"If anyone else tries to bully you, just tell me, and I'll bring some guys to deal with them! My Senior Brothers are big, tall, and strong. They'll have no trouble handling these spooky outlanders."
"Alright!" Wen Bei agreed with a beaming smile.
However, if something like that really happened, he certainly wouldn't let An Yanshu help. Sometimes friends shared blessings, but when trouble struck, it was best not to trouble others.
After resting for a moment, the inner shock fading somewhat, Wen Bei thought for a moment and said, "Let's go take a look at the market. If anyone is willing to trade things with us, we might be able to get something useful. If we make some money, I'll treat you to meat."
"Alright, let's go!"
By this time, An Yanshu had already lost all interest in the market. With his hands clasped behind his head, he strolled leisurely beside Wen Bei.
When the two of them arrived at the so-called market, Wen Bei looked around with a face full of curiosity.
The market ranged in size. The smaller stalls sold crops, tools, tables, and benches, while the larger ones were run by families from the north selling their family heirlooms, jade pendants, fish raised at home, and all sorts of decorations.
The most absurd thing of all was tree leaves!
There was actually someone selling tree leaves and tree trunks.
The vendor was boasting that the leaves came from trees that were thousands or tens of thousands of years old, claiming they had incredible miraculous effects, capable of bringing the dead back to life and reviving souls.
Moreover, in the short time Wen Bei had noticed this person selling leaves, two different groups had already stepped up to ask about the price, and it wasn't cheap.
Wen Bei's eyes widened, while An Yanshu wore a look that said, "I told you so."
"Everything sold here is bizarre and ridiculously expensive. If we'd known these leaves could make money, we should have gone out and gathered a pile, we'd be making a fortune. These outlanders are just walking money, a bunch of gullible fools," An Yanshu muttered speechlessly.
Wen Bei leaned close to An Yanshu's ear and whispered what Wang Lou had told him earlier.
"Our town is a Grotto-heaven Blessed Land, so the things they're selling might contain Spiritual Qi or some kind of destiny within them. They're different from the things we usually see."
"We're just mortals, so we can't tell the trick behind them. These things are expensive for a reason."
An Yanshu burst out laughing instantly, completely dismissing Wen Bei's words and even mocking him for being foolish enough to believe such nonsense.
"I might believe the world has immortals, but if you tell me these people are immortals, I'll be damned if I believe it. A bunch of immortals? Why on earth would they be so polite to a country bumpkin like me? Aren't you just being ridiculous?"
Wen Bei wasn't angry, nor did he try to force An Yanshu to agree with him. As time went on, An Yanshu's master would surely explain it to him anyway.
Turning back, Wen Bei began trying to figure out the wondrous uses of these items, only to find that he truly couldn't see any special use in them at all. However, the prices were indeed frighteningly high—even the cheapest bowl of wine cost over a hundred coins. The liquor didn't even smell as good as the wine from his own family's shop. Having seen enough, Wen Bei made a prompt decision: let's go home!
As they walked along the road, Wen Bei suddenly asked, "Have you ever thought about what you want to do in the future?"
An Yanshu was momentarily stunned by the sudden question. After thinking for a while, he said, "Hmm, not really. For someone like me, as long as I can stay alive and keep living the way I am now, that's already pretty good. My parents never expected me to achieve anything great, and as for myself, I'm just a total slacker."
"Still, a while ago my master told me to properly exercise my body recently and get ready, because he's going to take me out to see the world in a bit. At first I didn't want to go, but all my Senior Brothers said it's a rare opportunity, and that there are lots of pretty girls outside—the kind of gorgeous that I can't even imagine—so I agreed. Heh, since this is going to be my first time going out, I've got to dress up properly. When I meet pretty girls, I mustn't shame the town."
As he spoke, An Yanshu began to groom his handsome hairstyle.
Wen Bei looked speechless. "That's a good thing, but can you not only think about girls every single day? Are you out of your mind about girls?"
Before Wen Bei could say more, An Yanshu retorted, "Wen Bei, that's where you're wrong! What's wrong with me thinking about women and girls? Without women and men, how could human heritage continue? Without human heritage, how can humanity develop? I'm doing this for the prosperity and flourishing of the human race, and for its everlasting survival. You've misunderstood and thought of other things, which just shows that your ideological awareness isn't high enough yet."
Listening to An Yanshu's nonsense, Wen Bei felt his head ache. It seemed that ever since they were kids, he had never won an argument against An Yanshu, who always had all sorts of crooked logic. He could only surrender and say, "Fine, fine, I was wrong! You got me! Everything you say has your own grand reasoning, and my ideological awareness isn't high enough."
"Still, once I save up some money, I want to go out and travel too. My master told me the outside world has many beautiful sights—all kinds of mountains, great rivers, and different people. I want to go see all of them."
"And I promised my mother that I would never spend my whole life confined to this town."
An Yanshu glanced sideways at Wen Bei with a face full of disdain. This guy really had no proper pursuits; what was so great about looking at mountains and rivers?
Weren't all the mountains around this town enough for him to look at?
Could mountains and rivers compare to girls? Girls had them too! Weren't they far more magnificent and vastly more interesting than mountains and rivers?
Ah, this Wen Bei still hadn't seen the great wide world, lacking his own unique vision.
Once he had money in the future, he would definitely have to broaden Wen Bei's horizons.
He must find a pretty wife early on and have a bunch of chubby kids, just to make Wen Bei green with envy.
By then, Wen Bei would surely understand just how turbulent and magnificent true mountains and rivers could be!
As the two of them were talking, an Old Monk suddenly walked up from ahead, looking at them with a wide smile and slowly approaching. His target was clearly the two of them.
Noticing the Old Monk's smile, An Yanshu said with an uncomfortable expression, "Why is this old guy looking at us like that?"
"What the hell, and he's smiling like that too. Is he sick in the head? This Old Monk is definitely no good, otherwise he wouldn't be smiling so creepily!" An Yanshu complained with a guarded expression.
Wen Bei didn't know whether to laugh or cry, though he also felt the Old Monk's expression was far too leering, completely lacking the warmth, kindness, and benevolence a Buddhist should have. If not for his attire and the six precept scars on top of his head, Wen Bei would have suspected the Old Monk was an impostor.
Some people had a certain aura born in them that could not be concealed.
By now, the Old Monk had reached the front of the two boys. He pressed his palms together, bowed slightly, and smiled, "Benefactors, Amitabha."
Wen Bei symbolically pressed his palms together and returned the bow, while An Yanshu stood in place, quietly watching the Old Monk without speaking.