Chapter 295 The Tough Taoist Priest

Sanwa thought it was a great joy that the Taoist priest was about to ascend to immortality.

But upon closer reflection, ascension is not an auspicious thing for mortals, so he simply kept quiet about it.

Looking at the sumptuous feast on the table, Sanwa's mouth watered.

He had never seen any of the dishes on the table before.

"Sanwa, eat quickly, don't just stand there." The Taoist priest picked up a large lamb leg and tore off a big piece for him.

Sanwa accepted the food with both hands, saying, "Thank you, Daoist Master. You should eat too."

He took a big bite, and the crispy on the outside and tender on the inside lamb leg was incredibly delicious. Marinated with spices, it didn't have a gamey taste at all, and every bite was full of fragrance.

Seeing the third child's posture, Song Chunxue couldn't help but swallow.

She rolled up Sanwa's sleeves, then picked up the lamb leg that the Taoist priest had torn off for her and took a delicious bite.

Mmm, delicious.

But it still felt a little off, so she got up and went to the kitchen to get two cloves of garlic.

Before long, they had eaten one and a half cloves of garlic.

They ate the eight dishes on the table for an hour, with almost nothing was wasted.

The two wolfhounds were also thoroughly enjoying their meal under the table.

After the third child had eaten and drunk his fill, he looked at the wine jars in the hands of the Taoist priest and his mother and couldn't help but lick his lips.

"Mother, what kind of wine is this? It smells so good."

"Pear Blossom White, this is my first time drinking it too, you should try it."

As she spoke, Song Chunxue poured him a glass of water, saying, "Drink this and go to bed early."

"Okay, then I'll take it to the room. You can drink it after you finish reading, otherwise you might fall asleep if you drink it too early." Sanwa stood up with a smile. "Daoist Master, please drink slowly. I'll go back to my room first."

The Taoist priest took out a silver ingot from his pocket. "Here you go, everyone who sees it gets a share."

Sanwa instinctively reached out to catch it, but when he saw the large object in his hand, he couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at Song Chunxue.

"Mother, did you go digging up graves again?"

The two brothers exchanged a glance, and the Taoist priest quickly waved his hand, "No, Sanwa, don't misunderstand. We decided two years ago that we would not dig up graves anymore. Don't worry, the money is absolutely legitimate; it's a reward from God."

Song Chunxue smiled and held out her hand, "If Sanwa thinks it's too much, you can give it to me."

Sanwa hugged the silver to his chest and said, "It's not too much, it's not too much. Thank you, Daoist. I'll accept it. I don't need to go back once I'm sober."

As he spoke, he ran to the door of his room, saying, "You can drink slowly, I'll boil some water for you to wash your feet."

The Taoist priest couldn't help but chuckle, "Your third child looks most like you, but he's much more interesting than you."

Song Chunxue remained noncommittal, "Indeed, although Sanwa is older now, he still has the heart of a child. He not only loves to play and read, but also likes to collect stones in the river. He is more cheerful than before."

The Taoist priest poured himself a full glass of wine, and his drunkenness gradually deepened.

Tonight is the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. After dinner, the moon quietly climbed over the mountain and occasionally hid among the clouds to peek at the human world.

Song Chunxue didn't say anything, just sipped her wine slowly, feeling warm all over.

"Clang clang~"

Suddenly, the Taoist priest took something out of his sleeve and threw it on the table.

"..." Upon closer inspection, it was a gold ingot, which had been cleaned by his senior brother, and its golden color was quite beautiful.

"Senior brother, are you drunk?"

The longer they knew each other, the more Song Chunxue felt that her senior brother was getting younger and younger.

To be precise, they are becoming more and more childlike as they get older.

The Taoist priest, his eyes glazed with drunkenness, fiddled with the gold ingot in his hand and asked earnestly, "Junior brother, is this thing pretty?"

"It's beautiful. If you like it so much, senior brother, you can keep two without spending money."

"Do you know why I suddenly wanted to dig this thing out?" The Taoist priest stroked the gold ingot and answered to himself, "Ten years ago I took a liking to a mountain that was very suitable for building a temple."

