Before the two of them came down the mountain, someone came up the mountain looking for them the next day.
When someone came to pay homage to the mountain, Liu Xiaolou was hunting at the foot of the mountain. When he was carrying a fat wild boar back to the mountain, he happened to be stopped by this person on the mountain road.
"Are you the Liu Xiaolou that Xing Dejun mentioned?" The person who came here looked to be about forty years old, with a mustache spread out on either side of his mouth. He looked Liu Xiaolou up and down.
"Your Majesty is..." Liu Xiaolou looked confused.
"I am the visiting deacon of the Qingyu Sect, and my surname is Hou Mingsheng." The man put his left hand behind his back and introduced himself with his right hand stroking his mustache.
Liu Xiaolou quickly put down the pole and bowed his hands in greeting: "I've met Deacon Hou!"
Qingyu Sect is located on Junshan Island in the center of Dongting Lake, less than two miles to the east. It is one of the blessed places for cultivation in the world. The Qingyu Sect is one of the most famous sects, more famous than the Zhanglong Sect in western Hunan, the Dongyang Sect in southern Hunan, and the Lu family in Tianmu Mountain in central Hunan. As for the visiting deacons, they are usually the monks from the inner sects of each sect who are responsible for investigating the case. He may not be very tall, but to Liu Xiaolou, he is definitely someone he cannot afford to mess with. The entire sect stands behind him.
"Are you a casual cultivator from Wulong Mountain in western Hunan?" Deacon Hou continued to ask.
"Yes." Liu Xiaolou was very honest, as honest as he was when dealing with the visiting deacons of the Zhanglong Sect. It's not okay to be dishonest in such a small matter. People can check it at any time. Once they find out that you lied, they may automatically put you closer to a certain case they have, which will be a big trouble.
"Where to practice in Wulong Mountain?"
"Deacon Huihou, I am practicing in Qianzhuling."
"Let me ask you, what kind of mountain is in the northwest of Qianzhuling? What kind of mountain is in the northeast? Who is your neighbor?"
Is this a cross-examination? Check if you are making up your origins?
Liu Xiaolou's trip was fair and aboveboard. Of course, there was no need to tell lies. He informed everyone immediately.
Deacon Hou was noncommittal about his answer. Presumably, he didn't know what mountains were around Qianzhuling or who lived there. He just reminded: "I will verify it. You'd better tell the truth."
Liu Xiaolou was helpless: "The deacon can investigate as much as he can, and he will find out once he goes to Wulong Mountain."
Then, Deacon Hou asked Liu Xiaolou about the purpose of coming to Xingde Mountain, how long he planned to stay, etc., and then said: "You casual cultivators, since you are here, just be honest and don't have any random thoughts, otherwise I, the Qingyu Sect, will not be lenient!"
Inexplicably being stopped for questioning, Liu Xiaolou could only swallow his anger and continue to nod: "Yes."
Deacon Hou asked again: "Have you seen any suspicious people recently?"
"What the deacon said is suspicious, he means..."
"Unknown origins, hidden things, sneaky... and so on."
"This is not the case. If you encounter it, you will report it to the deacon immediately."
Deacon Hou nodded and said thoughtfully: "Our Qingyu Sect is cleaning up the Taoyuan Mountains. Those with unknown origins must be cleaned up and driven away to protect the peace of the place. You are also in good luck. Mr. Xing De is willing to guarantee you. , but if you want to live here permanently, you still need to register and obtain a temporary residence permit."
As he spoke, he patted his waist.
Only then did Liu Xiaolou notice a string of small wooden signs hanging on his waist, and he immediately understood: "May I ask the deacon, how much is the customary charge?"
This move of the Qingyu Sect is no different from the Zhanglong Sect that dominates western Hunan. Every three or five years, the Zhanglong Sect sends deacons into the mountains to clean up the "unknown origins" of non-local cultivators, so Liu Xiaolou's family is clean.
Deacon Hou nodded, feeling like a child could be taught. His tone became much better, and he smiled and said, "Twenty taels of pure silver."
At this time, Liu Xiaolou collected all the money he had with him. After handing over the money, he received the wooden sign with the words "allowed to live temporarily in Taoyuan Mountain" engraved on it.
