Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

The donkey moved very slowly, its hooves swaying slightly, but the scholar didn't mind and continued to watch with great interest.

As the number one "tool" of the Haotian tribe, Sangtugong has always been quite self-aware.

Before the women of Lingjiu Palace could speak, he immediately spurred his horse forward and rode ahead towards the blue donkey. Before long, he was riding alongside the blue donkey.

"Old man, your ancestor is asking you, is there a village ahead where we can stay for the night?"

His words were extremely rude and arrogant. The old man saw that Sang Tugong looked fierce and impatient, and his voice trembled slightly.

"About seventeen or eighteen miles ahead, there is a dilapidated and abandoned house... that should be a place to stay."

Having said that, he lowered his eyes and stared only at the donkey's hooves.

Upon hearing this, Sang Tugong frowned. Not to mention the filth and disorder of the dilapidated courtyard, what would happen if the Holy Envoy blamed him for not providing a proper place to spend the night?

"Damn it, there's not a single village around?"

He deliberately lashed the grass beside the donkey with his whip, startling the donkey into snorting.

The old man was startled and hurriedly calmed the donkey beneath him, then said timidly:

"Don't hit it...don't hurt the donkey, sir. There really aren't any villages ahead where we can find lodging."

Finally, he added:

"If...if it doesn't suit your taste, sir, then this old man...doesn't know either. You'll have to go to Jun County, a hundred miles away, to find a proper restaurant serving hot food."

Sang Tugong cursed under his breath, then spurred his horse and reported to Granny Yu.

With no other option, the group decided to make do for the night and ordered Sangtugong to lead the forces under Bilin Cave to explore the abandoned courtyard first.

About half an hour later, the carriage turned and Granny Yu and her party arrived at the abandoned house that the old man had mentioned.

The courtyard was so deserted that only four walls remained, and inside the walls, a few beams supported a gable roof.

But with four walls and a roof, it can block out a lot of cold wind.

As dusk settled, the firelight in the courtyard shone brightly, and fragmented voices could be heard coming from inside.

However, it turned out that Sangtugong and his party were clearing the empty space under the eaves.

There were three bonfires in the courtyard, two under the gable roof and one in the courtyard outside the eaves, clearly dividing the area into two resting spots. The firewood was burning brightly, making crackling sounds.

Disciples of Bilin Cave were roasting pheasants and other wild game, emitting a fragrant aroma. Several earthenware pots were set up and hung above the campfire, bubbling away.

The women of Haotian tribe tied up the carriages and horses and headed towards the desolate courtyard.

Sangtugong ordered his men to leave the cleaned open space under the house and move to the side outside the eaves.

Sikong Xuan consciously followed Sangtu Gong.

After a few days, he figured out the way the women of Lingjiu Palace behaved, and knew that they hated men, so he dared not share a roof with them.

"Young master, it's chilly outside. There's some clean dry grass laid out under the eaves. Please come in and rest with us."

"Alright, thank you for your kindness, Granny and all the young ladies. I'll be there in a bit."

Upon hearing this, Sang Tugong's face twitched slightly. He glanced at the broken tiles and dust in the courtyard and immediately kicked one of his disciples in the buttocks.

"You bastard, the Holy Envoy and the others' lodging is cleaned up. Doesn't the Ancestor need to rest? Hurry up and send someone to clean it up, or you'll be in for a beating."

"Yes, Ancestor."

The person who was kicked dared not refute, and hurriedly got up, afraid that if he was too slow, he would be kicked again.

"Cough cough..."

A violent cough caught Gao Yuan's attention, accompanied by a soft "clattering" sound, as the old man riding a donkey slowly followed.

The donkey swayed for a moment, and the old man seemed to lose his strength, his body swaying and falling to one side.

Gao Yuan stepped forward and supported him.

"Sir... are you alright?"

He recognized the old man's face and changed his form of address.

Although his face was weathered, he was still bright-eyed and handsome, with a heroic air about him. If you didn't look at his face, he would indeed look like a very old man.

If you take good care of yourself and stand up straight, your appearance shouldn't be too bad.

"Thank you, sir."

