Zombie Bodyguard

Chapter 2138: Chapter 2135: Fellow Daoist

"Senior, now that you mention it, I’m curious, what kind of fish is worth such a wait?" Lin Tian asked curiously.

The old man looked at the distant sun and suddenly raised a finger: "Shhh, it’s coming..."

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of splashing came from downstream. Lin Tian followed the sound to see a school of fish swimming upstream, some big, some small, pushing against the current and darting into the pond.

The previously quiet pond suddenly became lively. Fish swam back and forth at the bottom, either playing or searching for food. Soon enough, the bait on the hook caught their attention.

A big black fish rudely pushed away other fish and was the first to grab the bait, swallowing it along with the hook in one go.

"Got it!" The old man exclaimed joyfully, grabbing the fishing rod and pulling it back.

But the big fish was ferocious and charged outward, pulling the thin fishing line taut, as if it could snap at any moment.

Although Lin Tian was not an expert in fishing, he knew one thing for certain: When a fish first gets hooked, you shouldn’t pull too hard; otherwise, you’ll either snap the fishing line or even break the rod.

The old man was evidently an expert in fishing; when the fish dashed outwards, he let out some line, and then tightened it again when it pulled back, starting to tire the fish out. Going back and forth, the big black fish soon lost its strength, and the old man successfully hauled it ashore.

Lin Tian hurried over to help the old man put the fish into a basket. To be honest, they didn’t know what type of fish it was; it was scale-less and incredibly strong, so much so that it almost tipped over the basket, and the old man had to use his foot to hold it down.

"Haha, not bad luck today, caught a big fish, time to call it a day." The old man was overjoyed, reeling in the line and rod while laughing heartily.

"Aren’t you going to catch a few more, Senior?" Lin Tian looked at the other fish in the pond and asked curiously.

"Enough for you and me, no need to be greedy," the old man chuckled.

"You and me?" Lin Tian was taken aback, not quite grasping the old man’s words immediately.

The old man glared at him and said, "You got a backpack, aren’t you planning to stay at the temple? Hurry up and gather your things, time to head back."

Lin Tian sighed with a smile, helping to pack up, though there wasn’t much to pack, just a rod and a fish basket. As for that book, it had long been tucked away in the old man’s pocket.

The two, one old and one young, climbed the stone steps and soon arrived at the mountain temple. Calling it a temple was a stretch; it was just a few wooden houses, though well kept.

In the yard, a few ancient trees stood, beneath one of which was a stone table engraved with a chessboard. Beside the chessboard were two boxes, presumably holding black and white pieces.

From one of the houses rose a faint curl of smoke, suggesting someone was cooking, and a subtle aroma wafted out, stirring Lin Tian’s appetite. This kind of rustic aroma seemed like a distant memory.

In the distance, the sun had set halfway beyond the mountains, its red afterglow painting the hills and the wooden houses, mingling with the cooking smoke. There was no long river at sunset, no solitary smoke in the vast desert, no ethereal fairyland, just the atmosphere of everyday life—indeed, the life of ordinary people.

The real scene, real people, this is the world.

"Daoist friend, come out quickly, I’ve brought an interesting young fellow. Come and see what a handsome man looks like; stop telling me how dashing and charming you were in your youth." The old man shouted toward the house, his words leaving Lin Tian bewildered.

Is this an old man or a child? His words were quite humorous, Lin Tian thought helplessly.

However, another person did walk out of the house, also an old man, in coarse clothing with speckled white hair and beard. The difference was, his clothing was neater, his hair meticulously groomed, tied in a top knot.

Though appearing old, judging from the facial contours, he must have been quite the looker when young, and still carried quite a demeanor now.

"I have seen the Senior." Lin Tian greeted with a formal salute.

The old man smiled slightly and said, "Don’t listen to Old Man Ling’s nonsense; being handsome or not is just skin-deep. Beautiful appearances are all the same, but interesting souls are one in a million."

"Look, look, there you go again, don’t feed him those principles and spoil the youngster," the Fishing Elder waved dismissively, clearly disagreeing.

This time Lin Tian was truly baffled. These two old men appeared to be friends, yet why did they start arguing as soon as they met? It seemed this wasn’t the first time.

"An interesting soul should be adept in both the basics of life and the arts, from high poetry to folk songs, but you can’t grasp that." The old man rebutted.

The Fishing Elder waved his hand dismissively: "Can’t be bothered with you. Young fellow, wait here, I’ll go cook the fish, and you’ll see what real cooking is."

"What’s so good about meat? Vegetable dishes are better. Young fellow, I’ll show you what true delicacies from the mountains are," the other old man said, showing no intention to yield.

And with that, the two old men left Lin Tian behind and went into the kitchen to start their culinary plans.

Lin Tian was at a loss, wondering if Ling Shuiyao had set him up by arranging for him to stay with two eccentric old men.

"Master, these two are quite interesting. You Huaxia have a term, ’breaking the mold,’ living with them seems good." Sword Spirit chuckled in his mind, unclear if it was serious or simply amused.

"Enough with the nonsense, are there any anomalies? Are they Ancient Martial Artists? Do they have True Energy fluctuations?" Lin Tian, unwilling to argue, asked in frustration.

"None, they just seem like ordinary old men." Sword Spirit replied straightforwardly.

Lin Tian scratched his brow in frustration, sighed, and said, "Never mind, since I’m here, might as well make the best of it."

Fortunately, he was open-minded enough not to dwell on it, placing his backpack down, taking a stroll around the yard, and noticing a light inside the main hall, he went in.

The main hall was sparsely decorated, with just an altar table upon which offerings were placed and incense was burning. However, these offerings were not for any statue but just a God Tablet inscribed with the words "Heaven and Earth."

Such a strange temple, Lin Tian thought, puzzled. It was his first time seeing a temple without a statue, only honoring a God Tablet. As he pondered exploring elsewhere, a fragrant aroma wafted in from outside, prompting his already hungry stomach to protest.

Lin Tian exited the main hall to see the Fishing Elder emerging from the kitchen with a pot of fish soup, the aroma wafting from it.

The Fishing Elder was very proud, smiling as he boasted to Lin Tian: "Young fellow, come try it, once you taste it, you won’t want to go down the mountain."

"I’ve said it before, eating meat isn’t good, try my mountain treasures instead," the other old man also came out, bearing two plates, one filled with unknown red fungi and the other with unknown plant roots, both exuding alluring aromas.

The two old men set the dishes on the stone table, each taking a side, exchanged a look, then simultaneously turned to Lin Tian, almost saying in unison: "Young fellow, come eat and judge whose cooking skills are the best!"

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