Vicious Dogs, Daoist Master Qingxu

Luo Bei had grown accustomed to being with Yuan Tianyi day after day, and the sudden parting filled him with unbearable reluctance and gloom.

The houses around him gradually increased in number. Though he had wandered near this area since childhood, he had grown used to the desolate, barren landscape stretching for miles without a soul. Now, Luo Bei found himself unaccustomed to this change. Walking ten li in the direction Yuan Tianyi had pointed, he indeed entered a mountain town.

"No wonder going out for training is called entering the world."

"Is this the Purple Micro Daoist Temple?"

The mountain town was not large, only a few li in circumference, with several hundred households. But seeing rows of shops, smoke rising from cooking fires, and people coming and going, Luo Bei felt as if he had been reborn into another world. After circling the entire mountain town, Luo Bei discovered a Daoist temple in the northwest. It had over a dozen courtyards. In front of the temple stood a Blue Stone Archway several zhang tall, flanked by two Kylin Stone Carvings. Behind the archway was a Three-Arch Gate painted black, with Yin-Yang Fish patterns drawn on the walls. Both the archway and the plaque hanging above the Three-Arch Gate bore inscriptions, but Luo Bei could only write his own name and did not recognize any characters, so he could not tell if this temple was the Purple Micro Daoist Temple Yuan Tianyi had mentioned.

Since Yuan Tianyi had told Luo Bei he didn't need to do anything, Luo Bei didn't bother asking anyone if this temple was indeed the Purple Micro Daoist Temple. He simply sat on a stone step about a hundred meters away from the temple and stared blankly into space.

Unconsciously, the sun had begun to slant westward. Having cultivated the Mahākāla Secret Method, Luo Bei unknowingly slipped into a meditative state. When he felt specks of True Sun Fire energy gathering around his body, he suddenly snapped awake, reminding himself that he must remember only the scriptures and techniques Yuan Tianyi had imparted through crown transmission, and never think of anything related to the Mahākāla Secret Method again.

Just then, he heard barking from the northwest, the sound of five or six dogs.

Luo Bei stood up in slight surprise and looked over. At the corner of the street, several children were running frantically. One child, slightly younger than Luo Bei, stumbled and fell. When he got up, his hands and knees were bleeding profusely from scraping against the ground.

Five or six tall, sharp-toothed dogs, barking wildly, burst around the corner.

These children were all dressed in rags, their faces gaunt and sallow. Two of them were so skinny they looked like skin and bones, as if a gust of wind could blow them over. In the hands of the two in front were several steamed buns stained with vegetable juice, already gnawed on, some cold dishes, and meat bones with barely any meat left on them.

By now, the children were completely exhausted, their chests heaving like bellows in a blacksmith's shop. The child who had just fallen was trembling all over, whether from pain or fear, his eyes filled with pleading and terror.

"A bunch of little beggars, daring to steal dog food from my doorstep!" A roar came from the alley.

The rich have no mercy!

Luo Bei had wandered through this mountain town since childhood. How could he not know that these beggars, close to his own age, only stole dog food from the rich to survive? Even so, they might not get a full meal once in ten tries. Seeing the tall, fierce dogs, their fur glossy from good eating and their long white teeth bared, about to catch up to the beggar children, Luo Bei felt a surge of hot blood rush to his chest.

"Vicious dogs, get lost!" Luo Bei roared, swinging his fists as he stepped in front of the beggar children.

Though Luo Bei had no cultivation at the moment, his will had been tempered to extreme toughness at Luofu. Charging forward now, he felt no fear at all, and there was an indescribable majesty about him. The dogs, accustomed to bullying people, had only ever seen humans flee in panic. Never had they seen anyone dare to block their path. Luo Bei's momentum stunned them. They all stopped in their tracks, baring their white fangs and barking wildly, but none dared to approach.

"Oh?" A fat man stepped out from behind the corner, matching Luo Bei's image of a heartless rich man perfectly. He wore a silk mandarin jacket, a large jade pendant hanging from his waist. His head was fat, his ears large, his belly protruding high. His narrow eyes seemed almost squeezed out by the flesh. The fat on his body and the greasy shine on his face formed a stark contrast with the skin-and-bones beggar children. Seeing the dogs held back by Luo Bei, this wealthy-looking fat man was momentarily startled, but then he took Luo Bei, dressed in ordinary coarse linen, for one of the beggars. "What, you steal the dog food and now you dare to hit my dogs?" The fat man sneered, his expression turning dark as he roared at the dogs, "Useless bunch! Even a little brat can scare you? What use do I have for you!"

A dog relies on its master's power!

At the fat man's roar, the tall, fierce dogs' eyes gleamed with malice, and they all lunged at Luo Bei together.

Luo Bei picked up a stone and threw it, hitting the lead dog on the head with a yelp of pain. But these dogs were extremely vicious and fast. Before the yelp had even faded, Luo Bei felt a sharp pain in his leg—one of the dogs had clamped its jaws around it. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Luo Bei punched the dog repeatedly, but it refused to let go. Another dog leaped at him, and Luo Bei was knocked to the ground.

