Chapter 1: The Seven-Colored Dragon Boat, Azure Pearl...

  Luobei and Yuantianyi have been together for a long time, but suddenly they really broke up, feeling endless reluctance and gloom in their hearts.

  The surrounding houses gradually increased, although they had been wandering around this area since childhood, but were used to the desolate and barren scenery with no one in sight for thousands of miles. Luobei was very unaccustomed to it. They walked ten miles in the direction that Yuantianyi pointed out, and indeed entered a mountain town.

  "It's no wonder that going out and gaining experience is called entering the world."

  "Is this really the Zihui Daoist Temple?"

  The mountain town was not large, with only a few hundred households. However, the streets were lined with shops, and smoke rose from the kitchens as people came and went. Luobei felt like he had entered another world. After circling the entire town, Luobei discovered a Taoist temple in the northwest, with over a dozen courtyards. In front of the temple stood a stone gate several meters high, flanked by two qilin stone carvings. Behind the gate was a three-bay entrance, painted black, with yin-yang fish patterns on the walls. Above the gate and the temple's entrance hung plaques with inscriptions, but Luobei couldn't read them as he only knew how to write his own name. He didn't know if this was the Zihui Taoist Temple that Tianyi had mentioned.

  Because Yu Tianyi had told Luo Bei that he didn't need to do anything, Luo Bei didn't bother to ask anyone if this Taoist temple was indeed the Zihui Taoist Temple. He simply sat on a stone step about a hundred meters away from the temple, lost in thought.

  Unbeknownst to him, the sun had already set in the west, and Luo Bei, who had cultivated the Mahakala Mantra, unknowingly entered a state of stillness. It wasn't until he felt the air around his body filled with sparkling, starry True Fire that Luo Bei suddenly snapped awake, reminding himself to remember only the scripture and mantra taught by Tianyi, and not think about anything related to the Mahakala Mantra again.

  Just then, suddenly heard from the northwest a burst of dog barking sounds, listening to the sound as if there were five or six heads.

  Luobei was slightly surprised and got up to look, but saw that at the corner of the street, several children were rushing over. One child, who was a bit smaller than Luobei, ran too fast, tripped and fell to the ground, and when he got up again, his hands and knees were bleeding profusely from rubbing against the ground.

  A pack of five or six vicious dogs with sharp teeth and incessant barking suddenly rushed out from the street corner.

  These children were all tattered and worn out, with pale complexions. Two of them were so thin that they looked like the wind could blow them over. The two in front seemed to be clutching a few steamed buns covered in vegetable juice, which had already been gnawed on, as well as some cold dishes and bones with hardly any meat on them.

  At this time, several children were already exhausted, their panting sounds like the bellows in a blacksmith's shop. Especially that child who had just fallen, it was unclear whether it was due to pain or fear, his whole body trembling violently, his eyes filled with pleading and terror.

  "A few little beggars, actually dare to come to my door and grab dog food!" Another loud shout came from the streets.

  Wealth without benevolence!

  Luobei had been wandering around the nearby mountain town since childhood, how could he not know that these beggars, who were only a few years older than him, were forced to steal dog food from rich families just to survive? Even so, out of ten meals, they might not even have one full meal. Watching those dogs with shiny fur and sharp teeth chasing after the beggars, Luobei's chest surged with a wave of hot blood.

  "Get out of here, you vicious dog!" Luo Bei suddenly let out a loud roar, waving his fist and blocking the way in front of those beggars.

  Although Luo Bei had no cultivation at all, he had tempered his mind in Luofu and was extremely tough. At this moment, he charged forward, without a hint of fear in his heart, and it was an unspeakable majesty. Those vicious dogs were also used to bullying people, they had always seen people panic and run away, but never saw anyone dare to block their way head-on, and they were actually stunned by Luo Bei's momentum, all of them stopped on the spot, revealing their sharp white teeth, barking non-stop, and for a while, they didn't dare to get close.

  "Huh?" A fat man walked out from the corner of the street, matching Luo Bei's imagination of a wealthy but cruel person. He wore a satin jacket with a large jade pendant hanging from his waist, and his fat head and ears were prominent. His belly protruded high, and his small eyes seemed to be squeezed by the flesh. The contrast between his plump body and oily face and those skinny beggars was striking.

  Looking at Luo Bei, who had stunned several vicious dogs, this wealthy-looking fat man hesitated for a moment but soon regarded Luo Bei, dressed in ordinary coarse linen clothes, as one of the gang with the beggars. "How dare you steal dog food? Do you have the guts to hit my dog?" The fat man sneered coldly and scolded the dogs, "A bunch of useless things! You can't even handle a little kid, what's the point of keeping you?"

  The dog is relying on human power!

  In the midst of Fatso's bellowing, those ferocious dogs also emitted a fierce glow in their eyes and pounced on Luo Bei together.

  Luobei picked up a stone and with a loud "wang" cry, hit the head of one of the dogs in front, but these dogs were extremely ferocious and fast. The dog let out a pained yelp, and Luobei felt a sharp pain on his leg as another vicious dog bit down on it. Luobei punched at the dog with both fists, but it refused to let go. Another dog jumped up and Luobei was knocked to the ground.

  "Get him!" Seeing Luo Bei's leg bleeding profusely, the cruel and ruthless fatty instead burst into loud laughter.

