Chapter 3

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“Good fate?”

Qi Wuhuo shook his head upon hearing this, and recited a line from his dream:

“A mere trifling effort, not worth mentioning.”

After a pause, he added with a hint of youthful stubbornness, trying to justify himself:

“I didn’t help the old sir just to be repaid!”

The old man laughed and said: “Of course, I know that.”

Then he fell silent.

The night watchman, holding a wooden clapper, walked over and glanced at Qi Wuhuo. It seemed as if he didn’t notice the elderly person on his back. With a hint of impatience, he said:

“It looks like it might snow tonight. With such thin clothing, you’ll probably freeze to death out here! Hurry and go back home.” The night watchman wore a dark blue cotton coat, but it appeared to have not been washed for a long time, covered in a layer of grime. He had fur gloves on, and a water pouch hung from his waist, though it contained strong liquor.

Nightly patrols in winter are a hard job.

Taking a sip of strong liquor to soothe the throat and keep awake, while also warming up, was permissible as long as it wasn’t excessive and didn’t lead to drunkenness.

Qi Wuhuo thanked him and stepped aside.

After the night watchman passed by, Qi Wuhuo carried the elderly person and walked step by step toward his home. The night watchman walked a few steps forward, suddenly thought of something, and was about to turn around to speak, but saw the youth striding forward with a calm demeanor yet moving extremely fast, his movements like a dragon’s or tiger’s. Within a few steps, he disappeared into the snow and wind, leaving the night watchman dumbfounded.

“Strange, how can this kid move so fast today?”

“Walking is as good as running.”

“Could it be that he’s not tired?”

He rubbed his eyes, looked at his wine bag, which still had more than half left, and became even more puzzled: “I haven’t drunk that much.”

“How strange indeed.”

The small town was quite large, with over ten thousand residents. In the center were the official offices for handling affairs. Radiating outward from this center were the wealthier families in the town, and beyond them, those with some surplus wealth. Qi Wuhuo was originally an outsider and a refugee, so he had only a small wooden house on the edge of town.

The house had originally been inhabited by a forest ranger more than twenty years ago to fend off wild animals. Later, when the government sent troops up the mountain several times, the wild animals retreated, and the ranger’s position was abolished. The house had been abandoned for over ten years and had fallen into disrepair.

Although many refugees had arrived here back then, no one paid much attention to them.

Most preferred to move forward to the provincial capital, but the young Qi Wuhuo, who was only nine years old at the time, stayed.

Carrying the elderly person on his back, he arrived at the house in no time. The strange energy that entered his body seemed to make him more agile, even faster than when Qi Wuhuo had descended the mountain on his own.

He didn’t realize the strange energy had entered his body, he thought that the wind and snow had simply made him move faster. He pushed open the door, let the elder sit on a bench, and started a fire with some dry grass. In no time, the room warmed up. He then took out a small pouch made of thin gauze, which contained many luminescent insects that glowed at night like lanterns. Placing it in the center of the room, it illuminated the whole room brightly.

The elder took a bowl of hot water from Qi Wuhuo and, seeing the insect lantern smiled in surprise and said:

“Ah… this little fellow is quite clever.”

Qi Wuhuo replied: “With no surplus wealth at home, I can only find ways to make do.”

The old man stroked his beard and glanced around the small wooden house.

What was once a dilapidated place had been well repaired. The house had few items, but they were all neatly arranged. On one side of the windowsill, there were a few pots of green plants that could thrive even in winter, giving the place an overall clean and fresh feel.

On one side, there were also several strips of dried meat hanging, all from wild beasts of the mountains.

The meat had been stripped of its fur and dried into jerky.

In today’s world, many places with abundant vegetation and harmless wild beasts are mostly designated as hunting grounds for the royal family. During spring and autumn, the nobles hunt on horseback, while the rest of the time, these wild animals are allowed to reproduce and thrive.

Ordinary people are strictly forbidden from hunting with bows. If caught, they might be whipped dozens of times and bedridden for three months; more severe cases might lead to imprisonment by patrolling soldiers.

Such wild beasts like rabbits are rarely encountered and captured.

Yet here, there were quite a few, indicating that the young man was very skilled. As the New Year approached, these were likely prepared for winter. Despite his poverty, there was still an air of anticipation about life.

The old man nodded slightly.

