"No, there’s nothing strange!"

The old village chief seemed to wake up from a dream, hurriedly waving his hand and said, "This Daoist, there’s nothing strange in our village, nothing at all."

"Nothing huh."

Mo Huai’an felt a bit disappointed and had to say, "Then I won’t disturb you any longer."

While learning his craft at the mountain gate, he heard many stories from elders and fellow disciples about exorcising and guarding the Dao.

He always longed for such experiences.

This time, venturing out into the mortal world for training, Mo Huai’an had imagined more than once how he would vanquish demons, banish anomalies, and save innocent civilians from danger.

But now, he couldn’t find the opportunity.

Quite a letdown!

"Please stay, Daoist!"

The old village chief quickly said, "Both of you have traveled far and wide and the day is drawing to a close. Why not stay at my home tonight and set off tomorrow morning?"

Mo Huai’an instinctively looked at Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan nodded: "Thank you for the trouble."

"It’s no trouble at all."

The old village chief named Zhang Dashan crinkled his chrysanthemum-like face, smiling kindly, "It is my honor to have a Daoist and gentlemen visit my humble abode."

He turned to lead the two villagers forward, while Mo Huai’an followed behind, leading his horse.

Suddenly, he felt something off.

He lifted his foot and looked down, realizing the Cloud Shoes he was wearing had stepped into thick mud, stained with indescribable substances, emitting a pungent smell.

"Ugh~"

The somewhat cleanliness-obsessed Mo Huai’an almost vomited!

It was dusk, and the village was dimly lit, causing him to overlook the condition of the road earlier.

Unfortunately, he stepped into a mess.

Upon closer inspection, the muddy path leading to the village was filthy, with no clean spot to step on.

Mo Huai’an was beyond despair.

Wanting to return to his mount, he worried about smearing the dirt onto his horse.

He was stuck in a dilemma.

Beside him, Zhang Yuan witnessed the situation and found it truly amusing yet sympathetic.

He actually understood Mo Huai’an.

Born with a silver spoon, this young gifted mage had grown up receiving the best education and resources in the Daoist Ancestral Court, his life experiences were nothing short of those of any noble.

He had never seen the real world, nor could he imagine what people at the bottom lived like.

To this young mage, his journey out must be filled with stories and legends.

Mo Huai’an was clueless about the filth and darkness of the mundane world.

And this undoubtedly was why Wei Long appointed Zhang Yuan as his Guardian — an earthly guide was needed for trials in the mortal world.

Zhang Yuan reached into his bag and took out a pair of Daoist Boots, handing them to Mo Huai’an: "Use mine instead."

His luggage didn’t actually have spare shoes.

The Daoist Boots came from the stockpile inside his Storage Space.

"Thank you!"

Seeing the new boots Zhang Yuan handed over, Mo Huai’an felt rescued.

First, he took off one Cloud Shoe, stepped on the stirrup, got back on the mount, and then kicked off the other shoe.

Finally, he put on the new Daoist Boots, letting out a big sigh of relief.

Noticing Zhang Yuan’s teasing gaze beside him, Mo Huai’an blushed: "Brother..."

"It’s all right."

Zhang Yuan chuckled, "I understand, let’s go."

The two rode their horses, followed the old village chief to the center of the village.

The core area of this village had an ancestral hall, and the chief’s house was right next to it. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A stone tile house with a small yard, considered a premium mansion here!

And the open space in front of the house was relatively clean; Zhang Yuan and Mo Huai’an dismounted, tying their reins to the stone pillar by the door.

At this moment, many nearby households opened their doors, peeking their heads out one by one.

These villagers looked curiously and reverently in this direction.

When they spotted the Gray-toothed Lynx lying beside the horses, they revealed fearful expressions.

No one dared to approach.

"Please come inside, gentlemen."

Zhang Dashan opened the courtyard door, respectfully made an inviting gesture.

Though the old chief’s home could only be described as simple, it was kept tidy, with a wooden table inside the hall and the Celestial Venerable’s portrait worshipped at the back.

After Mo Huai’an entered, he bowed and saluted the portrait first.

"Wife!"

The old village chief greeted the guests and then instructed his wife: "We have distinguished guests at home, quickly boil some water, gather the dried fruits from the other day, have Stone’s wife prepare the meal, slaughter two chickens!"

Zhang Dashan’s family immediately became busy.

Only a little girl with two braids hid behind a side door, secretly observing the guests.

Zhang Yuan found her adorable, so he beckoned to her.

The little girl hesitated for a moment, still walked over obediently, but hid behind the old village chief again.

Then she peeked out, blinking her big eyes.

Zhang Dashan chuckled: "This is my little granddaughter. She just turned four this year."

"Oh?"

Mo Huai’an’s eyes flashed and he said, "Elder, may I test your granddaughter’s Root Bone?"

"Test Root Bone?"

Zhang Dashan froze: "Daoist, is there a reason for this?"

Mo Huai’an explained: "I know a bit about face reading, and noticed your granddaughter has an innate talent look, so I’d like to test her Root Bone to see if she has a connection with my Daoist Lineage."

This old village chief was not an ignorant man and immediately understood Mo Huai’an’s meaning, feeling delighted.

He quickly brought the little girl in front of Mo Huai’an: "Daoist, please test!"

The little girl, confused, got scared and pursed her lips, with two crystal tears forming in her eyes.

She looked so pitiful!

Mo Huai’an was at a loss: "Don’t cry, don’t cry, it’s okay."

But as he tried to comfort her, the little girl opened her mouth and cried loudly: "Waa~"

Zhang Dashan became anxious: "Why are you crying!"

The old village chief raised his hand to spank, but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Beside them, Zhang Yuan couldn’t bear to watch any longer; he reached over for the little girl and gave her a piece of nougat.

He had tested before, as long as concealed properly, opening the Storage Space to obtain items in front of people wouldn’t be noticed.

Of course, out-of-theordinary large items definitely wouldn’t work.

But little things were okay.

After tasting the sweetness, the little girl immediately stopped crying; although her cheeks were wet with tears, she wore a blissful expression.

Mo Huai’an secretly wiped his sweat, then took out a Jade Slip from his sleeve.

He pinched a Magic Formula with his left hand, made Sword Pointing with his right hand, and tapped three times on the little girl’s forehead, heart, and abdomen.

The next moment, the Jade Slip in his hand emitted a soft glow.

This scene made Zhang Dashan and his wife hold their breath in amazement, speechless.

After a while, the glow from the Jade Slip faded.

Mo Huai’an withdrew his Sword Pointing, gently brushing the surface of the Jade Slip, immediately showing delight.

"Middle A Root Bone!"

This young mage praised: "An Innate Dao Seed!"