Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

"Heh, hehehehehe."

Li Xiuyuan looked down and saw that it was Chenxiang smiling.

The young boy looked up at Li Xiuyuan, his face streaked with tears, yet his silly grin still seemed out of place.

Li Xiuyuan silently recited in his heart: "Crying and laughing at the same time, with bubbles coming out of his nose."

early morning

The fog was thick and lingered. Li Xiuyuan found a broken rattan chair somewhere and lay down in the Liu family's small courtyard. He was dreaming of eating roast chicken, and his mouth was watering, when he was woken up by a cough.

Li Xiuyuan opened his eyes half-asleep, but when he realized there was no movement, he was about to fall back into a deep sleep.

Another coughing fit followed.

He sat up half-asleep, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "Who is it, disturbing my roast chicken?"

"Cough cough cough cough."

"Ok?"

Li Xiuyuan turned his head and saw that the sound was coming from Old Man Liu's room. Li Xiuyuan staggered towards Liu Yanchang's room, muttering as he walked, "Dad must have choked on something delicious..."

He pushed open the door. In the dimly lit room, a middle-aged man was kneeling on the floor, clutching his chest. The floor was covered with patches of fresh blood. Li Xiuyuan rushed in, half-squatting down to help him up, his expression anxious. "What happened? Did you choke on a chicken bone?"

Liu Yanchang, his breath weak, waved his hands slightly and asked feebly, "Chenxiang isn't here, is she?"

"No, I sent him out to buy groceries."

"That's good, that's good..." Liu Yanchang was relieved, but then he coughed violently again, spitting out a mouthful of blood that hit the ground, a shocking sight.

Li Xiuyuan's fingers trembled slightly; it didn't seem like he had a chicken bone stuck in his throat.

He helped Liu Yanchang to sit down by the bed, and after settling him in, he got up and ran outside, saying as he ran, "Old Liu, hang in there for a while, I'll go find a doctor right away."

"useless."

A dejected sound came from behind him, and Li Xiuyuan stopped in front of the threshold. He remained silent.

"It's no use, everything is useless." After saying this, Liu Yanchang coughed a few more times.

Li Xiuyuan turned around, his entire body backlit.

"What's the meaning."

"My days are numbered, and medicine is no longer effective."

Li Xiuyuan stood there blankly, as if his body had been frozen in place, only able to stare blankly as he sat there with his back hunched over, shrouded in shadow.

Liu Yanchang took out a small handkerchief embroidered with lotus flowers from his sleeve and gently wiped the blood from his mouth.

"It's my incompetence that I couldn't protect her back then, and now I can no longer protect Chenxiang. Young Master Mo, Chenxiang and she are counting on you." Liu Yanchang said with difficulty.

Chapter 1163 Separation

"Is that your last words?" Li Xiuyuan asked softly.

"Yes, cough cough cough cough..." Liu Yanchang covered his mouth with a handkerchief, took a few breaths, and said, "I don't know your background, but I just believe you, because Chenxiang believes you so much. I beg you for one last thing: don't tell Chenxiang about my illness."

Li Xiuyuan turned and stepped over the threshold, closing both doors firmly, plunging the room back into darkness.

Liu Yanchang chuckled inexplicably. A strange young man, but... very reliable.

Li Xiuyuan knew that Liu Yanchang's fate had come.

Chen Xiang carried a large pile of vegetables and ran home. As soon as she got to the door, she saw Mo Tianwen sitting on the ground.

"Master, what are you doing sitting here? Where's Dad? I bought a lot of groceries. The three of us are going to have a good meal today." Chenxiang's smile was radiant, full of the joy of a young man.

Li Xiuyuan stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "How old is the child? Why is he looking for his father as soon as he comes in? Go and cook dinner."

"Hehe." Chenxiang sniffed and ran towards the kitchen.

The square table was laden with dishes. Chenxiang lay to one side, staring aggrievedly at Li Xiuyuan, who was eating meat with a clear conscience. Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Master, why isn't Father coming out? We're leaving this afternoon."

