"This poor monk's dharma name is Sanzang."
"Sanzang? Zang as in treasure?"
Chen Xu pressed his palms together and smiled slightly. "Zang as in burial. May I ask how to address you, benefactor?"
"My surname is Hou, and I am the second child in my family. Master, you can just call me Hou Er."
As Hou Er spoke, he was secretly murmuring to himself. 'Zang as in burial? The more I hear it, the less he sounds like a proper monk. Or perhaps the scriptures they recite in Daxia are different, leading to such a dharma name.'
The several men who had jumped into the water, seeing that their second brother had not come down for a long time and even heard voices talking, surfaced again to check the situation.
They knew each other well; if one was caught, the others would not be able to escape either.
Surfacing, they saw their second brother standing on the boat, looking composed and facing north.
Just then, Chen Xu's voice carried over, and the men all turned their heads to look at him.
"Why is it a monk?"
"He came from the north, from Daxia? No wonder Second Brother didn't jump into the water."
After figuring it out, the men climbed back onto their boats one after another.
"Dear benefactors, are there any large fish in this river? Why did you all suddenly jump into the water just now?"
Chen Xu asked curiously when he saw these men climb back onto the boats empty-handed. Surely they didn't jump into the river to flee just because they were afraid of him.
"Ahem." Hou Er coughed twice. "Master, that is a special power-exerting posture for us fishermen when catching fish. Earlier, my brothers were too focused and were startled by your voice, breaking their concentration and falling into the river."
"So that is how it is."
Chen Xu looked at Hou Er for a moment. Although the man's reply was evasive and not the truth, it was understandable in this South Realm territory.
It was reasonable to be cautious when facing a stranger like himself.
Chen Xu bid them farewell and led his three disciples, pulling Invincible along as they walked south along the river.
For his first stop in the South Realm, Chen Xu chose Liuqing City.
As the first major city in the northern South Realm, Liuqing City was home to temples, aristocratic clans, and the Voodoo Cult. With people from all three groups present, it was a chaotic mix of good and bad, making it the perfect place for an outsider like Chen Xu to settle down.
His goal in coming to the South Realm was pure: he was here for the dungeons and the generations of accumulated wealth of the aristocratic clans.
While the South Realm was not exactly vast, it was not small either. It was impossible for Chen Xu to find the dungeon entrances one by one on his own.
Conveniently, the aristocratic clans also held the locations of the dungeon entrances. By targeting one entity, he could achieve two goals at once, saving both worry and effort.
After walking along the river for a long time, Chen Xu saw a village.
The people in the village were mostly elderly, women, and children. Seeing a fresh face like Chen Xu, they immediately became vigilant.
This was especially true given his attire, which clearly looked high-end, and the fact that he was holding skulls as prayer beads on his chest, which was even more bizarre.
Chen Xu stepped forward quickly to an old man sitting under a tree. "Old sir, this poor monk has come from Daxia and has just arrived in the South Realm. May I ask what village this is?"
Seeing Chen Xu addressing him, the old man immediately sprang up from the ground and bowed repeatedly to Chen Xu, making "ah, ah" sounds while constantly gesturing with his hands.
Seeing this, Chen Xu quickly spoke to comfort him. "Old sir, you need not be alarmed. This poor monk is not a bad person."
But the old man continued gesturing to himself. Chen Xu felt quite helpless and let out a sigh.
For some reason, this sigh terrified the old man, who knelt directly on the ground, kowtowing and crying out to Chen Xu.
"Ai, old sir, what is the meaning of this? I didn't even touch you!"
Chen Xu immediately reached out and grabbed the old man's hand to pull him up from the ground.
To his surprise, after standing up, the old man took one look at the hand gripping his body and began to cry even louder.
Just as Chen Xu was at a loss, a boy ran over from a distance. He first pressed his palms together and bowed to Chen Xu.
"Master, Mute Grandpa has mental issues and often cannot control himself. If he has offended you, please be magnanimous, Master."
As he spoke, he took the old man over from Chen Xu's hands.
Chen Xu looked at the boy before him. He was wearing tattered coarse cloth clothes, his face was rough, and his fingernails were filled with dirt, but he had no small amount of courage.
Out of all the people around, he was the only one who dared to step forward, which caught Chen Xu's attention.
So, he pressed his palms together again and asked the boy, "Amitabha. Little benefactor, this poor monk is Sanzang, having come from Daxia to the South Realm. May I ask what the name of this village is?"
Seeing Chen Xu bowing to him, the boy wanted to return the gesture, but since his hands were supporting the old man, he couldn't free them and could only bow repeatedly.
"Master, this is Rotten Fish Village."
"Rotten Fish Village? Why give it such a name?"
"I heard from the elders in the village that a long time ago, the Lei River was full of all kinds of plump fish. When the season arrived, large fish would leap over the river, and you could pick them up just by walking along the bank."
"Every time that happened, every household had more fish than they could eat, and even the dogs guarding the doors had the smell of fish in their mouths. When fish were caught, no one cared if they were left to rot because there were plenty of fresh ones in the river. That is why it was named Rotten Fish Village."
After the boy finished speaking, he subconsciously swallowed his saliva. More fish than one could eat—what a wonderful life that must have been. In all his years growing up, the number of times he had eaten fish each year could be counted on one hand.
