Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

After giving the pendant to little Qin Hao, the old Taoist patted the cow's back lightly. The cow slowly turned its head and started walking towards the direction of Xingzhou City.

Chu Shiyu and Liu Rusi were both surprised. One of them knew horses, and the other knew cows. It was so simple without any verbal instructions. How could the cow know? An old cow knows the road, and an old horse knows the way. It is based on being familiar with the place. Is it really like what the old Taoist said? Is it so understanding?

Even though they had just met, the two of them already had some understanding of the old Taoist's weird mumblings. Obviously, there were many things the old Taoist could not tell them, and it was not easy for them to pry into them directly.

The direction was all towards Xingzhou City. Everyone rode their horses and followed the old Taoist priest. The cows walked slowly and the horses also strolled leisurely along, as if they were on a picnic.

"Master, you have been out for more than a year. Is there something important? Why did you leave Tianqing alone in the temple?" Liu Rusi could not let go of this question.

The old Taoist priest's clear eyes were a little absent-minded, and he sighed and said, "The incense at Baitian Temple has been too strong in recent years, so I have to avoid it."

"Isn't it good to have many incense sticks?" Liu Rusi looked at the old Taoist priest strangely. Don't Taoist temples all hope to have many incense sticks?

“No, no! There are too many causes and consequences, too many right and wrongs. If I continue like this, I will be punished by heaven…” The old Taoist shook his head so hard that the wooden hairpin almost fell off.

"We are offering sacrifices to God, shouldn't God be happy? Why would he punish you?" Little Qin Hao said in confusion.

The old Taoist priest smiled at little Qin Hao again and answered the question irrelevantly: "You kid, you are just too lucky. Otherwise, like Tianqing, you are also a good seedling for observing destiny."

"What do you mean?" Liu Rusi frowned and stared at the old Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest seemed to be unaware of her attitude and continued to talk to himself: "God, there is no such thing as happiness or unhappiness. God does not need people's offerings. What does God need those incense and money for?"

"Then why do you set up a Taoist temple for people to worship?" Sun Zhizhao couldn't help but interrupt.

“I didn’t ask anyone to go and worship there. It was just that the place was suitable for observing the sky, so I built a small temple there as my residence…” The old Taoist priest seemed to be recalling something, but soon shook his head as if giving up and said, “I forgot when, someone passed by and found the Taoist temple, and worshiped respectfully… At first there was no incense, but later someone brought an incense burner, and someone else brought a copper basin… Then someone brought a toddler to me.”

"Tianqing? Who gave it to you?" Liu Rusi asked. There are many people who abandon their children, but most of them are girls. Most of the boys are weak and disabled... Tianqing looks very healthy.

"A traveling merchant found it in a massacred village on the border... The merchant had good hearing and went into the farmer's house when he heard a faint cry. There were bodies of men, women, old and young lying all over the floor. He found the source of the cry inside the house. The baby had been hidden between the quilts and crawled out by himself, and he heard the cry." The old Taoist narrated quietly.

Liu Rusi felt upset, and she didn't know which was more tragic, being abandoned or like this...

"Tianqing, although you have a bad fate, you are born with intelligence. You are a natural observer of the sky!" The old Taoist's face was full of admiration and kindness.

Liu Rusi was even more puzzled when she saw this. It didn't seem like the old Taoist didn't have feelings for Tianqing as an elder. "Since he is suitable to inherit your mantle, why don't you raise and teach him well? Even if you need to escape, you can take him with you... Tianqing misses you very much."

The old Taoist shook his head again. "We who observe destiny are all people with five disadvantages and three deficiencies... In the final analysis, the five disadvantages and three deficiencies mean having no worries and few causes and effects. Living with both parents, having a harmonious marriage, and having many children and grandchildren are blessings that ordinary people see, but in fact, they are all causes and effects that cannot be severed."

"To observe destiny is to observe the fate of the world. If one is constantly implicated in cause and effect, let alone whether one can see clearly, one will be attacked by the will of heaven if one has a little delusion! People like me and Tianqing who are blessed by nature should restrain themselves from being involved in cause and effect. At least one can choose one of the five disadvantages and three deficiencies, avoid disability, and even more so, avoid lack of life!"

Liu Rusi was confused. What did this have to do with not being able to bring Tianqing along?

"Master Grandpa, you already have a karmic relationship with Tianqing." Little Qin Hao acted as Liu Rusi's mouthpiece.

The old Taoist priest still laughed: "Cause and effect are different. For example, I have cause and effect with those people who just stole the cow. If their lives were at stake, would I go across thousands of mountains and rivers to save them?"

Several people thought it was impossible, and little Qin Hao also shook his head. It was almost impossible even for a compassionate monk.

