However, when the old beggar was telling stories, he didn’t listen carefully at all.
He couldn’t remember a single type or name of the evil spirits.
Now, racking his brain, he only remembered that all the evil spirits in the world fed on desires.
The five desires were wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep. This evil spirit was always shouting about being hungry and wanting to devour Lu Xiaochan whole, so it must be related to “food desire”!
But, but what were the evil spirits related to food desire again?
Lu Xiaochan’s tears of regret fell straight down.
Not being beaten to death by that butcher, he thought his luck had turned, but was he going to be eaten by an evil spirit instead?
If there was a next life, when the old beggar told him stories, he would definitely listen carefully to every single word, never interrupting or acting foolishly!
Among the greasy smell emitted by the evil spirit, Lu Xiaochan suddenly detected a faint scent of dewy grass.
“Er Shang.” (TL: ‘bait’ ‘sorrow/mourn’)
A clear and distant voice sounded in Lu Xiaochan’s ear.
“Wh… what?”
The evil spirit had already bitten Lu Xiaochan’s shoulder and was about to swallow his neck as well.
“This evil spirit is called ‘Er Shang’.”
Lu Xiaochan felt a glimmer of light flash in the darkness.
He shouted out, “Er Shang!”
Suddenly, the evil spirit stopped as if choked.
Lu Xiaochan tried hard to pull his arm back, but the evil spirit made gurgling sounds, showing no intention of letting him go.
“Let’s… let’s make a deal… don’t eat me! I don’t taste good!”
At this moment, Lu Xiaochan was almost certain that the person who had stayed by his side when he was near death the other day had now returned.
Though he couldn’t see that person, he knew that person was watching him.
Whoever you are, show yourself quickly! Get rid of this disgusting thing! Get rid of it!
The waiter at Wusi Tavern also saw this scene and, after hesitating for a long time, finally advised, “Little beggar—why don’t you just cut off this arm and give it to the spirit! It’s better than letting it eat your whole body!”
Lu Xiaochan cried out inwardly, what kind of ridiculous idea was this!
Why don’t you offer your arm for it to eat!
In an instant, the beggar biting Lu Xiaochan loosened its jaw. The evil spirit was forced out of the beggar’s body by a surge of spiritual power, and the previously onlooking crowd scattered in all directions, startled.
The once arrogant evil spirit suddenly became terrified, trying to flee in all directions, emitting desperate sounds like bones being crushed—an extremely painful noise.
Lu Xiaochan wondered if it was the person who had spoken to him earlier who had forced the evil spirit out of the beggar’s body.
Then a strong, resonant shout rang out.
“Where did this evil spirit come from! Watch, I, your lord, will capture you!”
A man wearing a long robe and sporting a beard suddenly appeared, drawing the sword at his waist.
“Form the array—”
Lu Xiaochan’s heart leaped with joy!
Finally, he had encountered a cultivator! He knew it—how could there be evil spirits here without cultivators coming to capture them!
Amidst the exclamations of the villagers, a flash of silver light appeared. The tip of the man’s sword formed a spirit-locking array, directly trapping the evil spirit “Er Shang.”
He then turned around, took out a gourd from his waist, and captured the “Er Shang” inside it.
“Young brother, are you alright! This lord arrived late, causing you to suffer!”
It was the voice of a middle-aged man, without any trace of immortal elegance, incomparable to the ethereal and refined voice from before.
Lu Xiaochan felt very disappointed upon hearing it.
Because Lu Xiaochan knew that the person who had forced the evil spirit out of the beggar’s body wasn’t this cultivator. If he hadn’t suddenly appeared, the person with the scent of dew would have shown themselves.
The surrounding villagers swarmed around.
“Immortal Lord! We didn’t know you had arrived! What is your immortal title?”
“Immortal Lord! My inn is very comfortable. Would you like to rest there?”
“Immortal Lord! Our tavern’s ‘Drunken Life Dream Death’ is a specialty of Lushu Town. Would you like to try it?”
Even the owner of Wusi Tavern went to join the commotion.
Lu Xiaochan had escaped death, yet not a single person came to comfort him. Everyone crowded around the Immortal Lord as they left.
He rubbed his shoulder while chuckling softly.
Leaning against the old locust tree, he tapped the ground in front of him idly with a bamboo twig.
“That guy doesn’t have any immortal aura at all. He’s just a charlatan with a bit of skill.”
Immortal Lords and charlatans are one and the same!
According to the old beggar’s stories, it was most likely that this “Immortal Lord” had already captured an evil spirit called “Er Shang.”
Wherever he went, he would release this “Er Shang.” When the evil spirit harmed people, he would then shout, “I, the Immortal Lord, will capture you!”
The ignorant villagers would then revere him as a god, offering him the best food and drink.
Lu Xiaochan was tired of hearing about this kind of trick.
Otherwise, how could it be that after so many years of peace in Lushu Town, an evil spirit appeared just as this “Immortal Lord” arrived?
The tavern was filled with the aroma of wine, and plates of delicious food were served. The villagers toasted the Immortal Lord cup after cup.
