On-the-Way Observations

Snowflakes, large and small, fell upon the road, the trees, the river, and the fields. The wind blew, sending a dense, icy chill splashing against people's faces, obscuring their vision beyond ten meters in a hazy mist.

Fortunately, with the Lunar New Year fast approaching, most people, having worked hard all year, were nestled in their warm homes, happily preparing the various necessities for the festival. Thus, not many people were out on the roads at this time. The accumulated snow was already thick. If it were November, when travelers from the south and north were numerous, the snow would have long been trampled into a muddy mess.

A finely crafted carriage had stopped in the middle of the road. One of its wheels had sunk into the snow and was now askew. The coachman, dressed in a respectable cotton-padded coat, was whipping the horses, but still couldn't get the carriage to move. He muttered under his breath, "Still going out in this heavy snow, what is the master thinking? I bet this is just some quack doctor."

He tried pushing the carriage body again and found that he couldn't move it alone. He considered asking the passenger inside to come out but feared offending them. If their master were to hear about it, he'd likely be in for a beating. Wait, a traveler emerged from the wind and snow behind him. They were of medium height, slightly tall, with snow covering their body and hair.

The coachman immediately went to meet them. "Good sir, kind traveler, could you do me a favor?" He tried to imitate the refined speech of the master's attendants, but it sounded rather awkward.

The traveler stopped upon hearing him. The coachman then noticed it was a young man wearing a Daoist Robe, holding a long black banner. Although his appearance was only average, he possessed what the master often called… what was it again? Ah, yes, a certain bearing!

Shi Xuan had been traveling north from Tongxuan Mountain for several days. The first two days were fine; he passed through cities and towns without encountering much trouble. He hadn't expected that after crossing the Cai River, continuous heavy snow would begin, making the roads extremely difficult to navigate. Fortunately, Shi Xuan was not in a hurry and actually enjoyed the snow, so strolling through the heavy snowfall each day was quite an experience.

Regarding the coachman's request, Shi Xuan glanced at him and chuckled, "Have the person inside get out. You can push it yourself then; why would you need this humble Daoist's help?"

The coachman gave an awkward laugh and lowered his voice, "How dare I? The person inside is a distinguished guest of my master. If you could lend a hand, little Daoist, when we reach Kaiyang City, I, Li San, or Li Ji, am known there. Just ask for me if you need anything."

"Heh heh, alright. If this humble Daoist ever reaches Fengcheng, I'll be sure to look you up." Shi Xuan found the coachman's demeanor amusing, but since it was a simple matter, he decided to help.

"Oh, little Daoist, please don't disbelieve me." Li Ji glanced back at the carriage and then whispered, "My master has been transferred from his post in Liangzhou to become the Prefect of Fengzhou. The Yamen is in Kaiyang City. I, Li Er, have some influence with my master."

Shi Xuan didn't pay much attention to this. He smiled without speaking and walked with the coachman to the side of the carriage. The distinguished guest inside was apparently occupied with something, as there was no sound.

He reached out to test the depth, then exerted a sudden burst of strength. The carriage wheel rose out of the rut, and the entire carriage shifted a few feet to the side, coming to a stable stop.

Afterward, Shi Xuan was quite satisfied with his current strength. The effects of body tempering combined with Internal Energy were indeed significant. He gestured to the coachman and continued on his way.

The coachman's mouth hung slightly ajar, unable to close. It wasn't until Shi Xuan's retreating figure disappeared into the wind and snow that he felt his mouth full of icy coldness. Snapping back to reality, he spat repeatedly to the side, then rubbed his eyes. "Damn it, this little Daoist looks like he doesn't weigh much, but his strength is boundless. Could he be some kind of spirit or monster? Spit, spit! Don't scare yourself!"

He hurriedly returned to the carriage, flicked the reins, and continued his journey through the snowstorm.

Shi Xuan walked until dusk before spotting a small town. The street directly facing the town entrance was filled with children playing, running around in small groups.

The children saw Shi Xuan shaking the snow off his clothes at the entrance. Perhaps the heavy snow had blocked the roads, and they hadn't seen an outsider for days. They immediately surrounded him, laughing and watching from all sides. Some even pointed at Shi Xuan's black banner. If Shi Xuan looked back, they would immediately scatter, only to surround him again as soon as he looked away.

Seeing these joyful children, Shi Xuan's mood was lifted. He wanted to go tease the little rascals. The sound of firecrackers echoed from the other end of the street. The children immediately became excited, "Let's go watch the fireworks!"

"Don't you dare snatch the firecrackers from me!"

"Brother… Brother, wait for Xiao Ya."

Then they all ran off in a flurry. Shi Xuan smiled and shook his head. He approached a few aunts chatting by the roadside and asked for directions, "Auntie, where is the inn in town?"

The aunts had noticed Shi Xuan long ago. After all, he was the first outsider to enter the town today. One of them, a round-faced woman with large, kind eyes, pointed to the end of the street. "There, you'll see it when you get to the end of the street."

Shi Xuan expressed his thanks. Just as he was about to leave, the round-faced aunt called out to him, speaking mysteriously, "Young man, this auntie sees you traveling in such heavy snow; you must have an urgent matter, right? Let me tell you, go and pray at the Divine Lord Crimson Cloud temple at the west end of the street. Your wish will surely come true."

