Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 19 Entering the Museum (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote!)
After leaving the Burning Tail Hall.

Second Uncle Yu Le led Fang Shu through the market for a long time, passing by the gates of many martial arts schools.

Among them were grand, luxurious, and cramped rooms, but he did not lead Fang Shu inside. He simply looked at them from afar, shaking his head and remaining silent.

Finally, Uncle Yu Le clapped his hands and made up his mind.

However, instead of venturing deeper into the market or to a particular martial arts school, he reluctantly bought three catties of dried fruit on the street, carefully selecting them before leading Fang Shu back to the paper mill with a cheerful smile.

Next door to the paper house, neighbor Dou Sufu had already gone to work selling milk and didn't return home at noon, her door tightly shut.

However, another neighbor had just returned home to rest and was frying tofu, the aroma of which was very enticing.

As soon as the other person saw the uncle and nephew approaching, they quickly grabbed the pot lid to cover the tofu inside, looking as if afraid the two would take advantage of them.

Until his second uncle, Yu Le, cheerfully brought out the three catties of dried fruit and offered it to him with a fawning smile.

The neighbor, who had just been tugging at his beard, breathed a sigh of relief and joked:

"Well, you, Yu Lao Er, have changed your personality since your nephew came to visit. You even have the leisure to try and please us."

"Is this your nephew?"

"Greetings, Uncle Li Yuan." Fang Shu quickly bowed.

This neighbor's name is Li Yuan. According to my second uncle, he is a talisman master.
This person possessed a skillful ability to cleanse clothing. Although he lived in the paper mill and dressed shabbily, it was due to his naturally stingy nature and reluctance to spend money on food and lodging. In reality, this person and his son belonged to the second class of people in the market town.

After exchanging pleasantries with his neighbor Li Yuan, Uncle Yu Le's second uncle was quite envious of the fried tofu that Li Yuan had prepared.

But their neighbor, Li Yuan, was a peculiar fellow. He would rather overcook the tofu and keep it covered in the pot lid than share it with his uncle and nephew.

Such behavior made Fang Shu's heart pound.

He suspected that when he asked the other party for help later, the other party would simply pretend to be deaf and dumb and say they knew nothing.

When the second uncle took out the note and respectfully handed it to the old talisman master Li Yuan, the old talisman master was slightly taken aback, then slapped his thigh:
"Hey! I thought you were up to something, acting all creepy. Turns out you just wanted to plead with the owner of the Du Pavilion to take your nephew in."

The other person muttered, "Damn it! I thought you were going to ask me for money."

These words were spoken so casually that they not only surprised Fang Shu, but also caused his second uncle, Yu Le, to show a look of astonishment and doubt.

The two men looked at each other somewhat awkwardly, and even the second uncle, Yu Le, was a little worried that the old man might play a trick on them by seemingly agreeing but actually refusing.

As a result, the old talisman master Li Yuan immediately turned around, went back into the house, took out a stack of yellow paper, and a bowl. With a heavy heart, he scooped up all the burnt tofu pieces from the pot and put them into the bowl.

"Please take this stack of cleansing talismans to the innkeeper for me. I've written what I need to say on the first yellow paper."

"Take this bowl of tofu to that kid Li Hou'er, and tell him to remember to come back for dinner when he has time. Next time there will definitely be meat."

Master Fu, Li Yuan, gave instructions, then waved his hand, signaling the uncle and nephew to leave quickly and not block the way.

Fang Shu, holding the stack of cleansing talismans and a bowl of burnt tofu, was still in a daze for a while.

He glanced at the top of the talisman and found only one sentence written on it:

“He is my brother’s nephew and my son Li Hou’s brother. I hope the Master of the Pavilion can evaluate and accept him!”

Li Yuan bowed deeply.

This simple comment carries far more weight than many flowery articles. For instance, it far surpasses the pile of flattering words that Uncle Yu Le hastily wrote overnight.

The old talisman master saw Fang Shu staring intently at him.

The other person snapped their chopsticks out and slapped Fang Shu's hand, warning him warily, "Kid, don't try to take advantage of my son."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Thank you, Uncle Li." He immediately bowed sincerely to the old talisman master in front of him.

Second Uncle Yu Le, standing to the side, also came to his senses and, with the same gratitude and emotion, bowed to Fang Shu.

Both of them sighed inwardly, "A close neighbor is worse than a distant friend!"

When the uncle and nephew looked up, the old master talisman Li Yuan was humming a little tune. He simply took the frying pan and went into the paper house to eat tofu.

