Liu Xiaolou sat on the carriage, holding the reins of the horse, and walked northeast along the road full of snow and mud.
The wheels rumbled forward in the mud, causing the car to creak from time to time. He was quickly weighing in his mind whether to find a suitable opportunity to jump out of the car and escape, or to just drive the old woman to Luoshan.
The old woman was sitting less than three feet behind him. No matter how she sensed it, she couldn't sense the breath of a practitioner. But if she really was an ordinary person who knew nothing, how could she dare to walk alone in the wilderness? How could there be no descendants or servants around to serve him? How can a carriage be without a driver?
Even Liu Xiaolou himself could feel that instead of driving the car, it was better to say that the horse pulling the cart was walking on its own. Is this the old woman's trick, or is it an old horse that knows the way?
If the old woman is a practitioner, what does it mean when she asks him to send her to Luoshan? Could it be that she was really just an ordinary lady and that she was overthinking everything?
All kinds of doubts came one after another, making Liu Xiaolou dare not act rashly. The road was flat and open, passing neither rivers nor cliffs. He really found no opportunity to "act rashly".
"How old are you, this young man?" the old woman asked in the carriage.
"The boy is almost twenty." Liu Xiaolou replied respectfully.
"Oh, you are so young, haha..." the old woman laughed.
"Old man Gui Geng?"
"I'm ninety-six years old."
"You look very energetic, you seem to be under sixty."
"Really? Haha, it's okay, my legs and feet are pretty nimble. What's your name, young man? Where are you from?"
Liu Xiaolou thought for a while and decided to test it: "The boy is from Xiangxi and lives in Wulong Mountain..." After saying that, he looked back at the old woman and said, "My surname is Liu. Just call me Xiaolou." .”
The old woman didn't seem to have much thought about "Wulong Mountain". She still squinted her eyes and smiled and said, "Okay, Xiaolou is a good name. It's easy to pronounce."
Without trying to get any useful feedback from her after hearing "Wulong Mountain", Liu Xiaolou continued to ask: "It's freezing cold. Did you brave the snow to go to Luoshan to visit relatives and friends or go home? Why are you waiting around? No one is there?”
The old woman replied: "Go home. We were originally together with my sweet grandson. We just separated this morning. She was acting petty and became stubborn with me. But I am not used to her, so let her go!"
Liu Xiaolou asked: "What do you call the old man?"
The old woman's smile was full of kindness: "Just call me Grandma Zheng."
Grandma Zheng? As Liu Xiaolou drove the car, he thought that he had never heard of this title. Since he entered the practice, he has always been friends with fellow disciples of Wulong Mountain. After the death of his teacher, he gradually began to go out of the mountain, but the scope of his contacts could not exceed a few hundred miles away. So far, the Dongting Lake controlled by the Qingyu Sect They are all unfamiliar, let alone Luoshan Mountain north of Dongting. I have no impression at all.
"Grandma Zheng, aren't you afraid of being robbed by bad guys while traveling alone?"
"Haha, I am an old woman with nothing to live on, so what is there to be afraid of?"
"Grandma Zheng, with your demeanor, you must belong to a wealthy family, and your money is valuable. You'd better be more cautious when going out in the future."
"Hey, I get it, Xiaolou. In fact, I also look at people. You, a young man with clear features and handsome appearance, are very good-looking. I'm bothering you now. You won't be surprised, right?"
"How can I be surprised? Haha... You are too honored and cannot deserve it."
"Hey, this is not an exaggeration, you deserve it! There are not many handsome young people like you within a few hundred miles. I am very lucky today. I saw one, why don't I take a look at it more? Haha. ....."
"Grandma Zheng, your family should be from a wealthy family, right? Why don't you invite a few immortal masters who are practicing to serve as guards?"
"There are worshipers at home, and my children have also learned some magic, but they are not very effective."
"No wonder when I see you, I feel that you are majestic, graceful and noble, like a first-class immortal. So you come from a family of practitioners?"
"How can we call it a family of spiritual practitioners? I don't know much about spiritual practice. I just rely on the shadow of my ancestors. I eat well, sleep soundly, and my body and bones are in good shape."
While walking and chatting along the way, Liu Xiaolou finally found out some details about Grandma Zheng. The Zheng family has a large family property in Luoshan. It is guessed that it is a family of casual cultivators attached to the Qingyu Sect, just like the south bank of Dongting Lake. The Zhou family is ordinary. Although it is not clear whether Grandma Zheng knows how to practice cultivation, her status in the Zheng family should not be low. In this case, after sending her back to Luoshan, will the Zheng family come up with something to thank themselves?
Thinking of this, Liu Xiaolou also regained his composure from the initial hesitation. He happened to have no spiritual stones at home. Now it was more or less an opportunity. If he could get a reward of one or two spiritual stones, that would be great. It's good, but if the Zheng family doesn't give the spirit stone, it would be a small reward to reward him with one or twenty taels of silver. At least he can exchange it for a few kilograms of spirit rice to satisfy his hunger.
The carriage was galloping, and in the evening, Grandma Zheng opened the sedan curtain, pointed to the northeast and said, "Enter the mountain from here."
"Okay!" Liu Xiaolou showed enthusiasm, whipped his horse, and turned in along the mountain road. The mountain road rose and fell in the hills, and gradually entered a group of mountains.
The mountain becomes increasingly steep, and streams and waterfalls can be seen from time to time, and several half-covered pavilions can be seen under the dense trees in the jungle and on the steep cliffs. It looks wild, but it's actually exquisite.
"Grandma Zheng, is this Luoshan Mountain?"
"Yes, the third hilltop on the left is the main peak, and Zhuangzi is at the bottom. Going over there is Bailu Lake. There are snails in that lake, so it's called Luoshan Mountain."
The mountain road is very smooth, which shows that the Zheng family is really careful in maintaining it. Occasionally, woodcutter and hunters can be seen passing by on the mountain road. After seeing the carriage, they stand by the road and bow to salute.
The more this is the case, the more it shows that the Zheng family is strong and Grandma Zheng has a high status, and the more generous her rewards are expected to be.
Therefore, Liu Xiaolou became more diligent in serving him. Passing a sharp bend, he tightened the reins and slowed down the car. When he encountered a rockfall, he stopped, whipped his whip to clear the rocks blocking the road, and then set off, passing by waterfalls and streams. Sometimes, simply dismount and lead the carriage to prevent the carriage from slipping.
During this process, he showed off his cultivation methods in a subtle way, reminding Grandma Zheng intentionally or unintentionally that he was a practitioner and it was best to reward himself with cultivation resources.
The effect was obvious. Grandma Zheng squinted her eyes and praised loudly: "Good skills and good methods! The young people are formidable!"
Finally, we arrived at Hongluo Villa under the main peak of Luoshan Mountain. The carriage passed through the tall stone archways in front of the two mountain gates, and went straight into the back house from the side door. After handing over the driver to the servant of the Villa who came to take over, Liu Xiaolou stood respectfully. Behind Grandma Zheng, wait for the reward.
With the support of the maids who came up to him, Grandma Zheng did not immediately reward Liu Xiaolou, but said with a smile: "Let this young man rest for one night and have a banquet tomorrow."
The grandma in charge bowed and responded: "Yes!"
