Chapter 50: The Sourcerer of Bazhenlou?
Chapter 50: The Sourcerer of Bazhenlou?
"Are you serious?" the old man asked, looking at him.
Master He nodded gently, then said in a refined manner, "Isn't this what it's all about when you're traveling the martial world?"
Lao Qu suddenly laughed.
Master He laughed as well, “I’ve been stuck in Qingyun Manor for so long, I’m so bored. If I hadn’t come to Bazhen Tower to see you, how would I have encountered all these strange and wonderful things?”
Old Qu chimed in, "One should draw one's sword to help those in need."
Master He tacitly agreed, "Let's settle our grudges in the martial world and talk about the past after this matter is resolved."
"Amitabha." Deyuan also smiled and said, "Master He is righteous, and I am willing to go with him. Once the matter of the Eight-Sided Broken Formation Umbrella is settled, I will go to the government office to report."
Zhao Tong frowned as he looked at him.
Old Qu said in a deep voice, "I just exchanged blows with you. Given your condition, you probably won't be able to go to the yamen after the matter of the Eight-Sided Formation Umbrella is settled."
Everyone around was stunned.
But Deyuan remained calm. “Amitabha, if I pass away before I reach the government office, then I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble Master He to take my ashes back to Huzhen.”
Deyuan nodded in acknowledgment. “This old monk is not a monk after all. I was an orphan since childhood and do not know who my parents are or where my hometown is. But the old bandit once told me that his surname was Liu and his hometown was Huzhen. If that is the case, Huzhen is my half hometown. I want to return to my roots and have something to look forward to. I hope that Elder He will be considerate.”
Master He said gently, "It is my duty."
Hearing these words from Master He, Deyuan felt a slight sense of relief. He then clasped his hands together again before Master He and uttered, "Amitabha, the Longevity Gentleman Sword remains unchanged. If I had another chance, I would still take Master He as my role model."
This sound, if it exists, means it doesn't exist.
Bai Cen was about to speak, saying that after eighteen years, he would be a hero again, but Wang Sumo spoke first, "You have already started over."
Everyone around looked at Wang Sumo.
Wang Sumo said softly, "The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, and then it's now. You've done both..."
As the sun set, its afterglow fell upon the robe, as if bathing it in a golden glow.
Bai Cen smiled with his arms crossed.
*
A horse was pulled out from the Bazhenlou restaurant, and then another horse pulled a carriage towards Shanhe Town ahead.
Master He will be setting off with Liu Henshui tomorrow, and there's no time to cook a few dishes at Bazhenlou tonight, but a farewell feast is still necessary.
Zhao Tong and Liu Henshui are still here, while Master He and Bai Cen stayed behind to look after them.
Wang Sumo and Lao Qu drove together to Shanhe Town to buy some wine and food.
The wheels rumbled along the path. Since they weren't carrying the Eight Treasures Pavilion, they didn't need to take the main road; the path was actually faster. Old Qu drove the carriage, while Wang Sumo rode outside with the old man.
Before the old man arrived, Wang Sumo drove the carriage by herself for a long time; after the old man came, he took over all these tasks, and she never touched the carriage again.
The old man treated her like his own granddaughter!
She and the old man were so familiar with each other that she knew him very well. Seeing that the old man was driving the carriage without saying much, Wang Sumo knew what the old man was thinking without asking.
"Are you worried about Master He?" Wang Sumo crossed his arms and leaned leisurely against the carriage.
The old man came to his senses and gave a low "hmm". "Although Liu Henshui's words didn't sound fake, they were still just one side of the story. After the initial excitement wore off, I'll still have some concerns."
Having spent most of my life navigating the world, I can never be too careful.
"Besides, Zhao Tong is also there. It's natural to be a little worried about Lao He." The old man rarely acted so seriously. Ever since he started driving the carriage, he had been having some concerns. Wang Sumo asked him about it, and the old man couldn't help but speak his mind.
"Moreover, Lao He is still injured. He has transferred a lot of his cultivation to others, so he is slightly stronger than Liu Henshui. But Zhao Tong is in his prime, so I am still worried." The old man was rough but meticulous.
Wang Sumo sat up straight and leaned closer, "Grandpa, if you're worried, you can go with Master He. Finding spices isn't something that can be done overnight. We'll take our time, and you can take your time too."
The old man looked around and said, "I'm also worried about Bai Cen."
Wang Sumo: "..."
Although the old man liked Bai Cen, he still had some doubts in his heart. He muttered, "Compared to Liu Henshui and Zhao Tong, this guy is more mysterious. Who knows if he has good intentions in approaching me? Time will tell. He has only been here for a few days. We still need to verify his intentions."
Wang Sumo smiled, resting her chin on her hand, "Now that you mention it, it does seem true."
The old man looked at her, "Girl, I won't leave..."
Wang Sumo was slightly taken aback.
As the old man drove, he continued, "We agreed before that we would go wherever there are spices, no matter where they are. I, this old man, will not get out of the car, will not leave Bazhenlou, and will not leave the eaves of Bazhenlou lit. I will stay here and not leave you alone."
Wang Sumo chuckled softly, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears, but she still smiled, resting her chin on her hand. In early August, the mountain breeze, though cool, was pleasantly gentle on the face.
Wang Sumo gently wiped her eyes and sighed softly, "Grandpa, this sudden emotional outburst..."
The old man laughed along with him.
As the sun sets, the afterglow dances lightly in the dust, creating a scene that is inexplicably harmonious and moving.
In the golden glow, Wang Sumo suddenly sat up straight again, a sudden inspiration striking him. "Grandpa, I've thought of a way."
