"Please, speak. I am all ears." "It is said that the Lord of Evil is a genius rarely seen in our Profound Profound Continent in ten thousand years. Truly astonishing, a peerless prodigy: not only that, but he is also full of schemes, deeply calculating, incredibly wise, and invincible in battle..." Brother Lu opened his mouth wide and clapped wildly. Jun Mo Xie felt his eyes swim and every one of his thirty-six thousand pores exhale a wave of pure satisfaction...

It felt wonderful. Though everything he said was fact, perhaps it was a bit exaggerated, and some of the wording was quite off. What did he mean by "incredibly wise"? This young master is in the prime of his youth, in the flush of vigor. How could I be "old"...

...Speaking of this Lord of Evil, his most exquisite quality is undoubtedly his own martial cultivation. In fact, the old gentleman had been invincible under heaven for many years, but in order to cultivate his power, he deliberately restrained himself for another five hundred years—a full five hundred years! Ha! Never mind anything else, this steadiness displayed by the Lord of Evil is truly breathtaking: a thousand years without soaring, then soaring to the heavens in one flight; a thousand years without a cry, then astonishing the world with one sound! Finally, in his very first battle after emerging, he utterly defeated the colossal forces of the Three Great Sacred Lands...

"Wait a moment... Brother Lu, you just said... this Lord of Evil was already invincible under heaven but then went into seclusion for five hundred years?" Jun Mo Xie's eyes widened: Damn it! When did I go into seclusion for five hundred years? Why don't I know about it myself? And "already invincible"? If I truly possessed such power, would I need to run for my life?

"That is why they say the actions of a master are profound and unfathomable! I have absolute, ironclad proof of this—not a shred of falsehood! I would stake my life on it! Lord Xie's brilliance is absolutely unparalleled in the world!" That Brother Lu puffed out his chest, tilting his head back, swearing with utter sincerity.

Jun Mo Xie’s mouth twitched twice. He thought, could the person he is speaking of not be my "Lord of Evil"? Is there someone else? He finally managed a strained smile and said, with great difficulty, "Then please, continue..."

"Heh heh, right now many people are spreading rumors that the Lord of Evil is none other than that Third Young Master Jun Mo Xie from the Jun Family of Heavenly Fragrance City back then. Ha! Ha! Ha!" Brother Lu let out a sound of vigorous, resounding laughter, wholeheartedly expressing his disbelief in this notion: "This idea is utter nonsense! While it's true Jun Mo Xie caused a ruckus in Heavenly Fragrance City back then and could be considered a figure, however..." to compare this young master of a worldly noble family with the Lord of Evil—well, that’s still several streets short!"

"No, if you say 'just a few streets short,' it’s still an insult to the Lord of Evil! The gap between the two is simply heaven and earth, incomparable, utterly incomparable!" After making this evaluation, Brother Lu immediately felt he had still overestimated Jun Mo Xie and added another sentence: "What is Jun Mo Xie? Just a somewhat talented young master. Compared to the Lord of Evil? He's not even fit to carry his shoes! To compare these two is the greatest insult to the Lord of Evil! I absolutely will not tolerate it!"

Jun Mo Xie was instantly speechless, a line of dark sweat running down his face. This man was simultaneously praising him and cursing him... How should I handle this?

The Lord of Evil, an immortal aura radiating from him, his bearing lofty, his waist broad, with compassionate eyes and a benevolent countenance, his face like a full moon, featuring a pointed mouth and protruding teeth..." Brother Lu spoke, spittle flying everywhere.

"Uh... gentlemen, please enjoy yourselves. My little brother suddenly feels a terrible stomach ache and needs to step out for a moment..." Jun Mo Xie clutched his stomach, feeling as though he was on the verge of internal injury. This situation was more terrifying than Qi Deviation...

I have never suffered an internal injury even when facing all the masters from the Three Great Sacred Lands, but today, under this fellow's words, I nearly traversed back in time... He is truly formidable! Tossing down a silver ingot, Young Master Jun, clutching his abdomen, fled in embarrassment, not even stopping for his meal.

He bolted straight downstairs. This round of gossip was too intense!

But that Brother Lu behind him was still shouting, "Hey, young sir, I haven't finished yet... I know the deepest secrets of this matter, and I have exclusive explosive material about the Lord of Evil that you must be interested in..."

"Interested in your grandmother's thigh!" Jun Mo Xie cursed inwardly, then vanished in a whoosh. Only Brother Lu remained, foolishly smiling as he stroked the silver ingot on the table: I'm rich! It's such a large silver ingot, hahaha...

The young master Jun, having not filled his stomach despite hearing explosive news, naturally couldn't bear to let his stomach suffer. He immediately found another rather opulent restaurant and walked in. To his surprise, this place seemed just the same as the other; almost everyone was deep in conversation, each claiming to know a great deal of inside information. This time, Young Master Jun had learned his lesson. He didn't pry for more scoops. He casually found a table, ordered wine and food, and began to eat heartily. Soothing his stomach was the priority right now; he only pricked up his ears and listened silently.

Halfway through his meal, he suddenly heard the clatter of footsteps on the stairs. An old man walked in, holding a huqin. He drew the instrument twice, then paused, made a deep bow, and spoke in a raspy voice: "As the saying goes, rely on your parents at home, rely on friends when you go out. This humble old man makes a living by storytelling. Having arrived at this place, I ask those with money to support me with money, and those without to support me with their presence... Today's tale concerns the Lord of Evil's thunderous wrath and the crushing defeat of the Three Great Sacred Lands."

