The Way of Spiritual Journey

Chapter 31, Different Appearances

Li Lang stood at the entrance of Qifeng Tower, touched the silver in his pocket and found it was still there, then stretched and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" At that moment, a silvery female voice rang in my ears.

Li Lang was startled. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was the beautiful woman from the palace.

"Hmm." Li Lang nodded in response, realizing he was blocking the way, and quickly moved aside.

"The master is asking you a question." Li Lang's attitude was very humble, but Miao Ren'er's maid was a bit overbearing.

The maid seemed to realize that Li Lang's humility stemmed from his unwillingness to interact with them, but that was wrong; whether he wanted to or not was up to them.

"Mm," Li Lang responded, but this time his tone was a little stiff. Since they weren't familiar with each other, there was no need to be overly polite.

"You?" The maid was stunned with anger, and stomped her foot, about to explode.

"Ping'er, don't be rude." The master merely glanced at the maid, who immediately lowered her head and stepped back.

"Young Master Bulang, I see you're still quite the rogue, daring to sell anything." The beautiful woman gave Li Lang a meaningful look, left behind an even more profound remark, and then turned and walked away without looking back.

"Are you crazy? This is ridiculous." Li Lang watched them disappear into the night, then muttered to himself before turning away in another direction without looking back.

"Little sister, I'll sit at the bow of the boat, and brother, you walk on the shore, hehe..." Li Lang squinted his eyes, humming a little tune all the way, shaking his head and thinking about the bountiful harvest of the night. He felt as happy as if he had drunk 1982 Longjing tea. The feeling was so refreshing!

"Bang!"

Li Lang had really gotten too cocky. A towering black figure blocked his path, but he didn't even look at it and just crashed into it.

Well, it was late at night, the road was dark, and the shadows were even darker. Li Lang didn't see them, his head was throbbing from the impact, and he was about to curse.

"Amitabha!" A deep Buddhist chant rang out. "The benefactor has bumped into this humble monk's chest."

Upon hearing this, Li Lang's anger flared up, and he cursed, "Damn it, it was your chest that bumped into my head!"

"Wait, why does that voice sound so familiar?" Li Lang wondered. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was none other than the Crouching Dragon Monk.

"Amitabha! How cruel you are, benefactor! You've already drunk our wine and made us take off our clothes, but in the end you've abandoned us, these lonely monks and nuns! Is there no justice left?" At this moment, another Taoist chant rang out, followed by a plaintive and tearful critique.

"Stop!" Upon hearing this, Li Lang panicked. Luckily it was nighttime; if it were broad daylight, he would have been blocked on the street by these two things.

With that combination of being sandwiched between them, and that operatic singing style, Li Lang's reputation will be ruined in no time. Forget about making money in the future; even if he were to beg for food, I doubt anyone would dare to associate with him.

"Who? Who said that?" Li Lang roared, venting his grievances. "Who said I don't care about you guys? You all eat more than pigs! If I don't go out and earn money, are you all just waiting to starve to death?"

Li Lang got angrier and angrier. These two were clearly drunk as dead pigs, so why were they like dog skin plasters that he couldn't shake off?

The angrier Li Lang got, the more he wanted to curse. Pointing at the two dogs, he unleashed a torrent of abuse, "Do you two have any conscience? Even if I've been raising that damn dog Wangcai for over a year for nothing, it wouldn't dare bark at me like that!"

"Woof woof."

As soon as he finished speaking, a white shadow darted out of the darkness and pounced into Li Lang's arms. At the same time, a monkey-like black shadow descended from the sky and landed on Li Lang's head.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the following days, several unfamiliar street urchins appeared on the streets of Dadu. They had nothing to do and spent their days wandering the streets, going wherever there was excitement.

Of course, there are many idle people on the streets of the capital, and no one pays attention to them, but they have their own unique characteristics.

The skinny man had a monkey perched on his shoulder, and the fat man was holding a dog on a leash. They followed closely behind a young man, never leaving his side.

The young man, with his extraordinary bearing and elegant demeanor, is Li Lang. The one leading the dog and carrying the monkey is naturally the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix.

Li Lang was also pitiful. In the past few days, he had tried every possible method. No matter how fast he ran or how winding the alleys he traversed, the Crouching Dragon and the Phoenix Chick would be waiting for him with anticipation on the next main street.

"Sigh, these two kids are quite pitiful. Let's just leave it at that." In the end, Li Lang sighed and chose to compromise.

Time flies, and it's lunchtime again. Li Lang rushed into a restaurant, with Zhuge Liang and Feng Chu following closely behind.

"This shouldn't be happening. It's been three days, and the Shi family hasn't made a move, nor has anyone announced that they've advanced to the Spirit Realm. Should we ask for the ten thousand taels of silver back, or not?" In the private room on the second floor, Li Lang stared at a house not far away outside the window and muttered to himself.

The Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix couldn't understand what Li Lang was saying at all. Of course, they didn't care about that either; all they cared about now was the lavishness of their lunch.

Specialty dishes must be served, and braised beef knuckle is a must. Vegetables are optional, but they're all too much to handle. No alcohol, though. That's the only shortcoming.

Since that night, Zhuge Liang and Feng Chu have given up drinking. They need to keep their minds clear and ensure that Li Lang is always within their sight.

They had even changed out of their cassocks and Taoist robes in order to minimize the number of onlookers and prevent Li Lang from having the opportunity to slip away.

Of course, Li Lang was responsible for all the expenses for meals and changing clothes.

It has to be said that Li Lang is quite good at spending money. Every time he pays the bill, he does so with such ease and never hesitates.

In his words, money is a bastard, and it's a bastard not to spend money.

Li Lang stared motionlessly out the window, seemingly lost in thought.

The Crouching Dragon and the Phoenix Chick had already started eating. They were really hungry. They had been strolling around the streets all morning, and if they didn't replenish their energy, they might not be able to do their work well in the afternoon.

"Clang!"

Just as the Crouching Dragon and the Phoenix Chick were enjoying their meal, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open.

Two burly men strode in, followed by a young man.

Li Lang looked up, first stunned, then overjoyed.

"Haha, Young Master Shi, you've finally shown up. Was the moon-viewing experience wonderful?" Li Lang laughed and quickly stood up to greet him.

He was genuinely happy, after all, he still had to collect a debt of ten thousand taels of silver from this person. Therefore, Li Lang's wish for Young Master Shi to be safe and happy was heartfelt.

Shi Butong remained silent, his face ashen, his eyes fixed on Li Lang, as if boundless rage was about to erupt within him.

"Young Master Shi, is something wrong?" Li Lang asked tentatively, looking at Shi Butong's state.

Shi Butong remained silent, staring blankly at Li Lang. His murderous gaze conveyed a clear message: "You'd better find somewhere secluded."