Jing Shi listened to her request and said, "Yes." Then he followed her instructions and walked a hundred steps away. He saw a few plum trees sparsely growing on the edge of the forest. At this time, the first snow has just finished and the fragrance period has not yet reached. A few early buds bloomed on the old branches. Their pigment is clear, almost as white as frost and snow.
He walked closer and looked at all the plum trees, but there were very few that he liked. But when he saw two flowers blooming on one branch, both of which were blooming and fragrant, he stood on tiptoe and folded them down, carrying them back to the original place to return to Long Ji.
Longji took the plum branch, held it in her hand and smelled it. She seemed to like it very much. She nodded and said, "This flower is grown in an isolated land. Its fragrance is very clear, which is different from that on my island." After saying this, she suddenly bit her fingertip and took it. One flower was dyed bright red, and he raised his hand and spread the branch, saying: "Come here."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a strong roar of wind in the mountain, blowing snow and dust all the way towards the forest. In order to avoid the snow and sand hitting his face, Jing Shi immediately raised his sleeves to cover his face. He could only hear the mist wind whistling past his ears. The sound was heavy and wet, like the breath of a living creature. However, he did not feel the biting coldness, but felt refreshing and smooth. meaning. The wind came in a hurry and left abruptly, whistling for a few breaths and then returning to silence.
When the wind had passed and the dust settled, he brushed away the scattered snow on his body and looked at Long Ji next to him. She was still standing upright with a calm expression. The plum branch in my hand has been through the strong wind and has not been damaged at all. However, the two plum blossoms on the branch are now red and white. The plain one is like satin cut from snow, and the red one is like a red peach weeping blood, each growing on one side.
Seeing this, Jing Shi thought for a moment and asked, "What did Immortal Song invite just now?"
Long Ji looked at the flower branches and responded: "The mountain beast that Ziyun asked for just now came to me. It's just that Ziyun was unable to do anything and didn't know its true appearance. Any place where mountains and rivers gather energy will breed essence over the years. , self-contained spiritual consciousness. It is invisible and ignorant, neither dead nor alive. It is assimilated with the heaven and earth, but trapped between the Feng Shui situation. Although it has no soul body, its supernatural powers are beyond the reach of ordinary monks. Only because Haoyang merged with Dao in the past , once made a pact with the earth spirits of the world, and since then he has been driven by the Qingdu Talisman. The island's underground Qi has gathered enough, but the Feng Shui pattern on the land has not yet been established. In the future, if there is a major earthquake in the ground, it may break through the water and form another peak. , it can turn the fetus into a spirit. But looking at the island's spiritual energy, it is expected that the energy will last for a long time, and there is no need to worry about it in five hundred years. As for the so-called mountain beast theory, it also originated from the situation of the island, and it is similar to the mountain spirit's earthly embryo. kind."
When Jing Shi heard what she said, he couldn't help but ask: "There is a fire hidden under the mountain on this island."
Long Ji was silent for a moment, then shook her head slightly and said: "Zi Yun guessed wrong. The land of Zuoyun is close to the sea, and there are many things that don't follow common sense. I am a supervisor now. Although I know the secrets, it is not convenient for me to tell them. If Zi Yun wants to To find out, you can only think about it yourself. But this section has nothing to do with the big move. You are now a test student and you only have one year to spare. You have to make your own decision on what to do."
When she said this, she seemed to sigh and feel something. She paused and said: "Well, it's rare for Ziyun to be able to detect this point, so I might as well give you another hint. I saw Ziyun wandering by the lake before, so I must have noticed the strangeness of the water. . If you can really find the source of water, you will be able to figure out the mystery of the mountain beast."
After hearing her words, Jing Shi felt her admonishment and concern, and also knew that her determination was very strong. Even if they met in person, he would not give her any more advice. He immediately saluted with a straight face and said, "I sincerely follow the teachings of Immortal Song."
Long Ji smiled again, and suddenly looked sideways, looked at Shao Shi, and said: "In the past, I sent Zi Yun to Qingshan City. Before leaving, I gave you the word Zi Yun. Do you know what the meaning of this is?"
Jing Shi answered frankly: "Since it was given by the elders, it has been used ever since. I don't know the origin of the word. But please tell me from Immortal Song."
