Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 232 The Seven Hopes of the An Clan, Painters!
"Young master, there is a wooden house ahead. Why don't you and Miss Wan rest there for a while?"

The leader, a Foundation Establishment expert, nodded in agreement; he must be Manager Yu.

After replying to the young man with a calm expression, he led the convoy onto the road in front of the hut.

The young master inside the carriage did not reply, and the others took it for granted.

Three people stepped out of the convoy and headed towards the small house, intending to clean and tidy it up first.

Miss Wan is very clean; if the little house is not clean, the young master will get angry again!
When they were still four or five zhang away from the hut, the three servants' expressions changed.

"Someone!"

They saw the flickering light through the cracks in the dilapidated house, exchanged a glance, and the other two continued towards the hut, while the remaining person turned back to the caravan to report to Manager Yu.

Everything was in perfect order, and the staff were of extremely high quality!

Li Wushou withdrew his gaze, and the wooden door creaked open.

The dark figure crawling on the wall and the ground glanced at the two uninvited guests with some displeasure. Then, with the flickering firelight, it quietly shrank its bulky body and transformed into the shape of Li Wushou's shadow.

Actually, Li Wushou was right. It had indeed eaten too much, and it hadn't been very willing to restrain itself lately, as it always felt bloated.

But when it saw people coming, it dared not maintain its previous posture.

The old beggar had told it that if anyone noticed anything amiss, Li Wushou should eat it.

So this is already its instinct!
The two servants pushed open the door, and before they could even see what was inside, they were suddenly filled with dread.

Looking up, one could see a young man dressed in a yin-yang Taoist robe sitting cross-legged on the haystack behind the fire. He looked a little younger than the young master, and his handsome, deep-set face had an otherworldly quality in the firelight.

The two were taken aback. They had thought he was a mountain dweller resting nearby, but he turned out to be a young Taoist priest.

The prepared words were stuck in his throat, and he didn't know what to do. Just then, he heard footsteps behind him, and Manager Yu walked in.

The other party was also somewhat surprised to see Li Wushou. After sizing him up, they saw that he had a long, calm, and composed aura, indicating that he was a person of considerable cultivation. They temporarily changed their minds about driving him away.

After a moment's hesitation, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Li Wushou and said politely:
"Excuse me, Daoist Master. I am the steward of the An family in Wangxian City. My young master is passing through this place and would like to rest. This place is desolate. May I ask if we could make a way for him?"

Manager Yu spoke politely and pointed out the An family's reputation. He believed that no one from the vicinity of Wangxian City would have any other intentions.

This was also to avoid trouble. He couldn't tell how capable the other person was, but he didn't want any setbacks while traveling.

Wangxian City is composed of five surnames, seven prominent families, and twenty-four clans. Among them, the five surnames are the leaders, followed by the seven prominent families, and the twenty-four clans are ranked in order of importance.

The An family is one of the Seven Families, and Anqiu City, which is adjacent to Wangxian City, is under their control.

When Mu Tong left Wufang City, she discussed the various situations of Xuan Kong Mountain and Wang Xian City with Li Wushou.

The Hengyang River flows from west to east, dividing Huazhou into north and south banks. Eighteen cities, including Anqiu, Yinshan, and Wufang, are all located on the south bank, controlled by the "floating" vein of the Suspended Mountain.

Anqiu, Yinshan, and Wufang are respectively controlled by the three prestigious families of An, Yue, and Liu, because each of these three families has an elder who has advanced to the Golden Core stage and become a Dharma Protector in the Hanging Mountain.

The remaining fifteen cities were handed over to the Twenty-Four Clans, or assigned by the Suspended Mountain.

In addition, there are two other surnames under the Fu lineage: Lü and Yuwen. The elders of these two families are elders in the Hanging Mountain.

Although they are also Golden Core cultivators, they all have the potential to reach the Nascent Soul stage, thus holding a transcendent status.

Therefore, the two families do not govern the city, but they control prominent clans and families.

As for the other three surnames and four clans, they belong to the "Kong" lineage on the north bank.

Li Wushou naturally understood what Steward Yu meant, waved his hand dismissively, and replied softly:

"Please!"

