In a certain star field in the Underworld, in a mortal town, there was an old man scavenging.
The old scavenger's face is old, his hands are calloused, and his eyes are filled with years of experience and vicissitudes. He is wearing a yellowed cloth with more than a dozen patches sewn on it, and he is holding a torn bag with a small hole in his hand.
Black linen bag.
Xu Changge passed by this star field, happened to think of this person, and planned to come and have a look.
In Xu Changge's impression, the old man scavenging was an unfathomable strong man. In the polar night era of his previous life, the old man holding a sack and wearing a pair of straw sandals with exposed black toes came out of the air and suppressed him with a flip of his hands.
Many Mahayana saints.
Xu Changge really didn't know much about the old scavenger. The only thing Xu Changge knew was that the old scavenger had been living here in seclusion and would never take action unless it was absolutely necessary.
"hey-hey."
The old scavenger rummaged through the trash and found a better piece of cloth. He grinned, showing his big yellow teeth, and was very happy.
Pedestrians passing by saw the old man scavenging and subconsciously crossed on the other side, fearing that his clothes would be stained by the old man, and their eyes were full of disgust.
The old scavenger has long been accustomed to the disgusted looks from the world and doesn't take it seriously.
"Old man, what are you looking for?"
Xu Changge walked to the side of the garbage pile and looked at the old man up and down. With Xu Changge's eyesight, he could not see the depth of the old man.
From the looks of it, the old man scavenging was clearly an ordinary person. Except that he was a little smelly and dirty, there was nothing special about him.
If Xu Changge hadn't seen the old man scavenging in his previous life, he wouldn't have believed that an accomplished man would behave like this.
"Looking for something to eat." The old scavenger paused for a moment, then looked back at Xu Changge. His expression showed no signs of change on the surface, but deep down he muttered: "Someone's here."
"How about I treat you to a meal?"
Xu Changge invited.
"That's so bad!" The old scavenger shook his head: "I'm just a stinky beggar, I don't have this blessing."
"Okay!" The old scavenger refused. Xu Changge couldn't help but said, "Excuse me."
Xu Changge left without looking back. He didn't want to be too enthusiastic, lest it backfire.
The old scavenger turned his head and glanced at Xu Changge's back. He didn't expect that Xu Changge would come to this remote place in the countryside. He thought to himself: "Are you here for me? Or are you passing by here?"
After thinking for a long time, the old scavenger felt that it was impossible for Xu Changge to know him, that he could not come here just for him, and that it was most likely a chance encounter.
The old scavenger picked up some discarded items, which can be exchanged for a few copper coins. When you have saved enough money, you can go to a small wine shop to buy a pound of turbid wine. Just think about it and you will be happy.
While walking, the old man's sack accidentally hit a pedestrian.
This passerby had a bad temper, so he kicked the old scavenger to the ground: "Smelly beggar, don't you have fucking eyes?"
The old scavenger fell to the ground, and the linen bag in his hand also fell to the ground.
The old scavenger quickly apologized and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"It's really unlucky. My clothes are all stained."
Pedestrians patted their clothes and were extremely disgusted.
"Forget it! He's just an old beggar, there's no need to argue with him."
The beautiful girl next to her pulled the middle-aged man's sleeve and begged for the old man's favor.
"Okay, I'll listen to you." The middle-aged man turned around and smiled at the girl next to him. He felt a little better and scolded the old scavenger: "If you are not careful when you walk next time, you won't meet someone like me."
Such an easy person to talk to.”
"Hey, thank you, sir. The little old man knows."
The old scavenger quickly picked up the linen bag and bowed to express his thanks.
"get out!"
The middle-aged man snorted coldly, put one hand around the girl's waist, and strode away.
The old scavenger encountered similar things more than once. Several times during this period, the old scavenger accidentally offended the gangsters on the street and was beaten violently. He was so bruised that he looked pitiful.
Not far away, Xu Changge was buying some random things when he saw this scene.
"Why should a person like him suffer this fate?"
Xu Changge thought to himself, unable to understand.
Most people who practice Taoism do it for fame and fortune, or to protect themselves and the people they care about from being bullied. This is the first time Xu Changge has seen a situation like the old man scavenging.
In the past, when Xu Changge had not entered the world, the old blind swordsman could be considered low-key and would not let mortals bully him, and he even apologized so humbly.
"He won't have such a hobby!"
Xu Changge secretly speculated, and he got goosebumps just thinking about it.
A few days later, Xu Changge was walking around the town and met an old scavenger who was rummaging through various garbage dumps.
This time, Xu Changge did not go over to say hello, he looked straight in the eyes and walked steadily.
The old scavenger naturally noticed Xu Changge, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Hey."
Xu Changge paused, turned around and looked at the old scavenger: "Old man, are you okay?"
"Last time you said you wanted to treat me to dinner, does that still count?"
The old man who scavenged had been hungry for several days and felt really uncomfortable. People in the town had saved a lot recently and couldn't find anything better for the garbage they threw away.
In the past, the old scavengers could occasionally find a few sour steamed buns in the garbage, but these days we don't have such a blessing. Alas! I originally said that I picked up some valuable things and could exchange them for wine, but it was really a daydream.
"Of course it counts."
Xu Changge smiled slightly.
"Aren't you afraid that I will make you poor?"
The old scavenger liked a straightforward person like Xu Changge, he joked.
"As long as the old man has this appetite, feel free to eat and I'll pay the bill."
Xu Changge said proudly.
"My little brother is very handsome and generous."
The old scavenger showed his yellow teeth, which seemed to have a lot of dirt on them. He hadn't brushed his teeth in an unknown amount of time.
"Where do you want to eat, old man?" Xu Changge always asks for the guests' opinions when treating guests.
"Manxiang Restaurant in town is quite famous. I heard it has a lot of delicious food, but... it's a bit expensive, hehe."
The old man scavenging was a little embarrassed, as if he really was an old beggar who loved to take advantage. When he talked about the delicious food, the old man's mouth drooled, and it was hard to describe his image.
"It doesn't matter, let's go to Manxianglou to have a meal and drink a glass of wine."
Xu Changge said.
So, the two of them headed straight towards Manxiang Tower.
As soon as he reached the door, the old scavenger was stopped by the guard at the door and was not allowed to enter.