You, a monster, still want to travel to the West?

I always feel that this girl has become more and more relaxed after coming down the mountain, and it feels like I'm taking care of my daughter.

Xia Zhiming muttered something in his heart, but he didn't know that the little girl also lowered her head with a slightly red face.

Chapter 14: I've cheated so many people...

Since they had money, Xia Zhiming and Qingxin had no intention of staying any longer.

When the old Taoist came back and was discovered by the two men hiding in the distance and looking over here, Xia Zhiming instructed Qingxin to take a copper coin from the stone bowl and then got up and left.

It’s not too much for an immortal to charge you a copper coin for guarding your stall, right?

After the man and the snake walked away, Qing Xin looked back at the stall she had been guarding, and saw the old Taoist priest hurriedly packing his bag and running away. She immediately asked in confusion:

"Zhiming, isn't that old Taoist a liar? Why doesn't he just take all that ill-gotten gains?"

Xia Zhiming smiled and said, "Then what's the difference between me and him just now?"

"Of course you are different!" Xiao Qingxin stopped paying attention to that side and looked at the white snake beside her ear anxiously.

"No, it's the same." Xia Zhiming stretched out his tail and tapped the girl's cheek. He waited until she continued walking in the direction she came from, going against the flow of people around her, and then he slowly spoke:

"Though these quacks use the guise of fortune-telling to scam people, they're actually just saying nice things to please the ear, and occasionally they'll even use some moral principles to persuade people to be good. In reality, most of the people who get scammed are well aware of this..."

“But that’s not right!”

"It's just a way to make a living. Don't forget, mortals need to eat."

"Zhiming, how do you know so much..."

"Because that's how my father supported the family."

"You still have a father?"

"Qingxin, if you say that again I'll really bite you."

-

Going against the flow of people, Qingxin quickly returned to the candied haws stall at the city gate and found the old man selling candied haws.

The old man had a dark yellow complexion and a face full of gray-black age spots on his wrinkled face. When he saw Qingxin, his eyes seemed to brighten up and he was about to greet her, but when he saw Xia Zhiming hanging around her neck, he seemed to be scared.

Qing Xin didn't care. She had seen many people look at her strangely along the way. After a little searching, Qing Xin took out the copper coin she had just received from her sleeve and handed it over, saying confidently:

"Old man, I want a candied haws!"

"Uh... hehe, okay~"

The old man selling candied haws was stunned for a moment, then he responded cheerfully, revealing a mouthful of neat yellow teeth. He nimbly reached out to take the copper coin, weighed it, and pinched a bright red candied haws from a straw stick and handed it over.

The girl took it obediently and turned to leave.

On her neck, Xia Zhiming turned his head to look at the old man selling candied haws behind him, and saw that the old man was also looking over. When their eyes met, the old man was stunned for a moment, then smiled cheerfully and shook his head, lowering his head to put away the copper coins in his hand.

-

On the street, Qingxin picked up a candied haws that she had just bought and found a random direction. She chewed it with her cheeks puffed out as she walked.

"Now you know what it tastes like?"

"So naked! Zhiming, you should try it too." The little girl held the candied haws and handed it to Xia Zhiming with sparkling eyes.

Xia Zhiming opened his mouth, but then thought of his current snake body, and said helplessly: "Eat it yourself..."

Qing Xin also reacted quickly and nodded obediently, "Then wait until Zhiming transforms before eating."

"Will you still feed me then?"

Qingxin was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

"I'll buy it for you then."

"It seems my love for you wasn't in vain." Xia Zhiming felt a little relieved, then continued: "Now that we have money, let's find a place to settle down."

This time he dragged Qingxin down the mountain with the intention of seeing what the world was like. Now that they were in Anshui County and had no other direction to go, they might as well just stay there.

Baishe's thoughts naturally could not escape Qingxin's perception, and the girl did not object. She followed his suggestion and found a shop owner to ask.

The shop owner did not make it difficult for us to open the shop for business. He pointed us to the government office and told us to look for the notice there. If there was no notice there, there must be a Fangyazi there. After that, he also pointed out the direction.

