In the early morning, birdsong echoed from the woods surrounding the courtyard. Sunlight filtered through the branches and dappled the courtyard. Mu Nianci lay on a recliner, covered with a thin blanket.
"Mother, how are you feeling?" Yang Guo asked, sitting to the side.
"Mother is alright. Alas, I am useless. We don't even have anything to eat at home, and we still have to trouble the two immortals." Mu Nianci sighed.
"Moo..."
Just then, a cow mooed from outside the yard.
Mu Nianci straightened up slightly.
"How could there be a cow?"
"Oh my, there is an ox! Last night, the immortal rode an ox down from the sky!" Yang Guo exclaimed.
After saying that, he hurriedly ran to the gate, pushed it open, and a bull's head poked its head in from outside.
"That's amazing!" Yang Guo exclaimed in delight.
The green ox curiously examined Yang Guo, then stuck out its tongue and licked him.
Yang Guo was also very bold, showing no fear whatsoever, and even had a smile on his face.
"Haha, my name is Yang Guo."
The blue ox nodded.
"Wow, Mom, did you see that? It understood what I was saying!" Yang Guo exclaimed.
Meanwhile, outside the woods, a figure peered furtively into the courtyard.
The man appeared to be in his thirties, his clothes were all patched, and he was carrying a wooden stick, dressed like a beggar from the streets.
"Huh, when did we get a cow? It wasn't here last time I came," the beggar muttered to himself.
Just as the beggar was wondering what was going on, he suddenly felt a pain in the back of his neck, and then his vision went black and he collapsed.
"What is that bastard looking at so suspiciously?" Dongfang Bubai walked out, holding several plump pheasants in his hand.
"Whoosh..."
A gust of wind blew by, and Li Daoyi's figure appeared in front of Dongfang Bubai.
"Who is this?" Li Daoyi asked.
"I don't know, this guy has been sneaking around watching Yang Guo's house," Dongfang Bubai said.
"Hmm? The Beggars' Sect?" At this moment, Li Daoyi also recognized the person's identity.
"The Beggars' Sect?" Dongfang Bubai asked in confusion.
"Could it be her?" Li Daoyi couldn't help but wonder.
Huang Rong, only she would do this. There are only two people in this world who would care about the identities of Mu Nianci and her son: Guo Jing and Huang Rong. Judging from the current situation of the mother and son, Guo Jing obviously does not know that they are living in seclusion here.
That leaves Huang Rong. She is extremely intelligent and a disciple of Hong Qigong. Given her status, it wouldn't be difficult for her to mobilize the Beggars' Sect to secretly search for Mu Nianci's whereabouts. It seems that she was the one who sent people to monitor the mother and son.
"Is it because of Yang Kang? Huang Rong, you're being too petty." Li Daoyi shook his head.
Then Li Daoyi reached out and slapped the beggar.
"Bang..."
The beggar turned to dust in an instant.
"Let's go." After dealing with the beggar, Li Daoyi said to Dongfang Bubai.
The two then walked towards the courtyard.
"Haha, Big Ox, you're so good! Do you have a name? Did the immortals give you a name?" At this moment, Yang Guo was playing with the Green Ox at the door, holding fresh green grass in his hand.
"Its name is Niu Er." Li Daoyi's voice came at that moment.
"An immortal!" Yang Guo exclaimed joyfully.
"Wow, so many pheasants!" Yang Guo's eyes lit up when he saw the pheasants that Dongfang Bubai was carrying.
At this moment, Li Daoyi gave Dongfang Bubai a look, and the latter immediately understood.
"Guo'er, grab the things, let's go to the river to deal with these pheasants."
"Okay, wait for me a moment," Yang Guo said hurriedly. He then rushed into the courtyard and came out carrying a basket and a small knife.
After the two left, Li Daoyi walked into the courtyard.
"An immortal," Mu Nianci said quickly.
"I like people to call me Taoist Master."
"Yes, Daoist Master." Mu Nianci was taken aback for a moment, but still addressed him as Daoist Master.
"How long have the Beggars' Sect been watching you?" Li Daoyi suddenly asked.
Mu Nianci froze instantly, staring at Li Daoyi in disbelief.
“There’s no need to hide it. I know everything about you. I deliberately sent Yang Guo away just now because I know you don’t want him to know about Yang Kang too soon,” Li Daoyi said.
Upon hearing the name Yang Kang, tears welled up in Mu Nianci's eyes.
"Daoist Master, you are a true immortal. I won't hide it from you. Back then, after I went to the Iron Spear Temple to worship Yang Kang while pregnant with Guo'er, I left without saying goodbye and returned to Niujia Village. When Guo'er was just over three years old, Huang Rong found me," Mu Nianci said softly.
Niujia Village is the hometown of Yang Tiexin, Mu Nianci's adoptive father.
"As expected, she truly lives up to her reputation as Huang Rong." Li Daoyi nodded to himself.
What did she say?
"She just explained the death of Yang Guo's father again. I already knew all about it. I didn't blame her, nor did I resent her. Then she left some silver and left. I remember she was already pregnant at the time," Mu Nianci recalled.
"Later, I noticed that beggars often appeared near Niujia Village." Mu Nianci gave a bitter smile as she said this.
“We’re just a poor place, how could beggars come here? So I quickly realized that these people were sent by Huang Rong, but they haven’t done anything to us, mother and son, all these years,” Mu Nianci continued.
She wasn't stupid; she could actually guess Huang Rong's thoughts. She was probably afraid that she or Yang Guo would seek revenge.
