In the jungle, a donkey brayed.
"Ah, Donkey Brother?!"
Lin Zhao was overjoyed. Indeed, a wild donkey rushed out of the woods, nuzzling affectionately against Lin Zhao's shoulder. To be honest, in the time he had spent in Bai Hua Tian Xia, the most reliable friend Lin Zhao had made was this donkey.
Afterwards, Qing Yan rode the donkey while Lin Zhao, in his green robes, with two swords on his back and a bamboo hat on his head, led the donkey. The two of them walking on the official road looked particularly absurd.
At the end of the distant mountains, a ray of dawn light broke through.
"It's morning," Lin Zhao said with a smile.
Qing Yan frowned, "Brother, what do you mean by 'it's morning'?"
"Ah?!"
Lin Zhao paused, then chuckled, "Morning corresponds to night. It's called daybreak and dusk. In the human world, we've always had the rule of working at sunrise and resting at sunset. Didn't your parents teach you that?"
"Oh..."
Qing Yan pursed her red lips, smiled, and nodded, seeming to understand a little, but also not quite.
The donkey's pace was not slow, and Lin Zhao's pace was even faster. Before long, a small town from the ancient Shu kingdom appeared ahead. The town was right beside the official road, so there were many shops. Even a waiter walked onto the official road, bowing and smiling, "Young hero, why not have breakfast before continuing your journey? The scallion and egg noodles in our shop are a delicacy unmatched in ancient Shu!"
"Brother!"
On the donkey's back, Qing Yan sniffed her delicate nose and said with a smile, "It smells so good..."
"Hungry again?"
Lin Zhao couldn't help but smile at her appearance. Qing Yan looked so much like Leng Yan, as if she were carved from the same mold. Therefore, when Qing Yan made a request with a hint of coquetry, Lin Zhao found it difficult to refuse from the bottom of his heart. Although he had only met Qing Yan by chance, Lin Zhao felt a strange sense of closeness to her, and Qing Yan seemed to feel the same way towards him.
"I'm not hungry."
Qing Yan touched her stomach and smiled, "I just want to eat."
"Alright, get down."
Lin Zhao raised his hand, and Qing Yan leaped from the donkey's back into his arms, then slid down along Lin Zhao's arm to the ground. Holding up her skirt, she trotted to a small table set outside the shop, picked up a pair of chopsticks, her eyes full of anticipation.
"..."
Lin Zhao covered his face and said, "Waiter, two bowls of scallion and egg noodles, quickly."
"Coming right up!"
Soon, two bowls of noodles were served. Lin Zhao and Qing Yan sat opposite each other, slurping their noodles. It was hard to believe that, despite her small stature, Qing Yan had a good appetite. She finished her bowl of noodles, even holding the bowl and gulping down the noodle soup with great satisfaction. After finishing, she couldn't sit still. She twisted her body and slid off the long bench, taking Lin Zhao's hand and saying, "Brother, someone seems to be flying a kite ahead. Shall we go and see?"
"Oh!"
Lin Zhao took out a handful of copper coins and placed them on the table as payment. Then, with one hand holding Qing Yan's and the other leading the donkey, they walked along the official road towards the front. After passing a few shops, they came to a paddy field. In the fertile land beside the paddy field, some village children were flying kites, a scene of thriving nature.
"Brother!"
Qing Yan turned around, her large, bright eyes looking at him.
"I know..."
Lin Zhao turned and bought a few candied hawthorn skewers from a street vendor. He gave one to Qing Yan and then walked towards the children flying kites, saying, "One candied hawthorn skewer each, and give us your kites, okay?"
"Deal!"
A child handed over the kite string, grabbed the candied hawthorn, and ran off. What's fun is no match for what's delicious!
Before long, Qing Yan, holding the kite string, ran around in the fields, full of laughter and joy.
Lin Zhao sat on a fallen tree nearby, dressed in green robes, wearing a bamboo hat, with twin swords on his back. He watched the little girl fly the kite with a smile, and his mood seemed to lighten. He couldn't understand what was so fun about the kite that made her so happy.
After playing for a while, Qing Yan got tired. She ran back to Lin Zhao and plopped down on the tree trunk, sticking out her little tongue and panting. She held up the kite and asked, "Brother, do you want to play with it for a while?"
"I'd better not."
Lin Zhao shook his head and smiled, "If you're tired, shall we get on the donkey and continue our journey?"
"Mhm, okay!"
After returning the kite to the children in the town, Lin Zhao continued to lead the donkey. The little girl sat on the donkey's back, tugging at its big ears and muttering, "Donkey, donkey, dodge the big fish!"
Lin Zhao couldn't help but chuckle, "Donkeys and big fish rarely meet in this life, don't worry."
Qing Yan gently patted her chest, "That's good, that's good!"
Around noon, they arrived at a very arid region. The rice in the fields stood dry and brittle on the cracked earth, as if it hadn't rained in a long time. The stream had long since dried up, and even the wild grass was withered and yellow. Continuing forward, there was a small town. The only river in the town was almost dry. At this moment, a sacrificial ritual seemed to be underway in the town. A Taoist priest in grey and white robes was setting up an altar by the river, chanting incantations. In the remaining river water, there was a bamboo raft, on which was bound a thin, tearful girl, who was apparently to be sacrificed to the river god for rain.
This town was called Dongping Town, a relatively large town on the eastern border of the ancient Shu kingdom.
A group of villagers were kneeling by the river, kowtowing repeatedly to the sky. By the river, a farm woman was weeping hysterically. The girl about to be sacrificed to the river god was her daughter.
"Brother."
Qing Yan pointed to the girl bound to the raft, unable to move, her eyes brimming with tears. "That sister is so pitiful. Can we help her?"
"Mhm."
