The seafood soup in the small copper pot bubbled, emitting a rich yet not overpowering aroma, as four men sat in a circle, staring blankly at the stove fire beneath the pot.
The Little Sister was cooking in the kitchen; until she joined the table, the men could only chat to pass the time.
Li Dingxun, with a borrowed Daoist robe tied around his waist and his upper body bare, looked like a glistening, honey-glazed roast in the firelight.
He didn't mind his appearance, and enduring his hunger, he turned to the Daoist and asked, "Why do you call me the 'Enemy of Ten Thousand Men'?"
"It's spread throughout the Pure Land; the eldest son of the Lion Appearance Sect Master bravely ventured into the Dragon's Den and is now missing," the Daoist said urgently. "What you did was simply too—too amazing! You pacified an entire sect by yourself! Hey! Only the Buddhist Son of old could achieve such a feat. Because of this, our Ran Mountain even made an exception and set aside our grievances with your Lion Appearance Sect. Lord Qinglang specifically divined a hexagram for you, determining that your life is not yet over. Haha, your parents have been staying with us for the past three months, demanding daily that we calculate your whereabouts, and causing a huge fuss when we can't."
The Daoist slurped, unable to suppress his drool. "Your fate is very peculiar; even Lord Qinglang couldn't see through it. It seems your previous life must have been extraordinary. My Master said he knows you. More than ten years ago, he went to Guangdong to play and was caught by a disciple of the Lion Appearance Sect to tell a child's fortune—that was you! But…"
Li Dingxun made an "Oh" sound, remembering the scruffy old Daoist from his full-moon celebration who had said Li Dingxun was a descended Broken Army Star.
The young Daoist gave an awkward laugh. "But my Master said you are a Lone Star of Calamity, destined for an early death."
The old man beside them widened his eyes like an ox. Could such inauspicious words be spoken directly to someone's face?
Bai Zimo stared at Li Dingxun's pensive expression, and couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for his friend. If this peerless strongman felt offended, they would all surely die.
However, Li Dingxun was actually marveling at the concept of fate, which was indeed wonderfully unpredictable. The Lion Appearance Sect and Ran Mountain could be considered arch-rivals, yet coincidental stories often happen between rivals.
The Daoist continued to chatter incessantly.
The Little Sister had already emerged with the cutting board. With honored guests, naturally, more dishes were added: six hot dishes, two cold dishes, and one soup.
Wine-Seared Lobster, Soy-Fried Diced Chicken, Steamed Pork with Preserved Vegetables, Huadiao Wine Strange-Flavor Fish, Steamed Crab, and Fish-Fragrant Tofu.
Braised Bamboo Shoots with Clear Offerings, and Cold Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms.
Song Sao Fish Soup.
The Daoist cupped his drool with his sleeve, unable to stop exclaiming, "Oh my! Fu Xixi, Little Sister, is truly a merciful Bodhisattva! So abundant!"
The Little Sister kicked the lazy young Daoist, "Move over a bit, someone needs to sit down." Then she gently sat beside Li Dingxun, her eyes sparkling like stars, "Big Brother, would you like to try my cooking?"
The Daoist pouted, picking up a piece of Huadiao Wine Strange-Flavor Fish—it was really sour!
Bai Zimo calmly and naturally poured wine for everyone. He hadn't intended to pour for the Little Sister, but the girl directly brought her bowl to the edge of the jar, so he had no choice but to pour her a bowl.
After pouring for everyone, Bai Zimo was about to raise his bowl for a toast, but the Little Sister unexpectedly stood up directly.
"Ooh-hoo, I, Fu Xixi, am here to toast you all!" The Little Sister held her wine bowl above her eyebrows, her bright, sparkling eyes faintly visible at the bottom of the bowl. "The first bowl is for our Brother Li! A heroic and mighty Enemy of Ten Thousand Men!"
Li Dingxun smiled freely, "To Fu Xixi, Little Sister, for her skillful hands, beautiful heart, and kindness in taking me in. I will surely repay you in the future."
