For a month, the two traveled together, enjoying the mountains and rivers like a pair of immortals wandering through an earthly paradise.
At a leisurely pace, they arrived before a massive city gate. Lu Zhanyuan stood with Li Mochou, looking up slightly at the powerful, vigorous characters inscribed above the gate: Xiangyang City.
"Brother Lu, is this Xiangyang City our final destination?"
"That's right!"
"Mochou, let's go. Let's enter the city and find a place to settle down first!"
Walking side by side, they entered Xiangyang City amidst a bustling, lively crowd. The ancient city walls exuded the weight of years, seemingly whispering of the city's long and storied history.
The next day, sunlight spilled across the streets and alleys of Xiangyang City, imbuing it with warmth and vitality. Lu Zhanyuan led Li Mochou out of the inn and began strolling through the city.
"Brother Lu, the steamed buns here are so delicious!" Li Mochou said happily between bites, her face radiant with a blissful smile like a flower blooming in spring.
Finding her charmingly amusing as she spoke while eating, Lu Zhanyuan said with doting affection, "Mochou, slow down. You'll choke!"
At that moment, a ragged beggar holding a bamboo stick and a broken bowl approached Lu Zhanyuan. "Young master, I haven't eaten in days. Could you spare some coin?"
Noticing the man's attire, Lu Zhanyuan felt a sudden stir in his heart. He dropped a few copper coins into the broken bowl. "Are you a disciple of the Beggar Sect?"
"Many thanks, young master. This humble one indeed joined the Beggar Sect just a few days ago."
"Can you take me to see someone in charge here?" A new idea had formed in Lu Zhanyuan's mind.
The beggar eyed Lu Zhanyuan and Li Mochou with cautious suspicion and asked, "May I ask what business the young master has with our managers?"
"Little brother, we aren't bad people. There's no need to look at us like that!" Lu Zhanyuan drew two taels of silver from his robes and placed them into the beggar's bowl. "I simply wish to do business with your superiors and gather some information. Consider these two taels of silver your trouble fee."
"Little brother, my surname is Lu. You can find the two of us at the Yuelai Inn later," Lu Zhanyuan said, turning to leave with Li Mochou.
Watching their retreating figures, the beggar turned and vanished back into the crowd.
"Brother Lu, what did you want with someone from the Beggar Sect?" Li Mochou asked, looking at him with a hint of confusion. After two years together, she felt she understood her man less and less, finding him increasingly mysterious. Yet the greater his mystery, the deeper she fell, utterly unable to extricate herself.
"Mochou, we're new to Xiangyang and don't know anyone. Let's just consider it planting a seed of good karma!" Lu Zhanyuan took Li Mochou's hand, his eyes filled with warmth and tenderness, and resumed touring the city with her.
They walked down ancient streets, admiring the scenery along the way. The aged architecture radiated the passage of time, as if recounting the city's ancient history.
Along the way, the two found a well-looking courtyard. Peaceful and elegant like an otherworldly haven, Lu Zhanyuan decided to purchase it outright. When he left the Ancient Tomb, his storage ring had been stocked with several chests of gold and silver; buying a small courtyard was mere child's play. He then hired people to give the entire property a thorough cleaning inside and out, planning to move in with Li Mochou in a couple of days.
Upon returning from handling the courtyard affairs, Lu Zhanyuan and his wife were intercepted at the inn entrance by the beggar they had met earlier.
"Young Master Lu, Lady Lu, you've returned!"
"It's you, little brother. Did your superiors agree to my proposition?"
"Yes, Young Master Lu. Please follow this humble one; I'll take you to meet our branch leader!"
"Mochou, you go on back. I'll be right back after this trip!" Lu Zhanyuan patted Li Mochou's hand, signaling her not to worry.
After a moment's thought, Li Mochou nodded at him. "Alright then, Brother Lu. Do be careful!"