He staggered to his feet and hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

Huh?

Gao Yuan looked at him carefully and felt that he had a familiar feeling about him.

He had an excellent memory, but he couldn't recall any information about this person, so he assumed he was just imagining things.

"Are you also going to Jiezhou, sir?"

The old man gently patted the donkey's neck, and the donkey brayed softly and rubbed against him gently.

"To be honest, young man, I come from Dengzhou, but I am on my way to Jiezhou to visit old friends and acquaintances."

Gao Yuan nodded, then heard him say self-deprecatingly:

"This old man is in dire straits. He has traveled far and wide, enduring wind and rain, and everyone finds him filthy. Only you, young man, have spoken kindly to him and offered him assistance."

He sighed deeply and muttered to himself:

"The old man's heart yearns for the young, while the young still play the old man's tune; they turn their hands to create clouds and rain, they betray one's heart to one's face and laugh behind one's back..."

"Sorry, sorry..."

The old man sighed, "Thinking about the coldness of human relationships, these are just my thoughts, but they've troubled you, young man."

His emotionality was truly excessive, so Gao Yuan couldn't help but offer a word of comfort:

"Sir, there is no need to worry so much. People are often troubled by appearances, but they do not know that even a weathered old body can have a pure heart and a heroic spirit."

The old man paused slightly, then said, "A weathered old body covered in dust, yet possessing a pure and heroic heart... How wonderful, how wonderful..."

"I am grateful for your guidance."

He tied the rope securely, then hesitated slightly before saying, "Young man, you may rest here. This old man... would also like to borrow the courtyard wall to escape the night chill. Is that alright?"

Gao Yuan frowned slightly.

It's not that they can't tolerate the old man, it's just that Granny Yu and the others are in charge here.

Under the roof of the abandoned courtyard, Qin Ziqing saw the young man chatting with the old man, and then noticed the old man looking into the courtyard, so he guessed what was going on.

She whispered a few words in front of Granny Yu.

Grandma Yu glanced at Old Man Se Se and slowly nodded:

"That's good. Without his directions, we wouldn't have found this place to shelter from the wind and rain."

Having received confirmation, Qin Ziqing turned to Gao Yuan and said:

"Young master, the old lady said there are still seats available in the courtyard, so please rest here with the disciples of Bilin Cave."

Seeing this, Sang Tugong felt unlucky, but dared not say anything more.

On second thought, once they arrived in Hong County, he would have to lead his men to Jianzhou to deliver a message to the Qingyang Gang, which would give him some freedom.

She immediately stopped glaring at the old man.

The old man looked over and saw the campfire burning warmly. He then bowed to Gao Yuan and the girl.

Then, he found a spot far from the disciples of Bilin Cave and sat down in an inconspicuous place.

Before long, several pheasants were roasted and respectfully presented by Sangtugong. There was hot water, wheat cakes, and tender pheasants. Although it was in the wild, it wasn't too bad.

After finishing dinner, Granny Yu said she was fine, but Gao Yuan comforted Chang Ying for a couple of minutes before heading towards the open space where Sang Tu Gong was.

After all, Lingjiu Palace is all women, and it would be inappropriate for a man to stay there alone. If he took Granny Yu's pleasantries seriously, he would only be annoying.

"What is your surname, sir?"

"My surname is Gao."

When the old man saw Gao Yuan arrive, he quickly invited him to sit down.

"Brother Gao, your words just now truly touched my heart. If I had met you years ago, I wouldn't be so depressed."

"People only respect outward appearances and fine clothes. I remember once, this old man also wielded his brush across the land..."

Gao Yuan smiled, taking it as him blowing out a breath to relieve his frustration, and didn't take it to heart.

"What kind of business do you currently engage in, sir?"

The old man said:

"This old man mainly makes a living by distributing medicines in Lianghuai. He is going to Jiezhou to visit an old friend, but he is actually a cunning young man who broke his promise to him. This old man is just about to deal with him."

"A man as destitute as this old man, what friends could he possibly have? Even family members, in such a wretched state, have no face to see him!"

He became quite upset when talking about his family.