"Are we reaching the border of Xuzhou ahead?"
"how do you know?"
"There's a boundary marker there."
"boundary marker?"
The calico cat looked forward, and then trotted towards the visible end of the bluestone road. It stopped in front of the boundary monument, raised its head again, looked up, and then ran back and said:
"There is indeed a monument."
Song You looked at her and then looked ahead.
"Next time, I'll rest somewhere. When I have some free time, I'll teach Sanhua Empress how to read."
"Why do you need to read?"
"You can read only if you know how to read."
"Why study?"
"Books are the ladder of human progress."
"What about the cat?"
"It's also the ladder for cats to progress."
"Why?"
“Because it embodies the wisdom of our predecessors.”
"What wisdom?"
"Forget it if you don't want to learn..."
Song You's expression remained calm.
Walking closer, the words on the stone tablet can be seen clearly.
On the side facing him are engraved three large characters "Yizhou Boundary", with small characters on the left and right, engraved with the boundaries of counties and counties and the year when the monument was erected. After passing this boundary monument, the other side is engraved with "Xuzhou Boundary". The left and right sides are engraved with the counties and counties in the same format and the year when the monument was erected. It was erected at the founding of this dynasty.
In the spring of the second year of Mingde, Song Dynasty traveled to Xuzhou.
Oh, there are also the Sanhua Empress and the Bay Red Horse.
Song You thought it was worth remembering.
But there is no need to stay here for a long time. I stopped for a while, had some dry food and drank some water, and then continued on the road.
"We don't have much left to eat."
“There’s food everywhere.”
"I don't have much left to eat."
"Miss Sanhua will catch bugs for you to eat."
"I don't eat bugs."
“Very delicious.”
"No need."
"Then I'll catch mice for you."
"I understand."
"Then I'll catch a bird for you."
"We should find a village or market town to see if we can buy some easy-to-carry food." Song You looked ahead and saw only blue sky, yellow grassland, and undulating mountains. There was no shadow of the village. He could only tell whether it was smoke or fog. The gray color stopped at the end of his sight, "We just happened to be looking for someone to ask how to get to Junjun."
"The old man told you how to get there."
"How can I make it clear? I still need to find someone to ask."
"You're not smart."
"Sanhua Empress is smart, Sanhua Empress tells you how to go."
"Miss Sanhua, please follow me."
One person, one cat and one horse walked for a while, and finally saw a village, which seemed to be quite popular.
There is a bluestone on the roadside with the word "Liujiacun" written on it.
Look at this village. It is backed by mountains. The mountain springs gather into a stream that meanders through. There are acres of fertile fields beside the stream. It is a good place. It is not far from the main road. No wonder it is so prosperous.
Song You got off the road and led the horse forward.
When they were about to approach the village, they saw a group of men walking out with knives and sticks, rushing towards the main road outside.
Seeing Song You and his party, they couldn't help but stop.
An older man came out and looked at Song You closely, his eyes a little impatient:
"Sir, are you going to my village?"
"I am traveling to Song Dynasty. I am a native of Fangshan. I passed by Guibao. I just ran out of dry food. I want to go to Guibao to buy some dry food that is easy to carry. I want to ask for directions." Song You saluted them curiously, "I didn't know you were so insistent. Why are you walking out with a knife and a stick?"
"Oh, little sir, you'd better not go for now." The old man held a sickle, "There has been a big bug in our village in the past few days. The ones who came down from the mountain behind are still in the village. We are about to go to the county to invite people. Come and beat it to death. It’s not that we in Liujia Village don’t know how to entertain guests. If you come earlier or later, I can ask the host to give you some food and money. If there is no such thing, the host will be free the day after tomorrow. It’s my birthday, so I can’t keep Mr. to eat and drink for a few days, but that’s not possible now.”
"Oh? But the mountain tiger becomes a spirit?"
"It's not that he has become a spirit, but that thing is also very cunning. He will run away as soon as there are more people." The old man said, "Sir, if you want to drop by, just follow us. You can reach the county in half a day."
"Does the mountain tiger eat people?"
"Not yet, just eating some livestock."
It's only early spring, and the old man is already covered in sweat: "Sir, it's better not to go in, for fear of hurting your life. There are so many of us who can do nothing. We have to go to the county to report to the official and ask for a specialized person."
"Listen to what my husband said, I can try to drive it back into the mountains to save you some time and money."
"You? How to drive away?"
"I've got the right way to do it."
The old man suddenly turned his head and looked at each other in confusion with the person behind him.
"Are you sure, sir?"
"Try it."
"How should we cooperate sir?"
"Just take me there."
"I wonder how much money you receive, sir?"
"Don't take any money, just give me some easy-to-carry food."
The group of people looked at each other again.
"good!"
Although he was just leading the way, the old man did not dare to look down upon him. He still led everyone, picked up the sword and stick in his hand, and walked forward nervously.
While walking, I talked with Song.
Although Liujia Village is close to a deep mountain, the wild beasts in the mountains will avoid people and rarely go down the mountain. On the contrary, wild boars often come down to destroy the crops. Recently, it may be the beginning of spring, and the animals in the mountains are dormant. This tiger cannot catch prey for a while, and I don’t know why. After learning about the village at the foot of the mountain, he went down to visit him. He didn't hurt anyone yet, but only killed some chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep to eat.
The villagers were frightened. Led by the big family, they organized young people and set up traps, but to no avail. They went to the county to report to the officials today.
Along the way, I saw that the doors of every house were closed.
A group of people circled around and stopped outside a house in the village.
Someone pointed ahead to Song You.
The voice was very low:
"Right there."
