The young girl, however, seemed unfazed.

The young Daoist priest could not help but burst into laughter.

Suddenly, the young Daoist realized the atmosphere was somewhat off. He quickly changed the subject, “The tender leaves of the Dragon Scale Tamarisk from Green Water Pool, or as we call it here, Three Spring Willow, were not picked at the right time, seven or eight days too late. And this package of Dragon Flight Grass, commonly known as Maiden’s Waist, was ground into powder too carelessly. As for this Paper Heap Flower, the Yang family’s shop is even more outrageous! They promised three taels, yet it’s short by one qian!”

The young Daoist spoke in a torrent, finding fault with everything, barely satisfied with anything. It seemed as if he harbored some personal grudge against the Yang family’s apothecary. Then, with a sudden turn, he delivered his final verdict, “The shopkeeper’s conscience has been eaten by dogs! But these medicinal herbs on the table are still enough to brew medicine and save lives. Of course, that’s mainly thanks to this Miss Ning Yao’s strong constitution. The Yang family’s shop only deserves maybe half a copper coin’s worth of credit.”

The young Daoist slapped his forehead and spread out a blank sheet of paper. As he began to write, he instructed, “I almost forgot. I’ll write you another prescription for brewing the medicine. This is a genuinely delicate task, Chen Ping An, you must not be careless! My prescription is not only for healing injuries, but also for strengthening the foundation and cultivating the essence. It’s the superior strategy of the military, establishing oneself in an invincible position and using war to nourish war. The best part is that it’s gentle and harmless, only taking more time and requiring more medicinal herbs, which simply means spending more silver. I’ve written down in detail when to rapidly decoct with a fierce flame and when to slowly simmer with a gentle flame. There’s even a specific time of day for brewing the medicine! In short, Chen Ping An, you must work hard for the next ten days. A man, after all, is meant to bear burdens. Otherwise, why would there be the saying ‘a man who stands tall and supports the heavens’? You must not shirk responsibility, lest the young lady look down on you…”

When he spoke the words “stands tall and supports the heavens,” the young Daoist shook his head almost imperceptibly.

The prescription itself only took up half a sheet of paper, but the instructions on how to brew the medicine filled two. The calligraphy was plain small script, neat and orderly.

Chen Ping An was a bit anxious. “Daoist Master, are you not going to take care of things afterward? Shouldn’t you personally oversee such a matter of life and death to be more sure?”

The young Daoist replied helplessly, “I am about to leave the small town. There’s a sect of my lineage within the Southern Stream Kingdom. There’s a ceremony to be held, and I wish to witness it myself.”

Chen Ping An was even more helpless. “Daoist Master, but I can’t read!”

The young Daoist paused, then smiled. “It doesn’t matter. Miss Ning recognizes characters. Before brewing the medicine, you can ask her about the relevant matters.”

The young girl nodded.

Chen Ping An was about to speak, but the young Daoist suddenly remembered something. He took out a small, exquisite, green jade seal from his sleeve. He gently breathed on the seal face, then heavily pressed it onto the paper on which he had written the prescription. After lifting the seal from the paper, he seemed quite satisfied. He put it away into his sleeve, then handed the prescription and the two instruction sheets to Chen Ping An. “Take good care of these. Books in the small town are mostly private collections, making it difficult for you to purchase them. If you truly wish to learn how to read, you can start with my prescription.”

The young Daoist smiled at the young girl. “A floating leaf returns to the sea, where in life do we not meet? Miss Ning, shall we say, we will meet again in the future?”

The black-clad girl said seriously, “Daoist Lu, we will meet again! Great kindness is best left unsaid. In the future, if there’s anything you need my help with, you can send a flying sword letter to Upside-Down Mountain. Just remember to sign the name ‘Lu Chen,’ otherwise, Upside-Down Mountain may not allow the flying sword to enter the mountain gate.”

Upon hearing the name Upside-Down Mountain, the young Daoist was clearly surprised, and hesitated to speak. The young girl gently shook her head. He quickly understood and did not press for details. Some things are better left unknown to the young boy in the house.