After saying that, he closed his eyes again. This wasn't his home, so he could stay as long as it didn't bother him.

Actually, he was still thinking about the painting that the young master of the An family had just held in his hand.

He looked at it several times, but still couldn't figure out what was wrong with the painting.

There was no trace of evil spirits, no trace of malevolent influence.
The ink used for painting, however, had a faint flavor of flesh and blood, mixed with some unknown fine powder.

Inside the Three Immortals Pavilion, Chen Gou'er sniffed the air and muttered something at the opportune moment:
"The painting has the smell of that young master's flesh and blood."

"Painted with his own flesh and blood? This young master seems to have something wrong with his head."

Chen Gou'er nodded in agreement, while the old beggar rolled his eyes.

These two dare to say that others have something wrong with their brains?
One of them is brainless, and the other was tearing his flesh off just a few days ago and making him draw talismans.

They talk just like everyone else.

However, he only thought these words to himself; if he actually said them, he wouldn't have a peaceful night.

However, the old beggar could smell a faint scent of incense in the painting. It was probably not painted by the young master of the An family, but by a Taoist priest.

However, the old beggar didn't say much; he still maintained a considerable understanding with Li Wushou.

When Manager Yu saw that Li Wushou remained indifferent after hearing about the An family, he understood that the other party must come from an extraordinary background.

He had intended to talk to Li Wushou about Miss Wan, but seeing that the other party seemed unwilling to communicate, Steward Yu didn't say anything more.

He turned to the servants beside him and gave them a few instructions, telling them to tidy up the house quietly. Then he returned to the carriage, intending to explain to the young master that there were people in the house.

After witnessing the conversation between Li Wushou and Steward Yu, the two servants realized from Steward Yu's attitude that he was not someone to be trifled with, so they quickly and carefully began to tidy up.

A moment later, the tidying up was complete.

The two took out two exquisite fur blankets and laid them in the corner opposite Li Wushou.

After bowing to Li Wushou, he left the room and went to the carriage to ask the young master to get off.

Seeing the two approaching, Manager Yu naturally understood that everything was ready. He turned to the carriage and said:

"Young Master, the room is all ready. You can bring Miss Wan down to rest now."

After he finished speaking, Steward Yu waited patiently to the side without urging him on. After a long while, a voice finally rang out in the carriage:
"Xiao Wan, let's go downstairs and rest for a while!"

A rustling sound came from inside the carriage. The young master of the An family held the portrait of the girl in his hands, his eyes still fixed on the painting, seemingly oblivious to everything else. The servants by the carriage, keenly observing the young master's toes, subtly placed their backs under his feet as he was about to step off.

After getting off the carriage, Steward Yu led the way, while the young master of the An family chattered on and on to Hua:

"Xiao Wan, this place is old and run-down. Don't mind it. It will be fine once we get home."

"Your health isn't good, so please don't be willful."

"You've been away from home for so long, you probably don't know, but I've moved out of Wangxian City and am now living in a farm at the foot of Ehuang Valley. I've also planted a large mulberry grove, and that will be our new home from now on."

"."

The young master of the An family talked all the way, and didn't stop even after entering the house.

"Watch out for the steps."

"Just make do with this."

"Oh, and there's a Taoist priest too, but he's not as good-looking as me."

Holding the painting in both hands, the young master of the An family sat down on the fur rug, guided by a servant.

Li Wushou opened his eyes, glanced at the other person, and Manager Yu, who was behind him, bowed apologetically to Li Wushou.

Withdrawing his gaze, Li Wushou casually tossed two pieces of firewood into the fire, then closed his eyes again.

The servants who had settled in started a fire outside and roasted two deer that they had recently hunted.

About half an hour later, the aroma of venison woke up Chen Gou'er, who had just fallen asleep.

Inside the Three Immortals Pavilion, someone shouted, "It smells so good! Li Wushou, quickly snatch that lunatic's meat!"

After calling him for a long time, Li Wushou naturally ignored him. Chen Gou'er, hands on his hips, stormed to the neighboring Baizhi Taoist Temple, stuffed several handfuls of white bone cicadas into his mouth, and then returned to the Three Immortals Hall to sleep soundly under the covers.

