The engine rumbled, and Brother Nan quickly overtook the group. Only one young man turned his head and spotted them.
"Isn't that our cousin from Aunt Si's family?" the young man exclaimed. "And there's a guy in the car too!"
"It looks like this car," Brother Nan's mom said.
"It definitely is. It's not even registered yet."
Zhou Li quietly relayed the conversation to Brother Nan.
Brother Nan just waved her hand casually. "No worries. When the time comes, I'll just tell them I picked up a ride-share to cover gas money."
Zhou Li thought for a moment. It seems not only is the Li family thriving, but your maternal grandmother's side is flourishing too.
"Scared?"
"Scared."
「Arrived at Mingjiu Mountain.」
Zhou Li got out of the car and took out the wine and milk. Incidentally, there was also a backpack in the car containing the ancient books Huai Xu had just brought over. From Mingjiu Mountain to Yin Yang Temple, they would pass by Zhihong Guan.
Brother Nan poked her head out from the window. "If I'm free this afternoon, I'll come find you. Tell me how to get there, and meet me halfway. If not, I'll come tomorrow morning. It's hard to say; my siblings might not let me go."
Zhou Li nodded.
Huai Xu had already manifested, taking the initiative to carry the backpack and the milk. This left Zhou Li to carry only the two bottles of wine. They were traveling light.
There were indeed quite a few people climbing the mountain during the New Year season. Zhou Li guessed that even if a major epidemic outbreak occurred in a few days and tourists disappeared, some local villagers would still come to climb this mountain.
They made their way upward at a brisk pace.
Zhou Li's physical stamina had greatly improved over the past half a year. When he encountered steps, he would jog up them, successfully arriving at Zhihong Guan by noon.
The buildings making up the Daoist temple seemed to have undergone some repairs, looking better than six months ago, though the improvement was limited. However, the small shrine in front of the courtyard had been well restored. It being New Year's, there were considerably more incense offerings in front of the small shrine, and a layer of new red fabric had even been draped on top.
It was mealtime, and there was no one in front of the Daoist temple, only wisps of cooking smoke rising into the air.
Zhou Li walked up to the small shrine and looked inside. The old demon was dozing off behind the clay statue.
"Have you had lunch?"
"Uhm..."
The old demon groggily opened his eyes, glanced at Zhou Li and Huai Xu, then leaned in for a closer look. "Oh, it's you two."
He slowly walked out from the small shrine.
Zhou Li noticed he looked even older than six months ago; his figure was gaunt and frail, and his movements were somewhat unsteady.
The old demon seemed to sense his thoughts and chuckled. "Getting old, getting old..."
"Living in a new house now?"
"Haha, some pilgrims came to fix it last month."
"I see. By the way, I brought some jackfruit back from Caiyun. I ate most of it, but I saved some for you. I'm not sure if you'll like it," Zhou Li said, taking a bag from his backpack. Inside was a small plate with already peeled jackfruit.
He first placed the plate in front of the small shrine. After a moment's thought, he moved it inside the shrine, hiding it behind the clay statue.
"This way, it'll be easier for you to eat," Zhou Li said.
"Oh, how can I accept this... Thank you, thank you." The old demon cupped his hands in a bow repeatedly to Zhou Li.
"You're welcome. How's the old Temple Master?"
"He's in the kitchen cooking. You can go in."
"Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year to you too..." The old demon's voice was drawn out and tremulous, with a hint of the slowness typical of the elderly.
The Daoist temple had a very small room that served as its kitchen.
Zhou Li carefully approached the kitchen and peeked inside. Indeed, he saw the old Temple Master in a corner. He quickly asked with a smile, "Old Temple Master, what are you cooking? It smells wonderful."
The old Temple Master's movements were similar to those of the old demon. He squinted at Zhou Li, then a smile spread across his deeply lined face.
"Ah, it's you, young lay devotee. Are you on break from your studies?"
"I've been on break for a while now."
"Oh, that's right. It's almost New Year's. I'm getting old and lose track of time," the old Temple Master chuckled. "At least I still remember it's New Year's."
"I just got back too."
"Have you eaten?"
"Not yet. I'm going up the mountain to find Miss Zheng."
"Why don't you stay and eat before you go? The lay followers from the village below sent up some sausages and cured meat. I've cooked some," the old Temple Master asked hopefully. Older people tend to crave company and dread solitude.
"Well..." Zhou Li hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "In that case, we'd be happy to. Thank you for your kind offer. This is my classmate."
"Greetings, young lay devotee." The old Temple Master smiled warmly at Huai Xu, then stood up to get some rice. "I'd better cook more rice then. Do you like smoked chicken? I still have a whole smoked chicken."
"Hello, old Temple Master," Huai Xu said playfully, intentionally adding, "It's a pleasure to meet you. My surname is Huai, as in the Huai tree (Chinese scholar tree)."
