The Bloody Taoist

Giggle--

With the early morning cockcrow, the sky gradually gets brighter, although the winter sky is still shrouded in darkness.

The people in Xianshan County have already been busy because today is the traditional New Year's Eve.

This day is of great significance to mortals. It not only symbolizes the end of the old year, but also heralds the arrival of the new year.

Similar to ancient customs in previous generations, people will stop lighting fires for cooking starting tomorrow and will not be able to relight the stoves until the fourth day of the Lunar New Year three days later.

Therefore, every household is seizing the time to cook all kinds of ingredients that have been prepared into sumptuous cooked meals.

The markets and shops in the city had been closed long ago and would reopen to welcome customers on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

The entire county is immersed in a festive atmosphere, and everyone is busy and fulfilling with good expectations for the New Year.

In the backyard of Shifang Inn, Zuo Yinyang was also directing a few little guys to get busy.

Despite the biting cold wind in the morning, everyone had a smile on their face.

"I'm talking about sweet potatoes, not sweet potatoes! What are you doing with these sweet potatoes?" Xiao Suli angrily looked at the pile of sweet potatoes in Qifeng's arms and couldn't help shouting.

"Sweet potatoes are delicious, sweet potatoes are delicious!" Qifeng smiled honestly, still looking indifferent to Su Li's scolding.

When Xiao Suli saw this, he became even more angry: "It's delicious, it's delicious! You idiot, the master asked you to get sweet potatoes, not sweet potatoes!"

Zuo Yinyang, who was fetching water at the side, saw this and smiled and comforted: "Okay, Qifeng, wash some sweet potatoes too. I will add another vegetable later and make sweet potato balls."

"Okay, okay, the meatballs are good!" Qifeng immediately beamed when he heard that there was a new delicacy. He hurriedly put the sweet potatoes in his arms on the ground, then turned around and ran towards the cellar.

Su Li quickly shouted from behind: "Remember to take the sweet potatoes, don't take the wrong ones again! Young Master, I think these seven peaks are probably intentional!"

Zuo Yinyang poured the full bucket of water into the water tank next to him, and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, today is New Year's Eve, just tell me what you want to eat, I can make it! Little Ye Zi, Leopard, you also tell me what you want to eat, Today I’m going to show off my skills and show you that my skills are no worse than Chef Fang’s!”

When Su Li heard this, he immediately said excitedly: "That's great, Master, I want to eat braised pork, the fatter the better! Sister Ye Zi, what about you?"

Xiao Zizi, who lowered his head to wash vegetables, said softly: "Master, I can eat whatever I want."

"What about Brother Baozi?" Su Li turned to ask Liu Baozi, who was picking vegetables.

Liu Baozi didn't seem to hear Su Li's question, he lowered his head and looked a little dazed. Since the day before yesterday, his father has not come to see him again. As the Chinese New Year is approaching, the half-grown boy still has a trace of hope for home.

"Brother Leopard! Brother Leopard!" Seeing that he didn't respond, Su Li shouted several times.

Only then did Liu Baozi come to his senses: "What's the matter?"

"Young master asked you what you want to eat? He can cook it today!"

Liu Baozi was stunned for a moment, and then replied with a flattering smile: "As long as it is made by the young master, I like to eat it!"

Zuo Yinyang understood what he was thinking, smiled and said: "Okay, then I will let go and do it today, and I will ensure that you will be full of food at noon and have endless aftertaste!

Let's make dumplings together in the evening! "

"Yeah! Make dumplings"

“The dumplings are delicious!”

In the small courtyard, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

Even He Qingni walked out of the room. He wore a thick cloak and walked into the cold morning breeze with a faint smile on his face.

This middle-aged friar with a somewhat strange appearance once made several servants feel uneasy and frightened, but as time went by, everyone was no longer as afraid of him as they were when they first met.

Coupled with Zuo Yinyang's prestige and He Qingni's behavior these days, several servants gradually adapted to his presence.

Although He Qingni was not close to these mortal children, he was still polite.

After all, although Zuo Yinyang was a junior in his eyes, he was an extraordinary person and his future achievements would be limitless, so he was a little more patient with his cronies.

"Fellow Daoist He, why don't you show off your skills and cook a hometown dish?"

Zuo Yinyang said to He Qingni with a smile while stirring the sweet potatoes in the big basin.

He Qingni stood in front of the door with his hands in his sleeves. Hearing this, he shook his head and replied: "I don't know how to cook. Eating is fine. As for what to eat, I don't really care. As long as I have wine!"

Zuo Yinyang laughed loudly when he heard this, and replied cheerfully: "Of course there is enough wine! You can go to the guest room to invite Senior General Lingzi later. If he can come, we can prepare more wine and food."

When he mentioned Jiang Lingzi, He Qingni frowned slightly. The guy covered in corpse aura appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel hesitant.

But he still nodded bravely, turned and walked towards the front hall.

Before He Qingni could walk out of the yard, a white shadow flashed past, and Lingzi appeared quietly in the backyard.

Then, Lingzi's laughter came out.

"Hahahaha, it's quite lively! It really feels like the Chinese New Year.

I almost forgot what the New Year looks like, haha! "

Jiang Lingzi smiled heartily, with a trace of long-lost nostalgia in his eyes.

Seeing this, He Qingni quickly raised his hands and saluted: "Senior, I am going to the front hall to invite you!"

Jiang Lingzi waved his hand to indicate that there was no need to be polite, then walked straight past He Qingni and walked into the backyard, his eyes scanning the busy people.

"Senior, you get up early."

