Noon.
The sun shines brightly.
A line of carriages and horses came across the boulevard.
At the head were two men on horseback, Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu. Pan Yuan was tall and strong, with a ferocious appearance, and looked leeringly, quite like a tiger or a wolf. Yuan Jiu's face was still expressionless and he couldn't open his eyes. Occasionally he glanced back, like an eagle looking at a wolf, revealing the evil spirit and alertness in his bones.
In the carriage behind the two of them, there were three members of Shopkeeper Kuang's family. The wife and young lady were sitting in the carriage. Shopkeeper Kuang couldn't bear to feel depressed, so he sat at the front of the car to enjoy the cool breeze. Mo Can, who was sitting next to him, although physically disabled, had a straight back. No matter how bumpy the carriage and horses were, he still sat upright with his whip in his arms, staring quietly ahead with one eye open.
Ji Yan drove the carriage behind him with a relaxed smile on his face. He travels around all year round and is used to traveling long distances. Although it is a thousand miles away, it is only ten days' journey.
There was another person riding behind.
After Yu Ye left Lishui Town with Shopkeeper Kuang and his party, he followed the avenue straight to the southwest. The carriage was driven by two horses and ran briskly all the way. In just half a day, it had covered sixty or seventy miles. But no one paid attention to him on the way, he seemed like a superfluous person. And he didn't mind at all, just followed silently, looking at the scenery along the way, feeling quite contented.
It is the peak of spring, the sky is bright, the flowers are red, the grass is green, and the mountains and fields are picturesque. Even Mrs. Kuang and Miss Kuang couldn't help but open the car windows and revel in the beauty of spring.
"Mom, the weather is so beautiful..."
"Um!"
Along the way, the two women were whispering, and even through the carriage, they could be heard clearly amid the sound of horse hooves and wheels.
This is also one of the uses of spiritual consciousness, which is convenient for eavesdropping on other people's privacy.
Yu Ye was riding on the horse, shaking his head slightly as the horse jolted.
He doesn't like to peek into privacy, he just overhears it.
From the conversation between Mrs. Kuang and Miss Kuang, we learned that the lady’s name was Kuang Cheng, and her nickname was Cai’er, which means amaranth. This trip to Queling Mountain was to visit Mrs. Kuang’s relatives. Because of the long journey, shopkeeper Kuang found Zhong Jian, who was familiar with him, and asked him to bring a few brothers to escort him. Zhong Jian failed to arrive as promised, so shopkeeper Kuang had no choice but to recruit another person. Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu happened to be staying at the Heji Inn, so they were able to get in first to grab the deal. As a result, people in the world were dissatisfied, and eventually a bloody conflict broke out. Mrs. Kuang complained a few words about this, and shopkeeper Kuang also regretted it. Unfortunately, the deal is already done, and I hope it goes smoothly.
As for the young man who arrived last night, I didn't hear the mother-in-law mention it. Perhaps a freeloader is not worth mentioning.
"I'm not leaving, let's take a rest!"
Following Pan Yuan's shout, the traveling carriages and horses stopped.
"Take care of the cattle, man."
Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu dismounted and shouted loudly: "Shopkeeper, arrange the food and drinks!"
Ji Yan muttered secretly, but still took the fodder and two buckets of water to feed the horses. Then he took out the straw mats, wooden tables and other items from the car, and brought them along with two boxes of food to the shade of the roadside trees to place them properly.
Shopkeeper Kuang got off the car with his wife and young lady, and sat together with Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu. Not waiting for the shopkeeper's humility, Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiu had already picked up the dried meat and pastries and started to devour them. Mrs. Kuang and Miss Kuang didn't mind, and each took their own food and enjoyed it slowly.
Mo Can stayed by the car and silently ate the dry food he had brought with him.
After Yu Ye dismounted, he ran towards the shade of the trees. But before he could get closer, Ji Yan stopped him and handed him a piece of dried meat, indicating that he should rest elsewhere.