"Please don't go to too much trouble. Something simple will be fine," Zhou Li said.
"Young Lay Devotee Huai, greetings to you too." The old Temple Master turned and returned the cupped-hand bow, still smiling. "My place is rather cramped; there's not much room to sit."
"It's fine. It's warm in here," Zhou Li said.
"Yes, it is warm."
The old Temple Master still took down the smoked chicken to steam it. He added two links of sausage and stir-fried some green vegetables. He really wanted to treat his two guests well, so he also added some cured meat to the greens.
The old Eight Immortals table, possibly older than Zhou Li himself, felt damp on its surface. The old Temple Master wiped it over and over.
"It's clean now, it's clean," Zhou Li said, quickly taking a seat at the table.
"Hehe..." the old Temple Master chuckled.
"I've brought back some of the books I borrowed, to return to you," Zhou Li said.
Upon hearing this, the old Temple Master fell silent for a moment, then continued with a chuckle, "If you enjoy reading those books, just keep them. At my age, I don't know how many years I have left, and this temple has no successor. There's no point in you returning them to me."
Zhou Li felt as if his chest had been struck by a hammer.
「About an hour later.」
When it was time to leave, Zhou Li was holding his bag. He looked at the two bottles of wine he had brought and said to the old Temple Master, "I brought a case of milk for you. You can have a carton with breakfast. By the way, do you drink alcohol?"
"No, no, please take it to Miss Zheng. I don't need it," the old Temple Master said, repeatedly waving his hands in refusal.
"It's nothing expensive."
"Still, I can't accept it…"
"Do you drink baijiu (spirits)?"
"No, no, I don't drink..."
"I think you might." Zhou Li glanced at a bottle of inexpensive Mianzhu Daqu on a nearby cabinet. "Just keep this bottle of baijiu. It isn't anything valuable, but it's still best to drink in moderation."
"I really shouldn't, I really shouldn't..."
Zhou Li insisted on leaving the milk and the baijiu, taking only the bottle of red wine as he stepped out the door.
The old demon was sitting at the entrance of the small shrine, waving to him.
Zhou Li smiled in response.
He walked down the path beside the bamboo forest, heading towards Yin Yang Temple. After walking a short distance, Zhou Li looked back. The few old houses, nestled against the bamboo grove on the mid-slope of the mountain, had an ancient and serene feel.
"How long can a Demon live?" Zhou Li asked.
"It varies," Huai Xu responded. "Some live longer, some shorter. It depends on their species, but it has little to do with how powerful they are."
"I see." Zhou Li murmured.
"That old demon is probably nearing his end. He can't even climb to the shrine roof anymore," Huai Xu casually remarked.
Zhou Li hummed in acknowledgment, saying nothing more. His heart felt a little heavy.
Huai Xu comforted him, "They are usually quite philosophical about it. At most, they just feel a bit lonely."
Zhou Li just nodded.
「Around two o'clock, they reached Yin Yang Temple.」
The small mountain village still looked magnificent from afar, shrouded in mist. The Evil God was still darting through the clouds, seemingly never tiring.
WOOF WOOF WOOF...
It was Big Yellow who came running to greet them.
Throughout the journey, Zhou Li had been messaging Zheng Zhilan. He told her he would arrive in the afternoon and mentioned that he had eaten at the old Temple Master's place. However, it was obvious Zheng Zhilan had started preparing today's New Year's feast either that morning or the previous night—Huai Xu declared he could smell the delicious aroma from half a mile away.
Zheng Zhilan stood at the edge of the yard, peering down the path. A group of dogs lounged lazily in the yard.
A piebald horse stood nearby.
The young woman had her hair in a braid, and her eyes sparkled brightly. When she saw the two of them, a smile spread across her fair face.
"Why didn't you bring Brother Nan?" she asked.
"She said she'd come this afternoon or tomorrow morning. She's spending New Year's Day at her maternal grandmother's today," Zhou Li replied, setting down the red wine. "When I was leaving, Aunt Jiang insisted I take two bottles of wine and a case of milk. I gave the other bottle, the baijiu, and the milk to the old Temple Master."
"The old Temple Master, huh... It must be very lonely for him to spend New Year's alone, mustn't it?"
"I think so too."
"I'll visit him after the New Year as well."
Zhou Li hummed in agreement.
Zhou Li looked at Zheng Zhilan. She might be the kindest and purest person I've ever met in my life, he thought.
Out of the corner of his eye, Zhou Li caught something moving rapidly. By the time he turned his head, the thing had already scrambled onto the horse's back. It sat there, looking down on them with a radiant smile, and shouted, "Can you two ride a horse? Let me tell you, I'm an excellent rider! Want to learn? Huh? Want to?"
Zhou Li snapped back to his senses, his previous sentimental thoughts vanishing instantly.
This Old Monster truly is a king when it comes to ruining the atmosphere!