Gou Dan's real name is Lu Ankang, a name given to him by the village chief.
Because he was sickly from a young age, he was given a humble name, Gou Dan (Dog Egg), supposedly so that he would be easy to raise.
Village chief Lu Zhengming and village student Lu Pengyun also rushed over upon hearing the news.
Dog Egg's mother sat on the ground and cried loudly.
Dog Egg's father held the gold bars, his face full of hesitation.
He knelt down and comforted her, "Wife, we're still young. If we lose our child, we can have another one."
"Look, so many gold bars, enough for us to live on for the rest of our lives."
Dog Egg's mother stared at the man in front of her with red eyes, never before feeling so unfamiliar with him.
"That's our own son! How can you say that?" Dog Egg's mother grabbed the gold bars from his hand and smashed them all in his face.
She struggled to her feet and collapsed in front of Qingfengzi.
As she kowtowed to Qingfengzi, she pleaded, "Daoist Master, please, save my child!"
"It must be that mountain god of wealth, no, it's that monster who stole my son!"
The villagers present, however, disagreed.
"Dog Egg's mother, don't push your luck!"
"Everyone knows your dog is an idiot. The fact that the God of Wealth is willing to accept him is a testament to the good deeds of your ancestors."
"Besides, the gold is plentiful. You won't lose out!"
"Exactly, you're just being hypocritical after getting a good deal."
"If I had a child, even if he was an idiot or a healthy baby, I would be willing to give him to the God of Wealth in exchange for money."
Dog Egg's mother glared fiercely at the villagers who were making sarcastic remarks, her body trembling slightly with anger.
Her shoulders slumped, her head hung low, and she whispered, "My son isn't stupid. He's just not healthy and grows slower than other children."
She looked at Qingfengzi again, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "Daoist Master, believe me, Gou Dan isn't stupid, he really isn't stupid!"
"Get up first. Whether you're stupid or not, we'll go and find out."
Immediately, villagers stepped forward, pointed at Qingfengzi's nose, and cursed, "You stinking Taoist priest, don't you dare meddle in other people's business!"
"The Mountain God of Wealth chose Gou Dan, that's Gou Dan's good fortune, you're not allowed to cause trouble."
Mao Junjie had never seen such ignorant people before, and Lu Zhengming and Lu Pengyun's concerns were entirely correct.
He pulled Qingfengzi back and stood in front of her.
He looked down at the villager who was spewing profanities and said, "Good fortune? This good fortune is for you, do you want it?"
The villager was slightly taken aback, but his two children quickly answered, "Of course we want it!"
"My father is already halfway to the grave. If he can be chosen by the God of Wealth of the Mountain, that would be an immense blessing."
The villager was speechless for a moment, and his face immediately turned ugly.
He took off his shoes and chased after his children, yelling, "You damned bastards! You're hoping your father dies! How could you give birth to two ungrateful wretches like you!"
Looking at the villagers who were in complete chaos, Lu Pengyun could only turn to Kui Kui for help.
Kui Kui pulled Mao Junjie back and said loudly, "As the old saying goes, 'If it doesn't concern you, don't get involved. But if it does concern you, you'll inevitably get flustered.'"
"If the Mountain God of Wealth takes away the first one, there might be a second, a third... Who can guarantee that they won't be next?"
"If everyone in Wazi Village is taken away, what use is all that gold and silver jewelry left behind?"
The villagers lowered their heads. Although they knew that Kui Kui's words were somewhat alarmist, upon closer reflection, they realized that it was not impossible.
"I'll say it again: we're not here to cut off your livelihood. We're here to help you."
The villagers all calmed down, and Lu Zhengming and Lu Pengyun finished counting the people.
Everyone else was there except for Gou Dan.
Dog Egg's mother felt even more desperate and sat silently on the ground, tears streaming down her face.
Langyue felt sorry for him and wanted to comfort him, but in the end she didn't say anything. She tugged at Kui Kui's sleeve and pointed at Gou Dan's mother.
Kui Kui nodded, squatted down, and looked at Gou Dan's mother at the same time.
"Let's go up the mountain and take a look." That was all they said, offering no further comfort.
Kuikui knew that despair was not the worst thing.
The most terrifying thing is to ignite hope only to watch it crumble again.
The four set off immediately, and this time they didn't need Lu Pengyun to lead the way, quickly heading up the mountain.
This time, we didn't just observe from afar; we actually went up the mountain.
Mao Junjie kicked at the stone under his feet and said to Qingfengzi, "Old Daoist Qingfeng, Gou Dan's house is only a few dozen meters away from where we were just standing. Did you notice anything?"
Langyue, who was standing beside him, suddenly spoke up: "Yes."
The voice was like a secluded orchid in a valley, clear yet gentle.
Mao Junjie stared at Lang Yue in astonishment and exclaimed, "A female Daoist?"
The characters Qian and Kun embody the Taoist concepts of Yin and Yang, with male Taoists referred to as "Qian Dao" and female Taoists as "Kun Dao".
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