The other person looked satisfied, shaking his head and saying, "After eating pickled vegetables and fried tofu, even the emperor can't compare to me."

Next.

The uncle and nephew left the paper mill and headed straight for the so-called owner of the private residence.

The other party's dojo, also located deep within the market, was called "Dugu Hall".

The dojo was located in a similar area to the Yabu-dojo, quite close and not too remote. Although it wasn't particularly grand, it had a certain air of age, suggesting it was a long-established business. The uncle and nephew's apprenticeship journey was remarkably smooth and successful.

They didn't stand in the sun for long, nor did they need a middleman. They simply found Li Hou'er first, and with his guidance, they met the owner of the Duguan Pavilion face to face.

The innkeeper was an old woman with wrinkled skin, white hair, a bald forehead, and fierce eyes; she did not seem like a kind person.

At first glance, it made Fang Shu feel a little uneasy. But such a appearance also undoubtedly showed that the other party was very skilled and not an ordinary person.

Furthermore, the old woman with the unique Gu technique only glanced at the note on the cleansing talisman before nodding, accepting the spirit stones, and also accepting the Fang Shu.

She squinted and instructed, "You child, you are deficient in qi and blood. Recently, you should reduce your use of magical artifacts and try to take more essence-nourishing pills. First, take care of your health in the temple."

Once you've fully recovered, you can start counting your time for training at the academy.

You should know that three or four spirit stones are only enough for Fang to study Taoism at the academy for three months.

The old woman's words essentially added more time, which made the already impoverished uncle and nephew feel a greater sense of identification with the Dugu Pavilion.

………………

On the other side, that day...

Yin Xiaojian excitedly entered the Shaowei Pavilion.

But that very day, the old men in the facility first stripped him naked and gave him an evaluation, and then ordered him to clean the latrines while naked.

After finally cleaning the latrines, night had fallen, and it was long past dinner time at the Shaowei Restaurant.

Yin Xiaojian had no money on him, so he had to leave the temple alone on an empty stomach and run to his aunt's house.

When he finally managed to knock on the door, he was greeted not with kind and caring eyes.

His aunt had white hair on her face and blood at the corner of her mouth; it was unclear what kind of magic she was practicing in her room.

She spotted Yin Xiaojian, and because her spell hadn't finished, she stared at him greedily, as if she wanted to devour him on the spot.

This scene terrified Yin Xiaojian, causing her legs to tremble. She wanted to leave, but didn't know where to go.

"Good nephew." Fortunately, his aunt, with her high-pitched voice, managed to speak through her tears:
Why come back at night?
Your aunt went through so much trouble to send you to study Taoism, we can't let it go to waste..."

Upon hearing this, Yin Xiaojian was immediately overwhelmed with grievance.

He was no longer afraid of his aunt, and immediately went up to her, hugged her, and began to cry and complain, with snot and tears streaming down his face:
"Auntie! I want to leave the museum..."

The woman surnamed Yin was interrupted. She came to her senses, squinted, and reached out to stroke her pregnant nephew to comfort him.

But where Yin Xiaojian couldn't see, her expression was both disgusted and mocking, utterly distorted.

………………

at the same time.

Old Lu, who came ashore with him, went to the place to draw lots after selling his blood for money. He drew a hundred lots once and a thousand lots twice, until he was red-eyed and red-faced.

As a result, he had many lucky breaks, but they were all minor ones, such as "draw again" or "blood vouchers," and none of them were the big opportunities he longed for.

When Lu Laodao came to his senses again, he was penniless, with not a single coin left in his pocket.

But he dared not sell his blood again, fearing he would die from the blood loss and then be unable to draw lots for the divination slip.

So this guy starved himself on the streets for several days, and worried about being driven out of town at night, he gritted his teeth and finally went into the largest duck restaurant in the market, intending to make a living with his capital and become a good craftsman!

As it turned out, someone had already entered the brothel before him and was waiting for him.

The person in question was his fellow boatman, Tian Tianquan.

When the two met, they looked at each other and remained silent.

Also.

In the paper mill, Su Qingao had made up her mind to marry into the family.

The woman had just married into the family, and before the wedding ceremony could even take place, her fiancé died suddenly at dusk.

After that, only she and her widower future father-in-law were left in the room, staring at each other.

This is the end.

The five people who went ashore on the same boat—Fang Shu, Yin Xiaojian, Lü Laodao, Tian Tianquan, and Su Qingao—were all widowed and had their own futures.

　I'm adding an extra chapter and asking for monthly votes!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)