  Luobei gritted his teeth, and in the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a vicious dog rushing towards his face. Luobei quickly grasped the dog's neck with both hands, and the two rolled around on the ground together. The other dogs rushed up, and after several rolls, Luobei felt severe pain in his shoulders and back, and didn't know how many more places he had been bitten.

  The residents near the mountain town heard the commotion and gathered around, but seemingly afraid of the ferocity of those dogs and the power of the fat man, they only dared to shout in surprise and did not dare to step forward to stop them.

  Watching Luo Bei being bitten and rolling all over the ground, the richly dressed fatty was even more pleased with himself, laughing loudly, "Little beggar, hurry up and beg for mercy. If you do, maybe I'll have a change of heart today and let you off."

  Spare me?

  Upon hearing the fat man's triumphant laughter, Luo Bei's blood suddenly boiled with rage, and a strong sense of anger surged to his head. With a muffled hum, even his right wrist was tightly bitten by a vicious dog. "Let me beg for mercy from someone like you? Don't think about it!" However, Luo Bei let out a furious roar and bit the throat of the vicious dog that had bitten his right wrist!

  Blood splattered everywhere!

  "Is this little beggar human or beast?!"

  For a moment, the dog let out a mournful howl and jumped away frantically. Even the complacent fatty in his fine clothes was stunned by Luo Bei's gaze, which was as fierce as a wild beast.

  "Boundless Heaven Lord, can you spare me a thin face and temporarily stop your hand?" Just then, a clear voice suddenly came from one side.

  For the wealthy but unkind fat man and the onlookers who unconsciously turned their heads, they found that at some unknown time, a red-canopied, four-poled sedan chair had already stopped by the side of the street.

  "This is the sedan chair of the county magistrate!" As soon as he saw the outside of the sedan chair and the attire of the four bearers, the fat man was shocked. When he saw the person who pushed open the curtain and walked out, the fat man hastily paid his respects. "It's Qingxu Zhenren! With your orders, I dare not disobey." While speaking respectfully, the fat man repeatedly shouted to stop those few vicious dogs and chased them away.

  "Since Mr. Zhuang is so courteous, I have an impolite request to make: why not just consider the matter of today as settled? What does Mr. Zhuang think about this?"

  The man who walked out of the sedan chair was stroking his long beard, wearing a purple gold Taoist crown on his head, and wearing a dark blue Taoist robe. He looked like a seventy-year-old man with a clear face, white face and long beard, with a strong Taoist style.

  As soon as he saw the old Taoist priest, Luo Bei, who had just struggled to get up from the ground, involuntarily shuddered all over.

  Because he felt a different aura on this old Taoist's body... an aura unique to cultivators.

  "Of course, of course." The fat man who had just been arrogant and overbearing nodded and smiled repeatedly. People like him were only bullying the good and fearing the evil, and could only bully ordinary mountain people. Like Qingxu Zhenren, he was the master of the Purple Hui Taoist temple, and it was said that he had many magical powers. Even nearby bandits did not dare to come to this mountain town, let alone the fact that he was on good terms with the county magistrate and was a guest of honor at his seat. The fat man also did not dare to offend him in any way.

  "This young man, you look unfamiliar, don't seem to be a local." Qingxu Zhenren nodded and then ignored the flattering fat man, his piercing gaze fixed on Luobei.

  Luobei's strength was exhausted, his whole body covered in blood, trembling slightly, but he still firmly remembered Yuantianyi's entrustment and nodded: "I am a villager from nearby Panlongtun, our village suffered from bandits, everyone is scattered, so I came here."

  "It's like that." Qingxu Zhenren nodded slightly, "I see you have a refined skeleton and excellent qualifications. Why don't I take you as my apprentice? You can live in my temple first, and then we'll help you find your family?"

  Qingxu Zhenren said this, and the people around him immediately burst into an uproar.

  It's hard for ordinary people to even see Qingxu Zhenren, and his Taoist temple rarely accepts disciples. Even wealthy families who seek him out may not be accepted. Yet, Qingxu Zhenren took the initiative to accept this young man as his disciple on the street after he just escaped from the vicious dog's mouth. What's so special about this young man? Is it because he was brave and righteous, unafraid of the vicious dog?

  But just as everyone was staring at Luo Bei in surprise, Luo Bei did not nod, but instead asked, "Dao Zhang, may I ask who you are?"

  Qingxu smiled faintly and nodded towards the Daoist temple a dozen or so courtyards away, "I am Qingxu, the master of that Zihui Daoist Temple."

  Many kind-hearted mountain people couldn't help but shout out loud, urging the silly young man to quickly agree, because being a disciple of the Purple Ribbon Taoist Temple at least meant having no worries about food and clothing. When they saw Luo Bei finally nodding in agreement, if it weren't for the fact that the stunned fat official had not yet left, these kind-hearted mountain people would have probably applauded with excitement. "Good people will be rewarded," these kind-hearted mountain people thought to themselves excitedly, but at the same time, they didn't realize that sometimes this phrase was just a lie they used to comfort themselves. Or perhaps today's small story would end with such a result and spread outwards. However, many times they wouldn't think about it, some people who never did evil deeds in their lives were still tossed around, drifting without a good ending.