activa-t Chapter 93 Seeking a Title
Chapter 93 Seeking a Title
Fang Hongxuan, dressed as a chivalrous knight, and Daoyuan stood by the village road, leading their horses and watching the group leave.
Amidst the rustic yet luxurious palanquin, a woman carrying two swaddled infants rests. Her face is filled with sorrow, as if she has endured immense suffering.
Upon seeing this, Fang Hongxuan's pupils shrank slightly, for the woman's appearance was exactly the same as the woman on the ridge of the field!
"What's going on now..."
"This guest looks unfamiliar. I wonder where you come from and where you are headed?"
Fang Hongxuan then noticed the old man who had appeared beside him at some point.
"Weary from traveling late at night, I'm looking for a place to rest and recover from the dust of the journey for a couple of days. Ideally, I could also have a few bowls of strong liquor and a few pounds of meat..."
"Although we live a life of hardship, we are not short of money. I wonder what insightful opinion this old man may have?"
The gaunt old man's eyes shone brightly, and his rough hands kept stroking his beard.
"Of course, of course. Who in the entire Shili Village doesn't know that I, Zhang Laosi, am the most hospitable person? Please follow me, gentlemen..."
Daoyuan blinked, as if he were seeing Fang Hongxuan for the first time.
"Old man, what's all this commotion in the middle of the night?"
"Well, this matter is rather complicated and takes a long time to explain. But in the end, it all boils down to this: the Li family's daughter ran away and gave birth to children for Lu Yong in our village. Before she could even breastfeed them, her father found her and took her away."
"Please come inside..."
"Fourth brother, who is this... Could it be someone else coming to beg for food and drink?"
Before even entering, he heard shouts coming from inside. Even from the voice alone, Fang Hongxuan could tell that the visitor was an elderly woman.
A hint of embarrassment appeared on Zhang Laosi's deeply lined face, and his complexion even flushed slightly.
He quickly bowed and smiled obsequiously, while also leading the two of them in the right direction.
"This old woman is just like that, getting old. She likes to talk nonsense. I hope you two honored guests won't take offense."
During the shoving, the wooden door creaked open and was then pushed open completely by Zhang Laosi.
The room was dimly lit, with only a single spark flickering between the lamps.
The old woman, her face full of resentment, was staring at Zhang Laosi with a gloomy expression.
"This is my wife, just call her Zhang Wangshi."
Before Fang Hongxuan could examine her closely, Zhang Laosi impatiently pulled Zhang Wangshi into the kitchen.
They were afraid that she might blurt out something else that would disturb the knight-errant and the novice monk's vulgar language.
"You crazy woman, look closely! Those two are distinguished guests!"
Zhang Laosi, who had always been meek and submissive, suddenly became assertive. It was as if his back, which had been bent for many years, had been forcibly straightened.
He took out two small pieces of silver, each about the size of a thumb, from his pocket and handed them to Zhang Wangshi.
"This is just the deposit. If you stay longer and enjoy better food and wine, there's more to come!"
Zhang Wangshi first looked at Zhang Laosi's smug expression, then weighed the loose silver in her hand a few times before her tightly furrowed brows relaxed.
"Fourth brother, you usually trip and fall even when you're walking, ending up with a mouthful of mud. How come you're suddenly on a roll today?"
"I'm afraid it's been stolen by someone for no reason. This money feels like a hot potato to me..."
To everyone's surprise, Zhang Laosi rolled his eyes and threatened him in an annoyed manner.
"Go away, you can't stand to see me doing well. In any case, the money is the most important thing. Quickly prepare some food and drink, don't keep our distinguished guest waiting."
"I'll tidy up the room first, so that our distinguished guests will have a place to stay after they've eaten and drunk their fill."
In the hall
Fang Hongxuan was looking out the window. After that group of people left, the entire Shili Village gradually fell into gloom again.
"Benefactor Fang, this place seems to be unsettled. In my humble opinion, we should leave early tomorrow morning."
Daoyuan seemed somewhat fearful, huddled on the bench, and even though he was extremely hungry and thirsty, he did not drink the cup of coarse tea in front of him.
How do you know?
"This place is surrounded by eerie energy; it has been a long time since I have seen such a sinister place."
"I'm afraid a great calamity is about to befall us, bringing bloodshed and disaster."
Fang Hongxuan downed the tea in front of him in one gulp, then looked at Daoyuan with a meaningful expression.
"If one is successful, one should help all under heaven; if one is unsuccessful, one should only cultivate one's own virtue. But what about the people here?"
"This humble monk has not yet cultivated his Buddhist teachings to perfection, so naturally he does not possess the ability to subdue demons and monsters. It would be better to first cultivate himself and then seek out the Demon Suppression Division here, so that the Demon Extermination Captain can handle this matter."
"..."
"Distinguished guests, it is getting late, and my eyesight is failing. I cannot prepare any fine wine or food for you at this time. Please forgive me."
Tomorrow, the old woman will slaughter the fat chicken in the house and serve it with drinks to our distinguished guests...
Soon, two steaming bowls of vegetarian noodles were placed on the wooden table. The noodles were sprinkled with fragrant chopped green onions, making them look incredibly appetizing.
Just as Fang Hongxuan was about to pick up his chopsticks, his expression suddenly darkened. He grabbed the Cuo Jin, which was already emitting a faint light, and burst out of the door.
This action left Daoyuan and Zhang Wangshi somewhat at a loss.
"Eat the noodles first. I'll be right back, don't go out!"
The baggage on the bench had come loose at some point, and with a clang, a black jade-like token slid to the ground.
Curious, the novice monk turned the item over and picked it up, only to find the word "镇" (zhen, meaning "suppress") written in bright red, blood-red ink on the front.
...
Just as Zhang Laosi was about to go to his bedroom to get some bedding, he felt a pair of eyes staring intently at him from behind.
He did not light a lamp, partly because he had lived there for over forty years and knew every brick and tile of the courtyard by heart.
Secondly, his family was not wealthy, and even if they could only light half an incense stick's worth of light, he would feel so distressed that he could not sleep for half the night.
Behind the courtyard house was a cowshed, where the elderly couple relied on an old water buffalo to plow the fields and make a living.
"Strange, it should have been fed hay today. It wouldn't have come out of the pen if it wasn't starving. Why is that?"
If it were any other day, Zhang Laosi wouldn't have taken it to heart. But today, he overheard Daoyuan and Fang Hongxuan's private conversation.
Somewhat skeptical, he then began to feel uneasy.
"I hope I haven't encountered anything dirty... Besides, if that water buffalo were begging for food, it would already be right next to me, licking my cheeks..."
Finally, unable to bear the pressure, Zhang Laosi reluctantly lit the oil lamp on the windowsill.
In the dim light, a glossy water buffalo was trudging towards Zhang Laosi's direction.
The former spirituality has long since vanished, replaced by a hesitant yet rather human gaze.
It first mooed twice, then stood up and stared down at Zhang Laosi.
"Boss... Boss... may I ask if I'm more like a human or a hardworking water buffalo..."
Zhang Laosi, who was already so frightened that he was completely at a loss for words, was no longer able to speak.
He staggered and trembled, scrambling and crawling toward the door in a panic.
But as soon as he turned around, that deep voice rang in his ears again.
A hairy cow hoof was added to the arm that was trembling.
"Boss... Boss... may I ask if I'm more like a human or a hardworking water buffalo..."