Longji turned her head and looked at the forest in the distance, and said slowly: "I am an orphan in my hometown. Fortunately, I met my ancestor Heyue Zhenren by chance, so I followed her to the island to practice Taoism. Before I entered the door, I lived with my mother in the south. In the country of Chang Zan, there is a strange vein on the boundary of the country. It is a child's mountain without vegetation. Only the foot of the mountain is covered with poisonous thorns, making it difficult for strangers to enter. People at that time called this place Jingshan. There was a man who was good at observing Feng Shui and knew When he came out of Jingshan Mountain and discovered the treasure, he tried his best to climb to the top and found a rock. He concluded that the stone was a rare treasure and presented it to King Li Kang of the previous dynasty. Unexpectedly, the jade craftsman in the palace of Li Kang was incompetent and he found it three times in a row. They all said that this was a stubborn stone, which made King Li Kang furious and ordered the person who presented the treasure to be beheaded alive. When the man was being tortured, he still howled to himself because the beautiful jade contained injustice. The wise men in the court heard about this and ordered the stone to be cut open. After inspection, it turned out that there was a beautiful jade hidden inside, which was white and flawless and worth a fortune. Since this jade was made with human life, it has become world-famous since then. It is called Jade in Stone, also known as Jingshan Jade. When I first met Ziyun, I saw that you were very taciturn. The words follow your own course, clumsy on the outside but beautiful on the inside, just like the jade in the stone. I also think that your father named you after a stone, hoping that you would be persevering and unyielding, but he was worried about being extremely strong and easy to break, so he chose to talk to you. The word "Ziyun" means that you may have jade hidden in the stone, with a strong nature and a pure will."
Jing Shi was speechless when he heard her ramblings. He avoided his eyes for a long time and lowered his head and said: "When I was young, I was shallow and ignorant of the truth. Fortunately, I got pity from Immortal Fu, and I am where I am today."
Long Ji shook her head and smiled and said: "You are extremely intelligent and beloved by heaven and earth. What does it have to do with me? Years ago, I sent my son Yun to Qingshan City. One reason is that the Red Lotus Sect is secretive. If you were left in the southern border, I'm afraid of being assassinated; secondly, you are extremely talented, but you are a human being with no karma for practicing Taoism. If I take you to my island, I'm afraid that your pearl will be covered in dust, and Ziyun's talent will be wasted." Suddenly he was stunned. After a pause, he said in a low voice: "I bid farewell to Zi Yun, who was still a child with a yellow mouth, but in the blink of an eye, ten years have passed. Zi Yun is now an adult man. He is no longer the orphan he once was, and I cannot take my life lightly."
Jing Shi was about to speak when he suddenly heard the rustle of snow behind him, and a woman's voice said: "Your Majesty, Marquis Ling Guan invites you to return to the mansion to discuss business."
The two people in the forest looked back following the sound, only to see a girl in red coming from ten feet away. He looks very young, about fifteen or sixteen years old, but his eyebrows are frosty and his expression is arrogant, and he doesn't seem to be of that age. Dressed in bright red and short brown, but without pants or sleeves, with bare arms and legs, bare feet and bare neck, it is extremely bold and revealing. His arms, wrists, legs and shins are all wearing silver rings with scale patterns, a silver chain around his waist, a jade conch hanging on the left, and silver scissors hanging on the right. The hair is curly and short, only reaching the back blade, and is tied with a red rope around the neck, and is strung with clams, corals, sea pearls and other objects. Looking at the dazzling array of flowers, it is not only fancy and beautiful, but also quite imposing, very different from the East. Domain woman.
The girl had bare feet and bare shoulders. Seeing Jing Shi's presence, she showed no sign of shyness and looked at him coldly. But I saw that her complexion was like snow, her cheeks were high and her jaw was pointed, and she had a thin, rhombus face. The two arched eyebrows are both thin and high, raised above the pair of red phoenix eyes, which make her look even more reserved. Even though she is so beautiful, people dare not get close to her.
Jing Shi looked at her for a moment, and when he saw that she was a stranger, he took two steps back and turned his head to avoid looking. The girl ignored his actions and stepped forward to Long Ji: "My Lady, we have finished patrolling the island today. You can return to Ban Ming City to resume your duties."
When Long Ji saw the girl approaching, her face softened a bit, and she nodded and said, "Since there is nothing on the island, you and Da Hei Jin Gu can go back to the city first."
The girl in red said: "Why don't you go with me?"
Long Ji replied: "I met an old friend today and told some old stories. Hong Hu, look at the gentleman next to you. He is the child I saved when I went north. I mentioned a few words to you back then, but I still remember this. thing"
After hearing what she said, the girl in red turned her head to take another look at Jingshi. Her face was like cold jade, her eyes were like ice, and her expression was very cold. Sweeping the Jing stone up and down, he raised his eyebrows and said, "I think this is Mr. Jing Lang."
Jing Shi's expression remained unchanged and he returned the greeting as before: "I have met the real Hong Hu."
