Chapter Four: Seeing Beauty as Mere Bones, I Am Free of Desire.

"I haven't left Qinghe Town before. We can discuss the price later, and if you find it acceptable, I will see you there," Lin Chen said after a moment of thought.

Lin Chen had only heard of Nanyang City by reputation. He happened to be short on money, so escorting her there seemed like a reasonable plan.

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Daoist!" Xiao Yunyao kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude.

The next day, the two left Qinghe Town together. Lin Chen offered to bring Old Huang along, but the old man declined.

Throughout the journey, Xiao Yunyao rode the donkey, while Lin Chen suffered. Wearing straw sandals made walking difficult, and the friction left his toes aching.

"Daoist, what should I call you?" Xiao Yunyao asked.

"Calling me 'Daoist' is just fine," Lin Chen replied.

The more he acted this way, the more curious she became about his background. She pursed her lips but ultimately decided not to press him further.

Lin Chen was filled with resentment throughout the journey. This young lady of noble birth had no sense of consideration at all. She kept asking him endless, trivial questions from atop the donkey, which thoroughly annoyed him. He silently vowed to himself that he would make sure to charge her a hefty fee when they arrived.

"Useless! Absolutely useless... I'm going to explode with rage!" Ye Ling'er cursed as she stomped into the dilapidated temple.

She could clearly sense Lin Chen’s aura, but every time she got close, it would vanish without a trace.

"Hey! You beggar! Have you seen a ragged-looking Daoist?" Ye Ling'er glanced sideways and asked coldly.

Old Huang hesitated for a moment. He remembered the young Daoist saying he had no parents and that his sect had been slaughtered. For all he knew, this woman could be the very enemy who wiped out his sect.

Thinking of this, Old Huang waved his hands hurriedly. "No, no. Why would a Daoist come to a beggar's den?"

"Hmph, I suppose you're right... Even that good-for-nothing wouldn't sink so low as to become a beggar." Muttering to herself, Ye Ling'er turned and headed toward the direction of the Daoist temple.

In the dense forest, outside a thatched cottage, sat a small tavern with a few simple wooden tables and chairs. The tabletops were scarred with marks from blades and swords—hardly a surprise, as violence was unavoidable in these chaotic times.

"Waiter, bring some wine!" Lin Chen called out.

"Coming! What would you like, traveler?" the waiter asked with a beaming smile.

"Two bowls of noodles and a flask of wine," Lin Chen said.

"Coming right up! Please wait a moment." The waiter took quick, mincing steps into the cottage to prepare the meal.

The old donkey lay down on its own nearby, and Lin Chen placed his scratched bamboo staff on the table.

He poured a large gulp into his mouth, letting out a soft, satisfied sigh. Then, he turned to Xiao Yunyao and asked, "Do you know how to drink?"

"I've never had any before," she replied, looking up at him curiously. "Is it good?"

A mischievous smirk tugged at the corner of Lin Chen's mouth. "It's good. Very sweet."

Hearing this, Xiao Yunyao didn't hesitate; she snatched the wine flask and poured a large gulp into her mouth.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

She spat out half of it, followed by a fit of uncontrollable coughing that forced tears to her eyes. Her face turned bright red. Once she recovered, she glared at him viciously. Realizing he couldn't see her expression, she shouted angrily, "You dog of a Daoist! You have no morals!"

Lin Chen remained expressionless, continuing to drink deeply. Smacking his lips, he said, "Mind your manners. You are a lady of noble status."

Suddenly, an unpleasant voice rang out nearby: "Oh, look! The young lady isn't bad looking at all. Why are you traveling with a blind man? How about you switch to someone else?"

The man was scruffy, unshaven, and clearly no good. He was burly and stared at her with malicious intent.

Still fuming, Xiao Yunyao retorted with a face full of rage, "You shameless wretch! Why don't you go find a puddle of urine to look at your own reflection and see what you look like?"

"Mind your manners," Lin Chen added in a bland, indifferent tone.

"Hmph!" Xiao Yunyao’s chest heaved with anger as she huffed and turned her head away.

Seeing that he was being ignored by both of them, the bearded man slammed the table and roared, "Damn it! You don't know what's good for you. I'll say this once: either come with me, or die..."

"Too noisy."

In the blink of an eye, Lin Chen stood up, grabbed his bamboo staff from the table, and struck the man on the head.

The bearded man collapsed to the ground, staring in shock at the thin, dark-skinned young man before him.

"What the hell? You scrawny dog, where did you get that kind of strength?" the bearded man stammered in disbelief.

"Old Donkey, come over and give him a kick! He dared to call me a scrawny dog." Lin Chen shouted. He figured that whenever he saw him in the future, he could mock him by saying his brain had been kicked by a donkey.

Hearing this, the old donkey rushed over with a loud bray. As the bearded man tried to stand up, he was struck down by the staff again. He then received a solid, heavy kick from the donkey straight to the head.

He lost consciousness on the spot. Lin Chen fumbled around in the dark to search the man's body. The harvest was plentiful—a full half-tael of silver, more than enough to pay for the wine and have some left over.

Throughout the journey, Xiao Yunyao remained in a huff, which at least brought a rare moment of peace. Finally, as they passed a woman who still retained a certain charm, Lin Chen stared at her intently for a long time.

Xiao Yunyao couldn't help but mumble, "Is she really that good to look at?"

"I don't know, I can't see," Lin Chen said, scratching his head, feeling at a loss. He had only sensed a strange aura emanating from the woman.

"Hmph! That's not what I meant!" Xiao Yunyao was even angrier now.

Lin Chen didn't understand her meaning, so he just scratched his head and ignored it. He kept his focus on the woman. A lone woman traveling in the middle of the wilderness, combined with that strange aura—Lin Chen felt that something was definitely wrong. It was only after she had moved far away that he finally looked away, feeling somewhat relieved.

"Hmph, a leopard can't change its spots. Even blind, he’s still looking," Xiao Yunyao whispered, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Even though it was soft, Lin Chen heard it clearly. He just shook his head, puzzled. By now, Xiao Yunyao was starting to suspect that Lin Chen was just pretending to be blind. The woman really was stunningly beautiful, especially her swaying figure. When she compared herself to the woman, she felt too inferior to even hold her head up.

They hadn't walked far when the old donkey began to bray in agitation. Lin Chen looked around vigilantly, but there was nothing to be seen. However, a mist was visibly rising on the path ahead.

"Why have we stopped?" Xiao Yunyao asked.

"We might have encountered something unclean," Lin Chen said cautiously.

Hearing this, Xiao Yunyao let out a loud shriek. She jumped off the donkey's back and ran to Lin Chen’s side, grabbing his hand tightly.

Lin Chen was startled by the sudden cry. He took a deep breath and said, "With the Daoist here, what are you afraid of? Why all this jumping and screaming?"

Although he said that, he was actually unsure himself. He couldn't sense any aura at all, yet the donkey’s reaction was so intense. However, he knew that if he admitted he wasn't sure, he would only terrify the young lady further. Two people being afraid together was still better than being afraid alone.

Lin Chen continued, "Perhaps you should let go of me first? Otherwise, it will be inconvenient for me to fight if something happens."

"B-but I’m a little scared," Xiao Yunyao said, her hand still trembling as she clung to his.