Chapter 23

Donkey.

A black and white donkey.

The passersby on the road, the common folk, or the martial artists riding swiftly on horseback, no matter who passed by, they couldn't help but turn their heads to glance at the person slowly riding the donkey behind them.

Indeed.

What they glanced at was not the donkey, but the person on the donkey.

Dressed in an extremely luxurious golden Daoist robe, originally made of apricot yellow fabric, but due to the addition of gold threads, the color had become more subdued, no longer the bright yellow it once was, but instead a dark golden hue.

Under the sunlight, from a distance, it shimmered with a golden glow.

"..."

Yue Yuan was quite satisfied with this. Although it seemed a bit flashy, this golden Daoist robe was absolutely unique in this world of "The Return of the Condor Heroes." On the journey, he had not encountered the awkwardness of being mistaken for someone else, as he had with his previous golden attire.

At this moment, Yue Yuan had not seen anyone else wearing such a robe, except for himself.

And with such a unique and novel outfit, he was definitely the center of attention.

Even if he was surrounded by onlookers, Yue Yuan did not mind. One lives for oneself, not for others' opinions. Yue Yuan, who enjoyed luxury, and influenced by the character Xiang Shuai, was already quite restrained by not bringing one or two female companions on his journey.

Reclining on the donkey's back, Yue Yuan squinted his eyes, his hands behind his head, and the duster in his hand casually draped over his eyelids to block the sunlight. Thus, he rode the donkey leisurely, aimlessly moving forward.

On the donkey's neck hung a silver bell that Yue Yuan had obtained from the Immortal Li Mochou.

On the journey, the clear ringing of the bell was constant.

That leisurely, carefree, and enjoyable demeanor absolutely made other passersby on the road envious and astonished.

Even the martial artists riding high horses, upon seeing Yue Yuan's outfit and demeanor, felt a sense of envy. They envied that unique leisure and enjoyment that belonged to Yue Yuan.

Of course, there were always exceptions.

Yesterday, Yue Yuan encountered a group of bandits.

They did not say, "This tree is mine, this road is mine, if you want to pass, leave your money," but instead jumped out from the bushes, a group of bandits blocking Yue Yuan's path, ready to rob him.

Yue Yuan was immediately startled, thinking he had somehow traveled to another world, not the world of "The Return of the Condor Heroes."

After all...

Yue Yuan thought, why would these burly men do something like robbing? They had hands and feet, they could work and live.

Thus, with the intention of doing good deeds and laying the foundation for his current Daoist identity, Yue Yuan tried to reason with them, hoping to persuade the bandits to lay down their weapons and become good people... but the problem was that the other party did not cooperate.

One of the bandits' words immediately set Yue Yuan off.

"Old Taoist, give me the money on you, the donkey, the silver bell, and even the clothes on your body!"

With those words, Yue Yuan, who had originally intended to give these misguided bandits a life lesson, immediately abandoned his thoughts.

You can take my money, but why do you want my clothes?

After a flurry of punches and kicks, the dozen or so bandits were all knocked to the ground. Although none of them lost limbs, fractures and such were inevitable under Yue Yuan's strikes.

Why?

Why did it have to come to this?

In the end, Yue Yuan shook off the dust from his robe and continued riding the donkey leisurely.

"Things are much better today!"

Recalling yesterday's events, Yue Yuan leaned back on the donkey, muttering to himself, "This journey has been quite comfortable!"

"Sunset!"

"Evening twilight!"

"Just imagining it, one can feel the beautiful scenery of the martial world!"

Gently removing the duster from his eyes, Yue Yuan sat up again, turning his head to look at the distant horizon.

Sunset, red clouds, and the distant, dark mountains.

Taking a deep breath, Yue Yuan sighed again in his heart at the beauty of the ancient landscape, wondering where such clean scenery could be found in the modern world.

So untouched by the world.

Those who were immersed in the martial world, always entangled in grudges and love, could hardly appreciate the beauty. Only Yue Yuan, who had not yet fully entered the martial world, could truly feel it.

Ah!

After a long time, a sigh escaped Yue Yuan's lips. He felt that this would be his last peaceful moment in the world of "The Return of the Condor Heroes." Once he was fully entangled in the martial world, Yue Yuan would lose his current mindset.

A person stained by the world could hardly appreciate the beauty of the untouched.

This martial world...

Was both far and near.

Amidst the flying grass, Yue Yuan felt himself growing farther and farther from the pristine scenery, like the sun setting on the horizon.

They say where there are people, there is a martial world.

Yue Yuan always thought these things were far from him. The martial world in the modern era was not pure, and only in the martial arts world could one truly experience it. Now, Yue Yuan was already half in the whirlpool of the martial world.

What is the martial world?

Is it the sword? The knife? Love? Or hate?

For Yue Yuan, who was fully prepared to enter it, his martial world was the silver bell on the donkey's neck.

One bell, and thus all the grudges and love were present.

What is the difference between Buddhism and Daoism?

Buddhism is like a wealthy and handsome man who stays at home, facing the world with a philosophy to share with others, while Daoism is like a white-collar worker, elegantly and lonely sipping their own coffee in a café, facing the world alone, feeling the spring and autumn.

And at this moment, looking at the sunset at a forty-five-degree angle, Yue Yuan felt that he was absolutely in the realm of high mountains and flowing water, perfectly fitting the mood.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the lonely and melancholic mood was broken. Yue Yuan retracted his gaze from the sunset and looked toward a pavilion not far ahead, where a group of people were gathered, arguing loudly.

What happened?

There's a commotion to watch!

Thus, Yue Yuan's innate curiosity immediately took over, and the Daoist melancholy was long forgotten. He patted the donkey, speeding up toward the pavilion.

In the pavilion.

Lu Wushuang's mouth was bleeding, leaning against a pillar, her right hand tightly gripping the silver-curved saber, and her left hand pressing against her chest, as if protecting something. Her eyes were filled with murderous intent as she glared at the people surrounding her.

Damn!

Can't escape?

She had barely managed to escape from Li Mochou, stealing the secret manual, and now she was blocked by these useless people who had lost the manual... Thinking about the events of the past few days, Lu Wushuang couldn't help but feel a surge of sorrow.

But...

I can't return the manual to them!

I stole it with great difficulty while Li Mochou was chasing a fool. How can I return it? Her martial arts were not high to begin with, and Li Mochou had not seriously taught her. Revenge was extremely difficult, especially after the other party obtained a sword that could cut through iron like butter.

But what should I do now?

After much thought, Lu Wushuang could not find a good way to escape, and she was extremely anxious. Just as she was considering whether to really take out the manual to escape, a gentle, jade-like voice suddenly reached her ears, making her pause.

"Little girl, are you alone?"

Looking up, her gaze followed the source of the voice, and she saw a man standing on a strange rock outside the pavilion, bathed in sunlight. A man in a golden Daoist robe, a man whose entire body radiated a blinding golden light.

For a moment, Lu Wushuang felt blinded and involuntarily lowered her head.