Rhine walked for a while with the pear vendor and the onlookers, turning several corners, and sure enough, he saw the Daoist.
The shabbily dressed Daoist was lying by the wall, fanning himself with a broken fan, and gnawing on a large, plump pear, looking quite content.
"What a good pear! You didn't want to give it to me before, but now, it's all mine! Hahahahaha."
The Daoist took another bite of the pear, looked up, and suddenly saw a large group of people walking towards him, which startled him.
He had already slipped away so far; how did this group of people find him?
Walking towards him was none other than the pear vendor.
"Good fellow, it was you who cast an illusion and stole my pears!"
As soon as the vendor saw the Daoist, he became furious and lunged at him.
"Today, you must give me an explanation!"
The Daoist chuckled lightly and gently fanned himself with the fan in his hand.
The vendor only felt light-headed, his feet slipped, his body lost balance, and he fell forward, about to fall face down on the ground.
"Ah ah ah!"
Just as his face was about to hit the ground, an invisible breeze lifted the vendor, helping him regain his balance.
Rhine walked out from behind the vendor and said to the Daoist:
"You used magic to steal someone else's pears. I saw injustice on the road, and today I demand that you give him an explanation."
Since arriving in this land, Rhine had also adapted to the local customs, speaking in a very refined manner!
"That breeze just now was quite strange. Could it be that this child also knows some magic? That would be a bit troublesome..."
The Daoist was startled to see that this child seemed to have some skill.
"But there's nothing to fear. There are many talented and extraordinary people in this world."
"Can a mere greenhorn who hasn't even grown all his hair really turn the world upside down?"
The Daoist showed no fear, fanning himself, leaning against the wall, and leisurely said to Rhine:
"What? Kid, do you still think you're acting as a hero? On the contrary, I am punishing a miser and seeking justice for everyone."
The Daoist then said in a threatening tone:
"Child, I see you have an extraordinary appearance and are dressed in luxurious clothes; you're probably from a wealthy family. I say, why bother sticking up for a commoner? It wouldn't be good if you got into trouble!"
Rhine, however, refuted the Daoist's theory:
"If others give you pears, it's an act of kindness; if they don't, it's their right. This is not a reason for you to steal their pears."
The Daoist snorted, raised his fan, and pointed at the crowd behind Rhine:
"It is said that justice resides in the hearts of the people, and naturally, the side with more supporters is the just one.
"Don't forget, everyone urged that miser to give me pears back then. When I invited everyone to eat pears, everyone was overjoyed!"
The Daoist stood up and said to the onlookers:
"I shared that miser's pears with everyone, and everyone quenched their thirst on this hot summer day. Isn't that a beautiful thing! Everyone, tell me, isn't it?"
Many people felt sorry for the pear vendor and remained silent.
But among those who came to watch the excitement, there were quite a few busybodies who intentionally cheered him on at this moment.
"Indeed, thank you, master, for sharing the pears with us. Otherwise, a pauper like me would never have had the chance to taste such good pears in my life."
"Exactly. That pear vendor has been to the city dozens of times and has always been extremely stingy. He clearly had a cart full of pears, but when I asked him for one last time, he didn't give me a good look."
"Who told him to be a miser? Letting him suffer a loss once will teach him a lesson."
The pear vendor had a bad temper and often competed for business with other vendors, so he was not well-liked in daily life. Now, some neighbors, seeing him suffer a loss and having eaten the pears themselves, secretly rejoiced and supported the Daoist who stole the pears.
Upon hearing the surrounding people joining in the jeering, the pear vendor became even more enraged and pointed at the crowd:
"When you ate those pears, it was fine if you didn't know.
"But now that you know he stole my pears, you still support that Daoist and mock me in return. This is truly going too far, too far!"
Rhine looked around and saw that the crowd was full of people who would kick someone when they were down, busybodies, and those who sought small advantages, their faces quite repulsive—a truly vivid tableau of human nature.
He also recalled the various evil deeds he had seen in his previous life, such as "eating up the last of a family's resources," where many people bullied the few, a group relying on their numbers to justify their actions, completely devouring someone. He couldn't help but sigh.
Rhine immediately came up with a plan.
He cupped his hands and said to the Daoist:
"It is said that justice resides in the hearts of the people.
"Since many people are on your side, it seems that in this matter, the pear vendor is in the wrong!
"Your action of harming one person to benefit the masses is not an evil deed; on the contrary, it is a great act of righteousness!"
Aurora was greatly surprised to hear Rhine say this.
