“Hmm?”
The familiar tone, the familiar line.
Lu Zheng looked up abruptly and indeed saw the familiar old beggar.
“Eh?”
The old beggar had only just noticed this young man he had met once before.
That day, this young man had been kind-hearted and given him a bowl of chicken leg rice along with a cup of murky wine to quench his thirst. It had exactly advanced his cultivation of the Red Dust Heart. In return, he had resolved one of the young man’s minor troubles.
He had not expected to meet again after more than two years.
And moreover…
Not only did the young man now have abundant vital energy and qi, with an aura of the Dao permeating him, but he was also accompanied by an exquisite fox woman brimming with merit.
Could it be that this lad was actually a peerless cultivation genius?
“Senior!”
Lu Zheng’s eyes lit up. He immediately stood, bowed in greeting. “Thanks to Senior’s aid that day, this junior avoided a calamity. Senior, please sit!”
Lu Zheng at once pulled out the long bench to his left and moved to help the old beggar sit.
“No! I dare not accept that!” The old beggar reached out to stop Lu Zheng’s hand, but he did not refuse the invitation and instead sat down smoothly.
…
To explain, he had just entered, drawn by the aroma, and seen a pair of perfect lovers, one man and one woman, eating.
The old beggar was no fool, so he decisively circulated his energy to his eyes and looked over. He discovered that the man cultivated both Dao and martial arts, while the woman was a three-tailed fox spirit.
But he had only seen their auras, not Lu Zheng’s face directly, so he had not recognised him at first.
Facing one human and one demon, the old beggar paid it no mind and had no intention of revealing his identity. He simply stepped forward to beg for food.
After all, he was just an old beggar, dim of sight, pitiable and pathetic, merely seeking a meal. Did it matter who it was for?
In his view, this young man was from the Daoist sect, and the woman brimmed with merit, so they would surely give him a chicken leg to eat. He had not expected to run into an acquaintance he had casually helped before.
…
Now he could no longer keep up the pretence. The old beggar waved his hand and sat at the table.
“Boss! Another bowl of noodles!” Lu Zheng called out, then tore the roast chicken spread on oil paper into several large pieces and pushed them towards the old beggar. “Senior, please help yourself!”
The old beggar was not polite. With a joyful laugh, he took a chicken leg and bit into it heartily.
Liu Qingyan looked at Lu Zheng. He nodded and introduced, “Before I entered the Dao path, I was once targeted by a… thief. It was this Senior who saved me.”
“Liu Qingyan pays respects to Senior.” Liu Qingyan curtsied gracefully.
“No need, no need.” The old beggar’s mouth was full of chicken. He waved his hand. “It was just a flower thief. Even if this old beggar had not intervened, your husband would not have died.”
“A flower thief?” Liu Qingyan’s eyes went wide.
Lu Zheng lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Seeing Lu Zheng’s expression, Liu Qingyan blinked, understood, and her cheeks quivered lightly. It took great effort for her to hold back her laughter.
Lu Zheng took a deep breath, then reacted and bowed in greeting. “Baiyun Temple outer layman Lu Zheng pays respects to Senior.”
“Mm, this old beggar is surnamed Liu. You can call me Old Beggar Liu.” The old beggar nodded. He had already discerned Lu Zheng’s background.
Considering that Baiyun Temple had a branch in Tonglin County, he understood the situation.
It must have been after meeting him that the young man sought the Dao wholeheartedly and ended up at Baiyun Temple.
Baiyun Temple engaged with the world through talismans, so it naturally recruited disciples from the secular realm. Although Lu Zheng was a bit older, serving as an outer layman posed no issue.
Only…
“I never expected that in just two years, you would have achieved such cultivation. Baiyun Temple has picked up a treasure.” The old beggar sized Lu Zheng up and down, clicking his tongue in admiration. “Cultivate well. In future, when you refine innate cloud qi, become the head of Baiyun Temple.”
Lu Zheng: “…”
“Senior jests.”
Lu Zheng smiled and responded, then patted the gourd at his waist. A small jar and three wine cups flew out from the gourd’s mouth and steadied themselves on the table.
“Hmm?”
The old beggar sniffed, his eyes lighting up instantly. “What fragrant wine!”
Lu Zheng uncorked the jar, and a clear fragrance instantly filled the surroundings. “Meat without wine, how can that be proper hospitality?”
He lifted the jar and filled the three cups one by one, then raised his cup and said clearly, “Senior Liu, please!”
Liu Qingyan lifted her sleeve and raised her cup. “Please!”
The old beggar had long been impatient. He reached for his cup, clinked it with theirs, and immediately tossed it back in one gulp.
“Fragrant! Fine wine!” The old beggar let out a long breath. “What wine is this?”
“Huadiao.” Lu Zheng smiled, then patted the gourd again.
In the next moment, a plate of sauced beef, a plate of braised chicken feet, a plate of braised pork offal, and a dish of peanuts appeared on the table.
The old beggar: “…”
He could not help swallowing, and then he heard swallowing sounds rising one after another.
No helping it. Everyone was eating plain noodles. Even if a couple had dried meat, how could it compare to ready-to-eat cured meats made with modern seasonings?
The aroma alone crushed them.
Lu Zheng specially pointed with his chopsticks at the plate of braised pork offal and introduced, “Senior, do not underestimate this mere offal. After marinating and braising with seasonings, it has a unique flavour. Pig liver, pig stomach, pig intestines, pig head, pig ears, all are delicacies of the mortal world! Care to try?”
The old beggar nodded. He was just an old beggar, not one who had never eaten offal. So he extended his chopsticks, picked up a piece of large intestine, and put it in his mouth.
“Mm…”
“Delicious! Truly delicious!”
“This old man has lived for several hundred years, yet this is the first time I know that pig large intestine can be so tasty!”
Good grief! Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan could not help exchanging a glance.
No wonder. He could not sense this old beggar’s aura at all. It turned out the man was a grandmaster of this calibre!
What more was there to say?
Grovel!
“If it is delicious, eat more!” Lu Zheng enthusiastically poured another cup for the old beggar. “Let us drink the Huadiao first. When it is done, I have another aged brew here, rich and mellow in aroma.”
“Another kind of wine?”
“Yes!” Lu Zheng nodded. “During the New Year, I sent a batch to Baiyun Temple. Seeing how the elders quite liked it, this junior keeps some in the gourd as well. In a bit, I will give Senior a few jars.”
The old beggar tried to refuse, but his lips moved a few times and he ultimately said nothing.
Mm, mainly because he was gnawing on a chicken foot and could not speak!
“Young sir… noodles…”
The boss brought the noodles over but, seeing the table full of meat dishes, hesitated on whether to serve them.
“Come, come, put them here.” Lu Zheng had the boss set down the noodles, then patted the gourd again and took out oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and the various meat and vegetable toppings he had prepared beforehand.
After some mixing, he finally drizzled a bit of sesame oil. The various seasonings combined with the fresh aroma of hand-pulled noodles, instantly wafting about.
“Senior, care to try?”
The old beggar: ⊙ω⊙
