If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1317 Follow your words

"What?! Daoist Wuyazi has arrived?!"

While Lü Xu was still in a daze at the kitchen door, Lü Zhi inside had already thrown down the pots and pans and was running at full speed, quickly tidying her clothes and hair with her greasy, blackened, rough hands.

"Taoist Master~~"

As I stepped out of the courtyard, I saw my father, Lü Gong, and my second brother, Lü Shizhi, walking towards me, chatting and laughing with a familiar figure.

"Oh, E'xu, come here quickly." When Lu Gong saw his daughter, he hurriedly waved to her.

"E Xu greets the Taoist priest~" Lü Zhi regained the demeanor she had when she was a young lady in the Lü family in her early years, kneeling down respectfully and elegantly, and kowtowing three times to the old Taoist priest.

"Xu'er greets the Daoist Master!" Her younger sister followed closely behind, also kowtowing.

"E'xu, you're quite good!" The old Taoist Wuyazi let the two women kneel on the ground, looked Lü Zhi up and down with his eyes that shone with spiritual light, and after a moment, he raised his hand and used invisible energy to help the two sisters up.

Feeling the spiritual gaze of the old Taoist priest Wuyazi, Lü Zhi felt somewhat uncomfortable and wanted to "retaliate," but rationally she understood that the priest was checking her "homework." She was also very happy to receive the priest's praise.

"I am in a sorry state, please forgive me, Taoist priest."

Her makeup was indeed not very good at this moment. Her originally fair and tender face was now chapped and red from the cold, and covered with a lot of oil and dust. Her hair was also greasy and matted.

Her body was somewhat bloated; not only had she become much thicker, but she was also pregnant again.

She's pregnant with her second child; she's already given birth to her daughter, so this is a pattern of having two children in three years.

His clothes were made of ordinary coarse linen: a light blue jacket, a gray petticoat, and dirty, patched leather boots.

If you were to place her on the street, from behind and from the side, she would just look like an ordinary village woman.

Once you look her in the eye and see her expression, you can immediately sense that she is extraordinary.

Lü Zhi's gaze was not sharp, but it possessed a strange power; it was not bright, yet it was hard to ignore.

"Your appearance may not be as good as before, but your inner spirit has been polished. The outer layer of stone has been worn away, and your true brilliance is about to be revealed."

"You've made really fast and great progress in the past year!" Wu Yazi exclaimed.

"It's all thanks to the Taoist priest's excellent teaching." Lü Zhi was even happier, her smile revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

Well, she didn't have yellow teeth when she was a young lady in the Lü family.

After becoming a daughter-in-law of the Liu family, she was busy from dawn till dusk, and let alone take good care of herself, she sometimes even forgot to brush her teeth.

Lu Xu was not very happy. She was dressed in auspicious clothes and was the "protagonist" of the Lu family today, but the Taoist priest hadn't paid much attention to her.

"Master, what about me?"

She stared longingly at Wu Yazi, swaying her hips a few times to show off her charm as a bride-to-be.

Lu Gong turned his head away and slapped his forehead hard.

Wu Yazi examined her for a moment and said, "I have come here to fulfill the agreement I made with Miss San last time."

Lu Xu's face lit up with joy. "So the Taoist priest hasn't forgotten. The Taoist priest came here today specifically for me."

Last time, her sister got engaged to Liu Laosan and received a great benefit from the Taoist priest.

At the time, she also wanted a "fate to immortality," and the Taoist priest promised to give it to her "next time."

Now that she's getting married, the Taoist priest has indeed arrived!

Wu Yazi smiled and said, "It's mainly for the Third Miss. It's also fate that we met the Second Miss here."

Lu Gongdao said, "It's freezing cold. What's the point of having the Taoist priest talk outside?"
"Xu'er, E'xu, make way for me. Once we reach the back hall, you can listen attentively to the Taoist priest's teachings."

He then turned to the old Taoist priest and gestured, saying, "Taoist priest, please come in."

The members of the Lü family led the old Taoist priest through the courtyard gate and toward the inner hall.

As they passed by the yard, they smelled a burnt odor and saw a plume of black smoke drifting out of the small kitchen.

Lu Gong was a little embarrassed, and Lu Zhi was a little anxious.

The old Taoist priest Wuyazi glanced to the side and said, "Is someone making pancakes? Go and put out the fire."

