The Ballad of Youth: Inheriting Daoji, Li Hanyi, the Escapee from Marriage

"After all... no matter how powerful that monk is, he is certainly no match for my godfather, and he can't affect the overall situation!"

"And the people we're going to meet next are the ones who can really be of great help to me!"

"You agree, don't you, my younger brother... Ye Anshi!"

When Crimson King Xiao Yu mentioned this name, a glint of light continued to spread in his eyes.

Seeing his appearance, Long Xie did not disturb him. He quietly bowed and left.

…………

"Xiao Se! Xiao Se~! Please, just pawn your clothes, I'm begging you, okay?"

"If this continues, we won't even be able to afford to rent a horse, let alone go to the Great Brahma Temple, and we won't even have enough to eat!"

A small town called Qingyan, near the Western Regions.

After traveling for quite some time, Li Xiuyuan and his group finally escaped the desolate wilderness. Next, all they needed to do was rent a horse, then follow the west gate of Qingyan City, traverse the entire Western Regions, and they would arrive at Master Yu.

But now that I'm actually in the city and feeling the crowds I haven't seen in days, I do have a sense of longing.

However, the problem is that after so many days of eating and sleeping outdoors, apart from Li Xiuyuan, the other three are starving, exhausted, and half-dead!

Lei Wujie, with his free-spirited personality, was the first to suggest that it was time to eat.

As a result... just as mentioned above, the three of them couldn't scrape together even a single tael of silver.

What? You mean why Daoji wasn't included?

Please, if that guy had money, why would he be dressed so shabby? He clearly didn't even think about these things, right?

"You blockhead, you're supposed to be a martial artist, how come you can't even endure this little bit of hunger?"

"Even the crazy monk who usually loves drinking and eating meat didn't start babbling as quickly as you. Instead, you're the one who jumped out first?"

"You even used it as clothing... Do you know how precious this piece of clothing is to me...?"

Xiao Se was about to explain the value of his clothes, but Lei Wujie was speechless at the sight. He explained the special features of the clothes without Xiao Se having to say anything!

"You know I still want to use you as clothing? Let me tell you, people in this small town don't know what's good for them!"

"Even if you pawn it, you'll only get a hundred or two hundred taels at most. It's a complete loss!"

Xiao Se finished speaking with his eyes closed and annoyed. Hearing no response from the other side, he assumed that Lei Wujie had been persuaded. However, at this very inappropriate moment, his own stomach growled.

then……

"Xiao Se! You said it yourself, things are valued for their scarcity. Right now, what we lack most is food, so don't worry about such things!"

Yes, Lei Wujie grabbed Xiao Se's forearm and dragged him to the pawnshop.

After about half an hour of haggling, Xiao Se changed into a simpler blue robe, his face as black as the bottom of a pot, and walked out of the pawnshop with ten taels of silver in his hand.

…………

Chapter 40 Monk: I've calculated that you'll definitely have a place to stay and some good wine to drink today.

"You, you... Xiao Se, isn't this a thousand-gold fur coat? Isn't it made of the finest material that keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer, and is windproof and heat-insulating?"

"I still remember back at the inn, when the robber said your clothes were worth a hundred or so taels, you got angry and said they weren't even worth a sleeve of yours!"

"How come... we've only pawned ten taels so far? Is that enough for the four of us to eat, drink, and stay at an inn?"

Lei Wujie's words only made Xiao Se's face darken further.

He had considered that people in such small places might not appreciate the value of goods, since the gap between the rich and poor is significant no matter where you are.

In the eyes of farmers, the emperor still used a golden hoe to till the land!

Especially in this ancient society, information transmission was extremely difficult, unlike in the 21st century where there is the internet. It is normal not to understand the value of his material.

But isn't that a bit too exaggerated?

Don't tell me the best clothes in this small town cost only a dozen or so taels of silver.

"Alright! You're already being generous by having something to eat. Stop being so picky. Let's go find a restaurant and get something to eat!"

"You're all alright. I don't know any martial arts, but I've been running around with you for so long. If I don't eat soon, I'll starve to death here!"

Xiao Se glared at Lei Wujie with annoyance, but was brushed off with a silly chuckle.

In other words, he was too hungry to pay attention to that clueless idiot.

Otherwise, he would definitely kick the other person in the butt no matter what.

With that thought in mind, Xiao Se went out first, intending to find an inn or restaurant to eat at.

But at that moment, Lei Wujie suddenly spoke up.

"Huh? Where's Daoji? What happened to him?"

"It seems he didn't come with us to the pawnshop earlier?"

