Trafford’s Trading Club

It was a place worse than a village. A few sparse black-brick houses were separated here and there. At most, there were only some families living there.

It barely had access to electricity, which proved it was still in modern civilization.

Luo Qiu watched the surrounding mountains. It was full of moisture. In the morning, it evaporated slowly, becoming a dense rime fog and rising up to the sky.

He met Yang Taizi under the aged banyan of this ‘small’ village.

Another person stood near the old Taoist, who was his martial disciple, called Zhan Er.

Yang Taizi looked like he was sitting in meditation; in contrast, his disciple could not be still. Seeing someone approaching, he woke Yang Taizi up.

The old Taoist opened his eyes. With just a few steps, he met up with Luo Qiu. He said, “Boss Luo really abide by his word. This poor Taoist thought I would have to wait here for 1-2 days.”

The old Taoist had a quite a good tolerance. His grounds had been robbed for 10 years, it was nothing for him to wait 1 or 2 more days.

Luo Qiu replied, “It’s not our rule to have customers wait… Can we hit the road now?”

Luo Qiu looked at the cloud and breathed the mountain air on the way. Actually, more of it was carbon dioxide but it might be because the air humidity was higher, it gave him the sense of freshness.

He heard Taoists ate wind, drank dew, and inhaled spiritual air of Heaven and Earth… but to be honest, he couldn’t sense any spiritual air at all.

Additionally, was it really useful?

“Poor Taoist is ready.” Yang Taizi hurried to make a bow, keeping himself in an extremely low position.

His closed disciple felt quite inconceivable.

From his early time, Zhan Er was picked up by Yang Taizi, who claimed that he had the root of wisdom, thus was suitable for cultivating Taoism. However, he was very young, how could he know what cultivating Taoism meant? His reason was he would have enough food if he followed this grandfather.

But as time passed, after the ignorant and dull orphan grown up, he was gradually clear of this complicated world and realized the person he met was the so-called ‘Creator’, which was taught orally in Taoist groups.

He witnessed Yang Taizi scampered up mountains, split boulders with wooden swords, paper crane flying away, and blow clouds on the rocks of a twisting mountain. Through receiving nourishing a dozen of years, he treated Yang Taizi as a very close relative of him. With a splendid ability, their relationship was beyond relatives.

His master was the God.

Therefore, seeing Yang Taizi was so respectful and submissive, the young disciple felt jealous… If the other party was a sage-like type, that was OK; but they were just two young people his age.

“Master, these two persons are just the helpers we waited for?” the young disciple opened his mouth in a doubtful tone, “You can’t even defeat the Black Water Boa Monster, are they able to?”

What a foolish disciple!

He raised him from childhood, so Yang Taizi was very clear about the thoughts in him. He understood that his disciple was just standing up for himself.

Yang Taizi lips moved and was about to say something but Luo Qiu spoke before him. “We cannot either, so we are only helpers, Taoist priest is so polite.”

Yang Taizi had to go with the flow, “After all, you came to help me, how can I be so arrogant… Zhan Er, they are guests and our helpers. How can you be so rude?”

Oh…So it was like that?

Zhan Er gave a start, thinking that his master was right. They came to help out of kindness, so to be polite was not wrong. He promptly walked to Luo Qiu’s pair, behaving as a Taoist, even though he seemed not different with common youths.

Zhan Er bowed to Luo Qiu, “Sorry!”

With an honest and sincere smile.

There was no fickleness of a city dweller at all. Apologizing after mistakes, that life seemed much easier.

Luo Qiu nodded without words. He walked to the old Taoist, climbing with him. Luo Qiu didn’t always get in touch with Yang Taizi but he felt Yang Taizi was an out-of-world person.

…

“Poor Taoist hasn’t told my stubborn disciple the story about your club.”

On the way, Yang Taizi didn’t stop to explain it to Luo Qiu, “That kid is not bad in nature, just with a simple nature.”

While Luo Qiu looked at Yang Taizi curiously, “Your disciple doesn’t care about it, why do you care so much?”

Yang Taizi now glanced at the following Zhan Er subconsciously.

He saw he stopped under a sorb, considering picking a pear to eat, which gave him a start.

Luo Qiu said indifferently, “I don’t know more about the Taoists’ lives. But this young Taoist priest is really living away from the world.”

Yang Taizi couldn’t help being ashamed; however, his disciple was well-received, it seemed to be a satisfactory issue.

Getting older, getting more insolent. Yang Taizi sighed in mind, looking at Luo Qiu and bowing to him, “Thank you, Boss, for giving directions. Boss is really a free man.”

It was quite miraculous, such a simple principle could make a living immortal be enlightened, like someone drinking a bottle of amrita or timely rain, giving off a matchless and refreshing sense.

This enlightenment was quite cheap and ridiculous.

Something was learned during childhood, forgotten during youth, and found back as one’s senectitude, this was right our lives.

…

…

In a far place, at the relics of the huge underground palace in Ulan Bator.

At the edge of that huge pit formed due to sinking, a group of people was trying to climb down using the help of different tools. There was no flat ground for the landing of helicopters in the messy terrain, so they had to use this inefficient method.

Of course, it took them almost one day.

But they had camped near the pit long since.

In the camp, a 40-year-old foreign man with fur clothing, was drinking the local milk tea with a bad grace.

This was quite a hard job.

Comparing such a bleak place with Hawaii, where he just left, and full of sunshine, beaches and beauties, he sensed the difference between heaven and the hell.

The company lost a full treasure-hunting team, and drew a blank, so he had to leave the charming beaches of Hawaii for now.

“Mr. Bajo, Master Walla came back.”

As opening the tent, a valiant man wearing a soldier’s uniform with a machine gun said with great respect.

Bajo reluctantly stood up, wearing the marten hat, and ordering before going out, “Pour all these disgusting drinks and make a pot of coffee for me.”

‘Tut, what an abominable damn place it is! When can I leave here?’

‘Oh! Don’t take sunshine and beauties away from me.’