Shangqi is adjacent to the Zihao Border Pass. Due to the evil riots a few months ago, the lock-up order has not yet been lifted. Many merchants and express messengers who were passing by were also blocked and had to go around. The border was guarded by troops. Difficult to overcome.
It was probably because Zihao was bitten by a snake once and was afraid of well ropes for ten years. Many years ago, Zihao had an old incident where monsters poured out of Beiyanze with evil spirits. Compared to this time, it caused even more destruction to all living beings. Almost the entire country fell into the trap of monsters. It took nearly six or seven years to finally get rid of the evil spirits in the territory. Nowadays, things have changed with the situation. Most of the people and officials have forgotten what was recorded in the national annals. Now they are once again disturbed by evil spirits. The old fear once again runs along the tailbone and goes straight to the neck. Everyone is in danger.
It is hard to learn unless you are deeply wounded. Maybe everyone in the world has such bad roots. For a long time, Zihao rarely had a chance to pass through. The garrison was heavily guarded, and the iron cavalry from all directions were mobilized. There are three to five hundred cavalry, thousands of iron cavalry, and more than ten thousand infantry stationed at the border. The military tents and flags look majestic and majestic. The light of their armor reflects the moon, and the light of their spears shines brightly.
However, there were exceptions. In the past two days, there were a group of carriages and horses. They announced a few sentences with the soldiers guarding the pass. They were not blocked. He didn't seem to be a merchant, but he was like a rude warrior in the rivers and lakes. During the passing time, he looked at a group of depressed merchants who dared to be angry and dare not speak out. The leading warrior actually glanced at the crowd and said "useless". , and then he grew up and came out of seclusion.
The border between Shangqi and Zihao is also desolate and has rarely been inhabited. Although it is still much better than the Qiling border in the south, you can often see trees shading it, except for the ice in winter, and the water flowing in the streams. Gurgling, it can be considered a quite suitable place for viewing.
But few people have ever visited this place, not because Shangqi and Zihao have never dealt with each other, but because the brocade weavings that Shangqi literati are optimistic about are shipped to Zihao, but they have to pay a lot of discounts, and they are not worth much. Money, and Anqiao bridles are abundant in Zihao, and the skins of old wild animals cannot be sold at high prices in Shangqi. Although the two are separated by a thin line, they are clearly different.
The chariot tent was not twenty miles out of the Zihao Pass when the leading man, who always looked fierce, whistled to stop the chariot tent from moving forward. He raised his knife and stepped forward, taking his feet away from the stirrups. Frowning deeply.
Although it was a subtle move, hundreds of people behind him had their knives drawn in their hands, and the sound was like a wave.
When a horse driver is attacked in the arena, the horse is often injured first. If the horse loses its front hoof or the horse immediately loses its breath, it will be difficult to provide help in the end. Instead, it will become a hindrance. If a heavy body weighs down the legs, feet and hands, most of the bones will be broken. No matter how strong your physical strength is, it will be difficult to escape instantly from a broken tendon. There are many horses in Zihao, and there are many horse fights in the rivers and lakes, so he has known the route for a long time. The man's actions are to prevent the horses from being injured, which naturally made everyone present look slightly condensed.
A Taoist priest is sitting on the old tree ahead.
The Taoist robe is simple and simple, and the body is wide and fat. He stands just on the branch. He crosses his legs and falls to the ground when he hears the sound of carriages and horses.
"But let Pindao wait here for three to five days for strangers to come. If no one comes again, I'm afraid Pindao will have to settle here, and in the end he will not be able to find the boundary."
The Taoist was quite enthusiastic. He walked up to the leading man, sang a Taoist slogan, and then spoke again, "I'm ashamed to say that I came from Qiling to deliver a message for a senior. He wandered around the northern border for more than a month, but he still lives and breathes. I have never found a Taoist temple that is called a guard. I think that since the donor can go out during the season when the lock-up order has not been lifted, he must be very familiar with this foreign affairs. I would like to ask you to show me the way. I will thank you very much in the future."
But the man still weighed the knife in his hand and did not relax. He looked at the Taoist who was broad and fat and did not look like a Taoist. "I dare to ask, sir, where did he come from?"
"Of course it's Zihao Pass. I've been enjoying the scenic spots all the way. The letter I sent is actually just a passing message." The Taoist didn't hide anything and told the truth.
"We came here under the orders of Senior Officer Zihao, so we have a chance to get out of seclusion. I don't know how Chang Ping got out of seclusion. Firstly, he had no backing, and secondly, he had no money. How could he come out before me in more than a month?" Zihao?" The man still raised his eyebrows and spoke again, clenching the knife in his palm again and again, without showing his expression, and the murderous intention flashed away.
"Pindao is proficient in physiognomy. He once made a calculation based on the birth date and told the commanders of the four-party cavalry that the tiger is hidden at the foot of the mountain. Those who are able will step forward. According to Pindao's calculations, in just a few years, the commanders of the four-party cavalry will have to change. , first of all, because the prestige of the four in the army is so great that if the dispute reoccurs over time, it will inevitably have the momentum to become a big one. If this is the case, the four famous commanders of the Quartet will be promoted, but the real power of commanding the cavalry of the Quartet will be cut off. , he was appointed in vain. Secondly, the world is at peace, not to mention the evil spirits have been subdued. These people have gained too much prestige and their achievements have shocked the master, and they will definitely end up like flying birds with all their good bows and hidden treasures."
"It is better to count ten evil things than to count one good thing."
"Why are you so sure that the Taoist priest's prediction is effective?" The man still didn't believe it. He stared aggressively at the Taoist priest in front of him who looked like he didn't have the slightest bit of a noble demeanor.
