The Way of Spiritual Journey

Wolong won first place, so Shi Butong had to be the one to win second place. He quickly filled a bowl with wine and presented it to the Peach Wood Taoist.

"Master, no rush. Have a drink, let yourself process this, and speak slowly. We all support you." Shi Butong's words were sincere, and his expression was quite earnest.

Seeing this, Li Lang's lips twitched involuntarily. Were these two brothers? Did they have to cooperate so perfectly? Did they not even need to rehearse?

The Peachwood Taoist stared at the wine bowl in front of him, his eyes twitching. "Is this even human? Does anyone use a soup bowl to pour wine? If I drink this, won't my ancestors for eighteen generations be wiped out here?"

Taomu Daoren hesitated for a moment, then picked up the wine bowl and gulped down a large mouthful.

"Ah, fine wine!" After taking a sip, the Peachwood Taoist was immediately in high spirits. "To be honest, I have come here only to ask you for a masterpiece of poetry."

The moment Tao Mu Dao Ren uttered these words, everyone present was stunned.

Shi Butong and Zhu Huaiyu exchanged glances and immediately shared the same thought: "This old man's got some tricks up his sleeve. He's almost in his grave, and he can still pull off this?"

Li Lang's heart skipped a beat. "This business is good! Did people in ancient times like this kind of thing?"

"Hey—, Daoist Master, I didn't realize that at your age you could still go to such lengths. You're truly still got it!" This time, Wolong's exclamation was genuine; he even felt a sense of respect, and his thieving eyes couldn't help but peek under the table.

The Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix knew the origin of this poem request. Back then, Zhu Huaiyu spent six thousand taels of silver to obtain a poem called "Phoenix Seeking its Mate" from Li Lang, and successfully won over Yun Ruoshui, the most beautiful courtesan of Yunshang Pavilion.

Li Lang didn't say this explicitly, but secrets can't stay hidden forever.

The two strategists, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, understood the situation perfectly. They even exclaimed at the same time that the world of the rich was truly unfathomable!

Now that this Peachwood Taoist has also come to ask for a poem, no wonder he was too embarrassed to speak in front of everyone just now.

Fengchu felt contempt for this, but Wolong was different; he was only curious. He was a person eager for knowledge, so he was full of respect for the old Taoist.

Taomu Daoren blushed slightly at the gaze Wolong cast at him, but quickly regained his composure.

"I have devoted my life to the Dao, but have achieved nothing. Now I am nearing my end, with no accomplishments to leave behind, and I am filled with resentment. Recently, I have come to hear of your unparalleled talent and your compassionate nature. I have come here with great shame to ask for your help, hoping that you will grant my lifelong wish to leave a lasting legacy." The Peach Wood Daoist spoke earnestly and sincerely, with tears glistening in his eyes. His words were so moving that one could hardly bear to look at him.

Seeing this, Li Lang was already applauding in his heart. Brilliant! It's rare to see such a veteran actor these days.

"Alas, all of us are but passersby in this vast world; how many can leave behind a lasting name? Why must you be so persistent, Daoist?" Li Lang sighed and shook his head, his words filled with emotion.

"Such is my obsession. I hope you will grant my request, young master. I will spare no expense." When Peachwood Taoist saw that Li Lang spoke eloquently, his eyes lit up, and his desire for his obsession was strengthened.

"This can't be done! I, Li, am of limited talent and learning; I cannot possibly compose such a masterpiece. Daoist Master, you should seek someone more capable." Li Lang looked regretful and shook his head again. What a joke! The price hasn't even been mentioned yet; he had to maintain this air.

Master Taomu was taken aback. This style of painting seemed a bit off. His eyes subconsciously glanced at Wolong.

Wolong was also taken aback. "Why are you glancing at me? Do you think I can write poetry?"

During the meal, only Shi Butong and Zhu Huaiyu understood the secret. They both curled their lip in disapproval, thinking, "They just want more money, what's with the pretense?"

"This is just a small token of my appreciation, a small token of my respect for your writing, young master." Seeing that Wolong remained motionless, Master Taomu suddenly realized that he might have overlooked something, so he took out a silver note and gently placed it on the table.

Li Lang merely glanced at it out of the corner of his eye without showing any emotion, but his face immediately contorted with anger. He snapped, "Hmph! Literature is a timeless art, and poetry is a powerful and resounding art—how dare I disrespect it? Do you think I, Li, am one to covet a few taels of silver?"

Everyone was bewildered by Li Lang's inexplicable outburst. Wolong stretched his thick neck, glanced at the amount on the silver note, and immediately felt a surge of anger.

"Damn it, two thousand taels! Don't you know how much Brother Lang is worth these days? Or are you deliberately trying to lower Brother Lang's value?" Wolong slammed his hand on the table, stood up, grabbed the silver note, and stuffed it into Taomu Daoren's hand. Then he pushed the latter toward the door, cursing under his breath.

"Go away, go away, Brother Lang is angry. Are you trying to fob me off like this? Keep the money, and we'll have our disciples and grand-disciples burn it for you later."

It has to be said, Wolong's mouth is truly something else. Peachwood Taoist was trembling with anger. "So you think the money isn't enough? What are you complaining about? If you think it's too little, then tell me how much you want! Stop pretending like that without a word!"

"I can pay more!" Seeing that he was about to be pushed to the door, Taomu Daoren could no longer care about anything else and shouted out.

"Wait a minute!" Li Lang's voice rang out at the right moment. "Fatty, what are you doing? Is this how you treat a customer? Let go of my hand. Even if a deal falls through, we should still be on good terms. You need to be more open-minded, you know?"

Wolong grinned and chuckled. In fact, the moment he heard the words "add more money," he released his grip and then pretended to pat the Taoist priest's robe.

"I just wanted to dust off the Taoist priest, Brother Lang, you've misunderstood, haven't you? Come, come, Taoist priest, please sit down." Wolong, the thick-skinned fellow, wasn't embarrassed at all and pulled the old Taoist priest back to his seat.

Helpless, the old Taoist priest took out another silver note from his pocket, still worth two thousand taels, and placed it on the table along with the original note.

"Very well, Daoist Master's persistence is admirable. Then I, Li, will do my best." Li Lang subtly curled his lip, then asked, "I wonder if Daoist Master has given a topic for the poem?"

"Here it comes again, the same old tricks." Zhu Huaiyu and Shi Butong locked eyes once more, the former inwardly filled with utter contempt.

"Taoism emphasizes a life of few desires and following one's heart, like a gentle breeze and a bright moon. I think we should take the moon as the theme," the old Taoist priest said, as if he had been prepared for this.

"Hmm, if it's a given topic for writing a poem, then the difficulty will increase considerably." Li Lang nodded, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, his face showing a hint of difficulty.

"This will cost extra!" Wolong knew from Li Lang's expression that he wanted more money again, so he shook his head and said.

"Pfft!"

Seeing Wolong's big head shaking back and forth in such a comical way, the onlookers could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.