Cheng Xiaofan understood the change in Bai Jianshan's expression. He knew that the Taoist from Jinniu Guan might be troublesome, but he didn't take it to heart at all.
If someone dared to cause trouble in Zhuxi Village and even threatened to kill his Bai Goddess, why would he hold back?
*Slap!*
Seeing the old Taoist get up from the ground, Cheng Xiaofan slapped him again, sending him sprawling back to the ground.
"Youngster, dare you reveal your name!" the old Taoist yelled in exasperation.
"My name is Cheng Xiaofan!"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled, chuckled, then his expression turned cold. "You are a Taoist from Jinniu Mountain, aren't you?"
"Tell me, who gave you the guts to come to the village office and cause trouble?"
"Speak!"
*Slap!*
Another slap landed on the old Taoist's face.
The old Taoist was driven to the brink of madness.
"Stop hitting me, I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" If he didn't speak now, his face would be beaten into a pulp.
What terrified the old Taoist was that with every slap that landed on his face, his heart felt like it was being squeezed, giving him the sensation of dying from the pain at any moment.
"I was ordered by Daoist Ku to come to Zhuxi Village to discuss with Village Chief Luo about renting out the newly developed Nanshan Lake by your village," the Flowing Water Taoist said.
Hearing this, Cheng Xiaofan frowned and said, "Jinniu Guan is more than thirty li away from here. Why are you coming here to rent Nanshan Lake?"
"This..." For a moment, the Flowing Water Taoist hesitated, unwilling to say more.
In fact, even if the Flowing Water Taoist hadn't said anything, Cheng Xiaofan had already guessed that it must be related to the dragon energy leaking from Nanshan Lake.
This indicated that there was a master in Jinniu Guan!
The dragon energy had just erupted in Nanshan Lake last night, and Daoist Ku from Jinniu Guan, who was far away, had sent this old Taoist to Zhuxi Village. This showed their interest in the dragon energy here.
Most ancient martial arts practitioners were very sensitive to dragon energy.
This was because obtaining dragon energy greatly aided a practitioner's advancement.
In such a situation, with ordinary people present, Cheng Xiaofan would not force the Flowing Water Taoist to reveal the specific purpose of his visit.
He said to the Flowing Water Taoist, "If you don't want to say, I won't force you."
"But you must give me an explanation. Why did you attack someone here?"
The Flowing Water Taoist said, "I didn't want to attack anyone, but when I mentioned renting Nanshan Lake to your Village Chief Luo, he outright refused!"
"He said that Nanshan Lake was stocked with special fish species and would not be rented out regardless of the price."
"I lost my temper for a moment and smashed things in the village office. Someone who called himself Bai Jianshan rushed up and fought with me."
"Within a few rounds, I knocked him to the ground. Unexpectedly, a beautiful young woman then burst in from outside and started fighting me without a word."
Hearing him say this, Cheng Xiaofan sneered, "It's a good thing you didn't hurt this beauty, otherwise, it wouldn't just be a few slaps. I would have taken your life!"
"The ancients said: 'A person who walks the Great Dao is called a Taoist; one whose mind and body are in harmony and who follows the Dao is called a Taoist; one who acts according to the Dao is called a Taoist!'"
"As a Taoist, and an old man at that, you must understand these principles. Since Village Chief Luo is unwilling to rent Nanshan Lake to you, do you still want to use force?"
The Flowing Water Taoist sighed and said, "I admit that my skills are inferior to yours, and I can't argue with you. However, I must tell you that if Zhuxi Village rents Nanshan Lake to our Jinniu Guan, there will only be benefits, not disadvantages."
"If someone else takes a fancy to Nanshan Lake, they might just take it by force without paying a single cent."
Cheng Xiaofan's voice turned cold upon hearing this. "Are you threatening me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, an invisible aura emanated from him, pressing down on the Flowing Water Taoist.
"Ah, this humble Taoist dares not, dares not!" At that moment, the Flowing Water Taoist was so suppressed by the invisible aura that he could barely breathe.
He finally realized that Cheng Xiaofan was no ordinary person.
Seeing the Flowing Water Taoist instantly back down, Cheng Xiaofan quickly withdrew his aura.
The other party was an old man, and Cheng Xiaofan didn't want to bully the elder. It was enough to stop here, lest he cause a death and scare Luo Changsheng and the others.
"What is your name?" Cheng Xiaofan asked.
The Flowing Water Taoist wiped the sweat from his face and gasped, "My Taoist name is Liushui, and I am known as the Flowing Water Taoist!"
Cheng Xiaofan asked curiously, "Why don't you call yourself Falling Flower Taoist?"
"..." This left the Flowing Water Taoist speechless.
If I called myself Falling Flower Taoist, would you ask me why I don't call myself Flowing Water Taoist?
Who would ask such a bizarre question?
After a long while without a response from the Flowing Water Taoist, Cheng Xiaofan waved his hand and said, "Never mind, Liushui it is. I'm too lazy to bother with what your brand name is!"
"..." What is the connection between a Taoist name and a brand name?
Everyone present was bewildered by this eccentric person.
"Liushui, is it?"
At this moment, Cheng Xiaofan glared at the Flowing Water Taoist. "Go back and tell your so-called Daoist Ku that Zhuxi Village will not rent out Nanshan Lake!"
"With me, Cheng Xiaofan, here, no one will ever lay their hands on Nanshan Lake!"
"Hurry up and leave, lest I get angry and take your life!" Cheng Xiaofan said the last sentence through gritted teeth.
"Okay, I'm leaving, I'm leaving! I will deliver your message to Daoist Ku!" The Flowing Water Taoist trembled all over and turned to flee with great alacrity.
After the Flowing Water Taoist left the village office compound, Luo Changsheng said with a worried face, "Xiaofan, is it that someone fancies the immortal fish we're raising, and that's why they want to take over Nanshan Lake?"
Cheng Xiaofan shook his head and deflected, "Grandpa Luo, it's probably because some people fancy the special feng shui of Nanshan Lake, which has attracted the attention of some cultivation enthusiasts who want to claim it as their own permanent cultivation base!"
"These people are too overbearing! They fancy the good feng shui here and want to snatch it away?" Mei Xueyun said indignantly.
Cheng Xiaofan laughed, "There are all sorts of people in the world. As the saying goes, the forest is big, and there are all kinds of birds. The fact that they fancy Nanshan Lake doesn't mean they can take it."
"If it were that easy to take, wouldn't the world be in chaos!"
At this moment, Bai Jianshan said, "Xiaofan, I have fought with Daoist Ku from Jinniu Guan before. He is a master of the Xiantian Three Realms in ancient martial arts cultivation. His skills are unfathomable, and he is very powerful!"
"Anything he fancies, he will surely get. You should be careful!"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Grandpa Bai. I will keep it in mind!"
As for what the Xiantian Three Realms were, Cheng Xiaofan was completely ignorant of these classifications of ancient martial arts practitioners.
To him, no matter what level of master the opponent was, if they dared to come here and cause trouble, the answer was simple: if they dare to come, we fight!