Teacher, how can you agree with that Daoist's twisted logic?
However, such a thought vanished in an instant. Based on Aurora's understanding of Rhine, she guessed that her teacher must have a deeper meaning!
The pear vendor, seeing that Rhine, who was originally helping him, suddenly turned against him, grabbed the child and cried:
"Didn't you say you would stand up for me?"
Rhine feigned scolding: "Look, there are more people supporting that Daoist than supporting you. Justice resides in the hearts of the people. Whichever side has more people, that side is justice."
"They ate my pears and took advantage, that's why they're acting like this," the vendor argued, then sighed again, "Alas, who told me to have such bad interpersonal skills? Today, seeing me down on my luck, everyone is kicking me while I'm down."
The Daoist saw that the matter was settled and was about to leave when he saw Rhine speaking to the crowd:
"Distinguished guests, discern right from wrong. To thank you all, I have specially prepared some gifts."
At this time, most of the people who followed to watch the excitement were busybodies and those who had just eaten the pears and sought small advantages. Seeing that this silver-haired child was well-dressed and distinguished, clearly from a wealthy family, the gifts he would give would certainly not be light, and they all began to cheer.
Only the pear vendor squatted to the side, secretly feeling sad.
Rhine flipped his hand, a cloud of mist erupted, and a stack of yellow talismans appeared out of thin air in his hand.
The crowd saw that this child indeed had some magical power, and they all clapped and cheered in admiration!
"These are talismans for warding off evil and curing illness. If someone in your family falls ill, burn the talisman into ash water and let the patient drink it; they will recover within a day.
"These talismans were made by a Daoist who spent great effort, gathered all his magical power, went through many complex procedures, and spent several years to create them.
"Now, by chance, I am giving them to you all for free!"
After speaking, Rhine scattered the talismans into the air, throwing them towards the onlookers.
The crowd had just seen that the young man truly possessed some magic and knew that his words were not false, that the talismans must be genuine. Even if they didn't use them themselves, they could sell them to wealthy people, so they all rushed forward, scrambling for the scattered talismans.
"Thank you, young master, for your generous gift!"
"Young master bestows treasure; I will not be modest and accept it!"
Everyone cheered, but only the Daoist, seeing this scene, widened his eyes.
He quickly reached into his clothes pocket and pouch.
Indeed, the bag was empty.
His treasured talismans had vanished!
The Daoist was not a true Daoist; he had accidentally gained an opportunity and learned some divine abilities and magic from a master in the mountains. This time, he disguised himself as a Daoist and came down to the city to sell these talismans, which he had spent many years drawing, to wealthy people to earn money. On the way, he saw the pear vendor and, feeling thirsty, went to ask for a pear.
Who knew that before he could even sell his treasures, they were stolen by this child using some unknown method!
"Stop, stop! Don't snatch them."
"Those talismans are mine!"
The Daoist frantically waved his hands, trying to stop the crowd.
The crowd saw how distressed the Daoist was and knew that these talismans were definitely genuine, so they snatched them even more vigorously.
A few people quickly retreated and stopped competing. But more people picked up the talismans, quickly stuffed them into their pockets, and turned to run.
So what if that Daoist had some skill?
Everyone was snatching them; could he really single out me for trouble?
"Give me back my things!"
The Daoist stepped forward, wanting to chase, but saw the crowd disperse, scattering in various directions, making it impossible to pursue them.
Although he knew some magic, it was ultimately just a minor trick that couldn't be shown on a grand stage, unlike Rhine's great divine abilities that could move mountains and overturn seas. Facing this situation, he could only sigh in despair on the spot.
"Ah, my treasures, all gone!"
The Daoist was exasperated, anger rising in his heart and courage, and he grabbed Rhine's collar, lifting the child up:
"You greenhorn, how dare you steal my things!
"Do you know how many years and seasons I spent, and how many complex procedures I went through to imbue these talismans with magic?"
Rhine, however, smiled:
"Look, when everyone was snatching your things, they were joyful.
"You said justice resides in the hearts of the people, and you were righteous when you were generous with others' property. Why is it that when everyone is scrambling for your things, you can't be as magnanimous as you were just now?"
The pear vendor, seeing the Daoist suffer a loss, also laughed heartily, feeling extremely pleased.
The Daoist gnashed his teeth in hatred, knowing he was in the wrong and couldn't argue. His anger flared, and disregarding the consequences, he directly squeezed Rhine's neck:
"You brat, I'll choke you to death!"
