“Moo...”
The water buffalo lay in the rice paddy, raising its head to look at the cowherd boy. Its large eyes were full of bewilderment, mixed with a hint of grievance and pity.
The cowherd boy beside it was also startled by this scene. Such a large patch of rice paddy had been flattened. If his parents saw this, wouldn't they beat him too?
Thinking of this, the cowherd boy looked a bit flustered.
After a moment of daze, the cowherd boy quickly went forward and tried to pull the water buffalo up by its rope.
He Xiuyuan stood behind, watching this scene. Seeing the water buffalo's eyes, he couldn't help but be surprised by its spiritual nature.
“What happened?”
Just as the cowherd boy was pulling hard on the water buffalo, trying to get it up, his parents, not far away, noticed the commotion and immediately rushed over.
Seeing this, the cowherd boy's face changed. “The ox missed its footing and fell into the mud.”
The cowherd boy's face was full of panic, and he stammered as he spoke.
The water buffalo was half-submerged in the mud, probably realizing it had caused trouble. Its big eyes were full of grievance and fear.
“It's alright, just lead the ox up.”
The Peasants beside him looked at the scene. After glancing at the flattened rice paddy, he waved his hand and pulled the water buffalo up.
The cowherd boy beside him was also stunned. The crops in the field were their family's food, their very lifeline. Why wasn't his father scolding the water buffalo for trampling the crops?
After seeing the water buffalo pulled up, the cowherd boy finally asked, “Dad, aren't you going to scold it?”
The cowherd boy was a little cautious. Earlier, he even felt that he was going to be implicated.
“Why scold it? This ox has worked for our family for over ten years. Even if it has no merits, it has certainly toiled. Without this old ox, how could we cultivate so much land so quickly?”
The Peasants looked at his son upon hearing this and explained.
Then he turned to look at the ox beside him and patted its head. “Alright, take it to eat grass.”
After speaking, he immediately went into the field to straighten the flattened crops. Those that couldn't be straightened were harvested directly and placed aside.
By this time, the rice was almost ripe.
The cowherd boy listened, somewhat understanding but not entirely. But after confirming that everything was fine, he happily led the water buffalo away.
He Xiuyuan watched the entire scene from the side, a smile curling at the corner of his lips.
He then walked past the couple and continued forward.
“Lianyun Mountain, Qiyun Temple...”
“According to the map, I need to reach Yong Prefecture. Lianyun Mountain is outside Yong Prefecture.”
After entering the Yong Prefecture territory, He Xiuyuan recalled the location of Lianyun Mountain on the map and immediately headed towards Yong Prefecture.
Five days later, He Xiuyuan arrived outside Yong Prefecture. “This is Yong Prefecture.”
He Xiuyuan arrived outside Yong Prefecture and looked at the tall city wall before him. Compared to Chang'an, it seemed a bit smaller, but the green moss on the city wall showed that Yong Prefecture's wall had stood for a very long time.
He Xiuyuan looked up, then followed the crowd into Yong Prefecture. It was already late, so he planned to rest for the night and depart for Lianyun Mountain tomorrow.
“I heard that the Black Cloud Chicken in Yong Prefecture is a local specialty. I'll go try it first.”
After entering Yong Prefecture, the distant clouds in the sky had already been dyed a fiery red. The setting sun shone on the streets of Yong Prefecture, turning the bluestones on the ground golden.
Even at this hour, the weather still felt a bit hot and dry.
He Xiuyuan wandered around Yong Prefecture and soon found a restaurant that looked like an old establishment.
“Esteemed guest, please come upstairs!”
The waiter, seeing a guest arrive, quickly greeted He Xiuyuan and led him upstairs.
After He Xiuyuan sat down, the waiter wiped the table, poured him tea, and asked what He Xiuyuan needed.
He Xiuyuan stared at a wooden sign hanging nearby, then ordered a plate of Black Cloud Glazed Chicken, a plate of Plain Heart Vegetables, and a small side dish before letting the waiter leave.
From the waiter's words, it seemed their Black Cloud Chicken was indeed very famous, which made He Xiuyuan somewhat expectant.
A moment later, the Black Cloud Glazed Chicken was brought to He Xiuyuan's table. Only when the dish was served did He Xiuyuan realize that this Black Cloud Chicken was indeed somewhat different from what he had seen elsewhere.
The meat of the entire Black Cloud Chicken was black, but it wasn't a black-boned chicken. And when he took a bite, it clearly had a different taste from other chickens.
This taste was truly indescribable, yet the flavor was excellent.
It was said that the Black Cloud Chicken got its name because its feathers were white, but its meat was black.
And when this Black Cloud Chicken was prepared with some special secret sauces, the broth was clear and viscous, which was the origin of the Black Cloud Glazed Chicken.
He Xiuyuan ate with great relish, and the various aromas of the restaurant continuously wafted out.
When He Xiuyuan had almost finished eating and was about to ask for a room to rest upstairs, his gaze inadvertently swept over a scene downstairs in the restaurant, causing him to pause. His eyes then looked down with some surprise at two people dressed in Daoist robes.
These two were a youth and a young child. They looked a bit distressed, and what interested He Xiuyuan the most was their conversation.
“Senior Brother, I'm so hungry...”
The young child beside him, wearing a small Daoist robe with small pigtails casually tied, looked up and said cautiously.
The child was not yet of age, so he didn't need to tie his hair up.
“Hungry, huh...?”
The Daoist-robed youth beside him heard this, felt around his body, and then pulled out a copper coin. Seeing this, he looked around and then gave a wry smile.
“Senior Brother will buy you a big steamed bun, how about it?”
One copper coin was enough to buy a steamed bun.
The child's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he nodded repeatedly. “One steamed bun is enough for the two of us to share!”
The Daoist-robed youth smiled and nodded. “When we return to Qiyun Temple, we can eat our fill! Just bear with it a little longer.”
Saying this, he turned to go buy a steamed bun nearby.
Qiyun Temple?
These two were actually Disciples of Qiyun Temple?
He Xiuyuan listened to these words, and after a moment of surprise, he stood up and called out to the two people downstairs in the restaurant, “Fellow Daoists, would you like to come up for a chat?”
He Xiuyuan's voice wasn't loud, but the two people downstairs heard it clearly.
Yun Xuzi looked up and saw He Xiuyuan's gaze directed at them. His eyes held surprise. This person seemed to be calling out to the two of them?
