Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 85 Charlatan
In Shangtang Village, on the ridge of a field, a teenager was walking along the ridge, leading a black donkey.

The young man was tall and handsome, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He was dressed in simple cloth and straw sandals. Although his skin was a little dark and his face looked a little childish, he was still very pleasing to the eye and made people feel good about him.

In the fields, Wu Tie, whose hair was obviously graying, looked at the handsome young man on the ridge and shouted:

"Dongchen! Going to Xiaping City again! Going shopping for your dad!"

"Yes! Uncle Wu! My dad asked me to buy some wine! He said he wanted to have a drink with you tonight!"

"Hahaha! Okay, okay! Go home early! Don't make your family wait anxiously!"

"Then I'll be leaving first! Uncle Wu!"

"go Go!"

Liu Dongchen looked at the uncles who had always been so kind to him, waved with a smile on his face, and continued walking towards home, leading the black donkey carrying the goods.

"In the blink of an eye, this little guy is already fourteen years old and has become a teenager."

"Alas, how can I be immortal? Hehe~"

Wu Tie looked at the young man leading the black donkey away with a gentle gaze, his eyes a little dazed, as if he saw the baby in his arms again. Finally, he smiled and shook his head, then continued to concentrate on weeding and plowing the land.

Liu Dongchen led the black donkey, greeted everyone in the village along the way, and returned to the Liu family.

Over the years, the Liu family no longer lived in thatched hut. Instead, it had been transformed into a courtyard consisting of three brick and wood houses, which was then tightly surrounded by a wooden fence.

Liu Dongchen led the black donkey and shouted excitedly towards the house:

"Grandfather! Dad! Mom! Little sister! I'm back!"

"Hehe~ Chen'er is back~"

Liu Gui from the main hall walked out slowly with a cane. Liu Dongchen hurried to the thatched shed nearby and tied up the black donkey, then quickly came to Liu Gui and supported him.

"Grandfather, I brought you some cherry blossom cakes. Please try a couple more~"

Liu Gui smiled and said in a hoarse voice:
"Hehehe~ Grandpa's teeth aren't very good, you guys should keep this and eat it slowly~"

In a blink of an eye, eight years had passed since Taoist Master Jin Lingzi last came to Shangtang Village.

Compared with eight years ago, Liu Gui has many more wrinkles on his face, and his back is slightly bent. He has also gotten used to walking with a cane, which makes it easier for him.

Fortunately, over the years, I have been healthy and free from disasters, and I have not become confused, which is extremely rare.

What's more, in recent years, Shangtang Village has become completely stable. The fields reclaimed around it are better than the fields at the original site of Shangtang Village, and there have been bumper harvests every year in recent years.

So, their Liu family also bought a donkey with the bumper harvest of grain in the past two years.

In addition, the external situation has been completely stabilized in the past two years, so he doesn't need to worry about many things and can just enjoy his retirement with peace of mind.

It's a pity that the person he has been waiting for all these years has never appeared.
"Come to think of it, Dad should still be in the fields right now, but why aren't Mom and Qiaoqiao around? Are they not home?"

Liu Dongchen supported the old man and looked around, but did not see the two familiar figures. It seemed that his grandfather was the only one at home today.

"They went to the creek to wash clothes. I think they should be back soon."

Liu Dongchen nodded in realization, then excitedly supported his grandfather and walked towards the stone table under the tree in the courtyard, saying as he walked:
"Grandfather, guess what I saw in Xiaping City with Uncle Luo and the others this time? There was a magical old Taoist priest setting up a stall there to tell fortunes, and his predictions were very accurate! Everyone said that Taoist priest..." Listening to his grandson excitedly talking about what he had seen and heard in Xiaping City, Liu Gui smiled and responded from time to time, but he secretly sighed in his heart. In his heart, no Taoist priest could compare to the one he had been waiting for.

From what he had seen in his life, most of the Taoists who traveled around the country setting up stalls to tell fortunes were charlatans, and only a few of them had real skills. But the one he was waiting for was the one who truly had real skills.

As Liu Dongchen grew up over the years, the scene of seeing the Ox-Head and Horse-Faced Demons chasing Shi Cui eight years ago finally planted a seed of curiosity in Liu Dongchen's heart, which then continued to sprout and grow.

Nowadays, Liu Dongchen is very fascinated by those legends about gods and immortals. He often looks for some storybooks to read, and his heart is full of yearning for these legends about gods and immortals.

But these things are ultimately too far away from mortals. I don’t know how many people have spent their entire lives searching for immortals, but never had the chance to become immortals until their death.

But their Liu family is different. They have really seen that person's magical methods.

If Liu Dongchen wanted to seek immortal fate in the future, his grandfather wouldn't object, but it would be best if he could become a disciple of that Taoist priest. If so, he could die with a smile on his face.
Just inside the Liu family courtyard, when Liu Dongchen and Liu Gui were telling each other about what they had seen in Xiaping City, a young man with a simple and honest face, full of excitement, ran in.

But when he saw Liu Gui sitting at the stone table, he quickly stopped and greeted Liu Gui.

"Hello, village chief!"

"Okay, okay~"

Liu Gui nodded with a smile. He was familiar with the person who came. It was the child from Wu Tie's family. His nickname was Tiedan and his real name was Wu Yang.

It has to be said that this kid and his grandson did not get along well when they were young. Although they did not quarrel every time they met, they could not play together and even had a fight once. However, it was unexpected that the two kids became even better friends as they grew older.

Liu Gui was quite happy about this. Wu Tie was a very kind and righteous man who took good care of his family and treated his son like a brother. Wu Yang was also a good kid who had completely inherited his father's kind and righteous character.

"Wu Yang? Didn't we just separate at the village entrance? Why are you here?"

Liu Dongchen looked at Wu Yang strangely, but saw Wu Yang winking at him. Liu Dongchen walked forward curiously, but heard Wu Yang lower his voice, but couldn't hide his excitement and whispered to him:
"Dongchen! Do you remember the Taoist fortune teller from Xiaping City? The one whose divinations could reach the heavens! The one who predicted on the spot that the old man surnamed Chu would die before he could take fifty steps!"

Liu Dongchen looked at Wu Yang and became even more confused.

Wu Yang said excitedly:
"Oh! This guy has come to our Shangtang Village and said he wants to find two people with predestined relationships to become his disciples!"

When Liu Dongchen heard this, his eyes lit up. He turned to look at his grandfather and said:

"Grandfather! Tiedan and I are going out for a while and will be back soon!"

After Liu Dongchen finished speaking, he pushed Wu Yang out.

"Hey, hey! I already told you not to call me that name anymore! Call me Wu Yang! Wu Yang!!!"

"I know, I know, Tiedan, where is that Taoist priest? Let's go!"

Liu Gui looked at the two people who left excitedly, frowned slightly, and felt inexplicably that something was wrong.

He pondered for a while, then followed with the help of his crutch.

On Jindou Mountain.

At this time, Niu Yi was sitting cross-legged in the peach blossom forest with his eyes closed, meditating quietly, and golden bamboo leaves were flying around him.

At this moment, Niu Yi, who was meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards the direction of Shangtang Village.

(End of this chapter)