"Hey, shopkeeper Kuang——"
Yu Ye wanted to give a reminder.
Shopkeeper Kuang said that he would not treat him badly if he had plenty of food and wine on the way, so how could he just let it go casually.
I saw shopkeeper Kuang eating cakes in his mouth, nodding his head repeatedly and saying: "No need to be polite, go ahead, go ahead!"
Pan Yuan laughed out loud, with a look of disdain on his face.
Cai'er, who was next to Shopkeeper Kuang, glanced back, with a smile in her eyes.
Yu Ye was stunned for a moment, lowered his head and walked away.
Returning to the place where the horses were tied, the horses, which were still munching on fodder, were quite affectionate, waving their manes and tails at him. He then smiled, sat down on the spot, and took a bite of the meat. It tasted very delicious.
"Brother Yu——"
Ji Yan came over.
"If something isn't right here, I'll change it to another place..."
Before Yu Ye could get up, he was already held down by Ji Yan. With a piece of pastry in his hand, he heard the other party say: "Brother, calm down!"
Calm down?
Where does anger come from?
Ji Yan sat down aside and whispered: "You, Pan Yuan, and Yuan Jiu are all guests invited by the shopkeeper. But the shopkeeper favors one over the other. How can you remain indifferent?"
Oh, this person saw his embarrassing situation and came to persuade and comfort him.
Today, when he encountered the shopkeeper's slight treatment and Pan Yuan's humiliation, a few months ago, he would have been furious and rebuked shopkeeper Kuang for acting unfairly. But for some reason, he wasn't angry at all. In other words, I can't find a reason to be angry. Or has that irritable boy grown up?
"Don't blame the shopkeeper."
Ji Yan was in her early twenties, with neat hair and clean facial features. She was wearing a short blue shirt and soft-soled boots, and she was neatly dressed up and down. When he spoke, his eyebrows were lively and frank.
"A big family has three, six or nine levels of diners when they recruit them. There is a mix of good and bad among them, so it is inevitable that they will be treated differently. Although the shopkeeper is not a wealthy businessman and only has three diners, he cannot break the rules. Do you think so?"
Yu Ye was eating something in his mouth, noncommittal.
As mentioned, there are talented people and strangers among the disciples, there are swordsmen, swordsmen, rangers, and of course there are thieves and scoundrels. People with different abilities will receive different courtesy. In the eyes of shopkeeper Kuang, Pan Yuan and Yuan Jiunai are masters of the world, worthy of large sums of money to hire, but they don't know what they are in the wild. Are they really worthless?
"Last night, you were calm when faced with trouble. You knew how to be patient and had the courage to make choices. You were beyond the reach of your peers."
Such smooth and sophisticated words don’t seem to come from the mouth of a waiter.
Ji Yan said again: "This is what the shopkeeper said, but he also asked me to tell you that the way to win in the world requires not only courage and mind, but also hard fists and sharp swords. If you turn around, he will also I won’t blame you, but I will also think of Zhong Jian’s kindness and give you a sum of money, what do you think?”
After all, shopkeeper Kuang was using Ji Yan's words to drive him away.
Yu Ye did not rush to reply, but asked: "Brother Ji, have you been to Luming Mountain?"
"I've never been there, but I know that place. Two to three hundred miles south of Queling Mountain is the boundary of Luming Mountain. Hey--"
Ji Yan couldn't help but look at Yu Ye and asked curiously: "Brother Yu, what do you mean by your question?"
At this moment, Pan Yuan shouted again: "Man, get the wine-"
"Humph, there's no village in front of you, no store in back, you can drink whatever you want, and you don't have to worry about delaying your trip!"
Ji Yan whispered quietly, cast a helpless look, patted the grass clippings on her butt, stood up and responded: "Here you go -"
Before going out, Pan Yuan knew etiquette, but after going out, he seemed to let himself go. Not only did he manipulate Ji Yan at will, but he also yelled at shopkeeper Kuang. Especially when he took a nap on the way, he actually drank. Shopkeeper Kuang had no choice but to let his wife and Cai'er get back to the car to rest, while he stayed alone to keep him company.
