After several days had passed and he had paid his respects to some people, he wore a green robe, took up his sword, and walked out the door. He bowed deeply to his mother, Madame He, who was still standing in front of their home, then turned and left.

  From then on, the heavens and earth were free. As they walked, they bypassed the past and looked at the Hou Tu shrine. At this time, the radiation of the Hou Tu shrine was still ongoing. In this world, Hou Tu was originally just the goddess of the great earth. Now, when the wheel of fate turned to the six paths, controlling the gates of life and death, it was not something that could be accomplished overnight. Once completed, there would naturally be a new Hou Tu goddess.

  The process is not yet complete, and the merits of Yu Ruyi are still slowly increasing. Every day, 10 more are added, originally there were 350, 150 were consumed, and 300 more were added, it's still slowly increasing, now it has reached 550.

  The old man lived in the Hutu Temple and received some money and rice from people who came to worship on that day, so he had no worries about his life for a while. He also got 50 mu of land nearby, although it was actually a wasteland. However, the old man worked hard to open up the vegetable field, sweating profusely, with a satisfied and devout expression.

  "In this world, only the wise and the foolish can remain steadfast, while those of mediocre intelligence will inevitably become confused!" This is indeed a profound saying.

  Fang Xin didn't meet with him and turned around to leave.

  At this time, at the autumn harvest season, the fields were bustling with activity. Fang Xin initially walked slowly, leading a donkey, but later mounted it. The donkey was sturdy, and since Fang Xin was only fifteen years old and not heavy, he rode on it as they proceeded.

  Although it was September, the trees were still lush and green, with wildflowers blooming from time to time. Fang Xin still wore a coarse linen Confucian robe, but this robe had been dyed blue to reflect his new status as a scholar.

  With his sword at the ready, this sword had long since been unsheathed. At this moment, he could already use fourth-level sword techniques. It was also said that he was one of the top swordsmen in the world, only a hair's breadth away from being the absolute best.

  Thinking of this, he couldn't help but think of that black tower-like man. This person's martial arts skills and murderous intent were in no way inferior to those of Korthok the Dark Knight from back then.

  However, during the first grand ceremony, in the Niangniang Temple, being reckless would be unbearable even with high martial arts skills. The divine power is vast and wouldn't tolerate any invasion. At that time, judging from the situation, I was slightly injured.

  He wanted to think for a moment, but didn't think again. Fang Xin didn't know that because of this, he successfully captured Ge Yuan and let him escape the great disaster of his life.

  No need to say, the changes that have come about. The donkey may be slow, but by afternoon it had traveled until dusk and arrived at the county town before the city gate closed. At this time, a gust of wind blew.

  Fang Xin hastily frowned and quickly found a store nearby.

  Although it was already dusk, as soon as I approached the store, someone came out to greet me. Two shop assistants were there. One of them had already started lighting the lanterns in front of the store.

  "A Hundred Years Old Shop - Hu"

  Five big words are written very neatly. The threshold and stone steps are polished smooth, and many guests come and go. Fang Xin looked at it and laughed, saying: "Wow, there are a lot of guests!"

  "Going back to what you said, it's indeed true. The Hu family has been running this shop for over a hundred years. They usually treat customers with respect and provide them with soup and medicine when they're ill. The dishes are also quite good. As a result, everyone in the nearby area knows about it, so business is naturally booming."

  The shop assistant had of course seen his blue robe and didn't dare to be lazy, leading the donkey inside: "Sir, do you want to have some wine and food or stay overnight? It's getting dark now, I think sir should stay overnight and leave tomorrow."

  Fang Xin smiled: "Then stay for a couple of days, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, leave again the day after that. How do you charge for this room?"

  "Sir, the lower house has one room that can accommodate five people. Although it's clean, there are too many people, and it costs 10 cents per night. I'm sure you won't take it. The middle house has one room for one person, clean and quiet, and it costs 50 cents per night, which meets your requirements." Seeing the rough clothes and donkey, the shopkeeper skillfully said: "If you stay overnight, the donkey's food for a day is 5 cents."

  This is quite fair, but Fang Xin smiled and said: "What if it's a house on stilts?"

  "The upper house is a courtyard, one courtyard per suite, can accommodate the whole family, with dedicated servants, but costs 500 coins per night."

  Fang Xin understood the meaning and laughed, saying: "In that case, I'll stay in a middle house. Find me a clean and quiet room."

  It's not that he couldn't bear to part with the money, but there was no need for it. At this point, his companion responded and led him to a remote courtyard, which had several connected houses, each one small and delicate. Although they were simply furnished, once inside, everything felt clean and tidy, without even a hint of unpleasant odor.

