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Seeing the two men, Hong Guang suddenly felt a lift in his spirits and couldn't help but laugh.
"What's so funny?" Zhang Yang asked. Hong Guang pointed at the two men. "Look at their pathetic faces."
"What are you laughing at? If you have money, show it! Hand it over!" The Square-Faced Man said, pulling out a butterfly knife. His face was so square that Hong Guang immediately thought of the term Square Old K.
"I hate you robbers the most..." Hong Guang said, rubbing his bald head.
Before Hong Guang could finish, Square Old K interjected, "There's no skill involved in this, right?" With that, he started to show off with the knife, spinning the butterfly knife around quite skillfully.
"I'll do one too." The Long-Faced Man surprisingly pulled out a pair of nunchaku from his waistband and began swinging them while making silly noises.
It seemed they wanted to showcase their skills before robbing.
What the hell is going on!
Hong Guang shouted, "Get lost quickly!"
"Damn it, if I don't make you bleed a little, you'll never know fear!" Square Old K charged forward with the knife. Hong Guang lifted a foot and kicked him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Long Face was momentarily stunned and lost control of his nunchaku, hitting himself on the forehead with a loud smack, causing him to yelp in pain.
Zhang Yang stepped forward and grabbed one of them, intending to throw him into the river but thought better of it and tossed him into the bushes by the river instead.
Just as they were about to leave, there was a splash in the river, and someone emerged, shaking and crawling onto the shore.
"Are you okay?" Zhang Yang asked the person who had come ashore. Under the dim streetlight, he realized that this person was dressed like a Taoist priest and appeared to be around sixty years old. It was remarkable that he managed to swim up from the river in such cold weather.
"Wuliang Tianzun, I greet you," the old priest said while water dripped from his face but spoke with utmost seriousness.
"Daoist priest, were those two trying to rob you just now?" Zhang Yang asked.
"Indeed. I didn't expect that in this modern legal society, there would still be people so brazen!" The old priest finally wiped his face dry. "I accidentally fell into the river."
"Hong Guang," asked, "with your magical powers, how could you be cornered by two petty thieves?"
"You're joking. My expertise lies in alchemy and enlightenment, not in dealing with such fierce and wicked individuals," the old Taoist replied.
Zhang Yang glanced at Hong Guang and said, "Daoist, it's freezing outside. Let me take you somewhere to freshen up."
"That sounds wonderful," the old Taoist said with a smile.
Zhang Yang and Hong Guang brought the old Taoist to the inn. The old Taoist was quite efficient; he took a shower and washed all his clothes, hanging them up to dry. He emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a large towel.
"Daoist, you can rest here for the night; I'll cover the cost," Hong Guang said as he prepared to leave with Zhang Yang.
"Cost?" The old Taoist's gaze landed on the large gourds of the woman nearby.
"Feel free," Hong Guang chuckled and said to the woman, "Whatever it costs, it's on me." With that, he left the inn with Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang smiled slightly, seeming in much better spirits.
"I'm afraid I can't see you off," the old Taoist said. He turned to the woman and asked, "Shall we have a chat in my room first?" The woman rolled her eyes and muttered, "Old lecher."
The next morning, Hong Guang and Zhang Yang coincidentally arrived at the inn at the same time, only to find that the old Taoist had already left even earlier.
The woman yawned as she walked out and said to Hong Guang, "Double the price!"
"Huh?" Hong Guang exclaimed. "At his age..."
"At his age? He went at it seven or eight times; my back is about to break! I need to use the restroom and then catch up on some sleep," she said while rubbing her waist.
"Then you should go rest," Hong Guang said with a wry smile as he looked at Zhang Yang. "What a Lei Feng this is!"
The woman took a couple of steps but suddenly turned back. "Oh right, that old man said he left two golden pills for you two." She handed over a small porcelain bottle along with a piece of paper.
Hong Guang took the porcelain bottle, opened it, and indeed found two golden balls about two centimeters in diameter inside.
Zhang Yang unfolded the letter paper, which had a few lines written on it in a vigorous and artistic script: "No need for thanks, here are two golden pills. Take them to strengthen your body if you are healthy, and they will ensure your safety if you are unwell."
Hong Guang scoffed and handed the porcelain bottle back to Zhang Yang, saying, "You keep it. This old Taoist is a bit eccentric."
Zhang Yang did not refuse and casually tucked it away.
That night, before going to bed, Zhang Yang couldn't help but open the small porcelain bottle again and picked up one of the golden pills.
He focused his attention on it; the pill's glow appeared even more brilliant under the light. Zhang Yang applied slight pressure with his fingers and gently rotated it. Suddenly, the golden pill seemed to flow with light, appearing to grow slightly larger. Zhang Yang's mouth fell open in surprise as a pulling sensation emerged from his dantian, causing the golden pill to fly out of his hand and into his mouth, then straight down his throat.
It dissolved upon entering.
As Zhang Yang's breath flowed, it felt as if a golden thread was formed, moving with his breath. The Blue Figure in his mind suddenly began to dance violently, accompanied by a clanging sound, exuding vigor.