Deacon Hou left with satisfaction. Liu Xiaolou spat fiercely on the ground: "What the hell!"
Returning to Xingde Temple, Mr. Xingde told Liu Xiaolou: "Don't go down the mountain for the next two days. Something happened to the Qingyu Sect, and they are searching for suspicious outsiders. Although I guarantee you, I am not sure. , if you meet a strange deacon of the Qingyu Sect alone and I am not around, you will inevitably suffer some hardships."
Liu Xiaolou asked: "Are the mountains of Taoyuan under the care of the Qingyu Sect?"
Lord Xing De said: "This place is located between two sects, the Tianmu Mountain Lu Sect in the west and the Dongting Lake Qingyu Sect in the east. If something happens, both sects will take care of it. If nothing happens, neither sect will take care of it."
Liu Xiaolou asked again: "What happened to Qingyu Sect?"
Xing Dejun shook his head and said: "It is said that some outside cultivators robbed the Zhou family a few days ago. The Zhou family is a practicing family attached to the Qingyu Sect and has a lot of wealth. Now they have suffered a big loss. I heard that it was a thief named Wang. These gangsters summoned by the leader..."
Liu Xiaolou suddenly became speechless. Boss Wang posted a hero post again?
Immediately, I felt fascinated - it's a pity that I didn't receive the hero message from Dai Sanren. According to Mr. Xing De, this Zhou family is a fat sheep...
"Little building? Small building?" Xing Dejun asked: "Why are you so dazed? Do you know the news about these thieves?"
Liu Xiaolou quickly denied: "Where is the news from this junior? Seniors know it. This junior has been in the temple for more than half a month. This gang of traitors, robbing the rich... going around robbing homes and homes, is really hateful. If I If you know it, report it to the Qingyu Sect immediately, and we will definitely not let those people get away with it!"
Mr. Xingde stroked his beard and said, "Actually...it's not necessary."
"Ah? What do you mean, senior?"
"None of the people in charge of the Zhou family are good people, so they deserve to suffer a little."
"The Zhou family is not a good person? I see..."
"There are good people in the Zhou family, but those who call the shots are not good people."
"Junior...understood..."
So Liu Xiaolou avoided the danger and did not go down the mountain to hunt. A wild boar weighed a hundred kilograms and was not perishable in the winter, so it was enough for Xing Dejun to eat.
After a few days of this, Xing Dejun felt that his injuries were 70 to 80% better, and finally asked Liu Xiaolou to accompany him down the mountain.
On the way down the mountain, he led Liu Xiaolou halfway into the forest and came to a mountain col. "Have you ever seen chicken blood stone?"
Liu Xiaolou nodded: "Its texture is like wax, and its color is like blood."
Xing Dejun nodded: "Then you should know the purpose of bloodstone?"
Liu Xiaolou said: "It contains cinnabar, which is said to be a material for alchemy."
Mr. Xing De said: "Cinnabar has the effect of communicating with heaven and man. It is not only used in elixir refining, but also in talisman refining and weapon refining. Only with cinnabar conduction can the true energy flow unimpeded in the utensils. I have chicken blood stone in Xingde Mountain , the quality is excellent, but others don’t know it.”
Liu Xiaolou looked at a small cave on the mountain col: "Is this here? It looks like a bear cave."
Xing Dejun took out a pickaxe about a foot long and handed it to him: "Go dig out two pieces of chicken blood stone, remember not to break them. The chicken blood stone is the essence of heaven and earth, it has its own vitality. When it is damaged, it will release its vitality. Those mediocre masters who don't know the reason think that this thing is ordinary, so they are careless when mining it, and even directly grind it into powder. The resulting cinnabar is very mediocre and cannot be used to refine high-quality magic weapons."
Although it sounds ordinary, the trick is often that simple. Mr. Xing De taught the true method as soon as he came up, which made Liu Xiaolou surprised and awe-inspiring. He entered the cave with a pickaxe and turned sideways. He dug around inside, being careful when digging, and prying down the sand, gravel and soil bit by bit.
After spending an hour like this, I finally dug out two pieces of soapstone, both of which were in perfect condition. I didn't even dare to wipe off the soil attached to them, and handed them to Xing Dejun.
Mr. Xingde put it away with satisfaction and waved: "Let's go to the next place."
