Chapter 623: Night Talks in the Mountains
“Mr. Liu, do you know the Yang family of Xianning?”
“The Yang family of Xianning? Of course I know them. Their Xianyun Gauze is the finest, and though we’re quite far apart, we correspond often.” The middle-aged man replied, then looked at Song You with some surprise. “Don’t tell me, sir, you heard of me from the Yang family? That’s quite a distance!”
“Not only that...”
Song You smiled and said, “We asked the Yang family for directions while in Xianning. Their young master told us that in Luchuan there is a shop called Liu's Cloth Shop, whose owner pursues Immortal Dao and practices Daoist arts, and that he is on good terms with the Yang family. He told us, if we couldn’t find the path, to seek out Mr. Liu for guidance.”
“You went into the city to look for me?” The middle-aged man stared at him, worried he might’ve made a wasted trip.
“The best part is this,” the Daoist said. “We arrived here and found the trail just as the Yang family said, so we didn’t bother going into town to trouble you. Yet, by chance, we still met you on the road.”
“Oh my! That truly is fate!”
The middle-aged man widened his eyes. And not just him, even the old man walking ahead and the three younger men carrying bamboo baskets all turned their heads, looking astonished.
There were many things in the world that caused wonder, but such strange and fateful encounters were not to be taken lightly.
Thanks to this serendipitous connection, even without the Yang family personally vouching, the bond between the two parties immediately grew closer.
As they walked, Mr. Liu chatted on. “From Luchuan to Bashu, it takes three days on foot. It takes one day to reach the base of the mountain, and two days to climb. Today’s the second day, and we still have one more day’s hike. Did you bring enough provisions and water, sir?”
“We planned to resupply in Luchuan,” Song You replied honestly. “But midway we found a shortcut that connected directly to the mountain path, so we skipped the city and came straight here. Still, my cat here is quite capable, and this mountain is full of wild hares. We won’t go hungry.”