Li Xiuyuan rolled his eyes at him and said, "You brat, do you even know what the sorrow of a father is?"

"What... is it... the sorrow of a father?"

"Your own son is about to embark on an uncertain journey. You are suppressing your grief, yet you still have to open your arms and let your son fly far away. You will understand this kind of sadness when you become a father. Your father is hiding in his room and wiping away tears right now. Let's give this man some face."

Li Xiuyuan looked at Chenxiang and saw that he looked reluctant to eat. "Eat quickly, or I'll hit you if you cry again."

The afternoon sun was still scorching. Liu Yanchang leaned against the door, looking north.

The young man skipped and hopped, carrying a large bag of luggage on his back. His joyful laughter could still be heard even from this distance. The man walked steadily with his back straight.

"May Agarwood bring you many joyful events and a smooth journey in life."

That day, Li Xiuyuan was wandering around outside when suddenly, a shout came from afar! "Ah!"

Li Xiuyuan rushed over immediately. He usually steps forward in such situations, and he quickly determined the direction based on the sound before heading there.

He came into a grove of trees and saw a pool of blood on the ground, which looked like the blood of some kind of animal. There was also a trail of blood running straight into the distance.

Li Xiuyuan thought for a moment, then ran without hesitation in the direction the bloodstains had flowed. A short while later, he saw a ragged hunter.

He carried a bow on his back, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings, as if searching for something. Sure enough, his guess was correct; the hunter had spotted some animal and was chasing after it, but judging from the situation, it hadn't been caught yet.

Li Xiuyuan immediately left, following the hunter's gaze. There was a faint spiritual energy here, and he wanted to find the injured animals before the hunter could. If they weren't particularly cruel, he would try to save them.

Li Xiuyuan has always maintained that everything has its own reason for existence, and that things that are not extremely evil should be allowed to live rather than be cruelly harmed.

He continued walking forward, hoping to be ahead of others. Of course, he would only find the place later. He wouldn't be sad if he died, because it was fate, the destiny of the dead, which he couldn't change.

The hunter looked left and right; it seemed the animal was quite cunning, as even an experienced hunter like him couldn't catch it quickly.

Li Xiuyuan activated his Heavenly Eye and looked around. Suddenly, he saw a slight movement in the grass in the distance—a movement so subtle that he would have missed it entirely if he hadn't activated his Heavenly Eye. No wonder the hunter had been searching for so long.

He rushed over and saw a rock with a hole about three zhang deep beneath it. Inside the hole, he could vaguely see a furry tail. "It really is here!" Mo Wentian muttered to himself.

Soon after, the hunter also followed the trail of blood and found the place.

Li Xiuyuan looked into the cave and saw a small fox, very beautiful, all white and fluffy, looking extremely cute. However, Li Xiuyuan could tell that this fox had definitely developed intelligence and had its own thoughts.

Because it turned around now, its eyes were fixed on him, and there was a hint of pity and a hint of allure in its gaze—the fox's innate charm.

He smiled, not blaming the little fox for using her charm on him; on the contrary, he thought highly of her.

When her life was threatened, the fox did not give in. Instead, she continued to search for ways to save herself, and she did not give up even if there was only a sliver of hope.

Li Xiuyuan helped her move the stone at the entrance of the cave, which blocked the entrance, and then prepared to leave.

The hunter walked straight over, a playful smile on his lips. He moved the stone aside, then grabbed the little fox and said, "Trying to mess with me? You think I, Old Wang, am a pushover? I've been hunting in these mountains for decades, and no prey I've ever set my sights on has ever escaped. You've already been poisoned by my Thousand-Mile Powder; I can find you within a thousand miles. Just now, you were only distracted by something nearby."

Then, with a smile, he led the little fox away to a small thatched hut. Li Xiuyuan followed them; indeed, he was going to rescue the fox.

At the entrance of the hut, there was a shelf covered in blood, and on the ground were some hairs mixed with blood. It was clear that this was where the hunter slaughtered his prey.