After saying goodbye to the shop owner, Qingxin was not in a hurry. He ate while walking. After a while, he arrived at the gate of the government office. He saw that the gate was wide open. The high walls, deep pavilions, blue bricks and red tiles were very impressive. There was a wooden sign outside the office, and many idle people were standing around.

When they arrived at their destination, Qingxin naturally found the notice board first.

There were quite a few government decrees and laws listed, as well as wanted notices, job openings, and even a notice for exorcising demons and catching ghosts. Unfortunately, after reading through it, he didn't see any houses for sale.

Just as she was about to find another landlord, before Qingxin could say hello, the girl turned around and found that she was being stared at by a group of random people who were waiting nearby.

But Qingxin is still young after all, so most of these people also focus their attention on Xia Zhiming.

The white snake was a rare species in that era, and it was wrapped directly around the neck of a Taoist boy, which was obviously very magical at first glance.

Since he had received attention, Xia Zhiming didn't intend to hide. He raised his snake body slightly, looked around, and spoke calmly:

"Who wants to buy a yard?"

As soon as the words came out, the people who saw the stretching gasped in surprise.

However, most of the people here were dentists. Although they were not very knowledgeable, they were still much better than ordinary people. After a while of pushing and shoving, a young man quickly stepped forward and took over the business.

"My humble name is Wang Ermaizi, nice to meet you two." The young man bowed and saluted in a formal manner.

"Thank you." Xia Zhiming responded by spitting out his tongue.

"Thank you." Xiao Qingxin also responded indifferently, imitating Xia Zhiming's behavior.

Then, the girl followed Xia Zhiming's thoughts and took out the gold cake she had just earned.

Amid the hissing sounds from the people around her, a faint light flashed on the girl's fingertips. She casually cut off a small piece and threw it directly to the toothbrush in front of her.

Without waiting for Wang Ermazi to speak, Xia Zhiming said calmly: "That's all the money I have. I'll have a bedroom, a study, a yard, and quiet. Prepare everything you need. The rest is yours."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Ermazi shuddered and spoke after a while: "Please follow me..."

After saying that, Wang Ermaizi turned around with his neck stiffened, found the right direction and stepped out, but he walked clumsily under Qingxin's somewhat puzzled gaze.

Xia Zhiming nodded and said nothing more, and Qingxin quickly followed.

I hadn't walked far when I heard the idle people behind me suddenly make a commotion. Some were greedy for money, some were gloating, and some were seeking the truth. They were all talking at the same time, but no one said anything about Wang Ermaizi taking a job that didn't pay.

On the road——

Qing Xin, who was following behind Wang Ermazi, couldn't help but catch Xia Zhiming's ear and whispered to him:

"Zhiming, why are you scaring him if we have no grudge against him?"

"Because I've done this myself, it's not too bad, but saying one thing and doing another is the norm..."

"Zhi Ming..."

"Ok?"

"How come you know all these bad things? Were you a bad person in the past?"

"Yeah, the bad kind. If I had met a kid like you before, I would have taken him home as a child bride."

"You're scaring me again..."

Chapter 15 Story

However, Wang Ermaizi was frightened by Xia Zhiming, so he naturally did not dare to go to houses with invisible hidden dangers. However, the house viewing process was still not smooth.

Anyway, after looking around, Xia Zhiming held back his words, and even Xiao Qingxin's face fell.

The problem doesn't lie with Wang Ermaizi, but mainly because the houses of this era are really hard to describe.

Xia Zhiming's requirements were not high. He just wanted a house with brick walls, tiled roof, wooden doors and windows, and a yard.

Little did they know that this tiled roof alone would completely destroy the appearance of most houses. You know, most people use thatched roofs these days. If you add in the carved, hollowed-out wooden windows that Xia Zhiming requested...

Anyway, when Wang Ermazi understood his needs, his face turned bitter and he said with embarrassment: "Sir, your business is so small that it can't continue..."

"how?"

"What you requested must be something that only the wealthy and powerful can have, but..." Wang Ermaizi looked worried and took out the small gold nugget he had just received and gestured.

I understand, it’s because there is not enough money.

