In March, the season of rejuvenation and spring, the official road to Fuzhou is bustling with people, including travelers and merchants. Everyone is hurrying along, their destination being the city of Fuzhou, just ten miles away.
"drive…"
"Da da da da..."
With a shout to the horses, pedestrians quickly moved aside, and in the distance, billowing yellow dust, a group of people galloped towards them on horseback.
The leader was a young man in white, with a cheerful face. He rode a pure white Ferghana horse, which was obviously an extremely rare and precious steed. On the left side of the horse hung a bow and arrows and a sword, while on the right side were many kinds of prey, including rabbits, pheasants, and a lynx.
Behind the boy were four burly men, all dressed in gray, tight-fitting clothes. Their bulging temples and the faint hint of murderous intent they exuded indicated that they were all skilled in martial arts.
"Hoo..."
The young man leading the group stopped his horse and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the pedestrians and merchants waiting on both sides of the road.
"Please continue on your way, everyone. We're not in a hurry. Let's rest here for a while," the young man said, pointing to a teahouse built under several large trees not far away.
Pedestrians smiled in response. These days, it's rare to see such polite people, especially since the other person clearly comes from a wealthy family.
After the passersby left, the boy also jumped off his horse.
A knight quickly stepped forward and took the reins from behind.
"Old Cai, Old Cai. The young镖头 (bodyguard/escort) is here, why aren't you out to greet him, you old devil?"
One of the burly men shouted towards the tea stall.
"Here you are, here you are, please come in, sir."
A slightly hunched old man walked out of the tea stall, his back bent. He was dressed in a gray pudding-colored shirt, and the wrinkles on his face could trap flies, but he still managed to put on an ugly smile to greet us.
"Huh? Who are you? Where's Lao Cai?" The young man frowned slightly.
Several burly men behind him quickly stepped forward to protect the boy.
"Stop!" one of them shouted. The old man immediately stopped.
"Where's Lao Cai?" the boy asked again, clearly quite familiar with Lao Cai.
"Sir, it's like this. My surname is Sa. I used to be a merchant traveling around. Later, my son and daughter-in-law passed away from a strange illness. So I brought my granddaughter to Fuzhou. It just so happens that Old Cai has some family matters to attend to and needs to return to his hometown, so I spent some money to take over this little shop." After the old man finished speaking, he pointed to the person hiding next to the stove in the tea stall. Judging from the figure, it was indeed a woman.
The boy looked slightly disappointed after hearing this, which showed that he was also a person who valued loyalty and righteousness.
"Damn it, that old Cai, why didn't he say goodbye before leaving?" the knight cursed.
"Alright, Chief Escort Shi, Old Cai is getting on in years, it's time for him to go home and enjoy his retirement."
"Shopkeeper, this is the game we just hunted. Could you please clean it up, prepare some dishes, and bring us a few jugs of wine?"
The boy pointed to the prey on the horse and then gestured for his men to take several pieces of prey down.
"Very well, gentlemen, please come in and have some tea. I'll get right away."
Soon, the group entered the teahouse and sat down according to their status as host and guest.
As soon as they sat down, the woman who had been hiding next to the stove came over with a tea tray.
"Please have some tea, gentlemen."
The woman lowered her head, her voice soft and melodious.
The boy couldn't help but look over, and at that moment the woman also raised her head. The boy was immediately stunned. He saw that the woman had a graceful figure and a pleasant voice, but he didn't expect her to be so ugly. Her eyes were different sizes, she had a flat nose, thick lips, and a sallow complexion. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her an ugly woman.
However, the young man was clearly not one to judge by appearances, and nodded to him in gratitude.
"Sigh, what a pity today. Young Master Biao's arrow was just a little short of hitting that wild boar."
"Haha, that beast deserved to die! We'll come back another day and shoot it dead to take back to our brothers at the escort agency for a treat," the young man said excitedly.
Just as the group was chatting, the shopkeeper's ears twitched slightly over the stove, and the woman tending the fire below also looked up. The two nodded to each other as if they had confirmed something.
"Splash..."
Just then, many startled birds suddenly flew up from the woods opposite.
The group looked up and saw the branches swaying in the woods across the official road, accompanied by sparse sounds.
The four burly men gripped their swords tightly, while the boy looked at the other side with curiosity.
"Moo..."
Suddenly, a deep mooing sound came from the woods.
"A cow?" Everyone was taken aback. How could there be a cow in this place?
Soon, the mystery was solved. A huge figure emerged from the bushes, and a blue ox, much larger than those kept by ordinary people, came out. To the surprise of the group, a person was sitting on the ox's back, or rather, a Taoist priest.
"Haha, we've finally come to the right place, Niu Er, I told you we should go this way!" The Taoist priest looked over and then burst into laughter.
"Moo..." The green ox shook its head, as if affirming the Taoist's words.
Inside the teahouse, the group loosened their grip on their weapons and curiously examined the strange group. The Taoist priest appeared to be in his early twenties, with a very handsome appearance. He wore a clean and tidy blue Taoist robe, and his hair was styled in a Tai Chi bun, which confirmed to them that he was a Taoist priest.
The green ox carried the Taoist priest toward the tea stall.
"Haha, sorry to bother you all. I got lost in the woods and wandered around for a long time before finally coming out. I'm sorry to have disturbed you." The young Taoist priest politely cupped his hands to the group.
For some reason, the Taoist's smile was very infectious and made people feel very comfortable.
