Peerless Taoist

He seemed to have seen this old man somewhere before, but he could not put his finger on it.    

There was no mana fluctuation on the old man's body. He was just an ordinary mortal. His physical strength had weakened as he climbed up such a tall mountain. For him, it was a huge burden.    

When the boy heard the sound, he stuck his head out again. When he saw the old man, he immediately opened the door.    

"Why did you come back so late? Ling Er was bullied today..."    

"Cough, cough! It's raining outside. I fell down."    

The boy's complaint came from the broken temple, as well as the old man's apologetic voice.    

The old man walked to a bamboo chair and sat down. He took out a piece of cloth from his pocket and slowly opened it. Inside were a few steamed buns. He handed the steamed buns to the boy and said in a hoarse voice, "Xiao An, feed it to your sister."    

"Why is there only one today?" The boy muttered, but still tore off a small piece of the steamed bun and ate it. Then, he stuffed the rest of the large pieces into his sister's arms.    

The old man shook his head and said, "Shopkeeper Cui of the town is not recruiting anymore. This year is not good, so his shop is going to be sold. The laborers in the town can't survive in the county and returned to the town. There is no need for the old man anymore."    

"Ah? Then what should we do in the future?"    

"I'll think of another way."    

The conversation between the old man and the two children was extremely weak amidst the storm.    

The girl ate for a while and then said in a soft voice, "Master, brother, I'm full."    

There was still half a piece of steamed bun left. The boy looked at the old man, but the old man shook his head and said, "I'm not hungry yet. You guys eat."    

The boy didn't mind and tore off another piece from the half steamed bun. Then, he stuffed all the remaining steamed bun into the old man's hands.    

One steamed bun was passed back and forth between the three of them, and in the end, it was all gone.    

The flame in the hall became weak, and only the charcoal was left with a weak temperature. A little spark flew out from the charcoal and made crackling sounds.    

"Aren't you a peerless master? You bragged about how powerful you were before, but now Ling Er was bullied by Gou Dan in the village. Do you dare to stand up for Ling Er?" The boy muttered, as if he was very dissatisfied with his master.    

The old man didn't mind and said lightly, "I'll go to the bottom of the mountain tomorrow to talk to the villagers. They are all very easy to talk to."    

The boy sneered and said, "Forget it. If they are easy to talk to, your face wouldn't have been beaten black and blue by the scoundrels in the village."    

"I can sell bamboo to feed master and brother." The girl's tender voice came again.    

The old man smiled and shook his head. "I will think of a way. You guys sleep first. We will talk tomorrow."    

Perhaps because they were too tired during the day, the two children laid on the soft straw mat and soon fell asleep.    

The old man leaned against the two children and sang an unknown children's song, finally coaxing them to sleep.    

After the two children were put on their beds, the old man stood up and turned to look at Lu Yu.    

"Please be quiet. They have been tired for the whole day and just fell asleep." The old man's face was kind, as if he had long known of Lu Yu's existence.    

Lu Yu closed the oil paper umbrella in his hand and gently placed it by the door, then slowly walked into the hall.    

At this moment, Lu Yu's face was filled with seriousness.    

He was an Earth Realm cultivator, hiding in the darkness, but this old man had discovered him with a single glance. This person's cultivation level was truly unfathomable.    

"Are you the Ancestor God?"    

"I am not a god."    

"Where is the Buddha?"    

"There is only one monk here."    

The old man shook his head and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist, my humble abode is simple and crude, please forgive me for not treating you well."    

He slowly stood up and made a gesture to Lu Yu, who silently followed him.    

The two of them arrived at the backyard. The old man was about to hold up an umbrella, but Lu Yu flicked his finger, causing all the water in the backyard to stop in midair, unable to drip down.    

The old man was slightly stunned, then he shook his head and led Lu Yu into the backyard's room.    

"The boy's name is Chen An, and the girl's name is Chen Ling. Five years ago, their parents fled from the north and were ambushed by bandits on the way. Their parents died miserably, and I saved the two children and took them as my disciples."    

"There are no incense offerings in the temple. I have to work in the town to make a living. The two children are also sensible. They learned bamboo weaving from the village's weaving masters. They usually weave some bamboo baskets to sell in the town to make a living."    

The old man's voice was very slow, and he walked very slowly. It was obvious that he was old.    

It seemed that he had been communicating with people for a long time. The old man was very talkative, like an old neighbor chatting with someone.    

Lu Yu kept looking at the old man's face. Suddenly, he was shocked. He finally remembered where he had seen the old man's face before.    

It was the Ancestral God Temple of the Sea Calm Sect!    

Although the old man's face was covered with wrinkles and his appearance was old, he was very similar to the Ancestral God!    

"As an Ancestral God, why did you end up like this?" Lu Yu still asked about the old man's origin.    

"Ancestral God? It's just a rumor in the outside world. There is no Ancestral God in this world."    

"Then what about the Buddha? Since you are a monk, you must know where the ancient Buddhist Sect is, right?" Lu Yu continued to ask.    

"The Buddha has already fallen. In this world, there is also no Buddha." The old man shook his head.    

The old man brought Lu Yu to a room in the backyard and suddenly stopped.    

"Old man, my eyes are bad. I didn't expect you to be so strong at such a young age. I saved your life, but you saved the entire world of the Spirit Mountain Continent. In this way, I owe you." The old man said slowly.    

Lu Yu remained silent and continued to look at the old man.    

A moment later, the old man gave Lu Yu a deep look. "Not long ago, I also saved two outsiders, but you are obviously more suitable than them."    

Lu Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, "But a black dog and a monkey? May I ask where they are now?"    

"You don't have to worry. They are not in any danger for the time being. If you forcefully save them, with your current cultivation level, you will definitely die." The old man's eyes were already turbid, but they were emitting a sharp light.    

Lu Yu's heart trembled, and he suddenly said in a deep voice, "Elder, even if you are not a Buddha, you must be related to Buddhism, right?"    

Back then, when he was being chased by the evil spirits of the Heavenly State in the Great Thunderchant Temple, it was the voice of the Buddha that opened the passageway to the other world for him, and he entered the world in the back mountain.    

The old man could control the power of the Buddha, so he was obviously not a mortal.    

"I am just an old monk."    

The old man pushed open the door to a room in the backyard. It was empty except for a table and a praying mat.    

On the table was a bronze lamp that was ancient and bleak, as if it had been passed down from the ancient times.    

The old man lit the bronze lamp. The weak light instantly lit up the entire room.    

At the same time, a loud chant suddenly resounded in all directions.