Chapter 51

Thinking of this, Lu Laoshi no longer had the leisure to be angry with his son. He hurriedly nodded and bowed, saying, "Little Immortal, greetings, greetings... We farmers speak our minds without much thought. Please don't take what I said just now to heart, Little Daoist..."

"Hmm, what did you say?" Ye Qingxuan was truly a bit confused, as he hadn't caught any hidden meanings in Lu Laoshi's words. It was no wonder, as the Daoist temple had always been somewhat understanding of the farmers' thoughts from the surrounding villages. They would help where they could, but the temple's resources were limited. For children who were not orphans, the selection process was particularly strict, and only those with exceptional talent could enter the temple... Lu Yundong was one of them.

Since the temple didn't mind the freeloading, and Ye Qingxuan was the type to ignore such matters, Lu Laoshi's words were essentially ignored. Ye Qingxuan, the young Daoist, didn't take them to heart at all.

It was rare for someone to feign ignorance. Though Lu Laoshi was a farmer, he had the wisdom of a farmer. He just nodded and smiled, not mentioning his previous words again.

"Is this young Daoist, like my Second Dongzi, also a little immortal of the temple?"

Ye Qingxuan smiled and said, "I am indeed a Daoist of Qingyun Temple..."

Lu Yundong, fearing that his father might cause some trouble, quickly interjected, "Father, this is my junior uncle, and our generations are different..."

"Different generations? Oh, which generation are you from, sir?"

"Father, the same generation as you..."

"The same generation as me?"

"Yes, in my terms, you are of the same generation..."

...

Ye Qingxuan, standing to the side, couldn't help but twitch his eyebrows, listening to the nonsense of this father-son duo.

After hearing his son's rambling introduction, Lu Laoshi was genuinely impressed.

"Oh, Little Daoist, you have a bright future ahead..." Oh, such a young Daoist has already reached the same generation as me, and even my son's generation has to bow to him. What a great achievement.

Lu Laoshi turned to look at his son, and his anger flared up. He gave his son a big slap on the back of the neck, "You little brat, I told you to study hard and make progress. Look at him, about the same age as you, but he's already a generation ahead. Why don't you know how to strive, why don't you know how to work hard—"

"Father, striving and working hard have nothing to do with generations. No matter how hard I work, I can't be of the same generation as you. You'll always be my father, not my brother..."

"Uh, that's true... What? Brother?" *Slap*, another big slap, "You little rascal, are you saying you don't recognize your father after eating well and getting strong... I'll beat you to death..."

"Father, those words were yours, not mine..."

Frightened by his father's beatings, Lu Yundong started circling around Ye Qingxuan.

Lu Yundong's father, wielding a hoe handle, chased after him, swinging it wildly. Several times, it almost hit Ye Qingxuan. Finally, Ye Qingxuan couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Stop—"

This loud shout, imbued with inner strength, instantly frightened the two Lu men into a heap.

"Wow, this little Daoist has a loud voice."

Lu Laoshi, rubbing his ears, stared at Ye Qingxuan with a look of surprise.

The young Daoist Ye Qingxuan, with a calm bow, as if the loud shout had nothing to do with him, said, "Lu Layman, I have one more question for Yundong, may I?"

"Sure, the little rascal is right here, ask away..."

"Junior Uncle, what is it?"

"Is there a tailor named Lu Ahpo in your village? Do you know where she lives?"

"Yes, yes, Junior Uncle, after entering the village, turn right at the first intersection, and the third house is Lu Ahpo's home..."

"Oh, thank you. Yundong, don't forget to return to the mountain..."

"Junior Uncle, I have one more favor to ask. Please tell Master Senior Brother that I might be a bit late in returning. The family's ox is missing, and my younger siblings are still young. My older brother is an apprentice in town, so I have to help find the ox. Could you please tell Master Senior Brother for me..."

"Sure, I understand." Qingxuan turned slightly and said to Lu Laoshi, "Lu Layman, I'm done asking. You can continue beating him..."

"Huh?"

