Cai Wen listened to Cai Xiuqin and nodded obediently, "I understand."
Yu Daohen patted Cai Wen's small head.
Soon, Sister Chen finished preparing lunch.
Yu Daohen looked at the table full of dishes. He had to admit that Sister Chen's cooking was indeed excellent; the presentation alone made one's appetite soar.
The four of them sat down to eat. Sister Chen kept putting food onto Yu Daohen's plate, "Xiao Yu, there's not much here in the countryside, please bear with us."
Yu Daohen shook his head, "No, Aunt Chen, your cooking is so delicious, and this is already very abundant."
Sister Chen smiled and placed two more pieces of braised pork into Yu Daohen's bowl.
Cai Wen, sitting beside them, darted his eyes towards Yu Daohen, "Brother, is my mom's cooking good?"
Yu Daohen nodded, "It's delicious."
Cai Wen continued to ask, "Does Brother have a girlfriend?"
Yu Daohen shook his head, "No."
Cai Wen's small face took on a mysterious expression, "Your superpower can't be passed on to outsiders, right?"
Yu Daohen looked at the mysterious Cai Wen and nodded, "That's right."
After saying that, he picked up a piece of braised pork and put it into his mouth.
Cai Wen chuckled, "What do you think of my sister?"
This sudden question made Yu Daohen swallow the braised pork he had just put into his mouth.
The entire piece of braised pork got stuck in his throat, causing him to cough. He looked at the water on the table.
Seeing this, Cai Xiuqin quickly handed him her water. Yu Daohen took a big gulp and managed to swallow it.
He took another sip, but before he could swallow, Cai Wen glanced at the cup and said, "That's my sister's cup."
Yu Daohen almost spat out the water upon hearing Cai Wen's words.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Wen didn't mean it." Sister Chen glared at Cai Wen and said, "Apologize to Brother."
Yu Daohen waved his hand, "It's okay, it's okay, Aunt Chen, don't blame Xiao Wen."
He glanced at Cai Xiuqin and saw that she had lowered her head, her ears turning red.
After lunch, Yu Daohen, having nothing else to do, went for a stroll around the village.
The village was not large, with only about two hundred households in total.
Yu Daohen wandered for the entire afternoon. As he was about to head back, a man walked towards him.
Yu Daohen glanced at the man. He was carrying something over a meter long wrapped in cloth on his shoulder, and his face was obscured by a hat, making it impossible to see clearly.
As they passed each other, Yu Daohen suddenly felt a sense of unease.
Cultivators possessed a certain aura, and when that aura became strong enough, it could exert a sense of pressure.
This man exuded an invisible pressure.
Yu Daohen's brows furrowed. How could such a master appear here?
He arrived at Old Cai's house. Dinner was ready, and Old Cai had also returned.
The funeral arrangements for Liu Qidong's family had been made, and now only the offering to the Resentful Lion remained.
As dinner was served, the sky began to darken. Old Cai lit the candles on the offering table.
A blank painting was hung on the wall. Once the Resentful Lion entered the painting that night, the task would be complete.
Time passed slowly. Old Cai called Cai Xiuqin to take Cai Wen into the house and not to come out.
The sky had completely darkened. Old Cai went into the house to get the incense they needed. When he came out, his expression turned grim, "Oh no, I left the incense at Old Liu's house and forgot to bring it back."
Yu Daohen's brows furrowed, "I'll go. You stay here and prepare."
There were no streetlights on the rural roads. Yu Daohen ran, using his phone's light.
Liu Qidong's door was unlocked. He pushed it open and walked in.
The incense was placed in the main hall. Yu Daohen picked up the incense and was about to leave when his phone light illuminated a door. He stopped.
He walked over and slowly pushed the door open. He reached the four pedestals and pulled off the white cloth covering one of them.
The phone light shone on a dragon stone statue.
Yu Daohen's expression turned solemn. He then pulled down the cloths on the other three pedestals.
They were a tiger, a vermilion bird, and a black tortoise.
Yu Daohen's face changed. He turned and ran back towards Old Cai's house.
When he reached Old Cai's house, he heard a cry. Yu Daohen's face paled with alarm, and he rushed in.
Upon entering, he saw Old Cai lying on the ground, covered in blood, his body torn apart by bites.
Sister Chen knelt on the ground, supporting Old Cai, while Cai Xiuqin beside them was already crying.
Sister Chen, seeing Yu Daohen return, said urgently, "Xiao Yu, quickly save my man!"
Yu Daohen checked Old Cai's breathing. He was still alive. He bit his finger, and a drop of blood with a red glow dripped onto Old Cai's wound.
As the blood touched Old Cai, the wound began to heal rapidly.
Yu Daohen looked at the overturned offering table and asked, "Where is Xiao Wen?"
Cai Xiuqin's tears flowed uncontrollably, "Xiao Wen was taken away by the Resentful Lion."
Seeing Cai Xiuqin crying so sadly, Yu Daohen patted her head and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'll bring Xiao Wen back."
After saying that, he went to the room where he was staying, put on his backpack, took his Kang Long Mace, and walked out.
Yu Daohen glanced at the mountain behind them, his expression growing serious.
A voice called out from behind, "Take me with you."
Yu Daohen turned to see Cai Xiuqin. He shook his head, "It's too dangerous, go back."
Cai Xiuqin shook her head, "No, I'm going."
Yu Daohen looked at Cai Xiuqin. The usually gentle girl, unexpectedly, dared to step forward when her younger brother was in trouble. "Let's go."
In the darkness, the two of them hurried up the mountain, guided by the light of their phones.
*Swish*
Not long after they started climbing, they heard something rustling through the grass.
Cai Xiuqin quietly shone her light in that direction. A snake as thick as a forearm was approaching them, followed by several more slithering out.
Cai Xiuqin cried out in fear and pressed herself against Yu Daohen.
Soon, the path ahead was covered in snakes.
Yu Daohen's expression was blank. His eyes were fixed on the path ahead. He drew the Kang Long Mace from his waist and said, "Everyone, I'm just taking a child home. I hope you can make way."
Upon seeing the Kang Long Mace, the snakes all burrowed into the grass. A few larger snakes raised their heads and spoke human words, "Kid, don't think you're invincible just because you have the Kang Long Mace. If you don't want to die, get off the mountain."
Yu Daohen's left eye narrowed, and black liquid filled his entire left eye.
With a wave of his hand, a drop of Reincarnation Blood Tear shot towards the white snake that had spoken.
The white snake was pierced by the Reincarnation Blood Tear and fell to the ground, blood flowing out.
These snakes had only been cultivating for two hundred years and had just learned to speak. Their strength was only slightly greater than ordinary snakes. The reason they dared to speak like this was simply because there were so many of them.
Yu Daohen stared at the remaining snakes, "If you don't want to die, get lost."
The snakes glanced at Yu Daohen's left eye and all burrowed into the grass.
Seeing that all the snakes had fled, Yu Daohen grabbed Cai Xiuqin and hurried up the mountain.
Along the way, they still heard the sound of rustling, but the snakes did not dare to approach, only moving around them.
Cai Xiuqin, pulled along by Yu Daohen, looked at the man in front of her. Her fear and unease vanished completely.
Yu Daohen moved quickly. In about an hour, he reached the location of the stone lions.
--
Author's Note:
If you like it, please give it a five-star rating and a comment (thank you very much). I've made a few minor changes to the earlier text. The protagonist's current strength is ranked first on the Earthly ranking list. The plot remains unchanged, only a few words have been altered.