"You’re talking about the Stone-to-Gold Technique, that’s an incredibly powerful spell, but I don’t know it," Li Yi shook his head and said.
"Stone-to-Gold, you really dare to think about it. You greedy fellow, step aside. The Daoist’s spells are not for you to witness. If you anger the master, be careful you’ll be turned into a stone and stand there, enduring the elements for life."
Old Liu shouted, not wanting others to provoke this Daoist. Although he couldn’t see what skills this Daoist had, handling a few of them on their journey was a piece of cake.
The person shut up regretfully after being reprimanded.
Li Yi suddenly looked to the side and asked, "Why are there two people hiding behind the divine statue, afraid to come out?"
Old Liu showed a subtle change in expression, eyeing in surprise.
Those two hid so well, without a trace of movement, yet were seen through with a single glance. This Daoist really had some skills.
"Daoist, those are two women. They saw the Daoist coming this way and thought it was a bad person, so I had them hide," Old Liu immediately said, "I was so focused on chatting with the Daoist that I forgot about it, truly sorry, nearly causing a misunderstanding."
He then immediately stood up and walked towards the back of the divine statue.
Old Liu brought those two women out.
One was a woman in her early thirties, the other an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl. They were travel-worn, with incense ash smeared on their faces, looking disheveled and very nervous.
"Greetings Daoist." When they saw Li Yi, their eyes couldn’t help but brighten.
Unexpectedly, the Daoist who suddenly appeared was so tall and handsome, no wonder he was mistaken for a forest spirit monster. Such looks appearing in the wilderness indeed caused suspicion.
Li Yi smiled slightly and nodded, "This poor Daoist is Taiyi, pleased to meet you."
The two women hastily returned the gesture, then sat quietly to the side, occasionally glancing over as if very curious about Li Yi.
"Traveling as women is not easy, as their guide, I must ensure they leave this area safely. Forest creatures are no big deal; it’s the unpredictable human nature that’s most worrying." Old Liu said while adding firewood to the pile.
"That makes sense," Li Yi replied.
Old Liu said, "Dear guests, it’s getting late. After a day of travel, rest well. I’ll keep watch, but don’t sleep too deeply, if anything happens I’ll wake you immediately."
"With you keeping watch, I’m relieved. Daoist, I won’t disturb you any further, I’ll get some rest," the scholar Lu Yue yawned, sounding rather tired.
The other two companions closed the doors and windows, then laid some hay by the fire and went to sleep.
Although everyone was curious to see Li Yi perform a spell, they saw Li Yi had no such intention and simply dropped the idea, opting to sleep early and rise early to embark in good spirits the next day.
Seeing they had all settled in.
Old Liu cautiously asked, "Daoist, do you think tonight will be peaceful?"
Li Yi looked around, perceiving the surrounding atmosphere, he smiled, "Not exactly peaceful."
Old Liu’s heart sank, "Earlier, when the incense at the Mountain God Temple went out I had a bad feeling. Daoist, how do we get through tonight?"
Though not fully trusting this Daoist Li Yi, he was still humble in seeking advice.
"Just sleep normally. Meeting is fate; if forest creatures come to disrupt, I shall act," Li Yi said.
"Thank you, Daoist, for your help."
Old Liu said, removing a gourd from his waist, "Daoist, the night is chilly, please accept this rice wine as a humble offering, I hope you don’t mind."
Li Yi smiled gently, not refusing as he took it, "Sure, sure."
He wasn’t coveting others’ wine; receiving it was about putting their minds at ease.
Sure enough, Old Liu felt much more at ease and got up to fetch some bundles of dry wood he had prepared earlier, planning to sit around the fire for the night.
"Daoist, you should rest first. I’ll watch, should anything arise, it’ll not be too late for assistance."
Li Yi was not sleepy, but he didn’t refuse the goodwill, moving away from the fire to sit in a secluded corner. He then closed his eyes, guided his Qi-Blood, trying to locate the fourteenth acupoint, laying a foundation for his next step in cultivation.
After all, cultivation was one of the main reasons for his coming to this world.
The Mountain God Temple quickly quieted down, and outside, the sky had entirely darkened, with occasional mountain winds wafting damp cold air inside.
Old Liu huddled to make himself warmer, adding some logs to make the inside cozier.
In the first half of the night, everything was fine.
Everyone peacefully fell asleep one by one, even Old Liu started to doze off.
However, around midnight.
A small, thin figure suddenly darted from the nearby woods, attracted by certain energies towards the Mountain God Temple. The figure circled around, lingered before the incense-strewn entrance yet dared not approach. Finally, it stopped by a window.
There was no incense ash at the window.
Quickly, the figure bit through the window paper, sticking in half its head.