lcionline Chapter 246 World of Famous Works 35
Chapter 246 World of Famous Works 35
The old man's eyes remained blank, as if he didn't understand Lin Xiaoqian's words. He asked, "What do you mean, shopkeeper? I'm just a homeless old beggar who begs on the street. I don't have any name."
Lin Xiaoqian's eyes were sharp, and she directly exposed him, "Curfew begins in Chang'an at 7:00 PM. After curfew, people cannot walk around the streets at will and must return home. It is already 7:45 PM now. My shop is in the most bustling and conspicuous place on the street. There are often patrols at the door. How can an old beggar like you, who is weak and unable to even kill a chicken, wander around the streets at will and knock on my shop door to ask for food? So, you are not an ordinary beggar at all."
The old man continued to argue, "Perhaps it was too dark and cold outside, and the patrolmen were too lazy and went home, so they didn't see me, this old beggar. Alas, I am a poor old beggar with no home, suffering from hunger and cold. I only found my way here by chance. Does the shopkeeper really suspect that an old beggar like me is a bad person?"
Lin Xiaoqian didn't believe him at all, because the system had issued a warning the moment the old man entered the shop: 'This person exudes an extremely dangerous aura; please be careful, host.'
Lin Xiaoqian suspected that the Buddhist sect had used special methods to track them down, so she quickly sent a telepathic message to Jiang Shuang, asking her to get closer to the old man and try to hypnotize him. However, the result was naturally unsuccessful.
Seeing that Lin Xiaoqian still looked unconvinced, after a moment of stalemate, the old man suddenly laughed and shook his head, saying, "I never expected it, I never expected it, it was the rules of the mortal world that made me reveal my weakness."
Lin Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow. "No one can eat more than a dozen bowls of noodles in one go, okay?"
The old man stroked his white beard and said calmly, "Let those two little kids come out from behind. Aren't they tired of carrying weapons? They're quite intimidating."
Lin Xiaoqian was not surprised that he knew Jiang Shuang and Mo Ying had been lying in ambush in the kitchen. Mo Ying and Jiang Shuang stopped hiding and came out of the kitchen with serious expressions, weapons in hand, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
It turns out that after learning that Jiang Shuang had failed in her hypnosis attempt, Lin Xiaoqian made an excuse to suggest that Jiang Shuang go upstairs to ask Mo Ying for help, to see if he could see through the man's true colors.
Mo Ying immediately used her divine sense to probe the old man, but as soon as her divine sense reached the old man, it lost contact as if it had sunk into the sea. The old man, however, was still eating noodles with gusto as if nothing had happened.
Mo Ying was also encountering such a formidable enemy for the first time, so she and Jiang Shuang quickly crouched down in the kitchen to be on guard.
Lin Xiaoqian asked calmly, "Who exactly are you? What brings you to my shop? You're not really here just to eat a few bowls of noodles, are you?"
The old man, like a playful old man, stared wide-eyed and nodded, giving an "Mmm" with an expression that said it was indeed true. "I may not have come here for the noodles before, but your cooking skills are truly superb. The noodles are chewy and smooth, and the soup is delicious. I enjoyed the meal very much. These noodles alone are worth the trip."
The old man gave Lin Xiaoqian a reproachful look as he spoke, saying, "But you're too wary, girl. I'm just eating a few more bowls of your noodles, why are you adding more things to them?"
Lin Xiaoqian wasn't embarrassed at being exposed, and said with a smile, "It's nothing, it's just a little sleep aid, colorless and odorless, and it won't affect the taste of the noodles. But seeing that you still have good energy, it seems this stuff won't work for you. Would you like to try something else?"
As he spoke, Lin Xiaoqian immediately instructed the system to administer an electric shock to the old man.
Regardless of whether the other party is friend or foe, first stun them with electricity and tie them up.
To Lin Xiaoqian's surprise, she did not see the old man collapse to the ground from the electric shock. Instead, she saw the old man's body suddenly sway and he appeared perfectly fine in front of the table next door.
System, you're useless!
It's not even electrified?
The old man pointed at Lin Xiaoqian with a displeased expression and said, "You little girl, you're too stingy. I only ate a few more bowls of noodles from you and you want to fight. My old bones can't take your abuse. I came here in person to take you as my disciple when I heard you wanted to become my apprentice, but you have no sincerity at all."
Lin Xiaoqian looked completely bewildered. Who would want to become your apprentice?
No, wait!
Earlier today, she made up a story to Li Lizhi, saying she wanted to become a disciple of the Bodhi Patriarch. Hopefully, this will attract attention.
Lin Xiaoqian carefully examined the beggar in front of him. He was dressed in tattered clothes, his face was covered in dirt, and his hair and beard were messy. Apart from his bright eyes, he didn't look like a god at all.
In Lin Xiaoqian's mind, the Bodhi Patriarch should be like the one in Journey to the West, with white hair and a youthful face, and an otherworldly air. He just doesn't match the old beggar in front of him at all.
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
This person is definitely not Bodhi Patriarch!
However, she still tentatively asked, "Are you the Bodhi Patriarch?"
The old man snorted, "What, doesn't it look like it?"
Lin Xiaoqian shook his head honestly.
The old man angrily pointed at Lin Xiaoqian with his finger, and after a long pause, he finally said, "Anyway, I am the Bodhi Patriarch."
Then he muttered something under his breath, but Lin Xiaoqian didn't hear it.
Lin Xiaoqian craned her neck, looking curious: "What did you say?"
The old man stopped trying to hide his identity and said directly, "It is true that I am the Bodhi Patriarch, but I am his incarnation. I have been walking in the marketplace for many years, so I inevitably have some worldly dust on me."
As he was speaking, he suddenly said "Hmm?" and pulled, and Sun Wukong's clone suddenly appeared in front of him.
The old man said with a smile, "My good disciple, you're here too. When you were imprisoned under the Five Fingers Mountain, I even gave you peaches to eat. Come, call me Master."
Sun Wukong's clone blinked, but neither moved nor made a sound.
The old man was somewhat disappointed and waved his hand, saying, "Forget it, it's just an avatar, it doesn't even have self-awareness. Go play somewhere else."
Lin Xiaoqian was still somewhat unwilling to believe that this old rascal in front of her could be the Bodhi Patriarch, even if it was an external avatar.
As if sensing Lin Xiaoqian's disbelief, the old man raised an eyebrow and said, "You don't believe I'm the Bodhi Patriarch?"
Lin Xiaoqian was honest, "It's not that I don't believe you at all, it's just that your current image... is a bit different from what I imagined."
"What, do you feel that my current appearance doesn't match the ethereal and otherworldly image you imagined?"
The old man said with a disdainful look, "I think my current image is just right, carefree and unrestrained, very comfortable. Unlike my original self, who stays cooped up in his cave all day without ever getting bored, always putting on airs, never complaining of the fatigue. He talks about renouncing the world, about not being bothered by worldly sectarian disputes and fame and fortune, but when trouble comes, he always sends me to solve it. He's also very hypocritical. He takes on a disciple, superficially severing karmic ties and letting him go out to train, but secretly he's a million times worried and wants me to watch over him. Is the wine not good enough or the food not delicious enough that I have to take care of his child every day..."
The old man muttered to himself, his mouth full of complaints.
Lin Xiaoqian was stunned. She felt like she had heard something incredible.