"Hmm, Senior Brother wants to buy it now?"

"The owner of that hill has fallen on hard times and is currently pawning his property. All I have is enough to buy their stable."

Song Chunxue listened quietly. No wonder her senior brother was so happy; his ten-year-long longing had finally come to fruition, and he was now fully capable of buying the mountain.

"Also, there is a large mansion in Liangzhou City that is a feng shui treasure. I talked about it with a friend three years ago, and he recently wrote to say that the mansion is for sale and asked if I wanted to buy it."

"There's also a school in Dingxi city that a wealthy merchant has taken a liking to, wanting to buy it to build an ancestral hall. I'd like to buy it at an even higher price..."

The Taoist priest rested his chin on his hand and began to mutter incoherently.

The moonlight was like water, and his eyes were hazy yet clear. He drank and muttered to himself, "Now, everything is settled. Junior brother, you are truly my lucky star."

Song Chunxue responded, "It's good that I can help my senior brother. Speaking of which, it was Lord Xie who helped me buy this courtyard. I wonder where he is now. We should all thank him."

"By the way, Senior Brother hasn't traveled far these past few months, so how come you know about things in so many places?"

The Taoist priest puffed out his chest with considerable pride, “I have traveled all over the country and made many friends. I have friends in all these places. A letter from me will naturally let them know.”

"As for Lord Xie, we have been corresponding for the past two years. He often asks about my junior brother. He is currently serving in Jincheng, but I heard that he will come to our county to inspect the drought situation in a few days. Perhaps we can have a drink together then."

At this point, the Taoist priest asked, "Since you are going out, junior brother, would you be willing to accompany me to Jincheng? Let's go and take a look at that mountain together."

Song Chunxue lowered her head in thought.

"Now, in our sect, only my fellow disciple and I can travel around and devote ourselves to cultivation. When we buy the mountain and build a temple, my junior brother will come with me to recruit disciples. By then, Sanwa should be married. Didn't my junior brother say he wanted to travel the world? If we can't recruit disciples then, we'll have to travel among the common people to find disciples who are destined to be with us."

Having said all that, how could Song Chunxue refuse?

"When does Senior Brother plan to set off? I'm definitely willing to go with you, but I'm afraid people will say that your junior brother is a half-baked fellow, which would embarrass you and Master."

The Taoist priest shook his head. “Junior brother, there’s no need to be so modest. You have already learned more and more deeply than Wang Shouming, the gatekeeper disciple of the Taoist temple. I’m just afraid that you are worried about your daughter and don’t want to delay things.”

"How could that be? Having a companion is wonderful; I couldn't ask for more."

Song Chunxue instantly felt much more relaxed on this trip. With her senior brother by her side, no one would dare to bully her on the road.

She refilled the Taoist priest's wine glass, saying, "A toast to my senior brother."

After clinking glasses with her, the Taoist priest tilted his head back and drank the wine.

"I think Senior Brother is just saying this on purpose because he's worried about the danger I'll face going to Liangzhou alone," Song Chunxue said with a smile. "I remember Liangzhou is quite far. Starting from here, we'll pass through Dingxi and Jincheng. We've only gone less than halfway there by the time we reach Jincheng. Senior Brother, are you worried that I might encounter danger on the way?"

The Taoist priest picked up a piece of yellow mustard greens with his chopsticks. “Yes and no, it was just a coincidence. I’ve been worried about the Dingxi City School these days. My junior brother has solved my immediate problem. It’s only right and proper that I escort him to Liangzhou City.”

"But I know that my senior brother originally didn't plan to go out."

“Junior brother, no matter what, you are still a woman. It’s inevitable that you will encounter dangerous people when you go out alone. I have finally raised a decent junior brother. I don’t want him to run into any trouble. Otherwise, Master will expel me from the sect.”

The Taoist priest said firmly, "It's settled then, there's no room for discussion."

P.S.: Happy Dragon Boat Festival everyone! May you have a prosperous and healthy year!