Qingxuan patted the sword on his back and drifted away.

"Brat, I'll beat you to death..."

The father-son fight resumed.

"Lu Layman, if I see your ox Ahua, I'll bring it back for you..."

From a distance, a call echoed, light and clear.

"Ahua? Ahua... Oh, right, my ox, my ox... Ahua... Ahua..."

Lu Laoshi started his search for the ox again.

Seeing his son, Lu Yundong, still somewhat dazed, Lu Laoshi's anger flared up again, and he kicked him in the buttocks, "You little brat, what are you looking for? Go help me find the ox... Ahua, Ahua..."

Following the address given by Lu Yundong, Qingxuan easily found Lu Ahpo's home.

After completing the transaction and paying the remaining amount, Qingxuan said, "Ahpo, I need to hire someone to deliver these clothes to the mountain."

"Oh, no need to hire anyone, let my youngest son do it. Youngest, youngest..." The robust Lu Ahpo, who was over fifty, called out to the inner room, and soon a sturdy young farmer came out.

Qingxuan rarely came down the mountain, so he had no reason to return early. Besides, the Chongyang Festival ceremony had little to do with him, and Ye Qingxuan had already made plans for his destination, which he had been looking forward to for a long time and had saved up some silver for.

After explaining what needed to be done, Qingxuan paid Lu Ahpo another three taels of silver as labor fees, making her smile from ear to ear.

She kept saying, "How can I accept this, how can I accept this..." while quickly tucking the silver into her bosom.

Ye Qingxuan smiled, not mocking these hardworking people who earned their living through their skills and labor.

Seeing Lu Ahpo's youngest son set off up the mountain with the Daoist robes, Ye Qingxuan turned and walked in another direction.

After circling around half the mountain, there was an official road that intersected with the main road to Qingyang Town, forming a "T" intersection. There was a well-known beef noodle shop there. When he went to the city with his third senior brother, they had eaten there once, and it was truly a rare delicacy.

Since he rarely came down the mountain, even if he didn't go to Qingyang Town, he couldn't forget this long-unenjoyed delicacy.

A short while later, Qingxuan came down the mountain.

It was already noon, and he felt hungry. Thinking of the delicious food he was about to taste, his steps quickened.

Ignoring the surrounding green scenery, he crossed a mountain ridge and looked far ahead. He saw a few thatched cottages at the foot of a distant hill, near the "T" intersection.

Next to the thatched cottages, a clear stream flowed from the mountain, and a large willow tree by the stream had a wine banner hanging from it. Though the words were too far to read, Ye Qingxuan felt a surge of joy, knowing he had finally found the place.

He subtly increased his inner strength, and his steps quickened.

Following the main road, he arrived at the "T" intersection. The large willow tree he had seen from a distance was indeed extraordinarily large. The thick trunk, which would take six or seven people to encircle, was entwined with thorny vines, reaching up to five or six zhang high, casting a vast shade. A branch with a wine banner, as large as a soy sauce jar, hung from a crooked branch, with the words "Qingyang's Best" written on it.

At this time, the tree was covered with purple flowers, which, along with the green willow branches, hung down beautifully. A refreshing breeze blew from the stream, carrying the enticing fragrance of the purple flowers, making one feel refreshed and at ease.

It was truly a wonderful place for relaxation, and the fatigue of the young Daoist Qingxuan's hurried journey dissipated instantly.

Under the shade of the large tree, there were about seven or eight tables and chairs scattered about. Though it was noon, there were only a few customers, occupying four tables with about a dozen diners.

A waiter sat by the door, wearing a gray short shirt, a blue headscarf, and a large apron. With few customers, he idly played with a tea flower.

Looking up, he saw a young Daoist with wide sleeves and a broad robe coming excitedly, already under the large tree. He dropped the tea flower and stood up to greet him, saying, "Little Daoist, please rest here. Do you observe any dietary restrictions? We have the best Fenjiu and excellent beef. We also have two new cold dishes, and for snacks, we have large steamed buns and sesame cakes!"