Li Daoyi nodded upon hearing this. The situation was roughly as he had guessed. No wonder Guo Jing couldn't find Yang Guo and his mother, or perhaps he didn't dare to look for them; it was all because of Huang Rong's interference.
"Don't worry about your illness. Fortunately, you used to practice martial arts, so you still have a foundation. I will gradually take care of your health. You also need to cheer up. You should think about Yang Duoduo. You don't want him to be lonely and miserable in the future, do you?"
"Yes, thank you, Daoist Master." Mu Nianci nodded.
Then Li Daoyi reached out and placed his hand on the other's shoulder, and a surge of magical power flowed from his hand into the other's body.
Mu Nianci's body was immediately enveloped in wisps of white mist, and her complexion gradually became rosy.
A quarter of an hour later, footsteps and laughter could be heard in the distance; Dongfang and Yang Guo had returned.
Li Daoyi also withdrew his hand.
Mu Nianci slowly opened her eyes, then used her hands to support herself on the chair and stood up.
"mother."
Just then, Yang Guo entered the room and saw this scene, and exclaimed in surprise.
With a basket on his back, he cheered and rushed towards his mother, hugging Mu Nianci tightly.
"Mother, are you alright?"
"Yes, Mother is much better, all thanks to the Taoist priest." Mu Nianci reached out and stroked her son's head, speaking gently.
"Great, Mother! Look! So many pheasants, all cleaned up. And I also just picked a lot of mushrooms." Yang Guo quickly took down his basket, which contained four cleaned pheasants and some washed mushrooms.
"Alright, alright, Mother will make you something to eat right away," Mu Nianci said with a smile.
"Wow, that's great! I haven't eaten meat in ages!" Yang Guo exclaimed.
A hint of pity flashed in Mu Nianci's eyes. She had neglected her son too much. Since he fell ill, Yang Guo had been running around for the past six months. Looking at her son's thin body, Mu Nianci held back her tears, took the basket, and headed to the kitchen.
"Immortal".
Only then did Yang Guo remember to thank Li Daoyi.
"Call me Taoist Master."
"Yes, Daoist Master, thank you. From now on, I'm willing to serve you like a slave." Yang Guo solemnly promised, like a little adult.
"Smack." Li Daoyi gently patted Yang Guo's head.
"Serve like an ox or a horse? Did you even ask Niu Er?" Li Daoyi laughed and scolded.
"Hehe..." Yang Guo turned around and looked at the green ox outside the courtyard, then scratched his head and chuckled foolishly.
Soon, with Dongfang Bubai's help, the aroma of chicken filled the courtyard, making Yang Guo's mouth water. In just half an hour, the boy ran to the kitchen no less than ten times.
A simple bamboo basket turned upside down on the ground served as the dining table, with a large pot of fragrant chicken and mushroom stew placed on it, and the four people sat around it.
Yang Guo, disregarding his image, began to eat heartily, while Dongfang Bubai ladled a bowl of chicken soup for Mu Nianci.
"Sister Mu, have some soup first. You need to nourish your body properly."
"Thank you, Miss Dongfang." The two had become quite familiar with each other in the short time they spent in the kitchen.
As the saying goes, a half-grown boy can spoil his father. Yang Guo ate more than half of a big bowl of chicken by himself. Seeing his bulging belly and still looking like he hadn't had enough was really funny. It's clear that he's been having a tough time lately.
After the meal, Mu Nianci took out the few remaining tea leaves in the house and brewed a pot of tea. The tea was very bitter and looked like it had been sitting for a long time. Li Daoyi and Dongfang Bubai did not mind, and the bitter tea had a unique flavor.
Li Daoyi took a sip of tea and looked thoughtfully at Yang Guo feeding grass to the green ox outside the courtyard.
"What are your plans for the future?" Li Daoyi asked Mu Nianci.
Mu Nianci was taken aback upon hearing this, and then her gaze dimmed.
She was timid and lacked assertiveness, so she didn't know how to answer for a moment.
“Come with us,” Li Daoyi suddenly said.
Mu Nianci looked up in shock, and even Dongfang Bubai was somewhat surprised.
"Daoist Master..." Mu Nianci wanted to refuse, but the words wouldn't come out.
“I really like this child,” Li Daoyi continued.
At this moment, Dongfang Bubai seemed to understand something and gave Mu Nianci a wink, which the latter quickly realized.
"Guo'er," Mu Nianci called out.
"What's wrong, Mother?" Yang Guo walked in.
"Kneel down."
"ah?"
“Come here and kneel down before the Taoist priest,” Mu Nianci said.
Upon hearing this, Yang Guo did not hesitate and immediately walked over and knelt down.
"Yang Guo, would you be willing to become my disciple?" Li Daoyi asked with a smile.
"Huh? Your master?" Yang Guo was clearly taken aback.
"Silly boy, why aren't you paying respects to your master? The Daoist priest wants to take you as his disciple," Mu Nianci scolded.
Yang Guo's eyes lit up and he immediately began to kowtow repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, Yang Guo greets Master."
"bite…"
"Congratulations, host, you have completed the hidden mission and taken on the Child of Destiny as your disciple. The master-disciple function is now available. Reward: 10,000 points."
"Hey, what a pleasant surprise!" Li Daoyi thought to himself with great joy.
"Haha, get up. From today onwards, Yang Guo, you are my disciple." Li Daoyi happily helped Yang Guo up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com