As soon as Crazy Old Taoist left the Taoist Temple and stepped out of the mountain forest, several figures followed him.
He waved his hand impatiently, “Stay away from me.”
With that, he quickened his pace, muttering under his breath, “These people are nothing but trouble.”
This remote, impoverished area was full of odd-looking folks, none of whom were worthy of his disciple.
Although the man he encountered today was severely injured, it was clear he was capable and possessed a Long Zhang Feng Zi appearance—handsome enough to match his disciple.
If others could engage in Bang Xia Zhuo Xu, he could just as well practice Xie En Jia Nu and La Lang Pei.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt his sudden inspiration was truly brilliant.
Crazy Old Taoist was determined to make this happen, not at all concerned about the man’s background.
Gu Yu Chen had internal injuries, knife wounds, and a fractured right calf, which Crazy Old Taoist had immobilized with a splint.
The weather was scorching, and fearing heatstroke, the old Taoist had forced him to drink plenty of water. Now, his bladder was about to burst, but there was no one in sight, and Crazy Old Taoist had wandered off to who-knows-where.
When Song Shiyue arrived carrying a food box, she saw his face flushed dark red, his hands gripping the sheets tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hands.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Gu Yu Chen gritted his teeth. “Please fetch your master.”
“Master isn’t here. If you have something to say, just say it.”
Gu Yu Chen felt like he would rather die.
Seeing beads of sweat on his forehead and his agonized expression, Song Shiyue suddenly understood.
“Do you need to relieve yourself? Number one or number two?”
Gu Yu Chen replied resentfully, “Number one.”
Song Shiyue picked up the Night Pot from the corner, lifted the blanket, and placed it inside. “Take care of it yourself.”
She turned and walked out.
Gu Yu Chen finally found relief and reminded himself not to drink any water for the next couple of days—only moistening his lips when necessary.
Song Shiyue picked up the pot to empty it, her face expressionless. Gu Yu Chen was mortified beyond words.
Little did he know that in her heart, Song Shiyue was cursing Crazy Old Taoist vehemently—the wretched old man had done this on purpose.
Did he really think he could force them together like this? In his dreams!
Meanwhile, Crazy Old Taoist, darting through the mountain forest, suddenly felt his nose itch and desperately covered it with his hand, but he was still spotted by his pursuers.
A moment later, the old Taoist shouted angrily into the woods, “You fools! You led the enemies here! Clean this up immediately!”
Crazy Old Taoist glanced helplessly toward the distant Taoist Temple—he had to leave now.
…
“Is it just you and your master in this Taoist Temple?”
“There are plenty of spirits here too.”
Song Shiyue looked solemnly at the top of Gu Yu Chen’s head. “They’re greeting you right now.”
“Really? I can’t see them. Send them my regards for me.”
Failing to scare him, Song Shiyue felt rather disappointed.
She took a hollow willow twig, inserted one end into a bowl and the other into Gu Yu Chen’s mouth. Remembering his earlier ordeal, he refused to drink the liquid food.
“Your internal injuries are severe. You can’t eat solid food yet.”
“Then I won’t eat anything.”
“What, planning to stay here and freeload?”
Song Shiyue couldn’t be bothered to explain how many precious herbs were in that bowl of paste. Her expression suddenly turned stern. “You already owe a lot for medical fees and medicine. Don’t think you can die here and skip out on the bill.”
“You!” This girl only cared about money, not people. With all the silver notes he carried, wasn’t it enough to cover his medicine?
Song Shiyue was equally furious. Saving this man had been a terrible bargain—they had used up many of their premium medicines on him, and the valuables previously taken from him weren’t even enough to cover the cost. Yet he still believed she was trying to extort money from him.
Under her glare, Gu Yu Chen reluctantly drank a small bowl of paste-like substance. It tasted peculiar but not unpleasant.
This master-disciple pair lived in seclusion at an abandoned Taoist Temple deep in the mountains—who were they really?
Their medical skills were truly exceptional, and the pills were top-grade. His injuries were healing at an incredible pace, though his Inner Force would need time to recover gradually.
When Gu Yu Chen could finally sit up, the Crazy Old Taoist somehow procured a wheelchair, allowing him to get some fresh air outside daily.
“You’d better not wander around here carelessly. Watch out for ghosts.”
“Money-grubbing ghosts? They are quite frightening.”
