Sword Arrives

Sitting on the threshold, Chen Ping'an rubbed his forehead. When Song Jixin didn't speak nonsense, he actually wasn't a bad guy. But at times like this, if Liu Xianyang were here, he would definitely say that he wanted to hit Song Jixin on the back of his head with a brick.

Leaning against the door, Chen Ping'an thought about tomorrow, which would probably be just like today, and the day after tomorrow would be just like tomorrow, and so on. So, he, Chen Ping'an, would keep going like this for the rest of his life, until he ended up like old Yao.

People eat earth all their lives, and earth consumes people once.

When you finally close your eyes and open them again, it might be your next life.

The youngster looked down at his straw sandals and suddenly burst into laughter.

Walking on the green stone slabs feels quite different from walking in the mud.

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As Liu Xianyang left the alley and passed by a fortune-telling stall, the young Taoist beckoned and said, "Come, come, come. Your complexion is like oil being cooked over a blazing fire; it's definitely not a good omen. But don't worry, I have a method to help you ward off disasters..."

Liu Xianyang was somewhat surprised. He remembered that this Taoist used to interpret fortune-telling sticks and tell fortunes, and regardless of whether he was accurate or not, this person had never actively solicited business before; it was more of a case of "let the willing take the bait." Could it be that now that the royal kiln has been shut down by the imperial government, this Taoist is also suffering and struggling to make ends meet, so he's willing to take any chance rather than miss out? Liu Xianyang chuckled and cursed, "Your method is to spend money to ward off disasters, right? Get lost, you son of a bitch! Trying to swindle money out of my pocket? No way!"

The young Taoist didn't get annoyed. Instead, he shouted loudly at the tall youth, "Expecting prosperity in all things this year, who knows fate has brought calamity. When there is no disaster, one doesn't think of the gods; to seek peace, one must burn incense... One must burn incense..."

Liu Xianyang suddenly turned around and ran towards the fortune-telling stall at breakneck speed, rubbing his hands together eagerly and shouting, "Burn incense, huh? I'll burn your stall first!"

The Taoist was obviously very frightened. After getting up, he didn't even bother with the stall and ran away, like a rat fleeing from a cat.

Liu Xianyang stood beside the stall, laughing heartily as he watched the Taoist's embarrassed figure. Glancing at the lot pot on the table, he casually reached out and knocked it over, causing the bamboo sticks to slide out and scatter in a fan shape on the table.

Liu Xianyang pointed at the Taoist, who had stopped in the distance, and shouted, "I'll beat you up every time I see you from now on!"

The young Taoist bowed with his fists clasped, pleading for mercy.

Liu Xianyang finally let it go.

The Taoist dared to sit down again only after the tall youth had walked away, sighing, "The world is tough, and people's hearts are not what they once were. It's hard for even me, a poor Taoist, to make a living."

Just then, the Taoist's eyes lit up, and he quickly closed them, declaring loudly, "The pond is full, and frogs croak in chaos; it is human nature that pierces one's heart."

The young master and the maid obviously heard the Taoist's words but showed no intention of stopping.

The Taoist slightly opened his eyes, realizing that he was about to miss another opportunity for business. He slapped his hand on the table and raised his voice, "The top scholar is but a mortal man, and the prime minister is no more than an earthly being. But you are not a mortal, and you will have great fame in the future."

Song Jixin and his maid, Zhigui, simply continued on their way.

The Taoist felt discouraged and muttered under his breath, "This life is unbearable."

The young master suddenly turned his head and threw a copper coin towards the Taoist from afar, smiling brightly and saying, "I'll take your good wishes!"

The Taoist hastily caught the coin and opened his palm to find that it was just the smallest denomination, a single copper coin, which made his frown deepen.

However...

The young Taoist gently placed the copper coin on the table.

In the blink of an eye, a goldfinch swooped down onto the table, lowered its head, and gently pecked at the coin. It then picked it up in its beak, looked up at the Taoist, and its eyes sparkled with intelligence, much like a human's.

The Taoist whispered softly, "Go now, this place is not suitable for lingering."

The goldfinch flashed and disappeared.

The Taoist looked around and finally fixed his gaze on the tall archway in the distance, which happened to be directly opposite the inscribed board with the words "Vitality Soaring Like a Bull." He sighed, "What a pity."

Finally, the Taoist added, "If we could sell it outside, it would fetch at least a thousand to two thousand silver taels, wouldn't it?"