Chapter 35: Confusion

"Dad! Dad! Look, braised pork belly! Braised pork belly!" Scholar Lu, with a lion's head meatball still in his mouth, stared intently at the platter being served.

As soon as the greasy braised pork belly was placed on the table, six or seven pairs of chopsticks immediately darted towards it. By the time the chopsticks retreated, not even a speck of the preserved mustard greens underneath remained.

"Look at you all, eating like starving ghosts! Slow down, anyone would think the Lu family has no manners!"

"Dad, forget manners. We don't even get to eat this well during the New Year. And look at the fatty meat on your chopsticks, you're eating no less than us!" The youngest son's teasing earned him a tap on the head with a chopstick.

Seeing his younger brother get hit, the official Lu swallowed his mouthful of food and began to intercede, "Dad, just let everyone eat. We suffered quite a bit last night to earn this meal."

At his words, the relief of having narrowly escaped death appeared in the eyes of everyone who was wolfing down their food.

Last night was truly terrifying. The master and the demon were battling below, and they, performing on the stage, almost wet their pants from fright.

Immediately afterwards, they all instinctively looked towards the front of the house, at Li Huowang, who was lost in thought while gazing at the sky.

A trace of reverence involuntarily entered everyone's gaze. If not for this master last night, they probably wouldn't be eating this meal today.

This young Taoist priest, despite his age and smooth face, was truly extraordinary.

However, when another servant brought in more dishes, their attention immediately shifted again.

"Hey! There's chicken! Look! Roast chicken!" Pairs of chopsticks hovered eagerly above the round table, like flicking snake tongues.

Just as the chopsticks were about to tear the chicken apart, an old, well-worn tobacco pipe blocked the way. "Everyone stop! Don't touch this chicken! I'm going to invite the young Taoist priest to eat with us."

"Dad, don't bother. Taoists don't eat meat. You'd be making the master break his vows."

"Nonsense! Monks are the ones who don't eat meat! I'm telling you now, if I come back and see even a bit of skin missing from this chicken, you'll be in for it!"

After glaring fiercely at his most restless youngest son, Grand Scholar Lu wiped his greasy mouth with his hand, then vigorously wiped it under the table, and turned to walk towards Li Huowang.

"Young Taoist priest, heh heh heh, young Taoist priest?" Grand Scholar Lu, his face crinkled with wrinkles, spoke with utmost cordiality.

"Young Taoist priest, you've been busy all night. Why don't you join us for a meal? Look, the dishes the Hu family prepared are all hearty and rich."

Li Huowang, who had been deep in thought, turned to look at him. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Band Leader Lu, you saw those memorial tablets fall down on their own, didn't you? That scene wasn't just my hallucination, was it?"

"Oh, young Taoist priest, how would I know? I don't have your abilities, so I wouldn't dare look around. This old man kept his eyes closed and sang on the stage the whole time."

Li Huowang sighed softly. He recalled the faint words he had heard in his ear, faint but unmistakable. It was the voice of his master, Dan Yangzi, the only one in both worlds who called him "child."

Logically, hearing his master's voice again should have made him extremely nervous, but Li Huowang was instead lost in confusion, because he couldn't even trust himself.

"I'm mentally ill, and severely so. If it's because I haven't eaten the Black Grand Elder, and my condition has relapsed, causing slight auditory hallucinations, then it's perfectly normal."

"But those suddenly fallen memorial tablets, and the abruptly appearing and disappearing Joy God... none of that can be explained either. Could it be..."

Li Huowang remembered Dan Yangzi's bizarre physical transformation before his death, and his expression turned grim. "Could he actually have... become an immortal?!"

"No! Dan Yangzi couldn't have become an immortal. The immortal cultivation technique and inner elixir he supposedly used were clearly something I just made up on a whim. How could randomly fabricated nonsense help someone become an immortal? Or perhaps what he became wasn't an immortal at all!"

But if he wasn't an immortal, what exactly did he become? Why was he pestering him? A hint of fierce irritation appeared on Li Huowang's face.

"Young Taoist priest? What are you thinking about? We're all family now, if you have any difficulties, just say the word."

Grand Scholar Lu's words brought Li Huowang back to reality. He took a deep breath and made up his mind: "Regardless of whether it's true or false, I don't have many options right now. First, I'll go to the so-called Xijing City and look for the Buddhist temple Grand Scholar Lu mentioned. If it's real, they might know something. I still understand too little about this world."

"Band Leader Lu, it's nothing important, just some trivial thoughts. Let's go eat."

Hearing Li Huowang's words, Grand Scholar Lu nodded repeatedly with joy. The two turned and walked towards the dining table inside.

When they reached the table, Grand Scholar Lu's expression instantly froze. He saw that, apart from the roast chicken, all the other dishes on the table had been licked clean, so clean that the plates wouldn't even need washing.

"Ah, that was satisfying! Even the Emperor himself probably doesn't enjoy meals like this." Scholar Lu, his mouth glistening with oil, leaned back lazily in his chair and unfastened his waistband.

Grand Scholar Lu gave Li Huowang an awkward smile. Unable to erupt in front of an outsider, he could only present the roast chicken with both hands, placing it in front of Li Huowang. "Young Taoist priest, this chicken is quite plump. I'm truly sorry for the unsightly display."

Li Huowang smiled, picked up his chopsticks, tore off a piece of chicken, and put it in his mouth. "It's fine, the chicken is quite tasty too."

After only a few bites, a group of people walked through the long corridor and entered the house. Leading them was Grand Scholar Lu's employer, Hu Jianghe.

"Excellent, excellent, the ancestors were extremely pleased. The incense and candles on the table were consumed completely; this is a good sign!"

Hearing the praise, Grand Scholar Lu, beaming, quickly replied humbly, "It's my duty, it's my duty. It's just what this old man is supposed to do."

"Band Leader Lu, if you ever pass this way again, you must come to our Hu family for tea," Hu Jianghe said politely.

As he spoke, a sturdy man beside Hu Jianghe presented a tray covered with a red cloth. When the red cloth was lifted, ten gleaming silver ingots were neatly arranged on it.

"Here are the ten taels of silver we agreed upon. Please take them."

"Oh, thank you, Master Hu, for the reward! Rest assured, Master Hu, as long as there's work, and as long as a reliable person sends word, our Lu family troupe will rush over as quickly as possible, no matter where we are."

After Master Hu left, the Lu family gathered around the tray, their eyes watering with desire as they gazed at the silver ingots.

Just as Scholar Lu was about to reach out and touch the largest sum of money he had ever seen in his life, his hand was swatted away by an old tobacco pipe.

Grand Scholar Lu first took out four ingots from the tray and tucked them into his pocket. He looked at the remaining six, his eyes showing strong reluctance.

But in the end, he put on a smile again, carrying the silver ingots, and approached Li Huowang, who was still eating.

"Heh heh heh, come, young Taoist priest, we agreed on six for you and four for me. This is your share."