Shi Xuan thought to himself, What is this all about? He said to the aunt, "Auntie, look at my attire, this banner. I am a genuine Daoist. This Divine Lord Crimson Cloud temple isn't part of our Daoist sect, is it?"

The aunts' expressions turned displeased. Another aunt, who looked quite shrewd, spoke first, "Oh, little Daoist, your Daoist priests are useless. I've been praying at the Daoist temple for years, and my daughter-in-law still hasn't had a child. This Divine Lord Crimson Cloud temple was just renovated a few months ago. I only prayed there for a few days, and my daughter-in-law became pregnant. Little Daoist, why don't you stop being a Daoist and believe in Divine Lord Crimson Cloud instead?"

"Exactly, exactly."

"You followers of heretical paths will go to hell when you die! Only by believing in Divine Lord Crimson Cloud can you enjoy yourself in heaven after death!"

The aunts chattered on, but Shi Xuan was not interested in such matters of faith. He ignored them and walked towards the end of the street.

"This damned little Daoist will definitely go to hell after death and be fried by Divine Lord Crimson Cloud!"

"I bet he's done too many bad things!"

Suddenly, Shi Xuan remembered hearing about this Divine Lord Crimson Cloud before in Xia'an City, from neighborhood gossip. He never expected this deity to have so many followers now. There's even a temple in a small town like this. It's said to be very effective for praying for children. Could this be the world's equivalent of the Goddess of Mercy who grants children?

Reaching the end of the street, the children had gathered in front of a wealthy household, watching the servants set off firecrackers. As soon as the firecrackers stopped, a group of children rushed forward, hoping to pick up the spent firecrackers, but they were blocked by fierce-looking servants. A man wearing strange attire, a mix of robe and skirt, appearing both Daoist and Buddhist, dressed in red, emerged from the doorway and shouted, "Retrieve the divine seat~!"

Then, a team of ten men dressed identically but in light red followed the leader, who was holding a wooden plaque, into the large gate.

Shi Xuan couldn't make out what was happening and bypassed the crowd, heading towards the inn around the corner. As he passed through the crowd, he overheard the children complaining, "Seriously, can't even pick up a firecracker."

"These people in red are so mean. They even came to our house to take money. My dad said we won't eat meat tomorrow for the New Year, we have to donate money to some… God Temple!" As he spoke, the child actually started to cry, "I want to eat meat."

"My family also offered many things!"

"Mine too, mine too!"

"Hey, little rascals, don't talk nonsense." A middle-aged man watching nearby reprimanded them upon hearing these words. "This is showing sincerity to the divine lord. Only then will the divine lord bless your family with a good harvest next year and send you to heaven when you die! If you dare speak carelessly again, you'll go to hell! Evil spirits will eat your hands, eat your feet…"

The children, somewhat frightened by this, all stuck out their tongues and scattered home.

"These mischievous brats, don't they know? This wealthy family, didn't they not believe in the divine lord before? Now, several people in their household have fallen ill consecutively. Heh heh, I wonder how much silver they spent to have the divine lord's plaque brought inside." The middle-aged man boasted to those around him.

"Indeed, indeed." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Shi Xuan's curiosity was piqued. He channeled his Qi Gazing Technique towards the Zhang Mansion. He saw a white pillar of Qi, mixed with some black, and then a red pillar of Qi rose from the mansion. Its surface appeared solemn and sacred, but there were some black spots within. At the same time, the entire pillar gave Shi Xuan a feeling of extremism and stubbornness, but its essence was not strong, at least not as strong as Shi Xuan's own. Under the impact of the red pillar, the blackness within the white pillar completely disappeared.

Judging from the results of Qi Gazing, this Divine Lord Crimson Cloud indeed possessed some cultivation. However, Shi Xuan didn't know what those black spots inside represented. After all, for a "god," such a condition appeared, and Shi Xuan lacked experience and knowledge to make a judgment.

Seeing that it wasn't an evil deity, Shi Xuan turned and walked into the inn.

During the festival season, besides the innkeeper's family, even the waiters had gone home for the New Year. But that was fine; it was quiet and peaceful, convenient for Shi Xuan's cultivation.

The night passed without incident. Shi Xuan woke up very early the next morning. The snow that had been falling for several days finally stopped. The warm sunlight shone on him, bringing waves of warmth.

Shi Xuan didn't plan to stay in the small town for long. After breakfast, he prepared to settle the bill and leave. At this moment, he heard sounds of crying from outside the inn. Following the sound, he saw a middle-aged man in a faded cotton-padded coat, struggling forward with a large bundle in his hands. His left leg was being held by a woman in similarly plain clothes, about thirty years old, who was dragging him forward.

"Husband, we can't offer everything to the divine lord! We still have to live, sob sob." The woman held on tightly, weeping loudly. Standing beside the woman was a little girl, also crying.

"You damned woman, this is the time to show our sincerity! Just praying at home every day isn't enough!" The middle-aged man struggled to pull his leg free.

"If we offer everything, our family will starve to death!" "Dad, Erniang is hungry, sob sob."

"It's good if we starve to death! Such sincerity! The divine lord will surely let us ascend to heaven! It will be good then!" The middle-aged man's face was filled with fanaticism.