The young Daoist was the first to leave the house, not forgetting to pull on the boy’s arm. “Chen Ping An, I have some final words to say to you.”

Chen Ping An first placed the package on the bed, telling the black-clad girl that it was newly bought clothing.

After the two of them arrived in the courtyard, the young Daoist directly asked in a low voice, “With your memory, you must already recognize the characters on the first prescription. Plus, there’s a bookworm living next door. ‘Not knowing how to read’ is not the real reason you’re stopping me from leaving.”

Chen Ping An replied, “With your abilities, Daoist Master surely knows the reason.”

The young Daoist chuckled. “You think you’re definitely going to die, so you’re afraid there will be no one to take care of the young girl?”

Chen Ping An nodded. “Since I opened the door at the time, I must be responsible to the end.”

The young Daoist stood beside the cart, pinched his fingers together, and with a silent flick, the white-sheathed long sword with two characters of sword qi pressed into it by the Confucian scholar Qi Jing Chun quietly flew into the house. It must have been that the black-clad girl did not want to frighten Chen Ping An, so she tacitly allowed the flying sword’s transgression. The young Daoist pondered for a moment, subconsciously tapping the lotus crown on his head with one finger as he thought. Finally, he said, “Before coming here, I heard a senior brother say that doing things must be reasonable, and treating people must be humane… Since that’s the case, I shouldn’t be too rigid and harsh. Although the world’s people each have their own karma, since my sect’s fundamental teachings deviate from the edicts of ordinary Daoist sects… Meeting is fate, and it’s barely considered a good fate. I might as well go with the flow. That divination tube and the one hundred and eight sticks cannot be given to you. The karma is too chaotic. Once it’s entangled and cannot be severed, it’s very troublesome. As for that private seal, it’s a bit heavy. Giving it to you would only expose the small town to the light of day once the restriction is gone. Wouldn’t I be harming you? Alas, could it be that I should give you some gold, silver, or copper coins? That would be too unrefined and vulgar. How could I possibly…”

Unexpectedly, Chen Ping An said decisively, “Daoist Lu, giving money is very refined, not vulgar!”

The young Daoist said with a playful smile, “You didn’t understand the previous two items, but you definitely knew they were significant. Why didn’t you ask for them?”

The young boy slowly said, “A white bowl that can hold at least a large vat of water, a Daoist who can burn paper money for ancestors in the underworld, a severely injured and strange young girl, and a bag of twenty-eight gold coins… In the past, Old Man Yao only said that our place was strange, but now I’ve seen it with my own eyes. If I hadn’t encountered those two outsiders, I would have avoided all of you. I wouldn’t have even opened the door today.”

The young Daoist leaned against the cart and said in a deep voice, “That foreign woman used her finger to touch your brow, a lowly trick to forcibly open a person’s acupoints. In martial arts, it’s called ‘pointing’, and the technique varies in skill, and the intention can be good or bad. To give you an analogy, your courtyard door isn’t sturdy, right? She deliberately used a hammer to knock it open. Of course, one can enter the door, but the foundation is damaged. Imagine that in the future, in weather of wind, rain, frost, and snow, the person who opened the door will have long since fled, but what about you, the master who lives in the courtyard year-round?”

Chen Ping An hesitated. “I can still endure hardship.”

Looking at the straw sandal boy who didn’t seem to be joking at all, the young Daoist said, amused and angry, “That was her first attempt to harm you. If your bones and muscles are strong and your qi and blood are vigorous, it won’t be difficult for you to live to thirty or forty years old. However, her action of patting your chest with her palm was the real fatal wound. Not only did it damage your body’s origin, but it also severed your path to longevity… To be precise, you originally had a glimmer of opportunity. Taking advantage of the great fortune of this world turning upside down and reversing heaven and earth, you might not have had the possibility of continuing on the path of Great Dao cultivation. This is like a torrent rushing down. The river is filled with countless dragons, fishes, and shrimps. Those who are lucky will of course gain a lot. But even if you’re the unluckiest, while others are catching dragons and turtles, you might be able to沾沾光to catch a small fish or shrimp.”