Lin Zhao nodded gently. He probed the surrounding spiritual energy with his Nascent Soul stage divine sense but found the area barren. There was no divine aura in the dried-up river before them. The river god of the past was likely killed by someone. Even if these townspeople sacrificed more lives, they wouldn't be able to obtain a heavy rain.
He looked up. The sky was clear, and the sun was scorching. It would be a ghost if it rained in such weather.
"Who is in charge here?"
Lin Zhao walked forward, leading the donkey. "Stop sacrificing to the river god. There is no river god here anymore, and praying for rain like this will not bring any rain."
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
The Taoist priest, who was setting up the altar, turned around, a murderous glint in his eyes. "This humble Taoist is performing a ritual to pray for rain. Do not spread seditious rumors here. Lord River God manifests his divine powers every year. How dare you blaspheme the river god? You are truly audacious!"
Lin Zhao glanced at him. This Taoist priest was not even a cultivator of the first realm; he hadn't even entered the path. He was just an ordinary Taoist. His current ritual could only fool ordinary people.
"Young hero."
An old man leaning on a cane walked forward. "I am the village chief of Dongping Town. The Taoist priest is here to pray for rain. Please do not speak nonsense. If you anger the river god, it will not be a joke."
Lin Zhao smiled, "Elder, hasn't this Taoist priest prayed for rain more than once or twice? Has it rained yet?"
"This..."
A middle-aged farmer frowned and said, "Old Father Wang, this young hero's words seem to make sense. The Taoist priest's last two prayers didn't even bring a single drop of rain, but they did consume a lot of our town's gold and silver. This time, we are even going to sacrifice human lives to the river god. Poor Xiao Yin Feng is only eight years old. If she is gone, how will Yin Feng's mother live?"
The old village chief looked hesitant.
Lin Zhao cupped his fists and smiled, "If you release the young girl, I am willing to pray for rain for the town, and I guarantee that it will rain immediately."
"What a boast!"
The Taoist priest was unhappy. Seeing someone threatening his livelihood, his expression became quite ferocious. "This humble Taoist is a disciple of the orthodox lineage of Wufeng Mountain. I have great attainments in praying for rain and warding off evil. Kid, what are you to dare to speak so boldly here? If you cannot summon rain, how about we drown you to sacrifice to the river god?!"
"Alright!"
Lin Zhao smiled slightly and said, "Everyone has heard it. This Taoist priest wants to bet with me. If I cannot summon rain, I will be drowned to sacrifice to the river god. If I can summon rain, he will be drowned to sacrifice to the river god. He said it himself."
The villagers all nodded. The village chief also said, "Young hero, can you really summon rain?"
"Release her first."
"Good!"
Immediately, several young and strong men from the town rushed into the river and rescued the girl bound to the raft. After coming ashore, the girl threw herself into her mother's arms, then came before Lin Zhao and knelt repeatedly, kowtowing. Lin Zhao hastily helped them up, unable to accept such great gratitude. Then, he took out three talismans for summoning rain from his embrace and instantly burned them. Instantly, three streams of scholarly saintly aura surged into the sky. In a moment, the vast blue sky turned overcast, and then a heavy rain poured down.
The crowd did not avoid the rain. Many farmers opened their mouths to catch the rain, laughing heartily. The crops were saved. If not for this heavy rain, the rice in the fields would have been a complete failure.
"Guards."
Lin Zhao pointed at the Taoist priest and said, "Tie him up and drown him in the river."
The Taoist priest was furious. "You... On what grounds do you kill me?"
"On what grounds?"
Lin Zhao stared at him and said, "You dare to perform rituals to pray for rain with such meager skills? Not only can you not bring rain, but you also want to sacrifice living people to the river god? If the world were full of charlatans like you, who knows how many innocent lives would be harmed by you."
"You are the cheat, you are the cheat!"
At the brink of death, the Taoist priest cursed loudly.
Lin Zhao frowned, suddenly raised his hand, and pointed. Instantly, a Great Desolate Ancient Sword shot out from the spiritual void and hovered "buzzing" in front of the Taoist priest's forehead. With a single thought from Lin Zhao, the Taoist priest would surely die.
"Ah!?"
A teacher from the town exclaimed in shock, "This young hero... He is... He is a Sword Immortal!"
"Sword Immortal!"
A crowd of villagers knelt down, and even the village chief knelt.
Lin Zhao scratched his head, unable to stand such a scene. He quickly helped the old village chief up and said, "Elder, this Taoist priest has no real skill. He is just a charlatan who cheats people out of money, which is fine. But he even wants to take a life... Anyway, I'll leave this Taoist priest to you to deal with. I've said all there is to say."
"Yes, Sword Immortal..."
The old village chief nodded repeatedly.
"What Sword Immortal? I'm just a wandering swordsman."
Lin Zhao took the donkey and was about to leave with Qing Yan.
"The Sword Immortal is leaving!"
A farmer said, "What are you waiting for? Everyone, bring whatever good food you have to the Sword Immortal!"
Thus, when Lin Zhao left the town, the baggage on the donkey's back was filled with many things: fruits, eggs, and some potatoes. The town had suffered from drought and crop failure for years, and this was all they could offer. Moreover, Lin Zhao could not refuse, as the farmers would roll up their sleeves and fight the Sword Immortal if he did.
...
"Wow..."
Qing Yan looked at the donkey laden with food and said with a smile, "Brother, with so much good stuff, it should be enough to eat for a lifetime."
"How can it be enough for a lifetime?"
"It is enough!!"
"Alright, it's enough..."
Lin Zhao led the donkey, leaving in the rain with Qing Yan. Qing Yan, holding an oil-paper umbrella given by the old village chief, was like a fairy in the rain, truly a beautiful maiden.