bestfiction Chapter 2: One person attains enlightenment, chickens and dogs ascend to heaven
Chapter 2: One person attains enlightenment, chickens and dogs ascend to heaven
The Gao family members enthusiastically surrounded their second master. Even the lowest-ranking servants stood tall on the periphery, their expressions arrogant, standing ramrod straight like imperial guards, as if to say: You high and mighty masters who wish to visit the immortals today must first pass through my gates.
The tense Gao family descendants gradually relaxed after the Second Master said, "Returning home in glory is like wearing brocade at night."
It's wonderful that Second Master Gao still cares about their family; the Gao family is destined for great success from now on.
Meanwhile, on the open ground outside, a large cauldron given by the immortal master had been set up. Immortal wood that had never been seen before and eerie blue flames were burning fiercely, and the huge dragon body was cut into large pieces and sent into the cauldron.
Dragon meat! I never even dared to dream of eating dragon meat in my entire life!
Master Gao is now going to share the food with everyone in the town!
The lion and dragon dance teams immediately changed costumes and performed around the fragrant pot, hoping to catch the eye of the immortal master.
Storytellers, sugar painting vendors, iron flower performers... they all set up their New Year's celebrations.
.......
As the sun gradually set behind the mountain, the fragrance grew stronger, spreading for miles.
Wild beasts appeared in the mountains, and birds lingered in the sky, unwilling to leave.
It wasn't all good. The dragon's blood had an extremely foul stench. With a wave of his hand, the High Immortal Master poured some of the dragon's blood into the Clear River. Instantly, a foul bloody smell rose up from the entire river. But thanks to this, the fish hiding at the bottom of the river surfaced one after another, and even some large fish from downstream went upstream to come here.
The common people couldn't bear to see this, so they caught more than a dozen large fish on the spot and cooked them separately...
When you are weak, even your very existence is a mistake.
Zhong Ming casually found a spot, and the basket that used to hold the mirror polishing bricks lost its "favor" and is now the exclusive space for sharpening knives.
Although Master Qingliu adopted a detached, spectator attitude towards the chefs' attempt to cut open the dragon meat with mortal weapons, the chefs' enthusiasm did not diminish in the slightest.
Since the immortal master invited us to eat meat, at least he thinks that mortals' teeth can bite into dragon meat. My precious knife can't cut raw meat, but it can't cut cooked meat, right?
Several families pulled Zhong Ming along, and the chefs of the wealthy households were all working hard, grinding the ingredients themselves and then asking Zhong Ming to grind them, but no matter how they ground them, they felt that they were not quite right.
Jin Facai was the only "lower class" who yelled at Zhong Ming. He didn't have many scruples. The old butcher would swing his cleaver and chop the big fish and wild animals that the townspeople caught. When he got tired of chopping, he would throw the cleaver to Zhong Ming and take out his own sharp knife to cut some meat for a while.
......
On the other hand, the "official" artist finally found a suitable place to put the immortal master, the dragon corpse, the big pot, the various wealthy families and the marquis into the frame, perfectly avoiding the commoners.
This is a major event that will be recorded in the local annals, so we'll have to put in our best effort.
Zhong Ming's vigorous knife-sharpening was half-framed, making it look like he was sitting on a stool, having an enthusiastic conversation with someone outside the frame, while Jin Facai and Chef Gao were already outside the frame.
Time passed slowly, and everyone subtly glanced at the Gao family. As soon as Master Qingliu spoke, everyone would instantly crowd towards the large cauldron.
Zhong Ming worked hard, and when he got tired, he would take a deep breath. The aroma of dragon meat would invigorate him, and he would throw himself back into his "money-making plan".
After an unknown amount of time, Zhong Ming did not notice the changes in the human wall around him. It wasn't until the Gao family announced that everyone would receive meat and everyone lined up in an orderly manner that he looked around again. The human wall was now completely solid, impenetrable to wind and water.
With no other option, Zhong Ming temporarily squatted outside and did some enjoyable things.
.....
One ounce, two ounces, three ounces...