Lü Zhi hurriedly ran into the kitchen, reached out her merciless iron hand, grabbed the burnt flatbread, hesitated for a moment, and then put it into the bamboo basket.

Even though it's burnt, it's still a scallion pancake the size of a washbasin. It would be such a waste to throw it away!

After placing the fried dough cakes in the pan, a ladle of water was poured into the pot. The firewood in the stove was pulled out and buried in the ashes. Finally, a piece of cotton cloth was placed over the basket containing the fried dough cakes.

After quickly finishing all this, Lü Zhi washed her hands and wiped her face before jogging to the living room.

Only the father, the second brother, and the golden-haired Rakshasa Taoist boy who had come with the Taoist priest were in the living room; the old Taoist priest and the third sister were nowhere to be seen.

"Father, where is the Taoist priest?" Lü Zhi already had a guess in her mind.

Lu Gong glanced at the back of the house and whispered, "Just like you were back then."

"What is your name, young Taoist priest? Where are you from? When did you become a Taoist priest's apprentice?" Lü Zhi cast a curious glance at the golden-haired Taoist boy.

"This humble Taoist, 'Golden Beard Slave,' is descended from the Rakshasa people of the Western Lands, by the Rakshasa Sea. I, however, was born in the Divine Land. My appearance is a bit strange, but I have been deeply influenced by the etiquette of the superior nation since childhood, and I can recite all kinds of Confucian classics fluently!" Wang E said.

Lü Zhi stared at his face, somewhat mesmerized. "You look a bit strange, but strangely handsome!"

"Ahem, E'xu, go to the kitchen and continue making pancakes. I'll call you when the Taoist priest comes out," said Lu Gong.

Knowing she had been impolite, Lü Zhi smiled awkwardly and said, "I'll make a pot of tea for the Taoist priest, my father, and my second brother."

Actually, a maid had already brought over a pot of tea.

However, it's the dead of winter now, and the tea cools down quickly. When the Taoist priest comes out, we'll probably have to serve him a fresh pot.

After waiting for almost half an hour, Lü Xu returned to the living room with a beaming smile and a joyful expression.

"Sister, the Taoist priest wants you to come in and talk to him. He's in the small study in the back room," she said to Lü Zhi.

Empress Lü didn't ask any further questions and immediately got up and went to the study.

Lü Shizhi was inclined to ask a couple of questions.

Seeing his father's calm and collected demeanor, as if he had expected this, he held back.

Upon entering the study, Lü Zhi bowed respectfully once again.

Her chapped face couldn't hide her excitement, as if she had a lot to say. Her lips moved a few times, but in the end, she only called out "Daoist Master" with genuine emotion.

"Hey, get up, sit down in a chair, and we'll talk slowly."

After Lü Zhi sat down opposite him, the old Taoist Wu Yazi asked, "When I entered Pei County, I heard people say that Liu Ji led a group of brothers to become outlaws?"

"He was framed by a villain and had no choice but to flee to Mangdang Mountain."

After excitedly shouting, Lü Zhi explained carefully: "After Liu Ji returned from Mangdang Mountain last year, many extraordinary people appeared near the Liu family."

Liu Ji welcomed all visitors and always treated them with great hospitality.

In just over half a year, he spent all of my dowry, which was worth a fortune, and the money he "borrowed" from Zhou Ke.

When the Liu family realized they couldn't offer them anything of value, the strange people took their leave one by one, leaving nothing behind.

Liu Ji's 'virtuous reputation' began to spread throughout the entire Sishui Commandery.

People say he is kind, generous, and magnanimous, possessing the demeanor of an elder.

Zhou Ke was the unlucky guy who picked a box of gold beads at the Treasure Sharing Cliff.

That box of gold beads is priceless; it could be exchanged for at least 150,000 taels of gold. If you keep it and spend it slowly, you'll be set for life for ten lifetimes.

But he wasn't alone; he had a group of brothers who were desperately poor.

Liu Ji alone "borrowed" twenty or thirty thousand taels of gold from him, and his poor buddies like Fan Kuai and Lu Wan wouldn't let him off the hook either. Each of them lent him ten or eight thousand taels. By this time, Zhou Ke was penniless and had no choice but to follow Liu Laosan to Mangdang Mountain to become an outlaw.

