Chapter 704 Old Acquaintance

The senior brother repeatedly denied it, and Song Chunxue couldn't do anything about it.

"That's good," she said, picking up the wine jug and pouring him a drink. "Here you go. Anyway, if you ever run into trouble, having me with you is always better than having your apprentice, isn't it?"

“Yes,” the Taoist priest raised his wine cup with both hands, his tone gentle, “I will definitely not hide it from my junior brother next time.”

With the assurance in hand, Song Chunxue smiled and drank a few more cups.

Seeing her senior brother again made her feel much more at ease.

She took out a large money bag and pushed it in front of him.

Inside were gold won from Master Han, as well as a lot of silver ingots and pieces of silver. All in all, it amounted to a thousand taels of silver.

That should last my senior brother quite a while.

The Taoist priest was taken aback, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

In his junior brother's eyes, how could he be so wasteful?

"I don't want it, you keep it yourself. So many people need to get money from you..."

Song Chunxue placed the money bag in his hand. "They are all doing well now. The money they receive from me is all for their children. Unlike you, I don't always run around for other people's affairs. I give money to beggars and homeless people I encounter on the street, but I lack patience. It's better for you to do this."

She held onto her senior brother's arm, preventing him from breaking free.

“From now on, I’ll be your money bag, senior brother. We’ll have a clear division of labor. If you need money, just ask me. Oh no, I’ll give it to you, senior brother, you’re so stubborn. I also have a few shops, money will make money.”

Seeing her somewhat smug expression, the Taoist priest smiled and nodded, "Alright, then I'll accept it."

Watching her senior brother silently carrying the burden, she always felt an urge to cry.

She didn't understand why she felt this way before, but now Song Chunxue thinks it must be the Buddhist concept of compassion.

It is also what Taoism calls a benevolent heart and wise eyes, which she gained through self-cultivation and spiritual practice.

As an ordinary mortal, she felt sorry for her senior brother, but as a fellow cultivator, she knew that her senior brother was content with his lot.

He must get tired of being a mortal, but he won't let anyone see his vulnerability, even if they know him so well.

She felt they were family, but in her senior brother's heart, she was the junior and he was the senior.

Thinking of this, she suddenly realized that her senior brother was the one who truly possessed such wonderful things as Wuyou and Taozhi.

In her hands, she could only protect herself.

Song Chunxue suddenly wanted to find a treasure for her senior brother so that he could protect himself when he helped up those who had fallen while traveling all over the country.

That's right, she was determined to find a treasure for her senior brother, and she tried every possible means.

She had been under her senior's protection all along, but had never done anything for him.

This plan quietly took root in my mind.

In the evening, after they finished drinking, they prepared to go home.

Mei Yang also stood at the entrance of the tavern, seeing off his brothers.

"Here, this is your birthday gift."

Song Chunxue gave him a box containing several lucky charms and a silver pen.

She originally bought it from a shop in Beijing, thinking it would be a good gift for the children, so she bought a few more. She didn't expect it to come in handy so soon.

The Taoist priest no longer carried his cloth bag; instead, he took out a box from his bosom containing a small but powerful jujube wood sword struck by lightning, used for warding off evil spirits.

"This is wood struck by lightning; it wards off evil spirits," the Taoist priest said in a deep voice. "May you have peace and safety year after year."

Mei Yang accepted the gift with both hands. "Thank you very much, Daoist Master. This is the first time I've ever received such a valuable gift. Thank you so much."

"If you like it, that's good. After all, you're my junior's good friend."

Mei Yang couldn't help but smile as he looked at Song Chunxue, "I really envy you. You have such a great senior brother. You can succeed at anything you do."

"Haha, seeing that you're all going home, I won't keep you any longer. I'll treat you to drinks sometime. I have something to trouble you two Taoist priests with."

The Taoist priest nodded, "No problem."

After temporarily leaving Meiyang, Song Chunxue followed the Taoist priest forward.

"By the way, senior brother, what's your birthday? I haven't given you a birthday gift yet, even a fake one will do."

For those who cultivate themselves, their birth date and time should not be revealed.

"March 3rd".

"The Shangsi Festival?" Song Chunxue stopped and couldn't help but click her tongue. "No wonder, no wonder, no wonder."

The Taoist priest crossed his arms and asked, "No wonder what?"

“I know that the birthdays of several of our Taoist patriarchs are on the third day of the third month. I didn’t expect that your birthday is also on this day, senior brother. It is rare for ordinary people to be born on such an auspicious day. People born on auspicious days that everyone knows are extraordinary. No wonder, senior brother, you will definitely have all your wishes fulfilled in the future.”

Upon hearing the date, even though Song Chunxue didn't know anything about fortune telling, she knew that her senior brother was destined for great things and would be one in a million.

The Taoist priest shook his head. "That's not necessarily true."

"Definitely, but it will be very tough. Senior brother, you've worked hard." This means that the trials he has encountered along the way are greater than those of ordinary people.

"You should go back now, I'll come find you another day."

...

For five consecutive days, Song Chunxue didn't go out much.

This is her old haunt. It's so comfortable to stay in her own territory, where she can eat and sleep well and not worry about any of the messy things around her.

However, during this time, other people still came to knock on the door.

If it weren't for prior discussion with Hongying's family, knocking six times beforehand would cause her to see people she doesn't want to see.

The wolfhound barked in the yard, but she let the knocking continue until the person outside lost patience.

The moth diagonally opposite is a kind-hearted creature; it always runs out whenever it hears a noise and chats with the person who comes to visit.

This was convenient for Song Chunxue, as she could hear what the person was saying from the doorway.

"You've come to discuss marriage? Well, all their children are married now, and the one who isn't married yet is probably engaged too. There's no one home at their house. The old nun must have gone to the fields. You can come again next time."

"Oh, you've come to ask me something? Well, you've come to the wrong person. She only knows how to draw talismans, and she just came back from a long trip. She's probably helping her daughter with chores."

"Are you her distant relatives? Which side are you from? I've never heard of you. You're not here to borrow money, are you? Come on, come on, no one's home, just two wolfhounds. If no one answers the door, they're not home. Come back another time."

"Nobody's home, stop knocking. There's no one here. She's a Taoist priest now, why would she marry an old, penniless bachelor? What's the point? Hurry up and leave."

"All you matchmakers, go away, all of you. No one, young or old, needs you to be matchmakers. If I could, I would have done it long ago. Why would it be your turn?"

...

Song Chunxue, listening from inside the house, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This Sister-in-law Tian was really good at talking.

But is she that old?

She brought some steamed buns made with bitter beans and oil, as well as two flatbreads, to thank her.

"Oh my, what wind has blown you here? I knew you were home, but I just don't like to talk to those people."

Sister-in-law Tian was still dressed as flamboyantly as ever. Her thin gauze dress was adorned with vibrant red peonies, and she wore a green silk sash around her waist. Her figure was even fuller than before, and it seemed quite fitting to describe her as a fluttering moth.

"Thank you for stopping those people for me."

"Huh?" Sister-in-law Tian leaned closer to look at Song Chunxue. "Why do you look so all rosy-cheeked? Do you have a lover?"