Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 16 Food is Heaven

An old man, an adult, and a child

The three of them discussed the matter for a long time in the room and finally settled it.

Chen Gou'er started clamoring for a share of the spoils!
Li Wushou removed the wire from his stomach, first taking out a bundle of incense and candles from his stomach and handing them to the old beggar, then placing thirty taels of silver and a book on the art of refining yin energy on the square table.

Chen Gou'er snatched a ten-tael silver coin, hugged it to his chest, and his eyes narrowed into slits with joy.

The old beggar and Li Wushou exchanged a glance, neither of them mentioning that the City God Temple had raised its price by ten taels of silver. They each took ten taels and put them away.

"Old man, these incense sticks and candles were specially snatched for you by Li Wushou and me. How about that, isn't that generous of yours, Old Dog?"

"Good dog, you're the most filial!"

"Haha, that's right!"

When it comes to dividing the spoils, the most important thing isn't fairness, but that everyone is happy. Isn't that great now?

"Now that you have money, will you still need to have your eyes implanted in the future?"

Chen Gou'er turned his little face straight and stole a glance at the old beggar. The old beggar naturally knew what Chen Gou'er was worried about, and picked up the conversation:

"Plant! Why not plant? It'll just hurt a little, but now that we have money, if we eat more, we can make up for the deficit."

"Yes, yes, yes! It just hurts a little, but I'm not afraid of pain at all!"

Chen Gou'er nodded vigorously and chimed in from the side.

Li Wushou gave the old man and the young man a strange look. Where did their crying and wailing attitude go yesterday? Now they're acting like they're fearless?
Although he sensed something was amiss, Li Wushou still asked the old beggar a question:
"You've already consumed the City God's golden statue and received offerings, why don't you ask the monks of the Blood and Flesh Buddha for help?"

Li Wushou's scrutiny made the old beggar feel a little guilty, and Chen Gou'er even jumped off the square table, folded up the "Divine Official's Yin Refining Technique" on the table, and used it to prop up the table legs.

"Heh~ We have to keep this to pray to the City God, right? I'll need to get a Yin pulse for you in a couple of days, so it's always good to have some incense in reserve."

If you're getting an eye transplant, just eat more these next couple of days, it won't hurt.

"Being a high priest will not only allow you to earn more money, but also collect more incense offerings, so Chen Gou'er and I can live a better life with you."

Chen Gou'er's eyes darted around, and after the old beggar finished speaking, he also expressed his opinion.

"That's right, Li Wushou. After I finish eating the ten taels of silver, it's just a matter of having a few more eyes. I'm not afraid. Besides, I still have this bird!"

"Yes! And there's this bird too! Let's take care of the City God's golden body first!"

The old beggar secretly gave Chen Gou'er a thumbs up; this kid still had a knack for being clever in crucial moments!

After saying this, the old beggar grabbed the golden statue of the City God with a somewhat lewd grin and stuffed it into his pocket! The birds, tired from a night of tossing and turning, seized the opportunity to burst out of the remaining heart.

The old beggar shouted, "Li Wushou, quickly wrap it up with your shadow!"

Li Wushou was already on guard; the shadow behind him unfolded like a curtain, enveloping the entire square table.

Birds were trapped in the mud and could not tell which way to go.

Chen Gou'er craned his neck to look at the square table. The bird looked no bigger than a fingernail, but its blood energy was unusually powerful. Li Wushou was also having some difficulty wrapping it up.

He focused his mind and kept a close eye on the bird.

The old beggar exchanged a glance with Li Wushou, then raised the golden statue of the City God in his hand, puffed out his chest, and took a deep breath. The golden statue emitted a misty aura, which the old beggar inhaled.

The wrinkles on his face seemed to have been smoothed out quite a bit, and the old beggar felt a surge of joy.

"Please, have mercy and behave for a while!"

After bowing, the bird in the shadows froze in place, stunned. Chen Gou'er clapped his hands happily, "Li Wushou, I'll eat first, you take it out for it."

With focused concentration, the black shadow condensed into a thread, binding the lark in the middle and bringing it to Chen Gou'er's mouth. Chen Gou'er bared his teeth and bit down along the edge of the black shadow.

"Chirp!"

Yun Que let out a miserable scream, and a surge of blood energy dissolved in Chen Gou'er's mouth. Chen Gou'er covered his mouth tightly with both hands.

In a short while, its face was covered with gray feathers, and several pairs of bird claws grew on its head!

The flesh on its back, particularly the shoulder blades, was gaping open, giving the impression that wings were about to sprout.

"Quickly recite: Food is the most important thing!"

The old beggar shouted loudly. Chen Gou'er's eyes turned red, and his face was covered in feathers, making it impossible to see his original appearance. Hearing the old beggar's shout, he quickly sat down on the ground.

"Pfft~!"

His hempen shirt was torn, and grayish-yellow wings spread out from his back, surprisingly growing backwards. At the same time, a spine extended from his neck, and from it, a bird's head grew out, facing away from Chen Gou'er.

"Heaven and earth are the harmony of yin and yang. Heaven's way is flawed, so it gives rise to all things to make itself complete. Humanity's way is flawed, so it consumes all things in heaven and earth to build an imperishable body."

As Chen Gou'er chanted, the disordered growth of his body was stopped, and his feathers began to fade.

Li Wushou and the old beggar were relieved.

According to the old beggar, he picked up the book, "Food is Heaven," while relieving himself in a forest. He had used the title page and most of the pages to wipe his bottom, leaving only these few pages.

After listening to Wu Zhuangyuan's story about immortals and Qi cultivators, Li Wushou and Chen Gou'er studied these pages.

Before reading it, the two of them also fantasized about what kind of extraordinary cultivation method this was, after all, the protagonist in Wu Zhuangyuan's stories was always having all sorts of adventures.

After reciting it several times, Li Wushou and Chen Gou'er almost starved to death!

The old beggar was laughing uncontrollably; he was the one who named the book.

He had already studied these pages and concluded that their greatest benefit was aiding digestion; the more he read them, the faster he would digest!

Even when I was extremely hungry, I ate some Guanyin clay and recited the mantra a few times, and it was digested very quickly.

For a beggar, being well-fed and watered is the greatest wish.

So the old beggar named this passage "Food is Heaven!"

However, rapid digestion is not a good thing for a beggar, since rapid digestion means faster hunger. Therefore, apart from the initial experimentation, the three rarely used it again.

Seeing that Chen Gou'er had calmed down, Li Wushou and the old beggar didn't linger any longer.

Li Wushou also sat down cross-legged next to Chen Gou'er. He swallowed the remaining half of the bird and the heart of the City God, which was nested by the bird, in one gulp. The old beggar swallowed the rest of the golden body in one gulp.

The powerful blood energy melted in his mouth, and Li Wushou's face lit up with joy. This blood energy was indeed powerful!
Noticing an itch on his face and a restless feeling in his back, Li Wushou quickly recited, "Food is the most important thing!"

He only had this one linen shirt that he could wear when he went out, and he didn't want it to be ruined by his wildly growing wings!

An old man, an older man, and a young boy sat cross-legged in the cramped and dimly lit hall.

Behind him was a simple incense table made of wooden planks and tree branches, with incense burning in the incense burner.

The wooden plaques bearing the names "Old Beggar," "Li Wushou," and "Chen Gou'er" are half-hidden in the incense smoke.

(End of this chapter)