The Daoist frowned, his expression twisted. The Little Sister had never been so enthusiastic towards him… and also, this strange-flavor fish was really sour!
Everyone drank it down. Bai Zimo continued pouring wine without stopping.
"The second bowl is for my Grandfather, wishing you good health and longevity!"
The old man's eyes darted around, unconsciously looking at Li Dingxun, though he spoke clearly, "A young lady should take care of herself first. This old man is doing just fine."
Again, they drank it all down, and again, the wine was poured.
Fu Xixi's face was rosy, with a thin layer of sweat on her fine downy hair, looking like a polished pink pearl. "The third bowl, to the Peaceful Daoist and Brother Bai, for helping each other, brothers for life!"
The Daoist's mouth was still sharp, "Oh oh oh, so when it comes to us two brothers, we're together now, huh? How perfunctory."
Though he said this, his eyes were full of smiles. The strange-flavor fish was indeed strange; after its sourness came a sweet aftertaste.
Fu Xixi swallowed the last sip of wine and immediately sat down, shaking her head like a rattle drum. "No more, no more! I'm drunk!" Then she changed her sitting posture, hugging her legs, resting her chin on her knees, and tilting her head to watch Li Dingxun eat, lost in her own thoughts.
After three bowls of wine, the Daoist finally washed away the taste in his mouth, rekindling his curiosity, and began asking questions left and right.
"Young Sect Master Li, can you tell us what you've been doing these past three months?"
Li Dingxun chewed slowly, his tone calm as he replied, "Sleeping."
"Where?"
"At the bottom of the sea."
Everyone's eyes widened. Sleeping at the bottom of the sea?
"Ha, very creative," the Daoist said awkwardly. "You didn't wake up the whole time?"
"No, I had a long dream."
"So, what do you plan to do next?"
"Explore the Realm of Extinction overseas and see The Ends of the Earth."
The old man gave a dry laugh. "If our honored guest wishes to go to the Realm of Extinction, this old man's small boat might not be up to the task."
"It's fine, I will go on my own."
As soon as he said this, the smile on the old man's face brightened.
Everyone continued to eat and drink, a slow meal with gradual sips, consuming five jars of yellow wine and one jar of distilled spirits. The old man, feigning inability to hold his liquor, called the Little Sister to return to the back room to sleep, and he himself lay down on a plank bed in the corner. Before long, the swordsman said he had eaten and drunk his fill, and also escaped to a plank bed to meditate.
On the tablecloth, leftover food and cold dishes remained; by the edge of the tablecloth, two men continued to drink.
The Daoist stared intently at the faint charcoal fire beneath the copper pot, still holding his bowl and pouring it into his mouth. Li Dingxun was unhurried, taking a sip of wine and picking up a piece of cold dish.
The sea after the storm was as calm as a corpse, its salty smell transformed, like agarwood mixed with decaying wood.
Three months.
… …
Countless eyes.
So many eyes that they caused genuine dizziness, terror, and nausea; they were distributed in the darkness, on flesh, in the withered bone forest of the shadowy wilderness, in every crevice, non-crevice, everywhere there should be eyes, and everywhere there shouldn't.
These were all illusions. Li Dingxun walked on the semi-dry, semi-wet mud, layers of sludge clinging to the soles of his feet, drying and hardening. There were also pebbles and insects in the mud.
Walking in an unclean place.
The omnipresent eyeballs around him emitted a very stingy light, completely failing to illuminate the path, and seemed to be distributed unusually evenly, causing Li Dingxun to almost lose his direction.
He knew he had to get out of here, he had to leave.
Each step covered the same distance, as if a ruler measured his stride.
Ignoring the malice of those eyeballs, it was actually no different from walking on the firmament.
Li Dingxun walked in silence.
He slowly realized this wasn't working.
If one step took half a second.
His journey had already lasted longer than the history of human origin.
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