NOVPUBThe young Taoist tugged at his older brother disciple’s cuff and whispered,
"But elder brother, didn’t Master say there’s another half to that phrase?"
"Fleeting fame and wealth, all but vexing toils."
"Like the steed in the gap, the fire in the rock, a body in a dream."
Dreams hold no true fire, and the body in them is an illusion; like a white steed flashing past a gap, it’s all over in an instant.
Mu Shanxue raised his eyebrows and, with no ceremony, placed his hand on the young Taoist’s head. Though he pressed down, he didn’t use much force, merely ruffling the neatly arranged hair into disarray, which visibly annoyed the latter, puffing his cheeks in frustration. His mood was significantly lightened by the playful sabotage.
Wang Anfeng laughed aloud.
Clutching the Longsword’s hilt in his left hand and leaning forward, he took a cup of tea from the table in his right hand and drank it in one gulp. Playing with the tea cup between his fingers, he said casually,
"Now is not a good time, but if the chance arises, we’ll chat more."
"I bid farewell."
With a flick of his wrist, the teacup landed steady back on the table. Wang Anfeng flashed a smile at the languid Taoist and the young boy wanting to use the Jade Bead as a slingshot, took up his sword, and sprung fivepperins from his chest, which whirled and spun as they hit the table.
The old man at the tea stall widened his eyes, not understanding the gesture.
Smiling and stroking his chin, Mu Shanxue said,
"It seems those are for the tea you just drank, old man. You might as well take them."
"Little junior brother, we should be going too."
Chonghe was trying to tidy his hair when he heard this and gave an acknowledgment, standing up to fetch his various bags and parcels, but Mu Shanxue had already grabbed them.
Mu Shanxue hastened a few steps and, while the grey donkey wasn’t looking, tossed the bags onto its back.
The donkey brayed dintentedly.
The handsome Taoist stood beside the donkey, lifting his left hand lazily to rest on the plain Longsword of the Taoist Sect, casually flicking it. The sword, still in its scabbard, soared and when it came down, it perfectly entered the sword belt behind him. Despite the seeming carelessness, it was a move that inevitably drew an admiring ’how carefree’.
As Chonghe reached up to tidy his hair, he walked over to lead the donkey by the reins, but a large hand had already landed on hisllar, and before he knew it, he was lifted off the ground and onto the donkey’s back.
Mu Shanxue followed suit with a leap.
The donkey brayed again and set off toward the outskirts of the town.
The old man watched as the young Taoist on the donkey’s back offered a distant fist salute to him. His cheeks flushed red, possibly embarrassed by being hoisted up by hisllar just moments before. He chuckled, thinking to himself that the boy was indeed still a child.
Just moments ago, there were several people here, but now it was desolate.
The old man sighed, his feelings of annoyance and fondness dissipating, and stood there idly before turning to fetch a cloth from behind. He began wiping the already somewhat aged wooden table.
Seeing the fivepperins neatly lined up on the table and remembering the tea Wang Anfeng had just drunk, an inexplicable thought suddenly arose in his mind.
Setting down the cloth, he carefullyllected the fivepperins, not placing them where he usually kept the silverins, but instead finding a wooden box to throw them into, creating a jingling sound. 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
After putting away the box, he paused for a moment, realizing that his actions had been somewhat unnecessary.
These days, that young man hadme every day, and he would surely not be absent tomorrow. Yet after a moment’s hesitation, he still carefully put away the box, murmuring to himself,
"I willllect hispperins to see what future this boastful young man might have."
But such an act was merely a little amusement of the elder, having no significant meaning, probably far less noteworthy than the new round hole on the table.
It still needed a plank to patch it up.
The old man muttered to himself.
PS: Reaching a climax in the story… today’s double release, tomorrow’s update might be a bit delayed, but it should not leave everyone disappointed, perhaps youuld look forward to it a little? (Fist salute)