The Daoist used all his strength, trying to choke Rhine to death. However, he felt as if he had squeezed a piece of raw iron; not only could he not choke him, but his own hands became painful.
The Daoist looked closely.
What he was holding in his hand was a cold stone statue, and Rhine, he didn't know when, had already freed himself, standing to the side, smiling and looking at him.
The fake Daoist turned again and lunged at Rhine once more, but the silver-haired child merely sighed softly, and his body expanded.
In the blink of an eye, Rhine transformed into a golden dragon, bringing forth gusts of wind, soaring flames, and thunderclaps in broad daylight, truly magnificent.
People in the distance, seeing this sight, all pointed at the sky in amazement, saying that an immortal had appeared.
"Ah ah ah, great master, spare my life!"
The fake Daoist was so scared that he fell to the ground, tears and snot flowing. He knew he had provoked a great master or an immortal.
"Spare me. I will never dare again!" The Daoist knelt and begged for mercy.
"You may leave." Rhine's grand and resonant voice echoed in the air.
"Thank you, great master, I'll scram now, I'll scram." The Daoist was terrified and quickly got up to leave.
"Wait!" Rhine's voice sounded again behind him.
"What other instructions does the great master have?" The Daoist turned back in panic.
"You only stole a cart of pears; at most, it's not worth too much money. It shouldn't be offset by all your talismans." Rhine's grand voice sounded again, "Feel your cloth bag and pockets."
The Daoist felt them and then realized that the talismans that had just been snatched and picked up by the crowd had all returned. Counting them, only three were missing.
"What kind of skill is this!"
The Daoist marveled in his heart and quickly knelt in thanks: "Thank you, great master, for your mercy."
After speaking, he fled quickly as if his life depended on it.
Seeing the fake Daoist run far away, Rhine then transformed back into human form and looked at the greatly astonished pear vendor.
"Young master possesses such skill; truly, your divine powers are vast. Could you be an immortal descended to the mortal realm?" The pear vendor was utterly shocked.
Rhine merely smiled at the vendor's astonished expression.
Now, with his heaven-defying abilities and his past mastery of transformation spells, he could change into anything in the world at will. If he wished, let alone creating this bit of wind and flames, even making purple qi come from the east for eight hundred li and all the flowers in the world bloom would be but a thought.
Rhine took out three yellow talismans and handed them to the pear vendor:
"I have confiscated three of the Daoist's talismans as compensation for his theft of that cart of pears.
"I just explained the ability of these talismans to ward off evil and cure illness. If you sell them, they can compensate you for the loss of that cart of pears, with several times the surplus."
The pear vendor bowed and scraped, hastily expressing his thanks:
"Thank you, young master, thank you, young master. I never thought that I, a small business owner, would meet someone like you."
The vendor thanked Rhine repeatedly, then turned and left, disappearing around the corner.
"Teacher, you caused such a huge commotion just now. Won't it attract others in this royal city?" Aurora said with a slight worry.
Rhine had just created golden light filling the sky; at least within several miles, there were witnesses!
"No need to worry." Rhine said calmly.
At this moment, throughout the city, people who had just seen the golden dragon ascend and the flames soaring into the sky simultaneously froze, then immediately forgot what they had just seen and resumed what they were doing.
Only the fake Daoist and the pear vendor retained their complete memories. What they saw today would surely be unforgettable for life.
"However, one person is definitely attracted."
Rhine revealed a triumphant smile, waiting for the visitor.
Drip-drop.
The sky grew overcast, and raindrops fell, dotting the world and covering it with a hazy veil.
"Does the scene just now feel familiar, Rhine?"
A clear, gentle female voice sounded behind Rhine.
In the hazy drizzle, a black-haired girl slowly walked closer.
Her eyes were half-closed, a mischievous smile on her face, and her waist-length hair, like a waterfall, swayed gently. As the raindrops approached her, they scattered on their own, not a single one landing on her body.
Night Ruge.
The founder of the Witch Society!
"Of course, it's familiar. The story that just happened is from 'Planting Pears' in'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.' When I read this story back then, I felt that the pear vendor was a bit pitiful."
At this point, Rhine smiled again:
"I never thought that today I could personally participate and rewrite the established ending."
After speaking, Rhine looked at Night Ruge: "Is this the story you experienced in the East?"
"Yes." Night Ruge nodded.
"Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," "What the Master Would Not Discuss," "In Search of the Supernatural"...
"Many years ago, I transmigrated to this continent and found that what happened here were all the strange tales I was familiar with from my previous life."