Someone called out: "Old man, we all know that story already; we can almost recite it. Change to a fresh one." Another called out: "Hearing it once more won't hurt. Every time we hear it, our blood boils again. It's thrilling, hurry up and tell it."

The old man smiled proudly and said, "Esteemed sirs, you may not know, but what this old man speaks of today is the absolute inside story of this entire affair, with no omissions! Please be patient..." With that, he drew his huqin twice, and then began to narrate slowly.

Jun Mo Xie listened on the side, his blood surging with excitement. The story of this Lord of Evil, told by a professional like this, was truly soul-stirring. The twists were unimaginable, the battles exceedingly perilous, and as for the grievances and affections woven throughout, they were meticulously unraveled, revealed bit by bit...

As Jun Mo Xie listened, he drifted into a daze: the Lord of Evil this old man spoke of was truly an honorable, upright man, a true hero, so transcendent, so filled with heroic spirit! A genuine public idol...

This fellow seemed too engrossed, clearly forgetting that he himself was the protagonist of the story. He was utterly lost in enchantment. In truth, one couldn't entirely blame Young Master Jun; it was just that every single thing the storyteller attributed to the Lord of Evil was utterly foreign to Jun Mo Xie... it was like listening to a completely unrelated story, yet it was told with such dramatic flair that how could one not be captivated? From beginning to end, only a few keywords were shared; all other plot points were certainly not what our Young Master Jun had done!

Not only Young Master Jun, but everyone present was listening intently. Just then: "...The Lord of Evil, upon hearing of this matter, flew into a towering rage! He waved his hand and struck out with a single punch, punching a massive hole right through the azure sky, roaring: 'The Three Great Sacred Lands have gone too far! I, the Lord of Evil, swear I will never rest!' He then issued orders, commanding all his subordinates to assemble. Thus, One Dragon, Two Phoenixes, Three Tigers, Four Leopards, Five Bears, Six Lions, Seven Wolves, Eight Cranes, and Nine Demon Lords, leading the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends of the Thirty-Six Heavens and the Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Supreme Experts of the One Hundred and Eight Wolf Smoke Squadrons, assembled in the blink of an eye, and immediately departed to issue a challenge to the Three Great Sacred Lands! The situation was tense, poised to erupt; the world above and below suffered, the sun and moon lost their light!"

"...The Three Great Sacred Lands received the challenge. Not to be outdone, they replied with a letter: 'If you wish for war, then we shall fight!' Thus, both sides agreed that on the third day of the third month in the XX year, at the time of the third bell, the outcome would be decided by thirty-three battles! On the day of the decisive battle, wind and thunder rolled! Blood formed mountains of corpses! There is a poem that says: The Lord of Evil's fury rushed to the heavens, how could the Three Great Sacred Lands yield? Thirty-three battles shook the earth, and even now the wind remains cold! To know what happens next, please listen to the next installment..."

The huqin began to play softly, and then the old man took out a dish, walking around to each person in turn, bowing deeply to solicit payment for his storytelling...

Everyone had been listening with rapt attention. Seeing him stop at such a critical juncture, everyone felt unbearably anxious. They casually tossed a few copper coins and urged him repeatedly: "Continue! You old immortal, why did you stop at such a moment? Hurry up and go on, speak quickly, speak quickly."

The old man smiled broadly, nodding and bowing repeatedly: "Life is truly difficult..."

Ahem, if esteemed guests insist today... then this old man will break precedent and speak a little more."

Before the words even finished falling, a complete large silver ingot—a full ten taels—was placed in the dish. A man in fine brocade lifted his chin and said: "Speak quickly, speak quickly! If you tell it well, this lord will grant you an additional great reward!"

The old man was overjoyed, thanking him profusely. After making his rounds, he finally drew his huqin with vigor: "Last time, we spoke of..."

Young Master Jun finally broke down completely... Because the content of the story this time—the "absolute inside story"—turned out to be: The Lord of Evil's confidante was forced into marriage but fled a thousand miles, yet her family was all captured. It was said that one of the bosses of the Three Great Sacred Lands had become madly infatuated with the Lord of Evil's confidante. If he couldn't have her, he wouldn't stop, and therefore the Lord of Evil was enraged for the sake of his beauty...

So it was a romantic dispute... Jun Mo Xie couldn't help but recall when Chu Qi Hun's name first became famous, the legends seemed to suggest that it was also a boss from the Three Great Sacred Lands who snatched Chu Qi Hun's wife, leading to Chu Qi Hun's tragic revenge and ruthless assassinations!

Damn it, can't we change the trope?

Besides... That old man Wu Shan Yun, who has lived for nearly three thousand years... How many wives has he stolen over these years? He should have lost interest in such things long ago, right? After three thousand years, is he still indulging in it? Can that old thing even stand up anymore? After all, it's an artifact from over three thousand years ago... That thing could practically be auctioned as an antique...

The nearly collapsing Young Master Jun, under the influence of subconscious compulsion, finally ate the last bite of his food. And drank the last cup of wine. He seemed to stagger out of the restaurant a bit groggy. Of course, given his tolerance for alcohol, even without suppressing it with Xuan Qi, this amount shouldn't have affected him. Mainly, he was just dizzy from listening to that old man...