Yu Ye ate meat cakes and drank some water to fill his stomach. Then he found an old piece of cloth on Ji Yan's carriage and tore it into strips. He then took off the long sword from his bag and wrapped it in a strip. Taoist markings on the hilt and scabbard.
No matter how the shopkeeper hints or persuades him, he will not leave before arriving at Queling Mountain. But he didn't want people to know that he was related to Taoism, so as not to get into trouble.
Although the long sword wrapped with a cloth strip looks worn, it has a sharp edge hidden inside and is plain and simple.
Yu Ye inserted the long sword into his bag and suddenly his expression changed.
More than ten feet away, someone was sitting next to the carriage with a wooden stool, his head lowered, dozing off. However, he just clearly looked this way with his one eye. When he turned around, he ducked his head again and pretended to be sleepy. And even if his movements were secretive, how could he hide them from his own consciousness?
Mo Can?
It was the man driving the carriage, with one eye and one arm, and a face full of scars, but he had a very meaningful name, Mo Can.
Yu Ye patted the horse's back, combed its mane, put his arms around the horse's neck and got intimate with it.
The human heart is unpredictable and not as simple as an animal. If you treat it well, it will accompany you thousands of miles.
Yu Ye put the leftover fodder for the horses back into the car, then stood alone on the side of the road and looked leisurely into the distance.
Under the afternoon sun, the lush mountains and fields were covered with a layer of mist. Looking at it, it seems like vitality is rising...
"Haha, let's set off——"
After Pan Yuan had eaten and drank enough, he shouted happily.
It was supposed to be a short break on the way, but he actually delayed it for more than half an hour.
"Let's set off—"
Shopkeeper Kuang also shouted, but there was a hint of weariness in his voice.
Ji Yan waved to Yu Ye, looking relieved.
Mo Can silently put away the wooden stool and got on the carriage. Before he saw his arm raised, the whip had already made a crisp sound.
"Snapped--"
The wheels rolled and the group continued on their way.
Yu Ye was still riding behind, holding a spiritual stone in his hand.
This is one of his only two spiritual stones. It has lost its crystal clear jade and turned into a white stone. Only 10% or 20% of the spiritual energy in it is left, but it is still precious.
Daze's spiritual energy was lacking. Even if he practiced hard, it would be difficult to improve his cultivation without the help of elixirs and spiritual stones. Da Ze Dao Sect has not produced a foundation-building expert so far, perhaps this is the reason.
And where can I find spiritual stones?
Yu Ye reached out and touched his arms, and the spiritual stone in his palm turned into a jade slip.
"The Supreme Talisman".
This is a method recorded in the secret book of Yan Chi's family biography. Most of it is incomplete. Only the compilation and talisman making chapters are generally intact, and there is an appendix with a method for refining talismans.
According to the compilation, there are seventy-two Taishang spiritual talismans, which are used to control ghosts, eliminate demons, remove evil, avoid evil spirits, or control the house, eliminate misfortune, seek wealth, seek children, etc. It looks more like the magical powers of ordinary Taoists, and should be of little use to real monks.
This was what Yu Ye thought when he first saw "Tai Shang Ling Fu". But when he looked again, he changed his mind.
The only remaining talisman in the secret book is called the Armor-Breaking Talisman, and it has annotations that it is a magic that can pass through walls invisibly.
Isn't it magical to be invisible and walk through a wall?
More like a warlock's trick.
However, the talisman-making chapter in the secret manual is extremely detailed. There is no need to overwhelm yourself with many skills, so why not study and ponder them. If the armor-breaking talisman is really magical, he will have an extra skill to save his life.
At this moment, the traveling carriages and horses suddenly stopped.
Yu Ye looked up.
He suddenly realized that this trip was not going well...