He saw Qi Wuhuo grinding herbs, having taken some coarse grains from a jar, added water up to three fingers high, and cooked them. When the porridge was nearly done, he added a piece of dried rabbit meat. Originally intending to cut just a small portion, he ended up cutting a bit more.

He chopped it into small pieces on the table and added it to the jar along with some winter cabbage, which was sweeter after the frost. The aroma soon filled the air, bringing warmth.

By the time he had finished preparing the medicine for the old man, the pot of meat porridge was also ready. He laid down a side table, served two bowls of porridge, and also placed a pile of pickled cabbage on the table.

The young man said:

“Our home is poor and we don’t have much to offer.”

“I hope you won’t be offended, old sir.”

The old man looked at the handsome yet serious young man before him and could sense that this child seemed quite happy about the prospect of having someone to share a meal with when he got home, rather than being alone.

However, despite his happiness, the boy’s expression remained calm and composed.

The old man took a sip of the porridge and found it quite delicious. He then picked up a piece of pickled vegetable, which was crisp and refreshing, and said with a smile; “It’s delicious. I don’t know how to address you, little friend. Might I ask your esteemed surname and full name?”

Qi Wuhuo put down his chopsticks and replied,

“My surname is Qi. As for my full name, it’s not really noteworthy”

“My name is Wuhuo, which means ‘free from confusion’ in the hope of living a life without doubts.”

The old man sighed, “Qi Wuhuo…”

“The word ‘Wuhuo’ seems simple to say, but it is rare to achieve.”

“My surname is Li, and interestingly, it’s the same as that of the Daoist ancestor. I’ve lived so long that my name hasn’t been used for quite some time.”

He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then looked at the young man. Initially, he had suspected that the boy’s powerful and unusual aura might be due to some malevolent force or demonic being taking over his body. However, after being carried by him all the way, he felt that the young man’s spirit was genuinely harmonious and that there was no possibility of possession. After a moment of thought, he smiled and said:

“However, you’ve carried me all this way, healed my injuries, and shared your meal with me. I must repay you properly. Come, little brother, tell me what you want. I will surely satisfy you.”

Qi Wuhuo shook his head and said: “That’s not why I saved Elder Li.”

The old man stroked his beard and extended his hand, smiling:

“Hold on, hold on. Let me finish before you refuse.”

He looked around at Qi Wuhuo’s modest living conditions, pointed to the dilapidated door, and said; “How about this: I’ll give you a thousand taels of gold and silver, ten carriages and horses, a hundred servants, a mansion with three courtyards, a lifetime of wealth and honor, and dozens of descendants. How does that sound?”

Qi Wuhuo shook his head.

The old man smiled and asked why.

Qi Wuhuo thought for a moment and replied:

“If I were to accept ten thousand bronze vessels without considering propriety and righteousness, what can ten thousand bronze vessels add to me?”

“To accept it would be shameful.”

These were the words he had once seen in his dream.

The old man was stunned, thought for a moment, and then said: “I see. In that case, how about this: I see that you live a solitary and difficult life. I have a bit of a reputation and know the seven surnames and seven sects. The youngest daughter of the Cui family is exceptionally beautiful, like a fallen celestial being. Since you saved my life, I would be willing to seek her for you. What do you think?”

“With such a family to support you, a lovely wife by your side, a charming beauty to accompany you. Mutual affection, adding fragrance with a red sleeve. Wouldn’t that be a joy?”

Qi Wuhuo frowned and shook his head: “Old sir, you say that to repay me, you want to change the fate of a woman I have never met. This is putting me in an unjust position.”

“Moreover, I don’t know her. If I agreed, wouldn’t that just be coveting physical beauty? And what about this talk of mutual affection?”

The old man was about to speak again when Qi Wuhuo pointed to the porridge:

“Old Sir, the porridge is getting cold.”

After a pause, he added what the young man thought was the greatest threat:

“If you don’t eat it, I will!”

The old man, not feeling offended by the repeated refusals, actually smiled more broadly, nodded with a laugh, took a sip of porridge, and finally shook his head, saying:

“If you don’t want this and don’t want that, then so be it.”

He put down the porridge, his black eyes warm and jade-like, with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth. He spoke gently:

“You carried me twelve hundred steps, let’s establish a good fate.”

“Door is the Way, scriptures are for the path.”

“I will open a door for you, granting you twelve hundred years of lifespan.”

“How does that sound?”