Chapter 50
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Chapter 50: The Thief Cao
"Burp~"
The burly man let out a big burp and exclaimed to Wang Chen, "To be honest, Immortal Master, this is the best meal I’ve had all year!"
He patted his full stomach with satisfaction.
When they first met, the burly man had been cautious and somewhat wary.
But after sharing a meal, he felt more at ease with Wang Chen and let his guard down.
"Just call me Wang Chen," he said with a smile.
"Brother Wei, could you tell me about the outer realm?"
Wang Chen had prepared this meal not only to thank the burly man for his efforts but also to gather information about the outer realm from this innate martial artist.
The original owner had little knowledge of the outer realm.
"My name is Wei Xiong," the burly man said, clasping his fists.
"Wang Immortal Master, feel free to ask me anything. I’ll share all I know without holding back!"
Wang Chen didn’t rush to ask questions. Instead, he brewed a pot of tea.
They sipped tea and chatted leisurely.
The area beyond the mountain gate of the Yunyang Sect was known as the outer realm.
For the sect’s disciples, the outer realm was perilous, teeming with magical beasts and Evil Spirits, making it a wild and treacherous land.
Yet, many loose cultivators also inhabited the outer realm.
Due to the harsh environment, most loose cultivators formed villages for protection.
Wei Xiong hailed from a settlement called "Heiyan Zhai," located nearly a hundred miles away.
Heiyan Zhai was home to around four to five hundred people, including loose cultivators and martial artists like Wei Xiong.
Similar villages were scattered throughout the outer realm.
Wei Xiong knew of a large town with thousands of loose cultivators, led by a village chief who had achieved perfect mastery of Qi Training.
Loose cultivators mainly survived by hunting magical beasts and gathering spiritual herbs and minerals.
Many, like Wei Xiong, traveled to the Yunyang outer sect to take on odd jobs.
In truth, with Wei Xiong’s strength, he could have secured a stable job in Yunshan City.
But that would have required him to sign a contract and accept restrictions, essentially becoming a servant.
Unwilling to serve others, Wei Xiong chose to struggle alongside his sister in Heiyan Zhai.
All this hardship was endured in pursuit of the path of immortality!
After a moment of thought, Wang Chen asked, "Brother Wei, do you know about the recent invasion by the gray-eyed thieves?"
"I know very little," Wei Xiong replied. "At that time, the village was sealed off, and defensive formations were activated, fearing the gray-eyed thieves might come."
However, the gray-eyed thieves did not attack the loose cultivator village.
Their disappearance was as sudden as their appearance, and now there is no trace of them.
Wang Chen asked many other questions,
which gave him a basic understanding of the situation in the outer realm.
This way, if one day Wang Chen needed to flee, he wouldn’t be completely in the dark when he stepped outside!
It was not until the bell signaled noon that Wei Xiong suddenly realized, "Oh no, it’s getting late; I need to go till the fields!"
By then, Wang Chen had just about finished asking his questions.
Before the sun set, Wei Xiong quickly turned over all ten acres of Wang Chen’s spirit fields.
Then, despite Wang Chen’s insistence that he stay, he hurriedly left.
After the innate expert departed, Wang Chen noticed it wasn’t dark yet, so he took some rice seeds and began to sow them.
This task was simple and easy, and he finished it in no time.
Finally, he cast the Cloud Walking and Rain Dispersion spell, providing ample mist for the freshly planted rice seeds.
If all went well, these rice seeds would sprout and grow rapidly by evening.
Before the first snow of winter arrived, they would provide Wang Chen with the second harvest of rice for the year.
After casting the rain, it was now dark.
Wang Chen walked along the muddy path of the field back home.
Suddenly, he had a feeling of being watched!
Instinctively, he turned to look.
Not far away, in front of Old Sun’s house, stood a half-grown child peering in his direction.
Perhaps noticing that Wang Chen had seen him, the child immediately turned and dashed into the courtyard.
Who could that be?
Feeling curious, Wang Chen took a turn and approached Old Sun’s house.
As they say, a close neighbor is better than a distant relative.
He had a good relationship with Old Sun, so upon seeing a stranger coming and going, he naturally wanted to check it out.
"Old Sun!"
Wang Chen raised his hand and knocked on the half-open courtyard gate, saying, "Are you home?"
To his surprise, he pushed the wooden door open completely.
He immediately noticed a table in the small courtyard, upon which sat a steaming copper hot pot.
Old Sun was reclining in a chair beside the table, cradling a piece of tofu in his right hand while slicing it with a small knife in his left, all the while humming a soft tune.
"Ah!"
Wang Chen’s sudden appearance startled Old Sun, causing him to nearly nick his palm with the knife.
At that moment, a woman clad in a cloth skirt emerged from the main house, carrying a plate.
Everyone was momentarily stunned!
"Doggie?"
Old Sun was the first to recover. He rose, placing the tofu into the pot, and asked with a smile, "What brings you here?"
Wang Chen was at a loss for words.
He had already recognized the woman in the cloth skirt.
She was Old Lu’s wife, and Wang Chen had once visited her husband’s spirit fields to eradicate land rhinoceroses.
Back then, the woman had appeared aged and haggard.
Now, she looked significantly younger, her attire neat, exuding a certain enduring charm.
Wang Chen almost didn’t recognize her at first glance.
But he clearly remembered that Old Lu was dead.
He had died while observing some commotion.
Not much time had passed!
Old Sun gave an awkward smile and stepped forward to lead Wang Chen outside for a private conversation.
It turned out that this woman, Mrs. Li, was Old Lu’s second wife. After Old Lu’s death, she and her young son were expelled from the house by the eldest son of the first wife.
Old Sun, pitying Mrs. Li for her loneliness and helplessness, had taken in the mother and child to live with him.
This had occurred just a couple of days ago.
"I have known Old Lu for many years," Old Sun explained. "I truly couldn’t bear to see his wife and child suffer, so providing them with food is a virtuous act, isn’t it?"
"I was just looking for an opportunity to tell you!"
A virtuous act?
Wang Chen couldn’t help but think sarcastically: you’re no different from the treacherous Cao!
But the other party certainly wouldn’t understand that.
Yet, that being said, without Old Sun’s care, Mrs. Li and her child would have been unable to survive.
So calling it a virtuous act was not an exaggeration.
In fact, situations like Mrs. Li’s were not uncommon.
She was quite fortunate.
And the previously lonely old man had gained a wife and child, so he probably wouldn’t be tossing spirit stones at the Fragrant Pavilion anymore.
That was a good thing!
Wang Chen smiled and said, "Congratulations, Old Man! When will you hold a banquet?"
Old Sun’s face flushed with embarrassment. "We’re just making do living together; why would we hold a banquet? You’re overthinking!"
Though he said that, joy was evident in his eyes.
Clearly, life with a partner was very pleasant.
Once the conversation opened up, Old Sun no longer felt shy and invited Wang Chen inside to join them for dinner.
Wang Chen politely declined.
As a single dog, he didn’t want to intrude on the happy family of three.
However, that night, Wang Chen dreamed of his family from his past life.
When he woke up, he was left with a lingering sense of melancholy.
