The sky was dark and a golden light gradually appeared in the east, shining through the gaps. The golden morning light quickly pushed forward along the mountains and forests, enveloping the small village.
The sound of the dripping rain stopped, and the accumulated water droplets fell from the eaves to the ground with a soft "pop" sound.
The warm light squeezed through the slightly opened window and sprinkled on the bed.
Whoosh…
The boy had drool at the corners of his mouth. He slurped a few times, kicked off the quilt, turned sideways, and mumbled words in his sleep.
"Hey, hey... I am a hero who helps the weak and fights against the strong... Let that woman go!" "Hey, watch me decide the outcome with one sword..."
"Don't run, I won't kill you."
"Who won't be killed?!"
At this moment, the door was pushed open, and a woman came in with a rolling pin. The young man on the bed was so frightened that he sat up suddenly, but was hit on the head with a stick. He covered his forehead and rolled off the bed in a panic.
Looking at the sky outside, the boy lowered his head and muttered softly.
"Auntie, please don't use the rolling pin next time..."
"Does it hurt?"
The boy nodded: "It hurts!"
"You know it hurts, but why don't you get up early, wash up, and open the door to do business." The woman raised the rolling pin and pretended to swing it down again, but in the end she gently poked the boy in the back:
"Otherwise we'll both be starving!"
The young man also knew that the woman had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, so he quickly put on his shoes, stood at the door and raised his chin.
"Aunt, don't worry, I will definitely take you as my teacher in the future!"
He gestured with his hands and feet and said: "After you learn martial arts, you will be a chivalrous hero, and I will take care of you until the end of your life!"
Inside, a rolling pin was thrown out and hit his feet with a bang. The boy ran away quickly, stomping down the stairs, and while opening the door, he turned back and said to the woman who had walked to the fence:
"I, Li Sui'an, always keep my word!"
Squeak—
The door of the inn opened, and the young man stretched comfortably in the morning sun. Just as he stepped over the threshold, he tripped and stumbled a few steps out, almost falling down the stairs.
"Who puts a bookshelf here? Aren't you afraid someone will fall and die?"
Li Sui'an rubbed his feet and jumped on the spot, squinting in pain, and then his face froze. On the other side of the eaves, there was a scholar in a blue robe, dozing with firewood as a pillow, and next to him was a donkey lying on its side. It looked quite old, with mottled hair all over its body.
"Hey, why are you sleeping here, scholar? Get up quickly. My inn is open. If you want to stay here, then... then..."
The young man looked towards another bookshelf, where seven swords were casually lying on the ground. He stared at them intently, walked over, and stretched out his hand to touch them. A voice was heard on the side.
“Is your store finally open?”
Turning his head, he saw the scholar in blue shirt sitting up and looking at him with a smile. Li Sui'an quickly withdrew his hand, stood up and stepped aside, looking at the weapons from time to time.
"Open... open the door. Sir, are you going to stay at the hotel?"
Lu Liangsheng dusted off his robe, stood up, and said with a smile:
"I don't know yet, but I'm sure we'll have a meal. Little brother, help my old donkey get some dry grass in your backyard."
"Oh ok, please come in sir!"
The old donkey over there didn't wait for the young man to come over. It got up from the ground by itself, wagged its bald tail listlessly and walked towards the side door of the backyard, which made Li Sui'an feel surprised.
"This old donkey can speak human language? He is so smart."
He tilted his head to look at the scholar's back as he walked into the inn, and rubbed his pointed chin in a mature manner.
"This gentleman is carrying a sword, he must be a martial arts hero. If I become his disciple, won't I be able to learn martial arts and conquer the martial arts world?!"
He gathered a few handfuls of grass and put them into the trough. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't help thinking about it. The boy held the grass stalk in his mouth and patted the donkey's head.
"Be good, eat it by yourself!"
He tiptoed along the wall and slipped to the door leading to the kitchen corridor. He peeked inside, but didn't see his aunt. Then he put it down and moved closer, listening attentively.
My aunt's voice was coming from that side.
"Sir, this is a humble shop, and we don't have many dishes, but the pigs are all raised at home, and the fish are caught in nearby rivers, so they are guaranteed to be fresh."
There were a few worn-out tables and chairs in the hall. The woman pinched the corner of her apron and looked at the scholar in front of her with an apologetic smile. But before she could finish her words, Lu Liangsheng opposite her bowed.
"As a country scholar, a simple meal is fine. There is no need to be so particular. The shopkeeper can just make a few of his signature home-cooked dishes."
"That's fine, sir, please take a seat first."
The woman's face was all smiles. She had business as soon as she opened the door early in the morning and was in a much better mood. She walked quickly into the kitchen and saw Li Sui'an peeking out of the room. She hit him on the head with her hand.
"Go and boil some warm water and bring it to the guest."
The sun rose above the clouds, and the morning light passed through every corner of the inn. Smoke curled up from the kitchen, and the chopping board was filled with the sound of chopping vegetables. From time to time, the woman put down her knives, turned around and passed firewood to the stove, wiped the hot sweat from her cheeks, picked up the spatula and stir-fried in the pot, emitting bursts of fragrant smells.
The young man squatted in front of the small stove, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan and shaking it rapidly. Seeing the hot steam coming out of the pot, he excitedly took the bowl in his hands, filled it with water, held it in both hands, and carefully brought it to the living room.
Just like paying homage to a teacher, he placed it respectfully in front of the scholar.
"Sir, please have some water."
Li Sui'an spoke in a low voice. Firstly, he wanted to become an apprentice, but had never done so before, and he was not sure whether the scholar in front of him really knew martial arts. Secondly, he was afraid that the aunt in the kitchen would hear him.
Seeing the scholar smiling at him politely, reaching out his hand to take the bowl and raising it to his mouth, the young man looked at his hands to see if there were any calluses, and could not help but whispered:
"Sir, you know martial arts, right?"
"Hehe... a little bit."
Lu Liangsheng indeed only knew the Qianyang Palm taught by Sun Yingxian. The rest seemed to be magic spells. Seeing the excitement on the young man's face, it was just like when he asked for a brush.
"Really... I really can."
Hearing this answer, Li Sui'an rubbed his hands and suddenly forgot how to start the conversation.
The scholar suddenly spoke and smiled at him:
"Your family has business now, go and welcome the guests."
Um
The young man was stunned for a moment and looked outside the door. There were many villagers carrying farm tools and walking out of their homes on the village road. There were no guests there. He thought that the scholar in front of him deliberately said something to drive him away.
The next moment, the sound of horse hooves came from afar.
In the morning light, a fast horse rushed across the muddy road in the village, scaring the farmers so much that they hurriedly dodged and attracted a lot of curses. But the knight turned a deaf ear to it, stopped at the door of the inn, threw away the reins and strode in.
"Sir, are you staying at the hotel or having a meal?"
Li Sui'an hurriedly went to greet the man who walked in. He was about thirty years old, with a neat bun, a moustache on his upper lip, a short beard on his chin, and a black robe. He had a long sword on his back. He was dressed like a man of the martial arts world. As soon as he entered the room, he stared at the scholar over there.
"Sir?"
The young man called again, and the man glanced at Li Sui'an and walked straight to the table next to him.
"Bring anything you want. Wine would be best. I'd like to invite that gentleman to drink with me."
Here, the warm water flooded his lips. Lu Liangsheng opened his eyes and stared at the ripples in the bowl.
Hey, people of the Fire Cult...