Chapter Fifteen: The Calf’s First Steps

“Excuse me, who are you?”
The old man in plain clothes rubbed his failing eyes, his voice tinged with doubt.
He had never seen Fang Xiao before.
“My name is Fang Xiao, a disciple of the Daoist Master,” Fang Xiao replied. “I’m currently staying here to watch over the temple while the master is away. If you have any business, you can tell me first, and I’ll pass it along to him when he returns.”
At present, Fang Xiao’s identity was that of a distant relative of Daoist Pang. He had recently come here to seek a livelihood and had been taken in as a disciple.
With this relationship established, and his name registered with the county office, no one could find fault with his presence.
“So it’s young Daoist Fang,” the old man said, bowing with trepidation. “I am Zhen Dashan. Greetings, Daoist.”
Fang Xiao could hardly keep from laughing—what kind of Daoist was he, really?
Still, Fang Xiao had no intention of correcting the misunderstanding.
He only wanted to find out the old man’s purpose: “Uncle Zhen, what brings you here to see the master?”
Old Zhen hesitated for a moment, but finally stammered, “My… my family has been plagued by monsters…”
As it turned out, Zhen Dashan’s family of seven lived on the eastern edge of Zhenjia Village at the foot of the mountain. They made their living by farming and raising chickens and sheep.
But last night, a band of yellow-furred weasels snuck into their chicken coop under the cover of darkness, killing and making off with more than a dozen fat chickens.
Not only that, but the leader of the weasels even injured Zhen Tieniu, who had come to investigate the noise.
Zhen Tieniu was Old Zhen’s son and the backbone of the family.
Worst of all, after stealing the chickens and injuring a man, the weasel left behind a threat as it departed.
They demanded that the Zhen family slaughter and prepare two sheep for them to collect that night.
If they refused, they would suffer the consequences!
The whole family was terrified and had gone to the village chief for help that morning.
But the chief was helpless, insisting that the Zhen family must have offended the Yellow Immortal, and thus brought this retribution upon themselves.
Otherwise, with so many households in the village, why would the weasels single them out?
He advised them to follow the weasels’ demand and offer the sheep in tribute.
That way, the trouble would be resolved, and it was better to lose property than life!
Old Zhen was beside himself with grief.
His family had never offended the Yellow Immortal.
The chickens and sheep had been painstakingly raised, intended for sale in town next month to pay off last year’s debts.
Now, it was all for nothing.
How unjust!
But no matter how he pleaded, the village chief would not listen, leaving him to make his own choice.
Old Zhen was so desperate, he felt like ending his own life.

Fortunately, a sympathetic villager quietly gave him a suggestion.
He should go to the Little Jing Mountain Temple and seek help from Daoist Pang!
But Daoist Pang was away on errands.
With his last hope gone, Old Zhen felt as if the sky itself had collapsed.
As he recounted his troubles, sorrow overcame him and tears streamed down his face.
Such injustice!
Fang Xiao listened, anger flaring in his chest, his blood surging to his head.
He remembered the night he first arrived in this world, when he encountered a vicious yellow weasel.
Recalling that scene, Fang Xiao couldn’t help clenching his fist.
He said gravely, “Uncle Zhen, don’t worry. I’ll go to your house with you right now and deal with those weasels myself!”
It was time to settle old and new scores together!
As for Daoist Pang’s earlier instructions, they were forgotten in Fang Xiao’s rush of righteous indignation.
“Ah?”
Old Zhen stared in shock.
He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, anxiously saying, “Young Daoist, those weasels are fierce. Even my son Tiegen couldn’t stand against them—I wouldn’t dare let you risk yourself!”
“At worst, we’ll just give them the sheep!”
His son, Zhen Tiegen, was tall and powerfully built—much stronger than Fang Xiao.
Yet he had been knocked to the ground with a single swipe from the weasel, losing a large patch of flesh.
He was still bedridden, recovering from his wounds!
Fang Xiao looked very young, and it was unclear how much skill he had gained from Daoist Pang.
If he failed to defeat the weasels and lost his life, the blame would be unbearable!
“No!”
Fang Xiao would not listen, slinging his military satchel over his shoulder and feeling for the triangular dagger inside.
His courage surged.
His actions were not mere hotheadedness.
He had already stepped onto the path of martial cultivation and reached the Body Tempering stage.
His fighting prowess was several times what it once was!
When he first arrived, he had already managed to beat back a weasel blocking his way with just a belt.
Now, he had even less to fear!
And so, despite Old Zhen’s protests, he could only lead Fang Xiao down the mountain to his home.
It was Fang Xiao’s first time in Zhenjia Village.
He had only seen it from a distance before.
With about a hundred households, it was a fairly large village.

Most of the village buildings were mud-brick houses with thatched roofs, each family’s yard enclosed by earthen walls. Some homes stood close together, while others kept a respectful distance from their neighbors.
Old Zhen’s house was one of the standalone dwellings, with the nearest neighbor a hundred paces away.
Dusk was falling, and the whole Zhen family was gathered indoors.
As they heard Old Zhen returning, an elderly woman and a wan-faced young woman came out to see what was happening, two children trailing behind.
At the sight of Fang Xiao, they were all taken aback.
Old Zhen forced a bitter smile. “Wife, Tiegen’s wife, this is young Daoist Fang—he’s come to help us deal with the weasels.”
The two women exchanged bewildered glances, at a loss for words.
They had gone to ask for Daoist Pang, so why had a young Daoist shown up?
Old Zhen looked at Fang Xiao again. “Young Daoist…”
On the way home, his anxiety had only increased, filling him with doubt.
He was truly afraid now, thinking it would be better to lose property than lives.
As for Fang Xiao, it might be best to send him back.
But before Old Zhen could finish his sentence, Fang Xiao interrupted him. “Uncle Zhen, all of you go inside. No matter what you hear, don’t come out.”
“I’ll stand guard here!”
Fearless in his youth, Fang Xiao brimmed with confidence and resolve at this moment.
He was determined to teach those despicable weasels a harsh lesson!
Old Zhen had much on his mind, but could not voice his worries.
Unable to sway Fang Xiao, he could only take his wife and daughter-in-law into the house.
Tiegen’s wife asked anxiously, “Father, can this young Daoist really subdue monsters and banish evil?”
Old Zhen sighed deeply, the wrinkles on his face so deep they could trap a fly.
He replied helplessly, “I don’t know—we can only leave it to fate now!”
His tone was one of utter despair.
“What are we going to do?”
The old woman beside him began to sob. “Heavens, how are we supposed to live?”
“Enough!”
Old Zhen glared at her, his heart filled with frustration.
He felt as if he had made a terrible mistake.
He paced around the room for a while, then crept to the door, peeking out through the crack.