Chapter 20 Master Danyang

When he saw these two things crawling in front of the constantly twisting Master Danyang, Li Huowang had a speculation in his heart. "Are these two things here to help him find alchemy ingredients?"

As he thought this, Li Huowang saw Master Danyang bend down, grab a handful of mud from the ground, stuff it into his mouth, and then start babbling at the two clumps of things.

The voice was strange, sounding nothing like what a human could produce, but the two things seemed to understand, bobbing up and down once before quickly dispersing.

With their departure, everything that had been darkly twisting and turning gradually returned to normal.

"Kid, don't worry, although the things in the Heavenly Book are hard to get, they are not beyond your master's reach. I still have connections outside," Master Danyang said proudly.

"That's right, Master is about to become an immortal; there's probably nothing in the world that would be too difficult for you! But Master, what was that just now?"

"Humph, kid, you still have a lot to learn. That thing is what they call 'Wandering Lord' in the Heavenly Book."

The past crises had always kept Li Huowang on edge, and he had never had time to ponder one question, what kind of world was this place after all.

Whatever the Grandmother or the Wandering Lord, none of them seemed like ordinary things.

If it weren't for the fact that he had eaten normal pork and sheep's head during meals, he really would have thought there was not a single normal creature in this world.

"Hey, this thing is a real treasure. I went through a lot of trouble to snatch it," Master Danyang said as he returned the copper bell to his sleeve.

"Snatch?"

"Of course snatch. Will others give it to you for free? Humph! What to do if we don't have what others have? Snatch!"

"This is something I learned when a beggar older than me snatched a stale mantou from my hands when I was five."

"When I was young, I snatched wives, horses, silver, later I snatched cultivation techniques, magic artifacts, disciples, and even the whole Qingfeng Taoist Temple was snatched by me! Did that clay statue of the ancestor say anything? Humph."

"Kid, you better listen when adults are talking, I'm teaching you to be good. Do you understand? I'm telling you this because I consider you my own," Master Danyang continued with a hint of pride on his face.

"But Master, what if I can't snatch it?"

"Can't snatch it? Can't you team up to snatch? Why is that literate brain of yours so dull? If you can't snatch it with a team, then drug 'em, if drugs don't work, play dirty!!"

In just a few sentences, Li Huowang knew the way this scabby-headed person handled things, and he realized why this guy's methods were never straightforward—it seemed everything he had was snatched, one hammer blow at a time.

"Master... Master knows how to live."

"Humph! So what if I'm illiterate? So what if I lack insight? They call me heterodox and say I lack Daoist integrity. Once I become immortal, I'll lift the eyelids of those guys and let them see who lacks insight now! Who lacks Daoist integrity!" Master Danyang said this with a gnashing expression, his ugly face full of malice.

Li Huowang didn't know who those people were, but he was certain that there was a deep grudge between them.

In the time that followed, Li Huowang lived with Master Danyang, dedicating himself to working out the method for becoming an immortal described in the Heavenly Book.

During this time, Li Huowang also secretly made continuous improvements, making the entire method for becoming an immortal seem increasingly credible.

The things Li Huowang spoke of were soon brought in.

Looking at the giant grey-white slippery body covered in black down, and beside it, a shapeless cluster of black blisters emitting a faint, indistinct light.

Li Huowang, other than being disgusted by these things, was amazed at Master Danyang's strength to actually be able to acquire them.

"Master, shall we begin the alchemy?" Li Huowang asked.

"No rush, there's still some time before the New Year. Come on, let's go have our New Year's Eve dinner first."

Master Danyang's words surprised Li Huowang. Why were they suddenly having New Year's Eve dinner? Was there a connection between the two?

Though he was puzzled, when he saw Master Danyang standing up to leave the Alchemy Room, Li Huowang hurried to follow.

When they arrived at the dining cave, the other disciples had already gathered. When he mentioned the other disciples, in fact, it was just Changren, Changming, and Xuan Yuan.

As soon as he saw the somewhat empty round table, Master Danyang's face instantly darkened, "Why haven't you set places for the deceased disciples? Set them up now! Let's welcome them back for the New Year."

Before long, when all the deceased disciples had their own bowls and utensils, the round table looked full and bustling.

Master Danyang, now displaying a satisfied smile, nodded and retook his seat at the head of the table, with Li Huowang to his right. The other side was left empty for Zhengkun. "Come on, bring out the dumplings."

A pot of steaming dumplings was carried over by apprentices, the aromatic scent wafting about. They carefully ladled the dumplings into everyone's bowls, including those of the deceased.

"Hehehe, it's New Year's. Everyone relax a bit and eat your fill." Although he said this, including the four people including Li Huowang, waited for him to start eating before they began.

Master Danyang picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a white dumpling, and popped it into his mouth, closing his eyes in bliss as he chewed, "Mmm~ pork lard and chive filling, delicious! Oh! What's this? A Wen Money? A good omen indeed, hahaha."

Li Huowang stared at the dumplings in his bowl for a long while before ferociously devouring them.

Master Danyang watched Li Huowang eating his dumplings with great gusto. "You've encountered good times indeed, getting to eat such delicious dumplings."

"When I was your age, I didn't even know what dumplings looked like, just heard about how tasty they were. Hehe."

"One year during the New Year, I smelled the delicious scent from someone's house and barged in only to discover that this was what dumplings looked like. At that time, I didn't even bother with the household's beautiful daughter, just chopped with a knife, sat dumbfounded on the kang bed, and ate two pounds of dumplings to the last one—just like the ones with pork lard and chive filling."

The other disciples sheepishly grinned along, while Li Huowang continued to wolf down his food.

Seeing the tears welling up in the corners of Li Huowang's eyes, Master Danyang carefully picked up his bowl and poured his own dumplings into Li Huowang's bowl. "Sigh, another child with a hard life. Eat slowly, don't choke."

Among the sounds of swallowing and the clinking of bowls and utensils, the New Year's Eve dinner for the five people came to a close.

Just when Li Huowang thought they were about to start alchemy, he saw Master Danyang pat his bald head and pull out a stack of red envelopes from his sleeve, distributing them beside Changming, Changren, and also beside the bowls of the deceased.

"Come on, it's the New Year; remember to place it under your pillow for good luck. Take care of them; when I was your age, I never got any New Year's money from my elders."

Master Danyang placed the last red envelope beside Zhengkun's bowl, then turned his head with a grin towards Li Huowang, "You don't need a red envelope. You and I, master and disciple, shall ascend to immortality together and enjoy a life as eternal as the heavens and earth!"

Li Huowang smiled, a very content smile. "Master speaks the truth."

"Let's go, back to the Alchemy Room, to start the alchemy! Kid, you'll be in charge of managing the fire!"

"Alright, Master!"