San Lang glanced at him, chuckling as he said, "I'll be gone for a while."
After casually dropping this line, he turned and left. Speaking logically, Xie Lian should have been chasing him to ask that question, but he had the odd fact that because the young man had said he would only be gone for a while, he would not be gone for a long time. He will definitely come back. So, Xie Lian took the feeling of initiative and returned to the monastery.
Xie Lian rummaged through the items he had collected last night while roaming the city alleys; his left hand held a metal pan, while his right hand found a cooking knife. He saw a pile of fruits and vegetables on the offering table and rose from his seat.
After about one incense then, the sound of footsteps could be heard from outside the Pu Qi Monastery. These footsteps did not sound soft or rushed, and after hearing them, one could easily imagine a young man walking casually.
* This is how people keep track of the time, this is a timely estimate because each incense is different.
At this point, the item Xie Lian held in his hand had already turned into two plates. He looked left and right at the items on the plate, before taking a deep breath. Not wanting to see him again, he peered outside and, as he suspected, he saw San Lang again.
The young man stood outside the monastery. Maybe it was due to the intense blazing sun, he had removed his red outerwear and tied it casually around his waist. He only wore a thin white shirt for his boss, with his sleeves rolled up, making him look rather clean and deft. His right foot stepped on a rectangular piece of wood, and his left hand twisted a billhook machete.
The machete might have been borrowed from one of the villagers. It looked dull and heavy, but in his hand, it looked light and very sharp. Often, San Lang shaves several pieces of wood from wooden boards, like peeling skin, they are cleaned until the surface is quite slippery.
When he lifted his eyes and saw Xie Lian come out, he said, "I'm making something."
Walking closer to look, Xie Lian realized he had actually made a door. The right size. With extraordinary expertise, the door is beautiful and elegant. Seeing how the young man seemed to come from a rich background, Xie Lian thought he would be the type who could not do physical work or distinguish rice from wheat *. Who knew he was so fast with his hands?
* Chinese idioms describe someone who does not know general things and cannot do physical work, AKA is useless both in mind and body in the mind.
"Sorry ... I bothered you, San Lang," said Xie Lian.
San Lang smiled, did not add any more comments. Quickly throwing his machete to the side, he immediately left to install the door. Then, he knocked on it several times before telling him, "Since you are going to draw a talisman, why not draw it on the door? Isn't that better?"
After saying that, he casually lifted the curtain and entered.
It seemed that the barrier talisman on the curtain had absolutely no effect on him, acting as if there were no obstacles for him he had passed, and San Lang didn't seem to care at all either.
Xie Lian closed the door he just made, but then he couldn't help opening it again, only to close it, open it, then close it again. Admiring how well the door was made after opening and closing it several times, until satisfied like a fool, he was suddenly surprised at how absurd he was just now. At the other end of the room, San Lang was sitting relaxed at home. Xie Lian left the door alone and took out a plate of steamed plain bread, which was offered this morning from the villagers before putting it on the offering table.
San Lang looks at the bread. He didn't say a word but quietly started laughing again, as if he had seen something funny. Xie Lian acted as if nothing had happened and poured in two more bowls of water. Just when he was about to sit down, he saw what was under the sleeve of the rolled up Lang Lang shirt. His arm had a series of small tattoos, and all the characters with tattoos were very strange. Noting his gaze, San Lang lowered his sleeve and chuckled as he said, "I got it when I was young."
Because he had removed his sleeve, that meant he did not want to discuss the topic further. Xie Lian understood. He sat before raising his head to look at the portrait again, saying, "San Lang, you draw very well, is there someone who taught you while at home?"
San Lang stabs some bread with his chopsticks. "Nobody taught me. I only drew for my own amusement."
Xie Lian asked, "How do you know how to draw a portrait of 'Prince Crown Prince Xian Le that pleases the Gods'?"
San Lang laughed, said, "Didn't you say before that I know everything? Of course I know how to draw it."
Although this was a rather shameless answer, his attitude was generous, as if he was not worried about making Xie Lian suspicious, he was also not afraid to be questioned further. Xie Lian smiled and dropped the subject. And at the right time, a commotion arises from the outside. Both of them raised their heads at the same time and glanced at each other.
Only to hear someone from outside banging on the door loudly, shouting, "Eternal! Oh my God, this is terrible! Eternal, save us!"
Xie Lian opened the door and saw a crowd standing in front, surrounding the entrance. After seeing him open the door, the village chief exclaimed with excitement, "Great Immortal! This man is likely to die! Please! Save him!"
As soon as he heard someone was going to die, Xie Lian hurried to look, only to see that the person who was surrounded by villagers was a Taoist man. His hair was disheveled and his face was dirty. His clothes and shoes were torn and tattered, as if he had been on the run for several days. It seems like he just arrived and passed out before he was brought here. Xie Lian said, "Don't panic. Don't panic. He's not dead yet."
He bent down to examine the person's body. During this process, he notices that the person has carried a number of things in his luggage, such as eight triagrams and an iron sword, all of which are effective charms. It seemed that this person was not an ordinary Taoist Jianghu * priest. Xie Lian's heart couldn't help but sink into reality.
* (jiānghú): Jianghu is a community of martial artists in wuxia stories and, more recently, bans societies such as triads
Not long after, the Tao awoke before asking in a hoarse voice, "... where is this?". The village head replied, "This is Pu Qi Village!"
The person mumbled, got out, I finally managed to escape "Get out. I'm myself .."
He looked around. Suddenly, his eyes widened before he fearfully said, "T-Please, help! Please help!"
