Ethan Foster didn’t pay any attention to Chad. After living on the mountain for more than ten years, now that he was finally about to go down, to be honest, besides feeling excited, he was also a bit anxious. So he could only pray in front of his master’s grave, hoping that his master’s spirit in heaven would bless him with a smooth journey down the mountain.

“Alright, Ethan Foster, let’s go…” Chad grew a little impatient after waiting for a while, gave Ethan Foster a tug, and said, “Jack is still waiting for us at home. If you keep dawdling, we might not even make it in time for dinner…”

“Alright, Master, I’m leaving now…”

Ethan Foster nodded, knelt down on both knees and kowtowed three times earnestly. Then he stood up, slung the small wooden box over his shoulder, and took a lingering look at the place where his master rested. He knew that once he left, he would be stepping into a life completely different from before.

A young man’s emotions come and go quickly. After saying goodbye to his master, Ethan Foster’s mood soon improved. Early spring on Fang Mountain was truly beautiful, and the refreshing scenery easily made one forget their worries.

“Hey, Ethan Foster, hurry up…” Seeing Ethan Foster suddenly crouch down under a tree again, Chad couldn’t help but cover his forehead with his hand. They had already been walking for two or three hours without even seeing the foot of the mountain, all because of Ethan Foster’s occasional actions like this.

“Chad, these are the best mushrooms! Let’s bring some more back…” Ethan Foster turned back and smiled, but his hands didn’t stop moving as he carefully picked more than a dozen brightly colored mushrooms from the roots of the tree.

“With colors that bright, aren’t they poisonous…”

Chad craned his neck for a look and muttered. Although he also grew up in the mountains, his elders had always taught him that the more colorful the mushrooms, the more poisonous they were. So Chad had always avoided such mushrooms.

“It’s fine, these mushrooms only grow in early spring, and they taste delicious…”

Ethan Foster smiled at his words. Compared to Chad, he was truly a child of the mountains. Ethan Foster was intimately familiar with every plant and tree here, and naturally knew which mushrooms were poisonous and which were edible.

“Well, there won’t be a chance to pick them again in the future…” Chad shook his head helplessly and let Ethan Foster pick the mushrooms. By the time the two of them reached the foot of the mountain, the bamboo basket on Ethan Foster’s back was already filled with all kinds of mushrooms.

“Chris, where did you come from? And who’s that with you?”

When they reached the foot of the mountain, there were more people around. Some folks working in the fields looked at Ethan Foster with puzzled faces, clearly curious about this handsome young man in a Taoist robe.

“Mr. Carter, this is my friend, the old immortal’s apprentice from the mountain…”

Chad greeted the villagers with a grin. As soon as he mentioned the old immortal, everyone’s faces showed understanding. When the old Taoist was alive, he would come to the village almost every week, and many people had been cured by him.

“The old immortal’s apprentice is here? Chris, I still have a wild boar leg at home. Come, follow me home and let the little immortal have a taste…” Mountain folks are simple and honest. Hearing that Ethan Foster was the old Taoist’s apprentice, Mr. Carter, who was working in the rice field, climbed up and tried to pull Ethan Foster to his house.

“Mr. Carter, there’s no need. We already agreed to go to Jack’s house. He’s been waiting for us with dinner ready…”

Chad knew that back then, Mr. Carter’s youngest son had been frightened, lost his senses, and had a high fever for three days. It was the old Taoist who came down from the mountain and cured him. Every time the old Taoist came down, Mr. Carter would always bring out the best things from his home.

“Alright then, but you must come to Mr. Carter’s house for lunch tomorrow…”

Mr. Carter let go of his hand, but still looked at Ethan Foster and said, “The old immortal was a good man, just left too soon. Little immortal, if you get the chance, you must take me to his grave to burn some paper offerings…”

“Mr. Carter, I’ll remember…” Ethan Foster nodded at his words. He knew his master often practiced medicine around Fang Mountain, but hadn’t expected him to be so well-liked. Even after so many years since his passing, the villagers still remembered his kindness.

“Let’s go, let’s head to my place first…” Looking at Ethan Foster’s outfit, Chad frowned and said, “Let’s go to my house and change clothes first. If you go into town dressed like that, people will stare at you like you’re a sideshow…”

Although Taoism has a long history in China, for city folks, their image mostly appears in TV shows and magazines. If Ethan Foster really entered the city dressed like this, he would definitely attract a crowd.

“But… but I really am a Taoist. If I don’t wear a Taoist robe, what should I wear?”

Hearing Chad’s words, Ethan Foster was stunned. He had worn these clothes since he could remember, even the leg bindings had been tied for over ten years. To ask him to take off his Taoist robe, Ethan Foster really felt a bit lost.

“Who said you’re a Taoist?”

Chad said irritably, “Just because you grew up with the old Taoist, does that make you a little Taoist? Ethan Foster, now that you’ve come down the mountain, you need to keep up with the times. Even Taoists can return to secular life. Enough talk, just come home with me and change your clothes first…”