Be a proper Taoist priest in The Condor Heroes

Smoke from cooking fires?

Su Yan squinted and saw a wisp of very faint blue smoke floating on the roof of one of the relatively intact houses, which was particularly conspicuous in the desolate wilderness.

A thought struck him, and he immediately became wary: in chaotic times, a populated place may not necessarily be a path to survival.

"Let's go to the village and see if we can find some clean water, and while we're at it, see if there are any survivors."

As we approached the village, we discovered that it was much better than the villages we had encountered before. Although the villagers were still emaciated and looked sickly, at least many families were still living there, and there were not many corpses on the village roads.

Outside the smoking house, several young men, their eyes gleaming with hunger, and several middle-aged men were arguing quietly around two elderly people. On the ground was a chipped earthenware pot, inside which were some green leaves being boiled, presumably wild vegetables or tree leaves.

"Village chief, let's hurry up and leave. There's really no way we'll survive if we stay here."

"Yes, Second Uncle, Erdan has been surviving on grass roots and tree leaves these past few days. He can't just stay here and wait to die."

The young men took turns trying to persuade the two old men, but their eyes were fixed on the broken leaves in the broken bowl.

One of the old men, whose face was full of wrinkles, sighed.

If we stay here, there's no way to survive. But if we go out and flee the famine, will we be able to survive?

Every household is short of food, and it's not just one or two families. There might be a way to survive in Taiyuan City, but that's not something they can get.

While living in a remote corner offers little hope for survival, for these elderly people, returning to their roots is the best possible outcome compared to dying far from home.

Who has ever been born without dying?

These people have tasted all the bitterness, hardship, and saltiness of life, and more than once, but they can never taste sweetness.

They've long since figured out how to live life, they've truly understood it.

Every day you live is a bonus. If God wants you to die at midnight, He won't let you live until dawn; if He wants you to live, it's the same.

Although they are not yet of the age of fifty, they already understand the meaning of destiny.

"Grandpa Village Chief, Third Uncle, two people have arrived. They say they'd like to stay the night and ask for some water."

A child as thin as a stick ran into the room and reported to the two people sitting in the high positions.

The two elderly people looked at each other, stood up, and walked outside.

"Gentlemen, I come from Taiyuan Prefecture and am heading to Zhongnan Mountain. May I ask if I could stay the night here and have a bowl of water to drink?"

Su Yan bowed slightly, his posture humble yet wary, his gaze subtly sweeping over the villagers gathered around him.

They were all emaciated, with high cheekbones, and their eyes held hunger and unease, but they did not have the frenzied greed of the refugees they had encountered before. Only a few young men stared at the bundle on his back, their Adam's apples bobbing quietly.

Little Nianba hid half a step behind Su Yan, her fingers gripping his clothes until they turned white. Her chapped lips were still damp from the mouthful of water she had just drunk. Her eyes were timid, but she still tried to straighten her small body, not wanting to appear too cowardly. Her cloth shoes were already worn through, and her exposed toes were oozing blood. She trembled slightly with every step on the gravel-strewn village path, but she didn't utter a sound.

"Zhongnan Mountain?"

The village chief stroked his sparse white beard, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy eyes, and asked uncertainly.

"The territory of the Quanzhen Sect?"

"Exactly."

Su Yan didn't hide it at all, reaching into his pocket to pull out the token and showing the two characters "Quanzhen" on the front.

"My father had a past relationship with the Quanzhen Sect, and I took my younger sister to Chongyang Palace to seek refuge with them."

The village chief stepped forward, examined the token carefully, and then looked Su Yan over.

Although the boy was dressed in a coarse cloth shirt, he was upright and tall. Although the iron sword at his waist was wrapped in coarse cloth, one could vaguely feel its fierce aura. Looking at the way he was protecting the little girl behind him, he did not seem like a bad guy.

"Since we are going to Zhongnan Mountain, it must be fate."

The village chief sighed and stepped aside to make way.

"Come in, there's a bowl of water."

After thanking her, Su Yan gently patted the little girl's hand to reassure her before leading her into the house with the old man. The other villagers and another elderly man then left, but the murmurs continued.

The room was simply furnished, with only a dilapidated earthen bed and a wooden table with a missing leg. A few bundles of firewood were piled in the corner, and a pottery pot on the stove was emitting faint steam, with the green leaves being boiled inside giving off a slightly bitter smell.

"Child, you must be so thirsty!"

Su Yan noticed that the village chief had a woman beside him scoop two bowls of clean water from his own water vat. The rims of the bowls were chipped, but they were clean. Xiao Nianba took the bowls, held them with both hands, and first offered them to Su Yan. Su Yan shook her head, indicating that she should drink first. She then sipped the water slowly, her eyes full of appreciation. After finishing, she even licked the last few drops from the bottom of the bowl clean.

