Volume 2 Chapter 3: Strange Encounter at Suanzao

  Ren Xiangyao returned home and fetched water from the river to feed the old man, who slowly came back to consciousness after a while.

  "Kid, thank you... I'm done for, you're a good kid, you'll have a good future. Old man's parting gift to you is this: remember to head east out of the city and into the mountains, don't look back along the way until you reach where there's no road left. There will be someone waiting for you there, give them this thing... make sure to give it to them. After that, just listen to what they say, if they ask you anything, just say 'wine, lust, wealth, power, free response' and you'll be fine." As soon as he finished speaking, the old man handed him a black iron octagon the size of a watch dial, then tilted his head and stopped breathing.

  Ren Xiao Yao saw the old man stop breathing, and was suddenly frightened into a state of panic. In over a decade, this was still Ren Xiao Yao's first time facing a dead person. He gripped the iron Ba Gua in his hand, pacing back and forth under the bridge. At this moment, the originally painful wounds on his face and body no longer hurt due to tension.

  Slowly calming down, he heavily kowtowed three times to the old man's body and said: "Old grandpa, Ran Xiangyang has no strength to bury you, but don't worry, you will be found here soon. The police and civil affairs department will handle your funeral, I'll do what you told me to do, goodbye!

  As soon as he finished speaking, Ren Xiao turned around and headed east in big strides. All the way, he strictly followed what the old man had said, never looking back, just kept going east without stopping.

  Unconsciously, he walked out of the bustling city and into the depths of the mountains, following the mountain path as he continued walking, walking...

  As the sun set, the sky gradually darkened, but Ren Xiao still saw a road ahead of him. He kept walking and soon found himself surrounded by tall trees, the entire mountain becoming desolate and eerie. Ren Xiao's heart began to feel a little panicked...

  Until the sky was completely dark, Ren Xiao finally found that there was no road in front of him, but a thatched cottage appeared.

  It seems that the old man had him find the person in this thatched cottage, Ren Xiao thought to himself.

  "Child, you've come, since you're here, come on in." A gentle voice came from the thatched cottage.

  Upon hearing that voice, exhaustion and pain immediately assaulted Ren Xiao Yao's mind and body. His body swayed, his vision blurred, and he fainted.

  The next day, Ren Xiao Yao woke up to see an old man with a white beard and a kind face sitting in front of his bed. When the old man saw him wake up, he brought over a bowl of porridge and said: "Child, eat some porridge first, we'll talk about other things later."

  Ren Xiao Yao, who was both physically and mentally exhausted and extremely hungry, didn't stand on ceremony and took the porridge to drink wildly.

  The old man looked at Ren Xiao Yao with a kind expression as he finished his porridge, then said: "Child, it's not easy to be hungry and eat too much. You're burning up badly now, let me treat you."

  After finishing speaking, he put his hand on Ren Xiao's head. Without seeing any movement, Ren Xiao felt a cool stream of air starting from the top of his head, cleansing his entire body.

  After the air passed by, my mind became much clearer and my body didn't feel hot anymore. I felt an indescribable energy and wanted to jump out of bed immediately to exercise a bit.

  He jumped down from the bed with a carefree expression, suddenly feeling grateful and at peace. He knelt down and kowtowed several times, saying: "Old master, thank you for saving me."

  The old man chuckled a few times and said, "Child, get up. Who gave you the iron trigram in your hand, and how did you come to this 'No Return Residence'?"

  Ren Xiao Yao: "Old Master, it was an old man with a white beard who came to me before he died. He asked me to give this thing to you."

  The old man smiled and said: "What did that person you met say? Did he tell you what to call me after meeting me?"

  "No," said Ren Xiao Yao truthfully, "he only said 'wine, lust, wealth and power, respond freely.'"