His spending speed is comparable to that of a demolition compensation recipient in Xiaoyu's previous life.

Wu Yazi laughed and said, "This ten thousand taels of gold was well spent. It's even more worthwhile since it wasn't Liu Ji's own money."

Empress Lü also smiled.

When she recounted how Liu Ji had squandered her entire dowry, she remained calm throughout, showing no resentment or anger.

"Liu Ji said the same thing. But having a good reputation is not always a good thing! Rebel leaders such as Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, who are far away in Dazexiang, and even Xiang Liang, the most wanted criminal in Qin, have sent people to Pei County to invite Liu Ji to come out of seclusion and assist them."

The persuader representing Chen Sheng was none other than Zhang Er, a great sage from Waihuang!

Liu Ji spent ten thousand gold coins just to entertain Zhang Er.

We may offer them hospitality, but how could our large family dare to get entangled with the rebels at this time?
Liu Ji declined all the invitations, citing his elderly father and his newborn daughter.

Wu Yazi sighed, "Liu Ji has grown up! If it were his old chivalrous ways, when Zhang Er personally came to invite him, he would definitely have been hot-blooded and impulsive, and would have rushed over without thinking."

Liu Ji was Zhang Er's younger brother.

Zhang Er had many followers, and perhaps he only held Liu Ji in ordinary regard. But in young Liu Ji's heart, Zhang Er was to him what Chan Ho-nam was to Chicken—if Liu Ji had seen the "Young and Dangerous" movies.

How could Chicken refuse an invitation from Brother Hao Nan?

"Having followed the Taoist priest for some time and received his guidance, Liu Ji must have made progress." Lü Zhi flattered him, then continued, "Perhaps because Liu Ji firmly declined the offer, he angered Chen Sheng, Xiang Liang, or someone else."

Anyway, he was framed.

Rumors circulated that Liu Ji had close ties with Chen Sheng of Dazexiang and was Chen Sheng's inside man in Pei County. The plan was that once Chen Sheng's rebel army approached Pei County, Liu Ji would coordinate an attack from within and without, capturing Pei County and handing it over to Chen Sheng.

Liu Ji had a group of brothers in the Pei County government office, and at first they didn't care about the rumors.

However, Pengcheng soon sent over a mountain of irrefutable evidence proving that Liu Ji had indeed met Chen Sheng's envoy.

Well, Liu Ji spent a fortune taking Zhang Er sightseeing, eating and drinking in several nearby counties, making quite a fuss.

The imperial magistrate had seized upon his weakness.

The old Taoist priest did a quick calculation and said, "He really was framed."

"But how can you be so sure that he was framed by Chen Sheng and Xiang Liang?"
"Why wasn't it Sima Ling who discovered him and Zhang Er's sightseeing trip and reported it to the court?" he asked curiously.

Lü Zhi looked at "his" right hand, which was making calculations, and said, "After the county magistrate decided to arrest Liu Ji, Lord Xiao immediately tipped him off and advised him to escape."

Liu Ji had planned to join Chen Sheng, but he was worried that Chen Sheng would not succeed, so he asked Lord Xiao to help him predict good or bad fortune.

After using the divine tortoise shell for divination, Lord Xiao's expression changed drastically, and he said that Liu Ji's current imprisonment might be related to Chen Sheng.

Han Xin guessed that he was a newly recruited retainer of Liu Ji.

Lü Zhi secretly observed the old Taoist's expression.

The old Taoist priest remained indifferent, showing no reaction to the name "Han Xin" and offering no questions.

Lü Zhi withdrew her gaze and continued, "Han Xin believed that after Zhang Er's attempt to persuade Liu Ji failed, Chen Sheng, who had already declared himself king in Chen County, was furious and deliberately used a scheme to force Liu Ji into a corner, leaving him no choice but to go to Chen County."

Han Xin advised Liu Ji not to seek refuge with Chen Sheng, because Liu Ji already knew that Chen Sheng was plotting against him, and Chen Sheng's ability to use such a vicious scheme showed that he was not magnanimous.

If Liu Ji were to let slip his secret in Chen County and reveal his resentment, he might be killed by Chen Sheng.

So Liu Ji fled to Mount Mangdang.

Wu Yazi asked, "Has Liu Ji ever considered going it alone?"