It was only when his father and several uncles occasionally went out to work in secret that they could bring back a few pieces of fish meat.
"Little benefactor, this poor monk has become a bit weary from the journey. I wonder if I might ask for a few bowls of water to drink?"
"This... no problem."
The boy first carefully placed the old man on the ground, letting him sit against the tree. Then he turned to Chen Xu.
"Master, please follow me."
Chen Xu nodded and followed the boy into the village.
The village women nearby watched and gathered together, whispering secretly. "Why is that little monkey leading that strange monk to his house?"
"Exactly. That child has no sense at all. Hou Er is out again, and only Cuifen is at home. Do you think something might happen?"
"Probably not. Look at how grand that monk looks, all clean and fair. How could he be interested in country folk?"
"Heh, hard to say. I heard those big lords from above have all sorts of hobbies. What if he just likes this sort?"
"Ah!"
This statement drew a chorus of gasps.
An old man nearby heard this and couldn't help but cough twice. "Enough, enough, you women should think of something better. Besides, that monk doesn't look like an ordinary person. If you gossip behind his back like this, be careful he doesn't hear you."
After the old man spoke, the group of village women felt it was dull and dispersed to return to their homes.
"Sigh, calculating the time, Hou Er and the others should be back soon."
The old man sighed, got up from the ground, and walked toward the village entrance.
He was just an old man; if he went to Hou Er's house and the monk really was some villain, he couldn't do anything.
It was better to go to the village entrance and inform Hou Er early.
On the other side, Chen Xu led Xuan Chu and the other two, along with Invincible, following behind the boy.
"By the way, little benefactor, I forgot to ask, what is your name?"
"Master, my surname is Hou, and I am called Hou Muping."
"Oh, the surname Hou?"
Chen Xu looked at Hou Muping's face and compared it in his mind with the man on the river earlier, finding that there were indeed some similarities.
"Master, is something wrong?"
Hou Muping was a bit nervous and asked in a low voice.
"Hahaha, nothing is wrong. It is just that your surname is the same as a friend of mine. Muping, Muping... Mu means to govern, and Ping means peace for all under heaven. A good name. It seems your honorable father is quite cultured."
Hearing Chen Xu's praise, Hou Muping rubbed his head and said sheepishly, "My father is just a farmer, but he does often brag, saying he has read many books. But besides those few picture books, I haven't seen any other books in the house."
"Hahaha, picture books are books too. Writing carries the Dao; even picture books can teach people principles."
Hou Muping nodded. Although he didn't understand, seeing the master's appearance, he thought the man must be a truly learned person. Since he also praised his father, could it be that his father wasn't just bragging but actually had talent?
Before long, the group arrived at Hou Muping's house.
Pushing open the dilapidated wooden door, Hou Muping led the way inside.
"Mother, I'm back."
Chen Xu followed him in and looked around. The house was truly clean; everything was just right—just the right amount of broken, and just the right amount of sparse.
"You're back? Why so early today?"
A woman walked out from the inner room. Seeing Chen Xu, her mouth fell open, and she froze in place.
"Amitabha. This poor monk has come from Daxia and is weary from the journey. I have come specifically to ask for a few bowls of water to drink."
Hearing Chen Xu say he was a monk from Daxia, and seeing his gentle and humble posture, which was nothing like the lords she remembered, the woman finally felt at ease.
"Masters, my house is small, and there are only two stools out here. If you don't mind, you can come to the inner room and sit on the bed. I will go pour water for you first."
"Thank you for your kindness, benefactor, but we will be fine out here."
As he spoke, Chen Xu sat down on one of the only two stools in the hall and looked at Hou Muping.
"Little benefactor, could you chat with this poor monk?"
"Master, what do you want to chat about?"
"Many things. For example, what you do on normal days, what your parents do, and what the people of Rotten Fish Village usually do. Sit down first, and we can talk slowly."
Hou Muping glanced at Xuan Chu and the others. "Aren't these masters going to sit?"
"These are my disciples. They are hardy and aren't afraid of being tired."
After receiving Chen Xu's reply, Hou Muping sat on the stool.
"You child, don't you know to offer seats to the masters?"
The woman came out of the kitchen, carrying a wooden tray with four small bowls filled with water.
Seeing the woman scolding him, Chen Xu quickly spoke up to explain for Hou Muping.
"So that is how it is. Then Master, please drink some water first."
Placing the four bowls of water on the table one by one, the woman returned to the kitchen.
Chen Xu picked up a bowl of water and took a sip; it had an earthy taste with a hint of sweetness.
Hou Muping stood up and carefully picked up a bowl of water, wanting to hand it to Xuan Chu and the others behind him.
Chen Xu quickly stopped him. "Little benefactor, my disciples have practiced a technique that requires them to keep their mouths closed. They cannot speak or eat."
Hearing this, Hou Muping carefully placed the water back on the table.
Just as Chen Xu was about to speak and find a topic to chat about, Hou Er's voice came from outside the door.
"Master, you and I truly have fate; we meet again."
Hou Er had seen Invincible outside his door from a distance and knew that the strange monk the villagers were talking about was Chen Xu.
"Hahaha, benefactor, you and I indeed have fate!"
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