Zhao Yuanxu?
Zhang Chengdao answered the phone. Before long, his eyebrows rose.
After hanging up, he waved to Zhang Xiao.
"Come on, son. Dad's taking you out for something good!"
Zhang Xiao was peeling a tangerine. He had not even tasted the sour fruit yet, but the stubborn peel alone already had him swallowing in anticipation of its tartness.
At those words, he immediately tossed the sour tangerine aside and exclaimed in delight,
"Really? Didn't you say we couldn't go into town to eat?"
Zhang Chengdao changed his shoes again and stamped his feet on the ground.
"But if we need to help someone along the way, it's fine for them to treat us to a meal!
"Your Uncle Zhao is the client. Come on, let's eat on someone else's dime!"
They strapped their travel talismans back onto their legs, checked their bearings, and headed toward the nearest town.
Wangjiang, in Anhui Province, was an obscure little county town in Huaxia. The Pagoda River area along its southeastern boundary had once been an old channel of the Yangtze River. From Bowl Mountain within the town, one could take in the magnificent river scenery, hence its name, "Wangjiang"—"gazing at the river."
As father and son approached the county town, they slowed down and removed their travel talismans.
"Dad, how did Uncle Zhao know we were here?"
Zhang Xiao asked curiously.
"He asked about our route. Then he said someone had filed a report a few days ago about seeing two figures, one tall and one short, running faster than a motorcycle.
"They crossed steep mountain paths as if they were flat ground. The person thought they'd seen ghosts.
"Your Uncle Zhao figured it was probably us, so he called to check."
Zhang Chengdao surveyed their surroundings and suddenly sighed.
"It's completely