The Terrifying Path of Immortal Cultivation

Li Qing heard this and looked at Wang Laohan, saying, "Are you sure?"

Wang Laohan nodded earnestly, "Yes, I have been to Longdao City at least a hundred times, and there has never been a problem."

"This official road is the main passage to Longdao City. The officials and soldiers sweep it regularly every year, so there are no bandits or mountain thieves."

Li Qing pondered for a moment upon hearing this, looked at the old horse pulling the carriage through the wind and rain, and indeed, it was very difficult.

Shaking his head slightly, he muttered, "Alright, let's go there!"

In his heart, he thought to himself, "It's a good opportunity to test whether I have a jinxed constitution."

"If I am sure that I have a jinxed constitution, I will not go to places like mountain temples and forests in the future."

Li Qing muttered to himself in his heart.

Wang Laohan smiled and said, "Alright, Mr. Li, please have a seat!"

"Drive..."

The old horse knew the way. Although it was rainy and gloomy, they still accurately arrived outside the temple in the dim evening light.

"Mr. Li, we have arrived!"

"You go in first, I will go and put the carriage away."

Li Qing got off the carriage, and Wang Laohan led the carriage around to the back of the temple, where there seemed to be a dilapidated stable.

Li Qing entered the mountain temple, where there was a mud statue of a mountain god, which seemed to be a woman, just a clay sculpture.

The mountain temple seemed quite clean, with not too much clutter on the ground.

In one corner of the mountain temple, there were many dry firewood piled up, obviously brought by those who stayed here during the day.

This was a customary practice for travelers passing by the mountain temple. After lighting the firewood, they should replenish it, making it convenient for later travelers.

This established custom allowed everyone to benefit, embodying a sense of mutual help and cooperation.

Not long after Li Qing entered the temple, Wang Laohan had already come in.

He was holding a torch and said to Li Qing, "Mr. Li, please have a seat for a while. I will make a fire."

With that, he quickly brought a pile of firewood from the corner and set up a bonfire.

As the bonfire burned, the entire temple became bright.

In the dim light of the fire, the mountain god statue seemed to become slightly eerie.

Wang Laohan said in a low voice, "Mr. Li, we may have to make do tonight. As for dry rations, I brought some flatbreads. Would that be acceptable to you?"

Li Qing looked at the somewhat reserved Wang Laohan and smiled, taking out a piece of dried meat from his sleeve.

"I have some dried meat here, we can cook it together."

Wang Laohan was surprised to see the dried meat on Li Qing's arm.

Dried meat was not cheap. This one looked like it weighed at least two catties, probably around four catties before drying.

In the market, a catty of meat could sell for at least 50 yuan, which was 200 wen.

In the current Great Tang Dynasty, 200 wen was equivalent to four qian of silver.

Wang Laohan quickly took the dried meat and went back to the carriage to get cooking utensils.

He collected some rainwater in an iron pot and placed it on the bonfire to boil.

The dried meat and flatbreads were cut into strips by Wang Laohan and put into the boiling water to simmer slowly.

It was already good to have something warm to eat in this weather.

A pot of meat porridge made from flatbreads and dried meat was quickly ready.

Wang Laohan served Li Qing a bowl, saying, "Mr. Li, dinner is ready."

Li Qing took the large bowl, smelled the aroma of the meat porridge, and showed a satisfied expression on his face.

The sound of the two of them eating echoed in the spacious mountain temple, while outside, there was only the endless sound of rain, creating a peculiar sense of loneliness spreading.

Clatter clatter.

The sound of footsteps outside.

Bang!

The sound of the mountain temple being pushed open, and a cold wind blew in.

Several figures cursed as they walked in.

"Damn it! It's raining so heavily all of a sudden!"

"I'm freezing to death!" a rough voice exclaimed.

Three rough men walked in, with knives hanging from their waists. They did not look like ordinary people, but rather martial artists from the jianghu.

The three men glanced at Li Qing and Wang Laohan in the temple, then walked to the side.

They skillfully took out firewood from the corner and lit another bonfire on the other side, then took off their clothes and started roasting by the fire.

One of them took out a package of oil-paper-wrapped meat cakes. They each roasted them by the fire and ate them with cold water.

After eating, the three men felt slightly satisfied.

"Finally coming back to life, this damn weather!" the leader, a burly man with a beard, grumbled angrily.

The other two men were slightly leaner, with ordinary looks that would not attract much attention on the road.

Li Qing and Wang Laohan did not say anything, as they were all seeking shelter, and keeping a distance was the best option.

Not long after the three men entered, another group of people rushed in. Two burly men led the way, followed by four people dressed in colorful clothes.

Two of them were elderly women, who seemed to be servants. There was also a beautiful young lady and a slightly delicate maid.

Finally, there were two servants in gray clothes. This was obviously a wealthy household.

The two burly men were strong and powerful. They were taken aback when they saw the two groups of people in the temple, but quickly began to act. The women and servants started cleaning a corner of the ground, while the two guards held their knives, vigilantly watching the others.

The originally quiet mountain temple suddenly became lively.

The three groups of people tacitly did not speak to each other, but each did their own thing.

The wealthy household's dining setup was very exquisite. The women, maids, and servants set up a dining table with white cloth and small tables.

Several delicate dry rations and desserts were placed on the table, along with a pot of hot tea.

The young lady sat there, exuding an air of elegance, enjoying the meal alone, while the others quietly nibbled on their dry rations.

Li Qing found this scene somewhat interesting and thought to himself, "Is this what ancient wealthy households are like? They can eat so well even while traveling."

"What's even more impressive is that these people don't show the slightest complaint, just quietly eating their own dry rations."

Li Qing keenly felt the class disparity that permeated every corner of this world.

The three martial artists from the jianghu, on the other side, looked at the wealthy household with a hint of disdain and jealousy on their faces.

Everyone wants to be someone important, but not everyone has the opportunity.

Half an hour passed quickly, and everyone had finished their breakfast and lay down to rest in their respective areas.

The atmosphere around them quickly dimmed, becoming extremely quiet, with only the crackling of the bonfire and the sound of rain.

Li Qing leaned against the wall, not liking to have his back to others.

Lying on a pile of thatch, he closed his eyes slightly, silently reciting the "Myriad Laws of Heaven and Earth Mortal Dao Body Incantation," and circulating the Essence Qi within his body.

Time passed quickly, and it was already late at night. Everyone in the temple was snoring lightly.

There were people from the wealthy household and the group of martial artists from the jianghu taking turns keeping watch, while Li Qing and Wang Laohan were sleeping "soundly."

"Hoo hoo~"