Su Yan drank water, her gaze falling on Xiao Nian'erba's bleeding feet, her brows furrowing slightly.

Just as he was about to speak, the old woman beside him noticed, turned around, and pulled out a tattered piece of hemp cloth from under the kang mat. She also found some dried mugwort and handed it over.

"This child's foot injury is quite serious. Try wiping it with water boiled with mugwort and then wrapping it with burlap; that should make it feel better."

The little boy quickly thanked her, his voice weak but sincere. Su Yan also cupped his hands in thanks.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir."

As he spoke, he untied his bundle, took out two coarse grain cakes, and handed them to the village chief.

"These are just some dry rations, nothing special, but a small token of my gratitude."

The villagers' eyes lit up instantly, especially a few teenagers who couldn't help but lean forward, only to be stopped by the village chief raising his hand. "There's no need for that."

The village chief pushed the pancake back.

"In chaotic times, no one has it easy. A bowl of water is all I need; why should I ask for your dry rations?"

"Please accept this, old man."

Su Yan insisted

"We still have some food reserves, but you..."

He glanced at the earthenware pot on the stove, and before he finished speaking, he had already made his meaning clear.

After a moment of silence, the village chief finally gave up and divided the cake into several pieces. He first handed them to the elderly and children around him, and kept only a small piece for himself. He broke off half of it and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly.

"To be honest, the village has long run out of food and survives by digging up wild vegetables and gnawing on tree bark."

The village chief sighed.

"Young people all want to escape, but it's chaotic outside, where can they find a way to survive? We old folks don't want to die far from home, we just want to stay in this ancestral home and return to our roots."

He had Xiao Nianba sit on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), while he followed the village chief to the kitchen to boil mugwort water and inquire about the road conditions.

"There's a black pine forest thirty miles ahead."

The village chief added firewood while speaking in a low voice.

"There are some beasts hiding inside. They used to be bandits who only robbed caravans or wealthy families' wagons, but now I hear they'll even eat people when they're starving. You'd better be careful when you go there tomorrow."

"Thank you for the reminder, Village Chief. Are there any martial artists inside?"

"They should practice martial arts, but whether there are any martial artists among them is unknown."

Su Yan nodded and noted it down, then took out about 50 copper coins from his pocket and quietly slipped them to the village chief.

"Please use this little bit of money to find two pairs of cloth shoes that fit my younger sister. This is just a small token of my appreciation."

The village chief quickly declined, but Su Yan insisted on giving it to him.

"In these times, we can only survive by supporting each other. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely repay your village for taking me in."

By this time, Xiao Nianba had already followed the old woman and wiped her feet with mugwort water. The old woman found a clean strip of cloth and carefully bandaged her feet, muttering something under her breath.

"This child is so sensible, suffering like this with adults at such a young age."

Xiao Nianba smiled shyly, looking at Su Yan, revealing two small tiger teeth. His little face, covered in black and gray, had a touch of childlike liveliness.

"I can't live without Brother Yan'er."

As the sun gradually sank below the mountain, its afterglow shone through the dilapidated windowpanes into the house, casting a warm yellow glow on the earthen bed and wooden table. The villagers had already dispersed, leaving the village chief's outbuilding for them to stay in.

Su Yan checked the doors and windows to make sure there was nothing wrong before letting Xiao Nianba lie down on the kang to rest. Xiao Nianba curled up in the corner and quickly fell asleep, a satisfied smile on his face. This was the first time in days that he had been able to rest peacefully.

In the past, they either had to stay in the open wilderness or in the dens of wild animals, always on guard.

This is the first time I've seen such a friendly village in the past few days.

However, the problem now lies in Xiao Nianba's foot injury. The little girl followed him for nearly two hundred miles without saying a word. What was an eight or nine-year-old girl doing in her previous life? She was only a first or second grade elementary school student, who was waited on hand and foot.

Where can you find such perseverance?

Su Yan's feet were in better condition, as he possessed martial arts skills and was able to rest as he walked. However, Xiao Nianba was not. The blisters on his feet burst, and coupled with long-term malnutrition and the poor hygiene conditions in ancient times, he was prone to infection and ulceration if he was not careful.

I remembered the warning from the village chief's wife.

It seems I need to take it to a nearby town as soon as possible, otherwise it could cause an infection and fever, which would be troublesome.

Fortunately, there is a county town about 30 miles away. I can get there in about an afternoon with my little one on my back. But I do need to be careful in that black pine forest.

However, judging from the village chief's words, since the people inside are so hungry that they have started to eat each other, it must be because of a severe shortage of supplies and food. Practicing martial arts would consume a lot of energy, so even if there are martial artists, they must be at most second-rate ones.

Su Yan broke through to the third-rate realm, and his strength increased greatly. He could easily carry the little wilted baby weighing less than forty pounds.