The Taoist smiled bitterly, patted the dust on his robe, and sighed deeply, "It's all because I calculated 18 old things in the past years for that commander. How can a commander in the army fool him at will, let alone allow a poor Taoist to do it conveniently? Pretending to be a favoritist is a gross offense and letting him go. If he doesn't show some real ability, how can he do it?"
The man frowned, but he put his feet into the stirrups again, sheathed the sword, and then there was another sound of waves behind him, and all the swords were sheathed.
There were many horses in the group, and the man was also polite. He sent his subordinates to give the first horse to the Taoist priest. The latter bowed and laughed, which made people look tired no matter what. It did not mean that a Taoist man had come out from the world. Self-aware, I can’t stop nagging.
However, during the conversation, the Taoist still learned about the origin of the Shouqiu Temple, which is neither connected to the sky nor the earth. The man named Mu Zhongxia said that the Shouqiu Temple has been in memory since I don’t know how many years ago. In the books, every year of Jiazi appeared in the world, but the years passed by, and not many people saw it. What was passed down in later generations was mostly nonsense, and the words were vividly told, but in the end no one said how to enter the concept of deficiency.
It is recorded in the ancient scrolls that it was probably a Taoist temple for sages who could move mountains, fill seas and suppress demons for eternity in ancient times. It has been immortal for a long time and has not faded through the ages. It has been left to this time. According to Muzhongxia, there is no trace of anyone in the Taoist temple, and there are still two people there. Say, don’t worry too much about sending letters.
The Taoist jolted with the horse, seeming a little sleepy. He had a conversation at one time or another, and at the end he said suddenly that he was supposed to go into battle to kill thieves and retaliate against rebellion, but now he was risking his life to go out to quarry for stones. It turned out that he was so aggrieved that the veins on the man's forehead popped out, but in the end he never drove the tired and wanton Taoist off his horse.
For ten days, less than a dozen miles away from where Muzhongxia said Shouqiu Temple was located, hundreds of people set up camp here. They untied their cart tents and obtained axes, pickaxes, and iron from where they beat the horses. Chisel, look around.
This place is close to the lake, which is the closest water swamp to Beiyanze. The water and grass on the lakeside are luxuriant, and the center of the lake is crystal clear. From time to time, elk and old turtles appear. From a distance, hundreds of people are seen, and then they disappear. When a man went to fetch water from the lake, his feet were almost off the ground. When he regained consciousness, he realized that his feet had stepped on the back of an old turtle, which was nearly ten feet wide. He immediately made many people around him laugh and scold him.
It's getting late, beside the bonfire.
"The Deficiency View that Taoist Master is looking for can be found just a few miles north from here, but whether you are lucky enough to see it depends on how good the Taoist Master is." Mu Zhongxia sat down and looked at the bonfire picking up a withered tree. Zhi, the Taoist who wrote in a hurry, spoke readily.
Although this man is usually quite unreliable and talks nonsense, he has once made predictions for others and avoided a huge number of gangs of bandits, at least saving the lives of nearly a hundred people. Although the rest of the people did not know it, but But I could see with my own eyes at Mu Zhong Gorge that hundreds of thieves and bandits passed by on their original path, their iron hooves trampling the soil and raising countless dust.
"There is a gorge in the wood. My brother's surname should be Feng." The Taoist did not raise his head and continued to trace the dead branches in the sand. "Fortunately, it was not the Feng family in Nanli. Otherwise, we would have been fighting in the same place when we first met. .”
The man was stunned, but after thinking about this man's arithmetic, he immediately understood. He handed the dry food to the Taoist's hand and said with a relieved smile, "It is natural to use a false name to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages when walking outside."
"I have a junior brother who got into trouble a few days ago. He was chased by the Feng family in Nanli and almost died. A letter came from the front, saying that he was seriously injured and did not wake up, so I thought of borrowing the letter from the messenger. When the time comes, step into that Deficient Temple, and at least I can protect my junior brother from all kinds of storms and swords in the world."
When the Taoist spoke, his eyes were clear and indifferent, his Taoist robe fluttered in the wind automatically, he looked up at Zaoyue, and for some reason he suddenly burst out laughing.
"I'm a careless junior. He can cause trouble on the mountain and won't stop when he comes down. He also wants me, a senior brother, to worry about everything. It goes against my idea of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages. In the final analysis, it is not very satisfactory, but Since he is so talented and has to bear the burden on his shoulders, as a senior brother, I cannot afford to experience the skills of my junior brother in vain."
The Taoist brushed off the dead branches, turned around and said to the man who was still listening in the fog, "Brother Cheng will take care of you and make a fortune for you. You will die on the battlefield and be wrapped in horse leather."
The man's face didn't change, but soon he laughed cheerfully.
Without paying attention to the man behind him, the Taoist stood up and walked to the lakeside. He squinted at the early moon in the sky and stepped into the lake. However, he did not sink into the water. The Taoist robe billowed in the wind.
The old turtle under his feet was two feet wide. I don't know when he lifted up the Taoist figure and went straight to the center of the lake.
The wind that has lasted eight hundred miles has stopped here.
There are only shadows of people in the lake.
If the north bank of the lake is the sky, the south bank of the lake is the earth. When you are in the lake, one is not connected to the sky, and the other is not close to the earth.
A lake can be a mirror, and so can the sky.
A Taoist temple appeared in the sky. A Taoist on the ground stepped into the water, and an identical Taoist in the sky stepped into the temple.
Qian Yin, Nangong Mountain, pays homage today.