Xie Lian had anticipated this kind of reaction. He said, "Taoist colleague, what is it? Who should I help? What's wrong? Don't be in a hurry, take your time and say it clearly."
The villagers also said, "That's right, there's no need to be afraid. We have a great eternal life here, he will definitely finish all your business!"
Xie Lian, "???"
Actually, these villagers had never seen him do godly things, but they all believed that he was a living god. Xie Lian also didn't know what to say, he thought, "to solve all the problems is something that is impossible to guarantee."
To the person, he asked, "Where are you from?"
The Taoist said, "I ... I came from Passing the Ban Road .... Yue."
Hearing this, everyone present turned to look at each other. "Where is it like a small road going through Ban Yue?"
"Never heard of that!"
Xie Lian said, "The small road to pass Ban Yue is far in the Northwest region. The place is very far from here. How did you get here?"
The person said, "I went through ... great difficulty when I could escape here."
He spoke incoherently, and his emotions were very unstable. In this situation, the more people around, the more difficult it is to talk. With everyone talking at once, you will not be able to speak clearly or you cannot hear clearly. Xie Lian said, "Let's talk after entering."
He gently helped the man inside, then turned to talk to the villagers. "Can everyone go home and stop watching?"
However, the villagers were very enthusiastic when they asked:
"Terrific Eternal, what happened to him?"
"Yes, what happened?"
"If there are difficulties, we will all help!"
Unfortunately, the more enthusiastic they are, the more they are unable to help. Feeling helpless, Xie Lian lowered her voice and earnestly said, "This ... can ... be my responsibility"
The villagers were shocked after hearing those words. Ownership is not a joke. That would not be done for them to continue watching, so they all quickly dispersed. Xie Lian, unsure whether to laugh or cry, closed the door. San Lang was still sitting next to the offering table, his hands spinning chopsticks for fun. He squinted at the man, his eyes rather observing. Xie Lian told him, "It's nothing. You can keep eating."
He let the man sit, but still stood alone. "This Daoist friend, I am the ruler of this monastery, and I can also be considered a cultivator. Don't worry, if something happens, you can say it. And, if there is anything I can help, maybe I can lend a little strength I have Regarding what you mentioned before, what happened to the small road going through Ban Yue?
The man was breathing heavily. Apparently, after entering a not-so-crowded room and hearing Xie Lian's soothing words, he was finally able to calm down. He said, "Have you ever heard of this place?"
However, Xie Lian replied, "I've heard of it. The small road going through Ban Yue is an oasis in the Gobi desert *. The night view of Ban Yue is very beautiful, and can be described as quite a fascinating sight. That's how it used to get its name."
* This is a large desert region in Asia. The man said,
"Oasis? Beautiful? That was a period of two centuries ago. Now, calling it the Ban Ming Road * would be more accurate!"
With a bit of confusion, Xie Lian asked, "What do you mean?"
The man's skin turned pale to a scary point. He said, "Since it doesn't matter where someone comes from, at least half of those who travel there will disappear without a trace. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to call it 'The Little Road through Ban Ming?"
This really never happened. Xie Lian said, "Who did you hear this from?"
"I didn't hear this from anyone. This is what I witnessed with my own eyes!"
Sitting slowly in a chair, the man continued, "There are caravans who want to travel through that place. They know of the crime that happened there, and have asked our entire group to escort them on their journey. In the end ..."
His voice was filled with sadness when he said, "In the end, I'm the only one left."
Xie Lian raised her hand and gestured for her to sit well and not be too anxious. "How many people join your sect?"
"My entire sect, plus the people from the caravan, number about sixty!"
Around sixty people. When Xuan Ji's ghost had caused chaos in a century, what finally counted by Ling Wen Palace was that the total number of people killed did not exceed two hundred more. But listening to what the Taoists said, this kind of event seems to have happened for more than a century. If there are many people who are missing at any time, then from adding numbers, it will absolutely make this no longer count as a small problem. You could say this is a big problem. Xie Lian asked, "When exactly did the small road Passing Ban Yue first become the small road Passing Ban Ming?"
The man said, "About a hundred and fifty years ago perhaps it had begun, when that place became a territory of evil dens.
Xie Lian wanted to ask in detail about the killing of his party and about this 'Criminal Territory'. But, from the beginning until now, he couldn't help but feel a little that something was wrong. Up to this point, Xie Lian had no way to suppress the feeling of suspicion in his chest. Thus, he ended the topic and began to slightly furrow his brows.
Just then, San Lang suddenly spoke.
He said, "You passed the small road through Ban Yue?"
The man said, "Yes! Agh, that's a narrow escape!"
San Lang made an 'oh' sound to understand, then didn't say anything more. However, it only needed one question for Xie Lian to understand what felt very wrong.
Turning around, he warmly said, "Then, after running away from a small road through Ban Yue, which is so far away, you must be very thirsty."
The man was surprised, but Xie Lian had already placed a bowl of water in front of him, saying, "This is water, my Daoist friend. Why don't you drink?"
Facing this cup of water, a nervous expression crossed the man's face. Xie Lian stood to the side, his hands ready hidden behind his sleeve, quietly waiting.
If this Taoist really came from the North West, while fleeing in a hurry, he would definitely dry up in the sense of thirst and hunger. And looking at his appearance, it seems like he doesn't have free time to eat or drink.
However, after he woke up, he had talked so much but had not made the slightest request for food or drink a sip of water during that time. Even though he sat facing all the food and drinks on the offering table after entering the building, he showed no one of interest or desire for them. He didn't even glance at them once.