Chapter 89

That old man seemed ordinary, his attire not particularly splendid, with two shallow vertical grooves under his eyes, and rough hands and feet. If it weren't for the exorcism he performed, anyone would have thought he was just an ordinary peddler, and who would have seen his true prowess?

But it was different for Zhi Zun Bao. He clearly saw the old man's three fires, which were clear and ethereal, and naturally did not underestimate him. When the old man asked a question, he stepped forward to bow and said, "Grandpa, hello. Um, I don't understand what you meant by 'very good' just now?"

The old man, with his hands behind his back, walked over and laughed heartily, "Not fearing ghosts and demons, and bravely moving forward, that is courage; not knowing spells and talismans, but finding another way, that is wisdom. With these two qualities, it is very good... Someone who is brave, strategic, and unafraid of ghosts and spirits must be a descendant of the Yin-Yang Master lineage, right?" He squinted his eyes, which flickered with an indeterminate light, "But I can't figure out which school or sect you belong to."

These words sounded like he was talking to himself, but his eyes were fixed on Zhi Zun Bao, clearly demanding an explanation. Zhi Zun Bao, who had already been impressed by the old man's abilities, was about to explain the details when he suddenly felt a strange sense of unease. He then feigned ignorance, "What did you say, Grandpa? I don't understand."

"Oh?" The old man was surprised, "Then the hand gestures and the palm lightning you used just now, weren't those learned?"

"Ah!" Zhi Zun Bao immediately pretended to realize, grinning, "That was something I learned from an old Taoist at home— he said that whenever there are ghosts or demons, I should draw and strike like this to scare them away. See, isn't that what happened?"

While saying this, he already understood: the old man had been watching him fight the ghost from the side, and he didn't know how long he had been there or how much he had seen...

The old man, seeing that Zhi Zun Bao was unwilling to speak, did not press further. He smiled and nodded, "I see, I misunderstood— child, I have subdued the evil spirit today. It's not convenient to stay here long. Would you like to leave together?"

Zhi Zun Bao didn't know where the strange thought in his heart came from, but after careful consideration, the old man had done nothing but observe him and had not harmed him. Moreover, the old man looked spirited and had a friendly demeanor, so he agreed with a smile, "Sure! Wherever you go, I can go with you."

With this decision made, if the old man went elsewhere, it would be fine, but if he happened to go to the Ghost Market, it would be a good opportunity to inquire about his background. If it was safe, he could even consider becoming his disciple... It was a simple thought.

The old man, seeing that Zhi Zun Bao did not refuse, took him back to the inn. First, he collected all the heads from the stake and placed them by the rotting corpse pool. Then he gathered the dirty objects, skeletons, and bones from the cellar, lit incense to purify the area, and built a red furnace. He chanted the spell to guide the souls to the afterlife— in the flames, countless ghosts rose to the sky, breaking free from their chains and heading to the reincarnation pool, the Sanzu River, and the six realms of existence.

Finally, a great fire burned the abandoned inn, leaving only broken tiles and walls standing in the wind, accompanied by the mournful cries of nightingales and crows. Everything else was gone.

This fire made Zhi Zun Bao's heart feel clear, and he laughed heartily with the old man, walking north together.

At the end of the abandoned road was the ancient city of Xianyang. Their directions were the same, so they truly traveled together, chatting and laughing, not feeling lonely. They walked all night until the next morning, when they found a small stream to rest. Seeing that Zhi Zun Bao was very hungry, the old man took out a flatbread from his bag and shared it with him. Zhi Zun Bao didn't refuse, and they each ate half, barely satisfying their hunger.

Zhi Zun Bao, seeing that there was no more food in the bag, apologized, "Grandpa, I'm really sorry, I finished your flatbread... Uh, there's nowhere to find food on this road. When we reach the market, I'll treat you to wine and meat!"

The old man laughed, "You don't have any money, how can you treat me to wine and meat?"

Zhi Zun Bao, seeing the old man teasing him, felt不服 (unwilling to be outdone) and remembered the acrobatics he had seen in Huangliang Town. He argued, "So what if I don't have money? When we reach the market, I'll perform acrobatics. With my physique and appearance, I'm sure people will give me some coins— even if I don't eat, I'll buy wine and meat for you first."

"Oh? Treat me first? Alright, I'll wait. Just don't go back on your word."

Seeing the old man agree, Zhi Zun Bao felt triumphant and said, "Alright, we have a deal..."

As they were talking, they suddenly saw something moving in the grass. The grass was wriggling, and both of them watched. It turned out to be a large field mouse poking its head out. Zhi Zun Bao said happily, "Perfect timing! Grandpa, we don't need to wait for the market. I'll catch this field mouse now, skin it, and roast it for you tonight."