Xia Zhiming also expressed his understanding, but at this moment, Wang Ermaizi's eyes lit up and he said, "But if the Taoist priest is not shy, I do know of a courtyard."

"Has anyone died?" Xia Zhiming instantly understood what he meant. He knew the ropes of this business.

"Is such that."

"You lead the way."

Wang Ermaizi suddenly became alert, pointed in a direction and began to lead the way.

As he walked, Wang Ermaizi ignored the occasional strange looks from the street, and bowed attentively to Qingxin and Xia Zhiming, who were half a body shorter than him, and began to speak:

"Speaking of this courtyard, it's in a quiet area, not far from the morning market, and convenient for going out. But because it's haunted, it's been sold several times and everyone moved out after a short time. It's really pitiful..."

Wang Ermazi kept talking all the way, but Xia Zhiming and Qingxin were not in a hurry and just listened to the story.

There was a family named Wang in Anshui County. Mr. Wang was a capable man. When he was young, he made a lot of money in business. He married a beautiful wife and had a happy family.

However, later, the wife of the Wang family took her children to the City God Temple to attend the temple fair. In the crowd, the two children were accidentally lost, and the tragedy began.

First, Mr. Wang spent all his wealth but failed to find the person. Mrs. Wang was depressed all day long, and soon she hanged herself with a white silk scarf. A wealthy family was broken up in less than a year.

On the way, Qingxin couldn't help but listen to it, pinching Xia Zhiming's tail with her little hand, looking distressed. Xia Zhiming also sighed slightly, as there were too many such stories in his past.

When Wang Ermaizi talked about how Mr. Wang sold his yard and disappeared in Anshui County in despair, the story finally came to an end, and the few of them had almost arrived at their destination.

Following the direction pointed by Wang Ermaizi, Xia Zhiming looked from afar and saw blue bricks and tiles and towering eaves. Although a closer look revealed that it was obviously a bit old, it was still much better than what he had seen before.

Looking at the surrounding environment, there are wealthy families everywhere, and the alley is also quiet.

As we got closer, we saw a high gate in the courtyard wall, with a wooden plaque hanging on the gate with four large characters written on it: "Qingxin Courtyard".

Seeing these four words, Xiao Qingxin's eyes lit up and she couldn't help but say, "That's it!"

"That's it, then. Go get the current owner." Before Wang Ermazi could even speak, without even glancing inside the house, Xia Zhiming made his decision. After all, since Junior Sister had spoken, he didn't care.

The broker was stunned for a moment, then he reacted and smiled happily, bowed, turned around and ran away. Not long after, he pulled a middle-aged man over to open the door.

The yard was overgrown with weeds and dense bamboo forests. There were two rooms, one main room and one wing room, and even a well. When I opened the door, I saw a bed, table, and chairs were all provided.

Qingxin nodded again. Xia Zhiming did not choose to speak at this time. He let the junior sister make the decision herself. Then he went to the government office to sign a document. After another busy period, he finally decided on a place to stay for the time being before sunset.

……

That night, the moonlight is cool——

After moving a bench to sit in the courtyard of their new home, Xiao Qingxin took Xia Zhiming off her neck and placed him on her lap. She listened to the chirping of insects and recalled the people and events she had encountered that day. Suddenly, the little Taoist boy spoke:

"Zhi Ming..."

"Hmm?" Xia Zhiming enjoyed the little loli's soft touch, squinting his eyes and responded softly.

In a place where Xia Zhiming couldn't notice, under the moonlight, Qing Xin looked at him lying motionless in her arms, and said with some sorrow:

“Why are there so many stories in this world…”

“Because I’m alive.”

"Zhi Ming..."

"what happened again?"

"I miss my master."

"Now that you mention it, I thought about it too."

----------

Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, Xieyue Sanxing Cave.

Qingyun brewed a cup of tea, held the cup in both hands and handed it to Patriarch Bodhi, but saw that the Patriarch was sitting quietly on the cushion without moving.

"Master?" Qingyun tilted his head, looking puzzled.

Patriarch Bodhi simply smiled, took the teacup and said, "How can one leave the world without entering it?"

The little Taoist boy was stunned for a moment, then thought for a moment and said, "Master, what you said makes a lot of sense."