Lü Zhi smiled bitterly: "Does the Taoist priest know how many brothers he went to Mangdang with him?"
Fewer than fifty people!
Only twenty of them participated in the Taoist priest's Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Formation, and they were the "heroes" of Pei County.

With so few men, even becoming an outlaw would be beneath them; what else could they possibly do?

She only mentioned Liu Ji's difficulties, without directly answering the old Taoist Wu Yazi's question: Did Liu Ji want to go it alone?

Whether you want to or not is different from whether you can or not.

Wu Yazi glanced at her and asked, "How is your cultivation of the 'Pavilion Chief's Wife Skill' progressing?"

Lu Zhi said with a conflicted expression, "To be honest, I have indeed discovered its strangeness if I say that I haven't cultivated it well."

To be honest, this disciple has not developed any special 'internal energy' in his body.

Special abilities sometimes work and sometimes don't.

"The so-called 'internal strength' is not necessarily the true qi in the dantian. The 'Tingzhang's Wife's Skill' mainly cultivates the upper dantian, so it's normal that there is no internal qi in the lower dantian. The 'internal qi' in the upper dantian..."

Wu Yazi did not sense any special "true energy" from Lü Zhi, but there was a special spiritual fluctuation within Lü Zhi's clay ball.

It must be the effect of the head of the pavilion's wife's efforts.

"Tell me first, what's so special about you?" Wu Yazi asked curiously.

Although she created the technique, she wasn't really sure what it would look like after mastering it, or what the special effects of each stage would be.

Liu Ji and his wife were like a pair of guinea pigs.

Lü Zhi's rosy cheeks turned even redder, and her eyes couldn't hide her excitement.

She lowered her voice and whispered, "Once, I had just dragged the newly harvested wheat to the threshing ground to dry when the weather suddenly turned from sunny to torrential rain."

There was no one else at home at the time; it was just me.

Seeing that the wheat was about to be soaked by the heavy rain, I became anxious and shouted, "Oh God, please don't let it rain!"

Taoist priest, guess what? The torrential rain actually stopped!
And only my family's rain stopped; it was still pouring rain in other places.

That one time, in our Zhongyangli—no, in our Peixian—at least half the wheat crops of the families were flooded.

Either the wheat is still in the field and hasn't been harvested, or the wheat is being threshed in the rice field.

Like my family, we either have to dry the newly harvested wheat in the sun before storing it in the warehouse.

Alas, the imperial court had exempted us from taxes and corvée labor this year, and we all thought we could have a prosperous year.

Unexpectedly, instead of human-caused disasters, natural disasters have occurred, and these are strange natural disasters that are impossible to guard against.

Later, when everyone was drying their grain, they would all ask Lord Xiao to perform divination!
But I'm not worried; I can stop the rain.

Wu Yazi's expression changed slightly. "Are you sure the rain that was covering the Liu family has something to do with you?"

Seeing the Taoist priest's expression change, Lü Zhi became nervous and said apprehensively, "I was also stunned for a while at the time, and I was puzzled. Later, I tried it a few more times and gradually got the hang of it."

Whenever I use my 'magical technique,' my internal energy doesn't decrease at all; it just makes me extremely tired.

"You've tried it several times?" Old Daoist Wuyazi frowned and said, "Didn't I warn you that even in front of your parents and relatives, or even your husband Liu Ji, you must not reveal a single bit of the 'Hall Chief's Wife's Skill'?"

Lü Zhi hurriedly replied, "This disciple has indeed kept the Daoist's teachings firmly in mind. My father, my brothers, and even Liu Ji do not know that I have cultivated the 'Tingzhang's Wife's Skill,' nor do they know that I possess various extraordinary arts."

First of all, there was no one else around when I called for the rain to stop.

Furthermore, my true energy has not decreased, and there are no fluctuations of Taoist magic or secret techniques on my body.

My shouts were no different from everyone else's. When others saw the wheat being soaked by the torrential rain, they would shout the same thing as me: "God, stop the rain! People will die if it keeps pouring!"

The old Taoist Wuyazi sighed, "They are different from you. They shout normally, no strange phenomena occur, and they are not afraid even if the gods see it. After you shouted, the gods immediately noticed that something was wrong."

Lü Zhi exclaimed in surprise, "A deity is watching me? Why?"

"Have you ever heard of 'disaster spread'?" Wu Yazi asked.

(End of this chapter)