Lei Wujie's words caught Xiao Se's attention, but Xiao Se was not worried at all.

That crazy monk... he can find you even in the most desolate places. Don't take his chances of just passing by seriously.

Then let alone in this town, he guessed that once they had ordered their food and served their drinks, the other party would come looking for them on their own.

Xiao Se shook his head, and was just about to say that we should ignore him and go eat first, when Lei Wujie spoke up again.

"Hey! I see him. Let's go find him and meet up."

After Lei Wujie finished speaking, he darted out first.

Seeing this, Xiao Se looked helpless, exchanged a glance with Wu Xin, and then followed.

After walking about several dozen meters, they indeed saw the ragged guy.

Unsurprisingly, the other party was unharmed. After all, with his strength, even if we only consider that he and the White-Haired Immortal were at the same level, there should be no one in this world who could take him away silently.

So it's normal that Daoji is alright; in fact, he even has a... satisfied expression on his face?

wrong.

This guy, who usually loves eating meat and drinking, has been eating and sleeping outdoors with them for so long. He shouldn't be looking completely exhausted, right? How could he possibly have a happy face?

Xiao Se walked over quickly, and it was during this process that he saw the other person holding a large chicken leg, eating it with such gusto that his mouth was dripping with oil, making anyone who saw it unable to resist salivating!

Not only that, he was also carrying a flask of wine, which even looked quite old!

"Damn it," Xiao Se thought, "why does this crazy monk look so satisfied? He's gone to eat something delicious!"

They're starving here, and this mad monk hasn't even thought about them?

"Oh, you're back? Perfect timing! These are the meat pies I bought, one for each of you!"

Upon seeing Xiao Se and the others approach, Li Xiuyuan ate a chicken leg while also pulling out a few hot sesame cakes from his pocket.

If it was unintentional, then so be it. Although he is a lay disciple and can eat meat, he can't change his habit overnight.

Lei Wujie and Xiao Se accepted the meat pie; one ate it with relish, while the other hesitated slightly.

As for the slight dissatisfaction before, it all dissipated after the other party actually thought of them and prepared food for them.

but……

"Crazy monk, where did you get the money? You didn't use your martial arts skills to steal or rob, did you?"

Upon hearing Xiao Se's words, Li Xiuyuan spoke with slight dissatisfaction.

"Hey, monks, I kindly gave you food, and you're now slandering me? What's going on?"

"Don't worry, I bought all of these with my own money."

Li Xiuyuan's words made Xiao Se's brow twitch, and a strange, uneasy feeling arose in his heart.

Where did you get the money?

"Oh? You asked Benefactor Mo for alms before you left? Don't worry, it's all money obtained through legitimate means!"

Li Xiuyuan looked completely unaware, as if he was afraid that Xiao Se would get into trouble for worrying about the illegitimate nature of the money.

He then made a gesture that reassured Xiao Se.

However, Xiao Se understood the other party very well.

He saw through the other person's pretense at a glance, and the bad feeling in his heart grew stronger. He let out a long breath and asked in return.

Do you know what we were doing just now?

"I know, didn't you guys just go to the pawnshop?" Li Xiuyuan replied while eating meat.

"I know, why didn't you say so earlier when you had money?"

"I... I even had to pawn my precious fur coat! And I only got ten taels of silver!"

"I'm losing so much money!"

Seeing Xiao Se's heartbroken expression, Li Xiuyuan continued to speak "innocently," and even... blinked his eyes.

Goodness, are you trying to be cute?

"Please, did you even ask the monk anything from beginning to end?"

"Besides, I don't have enough money at all! It would be better to have more money!"

"As for how much money you pawned this fur coat for, that's your problem, it has nothing to do with me, the monk."

Li Xiuyuan sipped his wine contentedly, making Lei Wujie, who was standing next to him, extremely envious.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Se's forehead veins throbbed, and the uneasy feeling in his heart grew clearer: he had a feeling that this mad monk actually knew everything.

Putting everything else aside, there's his ability to calculate things with his fingers...

Yes, he has the ability to calculate with his fingers, so he must know all of this!

So, could this mad monk have done it on purpose?

Thinking of this, Xiao Se gritted his teeth and glared at the other party before turning around and heading towards the pawnshop behind him, wanting to redeem his precious fur coat.

But upon hearing the voice coming from behind, he couldn't help but stop in his tracks.

"Oh dear! I told you to stop bothering. Do you really think they wouldn't recognize your precious fur coat?"

"The pawnshop owner just saw that you were in a hurry, or rather, he saw that the little blockhead next to you was in a hurry, so he deliberately wanted to rip you off!"