The hunter tied up the little fox, then went inside and took out his tools: a knife, hooks, rope—he had everything. He was clearly an experienced hunter.

Upon seeing these things, the little fox immediately panicked and began to scream, its eyes fixed on Li Xiuyuan. However, the hunter showed no reluctance and still picked up his knife.

Chapter 1164 An Encounter with Xiaoyu

Just as he was about to strike, Li Xiuyuan shouted, "Wait!" The hunter stopped what he was doing, looked at him, and asked, "What is it? If not, get out of the way quickly, lest you get hurt." Then he turned away, intending to continue.

Li Xiuyuan said, "I plan to buy this fox. Sir, please name your price. If it's reasonable, I'll take it away immediately. I'm in a bit of a hurry."

Li Xiuyuan was relatively polite to the other party because he was a mortal. If he were a demon, Li Xiuyuan would not have wasted so much time talking to him and would have dealt with him in no time.

The old hunter looked at him, revealing a shrewd expression. He could tell that Li Xiuyuan really liked the fox. After thinking for a while, he slowly said, "This guy is very intelligent and has a spiritual connection to things. As for the price, it will definitely be higher. How about this, you give me one hundred taels, and the fox is yours."

After saying that, the old hunter was still a little uneasy. After all, one hundred taels was a very high price. He didn't know if the other party would agree. If the other party didn't agree, he could still lower the price.

Li Xiuyuan didn't say anything. After all, judging from the hunter's appearance, his family was also very poor, so he simply considered it a charitable act. He agreed without hesitation, took out one hundred taels of silver, and said, "Then please release it. I'll buy it, and I'll give you the money."

The old hunter looked at the young man in front of him, who was paying so readily, with disbelief. He couldn't help but feel a little regretful that he hadn't asked for a higher price. If he had, wouldn't he have made even more money?

But then I thought, if I ask for too high a price, what if the other party gets angry and turns around and leaves? Then I'll lose this business opportunity!

The old hunter rubbed his calloused hands, smiled, revealing a gap in his teeth, and said, "This is the first time I've seen such a straightforward and generous young man like you. I can tell you genuinely like this fox. You can have it." With that, he reached over, took the money, and carefully stuffed it into his pocket.

The old hunter had never seen so much money in his entire life, and he was overjoyed.

Li Xiuyuan, the hunter, grinned from ear to ear. He knew he had been ripped off, but so what? He was rich, and he didn't care about such a small amount of money!

Why make a fuss if something can be solved with money?

After receiving the money, the old hunter cut the rope with a knife, and the little fox immediately jumped into Li Xiuyuan's arms.

The old hunter said obsequiously, "This fox and you are truly destined to meet!"

Li Xiuyuan smiled, touched it, and then left.

After they left, just as they were about to release it, the little fox suddenly transformed into a woman.

Li Xiuyuan said, "I thought you had only gained sentience, but I didn't expect you to have cultivated to this level. It shouldn't be like this; that hunter shouldn't have been able to defeat you."

The fox smiled at Li Xiuyuan and said, "To be honest, my name is Xiaoyu. I'm a fox from this mountain. After gaining intelligence, I've been cultivating. A few days ago, I finally managed to regain human form, but I still can't accurately control my magic. Today, I accidentally went into a qi deviation. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead by now. So, Xiaoyu thanks you, my benefactor."

Li Xiuyuan never expected that he would accidentally run into this future beauty when he was just casually strolling around.

Li Xiuyuan suppressed his surprise and waved his hand dismissively: "It's nothing, I just did a small favor. Be careful next time. Also, don't keep calling me your benefactor. My name is Li Xiuyuan, you can call me Xiuyuan. There's no need to call me benefactor."

Xiaoyu smiled and said, "Yes, um, oh no, Brother Xiuyuan, thank you so much today. You are the first good person I have ever met. People used to grab me as soon as they saw me. I thought there were no good people left in the world."

Li Xiuyuan said, "That's not true. There are still many good people in the world. So, when you've mastered your magic, don't harm anyone. Otherwise, I'll deal with you personally."