Outside the Fire Cloud Cave, the three Emperors understood the reason for the sudden arrival of Laozi, the Sage.
"This is my fault. I shouldn't have indulged in the taste of my tongue, causing both of you to incur a karmic debt to Laozi, the Sage." Fuxi sighed.
"Why are you saying such things, Daoist Fuxi? We three Emperors are one. You only ate a few bites of the Sage's mount; what's so big about it?" Shennong didn't believe it was Xuanyuan's fault.
Xuanyuan even managed to laugh: "Indeed. Laozi, the Sage, is not unreasonable. To be honest, I'm more curious about the taste of that beef. How could it have made Daoist Fuxi crave it so much?"
"The Sage's mount, how could it not be delicious?" Fuxi also laughed.
The Sage's visit for reprimand did bring about considerable pressure initially, but Fuxi, as the leader of the three Emperors, was of the same generation as Laozi in his previous life, being one of the first beings born after the creation of the world.
Moreover, Fuxi had a sister who was a Sage, Nüwa. A few years ago, on Nüwa's birthday, Nüwa, the Sage, even came to the Fire Cloud Cave to see Fuxi. So, there was no need to be so afraid!
After adjusting their mood, the three Emperors received Laozi in the Fire Cloud Cave.
Fuxi took the initiative: "Laozi, the Sage, what brings you to the Fire Cloud Cave today?"
Laozi waved his hand gently, and the image of a young man holding a staff appeared clearly before them, "A few days ago, my mount perished within the territory of the Fire Cloud Cave. So, I've come to visit today, to ask the three Daoists if you recognize this person."
Xuanyuan felt offended: "Hehe, Laozi, the Sage, you're joking. With the Sage's abilities, wouldn't it be easy to find someone? Why would you deliberately come to make fun of us?"
"If I could find him, why would I bother you?! I suspect that he either has a precious treasure to help him hide his aura, or someone is protecting him, which is why he managed to escape my search." At the end, Laozi seemed to be hinting at the three Emperors.
After all, his Green Ox was killed on the territory of the three Emperors, and Laozi couldn't find him. Only the three Emperors, who were almost equal to the Sage in power, could have possibly done it!
The three Emperors' faces didn't look good. They didn't want to answer Laozi, but he asked them because they truly knew the young man.
"Alright, I'll say it! The person you, the Sage, are looking for is staying behind the Fire Cloud Cave. His name is Shi Hao. It's not that we're protecting him, but there are strange restrictions surrounding that area, preventing any investigation with spiritual sense." Fuxi could only apologize to Shi Hao in his heart. It was not his intention to expose Shi Hao, but Laozi had already found him.
"So, he's hiding behind the Fire Cloud Cave." Laozi swept his spiritual sense, and soon he frowned. His spiritual sense couldn't penetrate at all, as if it were blocked.
"I've disturbed the three of you."
Laozi left the Fire Cloud Cave, but when he stood before the entrance of Shi Hao's house, he suddenly discovered that his magic power and spiritual sense were almost completely gone, and he even lost his connection with the Dao!!
He went from being a magnificent Sage to a mere mortal.
"How is this possible?"
Laozi showed a look of shock, incredulous that, in the primordial world, there existed a being besides his teacher who could seal a Sage's powers.
No wonder the other party dared to ignore the Sage and kill his mount, the Green Ox.
Now Laozi was in a difficult position. He couldn't fathom the other party's background. If he made things worse with the other party, and lost his ability to rely on, he might even be controlled by him.
After careful consideration, Laozi decided to be polite first and then use force. He would first meet the other party and inquire about the situation before taking any further action.
"Knock, knock!"
Thus, Laozi knocked on the door.
"Who is it? The door is open. Just come in yourself."
With permission, Laozi pushed open the door. Immediately, he saw everything in the courtyard. Everything, from the layout to the furniture, seemed no different from a mortal's manor.
The person he was looking for was seemingly grinding ink, and he didn't even look at him. Moreover, the Vajra bracelet hanging on the wall confirmed that he was the one who killed the Green Ox.
But no matter how he looked at it, the other party seemed like a mere mortal without cultivation. The more this was the case, the more terrifying Laozi found him!
"Old man, who are you looking for?"
Finally, seemingly noticing the extra person in the courtyard, Shi Hao looked up and saw an old man in his fifties or sixties examining him.
The old man was wearing plain white and blue robes, seemingly faded from repeated washing.
His bright eyes were like stars, seemingly capable of seeing through all illusions. Overall, he gave Shi Hao the impression of a reclusive expert.
"Hehe, I'm looking for my Green Ox. Have you seen it?" Facing such a being, all lies were pointless, so Laozi directly stated his purpose.
"???"
"So that Green Ox was yours."
Suddenly, Shi Hao was also a little panicked. He didn't expect that the little ox demon he killed would have an owner, and now he had come looking for him!
"Yes, it was my mount, and it followed me for many years." Laozi nodded.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, your Green Ox was accidentally killed by me! It wasn't intentional. Your Green Ox stole the vegetables I planted in my courtyard, and I couldn't get rid of it no matter what." Shi Hao explained.
"So it was like that. Then, it's not your fault."
Hearing this, Laozi was also speechless. It seemed like the Green Ox died not in vain.
Didn't he have heavenly materials and earthly treasures in the Eight Trigrams Palace? Why did he go to someone else's house to steal food, and ended up provoking the wrong person.
It was a pity that the Green Ox was dead, but everything had to be considered according to cause and effect. Laozi's visit was now pointless.
"Where is the body of the Green Ox? Can I have it back together with that bracelet?"
"Cough, cough. Of course, you can have the bracelet, but the body is probably not possible. I ate some of its meat. Oh, the bones are all intact. Do you want them?"
"What? You ate my Green Ox?"
Laozi's blood rushed up, his eyes glared at Shi Hao, wanting an explanation.
Killing his mount was fine, after all, it was the Green Ox's fault, but how could he eat its meat after killing it?!
Although he couldn't see through the other party's cultivation, was he, as a Sage, so easy to bully?
"I was wrong to eat it, I'll compensate you, alright."
Shi Hao suddenly felt a little heartbroken. He mainly didn't know how the other party would ask for a huge price. But the meat was so delicious. If he had raised it himself, he wouldn't have let anyone eat it.
Moreover, from his speech and demeanor, he could tell that the other party was also a cultivator like his sister.
Fortunately, he had a sister who was a fourth-generation disciple of the Intercepting Sect. A mount was nothing, it shouldn't be too difficult to compensate the other party.
Of course, if the other party wanted to take advantage of him, he had to see if he had the ability to do so.