To Li Wushou's surprise, a short while later, Steward Yu brought a deer leg to Li Wushou's side and explained softly:
"Master, this deer leg was simply roasted without any seasoning. Consider it an apology to my young master."

Li Wushou naturally wouldn't refuse the food, accepting it without hesitation. This decisive action left Steward Yu somewhat stunned, and he didn't even have time to finish his sentence.

Isn't it said that Taoist priests who roam the world are the most cautious?
He didn't even dare to add any seasoning, for fear that the other party might mistakenly think he had drugged him.

He originally thought it was better to avoid trouble, but the other party's indifference to the An family's attitude made him unwilling to offend them easily. After thinking it over, he took a deer leg to apologize, so as not to sow any seeds of trouble.

I didn't expect it to be this simple!
Was the other party simply reckless, or did they possess genuine strength? Manager Yu was somewhat unsure.

Li Wushou took the deer leg, took out a spice jar from his pocket, sprinkled some on it, took a bite, and found it tasted really good.

Seeing that Steward Yu was still standing there in a daze, Li Wushou nodded casually and then asked, "Is this place not good?"

Li Wushou's voice was very soft, carrying a strange meaning.

Manager Yu, who was initially wary of Li Wushou, felt a sense of warmth and familiarity upon seeing him again, as if they were old friends.

Clearing his throat, Manager Yu turned to look at the young master of the An family, only to find him still holding the painting and chattering incessantly.

He then walked over to Li Wushou's campfire and began to speak to him in a low voice.

Once the conversation started, Steward Yu felt even more that they had met too late, and so he told Li Wushou everything he wanted to know, big or small.

A quarter of an hour later, Li Wushou had learned a great deal about the situation in Wangxian City and finally understood the circumstances of this young master of the An family.

This young master of the An family is quite remarkable. He is An Chengping, the second son of the An family patriarch. His grandfather was a Golden Core protector of the Suspended Mountain.

According to Steward Yu, his young master is not mentally challenged; on the contrary, he is very intelligent.

The reason I'm like this now is simply because I'm too infatuated.

The girl Wan mentioned by the other party was An Chengping's childhood sweetheart, who passed away unexpectedly when they were young.

An Chengping was heartbroken from then on. Over the years, he stopped cultivating immortality and spent his days without eating or drinking, losing interest in everything.

His father couldn't stand his self-destructive behavior and, after several attempts to persuade him, stopped interfering. An Chengping, happy with his newfound freedom, simply moved to the farm.

Half a month ago, it was widely rumored that a painter had come from the north bank.

That painter was extremely arrogant, claiming, "I'll borrow two ounces of ink from the human world to paint the sky, the earth, and all living beings!"

The other party not only has superb painting skills, but also has the ability to see through people's hearts.

It is said that this artist can tell who someone cares about most at a glance, and then easily draw that person, and the drawing is extremely lifelike.

Therefore, in just seven or eight days, the painter had already become extremely famous both inside and outside Wangxian City.

The artist recently stopped at Weixian Town, the largest transit point at the foot of Ehuang Valley Mountain.

The servants in the house were too talkative, and when An Chengping heard about it, he wanted to see if the painter could depict the person in his heart, so he took Steward Yu and the others and rushed over.

Unexpectedly, the painter was indeed quite skilled. After glancing at An Chengping, he vividly depicted the Wan girl in the other man's heart.

When Manager Yu recounted this scene, the shock still lingered on his face, clearly indicating that the painter was quite extraordinary!

Upon seeing the portrait, An Chengping was instantly disoriented and insisted that Miss Wan had come back to life.

From that time on, An Chengping often looked at the portrait repeatedly, as if he wanted to make up for what he had missed over the years.

He was still talking to Miss Wan from time to time. The steward and others who were with him had no choice but to cooperate with An Chengping, afraid of saying anything that might provoke him. That's why the scene just now happened.

After listening, Li Wushou nodded.

He subconsciously glanced at An Chengping again.

It was late at night, and the other person looked even more tired than before.

But he still couldn't bear to put the portrait down, and was gazing at it intently.

The girl in the painting also gazed at him with deep affection.

(End of this chapter)