While fetching water from the well, Zuo Yinyang said with a smile, "Today is New Year's Eve. We are going to have a good meal at noon. I wonder if the seniors have already gone off grains and whether they are taboos on meat and fish? If there are no taboos, I will make more good dishes. Let's Have a good drink!”

Jiang Lingzi approached with a big smile, touched Su Li's little head, and said warmly: "I don't care about whether or not to eat grains. I eat both meat and vegetables. Hahaha, Zuo Xiaoyou cooks it himself. , I want to taste it!”

Jiang Lingzi was now dressed in white, with an elegant temperament and a hearty smile. Coupled with his handsome face, the servants immediately took a liking to him.

They only felt that this senior was kind-hearted in speech and manner, and was much more pleasing to the eye than He Huyuan, who looked like a big toad.

Seeing the servants busy moving stools and pouring water, He Qingni muttered to himself: "These mortals are really ignorant.

If you could see his true face of refining corpses and raising ghosts, I don’t know if you would like him so much! "

Soon after, noon was approaching, and Zuo Yinyang prepared two sumptuous banquets early.

One table was reserved for himself, Jiang Lingzi and He Qingni, and the other table was reserved for a few servants.

It can be said that Zuo Yinyang put all his efforts this time, using all the cooking skills he learned in his previous life, and made several dishes that can be regarded as delicacies even in the world of cultivation.

Jiang Lingzi and He Qingni remained somewhat reserved at first, but as they drank delicious food and wine, everyone gradually relaxed their restraints and the atmosphere became more and more lively.

After three rounds of drinking, several people's faces were slightly red, and laughter continued to echo in the yard.

Even He Qingni, who had been taciturn just now, relaxed a lot because of his drunkenness.

The servants were feasting on another table, enjoying this rare feast.

Su Li shouted with a greasy mouth: "The master's craftsmanship is really amazing!" Ye Zi and Liu Baozi also had smiles on their faces, obviously very satisfied with the New Year's Eve dinner.

The whole courtyard became extremely warm in the cold winter due to a sumptuous New Year's dinner.

As night falls, under the moonlight, the silver-clad Xianshan City looks particularly warm under the reflection of thousands of lights.

After having enough wine and food, Zuo Yinyang looked at the sky and called everyone to start making dumplings.

For monks, making dumplings is not their daily activity, but today, New Year's Eve, Zuo Yinyang wants to keep this warm tradition in his heart and add popularity to himself in the future.

He is already afraid of his future self.

Jiang Lingzi stood in the middle of the yard, watching Zuo Yinyang busy taking out flour and fillings from the kitchen, and smiled: "I grew up in a sect, and I have never made dumplings before!"

"Senior, if you are interested, you might as well show off your skills today." Zuo Yinyang responded with a smile, while placing the kneaded dough on the chopping board.

Little Su Li and Ye Zi were also eager to try it, and Qifeng's honest face also showed a touch of excitement, and he was busy bringing the fillings to the table.

Liu Baozi was helping to prepare the dipping sauce, and the melancholy on his face had been dispelled by the festive atmosphere.

He Qingni was still not very good at these trivial matters. He stood aside with his hands in his sleeves, watching Zuo Yinyang divide the dough into small pieces, and then began to roll out the dough. His skillful movements made him secretly wonder: "This kid can still It’s strange how you can be so keen on these mundane things.”

Everyone sat around the table, some rolling out the dumplings, and some filling them. Zuo Yinyang even taught a few little ones how to make laces and how to wrap the dumplings tightly.

"Here, put a copper coin in the last dumpling. Whoever eats it will be lucky next year." Zuo Yinyang smiled and took out a copper coin from his arms and quietly put it into a dumpling. Xiao Suli and Ye Zi's eyes suddenly lit up, staring at the plate of dumplings with anticipation, secretly hoping that they would be the lucky ones.

When the dumplings were put into the pot, heat filled the kitchen, and the rich aroma aroused everyone's appetite.

Soon, the hot dumplings came out of the pot. Zuo Yinyang put them in a big bowl and put them on the table.

"Eating dumplings!" Su Li shouted excitedly.

Everyone sat together and tasted the dumplings lively. Jiang Lingzi even praised it: "These dumplings taste good. Zuo Xiaoyou is not only good at cultivation, but his cooking skills are also really good."

Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, there was a "bang" sound outside the courtyard, followed by the sound of fireworks one after another.

Everyone looked up and saw gorgeous fireworks blooming in the night sky, decorating the dark night with colorful colors.

"Set off fireworks! Let's go and see them too!" Xiao Suli jumped up excitedly, pulling Ye Zi and Qiao Qifeng to limp out of the yard.

Zuo Yinyang put down his chopsticks, smiled and said to Jiang Lingzi and He Qingni: "Senior, fellow Taoist, let's go out and watch the excitement."

Everyone walked out of the yard and stood by the city wall, looking up at the clusters of fireworks blooming in the sky.

Colorful fireworks bloomed in the night sky, like blooming flowers, reflecting on everyone's face.

He held Lingzi's hands behind his back and looked far away, as if he was recalling some dusty past event.

He Qingni stood aside, looking at the bright night sky, with thousands of thoughts in his heart.

The little servants were even more excited, especially Qifeng, who jumped up and down and shouted: "It's so beautiful! It's so beautiful!"

Zuo Yinyang looked at the people around him, feeling a sense of tranquility in his heart.

He knew that the laughter and fireworks in front of him might only be a brief moment, but it was these moments that constituted the most precious memory of an individual.

The path of cultivation is long and lonely. Being able to spend the holidays with the person in front of him at this moment is the reality he can grasp.

In the night sky, the last firework bloomed quietly, making the entire Xianshan County City look like a dream.

The new year is here!