“But now, the Sun and Moon Chess is scattered, they… I don’t know where they are.”

“Hahaha!” Zhan Zheng laughed and said, “If I didn’t know, would I come to find you?”

Fang Kuo raised his head in surprise, something that had disappeared from his eyes for years seemed to ignite again.

Zhan Zheng reminded him, “The Sun and Moon Chess old man Bi Shi is currently in the First Heaven. You know he loves his liquor, and he’s been drinking quite a bit these years. Where in the First Heaven is the place with the most liquor?”

“I got it, the tavern at Double Habitat!”

Double Habitat has a restaurant supported by clouds, filled with the aroma of fine liquor. These drinks are brewed from rare earthly treasures, many of which can enhance cultivation and are priceless. The proprietress is an ascended Bi Fang Bird, with a fiery temper, most annoyed by those who delay paying for their drinks, and willing to thrash anyone regardless of who they are. The place constantly bustles with patrons, its immortal aura making it a paradise.

Inside the restaurant, immortal aura spilled all over the place. There were many people chatting and laughing, or drunken beyond recognition, the proprietress was busy clicking away on an abacus made of precious stones behind the counter.

In a corner, a shabby old man lay drunk and unconscious, sprawled out with arms and legs flung wide.

His luxurious purple silk gauze robe was tattered from his mishandling, its color faded, indicating it had been worn for a long time.

The clothing was indeed fine, but the man was truly shabby.

Fang Kuo made his way through the noisy crowd and still spotted the old man.

Dangling from Fang Kuo’s waist was a gold medallion engraved with the characters Yun Zi. At this moment, the shabbiness on Fang Kuo’s face was completely gone, replaced by a handsome and captivating appearance. His garment had been changed to light green, made from a radiant and translucent fabric, exuding an air of elegance.

Fang Kuo kicked him: “Bi Shi! Wake up! Bi Shi!”

The old man didn’t respond at all, and Fang Kuo, short on patience, grabbed him and was about to drag him out, but was stopped by the proprietress.

“Stop! Who are you to him?”

“A friend!”

“He owes me some drink money here, are you going to pay for him or…”

The proprietress said this while gesturing for a few people to surround them, clearly intending not to let them leave without settling the debt.

“How much?”

The proprietress held up two slender fingers: “Not much, just twenty taels of gold.”

Fang Kuo’s expression momentarily shifted but quickly returned to calm. How could he come up with that much money at once? Elder Zheng didn’t give him any money before leaving! Pretending to reach for his money, Fang Kuo made the proprietress drop her guard, then scattered a handful of smoke and slipped out with the old man on his shoulder.

The proprietress exploded in anger, immediately ordering her staff to pursue them.

Fang Kuo sped through the clouds with the old man on his back, chased by a group of “Ox-Head and Horse-Face” demons wielding sticks taller than the restaurant, looking fierce and malevolent.

Upon reaching the edge of the clouds, Fang Kuo forcefully threw the old man down, panting, “No more running! I’m exhausted!” Pointing at the unconscious old man, he cursed, “Lao Ren, Lao Ren, every time I have to clean up after you! All you do is sleep.” He gave him another vicious kick.

The “Ox-Head and Horse-Face” demons caught up, and Fang Kuo tried to reason with them: “Hey, hey, hey! Everyone, I barely know this guy. His family just hired me to find him. Once I bring him back, they’ll give me lots of money. How about this: let me take him back, and you can get the money from his family. I can get my reward too, so it’s a win-win, right?”

“Bullshit! This old man has been drinking at our tavern for ages, downing drinks like he’s dying every day, and he never goes home. We checked, he has no family, stop trying to fool us!”

Seeing that his bluff wasn’t working, Fang Kuo had no choice but to take action: “Alright then, I guess I have no choice but to fight!”

Fang Kuo moved swiftly, with a palm strike he pierced through the clouds, almost causing two demons to slip and fall, but he quickly pulled them back: “Careful! No need to thank me!”

He kicked another demon behind him, who screamed in pain as their arms were twisted behind them, wailing miserably.

“Get lost!”

Fang Kuo let go, and the five demons, leaving threats behind, ran off scrambling.

“You’ll see! We’ll be back!”

Fang Kuo turned back and exposed Bi Shi: “Stop pretending, get up!” He walked over and gave another kick.

The old man on the ground finally stirred, stretching lazily and rubbing his eyes groggily, mumbling: “That was some good drink!” Slowly getting to his feet, he looked at Fang Kuo.

Bi Shi’s gaze fixed on the gold medallion hanging from Fang Kuo’s waist, suddenly understanding: “You’ve come to see me about something?” He picked up his wine gourd and took another swig.

Fang Kuo called out solemnly and firmly: “Sun and Moon Chess’s Lao Ren, Bi Shi, receive the Rebirth Command!”

Bi Shi was startled, then knelt, performing the same salute as Fang Kuo, his expression instantly becoming solemn: “Sun and Moon Chess’s Lao Ren, Bi Shi, receives the command!”

“Retrieve the Interception Deity Register!”

“Yes!”

A pale blue light flew towards Bi Shi’s waist, transforming in an instant into a silver-blue butterfly pendant engraved with the characters Lao Ren. His tattered purple silk robe was replaced by a gray-blue scale-patterned brocade. His disheveled gray hair remained loosely coiled, his face as seasoned and unrestrained as ever.

According to Elder Zheng, “Heijiao, Yi Ren is currently in the Ximan Realm, at Xi Qiao. She is an extraordinary dancer and the current belle of Xi Qiao. To win her smile, the nobles and scholars of the Ximan Realm go to great lengths, spending fortunes. It’s said that one would gladly die for a glimpse of her dance.”

Xi Qiao’s streets were bustling with carriages and horses, filled with the splendor of flowers and wine, attracting people from all three realms who lingered and were unwilling to leave.

Fang Kuo and Bi Shi stood beneath a decorated brothel, its square eaves adorned with large red lanterns. The lanterns had incomprehensible symbols painted in gold ink, particularly striking under the flickering light of dusk.

Pushing open the brothel doors, they were met with a joyous and indulgent scene. Countless people were seeking pleasure, surrounded by groups of beautiful women who sensually attached themselves to the patrons. The finest food and wine were tantalizingly close at hand.

It was literally a paradise for people of the three realms.