanor."
"The Worthy One jests. This humble one did not mean it that way, it's just..." Guntong began to explain, flustered and fearful, but Gu Qingfeng had no interest in listening. He was a lover of fine wine, eager to taste all varieties of exquisite liquor. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered coming to this desolate place to chat idly with an Old Monster. He cut Guntong off, asking, "Alright, enough other nonsense. Didn't you say a few cups? Where's the wine?"
Guntong did not dare delay. Raising his hand, a dark-red, exquisitely crafted Bone-Jade wine pot and two crystal-clear black jade cups appeared in his grasp. He carefully placed the black jade cups before Gu Qingfeng first, then holding the Bone-Jade wine pot, poured a cup for Gu Qingfeng and another for himself.
The wine in the cup resembled a purple-tinged flame burning atop water, or a rose blooming in the dark of night. A subtle, rich, and mellow aroma wafted from it.
Guntong held his cup respectfully with both hands and said, "This humble one offers the first toast to the Worthy One."
Gu Qingfeng nodded, picked up the black jade cup, and downed the wine in one gulp. It was smooth upon entry, sweet upon swallowing, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth. After drinking, it felt as if one were swimming freely in a moonlit, secluded spring—a sensation of serene elegance. He asked, "What wine is this? It tastes quite distinctive."
"This wine is called Tulip," Guntong said as he poured another cup for Gu Qingfeng.
"Tulip?" Gu Qingfeng looked at the wine in the black jade cup, which resembled a purple-flamed rose burning and blooming in the night, then glanced at Guntong opposite him. "You're not going to tell me you brewed this wine yourself, are you?"
"The Worthy One truly overestimates this humble one. Even given a million years, I could not brew such an exquisite wine. This Tulip was a gift to me from a senior."