After a while, his breath gradually slowed, the golden thread disappeared, and the figure's movements also slowed down until they returned to formlessness.
"To advance from the blue level to Purple Level requires assistance from golden substances; it turns out they are not ordinary golden substances but Alchemy!" Zhang Yang relaxed his body and muttered to himself. He then picked up another golden pill, but this time nothing happened like before. It seemed that merging into a higher level was not something that could be achieved in one go.
What other substances belong to Alchemy?
The ancients said that swallowing gold leads to death; Qin Shi Huang melted down weapons to create twelve golden figures for peace. This golden substance, regardless of its form, carries an aura of danger. Yet absorbing such substances is necessary to merge into the highest Purple Level—why is that? Is it a matter of dying first before being reborn?
Zhang Yang pondered absentmindedly and was about to conclude his thoughts when he noticed sunlight streaming in through the window.
How could this be? He clearly felt he had only been thinking for a short while!
The day had brightened; in reality, he had been lost in thought all night.
Zhang Yang moved his body and found nothing unusual. He concluded that the golden elixir should not have any bad effects, so he carefully put away another one and tucked it into his pocket.
Having not slept all night, his stomach began to rumble. Zhang Yang went out to the breakfast stall and ordered fried dough sticks and tofu pudding.
While he was eating, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure. Wasn't that the old Taoist who had given him the golden elixir?
"Daozhang, come over here and eat with me?" Zhang Yang greeted with a smile.
"Sure," the old Taoist also ordered fried dough sticks and tofu pudding, adding a basket of soup dumplings and a bowl of millet porridge.
"You really can eat a lot," Zhang Yang thought to himself, but smiled on his face. "Thank you for the golden elixir, such a precious gift. I truly feel unworthy."
"Am I really such a big eater?" The old Taoist said while slurping down the tofu pudding, his words unclear.
"Even an old warrior can still eat," Zhang Yang laughed heartily. "Although you are advanced in age, you certainly can eat well."
"The golden elixir is indeed precious, but one is useless for you; you need two. Save the other for a critical moment. Am I advanced in age? Do you know how old I am?" The old Taoist suddenly raised his head, his expression changing from that of a carefree old man to one of an imposing and insightful sage.
Zhang Yang was taken aback. After a moment, he asked, "May I ask how old you are?"
The old Taoist suddenly returned to his shaky demeanor, looking around to ensure no one was listening before whispering, "In the eighteenth year of Daoguang, I was in my prime. I calculated that our country would face foreign aggression and needed to strengthen the coastal defenses in the southeast. I once advised ministers in court, but unfortunately, Daoguang did not take it seriously. As a result, two years later..." The old Taoist shook his head and sighed, reverting to a comical appearance.
"In the eighteenth year of Daoguang, he was in his prime? So this old Taoist must be around two hundred years old?" Zhang Yang watched as the old man took a bite of a dumpling, juice dripping down his chin. He thought how this man could be both an otherworldly figure one moment and a clown the next; it was all too chaotic!
Wait a minute; he said one golden elixir was useless for me and that I needed two? Save the other for a critical moment?
"Daozhang, regarding what you just said about saving the other golden elixir for a critical moment, I'm a bit confused. Aren't these two meant for both of us?" Zhang Yang asked.
"The bald man won't need it; even if he takes it, it will be useless for him. You and I have some fate together; it's just that I've grown old and become muddled; many things I can't remember. In any case, you will definitely be able to use it." The old Taoist waved his hand dismissively. "Boss, bring me four more fried dough sticks and another basket of soup dumplings." After finishing, he looked at Zhang Yang. "By the way, you're treating today, right?"
"That's natural," Zhang Yang quickly nodded. "May I ask your Daoist name?"
"I've forgotten it. If I run into my disciple, I might remember," the old Daoist replied.
"Do you still remember your disciple's name?" Zhang Yang continued to inquire.
"There seems to be one called... what was it again? I have over a dozen disciples, it's hard to remember," the old Daoist said as he grabbed a freshly fried dough stick and began munching on it. "This fried snack isn't bad."
"Why did you come to Tianfu Province, to Shazhou?" Zhang Yang also tore off a small piece of the dough stick; to be honest, the old Daoist's eating made him feel hungry.
"I'm wandering around, and happened to arrive here. But perhaps it's the Spiritual Energy on you that attracted me," the old Daoist suddenly stopped chewing and stared at Zhang Yang. "Your Spiritual Energy is quite strange; it seems like you've been cultivating for a long time, but it's not fully matured."
What kind of person is this? He was chased by two small thieves into the river, yet casually took out two rare golden pills and could easily discern the Spiritual Energy on Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang decided not to ask anymore; fine, let's eat together.
Once the old Daoist finished eating, he wiped his mouth and prepared to leave. Zhang Yang politely asked, "Where are you headed next?"
The old Daoist paused, his gaze suddenly becoming deep and mysterious. He looked at Zhang Yang and slowly said, "Linan Province, Wuliang Mountain!"
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