Chapter 101: Narrowly Escaping a Mugging (Part 1)
Xiao Ziyang did not rush into Fudong Town, the buildings and roads in this town looked very messy, an outsider would easily get lost if they rashly rushed in.
He stood at the crossroads for a moment, then walked towards a baozi shop. Other breakfast shops had no customers at this time, but there were many people dressed as servants waiting outside this baozi shop for the buns to be cooked.
Xiao Ziyang's current cultivation was still far from breaking through the valley, so he planned to use some early points and casually ask about the road, best if he could find a guide.
These two days in the wilderness, he had no appetite at all. This baozi shop, just looking at the crowd waiting at the entrance, you can tell that the taste is definitely good.
At the entrance of the baozi shop, a 28-year-old young woman with a delicate appearance was greeting customers. Seeing Xiao Ziyang coming, she greeted him: "Sir, are you eating in the shop or taking it away?"
"Let's eat in the shop, is there any delicious hot porridge for a bowl, and two small dishes."
"Yes, yes, yes! Our Chen Ji Baozi shop not only makes delicious buns, but also cooks a unique congee. Fresh pork and chicken meat are pounded into a paste, then cooked with good glutinous rice to make a savory and sweet congee. I'll bring you a bowl, along with a small dish of refreshing appetizer, guaranteed to stimulate your appetite." The little woman led Xiao Ziyang into the shop, and in just a moment, she brought out a steaming bowl of congee filled with meat fragrance and rice aroma, accompanied by a small dish.
"Master Dao, warm up your belly first, the buns will be ready soon. How many would you like, sir?"
"I don't know how big this bun is either, let's just say that normally people eat a few of them, you give me double the amount."
"Alright." The little woman replied and went to attend to other customers.
The porridge was indeed cooked well, and the side dishes were also very tasty. Adding to that, Xiao Ziyang hadn't had a hot meal in five days, so it tasted especially delicious.
That little woman was very thoughtful, seeing Xiao Ziyang finish the meat porridge in two or three mouthfuls, without being told to do so, and when serving the buns, she brought another bowl of porridge. The buns were extremely large, enough for an ordinary person to eat two; Xiao Ziyang took a bite, the skin was thin and the filling was plentiful; the taste was extremely fresh and delicious.
Xiao Ziyang let out a satisfied belch after eating eight buns and four bowls of porridge, only stopping to wipe his mouth.
At this time, there were more and more diners in the store, all of whom stared at Xiao Ziyang like a monster.
He didn't mind either. After calling the little woman to settle the account, he asked: "Shopkeeper, the roads in this town are winding and difficult to distinguish. If you can find someone to guide me, I am willing to pay ten big coins."
The little woman's face lit up with joy when she heard this. Earlier, Xiao Ziyang had eaten four people's worth of breakfast for only twelve dollars, and this ten-dollar finder's fee was indeed extremely high. The small beggars at the door would run faster than rabbits if they were given two buns.
She was about to speak, but heard someone at the next table say: "Master Dao, I am a native of Fucheng Town; wherever you want to go, there is no place in Fucheng Town that I don't know."
The little woman's eyebrows furrowed upon hearing someone snatch a business opportunity, but when she saw the speaker's appearance, her expression changed.
Xiao Ziyang saw the change in the little woman's expression and turned his head to look at that person, only to see that he was 25 or 26 years old, with a decent appearance, but a pair of eyes that were shifting and uncertain, giving him a sly and cunning feeling.
Look at this man's appearance, he knows that he was generous with his hands just now, and also has a foreign accent, being taken as a scapegoat by others.
However, Xiao Ziyang wouldn't care about this little thief. He smiled slightly and said, "Take me to the largest carriage shop in town." Then he lifted his foot and walked out of the store.
That man gulped down the meat porridge in two mouthfuls, grasping the remaining half of a bun in his hand, and hastily followed Xiao Ziyang out of the bun shop. "Master Dao, let's go this way. My name is Zhou Ji, I grew up in Fudong Town, and there's no place in this town that I'm not familiar with. The largest horse-drawn carriage depot in Fudong Town is Antai Carriage Depot, located outside the south gate of Fudong Town. If we take the main road, it will be a long detour. I'll take you through a shortcut, which can save us nearly half the distance. This small path isn't difficult to walk, but it's full of twists and turns, and outsiders get lost as soon as they enter."
Zhou Ji and his wife finished the half bun in their hands, took two steps forward, and led the way. Their eyes wandered around, looking for someone. When they saw a middle-aged man with his hands inserted into his sleeves, hunched over, and covered in mud on his face, they were delighted and quickly made eye contact with him.
That middle-aged man with a face full of dirt and grime, seemingly not having washed his face for three days, had just seen Zhou Ji about to open his mouth to greet him when he suddenly saw the look in Zhou Ji's eyes. Knowing better, he lowered his head, using the corner of his eye to glance at Zhou Ji and the Taoist priest behind him.
Zhou Ji placed his hand on his chest, making a gesture out of Xiao Ziyang's line of sight. The middle-aged man with a muddy face looked at Zhou Ji's gesture and couldn't help but reveal a few hints of joy on his slightly lowered face.
The three of them quickly passed each other by. Zhou Ji thought he had succeeded, but didn't know that Xiao Ziyang, who had already begun to suspect him, had seen the whole scene with his own eyes.
Zhou Ji led Xiao Ziyang into the alley. These alleys were crisscrossed and had no rules at all, just as he said, without a familiar person leading the way, outsiders couldn't find their direction at all.
Zhou Ji walked with Xiao Ziyang in the alley for about half a time, complaining about the complexity and difficulty of the alley while comforting Xiao Ziyang, saying that they had already walked more than halfway and would arrive soon.
Xiao Ziyang was such a person, he himself had an excellent memory, after practicing the "Clear Mind and Spirit Chant", he could even remember everything at a glance, so naturally he had long seen that Zhou Ji was leading him to wander around in this alley, and they hadn't gone far at all.
When the two of them passed by the T-junction for the third time, a youth appeared in the originally empty alley. The youth was squatting against the wall at the intersection of the T-junction.
Zhou Ji saw the young man, his eyes slightly narrowed, and then turned away, turning back to whisper something to Xiao Ziyang while walking forward. The young man seemed to be completely unaware of someone approaching, with his eyes lightly closed as if he was dozing off.
Xiao Ziyang could feel that the young man was staring at him intently through narrowed eyelids, and at the same time, he also heard two breathing sounds coming from behind the corner of the intersection where he couldn't see.
Xiao Ziyang pretended to be unaware and continued walking forward. Just as he was about to turn the corner, almost in sync with his footsteps, the young man's arm suddenly swung out!
The next moment, a dull wind sound rang in Xiao Ziyang's ear. Behind the corner of the T-junction, a wooden stick as thick as an arm, responded to the young man's command, and smashed towards Xiao Ziyang with all his might.
Listening to the dull and urgent wind sound in his ears, Xiao Ziyang suddenly became furious, and a killing intent rose from his heart.
Just by listening to the sound of the wind, he knew that this was not just a matter of knocking himself unconscious, but rather it was an attempt to beat himself to death.