Lu Xiaochan, still shaken from his ordeal, found his stomach completely empty by midnight.
He hugged himself tightly, thinking: If I fall asleep, I won’t feel hungry anymore.
But at some point, he smelled that faint fragrance again, followed by the rich aroma of food.
Lu Xiaochan immediately reached out to grab, thinking that even if he couldn’t catch the person’s clothes, at least touching them would prove they truly existed.
But his fingers grasped nothing.
When he lowered his hand, he noticed an oilpaper package had appeared beside him. Inside were sugar cakes and mustard green roasted flatbread.
These were his favorite foods!
Lu Xiaochan’s eyes lit up. He unwrapped the package, but just as the flatbread touched his lips, he paused.
Both the sugar cakes and the mustard green roasted flatbread were still warm. The sugar cakes were from the east end of town, the flatbread from the west. The oilpaper package carried a faint fragrance like the clear night.
This wasn’t charity. Someone had specifically bought these two items, kept them warm in their bosom, and brought them to him.
“I know you’re nearby,” Lu Xiaochan said.
Apart from the noisy tavern in the distance, only the chirping of insects in the grass could be heard.
“If you don’t show yourself, I won’t eat what you’ve given me.”
Lu Xiaochan put down the oilpaper package.
All night long, Lu Xiaochan lay there with his eyes wide open, arms wrapped around himself.
When daylight came, that person still hadn’t appeared.
Everything in the town went on as usual, except for the Immortal Lord who visited different households each day to “cast spells and pray for blessings.”
Every day, fragrant food would be placed by Lu Xiaochan’s side – there were snacks, meat sauce sandwiches, fried tofu, and even peach gum and red date soup – all things he loved to eat.
Even if the old beggar were still alive, he probably wouldn’t remember what Lu Xiaochan liked to eat.
But that person seemed to know Lu Xiaochan’s preferences perfectly.
It was as if they were trying to please him, finding different ways to coax him into eating.
But he stubbornly refused, not taking a single bite.
Two days passed, and Lu Xiaochan hadn’t eaten a grain of rice or taken a sip of water.
His ears were buzzing, and his chest was almost touching his back, but still he ate nothing.
Anyone passing by thought Lu Xiaochan had been frightened out of his wits by the evil spirit.
The daily delivery of meals never stopped, and no one saw who was bringing the food, but Lu Xiaochan was determined not to eat until that person showed themselves.
Lu Xiaochan knew very well that in this world, no one would care whether he ate each day or whether he was hungry or not.
Unless… unless like Ah Bao, someone was searching for him through great hardship.
Hearing that it was a man’s voice, refined and elegant, could it possibly be his birth father?
Hadn’t the old beggar told stories? About a poor scholar and a rich young lady eloping, giving birth to a child who was born imperfect due to lack of food and drink while wandering. The young lady’s family found them, took her back, and abandoned the blind child by the roadside. Years later, when the poor scholar had made a name for himself and wanted to find his wife and child, he discovered the young lady had died of grief, and the blind child was nowhere to be found.
Lu Xiaochan endured his hunger by telling himself stories.
He felt he was about to lose even the strength to breathe.
In his daze, he heard the sound of a tree being chopped down.
Lu Xiaochan turned his face with difficulty and groaned, “…What are you doing?”
“Oh! The little beggar isn’t dead yet? We called you earlier, but you didn’t make a sound!”
“Are you… cutting down the tree?” Lu Xiaochan’s voice was barely a whisper.
“That’s right! The richest man in our town, Old Chen, is gravely ill. He’s expected to pass away in a day or two!”
Why are you cutting down the tree if he’s going to pass away?
“The Immortal Lord examined Old Chen and said he couldn’t be saved, but using this hundred-year-old locust tree for his coffin would bring blessings to his descendants! So we’re here to cut down the tree!”
Lu Xiaochan’s shoulders trembled.
What kind of world was this? He already had no fixed abode, and this old locust tree was the only place he could call home.
Now, even his home was being dug up to make coffin boards!
He truly had nothing left now.
“Little beggar, get out of the way quick!”
The old locust tree was falling, heading straight for Lu Xiaochan.
He heard the almost desperate cry of the cicadas in the branches, the sound of twigs and leaves rubbing against each other. He didn’t even have the strength to stand up, let alone dodge.
Lu Xiaochan closed his eyes.
He heard the shocked cries of those around him, but the pain of his spine being crushed never came.
The men with axes were stunned, the street vendors stood up, and passersby widened their eyes in disbelief.
They saw a man dressed in a plain long robe suddenly appear, kneeling on one knee in front of Lu Xiaochan. With just one hand raised, he steadily supported the falling old locust tree.
The rustling of leaves and branches, the heart-wrenching cries of summer cicadas, the surprised expressions of the crowd – everything seemed frozen in that moment.
“Is it because all these were sent by me that you refused to eat them?”
A voice like icicles breaking through a frozen lake surface rang out. Lu Xiaochan knew immediately it was the person who had been speaking to him these past few days.
But before, his voice had sounded distant, like an echo in an empty valley.
This time, it was clear and real.