There's always been someone who comes up with the most ingenious ideas.
Take the old man to see her.
Wang Sumo took out two silver ingots from his pouch and gestured, "Here, these two are Deyuan and Zhao Tong. If they are with Master He, you will be concerned about Master He's safety, sir. But what if only Deyuan's silver ingot is with Master He, while Zhao Tong's silver ingot is left behind?"
The old man tightened the reins, and the carriage slowly came to a stop.
The old man looked at Wang Sumo and asked, "Girl, are you saying that Zhao Tong should stay?"
Wang Sumo nodded and said seriously, "Grandpa, think back to Deyuan's attitude today. Deyuan didn't want Zhao Tong to be with him. Deyuan spent a long time helping Zhao Tong overcome his inner demons, and he didn't want Zhao Tong to fail at the last minute; but Zhao Tong felt that if he left Deyuan, he wouldn't be able to control his murderous desires. But Deyuan knew in his heart that Zhao Tong was capable of it."
Wang Sumo tried to explain, "Grandpa, do you remember when we were in Carp Town? Zhao Tong ransacked the entire Bazhenlou restaurant on that street, and the street that sold counterfeit goods wasn't spared either. But the yamen runners with bad attitudes would still beat up the people, while Zhao Tong just went and killed the chickens, ducks, fish, and snakes that people were selling, to make an example of them. This shows that even when he's angry and annoyed, he can control himself."
“And another thing,” Wang Sumo continued, “This morning, when Bai Cen and I went to the market in Huzhen to buy some meat and vegetables, Bai Cen accidentally bumped into Zhao Tong while pushing his wheelbarrow. I wasn’t holding ‘Weiwu’ very securely at the time, and ‘Weiwu’ flew out of my arms. If Zhao Tong hadn’t caught it in time, ‘Weiwu’ would have been seriously injured. But Zhao Tong instinctively reached out and grabbed ‘Weiwu.’ Although his gaze wasn’t friendly, he returned ‘Weiwu’ to me. He didn’t have any murderous intent towards ‘Weiwu’ or me, who almost bumped into him.”
"Is that so?" This was the first time the old man had heard of it.
Wang Sumo nodded, "So, if we let Master He and Deyuan go to the Eight-Sided Formation Umbrella, but leave Zhao Tong behind, with you here, Grandpa, Zhao Tong won't be able to cause any trouble. At least Master He and this place will be safe."
The old man's eyes lit up; indeed, how come he hadn't thought of that before?
"Moreover," Wang Sumo took a deep breath, her eyes crinkling with laughter, and then changed the subject, "Grandpa, don't you think his knife skills are amazing! Back in Carp Town, he killed all those chickens, ducks, fish, and snakes in one go! The blade and the edge of the knife were so beautiful, so clean and efficient. Isn't our Bazhen Restaurant just in need of a sous chef?"
The old man was utterly stunned. "You mean him?!?"
Wang Sumo nodded, then said dreamily, "Grandpa, think about it, where would we at Bazhenlou possibly find a sous chef with such amazing knife skills? Killing chickens, ducks, or fish—Bai Cen gets chased around by the chickens and ducks, but Zhao Tong's knife skills are clean, crisp, and without a moment's hesitation. He could even slice a poached chicken, carve some patterns, and that would broaden Bazhenlou's menu and increase efficiency!"
However, the old man blinked and was also tempted.
Others might not know, but the girl certainly didn't have to work so hard, having to chop and prepare vegetables and cook all by herself; moreover, Zhao Tong was definitely more efficient at killing chickens and fish than Bai Cen.
Wang Sumo knew the old man best and knew that the old man's heart was wavering.
Wang Sumo continued, "This morning, I saw him carrying dry food and vegetables. Old man, think about it, Deyuan has difficulty walking and has to avoid his enemies. There must have been times when he cooked a simple meal on the road. So who cooked for him along the way?"
Without a second thought, the old man replied, "His legs are weak, so naturally it's Zhao Tong!"
“Yes!” Wang Sumo coaxed. “And I saw him buying groceries today, so does that mean Zhao Tong can cook simple dishes in addition to butchering chickens, ducks, and fish? Wouldn’t that make him a great candidate for sous chef?”
Under Wang Sumo's vivid description, even the old man gradually came to agree in his heart.
Wang Sumo continued, "Compared to leaving Zhao Tong alone, given Deyuan's understanding of you and Master He, wouldn't he feel more at ease having Zhao Tong with you around during the initial period after you separated from him?"
The old man suddenly understood.
That's right, at least he can keep Zhao Tong in check when it matters.
The Fish-Slaughtering Knife no longer has any equal in the martial arts world today; the Cloud-Piercing Mountain-Splitting Hand is one of them!
“If Zhao Tong himself has concerns and worries, but Deyuan insists on not letting him go, wouldn’t he also want to stay at your Bazhenlou restaurant, sir?” Wang Sumo asked, looking at the old man.
The old man suddenly felt that this explanation was also fitting.
Wang Sumo continued, "Besides, Bazhenlou already needs to slaughter chickens, ducks, fish, and cut meat to operate. This is a good thing for Zhao Tong's cultivation method, not a problem, as it facilitates it. As long as we agree on three rules—that we can only use knives when the restaurant is open for business, and not when it's not open for business—wouldn't all the problems be solved?"
What a fake!
He received a profound enlightenment from the old man.
Wang Sumo said leisurely, "Grandpa, our Bazhen Restaurant might really need a sous chef!"
[Author's Note]
Huh, why is my debt snowballing?
Three chapters owed...
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