He found a sharp stone on the ground, approached the mouse, and suddenly threw the stone, shouting, "Take that!" The stone instantly reached the mouse!

Just as the mouse was about to fall, it suddenly crouched and darted into the ground. The stone hit the ground, only stirring up a bit of dust.

Zhi Zun Bao, feeling frustrated, ran over and saw a round hole. It was the entrance to the mouse's burrow. The mouse had disappeared underground, leaving him no choice. He kicked the hole a few times and said, "You got lucky!"

Turning to the old man, who was smiling, he felt a bit embarrassed and coughed, "Grandpa, my hands are too clumsy. We won't have dinner tonight!"

The old man, seeing his frustration, comforted him, "No problem, no problem. If it doesn't work this time, there's always next time. If you pay more attention and aim better, you'll succeed."

Zhi Zun Bao nodded, "Sigh! I was too careless. I didn't notice how cunning the mouse was. When I used to catch mice..."

He suddenly remembered the days when he and Old August chased mice on the hillside. One would chase, the other would block, and the mice would accidentally run into the wooden box Old August had set up. Pulling the rope would catch them— unfortunately, Zhi Zun Bao was still around, but Old August was nowhere to be found...

He felt a bit sad, and his face showed a hint of sorrow. The old man, noticing his expression, asked, "What's wrong? Thinking of something sad?"

"Thinking of Grandpa..." Zhi Zun Bao sighed, trying to change the subject. Suddenly, he remembered the method Old August taught him and had an idea. He asked the old man to wait, found a stick, and drew a circle around the mouse hole, ten steps away. Then he marked eight points on the circle and dug holes about half a foot deep.

He found some large leaves and filled the holes with water from the stream, watching how long it took for the water to soak into the ground. Sure enough, one of the holes drained the water quickly.

Zhi Zun Bao immediately started digging with the stick. The old man, curious, watched from the side. After a while, Zhi Zun Bao shouted in joy, holding a large handful of ginseng! Not only that, he also found several sweet potatoes, corn, yams, wild fruits, and walnuts. He was so excited that he took off his clothes to wrap them all up, saying, "Ha, even without the half pound of fat, I found its nest— this should be enough for a few days!"

The two of them looked at each other and laughed, delighted.

Since Zhi Zun Bao had found so much food, they naturally started a fire to cook it. Halfway through, Zhi Zun Bao sighed, "Today I only have sweet potatoes and yams, not wine or meat. I'll treat you when we reach the market..."

"Ha, you're quite interesting for a little kid!" The old man laughed, waving his hand, "Since you found the food today, I'll contribute something too— wait a moment, I'll get something to add to the fun."

The old man untied his belt, held both ends, and lit some incense. He then broke off a small piece of the incense and wrapped it in the belt, throwing it into the grass. The grass began to move, as if something was crawling inside. Zhi Zun Bao was puzzled and wanted to sneak a peek, but the old man smiled and waved, "Be patient, you'll see in a moment!"

He walked back, relit the incense with a flint, and stuck it in the ground. He then drew a circle around it with his foot and added some intricate symbols around it, which were hard to understand.

Zhi Zun Bao saw the symbols, which were messy but somehow familiar, and felt very puzzled. He wanted to ask but remembered saying he didn't know any spells, so he sat by the fire and kept his thoughts to himself.

With something on his mind, the food didn't taste as good as before. He finally heard the grass rustling and immediately stood up to watch. The grass rustled for a while, and suddenly a large snake, as thick as a thigh, emerged!

Zhi Zun Bao was terrified and immediately stepped back, shouting, "Grandpa, snake! Snake! Run!"

The old man, however, didn't move and laughed loudly, "Don't panic, this is a domesticated snake, it won't hurt you— just be patient, I know what I'm doing."

As he spoke, the snake approached and circled the circle on the ground, forming a large coil, its head raised, hissing.

Zhi Zun Bao felt a bit more at ease but didn't get too close, watching the old man's actions. The old man gently tapped the snake's head and shouted, "Heaven and Earth transform, Water and Fire reflect, with the Five Elements, each in its place!"

The snake, hearing this, opened its huge mouth and bit the incense on the ground!

The snake's mouth was so large that it completely contained the incense, but the incense did not go out. Instead, it seemed to create a vortex, pulling the snake into the fire. Smoke rose, making it hard to see.

After a while, the smoke cleared, and Zhi Zun Bao saw that the snake was gone, leaving only the old man sitting on the ground. In front of him was the broken belt, and beside it were several wine bottles as thick as a child's arm.

The bottles clearly had words on them: "Changbai Sheng Fen." (To be continued. Please search for Piaowen.com for faster updates and better quality!)

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