"Guardian, please forgive me for my poor protection! Last night, I was guarding the official and the immortal master at the top of the mountain. I thought that if it was too late later, I would remind the official. But somehow, I suddenly felt better. I was sleepy. After holding on for a while, I felt like the world was spinning again and I had hallucinations in front of my eyes. Before I could regain my senses, I had already fallen asleep."
"It's okay, it's not your fault." Cui Nanxi waved his hand, thought for a while and then said: "It should be the immortal master who meditates and practices, absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and absorbs the essence of the sun and the moon. We are mortals and can't bear it, so we fainted. Drowsy...those wild beasts and raptors in the mountains must have gained spiritual intelligence and were attracted by the immortal master's Tao Yun, so they came here to seek immortality."
"That's how it is..." Xu Le quickly handed over to the official. I just feel that the official is really a person who likes immortality and immortality. If it were anyone else, how would he know so many things.
At this time, the official asked again: "How did you feel after you woke up?"
"I feel refreshed and clear all over my body." Xu Le replied honestly,
"Ever since I wandered around the world and saw many fights and fights, I haven't had such a good night's sleep in a long time."
"IM about the same."
"Then the Immortal Master..."
"That's all, we are destined to meet each other. Sometimes it is not good to be too demanding and have too many distracting thoughts." Cui Nanxi waved his hand,
"It's just that we promised the Immortal Master not to mention the name of the Immortal after we come down from the mountain, but we must not break it easily. Otherwise, it would not be good if we were sorry for this fate and the Immortal Master's generous gift."
"This pill..."
"Eat it first, lest the immortal energy will be lost after a long time."
"Okay!" Both of them took the elixir. They looked at each other in confusion and waited for a while, feeling nothing for the time being. Xu Le then asked, "Do you want to rest, sir, before going over?"
"I'm not tired, let's get over it now." Cui Nanxi took a deep breath,
"I'd better walk in front, so if I accidentally slip my hands and feet, you can pull me up."
"Yes!" The elixir has entered the belly, so there is no need to worry about human nature and evil thoughts, and it can pass freely.
But this time was different from the last time. Both of them felt energetic and the platform was clear. The martial artist who could have easily crossed the rope had an even easier time. The official who was originally a little difficult and dangerous actually did not suffer from his hand even once. My feet slipped and I almost fell.
But after passing the rope, I didn't see the entourage that was supposed to be waiting here, and the donkey and luggage were also missing.
However, he saw the immortal master’s leaving figure from a distance. The red leaves in the distant morning light are redder than blood. The grass on the ground is unknown, with white spikes growing out. They are as dense as a thick blanket, blown in the same direction by the wind.
In this beautiful autumn forest, on an invisible road from south to north, a Taoist led a horse along slowly. It was still the same bay-red horse, still carrying a backpack, and it had already gone a long way.
Turning another corner, it was out of sight.
"This Hong Xiu!" He can't even be considered a horse! The officials couldn't help but curse secretly. But it's no wonder that the entourage - the two of them didn't return home last night. The wind was very strong at the mountain pass. The entourage couldn't wait for anyone until the evening, so he had to go to a sheltered place to spend the night. And it was early in the morning, so he might not have come yet.
Fortunately, there is only one way down the mountain. If we go down the mountain like this, we will definitely meet him. So the two of them discussed and started going down the mountain.
I wanted to catch up with my husband, but I thought it wouldn't be nice to catch up after I've already said goodbye. I quickened my pace slightly, but I had to look both ways as I walked, fearing that my entourage would find shelter on the roadside and miss him if I hurried along. Sometimes I had to shout twice, so I walked a long way. Didn't catch up with Mr.
Along the way, the autumn scenery seemed to be the same on the roadside, but it also seemed different. Something is wrong, but I can’t say it.
After walking a long way, he didn't see his entourage.
"This is Hong Xiu!" The official said this time. The two discussed with each other and thought that they might have missed them halfway, or that the entourage had not waited for them until night, and there was no response when calling them. They also remembered their exclamations when they crossed the iron rope during the day, and thought that they might not have successfully passed the iron rope. He fell down, so he took the donkey's luggage and went down the mountain.
The worst result was that the entourage went to find a place to spend the night waiting for them. As a result, there were poisonous insects, ferocious beasts, and mountain monsters on the mountain. There were no warriors to protect them, and they accidentally encountered disaster.
Hope that's not the case. Going downhill is faster than going uphill. For ordinary people, their legs might have been shaking after such a day of walking, but perhaps it was the magical effect of the elixir. Neither of them felt any discomfort at all. The only difficult thing was that they had no food to eat along the way and were empty in their bellies.
Walking from morning to dusk, we are almost at the lake. I gradually walked to the place where I had picked pears before, thinking about how many pears I had left behind and whether they had been picked by others later. I wanted to take a look, and if I was lucky, I could get some to satisfy my hunger.
However, all I saw was a full pear tree, with more than a few pears hanging, maybe dozens.
The two looked at each other and checked carefully. It is indeed this place, this pear tree. It's just that before I picked only a few pears, why were they all hanging on the branches again?
Why did the branch that was broken by stepping on it become an old wound? Thinking back to what the Immortal Master had said and given... and thinking about those legends about time passing faster in the mountains... only then did the two of them panic.