Zhong Ming counted the silver until he couldn't hold it all in his hand; it was a full thirty taels and four mace of silver.
Several wealthy families were vying for priority knife sharpening, bidding up prices to an astonishing level, much like an auction.
Zhong Ming didn't realize it at first, but when everyone rushed away, he suddenly understood.
This is a display of wealth in front of the immortal master.
Counting money is so much fun!
For some reason, Zhong Ming always felt that he wasn't quite... fanatical about dragon meat?
Suddenly, a scream rang out like a gavel striking down, instantly silencing the commotion.
From the direction of the cauldron, the red light was dazzling and several holy orbs of light circled around Master Gao, except that one of them was stained with filthy blood.
"Ahhh! My arm! Immortal Master... Immortal Master, please forgive me!"
"Do you know you were wrong?"
The woman's screams were quickly silenced, the child's cries were also suppressed, and the townspeople fell silent, kneeling down in large numbers, fearing that they would further anger the immortal master.
The line of sight passed over the people, and Zhong Ming, who was outside the crowd, finally saw the situation inside clearly.
The person at the front was clutching his arm, which had been ripped open with a horrific gash, and blood was gushing out wildly, instantly covering his entire left arm in blood.
Even so, he still knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing, saying intermittently, "Wrong... wrong... wrong, please spare my life, Immortal Master."
Where did we go wrong?
"I...I shouldn't have given that little rascal less meat." The man knelt on the ground like a dog, not daring to move. He was a servant of the Gao family, and he had just been serving meat to the villagers. When it came to a beggar with whom he had some grudge, he had deliberately given him less meat.
“I’ll repeat what I just said to you.”
"Yes... the immortal master told me... to serve meat to the villagers, three pieces for each person, not a little less, not a little more... This old servant deserves to die, this old servant deserves to die, I couldn't even do this small thing properly." Old Liu's voice trembled, fear had surpassed pain.
Only then did all the townspeople realize that the person standing before them was not a wealthy man treating the whole village to a meal, but a dragon slayer, an immortal, a "Heavenly Lord" who slaughtered them like dogs.
Zhong Ming bent down.
He suddenly realized he shouldn't be standing, but he only squatted slightly, a little taller than the kneeling people, and secretly looked at Master Gao.
'This is an immortal,' he thought.
Before the thought had even faded, in the center of the crowd, Immortal Master Qingliu suddenly leaped into the air, his robes billowing as strands of golden threads flew out. The embroidery of the sun, moon, and stars on his robes vanished and were reconstructed in the air, transforming into a long golden scroll.
"Heaven and earth are unkind and regard all things as stupid dogs."
After uttering his Taoist title, every word spoken by Master Qingliu was like a divine decree, imprinted on the golden scroll.
Everyone present instantly and unconsciously knelt down, kowtowing uncontrollably.
Sunset West Mountain.
When Zhong Ming forced himself to stop kowtowing, his forehead was already covered in blood.
The Second Master Gao stopped speaking, and the current head of the Gao family took his place.
"Did you all hear that clearly? No matter how high or low a person is, everyone is equal, and everyone will receive the same amount of dragon meat."
"The Immortal Master's righteousness is boundless!"
Everyone was convinced. To them, the upright and honest master who treated them all equally was like a righteous official!
The town has 2,900 households, totaling more than 13,000 people. The gifts were distributed to each household. In addition, the immortal master also gave each head of household a dragon scale.
These dragon scales are proof; if anything happens in the future, one can use them to ask the immortal master for help.
In an instant, the reputation of the Immortal Master Qingliu reached an unparalleled height.
While many people were still kneeling on the ground, Zhong Ming quietly moved forward several steps and squeezed under the immortal's nose, wanting to get a closer look at the immortal's demeanor.
The head of the Gao family stood to the side with a smile, distributing dragon scales while subtly praising the immortal master and introducing the newcomers.
"Jin Facai, as the saying goes, when one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. You old butcher are blessed today."
"I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse, Immortal Master." Jinfa Cai, with his burly face, surprisingly put on a smile, looking like a mangy dog with a face full of wrinkles.
