"The scholar over there should be a great man..."
"So, the one who wants to kill Jing'er...ours is that Dharma Master?"
"Shh, don't say it."
Listening to the coachman and the big man whispering, the woman holding the child couldn't help but look to the other side. The scholar who was playing chess with the Taoist priest was stroking his son's head and hugging him tightly.
"Mom... When can I see Dad..."
The child leaning on his mother's shoulder was drowsy, and saliva was sliding down the corner of his mouth as he murmured. The woman gently patted the child's thin back, leaned her face over and gently stroked it.
"It will be soon. We will be in the capital soon, and Jing'er will see daddy soon."
Soon, the cave became quiet. The sound of the wind whimpering outside and the rustling of the trees could be heard. As the fire flickered, the big man on guard suddenly turned his head and saw the scholar opposite him walking towards him.
Looking at the woman sleeping with her child in her arms, Lu Liangsheng handed his blanket to the man.
"I won't go over there. You cover the children and the women."
The big man looked at the scholar, then at the women and children over there, hesitated for a moment, and finally took the blanket. When he saw the scholar turn around and leave, he quickly stood up and bowed.
"Cao Shouren, thank you sir."
"I'm being called sir again. Do I look old?" Lu Liangsheng waved his sleeves at him and said, "Hurry up and cover the mother and child. You should go to sleep too. Nothing will come over at night."
Probably thinking that the outside had been cast under a spell by the master in front of him, Cao Shouren took two steps forward and bowed again.
"Shou-ren thanks you for your help tonight. If you have any mission in the future, I will definitely repay you."
Over there, Sun Yingxian shook his blanket, wrapped himself up in it, and laughed as he lay down:
"Repay? I just told you your name, but you didn't even tell me why you were being hunted. What's the point of talking about repaying me? You're not sincere."
When he was chatting with the three people before, he already understood the whole story, and he also complained that Lu Liangsheng didn't call him when he had such an interesting thing to do.
Cao Shouren lowered his hands, turned his head away and looked at the burning flames, he sighed, it was as strange as a dream to have unexpectedly run into the legendary master who knew magic and Taoism.
"Sir, and that Taoist priest, I really can't tell you the truth. Sir and Taoist priest just need to know that we are not bad people, and not all people in the court are good people."
People have good and evil sides, and the imperial court is a big melting pot, Lu Liangsheng once heard from his mentor. Otherwise, Min Changwen would not have been mockingly demoted to the position of a county magistrate.
Cao Shouren gritted his teeth and took a deep breath.
"Sir, actually this matter started..."
Without waiting for him to speak, Lu Liangsheng put away the chessboard and waved at the big man.
"Go to sleep. If you don't want to talk more, just keep it a secret."
Big man: “…”
There are some things that others don't want to talk about, and it is indeed not appropriate to pursue them. Having said that, he brushed open a space on the ground with the sleeve of his robe, casually lay down on his side with his clothes on, and the Toad Taoist slowly crawled over.
"You are such a good person. You gave the blanket to others. Where will I sleep?"
Lu Liangsheng stretched out his arm and used it as a pillow for the toad.
"Master, just make do with it. I'll use my sleeves as a blanket for you."
"It's okay to consider you as my apprentice."
The barely perceptible laughter and chatter between the master and the disciple gradually died down, and the cave became quiet. After a moment, the Taoist's snoring began to sound.
The firelight was warm yellow, illuminating the two people who met by chance.
The night passed gradually as time went by.
The mountain fog dissipated in the morning sun. The bonfire in the cave had long been extinguished, with only wisps of smoke floating in the air. Lu Liangsheng got up early, lit the bonfire again and cooked some food. The Taoist helped carry the bookshelf onto the old donkey's back.
The noise also woke up the two men and one woman over there. The child in the woman's arms licked his lips at the fragrance of the rice porridge.
"Mom... Jing'er is hungry."
