Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 147 - Xu Fu (1)

A middle-aged man walked in from outside.

This man was tall, dressed in a brown robe, black cloth boots, and had a string of colorful red beads hanging around his neck. The brown cloth turban wrapped around his head had been washed to a faded color. His skin was as rough and dark as the locals, and there were bits of sand stuck in his beard, making him look honest and simple.

Douniang helped him take off the basket he was carrying on his back. The man was momentarily stunned when he saw the room full of people. “Douniang, this…”

“Father, these are my friends!” Douniang said with a smile and then walked over to Tian Fangfang. “This is Brother Tian, who often helped me back when we were at the Qian family’s place!”

“So, this is Young Master Tian.” The man seemed a bit awkward, rubbing his hands vigorously on his clothes. “Douniang often mentioned you to me. Thank you for taking care of her before.”

Tian Fangfang smiled and said, “No need to be polite, Old Man Xu. I consider Douniang as my own sister, who else would I help if not her?”

Douniang’s father, named Xu Fu, glanced at the others in the room and his gaze fell on Gu Baiying and Meng Ying, making him pause. “This…”

The appearance and demeanor of the two were particularly outstanding, hard to ignore. Douniang explained, “They are Brother Tian’s fellow disciples. Brother Tian is quite impressive now. He’s become a disciple of the sect!”

“So, these are the esteemed immortals.” Xu Fu, upon hearing this, became even more nervous and uneasy, asking, “May I ask if you are here specifically for Douniang?”

“That’s not the case.” Tian Fangfang noticed his tension and reassured him, “Don’t worry, Old Man Xu. We just got lost in the desert and happened to run into Douniang at the city gate.”

“Father,” Douniang returned to Xu Fu’s side, tugging at his clothes and looking up at him. “The Wudanlin Desert has storms at night. Let them stay with us for the night.”

“We’re just staying for one night and will leave tomorrow,” Mu Cengxiao said, looking at him.

“You misunderstand, esteemed immortals,” Xu Fu hurriedly said. “I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that our family is poor, and I’m afraid we won’t be able to host you properly.”

His face was full of anxiety, and it didn’t seem to be an act.

“It’s nothing, Father,” Douniang said innocently, not minding at all. “When Brother Tian and I were at the Qian family, we didn’t even have beds to sleep in. Our house might be small, but if we squeeze a bit, it’s still enough to accommodate everyone. If the immortals don’t mind…”

“Then it’s better to accept your hospitality.” The young man in white sitting in the room interrupted her, smiling slightly. “Thank you for hosting us.”

Hearing this, Douniang cheered and said, “It’s settled then. You’ll all stay here tonight. It’s been a long time since our home has been this lively.”

She then went to move the basket full of grass. “I’ll go clean these first.”

While the father and daughter lifted the curtain to go to the kitchen, Zanxing leaned over and whispered to Gu Baiying, who was sitting beside him, “Uncle, is there anything suspicious about Old Man Xu?”

The smile on Gu Baiying’s face had already disappeared. “No demonic aura, not a demon. No evil aura, not a dark cultivator.”

“Maybe he’s just hiding it well.”

“Not necessarily,” Mu Cengxiao looked over. “He has calluses on his hands, the marks of years of cutting grass. His appearance, skin texture, and clothing are indeed that of someone living in the desert.”

“I couldn’t find any flaws either,” Meng Ying shook his head.

Tian Fangfang said, “Maybe we’re overthinking it? Running into Douniang here really is a coincidence? We just got lucky?”

“That’s exactly it,” said Men Dong, who had been watching coldly, holding Mimi. “Don’t be so suspicious. Would a demon or evil spirit live in such a rundown place? It’s not even possible if you think about it.”

“But I still feel something is off,” Zanxing said. She didn’t know why, but despite the fact that the Xiao Yuan Pearl hadn’t given any warning, she just had a gut feeling.

This suddenly appearing town in the desert, the long-lost fellow townsmen, the simple and honest father and daughter… It all exuded a strange vibe beneath the calm surface.

She looked down at her palm, where the flower-like red mark hadn’t changed. Ever since meeting the Celestial Fairy Qinghua in the secret realm of the Li’er Country, the plot had already deviated absurdly. Now, it was in a completely unwritten direction.

Zanxing didn’t believe that the ‘Heavenly Way’ was so kind-hearted.

“Why are you always targeting her?” Men Dong said angrily. “She hasn’t offended you, so why are you holding onto her?”

Zanxing replied, “When did I ever hold onto her?”

Just as she said this, Douniang came out again with a basket. Xu Fu was chopping wood in the backyard, and the girl spread out the basket of grass her father had just brought back and began sorting it.

Men Dong asked her, “What are you doing?”

“Some of these wild grasses are edible, and some can be dried and used for fuel. I’m just sorting them out,” Douniang said, rolling up her sleeves and working skillfully.

Men Dong jumped off the stool. “Let me help you!”

Zanxing was speechless.

She said, “So you’re defending her now? I never realized you were the kind of person who values a beauty over friends, Men Dong.”

“You know what?” Gu Baiying glanced at her. “Don’t speak carelessly.”

Zanxing retorted, “Well, he’s never been this attentive to me.”

“Junior Sister,” Tian Fangfang said earnestly, “you’re older, and Men Dong is still a child.”

Zanxing was speechless.

Meng Ying finally couldn’t stand it anymore and said, “Junior Brother’s enthusiasm for Xu Douniang isn’t out of affection.”

“Then why?”

Meng Ying looked at Men Dong, who was crouched on the ground helping Douniang sort herbs, and sighed. “Probably because he feels a kinship with her. Men Dong, too, was separated from his family.”

Men Dong, the direct disciple of Daoist Yueguang from the Taiyan Sect, was not to be underestimated despite his young age. This was because the child was born with the Immortal Spiritual Aperture a rare talent capable of discovering extraordinary treasures. Having an Immortal Spiritual Aperture was a rarity, occurring perhaps once in a hundred thousand people. If a sect obtained a disciple with such a gift, they would undoubtedly nurture them carefully.

However, if such a child was born into an ordinary family, it wouldn’t necessarily be a blessing.

When Men Dong was three years old, his father carried him in a basket up the mountain to cut firewood. Men Dong grabbed onto a plant and wouldn’t let go. His father thought he was just playing and picked it for him. Later, a knowledgeable person identified it as a rare spiritual herb and paid a large sum of money for it.

At the time, Men Dong’s parents thought it was just luck.

As Men Dong grew older and learned to express himself, every time he went up the mountain, he would find various spiritual herbs and fruits in the most hidden places. The family’s wealth grew, and Men Dong’s divine ability became known.

The ordinary couple who did small business in the village didn’t realize that having an Immortal Spiritual Aperture child was a great temptation to the outside world and a great disaster for such an ordinary family.

When Men Dong was five years old, his divine power had already attracted much attention. One night, a group of bandits broke into their home, hoping to kidnap Men Dong and use his abilities for their gain. In the ensuing struggle, Men Dong’s parents were killed, and he was taken away.

Fortunately, the bandits were intercepted by a group of Taiyan Sect disciples who were on a mission nearby. They rescued Men Dong and brought him back to the sect. Recognizing his talent, they decided to take him in and train him as a disciple.

Since then, Men Dong had been living at the Taiyan Sect, where he was treated with great care. But the trauma of losing his family and being taken away by force had left a deep scar in him. When he saw Douniang and her father, it reminded him of his own lost family and stirred a sense of empathy within him.