  Fang Xing just said a word "good", this shopkeeper smiled: "Our hundred-year-old shop is naturally bound by rules."

  He finished speaking and left. Before Fang could express his surprise, the fellow returned with hot water and a basin in just a few minutes, saying: "Master, wash your feet; this doesn't count as money."

  Fang Xian took off his socks and cloth shoes, and soaked his feet in the water, which was indeed comfortable. After washing, the attendant wrung out a hot towel from another plate and handed it over. When everything was washed, he poured it into a bucket and took it away, then brought up a cup of clear tea, indicating that the service was already complete.

  "Sir, would you like to have dinner? If it's delivered, one dish, one soup and one rice for 15 cents. If it's upstairs, please ask the sir to order himself." At this time, the sky was already dark, the bright moon had risen, and the moonlight spilled down.

  Fang Xin said: "Just go upstairs, and I'll give you these ten cents."

  "Thank you, sir. I'll take you there." The shop assistant was very pleased and led him into the wine tower, which was right on the street, with the sounds of people chattering outside.

  "Fang Xin asked: 'It's already night, why is it still so lively?'"

  "It's really a coincidence, Master. This is the Grand Temple Fair on September 9th. The curfew will be lifted tonight and we can stay out until dawn."

  "Oh, I see." Fang Xinde thought to himself, and it just so happened that he was thinking of buying a few more things for home use anyway.

  Arrived upstairs, asked around, and found out that the store was actually famous for its chicken stew. So I ordered a chicken stew, two small dishes, and a pot of wine. Not long after, the food arrived. The chicken stew tasted extremely fresh and delicious, with the chicken meat being very flavorful and not having any fishy smell at all. It was truly mouth-watering, and we almost finished it all. After eating, the bill came out to be 120 cents, which didn't feel expensive at all - the cooking technique, seasoning, and flavor were all worth the price!

  When settling the bill, Fang Xin smiled and said: "The culinary skills of this chicken soup are just right, it must be top-notch."

  "This master's words, actually this soup is not the best, if it were the best, it would have to be personally cooked by Sixth Miss, that would be fragrant for ten miles!" A middle-aged woman came to collect money, smiling and saying.

  "Sixth Sister?"

  "The sixth daughter of the shop owner's family!"

  "Oh, it's really like that, and I'll have to taste it."

  "The sixth lady usually doesn't go to the kitchen, but her husband is a scholar, so it's different. Maybe she can really drink." The middle-aged woman took the money, bowed and left.

  Fang Xinyao just smiled and didn't say much, then went downstairs. At this time, the autumn moon was shining brightly in the night sky, with a refreshing breeze.

  At this time, the lights and lanterns of every household were connected to the stars in the sky, forming a continuous piece, and the candlelight illuminated another piece, with people coming and going, and sometimes singing voices came from the buildings.

  Fang Xin stared blankly at the crowded scene, his clothes rustling in the gentle breeze, and for a moment, he lost track of where his heart was, what he had become.

  After a while, he woke up and smiled to himself. He walked over to take a look, from one end of the street to the other, relying on his intuition, and unexpectedly found three things, which he immediately put into his pocket. Then he turned to another place and spotted a copper leaf with some strange patterns on it.

  Bring it over and take a look. Fang Xin didn't understand antiques, but he knew that some strange powers were condensed on it. Although this wasn't his style, he still threw down 100 coins and bought it. As soon as he picked it up to examine it carefully, someone said: "Boss, I'll take this copper leaf."

  "This gentleman has already bought it," said an old man at the stall.

  Fang Xin looked back, but saw that it was a Taoist priest. The Taoist priest glanced at Fang Xin and let out an "ah" of surprise, clearly astonished. He then said: "Sir, this object has a connection with me. If you can bear to part with it, I will certainly reward you handsomely."

  Fang Xin smiled and said: "Having fate or not having fate, this is just an empty phrase. I bought it, so it's destined to be mine."

  As he spoke, he took this thing and turned to leave. The Taoist was extremely annoyed, watching Fang Xin leave: "What's going on? How could it be bought by him?"

  After some thought, he hastily caught up: "Sir, this object is indeed destined for me. I am willing to pay ten taels of silver for it. What do you say?"

  Fang Xin stopped in his tracks, gazing at him with a hint of amusement. After a moment, he spoke: "This object was bought by me, and it's destined to belong to me. If you have good intentions, I'll treat you with sincerity. Why would I mind giving it to you? But you offering ten taels seems generous on the surface, yet in reality, it's an insult to me, heh!"

  After finishing speaking, he turned around and left, no longer looking at his face. Fang Xin's current strength has already allowed him to ignore people like this. Even if they have magical powers that can reach the heavens, what use is it? A fourth-stage sword technique should be able to cut them down.