Tang Doudou sat up gloomily, then glanced at the fragrant grilled fish. The captivating aroma stimulated her taste buds like a hook and she immediately left the matter that happened a moment earlier back in Java Nation. She beckoned the old beggar. “It’s done, it’s done. Hurry and come over to eat!”
Java Nation is a place two monks once sailed on the seas to reach. They risked their lives to get there due to their faith or perhaps to prove their faith. In the past, people in China believed that Java Nation was a non-existent country just like the Peach Blossom Spring (a hidden land of peace and prosperity) that Tao Jun wrote about. So when a person entrusts a person to do something and the latter does not carry out because they forget, they’d often excuse themselves by saying they’ve long forgotten the matter in Java Nation.
As she said so, she split those fish into three portions. Two portions had the same amount while one portion had a couple more. Tang Doudou took out the refreshments box that she had brought from the carriage and packed the largest portion away carefully before handing one of the portions to the old beggar who was already sitting in wait.
“Eat slowly, alright? At your age you have to be careful of the fish bones!” As Tang Doudou handed the fish over, she seriously felt pretty rather unsettled by the old beggar starving gaze. She kept feeling that the old beggar might eat the fish clean without even spitting the bones out once she handed it over. Thus, she decided to exhort him a little.
The old man curved his mung bean eyes and exposed a mouthful of yellow teeth. “Hehe, little yatou is pretty interesting. Don’t worry, this old man isn’t old to the point of being senile. I know to spit out the bones.”
Afterwards, he couldn’t wait any longer and snatched the fish in Tang Doudou’s hands. Then, he started eating heartily to the side.
Tang Doudou was seriously made speechless upon seeing the way he ate as if he was the reincarnation of a ghost that had starved to death. Didn’t he just say he would spit out the bones?
He was almost done with an entire fish, yet there wasn’t a trace of half a bone on the ground.
Though Tang Doudou was speechless, she was still quite worried about the old man. “You should slow down, there’s plenty more here. Don’t choke!”
The old man didn’t stop eating but he looked over and hastily nodded towards her. However, he clearly didn’t take in Tang Doudou’s words as the second fish was almost all in his stomach yet there were still no fish bones appearing on the ground.
Tang Doudou was also thoroughly defeated. However, she saw that he was fine even after eating so many fish bones so she stopped worrying over it and picked up a fish as well. She ate absent-mindedly as she was still thinking about the incident with that old woman earlier.
Who exactly was that old woman? What did she have to do with her? Why did that old woman insist on taking her life? Why had she been able to smack away that walking stick which had been filled was killing intent?
Deep in Azure Water Valley, the one-eyed old woman that had fled from Tang Doudou looked around the surroundings in alert before finally darting inside a concealed mountain cave.
“Master.” The inside of the cave was pitch-black. The five fingers of one’s extended hand could not even be seen. Although the old woman was someone vicious who had slaughtered countless people, she was still a bit afraid of this type of darkness. Thus, her voice slightly trembled when she called out.
“Master, that woman’s martial arts is very impressive. She had been able to break this subordinate’s certain death attack with one strike. This subordinate thinks she’s not the person Master is looking for.”
“If it’s not her, who else can it be? Ben zun saw everything that happened earlier. It’s not that her martial arts are impressive but that she simply saw the gap in your attack. That was the only reason that she was able to send your walking stick flying with a single, light strike. Prepare properly. We’ll make our move once a good opportunity arrives.” A cold, gloomy and hoarse voice came from the darkness along with the horrible sound of a heavy object chafing against something.
After hearing this, the old woman’s crooked back bent even more. “Master, that old man earlier…”
“He didn’t get involved earlier so he won’t get involved later either. Don’t worry and just carry it out!”
“Understood!”
Next to the brook, Tang Doudou and the old beggar had finished that pile of grilled fish. Tang Doudou patted her tummy and then laid down on the grass, using a grass stem to pick her teeth. The delicious taste of those grilled fish had delighted all her tastebuds, it was extremely refreshing. Even now when she recalled that feeling, she wanted to eat more.
The old beggar patted his bulging belly and sighed emotionally. “It’s been so many years since I’ve eaten such delicious grilled fish. Refreshing. It’s seriously way too refreshing.”
After he finished speaking, he used his toes that were poking out from his shoes to nudge Tang Doudou who was napping on the grass. “Little yatou, come with me?”
“No way, I still have to wait here for someone.” Tang Doudou glanced at his exposed big toe and her stomach churned. F*ck! This stench was seriously too dat!
“Hehe, I’m afraid it’ll be dangerous when that old woman comes back if you don’t go!” The old beggar didn’t bother to elaborate much. After laughing with a couple ‘hehe’s, he turned and started walking towards the flower sea. “This old man has eaten your fish so it counts as owing you a favor. If you don’t wish to die, then just come with this old man.”
From the sound of this old man’s tone, he was definitely not a simple guy either!
Tang Doudou really wanted to just jab her own eyes blind. Why didn’t she notice it earlier?
The old beggar seemed as if he was strolling slowly, yet in a blink he had disappeared into the sea of flowers and became a tiny dot. Tang Doudou glanced around at the empty surroundings that seemed to give off a rather eerie atmosphere, then rolled up from the ground and ran towards the flower sea following the old beggar.
“Master.” Upon seeing this, the old woman asked the person hidden in the shadows, “Want me to go?”
As she spoke, she made a killing gesture.
“No need. Since he’s getting involved, it won’t be that easy to obtain. Grandma Meng, you should just rest well for a few days.”
The topic shifted and the person in the dark said with a smile, “Just follow our previous arrangement. I’m sure we’ll be able to obtain the answer we desire very soon.”
An exquisite antique lamp appeared in that person’s lifted hand, yet not even its faint radiance was able to penetrate that darkness.
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