Lu Liangsheng scooped a bowl of porridge and handed it over. The child had been hungry for a long time, so he quickly stretched out his little hands to hold the bowl. The woman next to him thanked him and drank a few sips as well. The warm porridge flowed through his mouth and stomach, and he felt warm all over. The soreness in his feet also dissipated a lot.
Lu Liangsheng deliberately added some medicines he had bought in the city into the porridge and cast a little magic to maximize the effectiveness of the medicines.
Of course, a bowl was also served to Cao Shouren and the driver over there.
"Being together is fate, but after that, you and I will be separated."
Cao Shouren put down the bowl of porridge from his lips and couldn't help asking, "Where are you going, sir?"
"The capital."
Hearing this, the two men and one woman looked at each other, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes, but they said nothing, waiting for the scholar and the Taoist priest to pack up and leave with the old donkey.
The three of them hurried out holding the children.
…
Birds flew happily through the woods, preening their feathers.
On the small path below the branches, two people were leading a donkey and walking slowly. A Taoist priest holding a dry grass root in his mouth looked back from time to time.
"Those three are still following."
In front, a scholar was walking and reading a book while holding an old donkey in one hand and the other hand. His feet seemed to have eyes, easily avoiding the rugged road surface and staring at the lines of words.
"They just want to borrow some blessings. They didn't leave last night, which means they have this intention. There is no need to drive them away. Help them if you can. It's better than watching them die."
"There are more bad guys than good guys in this world. Can you save them all?"
Sun Yingxian felt that this scholar was good in every way except that he was too kind-hearted, which was what annoyed him the most.
"Sooner or later you will suffer a loss, and then you will learn your lesson."
The scholar closed the book and ignored him. He took a map from the bookshelf and looked at it. The county ahead should be Muyuan County. After passing through it, he could continue along the official road.
Just as I turned a fork in the road, I heard Cao Shouren's voice from far behind.
"Sir, Taoist priest, you are going the wrong way. You should take the road on the right to go to the capital."
Wrong way
Although it was not the first time for Lu Liangsheng to travel far away, it was the first time for him to use a map. His sense of direction was indeed a bit poor. If he used magic to run wildly, he might have already left the border of Southern Chen.
He laughed and put away the blueprint. Cao Shouren, holding the child, the driver and the woman had already caught up with them. He said breathlessly:
"Sir, why don't we lead the way for you two? The four of us are going the same way."
Looking at the two men and one woman who were looking around nervously from time to time, they were afraid that the people who were chasing them last night were still lingering around.
On the way
The Taoist folded his arms and snorted, and was about to say: "I'm afraid you want us to take you there..."
A breeze blew, and the woman's hair fluttered, revealing her delicate profile. As if she was aware of someone looking at her, she quickly pushed her messy hair back into her face and turned sideways.
The Taoist's voice suddenly changed at this moment and he looked at Lu Liangsheng standing beside him.
"I think it's okay. It's not bad to have someone to lead the way, haha, right?"
"Okay."
Seeing the other party's appearance, Lu Liangsheng thought that he had communicated with the big man surnamed Cao last night. Judging from his facial features, manners and conversation, he was still thinking about protecting women and children when being chased. He was a real man. It would be a pity if he died.
Moreover, the Taoist made another suggestion without hesitation.
"Then the three of you should go together."
The three people over there visibly let out a long breath and followed the old donkey closely. The driver even ran forward to help carry some things, saying that it was to avoid crushing the donkey. Cao Shouren was not willing to be left behind, so he grabbed the reins, leading the way while helping to lead the donkey.
This left Lu Liangsheng with nothing to do, so he had to pick up the child and put him on the donkey's back.
The Taoist followed the woman and took out various things from his pocket from time to time, such as yellow talismans, demon-suppressing mirrors, frogs... and showed them to the other party.
The group headed north.
There was a lot of talking and laughing on the way, and the atmosphere was harmonious.