Gu Shi Yi said,
"Her mother is an infamous shrew in this town. If I provoke her, I won't be able to extricate myself!"
She would insist that her son was kicked and suffered internal injuries, extort several taels of silver from me, and that would be a bad deal!
The Old Taoist Priest repeatedly cautioned me not to cause trouble when outside. Now that he's no longer here, and I'm also with Yanyan, it's even better to avoid trouble!
"I originally planned to stay in town tonight and leave tomorrow, but that won't do anymore, better leave early!"
After resting enough, Gu Shi Yi shouldered her bundle, carried the earthen jar, and hit the road again. She looked up at the sky,
"The next town is thirty li away, about half a day's journey. If I walk quickly, I should be able to get there before dark..."
If it really comes down to it, I can spend the night in the open. After all, I've endured all kinds of hardships following the Old Taoist Priest out in the wild!
Thinking of this, her heart suddenly ached again. Now the Old Taoist Priest was gone, and it was just her alone!
"Let's go!"
She tightened her hold on the broken earthen jar and strode forward...
Gu Shi Yi didn't know it was thanks to Niu Da that she left the town early. What she didn't know was that the day after she left, a party of five men came to the town. These five were dressed differently, all with grim looks and a chilling air that made one's spine tingle at first glance.
As it happens, after arriving in the town, they headed to the Niu Family Tavern, one of the only two taverns in town, where Niu Da's Father came forward to greet them,
"Gentlemen, please come in!"
Once the five men were seated, one of them threw a silver ingot onto the table,
"Serve the best wine and dishes!"
Clearly, these were men who didn't lack money!
Seeing the silver, Niu Da's Father's face lit up like a blooming chrysanthemum, and he shouted back,
"Dalang, stop your shouting in bed and come out to serve the guests!"
Niu Da grumbled as he came out. He was the cook in the tavern; his two younger brothers ran errands; Niu Da's Father was the manager; and Niu Da's Mother helped in the kitchen. Niu Da's Mother, seeing her son limping out, cursed with pity,
"That damn little wench, she's utterly wicked. On normal days, she and her beggar Taoist Priest master took so much advantage of our tavern. Now the Old Taoist Priest is dead. My son doesn't mind her, and she isn't even grateful, yet she dared to kick my son and injure him. If I catch her, I'll scratch her face beyond recognition!"
Hearing this, Niu Da had a bitter smile,
"Mother, stop cursing. It was my own knee that hit a rock..."
"Pah... Even now, you're still covering for that wench. I'm telling you, such a woman is nothing but trouble when brought into a family. If you dare let her in, I'll beat you both!"
Niu Da's Mother cursed nonstop, but their conversation in the kitchen was heard clearly by the guests in the outer hall. The five men exchanged glances, then a stocky man with a face full of flesh beckoned Niu Da's Father over,
"Innkeeper, who were those speaking in the backyard courtyard?"
Thinking that the noise of the mother and son had disturbed the guests, Niu Da's Father hastily apologized with a smile,
"That's the missus and the pup from our home. Country folks, ignorant of manners, I'm afraid they've disturbed the guests. Please forgive us!"
The man waved his hand,
"Have them come out, I have something to ask them!"
"This..."
Niu Da's Father hesitated for a moment, but the man flipped his palm, and another silver ingot landed on the table. Seeing this, Niu Da's Father's eyes sparkled, and he quickly called out,
"Dalang, Dalang's wife, come out here!"
The mother and son came out clueless and bewildered. Niu Da said,
"Father, are the guests in a hurry? I've just finished chopping the ingredients, haven't even started cooking yet!"
Niu Da's Father said,
"Come here, this guest has some questions for you..."
The two approached as instructed, and the man scrutinized Niu Da and asked,
"Just now, you two were talking about an Old Taoist Priest in the backyard. Is there a Taoist Priest here?"
Niu Da and Niu Da's Mother looked at each other and nodded,
"Yes, there is an Old Taoist Priest living on the mountain behind our town with a female disciple. They've been here for about four or five years, coming down from the mountain occasionally, often coming to our shop to buy meat and wine..."
The five men listened and exchanged glances again before asking,
"What did the Old Taoist Priest look like, and what about his disciple?"
"The Old Taoist Priest is super skinny and dried-up, while his female disciple isn't very young and looks rather plain..."
Niu Da's Mother interjected first, but Niu Da quickly contradicted,
"Mother, Shiyi has big eyes, a straight nose, she looks pretty good..."
Niu Da's Mother glared at her son in anger,
"Pah... Nothing but a scheming little wench..."
Just as she was about to curse further, the man interrupted,
"Did they ever mention where they are from, and how do they make a living?"