"If one day my life is in danger, do you think Tianqing will want to save me?" The old Taoist looked at the city gate which was dozens of feet away. Many officials and runners were already lined up in order of seniority.

"He can."

Liu Rusi thought of Tianqing's longing eyes, and also remembered the way Qin Lie mentioned his relatives.

When they saw Shi Yu's face in front of them, the officials and yamen runners all came forward. When they were about three meters away, people of all kinds knelt down in unison to salute.

"Your humble servant Zhang Shiliang, the current magistrate of Xingzhou City, leads more than a hundred people in Xingzhou City to welcome Prince Duan!" The person in the front wearing the fifth-rank official uniform said loudly.

Chu Shiyu glanced at the people present with an expressionless face, and asked calmly: "Didn't the Henan Provincial Government send anyone to assist in disaster relief?"

There was silence among the people on the ground.

"Get up, go into the city first, and tell us everything related to the disaster in the past few days." Chu Shiyu tapped the horse's belly with his calf, and Bai Ti Wu went straight forward.

Needless to say, the officials, clerks, and runners in front of the city gate retreated to both sides.

Liu Rusi and Caiyun, who were following behind Chu Shiyu, felt a little uncomfortable. As women, they were too close to Chu Shiyu and were very conspicuous in the cavalry. Many officials who retreated to the sides looked at them furtively.

After entering the city, everyone saw the traces left by the flood. Because the river had a large amount of silt, the water that rushed out also carried a lot of silt. Although the main road had been cleared at this time, there was still residual silt on the roadside, and there were also traces on the walls of various buildings on both sides, which showed where the flood had reached at that time.

Liu Rusi looked at the water lines that did not go over most of the door, and she couldn't help but feel a little scared. They were probably too tall for her!

Walking inside, most of the buildings were still intact, with only a few shops collapsed. But without exception, the goods inside were flooded. Many surviving merchants took out their items and goods to dry in an attempt to recover their losses.

In front of one of the shops, a man was flipping through some scrolls, his face full of tear marks. The calligraphy and paintings were basically ruined when they came into contact with water. He should be the merchant who suffered the greatest loss.

Then the next moment Liu Rusi saw the salt merchant's storefront. The door was open, and there was nothing inside except some cabinets and sacks.

They saw many miserable merchants along the way, and then they arrived at the government office in the north of the city. The north of the city was also severely affected by the natural disaster, but it was very clean. Except for some wooden structures with traces of blisters, there were no traces of yellow sand and silt.

Everyone in the group got off their horses, and the guards behind them stepped forward to take the horses. Little Qin Hao, who had been in Chu Shiyu's arms and was being watched secretly, got off the horse and returned to Liu Rusi and was led away.

The people led by Chu Shiyu automatically split into two groups. One group included more than ten people including Sun Zhizhao who followed Chu Shiyu. Some of the remaining people communicated with local minor officials about the placement of personnel, many people led horses to place horses, and some were dispersed to various places in the government office to replace the yamen runners and take on the responsibility of defense.

Liu Rusi glanced at the crowd and naturally walked to the old Taoist priest who was still on the ox's back, expressing her intention with her actions. Rather than going in to discuss matters, she wanted to stay outside and chat with the old Taoist priest.

Chu Shiyu struggled for a few breaths without showing any emotion. He really wanted to take her with him wherever he went, but this time was different from when he was in Fubin City. Although the person he called was still a third-rank prefect, it was a relatively private occasion...

"Is there a yard next to the conference room where we can rest?" Chu Shiyu looked at the old Taoist priest and others, but asked Zhang Shiliang.

Zhang Shiliang also understood what he heard, and immediately asked his subordinate, a clerk, to come forward. The clerk said respectfully, "Please follow me to the guest house next door to rest."

Liu Rusi, Caiyun and Qin Hao followed, looking at the old Taoist priest. The old Taoist priest still sat on the ox's back naturally, without any movement. The ox followed the clerk who led the way.

Chu Shiyu signaled a dozen guards to follow them, and watched them walk for a while before turning around to enter the meeting room of the yamen. There was no joy or anger on his face, but an intimidating aura rose from it.

The clerk led Liu Rusi and the others into the courtyard, pointed to a few houses and said, "You can use any of these houses to rest."

The clerk retreated, and then two maids came in with fruits and tea. After putting the things down, they waited aside so that they could serve them when needed.

When the old Taoist priest was about to follow them into the house, he finally got off the cow's back lazily. The Qingyang cow lay down in the yard beside the house, closing its eyes and taking a nap as if it was tired.

Liu Rusi did not enter the house, but looked at the cow with a twinkling gaze, and asked hesitantly: "This cow is named Qingyang... Is there any connection with my husband?"