"Here, take your dragon scales..."
"Huh? What's wrong? Aren't you leaving?"
Jinfa Cai chuckled and said, "Master Gao, give me Zhong Ming's as well. We're practically family now, hehe. Isn't this saving you time? There are nearly three thousand households. Even if all the servants of the Gao family were here, it would still take until midnight to distribute them."
“No need.” Zhong Ming forced his way past the people in front of him in line, smiled at the gentlemen, and said, “I am a family by myself. The title of Marquis bestowed by the Emperor cannot be faked. The Immortal Master said that each family is responsible for a whole area, and we all abide by the rules.”
The head of the Gao family casually picked up another small dragon scale and sneered, "Jin Facai, if you say that the Marquis belongs to your family, then the whole family can only receive one dragon scale."
The tiny dragon scales swayed in front of Jin Huangcai, who slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Hey, look at my brain!"
Zhong Ming pushed aside Jin Facai and was about to take the dragon scale when he saw Qingliu Immortal Master grab the hand of the Gao family head that was holding the dragon scale.
not good.
Zhong Ming instantly realized that he... seemed to have cut in line?
A chill ran through his body.
With his mind racing, Zhong Ming cobbled together the most humble apology from his meager knowledge. But when he mustered the courage to look up at this "immortal," he discovered that the other party had taken out another dragon scale from his sleeve.
Similar in size to ordinary dragon scales, but smoother.
"Take this. If you encounter any difficulties, you can come to me. Go now."
......
As Master Gao watched Zhong Ming depart, he was filled with emotion. 'It's truly a blessing from heaven that Qingxi Town has produced a king, who carries a golden plaque bestowed by the Emperor himself and exudes imperial aura every day.'
Not many people witnessed this scene; everyone was eagerly waiting for the dragon meat soup, except for one person who saw it clearly.
Little Laizi could see it clearly; the dragon scale that the immortal personally handed to Zhong Ming seemed to shine even brighter.
Perhaps I misread it?
Little Laizi has spent half his life in the beggar's alley, and his sensitivity to things is beyond that of ordinary people.
Do you think the immortal master can remember exactly which family a particular dragon scale he gave belonged to?
He looked at the piece in his hand, then at Zhong Ming's departing figure.
or......
......
As night fell, everyone feasted on dragon meat, an exquisite taste beyond words. The fragrant, chewy slices of meat slid down their throats, releasing a rich broth that permeated their very souls, truly embodying the meaning of "feeling like an immortal."
The celebrations continued, with the chefs practically worshipping their knives and cutting boards. The banquet was said to last for three days, and the storyteller at the town gate had already composed nine chapters and eighty-one episodes of the Immortal Master's Dragon-Slaying Tale on the spot.
All the wealthy families flocked to the Gao family to escort the immortal master. Now was the real social gathering, where commoners were excluded, and a grand event was being held exclusively for the aristocratic families.
On the other side, Zhong Ming was walking home. He really had no strength left. He had been sharpening his knife all day and felt like he was about to collapse. After eating the dragon meat, his condition did not improve but instead became even weaker.
Little Laizi followed behind. Under normal circumstances, such clumsy tailing would be discovered quickly, but now both of them were acting strangely.
The essence of the dragon meat spread to their limbs and bones as they moved. Zhong Ming could hear his own blood surging like rolling waves. It was a wonderful feeling, and the vigorous life force in his body was being manifested in his five senses.
The groans of the muscles grew more intense, and the robust muscles built up over the years were being forcibly separated bit by bit. The "carrying pole and bench" on the shoulders now felt as heavy as a towering mountain, and every step was a duel with the earth.
Little Laizi's condition wasn't much better, but years of wandering had taught him to ignore his pain. At this moment, he was extremely focused, with all his attention concentrated on Zhong Ming.
Greed filled his mind uncontrollably, and the dragon nature hidden within the dragon flesh responded to him.
I got home late at night.
Greed gradually arose.
Substituting one thing for another?
No, I want them all!