When Hong Hu heard his greeting, she still had no smile on her face. She put one hand on her waist, raised her head and squinted: "I once heard that Jing Langjun was very talented at a young age and was highly praised by the empress. When we meet today, I don't find anything out of the ordinary. Mr. Jing Lang is currently conducting a large-scale test for the birth of a child, so I hope you can take care of yourself and don't make it difficult for the Queen to perform her supervisory duties."
Before Jing Shi could answer, Long Ji had already turned her head and raised her eyes. She glared at her lightly and said, "You are so rude, how can you talk to the gentleman outside like this? I used to see you in the palace giving guidance to the younger generation. You clearly looked like you. How could you?" When we arrived on land, it seemed like we were about to eat strangers. I haven’t said anything about you recently, so why are you so angry with me?”
When Hong Hu was scolded by her, she only said yes, but there was no regret on her face. She kept looking at Jingshi with very bad intentions. Jing Shi met her by chance, but he really didn't know why she was so disgusted with herself. He pretended not to notice it and only took half a step away to hide behind Long Ji. Seeing his behavior, Hong Hu's face changed color. She suddenly shook her head and turned around and said, "I'll go back and get my life back. Your Majesty will also go back early." Then he stepped on the red cloud and rode away.
Long Ji saw her leaving as soon as she said so, and sighed again. She turned to Jing Shi and said, "This is my disciple Hong Hu. She was the daughter of a fisherman on land. Her parents died in a disaster. I carried her to the island. It's over." More than fifty years. Because her biological father died young, she was often bullied by her uncles. She has hated men since she was a child. She is not just rude to Ziyun, but Ziyun does not need to care. "
Jing Shi said: "It doesn't matter."
The two of them were talking, but suddenly the red coral cut them off, and they were speechless. Long Ji looked up at the sky, and suddenly handed the flower branch in her hand to Jing Shi and said: "This flower has just attracted the spiritual energy from the earth, which can drive away the evil spirits. Zi Yun takes it and raises it in the room, so that you can sleep peacefully at night."
Jing Shi took the plum branch with both hands, thanked him in return, and asked, "Why did Immortal Song know about my night dream?"
Longji smiled and didn't answer, and said softly: "I think it's just a naughty mountain cat who made a few jokes with Ziyun. Now that I'm here, I don't think I'll come again." Then she said: "It's cold today. Ziyun returns to the village early that morning, don't stay in the wild. Go, I won't waste your time."
In fact, since Jingshi walked with her, even though he was walking in the snow, his whole body was as warm as spring, and he didn't feel the slightest chill. He thought it was because of the magic he cast in secret. She was talking about the cold weather at the moment, which was a polite way of saying goodbye. He immediately excused himself and asked her to leave. After she nodded in acquiescence, she walked back to the road. After walking two or three steps, he couldn't help but feel something on his mind. He suddenly looked back and said, "I have one more thing to ask Xian Xian."
Longji was slightly startled and said, "It's okay to ask, Ziyun."
Jing Shi was about to speak, but he hesitated in his heart for a long time before saying: "In the past, Immortal Song sent me to Qingshan City. He first went to the Yuji Mountain Cave Mansion, and then sent a spiritual crane to send me to Xiaoxian Township."
Long Ji nodded and said, "Yes. I have lived on the southern island for a long time. Now that I have entered Qingshan City, I should first go to Cangxun Palace to pay a visit to the master. Furthermore, Lulan Kingdom is suspected of having a witch clan causing trouble. The matter is serious, so I want to ask the master. I will teach you how to predict fortune and predict fortune. At that time, I left Ziyun in front of the palace and followed him to Qiantian Hall to ask for fortune."
Jing Shi said: "When Immortal Song went to get half a stick of incense, I think he was asking for advice in the palace. When he came out to see me off, his behavior seemed a little different from before."
Long Ji said in surprise: "What's the difference?"
Jing Shi hesitated to respond, looking at Long Ji with his eyes, but seeing that her face was as usual and without any pretense, he said bluntly: "When Xi Xian left the palace, he said goodbye to the boy, and then the boy returned to the cave. The immortal was alone in front of the door. At that time, I was standing a hundred steps outside the cave, and I once saw Immortal Song facing the palace gate, looking south, wiping his face with his sleeves."
When he said this, he hesitated for a moment, and then said: "At that time, I saw from a distance that Xian Xian seemed to be crying. I don't know why."
Longji's face was indifferent, she turned her head and looked into the sky and said, "I didn't remember this, I think Ziyun saw it wrong."
Jing Shi hummed and said, "Yes. It was dark at that time, so I must have looked wrong." He bowed to Long Ji again, then turned around and left. After walking a dozen steps, he looked back at the two of them. Where it stood, there was already a trace of fragrance, only the scattered snow and withered roots remained.