"Rest assured, you know how capable I am!" Pinching her delicate hand, Lu Zhanyuan followed the beggar to a Beggar Sect branch, where he met the local leader.
"You must be the branch leader here!"
"Indeed, Young Master Lu. I am Li Eryun, the branch leader here. How may I be of service?" Li Eryun's voice was booming and hearty, his eyes brimming with curiosity and anticipation.
Without hesitation, Lu Zhanyuan produced twenty taels of silver from his tunic and placed them on the table. "Branch Leader Li, I've heard the Beggar Sect knows everything under heaven. Can you help me search for a certain item?"
Glancing at the silver without a major shift in expression, Li Eryun asked curiously, "Young Master Lu, what kind of information are you looking to gather?"
"An elder in my family was injured and requires a medicinal ingredient called the Pusiqu Snake... I've heard someone spotted this snake in the mountain forests outside Xiangyang City! If you can help me find where this Pusiqu Snake dwells, I will reward you handsomely!"
"Young Master Lu, what are the characteristics of this Pusiqu Snake? That would make it easier for us to find."
"This strange snake emits a faint golden glow all over its body, has fleshy horns on its head, and an adult is thicker than a carrying pole. Furthermore, it moves with extreme speed and is exceedingly difficult to capture."
"Since you have such detailed information, Young Master Lu, it should be easy to find!" Li Eryun's eyes filled with confidence.
Lu Zhanyuan nodded at the branch leader. "Send someone to notify me once you have news. I trust you'll be able to find me!" He placed two more ten-tael ingots on the table. "The faster the better. If you get word by tomorrow, there will be a generous reward!"
With that, Lu Zhanyuan executed his Snake-Crawling and Civet-Overturning Art, which he had mastered to perfection, and vanished like a ghost from before the branch leader's eyes in the blink of an eye.
"Safe journey, Young Master Lu..." Li Eryun's voice echoed in the empty air as he stared at the spot where Lu Zhanyuan had disappeared, his face filled with awe.
Two days later, two Beggar Sect disciples led Lu Zhanyuan and Li Mochou to the edge of a tranquil mountain forest.
"Young Master Lu, local hunters spotted the strange snake you mentioned in the forest just ahead. I'm told they wouldn't dare come near here and always make a detour when passing by. The hunters say that once you enter that hillside and the woods ahead, you'll find the strange snake you described."
"Very well, thank you both brothers for guiding the way. Here is your trouble fee." Lu Zhanyuan casually produced five taels of silver and handed it to the two guides.
"This... Many thanks, Young Master Lu!" Bowing to Lu Zhanyuan, the two Beggar Sect disciples took the money and departed.
Money makes things easy; having spent a mere sum, Lu Zhanyuan had obtained news of the Pusiqu Snake from the Beggar Sect in just a single day.
Expectation and excitement filled Lu Zhanyuan's eyes. "Mochou, let's go take a look!"
"Brother Lu, is this the place you've been looking for?" Li Mochou asked doubtfully, eyeing the woods before them.
"I can't be entirely certain yet, but it's close enough. Once we spot the Pusiqu Snake here, there will be no mistake!"
After searching for less half an hour under Lu Zhanyuan's guidance, they found their target. Coiled around a tree was a massive, strange snake with a body gleaming in gold and a fleshy horn atop its head.
*Whoosh—*
Catching sight of this, Li Mochou flicked her wrist, sending an Ice Soul Silver Needle shooting toward the creature.
Sudden and unprovoked, the resting Pusiqu Snake was struck, and feeling a sharp pain, it began hissing fiercely at the pair.
"Mochou, give it another needle!"
"Okay!"
*Whoosh—*
Struck by a second needle, the Pusiqu Snake sensed an overwhelming sense of crisis from the two before it. It whirled around and bolted deep into the forest, moving with blistering speed and vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Lu Zhanyuan grabbed Li Mochou's hand, and together they unleashed their lightness kung fu, giving chase to the wounded Pusiqu Snake.