Chapter 154

Old Uncle Wang, I came here, actually it's just a small matter!

Luo Taiqing casually gave a perfunctory reply, strode forward, grabbed a handful of rice stalks from the grass mat, and said with a complex expression:

"What I'm most curious about right now is that in this season, the vast majority of people's rice seedlings are still in the nursery, let alone harvesting; Old Uncle Wang, where exactly did you get these rice stalks?"

He came to the Wang family actually to take back the gift he had recently given Wang Ping'an; it's not that he's stingy, it's just that gifts given away sometimes need to be taken back, but this gift is too precious.

Although he doesn't know its origin, his ancestors exhausted every means but could not ascertain the specific origin of that bead.

Apart from being sturdy, he knows nothing else about it.

However, he knows that wearing it brings great benefits to the body.

Since birth he has worn that bead; he has never been sick once, his body is exceptionally healthy, and he knows these benefits come from the bead.

No illness, no disaster, long life to a hundred years!

Since that bead was given as a gift to Wang Ping'an, he has suffered sore waist and back pain, a phenomenon never before seen, clearly showing the difference between having the bead and not having it.

Of course.

It's not that he shamelessly came to the Wang family to ask for the bead back; what really made him decide was that Luo Liang recently found him.

Have him give up what he once said!

He first asked once, but Luo Liang refused to answer; only after repeated questioning did Luo Liang reluctantly reply, saying that Luo Quan had seen wrong.

Wang Ping'an is just an ordinary child, with nothing extraordinary about him.

The matter of taking on disciples was thus naturally cancelled.

Wang Lin feigned ignorance: "Old Master Luo, even if it were me, seeing this bag of rice stalks would be shocking; I found it beside our family's dining table, and I don't know where these rice stalks came from!"

He naturally knows that these rice stalks are almost certainly sent by Luo Quan; at this time, besides someone like Luo Quan who has heavenly abilities, it's nearly impossible for anyone else to harvest rice stalks.

It's not even the season for rice stalks to mature yet!

"The rice stalks were found in your house; you don't know where they came from?"

Luo Taiqing's face instantly turned extremely weird; he couldn't help wanting to retort, but seeing Wang Lin like that, it was obvious he was playing dumb.

Too lazy to say more, he instead carefully examined the handful of rice stalks in his hand.

At first glance he noticed something unusual about this handful of rice stalks.

Suddenly Luo Taiqing widened his eyes and couldn't help exclaiming, "How is that possible?"

"What's wrong, Old Master Luo? Is there something wrong with these rice stalks that mysteriously appeared in our house?"

Wang Lin said in surprise.

"These rice stalks..."

Luo Taiqing was about to speak, but before he could finish, he heard a curious voice from not far away.

"Old Master Luo, how did you end up here?"

Luo Taiqing turned his head and saw two people walking in from outside: Zhang Guihua and Xuanqing Daozhang, the latter residing near Hutou Gou.

He hadn't interacted much with him, but he knew that Xuanqing Daozhang counts as a truly capable person in Qingyang County.

They had met a few times before!

Luo Taiqing frowned: "Xuanqing Daozhang, how did you come here?"

"Of course I was invited by Elder Sister Zhang; I also wanted to ask you, Old Master Luo, what brings you to the Wang family?"

Xuanqing Daozhang casually said a sentence, then out of the corner of his eye saw the rice stalks on the grass mat beside Wang Lin, his gaze narrowed, and he exclaimed, "Old Brother Wang, quickly put away those rice stalks!"

Wang Lin glanced at Xuanqing Daozhang in surprise, not expecting both of them to make such a fuss over the rice stalks, as if there were something wrong with them.

However, after a moment's thought, since it's not yet the rice-harvesting season, for their family to suddenly have extra harvested rice stalks would be suspicious if there were no problem.

Just that.

He was very curious what problem these rice stalks had that could make both Xuanqing Daozhang and Luo Taiqing overreact.

After all, they are not ordinary people; only something extraordinary could make them overreact.

Wang Lin asked curiously: "Daozhang, is there something wrong with these rice stalks?"

"This..."

Xuanqing Daozhang opened his mouth to say something, but seeing Luo Taiqing beside him out of the corner of his eye, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.

Luo Taiqing snorted discontentedly: "Xuanqing Daozhang, it's just spirit rice, right? I've eaten it before; there's no need to hide it."

"The principle that an innocent man incurs guilt by carrying a jade—I think you, Old Master Luo, understand it better than I do!"

Xuanqing Daozhang casually explained a sentence; seeing Wang Lin and Zhang Guihua's faces full of confusion, obviously not understanding what "spirit rice" meant, he explained: "Old Brother Wang, Elder Sister Zhang, this spirit wood is..."

After a while, as Xuanqing Daozhang elaborated, Wang Lin roughly understood what spirit rice was; his face and eyes were filled with astonishment, his voice trembling as he repeated:

This novel you to

"Daozhang, you mean eating this rice can bring no illness, no disaster, and a long life of a hundred years?"

Xuanqing Daozhang nodded.

Luo Taiqing eagerly said: "Old Uncle Wang, have you considered selling this spirit rice? As long as you're willing to sell, the price is negotiable; I guarantee you won't be disappointed!"

"Sorry, Old Master Luo, our family doesn't sell this spirit rice; after a while, when Ping'an weans off milk, he'll be able to eat congee!"

Wang Lin seemed to have thought of something, his face full of anticipation, saying: "I plan to keep this spirit rice for our family's Ping'an to eat!"

Xuanqing Daozhang laughed: "Old Brother Wang, I think this spirit rice should be eaten by you adults; Ping'an doesn't need to eat it, given his condition, he can be illness‑free and disaster‑free and live to a hundred even without eating spirit rice!"

Luo Taiqing curiously asked: "Daozhang, how do you mean that?"

Xuanqing Daozhang smiled but said nothing.

Luo Taiqing, not angry, changed the subject: "Daozhang Xuanqing, this spirit rice comes only from your Daoist families; it couldn't be you who gave it to the Wang family, right? If you have any surplus, could you sell some to me?"

"Although I do grow spirit rice, I only grow a little, just enough to feed myself!"

Xuanqing Daozhang shook his head; seeing Luo Taiqing open his mouth to say more, he hurriedly spoke first: "Moreover, this spirit rice is the first time I've seen it; it's definitely not I who gave it to Old Brother Wang!"

Luo Taiqing questioned: "Xuanqing Daozhang, if it wasn't you who sent it, who else could have?"

"Surely it was sent by that Luo adult!"

Wang Lin subconsciously opened his mouth to speak.

He believed Xuanqing Daozhang's words—this spirit rice wasn't sent by Xuanqing Daozhang, not because Xuanqing Daozhang is stingy, but because Xuanqing Daozhang conducts affairs without needing to be sneaky.

Luo Taiqing exclaimed in surprise: "Luo adult? Which Luo adult is it?"

Xuanqing Daozhang joked: "Who else could it be? Naturally it's your clan brother!"

"Xuanqing Daozhang, you mean the Luo Immortal Official?"

Luo Taiqing said in astonishment.

He hadn't forgotten; not long ago Luo Liang found him and told him to give up luring Wang Ping'an.

Xuanqing Daozhang shook his head, and just as Luo Taiqing let out a sigh of relief, Xuanqing Daozhang spoke again: "It's not the Luo family member who is an Immortal Official, but the Luo family member who is in the Demon-Suppression Office."

(End of chapter)