This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 96 Staying overnight in Willow Town, Zhong Bai is bumped into
Upon arriving in Willow Town, Zhong Bai paid no attention to the situation there. The sun had already set, and Zhong Bai had no intention of staying overnight in the mountains.

We arrived at a fairly decent inn in town. It was quite decent because it looked exceptionally clean and tidy.

Upon entering, the waiter greeted him with a smile, saying, "Master, are you here to stay?"

The waiter wasn't very old, looking only about fifteen or sixteen. When he heard the waiter ask him a question, Zhong Bai nodded. "I'm here to stay, but if your shop has any special dishes, you can serve me some."

As he spoke, Zhong Bai left a tael of silver in the shop assistant's palm.

Don't underestimate these two taels of silver. In fact, even if Zhong Bai stayed for a few days and ate a few meals, it wouldn't cost him a tael of silver, but Zhong Bai didn't care.

He couldn't very well follow the example of ordinary people and bring some copper coins or cut up silver and weigh it, could he?
The waiter was overjoyed to receive the silver. The Taoist priest in front of him not only had an extraordinary demeanor, but was also so generous. He had to treat this distinguished guest well.
"Dad, please accept this. I'm going to the kitchen to get busy!"

The waiter handed the silver to a middle-aged man standing behind the counter. Since they were father and son, he must be the shopkeeper.

“Alright, Yong’er, go and serve this Taoist priest some good dishes. I’ll have Shuang’er take him to the guest room.”

"Okay, Dad!"

The waiter named Yong'er quickly went into the kitchen to get busy, while on Zhong Bai's side, a lively little girl wearing a patched cotton-padded jacket came down from upstairs.

When she came to Zhong Bai, the little girl smiled so sweetly.

"Taoist Master, please follow me!"

The little girl was naturally Shuang'er, as the shopkeeper had mentioned. Zhong Bai looked at the little girl, who appeared to be eight or nine years old. Although her cotton-padded jacket had some patches, it was clear that it was clean. Her little face was a bit red, perhaps because the weather was already a little chilly.

With her rosy cheeks, Zhong Bai smiled gently and said, "Little sister, then this humble Taoist will have you lead the way."

"Alright, Taoist priest, please follow me!"

After entering the guest room, Zhong Bai looked around. The room wasn't large, but it was clean. Zhong Bai rested in the room for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before the door was gently knocked on.

"Master, the food is ready. Please come downstairs and have a taste. My brother is an excellent cook; I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Pushing open the door, Zhong Bai smiled faintly when he saw the little girl rubbing her hands and stamping her feet.

After going downstairs, Zhong Bai saw the waiter named Yong'er carrying several dishes to the wooden table in front of him.

"Master, please try this first. We only have these fresh ingredients in our shop right now, so we can't make you any fancy dishes, but they're very fresh!"

Zhong Bai glanced at them; they were all simple home-style dishes, and only one contained meat.

It's clear that this inn doesn't usually have many guests, so they prepare food very sparingly.

"It's alright. For me, it's just a taste. Whether I eat it or not is no big deal."

Zhong Bai wasn't just making this up. He was about to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining. Although he couldn't abstain from food, he really didn't feel anything if he didn't eat for more than ten days.

Upon hearing this, the waiter maintained a polite smile, but the young girl beside him couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Master, are you telling the truth? Is it possible to live without eating?"

Zhong Bai put a small dish into his mouth and said, "Of course, the world is vast and full of wonders. Little sister, you can believe what I say."

"Tsk, that's great! Hehe, Daoist Master, do you think I can learn this skill from you?"
Food at home is limited, and my brother is always hungry. If Shuang'er could learn how to cook, then my brother could eat more!

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai was somewhat taken aback, but only for a moment. In this era, such things were not uncommon.

"Shuang'er, don't disturb the Daoist's meal. It's cold, and you'll feel cold standing here. Go upstairs first, and I'll boil some hot water for you to soak your feet later."

The little girl was a bit unhappy, but she still had to listen to her brother. With her head hanging low and looking dejected, she walked upstairs.

"Cough cough... cough cough..."

"Master, please don't listen to my Shuang'er's nonsense. That's just how the world is; how can anyone truly eat their fill?"

The shopkeeper spoke, but Zhong Bai could tell that the shopkeeper was somewhat weak, so Zhong Bai naturally couldn't blame a maid.

"It's alright, it's alright. It's fate that I met your daughter. I naturally won't take these words to heart."

Just as Zhong Bai was about to finish the remaining side dishes, a sudden knocking sound rang out on the door!

"Fourth brother of the Huang family, open the door quickly! We've already said we'd be offering sacrifices to the Willow Fairy at your house this year. You've been dragging this out for days. How long can you keep putting it off?"

"Open the door right now, do you hear me!"

Gradually, the knocking became more and more violent, until with a loud bang, the already rickety door was kicked away by the person outside and shattered into pieces on the ground.

The wind howled, and Zhong Bai's Taoist robe fluttered in the wind, but his mood was extremely bad.

The innkeeper was caught off guard by the sudden intrusion of several burly men. He quickly stepped in front of them and said humbly, "Gentlemen, can't you please have some mercy? That Willow Fairy is nothing but a man-eating demon! How can I bear to offer my nine-year-old daughter as a sacrifice?" "Enough with the nonsense. If you don't offer sacrifices, do you expect others to?"