"He was the one who sent him to Baitian Temple. Since he was born as a companion to Qin Lie, he can be considered half of Qin Lie's son. Qingyang and Qin Hao, are they a bit like brothers?" The old Taoist priest laughed and walked into the house and sat down on the chair. He looked so casual as if he was at home.

Liu Rusi still stood outside the door, looking at the cow, and asked as if she had mustered up some courage: "What I mean is, this cow is so smart, and it is deeply involved with Qin Lie... Is it possible that a soul is attached to the cow?"

The old Taoist priest was stunned for a moment, then he burst into laughter as if he had heard a huge joke: "Hahahahahaha, I told you not to be so stubborn! Hahaha!"

Although she was laughed at, Liu Rusi felt more disappointed than embarrassed. She muttered to herself absentmindedly, "So that's not the case..."

The old Taoist gradually stopped laughing, shook his head and sighed, "This soul-bearing creature cannot be possessed by his soul. Even if Qingyang is just a cow, it has a soul. Qingyang understands people's thoughts because he is gifted, just like Qin Hao was born smart and Tianqing was born to be able to see destiny..."

"Once dead, there is no resurrection. Once a life is gone, it is gone and can never be brought back." The old Taoist touched his waist and remembered that his gourd had been stolen. He then picked up the tea on the table and sipped it leisurely.

"Who said that the dead can't be resurrected?" Liu Rusi looked at the old Taoist questioningly. She herself was a reborn person.

"You are talking nonsense... Alas!" The old Taoist shook his head halfway through his speech, shaking it like a rattle, and shouted, "Don't say it! Don't say it... Anyway, you should be more realistic and stop being so weird all the time!"

Liu Rusi was speechless. You, a mysterious Taoist priest, are asking me not to be mysterious? !

At the same time, she was also secretly wondering, did Qin Lie tell the Taoist about her rebirth? Or did the Taoist know it himself?

However, she was not panicked by the secret being known. This was obviously a secret that could not be leaked, and the old Taoist could not tell anyone. If the old Taoist knew it himself, it meant that he could really be called an immortal. If Qin Lie told him, it proved that the old Taoist must be a trustworthy person.

"I haven't asked the abbot's Taoist name yet. Would you mind telling me?" Liu Rusi asked a little more seriously. Although the old Taoist was a little eccentric, after spending half a day with him, she understood that he was a true practitioner.

The old Taoist priest was a little dazed when he heard this. Some of the tea he was sipping on the corner of his mouth spilled out. Then he came to his senses and laughed again: "No one has ever given me a Taoist name... You can call me the master, the old Taoist priest, or the old man. It's just a title. Even without that, you know who I am."

Everyone has their own secrets. Liu Rusi didn't want to pry too much, so she looked calm and walked into the house and sat down with Xiao Qinhao.

She didn't feel it before, but now that she relaxed, the fatigue accumulated from running on the road for several days came up. Even while drinking tea, Liu Rusi felt drowsy.

Children, on the other hand, were more energetic. Little Qin Hao could not sit still after a while and moved towards the door hesitantly.

"Can I touch Qingyang?"

Seeing that Liu Rusi and the temple master had no objection, little Qin Hao walked out with relief, tentatively reaching out to touch Qingyang's back.

Qingyang tilted his head slightly to look at him, his ox eyes, bigger than copper bells, bright and gentle.

When little Qin Hao met Qingyang's eyes, he felt at ease. He touched the cow's neck and ears with his little hands, and soon climbed onto Qingyang's back like an expert. After touching the pointed horns for a while, he laid his whole little body on the cow's back, squinting his eyes and smiling.

"Grandpa Master, you said Qingyang is my father's half-son and my brother, so shouldn't Qingyang be with us?"

Little Qin Hao really liked Qingyang and couldn't help but think of letting Qingyang follow them in the future.

The old Taoist also smiled as he watched the child playing with the cow, and said with a chuckle: "Brothers don't have to be together. There are many brothers who are scattered all over the place and never see each other again."

"Brothers like that should not have a good relationship, but Qingyang and I felt close as soon as we met." Little Qin Hao has learned to argue.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean that your relationship is bad… When people say that you and Qingyang are brothers, it’s actually the karma left over from the previous generation. But after all, you are one man and one cow, and you have different paths to take.” The old Taoist priest shook his head again.

Little Qin Hao disagreed even more and retorted: "There is a big cow in my family who has always been with my uncle for eight years."

The old Taoist priest laughed and said, "That's different too. Qingyang's fate is different. He has a connection with Baitian Temple. In this life, he wants to watch the sky with me."

"Qingyang is a cow, but can he also observe the sky?" little Qin Hao questioned.

"Who says cows can't watch the sky? I think Qingyang is more suitable for watching the sky than humans. He just watches without saying anything, unlike me, who always keeps his feelings to himself..."