The young man in white quickly stood up.
"You're too kind, Taoist priest. Please come and rest and have some tea."
"Yes, yes, please, Daoist Master." The others quickly replied politely as they saw their master stand up.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” The young Taoist priest finished speaking and lightly jumped off the ox’s back.
"Niu Er, go eat grass over there."
He then patted the cow's rump.
"Moo..."
The big blue ox responded with a sound, then swished its tail and walked to the side.
"Good heavens! I've been traveling all over the country with the escort agency for over ten years, and this is the first time I've ever seen such a magnificent ox. Daoist, your ox is simply divine; it can actually understand human speech."
"Yes, it really was responding to the Taoist priest just now."
Several burly men exclaimed in surprise.
The boy in white also looked shocked, but quickly recovered.
"Please, Taoist priest."
"One more teacup, please."
"Thank you, thank you." The Taoist priest smiled and sat down.
"Where does the Taoist priest come from, and where is he going?" the young man asked.
Upon hearing this, a hint of melancholy flashed in the young Taoist's eyes, but it quickly disappeared, and he smiled and said...
"This humble Taoist wanders the four seas, using the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed. He goes wherever he pleases, letting everything take its course."
"Daoist Master, you are so carefree. I am extremely envious. To be honest, the farthest I've ever been in my life is the area around Fuzhou and once when I was a child, I went to Luoyang." The boy's eyes were full of envy.
"May I ask your name, Daoist Master?" the young man asked, bowing respectfully.
"My name is Li Daoyi."
"So it's Master Li, I am..." The young man was about to introduce himself when Li Daoyi reached out to stop him.
"Uh..." The group was taken aback.
"These men were all burly and strong, with the word '镖' (镖, meaning 'escort' or 'bodyguard') embroidered on their shoulders. Their faces were weathered and worn, indicating that they were镖师 (镖师) who often escorted goods on the road."
"This young master is handsome, elegant, and approachable. In all of Fuzhou, only Lin Pingzhi, the young head of the Fuwei Escort Agency, has such a demeanor. Am I right, Young Master Lin?" Li Daoyi said with a smile.
"Oh my, as expected of the Taoist priest, truly a man of divine wisdom." The young man was none other than Lin Pingzhi.
"Tch, what a charade." A woman nearby muttered softly. Although her voice was low, the group still heard her.
"Stop being so rude!" Old Man Sa quickly scolded.
"I'm sorry, that's just how this child is. She's disrespectful and doesn't know her place. Please don't take it to heart, Daoist Master."
Li Daoyi gave the two of them a meaningful look, then nodded, indicating that he didn't care.
Then Lin Pingzhi asked all sorts of questions like a curious child, and Li Daoyi answered them one by one.
"Master, your knowledge is vast, I admire you greatly." As he spoke, Lin Pingzhi's face was full of respect.
"Taoist Master, I see a sword hanging on your ox horn. Could it be that you also know martial arts?" Soon, Lin Pingzhi was attracted by the sword on the ox horn.
"This humble Taoist priest does not know martial arts."
"He is quite skilled at divination and predicting good and bad fortune," Li Daoyi said.
Lin Pingzhi was taken aback at first, then smiled awkwardly, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. He clearly mistook the other person for a charlatan who swindles people on the street.
Li Daoyi naturally saw through what the other party was thinking, but he wasn't annoyed.
"Young Master Lin, how about I tell your fortune for you?"
"Huh? This... then how does the Taoist priest intend to calculate it?"
"Young master, please write any character on the table."
Lin Pingzhi glanced at Li Daoyi, then dipped his finger in the teacup and carefully wrote the character for "sword" on the table.
"Master, how is it?"
"Hmm, the character 'sword'?"
“Alas, young master, your Lin family will suffer a bloody calamity, and it will be caused by a sword,” Li Daoyi sighed.
"Taoist Master, you can't talk nonsense." Chief镖师 Shi's expression was slightly angry.
Lin Pingzhi's expression was also extremely unpleasant.
"Haha, whether it is or not, it will soon be proven true." Li Daoyi laughed and then stood up.
He walked out of the tea stall and then stopped.
“Young Master Lin, your kindness and generosity are rare in this martial world. However, the martial world is treacherous, and some things are not as simple as they seem. Today, I have drunk your tea, so we can be considered to have formed a bond. Farewell.” After saying this, Li Daoyi left with a mysterious smile and walked towards the Green Ox.
"Let's go, Niu Er."
"Moo..."
The man and the ox walked slowly and leisurely toward Fuzhou City.
"What a strange person."
"Exactly, I had a good impression of him at first, but I didn't expect him to be a liar."
"Stop talking nonsense! I don't think Master Li is that kind of person," Lin Pingzhi quickly rebuked. For some reason, the smile Li Daoyi gave him before leaving was unforgettable.
On the official road, the blue ox walked slowly, while Li Daoyi was deep in thought, seemingly pondering something. Suddenly, the sound of hooves rang out ahead, and a group of people dressed in hemp clothing and wearing bamboo hats brushed past him.
"Tsk tsk... Qingcheng Sect, has the plot begun? Hehe, Lin Pingzhi, I'll be waiting for you to come find me."
"Niu Er, hurry up." Li Daoyi said, patting the ox's back lightly.
"Moo..."
The blue ox responded, and then an amazing scene unfolded. The man and the ox appeared a hundred feet away in an instant, as if the earth had shrunk to an inch.
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