I almost jogged all the way to the ferry. Before it was completely dark, I found a boatman and asked what year it was.
The boatman replied to them: "The third year of Mingde." He then asked what month and day it was. The boatman made an estimate: "I'm afraid it's late June, almost July, and it's almost the beginning of autumn." Exactly one year has passed.
The two of them stayed where they were, their minds blank. After I regained my composure, I quickly looked back and saw the deep vegetation behind me and the heavy shadows of the mountains. Where could I still see the top of the mountain I just walked down?
Where can I find the traces of the immortal I saw in the morning? The two of them were stunned for a long time, feeling complicated and confused.
Later, after asking several boatmen, I found out that the newly appointed magistrate of Shizu County came to climb Yunding Mountain last year to search for the fairy. However, his entourage waited on the other side of the iron cable for the third day and no one came back.
The entourage asked other people who had passed the iron rope, but they only heard that there were many wild animals gathered on the other side, including jackals, tigers and leopards. Those who had passed the iron rope did not dare to climb Yunding Mountain. If his master had not fallen off halfway, he must have Being eaten by the wild beasts gathered on the other side, the follower had to go down the mountain alone in tears. Fortunately, the descent went smoothly and no wild beasts or monsters were encountered along the way.
Nazhi County is quite famous. Among the people who fell to death in Yunding Mountain in a year, it is also relatively well-known. His family came here to pay homage last year, and the magistrates of Changsheng County came here.
Cui Nanxi opened his mouth and was speechless. He had to look at the mountain in the night again. There is no beauty in the distance between green pines and black flowers...but there are banished immortals in the world.
...A small boat floats in Jingdao Lake. The night is getting deeper and deeper, the stars are hanging overhead, and the sky is full of stars under the boat. The night wind makes the boat sway, creating circles and ripples in the mirror.
The boatman's snoring was loud. The calico cat curled up next to the Taoist, as if sleeping, but also seemed not.
The Taoist looked at the lake, sky and night without saying a word, silently thinking about this practice, this realization, this opportunity, this year that passed by out of thin air, and the question that he often thought about - this What kind of world is it?
It seems that I know more and more. He seemed to be getting more and more confused. The cat scratched him. The Taoist came back to his senses, looked down, thought about it, gave up the idea, and asked in a low voice: "Tomorrow is the beginning of autumn again, what does Sanhua Empress want to eat?"
"Well?"
"Huh?" The calico cat raised its head while lying on its side and glanced at the boatman. Seeing that the boatman was sleeping soundly, it looked at him and replied in a low voice: "Didn't the three-flowered empress have already eaten it in advance?"
"It's another year."
"Can't understand."
"It's a new year again."
"You're lying, how can a year be so short?"
"real."
"One year is really so short!"
"It's not that a year is short, it's that we spent a year in the mountains, and it goes by faster in the mountains." Song You reached out and gently stroked her back, feeling the texture of the hair and her body temperature. This little kitten, The concept of time is not very clear, but she doesn't have much care in this world, and she doesn't have much involvement with others. It's not very appropriate to say that she has delayed her for a year.
“Do you want things to go faster in the mountains?”
"Sometimes."
"Then if we go to the mountains more in the future, can I get to the beginning of autumn soon? You can get to the vernal equinox soon too!"
"Miss Sanhua still remembers the Spring Equinox."
"Yes!"
"Empress Sanhua is extremely smart and has an extraordinary memory. I admire you." Song You said with a smile.
“But not all mountains are suitable, and not all times are suitable.”
"Then what kind of mountain can be used? When can it be used?"
"It's something you can meet but cannot ask for."
"Can't understand."
"Does Sanhua Empress know how old she was?"
"have no idea."
"Then Empress Sanhua is one year older, and another year older."
"How old are you?"
"have no idea."
"You're not smart."
"Same for you." The calico cat raised its head and stared at the Taoist, and the Taoist also stared down at her, neither of them making a sound.
The wind moves the boat, everything is gentle. After a while, the calico cat's voice sounded again in the cabin: "Are the stones I picked up on the mountain still there?"
"Still." After Song You answered, he asked again: "Why did Sanhua Empress pick up a stone and what do you want to use it for?"
"Those who visit famous mountains will pick up a stone from the mountain and bring it back to their house to ward off evil spirits." Although the calico cat's voice was low, his tone was decent.
"It's just that I am the cat god. The cat god does not use stones to control the house and drive away evil spirits. The cat god himself can control the house and drive away evil spirits. I just find it interesting and take it back for collection."
"That's it..."
"Where do you think I hid it?"
"Where did Sanhua Empress hide her things before?"
"On the beams of the temple, or buried in the soil."
"Good."
"Say it!"
"This kind of small stone, Sanhua Empress can put it in the quilt bag and treasure it. You can also put it in your cloth pocket so that you can see it often. When you transform into a human form, you can also carry it with you. These are all for collection and play. A small object method." Song You paused and smiled,
"But I have another idea."
"what idea?"
"If it were thrown down from here and landed in the middle of the lake, Sanhua Empress would probably be the last person in the world to touch it."
"What about the cat?"
"So does the cat." The calico cat blinked at him.
"Plop!" A stone fell into the water, causing several ripples, and the starry sky in the lake suddenly became wrinkled.
We are so far away from each other, yet another new autumn brings golden wind and jade dew.
