Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

The oxcart swayed into the village, the shadows of the poplar trees passing over Zhou He's half-closed eyelids one by one.

The Zhou family's house was not large, with two courtyards, mud-brick walls, and blue-gray tiles on the roof.

The black wooden door was wide open, and two yellowed door gods were hidden in the doorway. Through the door, you could see the well in the middle of the courtyard, and the handle of the water pump next to the well was polished to a shine.

"Put the cart in the cattle pen and guard it in the front yard."

Old Han stepped off the oxcart, gave the young man some instructions, and then went to the back of the cart to help Zhou He get off.

Zhou He stared at the blue bundle slung across Old Han's shoulder, pursed his lips, and followed Old Han into the backyard.

Several apricot trees were planted in the yard, and green apricots hung in twos and threes among the leaves, adding a touch of life to the yard.

Without lingering, they returned to the main room in the backyard.

In the main room, facing the door, there is a long row of dark red wooden cabinets, and in front of the cabinets is an eight-immortal table.

Old Han led Zhou He to sit on the right side of the octagonal table.

He placed the bundle he was carrying on the counter, picked up a tin thermos, took out a glass cup embroidered with peonies, grabbed a handful of tea leaves from the counter and poured them in, then poured boiling water into the cup, releasing a fragrant aroma.

After finishing his work, Old Han stood at the head of the table and said:

"Young master, please have a cup of tea first."

Zhou He nodded, moved the glass in front of him with his hand, but didn't drink it. He just stared at the peony on the glass.

Old Han didn't think much of it, took out a letter from the inner pocket of his dark blue woolen Zhongshan suit, handed it to Zhou He, and said:

"The Master's letter."

Zhou He reached out and pulled the letter in front of him, looking at Lao Han. He knew that the other party still had something to say.

Old Han took off his stone-glasses, breathed on them, and pulled a faded handkerchief from his outer pocket. He wiped it clean inside and out, carefully choosing his words before slowly speaking:

"Young Master, our Zhou family is not a large family, but given the Master's status, we still need to maintain the proper decorum."

Zhou He frowned, sniffing the stench emanating from his tattered clothes, pondering the meaning behind Old Han's words.

Old Han continued:

"Last night, Erluzi... young master, he's the peddler who goes from street to street in these nearby villages, I think he was in our Tuozi Township."

Is it related to peddlers?

Zhou He recalled the peddler's frantic escape before the rooster crowed, nodded slightly, and said:

"I've seen him."

After saying that, he slightly raised his eyes to observe Lao Han's expression.

Old Han remained as calm as ever, but spoke with a hint of earnestness:

"Most peddlers are not decent people. They wander around during the day, stealing chickens and dogs. Sometimes they will even cheat and swindle for some travel money."

He seemed to be reminding Zhou of something, but it also seemed like they were just having a casual chat.

Seeing that Zhou He didn't respond, and with no change in expression, Old Han changed the subject and continued:

"The path to Qiu Shen was specially chosen for you by the master, and our return to the old house is also for this matter."

At this point, Old Han paused, his eyes, which weren't covered by his reading glasses, squinted slightly as he looked at Zhou He.

There was none of the unfocused or wandering gaze often found in people who are used to wearing glasses.

Zhou He's eyes met his, and alarm bells rang in his mind.

There's a problem with that statement.

He was testing me.

Zhou He remained calm, moved the glass closer to him, picked it up as if to drink tea, and kept an eye on Lao Han out of the corner of his eye. Lao Han still had that same honest and dutiful servant look.

However, the action of wiping the stone glasses in his hand had stopped at some point.

"The Qiu God is a legitimate path, and I remember the purpose of returning to the old house."

Zhou He spoke in a relaxed and at ease tone.

The words seemed to be a response to Lao Han, but also seemed to say nothing at all.

Old Han didn't comment, but instead wiped his glasses with a handkerchief, then hung them on his ears.

He reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a box, square and small, wrapped in the skin of some animal.

"Young master, I think it would be more convenient for you to keep this travel guide yourself."

After saying that, he placed the box on the table and slowly pushed it toward Zhou He.

Zhou He nodded, a smile on his face:

"You should keep it. It's not inconvenient. You were always with me when I was saving up for my travel expenses, so it won't interfere with anything."

Old Han shook his head, pushed the box closer to Zhou He, and changed the subject:

"In this world, of the 360 ​​professions, only 36 are legitimate professions with names and identities."

Zhou He was puzzled, wondering why he suddenly brought up this sentence. Recalling the conversation just now, there seemed to be nothing related to this sentence.

He didn't show it, but just smiled and gestured for Lao Han to continue.

Old Han adjusted his glasses, pulled a soft measuring tape from his pocket, held it between his thumb and forefinger, and said in a gentle voice:

"People have a lifespan and a destiny. They are destined for a certain profession, and if someone goes into a profession they shouldn't, they will inevitably suffer many calamities."

"When I was young in Jincheng, I heard someone say that there was a person who was born with the ability to see ghosts. He had already gone out into the business of 'yin and yang' and had saved up enough money for half his life."

"I don't know which monk tricked me into believing that the path of an Arhat doesn't require eating meat to earn travel expenses, so I took the Arhat's travel permit and decided to go out again."

"I was young then and didn't see it with my own eyes. I only heard people say that the Yin-Yang thing suddenly grew two heads, one of which was a Yin-Yang with white eyes, and the other was a bald Arhat."

"The Arhat opened his mouth to bite Yin and Yang, and Yin and Yang opened their mouths to eat the Arhat. They gnawed and howled for two days and two nights. First they gnawed at his hands, and the hands were gone; then they gnawed at his legs, and the legs were gone; finally they gnawed at his body..."

"Young master, do you really think there's anyone in this world who can actually eat themselves? I don't believe it. You're well-read, haven't you ever heard of such a thing?"

Zhou He's body was ice-cold. He sat in a high-backed chair, holding a warm teacup in his hand. Suddenly, he felt an itch starting from the fingertips of his left and right hands, and then the itch instantly turned into pain.

It's as if two mouths are gnawing upwards from your fingertips, biting through your skin, chewing through your muscles, severing your blood vessels, and finally swallowing even the bones whole.

His vision began to blur, and suddenly, Old Han in front of him transformed into a massive mountain of flesh, with his glasses hanging askew at the top of it.

He was lying on the ground in a contorted position when he realized that the one gnawing at him was none other than himself.

First it gnawed on the hand, then the hand was gone; then it gnawed on the leg, then the leg was gone too; finally it gnawed on the body...

"Young master, shouldn't you keep this travel permit yourself?"

Old Han's voice came from beside his ear. Zhou He felt as if the voice had entered his ear and made a buzzing sound in his brain, like two tuning forks spinning and buzzing.

The next second, all the hallucinations vanished.

Only Old Han's slender, fair hands pushed the box in front of him.

Zhou He suppressed the urge to breathe rapidly, closed his eyes slightly, gripped the table leg tightly under the table, and said in a calm voice:

"That's true, it's more convenient for me to carry it."