Chen Ping An didn’t have a look of horror or panic on his face. He stood there quietly, without even a hint of feigned composure.

The young Daoist neither admired nor belittled him, and sighed softly. “Chen Ping An, you’re so young, yet you’re detached from life and death. That’s not a good thing. Do you think that living is best, but if there’s really no way, and the heavens really won’t let you live, then death is death, and you’re not afraid, right? Because death, in fact, is an opportunity for you to reunite with your parents?”

Chen Ping An did not deny it.

The young Daoist suddenly cursed, “Have you ever thought about what your parents’ feelings will be when they see you, even if you can fortunately meet them in the vast and boundless netherworld?”

The young Daoist became more and more angry as he spoke. He stretched out a finger and poked the boy’s head hard, as if he wanted to break open this stubborn head. “Bai Wuchang in historical novels and strange tales wears a tall white hat. Whenever he comes to the yang world to detain the souls of the dead, the dead can clearly see four big characters written on the white hat, ‘You’re here too!’ Chen Ping An! I ask you, when your parents see you, will they happily ask you Chen Ping An, ‘Son, you’re here too?’ Will they still be able to go to reincarnation in peace? Do you really think that there are many people in the world who have the good fortune to be children or couples for generations to come? I tell you plainly, don’t even think about it! Even those sect leaders who can change the world with a word don’t have that kind of all-powerful ability, let alone you, Chen Ping An, a poor wretch who has no security and doesn’t even have three square meals a day?!”

Speaking of the last, the young Daoist was severe and serious.

The boy was at a loss.

This was the first time since the boy had come of age that he felt so afraid that his hands and feet were cold.

The boy squatted down and hugged his head with his hands, this time without scratching his head.

The young Daoist looked down at the thin figure. “Forget it, forget it. In order to save people, I owe you a favor. I originally thought that it would be best if I could get away with it, otherwise I would save a little for the next life, but now it seems that I should pay you all back, and then we will be clear in the future. I have three things to tell you, you should remember them one by one. The first thing is to wait for Miss Ning to get better, take her to the stream south of the small town to find a father and daughter surnamed Ruan. Remember, take her with you, otherwise it will be useless for you to go a hundred times by yourself. After you go, even if you act shameless, you have to strive to be their helper apprentice. Whether it’s digging wells, carrying stones, forging swords, or blacksmithing, it’s all about finding a shady place to stay. In this way, Miss Ning can also repay your favor, and you don’t have to feel that you are taking advantage of others.”

“The second thing is that after the fifth day of the fifth month, you should often go to the stream under the corridor bridge, whether to pick up stones, catch fish, or catch shrimps, it’s up to you. In short, go often, go when you are upset, and go even more when you have a sense of inspiration. As for the harvest, heaven knows with your luck, but at least ‘diligence can make up for clumsiness’. If you still get nothing, then you should just accept your fate.”

After the young Daoist finished talking about the two things, he started pushing the cart. Seeing that the boy was still squatting and not moving, but facing him, he said, “Get up and help!”

After the boy got up, he helped push the cart and asked curiously, “Didn’t you say there were three things?”

The young Daoist snorted coldly. “I told you a long time ago to think for yourself!”

The boy was stunned.

After that, the Daoist exhorted some more things.

“Those coins are very precious, keep them carefully.”

“Go out less for the next period of time.”

“Smile more, always wearing a long face, you’re not handsome anyway, who are you showing it to?”

He talked on and on.

The young Daoist was like an elder.

After getting the cart out of the courtyard, the boy said that he would push it out of Mud Bottle Lane, and the young Daoist did not refuse.

Walking in the small alley one after the other, the Daoist finally said, “I should still say something. According to my calculations of your fate, your parents’ early death was not your fault.”

The young Daoist paused for a long time, until the cart was about to leave Mud Bottle Lane, and then said softly, “Not only that, your life is rough because of your parents.”

The boy was silent.

Finally, the young Daoist insisted that the boy not see him off, and pushed the cart alone and left far away to the east gate.

Looking back, the boy was still standing at the entrance of the alley, waving hard at himself with a bright smile.

He didn’t look like someone who was about to die at all.