"Come on! Let's go drinking, let's go drinking."
The old Daoist grabbed Li Ping'an and pulled him along.
"I'm telling you, that disciple you introduced to me is really good. He's just a little slow and stubbornly sticks to his principles about everything."
As he spoke, he bought some wine, meat, and vegetables.
In a rare display of generosity, the old Daoist said, "This, this... and this. I'll take them all!"
Li Ping'an smiled and nodded.
The stallholder smiled. "Oh my, that's quite a lot you've bought. That'll be two mace of silver."
"Two mace of silver, right?" The old Daoist felt around in his pocket and deliberately raised his voice. "Oh dear, I seem to have forgotten my money when I left home today."
Then he turned to look at Li Ping'an.
Enunciating each word, he said, "What... are we going to do now?!"
Li Ping'an's smile froze on his face.
The next second, he decisively lay down on the ground and started convulsing, pressing a hand against the spot above his upper lip.
"M-my... my illness is acting up!"
The old Daoist glanced at Li Ping'an and could not help sighing inwardly.
"The Yangtze's waves behind push those ahead, and the waves ahead die upon the beach~"
"I'm really sorry to have made you spend so much," Li Ping'an said apologetically.
The old Daoist gave a smile that did not reach his eyes. "It's fine. Small change, small change."
The mountain path was broad, with no treacherous stretches.
A peak stood on either side, and from a distance, they looked like the character for "mountain."
Continuing along the mountain path, they soon saw Dragon-Tiger Mountain in its entirety.
A figure stood atop a boulder, tirelessly practicing his punches.
His head was held high, his chest thrust out,