The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Zhenhuan heard the knocking and opened his eyes. He subconsciously got out of bed and went to open the door. But when he got to the door, he suddenly remembered the waiter's instructions.

Hesitantly, he lowered his hand, which had been about to open the door. He then asked the person outside, "Who goes there?"

There was silence outside the room; there was no response. It was already late afternoon, and as the sun set, the room gradually darkened. Seeing this, Wang Zhenhuan couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Although separated from the outside by a door, he could faintly hear heavy breathing coming from outside. The sound was very heavy, as if someone was carrying a heavy load.

After much deliberation, Wang Zhenhuan decided not to open the door. As the saying goes, "He who listens to advice will eat his fill." Since the waiter had specifically warned him beforehand, there was no need for him to risk opening the door.

Thinking this, he turned to go back to bed. But just as he turned, a voice suddenly came from outside the door. The voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

"Young Taoist priest, why won't you open the door?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhenhuan, who had just turned around, suddenly widened his eyes. The voice was incredibly familiar; it belonged to none other than the waiter who had been chatting with him earlier.

Now he had no choice but to open the door, even though he had only just met the waiter. The waiter was kind-hearted and had given him some advice, so he couldn't pretend he hadn't heard him, both morally and logically.

So Wang Zhen frowned and pondered for a moment, then gathered his spiritual energy in his palm. After taking a deep breath, he suddenly pushed open the door!

To his surprise, the moment he opened the door, he felt a chilling aura slowly disappearing. The waiter was lying on the ground outside the room, his eyes closed, his fate unknown.

Wang Zhenhuan hurriedly stepped forward, placed his hand under the man's nose to feel for a moment, and then breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the man's breathing was steady, indicating that he should be alright.

He picked up the waiter from the ground and carried him to the room. After placing him on the bed, he closed the door and lit an oil lamp. As the warm light shone in, the chilly atmosphere of the room seemed to dissipate considerably.

Wang Zhenhuan grasped the waiter's hand, attempting to channel some spiritual energy into the waiter's Laogong acupoint, just as Xuan Yangzi had done before. The idea was simple, but a problem arose as soon as the thought crossed his mind.

He is currently at the True Seeking stage of cultivation, having only opened the Ren and Du meridians; the meridians in his limbs are not yet fully connected. He can usually gather spiritual energy to fight enemies, but it is difficult to circulate spiritual energy throughout his body.

Of the ten parts of spiritual energy that flowed from his palm into the waiter's body, less than half remained. Ninety-five percent was lost during the transmission process. Fortunately, the waiter was alright.

He had fainted at some point, though no one knew when. After Wang Zhenhuan's spiritual energy entered his body, his eyelids twitched, and he immediately woke up. He opened his eyes and looked at Wang Zhenhuan with a dazed expression.

It took him a while to realize what was happening. He got up, wiped his eyes, and asked in confusion, "Where am I? Little Taoist priest, how did you get into my room?"

"This is my room. I'd like to ask you why you suddenly came to my door and knocked?" Wang Zhenhuan got up, poured a glass of water, handed it to him, and then asked.

The waiter took the teacup, took a sip, and then came to his senses. He looked around, puzzled, and muttered to himself, "Master, how did I end up in your room?"

"You knocked on my door just now, and when I opened it, I saw you lying there. Think carefully, did something happen before?" Wang Huanzhen grabbed his hand and checked his pulse.

The strong, pounding pulse indicates that he is currently restless. In traditional Chinese medicine, this condition is called "external pathogens entering the body." It is highly likely that he will subsequently experience symptoms such as wind-cold.

"I don't remember either. I finished cleaning the front hall and went back to my room to sleep. When I woke up, I saw you, Daoist Master. Ouch—, Daoist Master, am I possessed by something?"

The waiter suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly grabbed Wang Zhenhuan's hand, asking, "What's wrong?" Wang Zhenhuan saw that he was covered in sweat and had a pale face, and nodded.

"It is very likely that, judging from your current condition, it seems that an external evil has entered your body, causing an imbalance of Yin and Yang, and insufficient vital energy. You are likely to fall seriously ill."

"Oh? What should I do? Taoist priest, you must save me. I haven't done anything wrong. I just wanted to work hard at the inn and get married. Who knew the inn's business would go bankrupt so soon..."

The waiter looked at Wang Zhenhuan with a mournful face and a pitiful expression, pleading with him. Wang Zhenhuan was amused by his words and patted him on the shoulder with a smile.

"Don't worry, I'm here, you'll be fine. Drink this tea and go back to rest."

Upon hearing his words, the waiter shuddered with a troubled expression and whispered to Wang Zhenhuan, "Um... young Taoist priest, do you think... I could stay here tonight?"

Now it's just the two of us left in the inn. I'm a little scared to go back to sleep alone. Maybe I was just possessed by that young lady from the Chen family. I'm not good-looking, and I have no money, why would she want me…”

He muttered something as he spoke, and Wang Zhenhuan chuckled upon hearing it. After a moment's thought, he nodded and said, "Alright, but I'm going to meditate tonight, so you can't make a sound."

"Hehe, of course, I'll be sleeping on the floor. There won't be a sound. Daoist, you can meditate with peace of mind." The waiter chuckled and patted his chest to assure him when he heard Wang Zhenhuan's reply.

"No need for that, you can go to bed. I'm going to meditate anyway, so anywhere is fine. I can even keep watch for you this night. Go to sleep," Wang Zhenhuan said, shaking his head.

"I can't accept this. I've never slept in such a nice room in my life. Sigh, the inn isn't doing well and will be closing down soon. I don't know where I'll go after that."

"I heard that the Jurchens in the south have already besieged the city of Tokyo. There's chaos and war everywhere, sigh..." the waiter said with a sigh.

"What about your family? Why don't you go south with them and find a secluded place to settle down?" Wang Zhenhuan asked.

"I have no family. I've been an orphan since I was a child. It was the temple keeper of the local earth god temple who took pity on me and took me in..." the waiter said gently as he recalled his past.

"Then why are you all alone, working as a waiter in this inn? The inn is closed; you could go back and guard the local temple," Wang Zhenhuan asked.

The waiter's words stirred up his memories. Once upon a time, he, too, had been raised by the old Taoist priest in the temple, just like this waiter. Memories are a road with no return; once you start thinking about them, you inevitably become deeply immersed in them.

The waiter sighed, his voice full of regret:

"Three years ago, bandits roamed the area near Xiayi. The temple is gone, and so is the temple keeper..."