The old Taoist priest's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Lu Xuan who had come out.
In the cultivation world, it's difficult to judge seniority by appearance. After all, most cultivation methods extend lifespan, and those who maintain their youth are not uncommon. Moreover, Lu Xuan himself is several hundred years old and has been an emperor, possessing a profound and unfathomable aura. The old Taoist found himself unable to see through the other party, indicating that the other's cultivation level was likely above his own.
But since the other party attacked me without provocation, and I am in the right now, I naturally have nothing to fear. Thinking this, the old Taoist straightened his back and then said.
"Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this? Why are you mocking me?"
"So what if I'm making fun of you? Aren't you making fun of this farmer too? What, you're allowed to make fun of others for your own amusement, but others aren't allowed to make fun of you?"
Lu Xuan asked in a mocking tone, which made the old Taoist's face even uglier.
"You... I only punished him a little because he didn't know what was good for him."
“A slight punishment? Have you even taken a good look at him?” Lu Xuan pointed to the farmer next to him.
"What?"
"I knew you didn't." Lu Xuan sighed softly.
“Look at his clothes, there are seven puddings on them. Look at his feet, those straw sandals are almost worn out. He walked a long way to come to the city to sell pears. Have you ever thought about what the impact would be on him, and what the impact would be on his family, if he lost this cart of pears?”
Lu Xuan spoke with a touch of emotion. Something had happened around him before he transmigrated. It was summer, after the wheat harvest, and the grain was drying on the roadside. That day, a sudden downpour occurred, and he and his mother went to harvest the wheat. It took a tremendous amount of effort to barely manage to gather it all.
But that day, many people didn't harvest their wheat. An old woman from the neighboring village had no one to harvest it. The rain was so heavy that it washed all her wheat into the river. Guess what she did… she jumped in after her!
That was in modern society; people didn't need that much food to be full, but...
The crowd of onlookers had stopped making noise at some point, but they still stood around, watching Lu Xuan and the old Taoist in the middle.
The old Taoist's face turned extremely ugly. He had been in high spirits today, intending to show off his skills in front of everyone. But this unknown fellow Taoist had exposed his plan. The crucial point was that the other party had clearly broken the rules first, yet he couldn't refute it in front of everyone.
“Fellow Daoist, we cultivators value doing as we please and having clear thoughts. Aren’t you being a bit too nosy?”
"A clear mind! A clear mind is good! It just so happens that my cultivation philosophy also emphasizes a clear mind. So, fellow cultivator, why don't you just make do this time and not be so clear-minded?!"
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Chapter 357 The Most Resilient Man in the Cultivation World
How does the story of Liaozhai describe the pear seller...that foolish villager?
For centuries, people have been laughing at the farmer who sold pears. But can anyone tell me what he did wrong?
He lost his entire fortune just because he refused to give away a single pear? Has no one considered what would happen to him without that cartload of pears? They might have been the breadwinner for his whole family!
Lu Xuan stood in front of the old Taoist priest without a care in the world. He was a farmer by birth, so he was going to speak up for this 'foolish farmer' today.
The old Taoist's expression changed completely. He didn't understand why Lu Xuan insisted on standing up for this farmer. But now everyone was watching, and if he backed down today, it could become a hidden danger to his Taoist heart. So this time, it seemed a fight was inevitable. However, his sect wasn't skilled in combat, so he was unsure of himself.
However, Lu Xuan had no intention of letting him go. He took a step forward, continuing to block the old Taoist's path. Hundreds of years of warfare had honed Lu Xuan's aura of malevolence to a level that even those evil cultivators who practiced killing for power couldn't match. However, through years of continuous refinement and learning, Lu Xuan had mastered the art of perfectly controlling this malevolent energy.
Now, the old Taoist priest dared not make a move. Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, the sound of horses' hooves approached. A shout could be heard from outside the crowd.
"Make way, make way."
The crowd scattered in a panic, and Lu Xuan looked up. He saw a troop of elite cavalry riding through the street. The leader held the reins in his left hand and carried a long-handled sword in his right. Five gleaming long swords were also strapped to his back, drawing considerable attention.
As Lu Xuan looked at the other man, the general seemed to sense it as well, turning his head to look at Lu Xuan. Their eyes met, and Lu Xuan gave the general a slight nod.
The general, in his haste, didn't recall who Lu Xuan was, only gave a brief reply, and then rode away. He seemed to have urgent business to attend to.
However, when Lu Xuan turned around again, his expression changed slightly. The old Taoist priest was still there, but Lu Xuan knew he was actually gone. The one in front of him was a decoy. It seemed the other party ultimately didn't have the guts to make a move.
Lu Xuan glanced at the crowd around him, thought for a moment, then took out a handful of copper coins and handed them to the pear-selling farmer.
"I'll take all of your pears."
The farmer paused for a moment, then hurriedly took the money.
"Oh, thank you so much, sir. Where do you live? I'll bring it to you."
"No need. Just leave them here. Ladies and gentlemen, the old Taoist priest said he would treat you to pears, but it turned out he was stealing pears from others and offering them as a substitute. I'm different. I'll also treat you to pears, but they'll be pears that were bought honestly. Help yourselves, it's free!"
.........
As dusk fell, Lu Xuan and his group rested at a tavern. It was the best tavern in Taiyuan. Lu Xuan never compromised his standards in such matters.
Xiaoqian and Xiaolan sat on either side of him, making countless people in the tavern envious. The two beauties, one serving Lu Xuan food and the other feeding him wine, made everyone in the tavern wish they could kick Lu Xuan aside and sit in those seats themselves.
But seeing Xiahou standing there looking menacing, no one dared to actually make a move.
At that moment, Lu Xuan was surprised to find a group of soldiers entering the restaurant. It was the same group of soldiers he had seen on the street earlier. There were more than twenty of them, all fully armed and armored, clearly a group of elite soldiers.
The sudden influx of soldiers terrified the tavern owner. Although he had connections to run such a large tavern, he was still trembling with fear at the sight of these killers. After all, at this time, the difference between soldiers and bandits was practically nonexistent.
However, these soldiers were remarkably quiet, almost without making a sound, and quickly found seats.
Lu Xuan noticed that even when they were seated, they subtly adopted a defensive formation. They were a powerful army with warfare ingrained in their very bones. Lu Xuan had been traveling around this country for almost a year. He had seen many officers and soldiers, but as for his impression of them, well, almost everyone he saw was dead on the spot. Only this group before him had a completely different spirit, manner, and style.
Of course, Lu Xuan could understand this situation to some extent. After all, the man in front of him was the most resolute man in the world of immortals and heroes, Commander Zuo.
"Shopkeeper!"
"Hey, sir, what would you like to order? Our shop's signature dish..."