Gu Yu Chen teased, thinking to himself that she was indeed the greedy ghost he feared.
Song Shiyue couldn’t be bothered to explain. Once he recovered, their paths would never cross again. Let him misunderstand her as greedy.
“Girl, the old man bought some intestines. How about making Gan Bian Fei Chang today?”
The Crazy Old Taoist’s voice carried from beyond the wall. Despite there being a gate, he insisted on flying over the wall to come and go.
Watching the Crazy Old Taoist’s movements, Gu Yu Chen marveled at his exceptional lightness skill—the girl’s seemed impressive too.
However, the young girl’s most praiseworthy trait was her culinary skill.
Having been permitted to eat solid food these past couple of days, Gu Yu Chen had tasted divine delicacies.
The Crazy Old Taoist strode up to Gu Yu Chen, his hair disheveled and robes hanging loosely—always maintaining his madcap appearance.
“Young man, how’s my girl’s cooking?”
“Excellent. She could be considered the top chef in Da Chu.”
“Heh! You’re right about that, but you have no idea how many other talents that girl possesses.”
The Crazy Old Taoist sat on a nearby stone stool. “Don’t come out every day before you’ve fully recovered. Saving you wasn’t easy. We used who knows how many rare medicinal herbs—treasure them.”
“Don’t worry, Taoist Priest. I know to cherish my blessings and will remember to repay this kindness.”
For a drop of kindness, one should return a spring—let alone saving Gu Yu Chen’s life.
The Crazy Old Taoist nodded approvingly and said earnestly, “Well said. One should seek to repay kindness. Since our girl saved your life, repay her by offering yourself in marriage.”
Gu Yu Chen felt like vomiting blood. Repaying kindness didn’t require marrying her—this crazy old Taoist was trying to kill him.
“What? You’re unwilling, boy? Did your family arrange a marriage for you?”
“Not at all.” Gu Yu Chen answered honestly, not using it as an excuse.
The Crazy Old Taoist said cheerfully, “Perfect. You and the girl are a talented man and a beautiful woman—a perfect match.”
Thinking of Song Shiyue’s currently ordinary face and worried Gu Yu Chen might disdain her, the Crazy Old Taoist was about to reveal the truth when a garlic bulb came flying straight at his face.
“Peel the garlic!”
The Crazy Old Taoist instinctively caught the garlic, but his palm trembled from the force of the throw.
Gu Yu Chen spotted it keenly and shuddered inwardly—the little girl was quite the fierce one.
Song Shiyue’s fierce glare warned the Crazy Old Taoist to stop talking nonsense.
The Crazy Old Taoist quickly controlled his trembling hand. “Haha, Yue girl’s martial arts have improved again.”
He handed the garlic to Gu Yu Chen and whispered, “To become a virtuous husband and father, start by peeling garlic.”
“I have no such intention.”
“You just said you’d repay the kindness. Are you planning to be ungrateful now?”
“Repaying a favor doesn’t require selling yourself. I can offer a generous monetary reward, even my entire fortune.”
“Oh? Is your entire fortune substantial?”
The Crazy Old Taoist said with a beaming smile, “That’s a good thought. Those can serve as your dowry.”
Gu Yu Chen was stunned. No wonder the girl was so greedy for money—it ran in the family.
“What, you’re not willing?”
The Crazy Old Taoist gripped Gu Yu Chen’s arm firmly, causing him to grimace in pain.
“Boy, you’d better think carefully—do you still want to keep your life?”
Realizing he was currently powerless to resist, Gu Yu Chen said, “I’ll consider it, I’ll consider it.”
“Hmph, you brat. Being able to marry our girl is your good fortune. Don’t be ungrateful.”
Gu Yu Chen broke out in a cold sweat from the pain. “Alright, alright. As long as Miss Yue is willing, I’ll agree.”
Seeing the boy was sensible, the Crazy Old Taoist said seriously, “Remember, the girl’s name is Song Shiyue. She saved your life, so you must repay her with yourself. For the rest of your life, you can only be good to our Yue girl.”
Compared to the young girl’s greed for money, this old Taoist was even more frightening—he seemed truly capable of taking his life.
He didn’t want to die, nor could he afford to die.
Gu Yu Chen appeared obedient, but inwardly he thought that given the young girl’s temperament, she would certainly not agree.
Yet sometimes, things can turn out unexpectedly.
…