Lu Fei pointed to the bundle, where gold and silver were strung together with red thread, as well as some gray rat fur caught in between.
"This gold and silver is the same as a ransom. Whoever takes this money is essentially prolonging the old rat's life!"
"That old thing never had any intention of mending his ways!"
Zhang Molin used a fire talisman to burn the red thread and the rat fur, and only then did Lu Fei let Hu Zi collect the gold and silver, planning to donate it at a later time.
The sky gradually brightened.
There was no grand mansion in the desolate village, only a few dilapidated huts that had been burned.
The entire nest of rats was incinerated cleanly.
The three of them left the desolate village.
A yellow figure leaped out, swallowing the charred corpse on the ground in one gulp, and watched as the three figures gradually moved away.
They returned to the Sun family residence.
The red line on Er Dan's neck has disappeared, but he is completely listless, truly frightened by the bloody scene of the decapitation.
"Er Dan, in the future, study hard and be a good person. Don't hang out with all sorts of unsavory characters anymore!"
"I won't! I won't!"
The foolish boy shook his head like a rattle, stealing something and ending up in such a tragic manner; this terrifying lesson will stay with him for the rest of his life.
As for that old cannon, no one knows where he ran off to.
No one really cared about his life or death.
"This trip was not in vain!" Zhang Moli, who helped Lu Fei retrieve the evil object, was in high spirits. "Lu Fei, if you're not too busy, don't rush back. Why don't we go and sit at the Wu Xing Temple?"
"Sure, since I'm here, I should pay my respects to the elder."
There was still plenty of time, so Lu Fei was naturally happy to go along.
Zhang Moli's cultivation is impressive, so his master must also be a highly accomplished master.
The Five Elements Temple is not far from the village, just a few miles away.
The car can't go there, so we have to walk.
"Lu Fei, it's right up ahead."
Zhang Molin pointed towards an old Taoist temple at the foot of the mountain, quickened his pace, and opened the faded gate.
"Master! Master!"
"The Lu Fei I told you about from Sinisterium Pawnshop has come..."
He rushed into the backyard, but saw that his master's door was tightly closed. After a moment of surprise, a hint of disappointment appeared on his face.
"Lu Fei, I'm sorry, my master has entered seclusion again."
"It's okay, it seems the timing wasn't right. I'll visit the elder another time."
Lu Fei didn't mind.
"My master was already in his sixties when he found me. After I could feed myself, he withdrew from the world; he spends ninety percent of the year in seclusion."
Zhang Moling took the two of them around the Wuxing Temple.
The small temple was ancient and charming, but also very humble. It was only as big as a hand, and you could walk through it in just a few steps.
Zhang Moling had carved out a vegetable plot behind the temple and planted many sweet potatoes.
"I owe a lot to the villagers. When I was hungry, I would go to the village. But later, I learned to roast sweet potatoes myself, so I didn't bother them much after that."
"Lu Fei, Hu Zi, these sweet potatoes are really sweet. I'll roast a few for you to try."
With that, Zhang Moling quickly dug up several large sweet potatoes and started roasting them over a fire.
Before long.
The sweet aroma of roasted sweet potatoes filled the air.
"Delicious!"
"I didn't expect it, Zhang Xiaodao, you have this kind of skill!"
The three people and the dog sat down by the roadside and started eating.
Lu Fei casually noticed that not far behind the Wuxing Temple, there seemed to be an old and elegant building in the dense forest.
"Mo Lin, what is that place?"
He stretched his neck to take a look and was surprised to find that it seemed to be another Taoist temple, much larger in scale than the Wuxing Temple. It was quiet and dilapidated, enveloped by thick dense woods, with only a faint outline visible, giving it an especially mysterious appearance.
"My master never told me and never allowed me to go near it," Zhang MoLin said with a helpless smile.
"Isn't that part of your Wuxing Temple?" Lu Fei became even more curious.
Could it be a forbidden area?
That building gave off an eerie and sinister air, exuding a dangerous aura.
Zhang MoLin shook his head, and a look of desolation appeared on his honest face once again.
"Actually, my master has never told me about his past. He taught me the Five Elements Talisman, Taoist techniques, and alchemy, but I still don't know his name. I only heard the villagers call him the Master of the Five Elements."
He looked in the direction of where his master was in seclusion and sighed.
"After I arrived in Jiangcheng, I secretly inquired, but no one had heard of the Five Elements Temple."
Lu Fei was surprised.
"Usually, it's impressive for a Taoist to be proficient in one or two skills, but your master is so comprehensive. He must be a highly skilled adept in hiding. Oh, Mo Lin, did your master also teach you Soul Departure Technique?"
"Yes, what about it?"
Lu Fei smiled without showing any emotion: "Nothing, just curious. Since the old master is so profound, he should be able to achieve the level of astral projection, right?"
"I don't think so." Zhang Mo Lin laughed bitterly and scratched his head, "Since I can remember, my master was either collecting herbs and practicing alchemy, or in seclusion. Apart from teaching me Taoist techniques, he rarely spoke to me."
"It's really not easy for you to grow up like this!" Hu Zi couldn't help but sigh.
Though his childhood was also poor, at least he didn't lack parental love.
Lu Fei's curiosity, however, only grew stronger.
This Daoist of the Five Elements was indeed a strange person; if there was a chance in the future, he would definitely pay him another visit!
After finishing the roasted sweet potato, he got up to take his leave.
"Xiaodao Zhang, come to Jiangcheng more often when you have free time. In the future, Big Bro Hu will look out for you! As long as Big Bro Hu has something to eat, you won't go hungry!"
Hu Zi patted his chest, waved at Zhang Molin, and left with Lu Fei and Xiao Hei.
The black SUV drove out of the village and gradually made its way onto the main road.
Hu Zi was shaking his head and humming a song while driving.
Lu Fei opened his backpack.
This trip had been quite fruitful.
Not only did he receive a special evil object like the Yin-Yang同心锁 (Note: "同心锁" is a specific cultural term, which can be translated as "Unity Lock" or "Heart-Lock"), but he also unexpectedly obtained an ancient lantern with the power of merit.
Lighting a lamp and sitting in meditation can increase one's magical power, improve physical constitution, and prolong life.
Strictly speaking, this lamp is actually a treasure, but since it was obtained from a monster, Lu Fei considers it an evil object.
"I wonder who the Daoist master was that enlightened the old rat. The old rat truly wasted his effort..."
Lu Fei was feeling sentimental.
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion from the tire, and the car started to lurch out of control.
Fortunately, Huzi is a very experienced driver, and he managed to stop the car safely after a series of maneuvers.
When they got out of the car, they saw that the tire had been punctured by several nails, causing a blowout.
"Wow! So many nails! Is this road made of nails?"
Huzi was extremely frustrated. He opened the trunk to prepare for changing the spare tire.
Lu Fei felt something was off. He looked around and suddenly smelled an indescribably foul odor.
"Hu Zi, have you eaten too many roasted sweet potatoes?"
"Boss, it's not me! I thought it was you and Xiao Hei..."
Hu Zi looked wronged, then rolled his eyes and actually passed out from the fumes.
Lu Fei hesitated for a moment, then also fainted on the ground with Xiao Hei in his arms.
A moment later.
A yellow weasel crawled out from under the car, followed by three men emerging from the woods by the roadside.
One of them was none other than Old Cannon.