Song You looked along and saw a patch of yellow and black spots exposed in a circle of sheds. If he looked closely, he was still moving. Only this piece of fur showed the opponent's size.
"Everyone, please step back a little further. Don't startle it."
After hearing this, everyone quickly stepped back.
Song You lowered his head and looked at the cat next to him.
"Is Sanhua Empress going too?"
"Go...go..."
"That's a tiger."
"No...not afraid..."
"Don't stutter."
"You heard wrong..."
"Then go ahead."
Song You just stepped forward, his pace still calm.
His eyes gradually moved towards the foot of the wall, and the body of this beautiful tiger also appeared in front of Song You.
He has also seen tigers behind Yin Yang Mountain, and he has also seen tiger spirits with Tao Xing. The tigers in Yizhou are of average size. The tiger in front of him looks like the same species as the tiger in Yizhou, but it is larger. Its fur looks like Like the finest brand-new silk and satin, it reflects light in the sun. No matter how exquisite the artistic fabric is, it cannot reach this state.
It was lying on the ground, eating almost half of a pig.
At the same time, the tiger also noticed him, immediately stopped his mouth movements, turned his head and stared at him closely.
His mouth was full of blood and his eyes were terrifying.
Then he stretched out his tongue and licked his mouth, revealing the barbs on his tongue and the fangs longer than his fingers.
If there were many people coming, it would have run away long ago. Now it only saw one person, a little kitten, and its eyes were still full of vigilance. It only looked them up and down, and occasionally flickered its eyes, as if it was... Just like thinking, there is also calmness in vigilance.
This shows that it is very smart.
Song You often saw a similar expression on Sanhua Empress's face. Even when she was transformed into a cat, she could tell at a glance how extraordinary she was through the thoughts in her eyes.
So when the tiger in the mountains was vigilantly investigating, and when a group of people behind him were nervous and worried, Song You raised his hand and gave a salute:
"I've seen tigers."
"Roar!"
The tiger was startled by his actions and stood up immediately, continuing to stare at him closely.
Everyone behind him was also stunned for a moment.
The calico cat was a few steps away from him, staring at the huge creature with wide eyes, but fortunately it didn't tremble.
Just listen to the voice of this young Taoist.
"There is no need to be afraid of the tiger. My surname is Song, and my name is You Menglai. I am from a mountain in Lingquan County, Yizhou. I was traveling here and wanted to buy some food. I accidentally met people in the village who were out asking for help. I heard that the tiger was related to this person. There was a conflict among the people in the village, so I came here to resolve the issue."
Wild tigers in the mountains don't understand human language, but after listening to Song You's words, for some reason, the vigilance in their eyes gradually disappeared, turning into thinking, and then into doubt.
The villagers behind him were almost stunned.
From their perspective, they could not see the tiger in the pigsty. They could only see the young Taoist priest saluting and talking to the tiger. They were surprised, ridiculous and scared for a moment.
How can a tiger understand human speech without becoming a spirit?
Where is the point in talking to a tiger?
"I look at the mountains behind this village, which are thousands of miles away. The tigers are not hunting in the mountains and are at ease. Why do they go down the mountains to hunt livestock?"
"Roar……"
The roar of the tiger scared the villagers half to death.
I was afraid that the tiger behind the wall would rush out in the next second and throw this man to the ground.
But I saw this man shaking his head and saying:
"This is not a good idea."
Song You lowered his head and glanced at the half pig under him.
The pigs here are mainly small black pigs, which don't grow very big. With the tiger's appetite, he may be able to eat one in two meals. At this time, Zhuangzi, no matter how wealthy he is, can't withstand its torment.
"The tiger has a huge appetite. This village alone cannot afford the tiger's food. Besides, people also have to live." Song You shook his head and said, "When we came down, the farmers in this village were already preparing to go to the county to invite them. Humans are hunting tigers, and no matter how powerful the tigers are, they are ultimately no match for humans.”
The tiger stared at him but said nothing.
"I have gained a lot of wisdom from observing the tiger. In the future, he may not be able to open his spiritual wisdom and become a demon. Now that the tiger has eaten a lot of livestock, it is better to go back early and don't make mistakes." Song Youyou said, "In the future, I still don't When we have to cross the line again, the mountain is your hunting ground, and below the mountain, especially where the road goes, is the human world."
"..."
The tiger's eyes flashed with luster, and he was lost in thought.
I saw it changing its gaze, sometimes looking at Song You, sometimes at the cat behind Song You, sometimes at the half pig under it. After a moment, its paws actually let go of the half pig, and then moved towards After walking a few steps aside, he bowed his head to Song You, thanked him and saluted.
Song You also quickly returned the gift.
Then something happened that made all the villagers dumbfounded. The evil tiger actually crossed the village path and ran all the way up the mountain.
When they came back to their senses, the young gentleman they met on the road was already in front of them.
"It won't go down any more from now on."
"Thank you sir!"
It was the old man who reacted the fastest. He gave Song You a salute and said quickly: "Sir, please come here! The old man will go and report to the master's family first. These two days are the master's birthday. Because of this evil tiger's trouble, I don't know whether We can still celebrate on time. Now that you have driven away the evil tiger, you are a distinguished guest of my Liujia Village. Please stay in the village for a few more days and let me entertain you!"
"No need, just give me some food."
"Sir, don't refuse! If we let you go like this, my master will definitely blame you!" the old man said, "Sir, please don't worry, I will entertain you with delicious food and drinks. If your birthday goes smoothly in two days, I will also There is an opera troupe! It’s very lively!”
Song You really couldn't shirk it.