"Bite him!" Seeing blood streaming from Luo Bei's leg, the heartless fat man laughed excitedly.

Luo Bei clenched his teeth. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a dog lunging for his face. He quickly grabbed its neck with both hands, struggling desperately. Man and dog rolled on the ground together. The other dogs piled on. In the chaos of the struggle, Luo Bei felt sharp pains in his shoulders and back, not knowing how many more bites he had taken.

Hearing the commotion, the residents of the mountain town gathered around. But they seemed afraid of the dogs' ferocity and the fat man's power, only gasping and murmuring, not daring to intervene.

Seeing Luo Bei rolling on the ground, being bitten, the richly dressed fat man grew even more smug, laughing loudly. "Little beggar, beg for mercy! If you beg, maybe I'll be kind and let you go today."

Beg for mercy?

Hearing the fat man's triumphant laughter, Luo Bei's blood boiled. A fierce, overwhelming anger surged through him. "Ah!" he grunted. Even his right wrist was clamped in a dog's jaws. "Beg for mercy from someone like you? Never!" Luo Bei roared, and he bit back at the throat of the dog that had sunk its teeth into his right wrist!

Blood splattered everywhere!

"Is this little beggar a human or a beast?!"

For a moment, not only did the dog yelp in agony and leap away frantically, but even the smug, richly dressed fat man was stunned by the beast-like ferocity in Luo Bei's eyes.

"Boundless Heavenly Venerate, Steward Zhuang, could you grant me the face to stop here for now?" Just then, a clear voice suddenly came from the side.

The heartless fat man and the onlookers turned their heads involuntarily. They saw that, at some point, a Red-Crowned Four-Porter Sedan had stopped by the roadside.

"This is the County Magistrate's sedan!" Recognizing the sedan's exterior and the attire of the four bearers, the fat man was immediately startled. When he saw the person pushing aside the curtain and stepping out, he hurriedly returned the greeting. "So it's True Master Qingxu. Since the True Master commands, how dare I disobey?" Speaking respectfully, the fat man repeatedly shouted orders, driving the vicious dogs aside.

"Since Steward Zhuang is so courteous, I have an impertinent request. How about we let today's matter rest? What does Steward Zhuang think?"

The man who stepped out of the sedan stroked his long beard. He wore a Purple Gold Daoist Crown and a Black Daoist Robe. He was an old Daoist priest with a gaunt face, fair skin, and a long beard, appearing to be over seventy, with an Immortal Bone Daoist Aura.

The moment he saw this old Daoist, Luo Bei, who had just barely managed to stand up, trembled involuntarily.

Because he could sense a unique aura on this old Daoist... the distinctive aura of a cultivator.

"Of course, of course." The fat man, who had been so vicious and arrogant moments ago, nodded and smiled obsequiously. People like him only bullied the weak and feared the strong, able to oppress only ordinary mountain folk. This True Master Qingxu was the Temple Master of the Purple Micro Daoist Temple. Not only was he said to possess many supernatural powers—even the bandits nearby dared not come to this mountain town—but he was also on good terms with the County Magistrate, a guest of honor. The fat man dared not offend him in any way.

"Young man, you look unfamiliar. You don't seem to be from around here." After bowing, True Master Qingxu ignored the fawning fat man and fixed his piercing gaze on Luo Bei.

Luo Bei had exhausted his strength. He was covered in blood, trembling all over. But with his firm resolve, he still remembered Yuan Tianyi's instructions. He nodded. "I'm from Coiled Dragon Stockade nearby. Our village was attacked by bandits. Everyone was scattered, so I ended up here."

"I see." True Master Qingxu nodded slightly. "I can see that your bone structure is elegant and your aptitude is excellent. How about I take you as my disciple? You can stay in my temple first, and I'll help you find your family. What do you think?"

When True Master Qingxu said this, the surrounding crowd burst into commotion.

Normally, ordinary people could hardly even get a glimpse of True Master Qingxu. His temple rarely accepted disciples. Even wealthy families who begged at the door were often refused. Yet here was True Master Qingxu, on the street, actively offering to take this youth, who had just escaped from the jaws of vicious dogs, as his disciple. What was so special about this youth? Was it just because he had acted bravely and wasn't afraid of the dogs?

But just as everyone was staring at Luo Bei in surprise, Luo Bei did not nod. Instead, he asked, "Daoist priest, may I ask who you are?"

Qingxu smiled faintly and pointed at the Daoist temple with its dozen courtyards not far away. "I am Qingxu, the Temple Master of the Purple Micro Daoist Temple."

Many kind-hearted mountain folk almost cried out, wanting to tell this foolish youth to agree quickly, because becoming a disciple of the Purple Micro Daoist Temple at least meant food and clothing would no longer be a worry. Seeing Luo Bei finally nod in agreement, if not for the stunned fat steward still present, these kind mountain folk would probably have clapped their hands in joy. "Good people get good rewards." As these kind mountain folk thought this happily to themselves, they didn't realize that sometimes this phrase was just a lie they told themselves to feel better. Or perhaps this little story that happened today would be given such an ending and spread around. But many times, they never considered that some people, who never did evil in their lives, still wandered homeless and met untimely ends.