Tao: The Uncanny Immortal

Li Huowang glanced at the silver ingots in Bai Lingmiao's hand, then reached into his bosom, took out a silver coin, and piled it on top of hers.

Before Li Huowang could say a word, Bai Lingmiao blurted out in a hurry, "The gold bracelet has been melted. I saw it with my own eyes. It can't be redeemed anymore."

Looking at Li Huowang, who stood there with his mouth agape, Bai Lingmiao smiled triumphantly, feeling like she had won a great victory. Then she stuffed the silver in her hand into his bosom.

"Don't worry. That bracelet was just something mother gave me for emergencies. It's not some precious family heirloom."

Seeing that Bai Lingmiao had said so much, Li Huowang didn't insist. He carefully counted the silver and put it away. "Once everything settles down, I'll buy you a bigger one."

"Okay! I'll be waiting!" Bai Lingmiao nodded with a bright smile.

Just then, the door suddenly swung open, and Gouwa walked in from outside. He was startled when he saw the two people squatting in the corner. Then he was about to back out. "I misread the guest - room. I'm really sorry. I'll leave right away."

Bai Lingmiao blushed, buried her head, rushed to the door, pushed him aside, and dashed away.

Gouwa walked in with a grin. "Senior Brother Li, although Junior Sister Bai is so pale - faced, when it comes to choosing a wife, looks aren't that crucial. It's the personality that truly matters. Don't you dislike her?"

Li Huowang was too lazy to banter with him. "Stop talking nonsense. Wash up and go to sleep quickly. It's not often we get to sleep in a proper bed."

In a daze, Li Huowang found himself in an ancient forest. There was a hazy light source ahead. Filled with curiosity, he used his sword to hack through the branches and rushed towards the firelight.

When he got closer, Li Huowang saw that Bai Lingmiao, along with his mother and Yang Na, were sitting around a campfire, roasting dried sweet potatoes.

Looking at this heart - warming scene, he immediately let out a sigh of relief and was about to walk over.

However, suddenly, the world changed dramatically. Li Huowang saw Danyangzi, who was hundreds of feet tall, with three heads and covered in feathers, standing there like an enormous mountain.

"Hahaha, boy, you've done a great job. You've brought all the medicine ingredients here."

After the terrifying Danyangzi finished laughing, he picked up a stone pillar even longer than his height and slammed it down hard on the campfire below.

"Wait!!" Li Huowang, covered in cold sweat, suddenly sat up. After taking a few deep breaths, still in a state of shock, he realized that it had all just been a dream.

"Senior Brother Li, are you awake? I specially bought some wontons for you. Eat them while they're hot." Gouwa, who had been peeping from outside the window, pulled his head back.

"What time is it now?" Li Huowang rubbed his slightly aching head and sat down at the table. He found that the "wontons" Gouwa mentioned were actually dumplings in soup.

"It's just past the third watch. It's okay to sleep a little longer. Anyway, we don't need to travel today."

Li Huowang picked up the ceramic spoon and stuffed the dumplings into his mouth one by one. In a few moments, he finished them. "Who said we have nothing to do today? Let's go and buy the things we need for the journey."

Then, the dream he just had flashed through his mind. Li Huowang spoke again, "I'll take others to buy those things. You go and ask Scholar Lu when we can leave. The sooner, the better. If he can't go, we'll leave ahead of time."

The silver left from buying the donkey - cart plus the extra silver from Bai Lingmiao could be used to buy some essential items.

At least they needed quilts and mats so that they wouldn't have to huddle around the campfire at night, suffering from a hot back and a cold chest.

They could also buy a pot so that they could have something hot to eat on the road instead of constantly munching on dry food.

There were so many odds and ends that one donkey - cart wasn't enough. By the time he met Scholar Lu at the city gate, there was already another donkey - cart.

"Hey, little Taoist priest, you're really amazing. Along the way, your belongings have been piling up. I reckon that if you travel for another half a year or a year, you'll be extremely wealthy." Scholar Lu, even on the journey, didn't forget to flatter him.

