Chapter 127
Chapter 127
At daybreak, villagers from every surrounding settlement who had heard that the Valiant Great General was in danger came from all directions to worship.
The villages were scattered and the crowds enormous, so Chen Fu had to rent another six coaches at the last minute. Even then, they barely had enough.
Naturally, Eighth Master Chang and Hu Fei’er could not reveal themselves in front of so many people.
The three Oldling Spirits dared not manifest in broad daylight at all.
That left Hua Jiunan and Chen Daji nearly run off their feet.
Hua Jiunan greeted people at the temple entrance, while Chen Daji kept them company inside.
Night had already fallen by the time they finally saw off the last coachload of villagers. Chen Daji was so exhausted that he dropped onto his backside.
“Good grief! I never knew being a monk or Daoist priest was this tiring!”
“My waist aches, my back hurts, and my forehead is killing me!”
“Big Brother, let’s switch tomorrow. You keep them company inside, and I’ll greet them out front.”
Hua Jiunan did not understand.
“I only had you stay inside because I was worried you would get cold. Why switch?”
Eighth Master Chang gave a strange chuckle.
“Young master physician, ignore that silly roe deer Daji!”
“The idiot saw people kowtowing, so he kowtowed along with every one of them.”
“He must’ve knocked his head against the floor several thousand times today. If he hasn’t rattled his brains loose, it’s only because his skull is thick!”
Chen Daji stared blankly.
“Fuck! I wasn’t supposed to kowtow with them?”
“Then I suffered for nothing!”
“My head is still buzzing…”
The moment the words left his mouth, something occurred to him.
“Wait, Eighth Master! If I didn’t have to kowtow, why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”
Eighth Master Chang turned away with a cold snort.
“Why the hell should I have told you?”
After the laughter died down, Eighth Master Chang gathered dead branches and lit a fire. Hu Fei’er personally cooked everyone a pot of instant noodles.
No one knew what wild greens that little fox immortal, as lovely as the spirits of the wild, had added to the pot.
Whatever they were, the noodles tasted exceptionally good.
So good, in fact, that Hua Jiunan and Chen Daji had taken only a few bites before Eighth Master Chang slurped down everything left in the first pot.
Chen Daji thought to himself, *We only brought one case. At this rate, it won’t even be enough for Eighth Master alone.*
His eyes darted, and an idea came to him. He leaned close and whispered to Eighth Master Chang.
“Eighth Master, did you know that according to human rules, eating too much gets merit deducted from your record?”
Eighth Master Chang started in alarm. “Really?”
“Daji, Eighth Master never went to school. Don’t you dare lie to me!”
He remained suspicious, but cautious by nature, Eighth Master Chang stopped eyeing the second pot of noodles Fei’er was cooking.
After all, merit was hard to earn. He still hoped to save enough to exchange for the Taiping Talisman-Water Secret Art.
Once they had eaten their fill, Hua Jiunan and Chen Daji, who had gone a day and a night without sleep, leaned tightly against each other and drifted off.
Blushing, Hu Fei’er transformed back into the adorable little white fox and gently curled up beside Hua Jiunan.
Eighth Master Chang took on the role of bodyguard, coiling his body around them protectively.
The three Oldling Spirits squatted together on the stone steps outside the temple.
Deep in the night, a distant song suddenly drifted toward them.
Six ghosts stood in a line with their heads bowed, each resting both hands on the shoulders of the one ahead.
Led by two eerie paper figures, they walked step by step into the distance.
Ah Da, the Oldling Spirit, shuddered at the sight and hurriedly led Ah Er and Ah San into hiding.
“Paper servants guide the way; living souls cross the boundary.”
“How has the world become even more troubled in the ten years since the Great General left?”
Time passed, and two days went by in the blink of an eye.
For some unknown reason, a gale had begun howling the previous night, hurling snow like knives.
The cold had become so intense that water froze the instant it fell.
As everyone knew, village toilets were built outside the house.
Whenever the village men got up at night to relieve themselves, they had to carry a stick.
Before dawn, Zhao Aiguo returned to the village through the wind and snow.
The moment he entered the house, he saw Deaf Granny smiling at him.
He quickly set down the rice and flour he was carrying and went over to support her.
“Old Auntie, you’re always up so early.”
As the old woman urged Zhao Aiguo onto the warm brick bed, she replied, “Old people don’t need much sleep. I thought I’d get up early and sweep the snow from the street.”
Chen Fu entered as she spoke.
“Don’t move, Old Auntie. Wang San and I will take care of it in a bit!”
“If the villagers saw you sweeping snow, they’d curse the two of us behind our backs for being unfilial!”
Deaf Granny nodded with a smile.
“Aiguo, did you come back because you were worried about Zhao Fei?”
“Don’t worry. He’s doing well.”
“All we need to do is retrieve the Soul-Guiding Incense at midnight tomorrow.”
Zhao Aiguo nodded repeatedly.
“We’ll have to trouble you with the child’s affairs, Old Auntie.”
After a pause, he continued, “I’ll stay long enough to eat, but then I need to visit Liujia Village, where I bought those paper figures last time.”
“Six people there have died violent deaths in the last two days. We need to make sure it isn’t an epidemic.”
For some reason, alarm stirred in Deaf Granny’s heart.
Why had everything been so sinister lately? Please, let nothing else happen!