Who told you to be outsiders? It must be your arrival that angered Liu Xian, causing her to kill people one after another to vent her anger. If you don't offer tribute, our entire Willow Tree Town will be finished!
Besides, you've drawn a doomed lot, are you expecting another family to take your place?

At first, Zhong Bai thought it was just a normal business that had come knocking, but the more he listened, the more something seemed off. Liu Xian? What the hell? And she kills people?
But now is not the time to think about that. These men just barged in like that, disturbing his meal and even trying to take the little girl away to offer as a sacrifice. Zhong Bai can't stand it!
“You men forcibly broke down the door and disturbed my refined enjoyment. Isn’t that a bit too arrogant?”

Zhong Bai put down his chopsticks and quietly looked at the men in front of him.

Upon hearing Zhong Bai's question, the men who had been focused on the shopkeeper finally noticed Zhong Bai sitting at the table, staring at them.

"Where did this quack priest come from? Who's bothering you by eating your food? We just don't take you seriously, so what!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Bai shook his head. Some people just have a sharp tongue and need to be taught a lesson before they can speak properly.

Three bolts of lightning, as thin as chopsticks, shot out instantly. The moment they struck the three burly men, they began to convulse, collapsing to the ground and staring at Zhong Bai with fear and unease.

"What do you think we can do?"

I'll tell you now, being struck by lightning must feel terrible.

You should be thankful that you haven't been tainted by karma and are still ordinary people, otherwise I would have surely blasted you all to pieces with a single bolt of lightning!

Bolts of lightning continuously emanated from Zhong Bai's body, crackling and popping so loudly that the three men stared wide-eyed, unable to recover for a long time.

"Master Daoist, spare my life! Master Daoist, spare my life!"

As the pleading voices rang out, Zhong Bai knew that the three people were already afraid.

By this time, the lightning effect on their bodies had almost worn off. Although they still felt a slight tingling sensation, their physical condition was still quite good, and they helped each other to stand up straight.

"Master Dao, we were blind and didn't know you were staying here. We offended you, but we had no choice in this matter."

"Master, if you don't believe me, you can ask the shopkeeper. It's just that the shopkeeper has been dragging his feet for so long that we had no choice but to come and inquire."

At this moment, the shopkeeper, whose face had turned pale, finally spoke up tremblingly to explain.

"Master, this is a long story."

Our family of three fled famine and came to Willow Town. We have been running this inn here for half a year now. Everything was going well, but for some reason, a thousand-year-old willow tree in the willow forest of Willow Town suddenly became a spirit, calling itself the Willow Fairy. At first, it was fine for Willow Town to offer some pigs, cattle and sheep, but recently this Willow Fairy has gone too far and actually wants Jiuquan Town to offer young boys and girls!
Later, the town couldn't resolve the issue, so they had to resort to drawing lots..."

Having said that, Zhong Bai roughly understood the ins and outs of the matter.

"So, it was you, the manager, who drew the death lot?"

Silently lowering his head, the shopkeeper's face was streaked with tears; he truly did not want to sacrifice his daughter as an offering.

"Daoist Master, Father, Brother, you don't need to worry anymore. At worst, Shuang'er will be a sacrifice. As long as Father and Brother are well in the future, Shuang'er is not afraid!"

At this moment, Shuang'er, who had been eavesdropping upstairs, peeked out from under her cotton-padded coat. The resolute look in her eyes sent a shiver down the spines of the shopkeeper and the waiter.

"I said it was some deep-seated grudge, but it's just a willow tree spirit that's asking for death. Why are you all crying and sobbing?"

"What is my status? I am a Taoist priest!"

Zhong Bai was speechless. Were these people really that clueless? He had just used some lightning magic to let them see, and they were acting like idiots.

amount……

After Zhong Bai said this, everyone realized that their concern was not really about offering sacrifices.
No, after all, greed is endless. Even if the shopkeeper's daughter were sacrificed, the desire would probably still continue.

And now, standing right in front of them is a Taoist master with extraordinary skills; they are truly foolish!
With a thud, the shopkeeper and the waiter were the first to kneel down before Zhong Bai.

"Master Daoist, can you really eliminate that willow tree spirit? Please, Master Daoist, have mercy and save my sister!"

The waiter kept kowtowing, and the shopkeeper did the same. The three burly men felt bad seeing this, and together they bowed deeply to Zhong Bai and said, "Master Dao, we three rough men just disturbed your enjoyment. But if you are really confident in killing Liu Xian in Willow Tree Town, we hope you can take action!"

The thousands of people in Willow Tree Town will be eternally grateful for your great kindness, Daoist Master. Whatever you need, Daoist Master, we can provide it for you..."

Zhong Bai ignored their requests and instead looked calmly at the little girl.

"Little sister, you said you want to learn the method of fasting. I may not be able to teach you that, but I can ensure that you will never go hungry within the boundaries of Willow Tree Town. What do you think, little sister?"

Zhong Bai's warm smile momentarily stunned the little girl, but she quickly recovered and shook her head.

"No, Daoist Master, Shuang'er can't trouble you..."

Ahhhh! Help! I can't write a single chapter in five chapters! Waaah! I must have been talking too loudly yesterday. Damn, after writing four chapters, my head feels like it's about to explode. I guess I'll just have to wait until the May Day holiday when I have more time to finish... Typing is so tiring...

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(End of this chapter)