Mr. Zombie lingers in the city

Chapter 21 Technology and Ruthless Work

Carrying the peach tree branches back to the car, Gu Xixia sat inside and gave Hu Xiaoyu a cold glance without saying a word.

Ha, she got angry because I didn't take her...

After opening the rear door of the sports car, Hu Xiaoyu fiddled with it for a while and finally managed to stuff the branch inside.

Gu Xixia started the car and turned her head to look at her phone, ignoring Hu Xiaoyu's arrival.

Hu Xiaoyu couldn't be bothered with her. What an unlucky girl; her temper grew along with her age...

After stopping midway to search for the nearest Taoist temple, Hu Xiaoyu turned the steering wheel and headed towards it.

Gu Xixia remained silent throughout the journey, and Hu Xiaoyu also focused on driving.

Finally arriving at the foot of the Taoist temple mountain, Gu Xixia could no longer hold back.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought you were mute, you didn't say anything for so long."

Gu Xixia rolled her eyes.

"Don't make me upset."

"..."

That threat was somewhat effective; this girl can be really annoying when she gets upset.

Learn about malicious heat violence.

"Get some incense ash so we can mix it with the blood from the rooster's comb to make ink, which we'll use to draw talismans later."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Hu Xiaoyu muttered something else.

"Actually, tiger blood is the most suitable; the Dragon and Tiger Celestial Master is more than just a title..."

Gu Xixia was slightly surprised upon hearing this.

"Could they really have used tiger blood to draw talismans back then?"

"Otherwise what?"

"Could those Taoist priests defeat a tiger?"

"If one person can't win, can't a group of people win?"

"Um..."

"And there are tiger cubs, some of them are even raised in captivity."

Hu Xiaoyu turned to look at Gu Xixia, who was sitting in the passenger seat with a surprised expression.

"You don't think only modern people keep tigers as pets, do you?"

Hu Xiaoyu's words left Gu Xixia with a rather complicated feeling.

"Your ancestors were limited by the times, and their technology may not have been as advanced, but that doesn't mean they were stupid."

"The things they added to food in ancient times to make money were the real science and technology and ruthless skills."

How ruthless?

"Take wine for example. Some wine vendors will soak herbs like aconite or bupleurum in their wine to make it stronger."

"One sip and my heart raced and my whole body felt warm; I just felt the potency of this liquor."

"Actually, it's just a poisoning reaction. If you're unlucky enough to drink a few more sips, you'll die on the spot."

As Gu Xixia listened to Hu Xiaoyu's description, her narrow eyes widened slightly.

"Won't someone find out?"

"Of course, but you can't stop doing it secretly. Back then, there was no such thing as food safety."

"At most, people will find out and spread the word, so that people won't go to this place for drinks."

"And some people went even further, adding arsenic directly to the liquor!"

"what?"

Hu Xiaoyu squeezed her eyes in discomfort.

"I actually saw that. Back then, some drinkers were looking for that so-called 'instant feeling' when they drank it all in one gulp."

"Then, someone discovered that adding arsenic to wine could not only make cloudy wine clear."

"After drinking it, there will be a faint, burning sensation."

Gu Xixia blinked blankly.

"Were people in ancient times all this ruthless?"

Hu Xiaoyu shrugged in response.

"Before technology existed, to achieve the desired effect, didn't we have to resort to some drastic measures?"

"Without the necessary regulation, many things are things that modern people wouldn't even dare to imagine."

"A few sentences in historical records would be considered an exaggeration in a given dynasty."

"Sulfur fumigation is a centuries-old method, yet people still use it today, don't they?"

"Driven by self-interest, don't underestimate the audacity of those people."

Gu Xixia pursed her lips and said with some emotion.

"It seems like I haven't experienced many food safety issues."

Hu Xiaoyu did not answer this question, but simply tapped his nose.

Gu Xixia was taken aback when she saw this, then smiled.

The frustration she felt earlier because he wouldn't take her up the mountain disappeared, replaced by a gentle warmth.

After getting out of the car, the two walked towards the Taoist temple on the mountain.

On the occasional broken steps, Gu Xixia and Hu Xiaoyu slowly climbed upwards.

Looking at Hu Xiaoyu's back, which was not out of breath, Gu Xixia recalled the time she had climbed mountains with him when she was a child.

Back then, I was about the same height as him. When I got tired of climbing, I could even ask him to carry me on his back.

He never refuses anything; he will squat down whenever he has a request.

"I can't climb anymore."

"Then let's take a break."

Without turning his head to answer, Hu Xiaoyu noticed that Gu Xixia remained silent for a long time.

He turned his head in confusion, looking at Gu Xixia who was looking at him with reproach.

Blinking, Hu Xiaoyu instantly understood her thoughts.

"Do you think you're still a child? You're taller than me and you still expect me to carry you? Hurry up and find a boyfriend to carry you!"

With a disdainful remark, Hu Xiaoyu turned and walked upstairs.

Annoyed, Gu Xixia picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it at his head. Hu Xiaoyu shook his head and sighed helplessly.

Is pressuring someone to get married really that bad, or is it really necessary?

It makes me angry just thinking about it...

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Taoist temple, Hu Xiaoyu stood and waited for a while before Gu Xixia finally wobbled up.

The first thing I did was give him a pat on the shoulder.

Snapped!

The surrounding worshippers turned their heads at the sound, and a smile appeared in their eyes as they looked at Hu Xiaoyu, who had no expression on his face, and Gu Xixia, who turned her face away and did not speak.

Hu Xiaoyu glanced at Gu Xixia and then curled his lip.

"I can't even scratch him, and I'm still in pain afterward, it's insane..."

Stepping over the threshold and inside, Gu Xixia felt a slight itch in her teeth.

"What are you doing here?"

A hint of doubt flashed in Gu Xixia's eyes when she saw Hu Xiaoyu's question.

"Isn't it supposed to be incense ash?"

"Tsk, how could you be so stupid? What Taoist temple would allow worshippers to take away the incense ash? You definitely have to use the one that's in the right place."

"..."

Speechless, I watched as Hu Xiaoyu walked to the waist-high incense burner and took out a plastic bag that he had prepared beforehand from his pocket.

Ignoring the strange looks from the worshippers around him, he calmly dipped his hand into the incense ash to feel the temperature, then blew open the bag and filled it to the brim with incense ash.

"Oh dear, how could you do this? This is a grave disrespect to the Three Pure Ones!"

Upon seeing this, the surrounding worshippers immediately spoke up to stop him, but Hu Xiaoyu glanced at him.

"From the moment I entered, the Three Pure Ones were no longer here."

Before the worshippers could react, Hu Xiaoyu picked up the incense ash and headed down the mountain.

Gu Xixia followed behind him blankly, looking at the pile of incense ash.

"No one stopped them?"

"There's a slight mishap. If it were before, I would most likely be the one being chased."

"Now... these Taoist priests don't care about these things at all, so no one is stopping them."

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Hu Xiaoyu emptied some of the incense ash, ensuring the bag could be tied properly, before leading Gu Xixia back down the mountain.

"Is there anything else needed?"

Hu Xiaoyu carefully placed the items away while preparing to make the product.

"That's about right, but we can't prepare the other things in a short time."

"Let's leave it at that for now. We'll test its quality later. If it's really that fierce, I'll go to Jiangcheng and get my own set of equipment!"