"Master Lu, is it far from Jianye to Xijing City?" Li Huowang looked at the broad dirt road in front of him.

The road was wide and there were more people. There were not only his and Scholar Lu's groups on the road, but also many people carrying burdens, all seemingly heading to Xijing City.

"It's not far. It'll only take about ten more days to get there." Scholar Lu, as if thinking of something delightful, beamed with joy.

Li Huowang nodded and continued to ask, "Regarding the Buddhist temple you mentioned, apart from being famous for helping people have children, what else do you know about it?"

"Hey, a Buddhist temple is just a Buddhist temple. What's so special? Isn't every Buddhist temple filled with a group of old monks leading a group of young monks to chant scriptures and eat vegetarian food?"

Li Huowang sighed softly. It seemed that he had to go there in person to inquire about this matter. Ordinary people like Scholar Lu lived in a muddle and had no real concept about such things.

"Little Taoist priest, look, there's a monk up ahead. See the one urinating under the tree? It's better for you to ask him than to ask me. Maybe he's a monk from that Buddhist temple."

"Really?" Li Huowang looked up and found that there really was a bald monk standing by the roadside.

When he walked over, he saw the back of a man in a tattered monk's robe shiver and then turn around.

However, when he saw the man's face, Li Huowang frowned tightly.

He was called a monk, but he looked more like an old beggar with a shaved head. He was as shabby as could be, and his monk's robe was full of patches and holes all over.

"Amitabha. Do you have something to ask me?" This dirty old man grinned, showing his yellow, toothless gums, and laughed foolishly.

"Are you... a monk?"

"Yes, I'm a monk!" The old monk held up the string of rosary beads made of fruit pits around his neck and said with a bit of pride.

"May I ask, Master, which famous temple are you from?" There was already a hint of doubt in Li Huowang's voice.

"I don't have a temple. I'm going north to look for one. I heard that there are many Buddhist temples up there and they even provide food. I'm planning to become a monk there."

Hearing what the old man said, Li Huowang immediately had a guess in his mind. He nodded indifferently and turned back to his group.

But just as Li Huowang decided to ignore this fake - monk old beggar, the old man stuck to him like a stubborn leech.

"Are you also going to look for a Buddhist temple? Then let's go together. But aren't you a Taoist priest? Taoists don't believe in the Buddha, do they?"

"Could this guy be pretending to be stupid to take advantage of me?" Li Huowang became more vigilant. He slapped the donkey's rump and led the others to walk faster, simply ignoring the old man.

But while he ignored the old man, someone else was paying attention. The simple - minded Fool didn't sense anything wrong.

"You didn't bring... didn't bring... food. You'll starve to death!"

"How could I starve to death? Look, there are all kinds of things in the forest, like wild fruits, wild mushrooms, and wild vegetables."

"I also... I also..... ate wild fruits...! I also... I also....."

"Fool, don't talk to him!"

"Okay.... "

When no one paid attention to him, the old beggar left dejectedly. Li Huowang, who had secretly tightened his Taoist bell, let out a sigh of relief.

Whether the old man was really stupid or just pretending, in this strange place, one had to be on guard against others.

After walking along the dirt road for an hour, the sun was right in the middle of the sky. Seeing that many people had already squatted down to munch on their dry food, Li Huowang told the others to do the same.

Although he was starting to feel a bit anxious, it was still safer to travel in a group.

The newly - bought white steamed buns were distributed to everyone, and they had their lunch with a few jars of pickled vegetables.

Taking the water gourd from Bai Lingmiao and taking a sip, Li Huowang looked back and suddenly noticed that one person was missing. "Huh? Where's Fool?"

"He went into the forest to pee just now. Why hasn't he come back yet? Could he have started pooping halfway through peeing? Hey!! Fool!! Are you in there!!"

When Gouwa shouted into the forest by the roadside, Fool's simple - looking head popped out of the forest. His cheeks were bulging as if he was chewing something.

"What are you eating?" Li Huowang asked in confusion.

"The wild... wild... wild white rice in the forest. It's... it's... free!" After Fool finished speaking, he retracted back into the forest.