A few sticks of incense burned to the end, and the smoke curled up.
Most of them were ordered by these Jianghu people.
"Everyone, you are polite."
Seeing that several Jianghu people were staring at him and others with different expressions in their eyes, Song You also bowed to them.
The swordsman also clasped his fists beside him.
"We came from Changjing and were heading north. We passed by here and didn't know much about the local conditions. The old man who was passing by was kind enough to tell us that we couldn't stay out overnight, so we could only come to disturb a few gods. If we disturbed a few gods, Wherever there is a good man, please be considerate."
Several Jianghu people were slightly relieved after hearing this.
An older man looked around, raised his hand and bowed to him: "This is the territory of Lei Gong and Liu Xian, and we are just staying here. Since we are both destitute people, we can take refuge here." There is no need to talk about the evil misfortune, but it is also a fate."
"What I'm saying is very reasonable."
Song You heard that he was well-spoken and quite chivalrous in his conversation. He happened to want to ask them about the situation in Lanmo County, so he said:
"My surname is Song Mingyou. I am originally from Lingquan County, Yizhou. I don't know how to respect my surname?"
"Kuhaha, who travels in the world of martial arts, how can we talk about the honorable name, just call him Jiang Erfu." The Jianghu man paused for a moment, "We are escorts, coming from Linxun County in the north, and now we have to go back."
"I didn't intend to come here, and I didn't prepare any incense candles. I don't know how many of you have them. I'd like to buy a few."
"Unfortunately, we only brought six sticks of incense, three when we came and three when we returned." Jiang Erfu said to them and glanced at the stage, "The last three are here too."
"Then I have to say sorry to the gods."
Song You glanced at the statue of Zhou Lei in the center of the stage and felt it was strange.
Previously, when they were at the foot of Yunding Mountain and near the small fishing village by Jingdao Lake, Zhou Leigong told him that he would give him a stick of incense next time we meet again. Although Song You didn't agree at that time, he always remembered that he borrowed someone else's temple to shelter from the wind and rain tonight, so he should actually get one.
"rest assured!"
Jiang Erfu saw the look between his brows and felt that although the young Taoist was accompanied by a swordsman, he was not a bad person. In addition, he was polite and polite, so he said to him: "Both Lei Gongs are upright, and Liu Xian also cares about the people, but he just did it unintentionally." However, I won’t be unhappy because you forgot to bring the incense.”
"That's good……"
At this time, the swordsman had put down his quilt bag and took out the dry food.
They were dry biscuits bought in Zhijiang County.
It's not made of fine flour, it's very rough. I don't know what was added to it. It's baked to a hard texture and tastes full of dregs, which irritates both the mouth and throat. However, it is easy to carry and can satisfy hunger.
I heard that people who travel here buy this as dry food. Song You was curious and bought some.
"How many of you have eaten tonight? Do you want a cushion?"
"Thank you. I've eaten."
"When I was waiting in Zhijiang County, I heard that there was a rat demon causing trouble in Lanmo County. When I was walking on the road, I also listened to the advice of the old man on the roadside not to spend the night in the wilderness, but I didn't know how rampant this rat demon was." Song You said and paused for a moment, then looked back at the stage, "I have been practicing in a Taoist temple since I was a child. I know these two Lei Gongs, but I don't know which god this Liu Xian is?"
"Sir, is he really a Taoist priest?"
"There is an ultimatum to prove it."
"Sir, please forgive me. There are too many people wandering the world and wearing Taoist robes. We can't tell the truth from the lies."
As he spoke, Jiang Erfu cupped his hands in the air, and then said to him: "Since Sir knows who is causing trouble in Lanmo County, I won't say more. But Sir, you must remember that after leaving this temple, Don’t talk about the rat demon casually. Even if you want to call it a rat demon, you must call it a rat fairy to avoid disaster.”
"Will even a word be heard?"
"The less trouble, the better."
"That's true."
"Sir, you must have seen a lot of rat snakes along the way, right?"
"Maybe it's because of the cats at home. I only heard some movement in the grass in the fields, but it's rare to see rat snakes." Song You said with a smile, "But when we got to the temple, we saw the tail of the snake."
"That's it."
Jiang Erfu leaned his back against the wall, lit a fire and said, "The one who causes trouble is the Rat Immortal, and the one who keeps things safe is naturally the Snake Immortal. We honor her as the Liuxian Empress, and some people call her the Jinhua Empress."
"Empress Jinhua..."
Song You lowered his head and looked at his cat.
The calico cat also raised its head.
"Exactly!"
"I wonder when this rat fairy started causing trouble?"
"In the past few years, there have been many wars in the north. Many people have died. Some people say that the rats ate too much human flesh and became sperm. Others say that the rat fairies came from the north. How can we tell the truth from the lies?"
"What about Liu Xian?"
"Sir, why are you asking so clearly?" Jiang Erfu turned to stare at him, "As long as you pass through Lanmo County, don't spend the night outside. Either live in the city, in the village, or in the temple. I think you all I rode here on horseback. I'll go faster tomorrow morning and we'll be out in one day. As long as we don't talk about the rat fairy during the day and watch your cat carefully and don't catch mice in the fields to eat, you'll be fine."
"I am a Taoist, so I am naturally concerned about the affairs of demons, ghosts, gods and immortals." Song You said, "I am traveling around the world just to see these things."
"..."
Jiang Erfu was confused, but he didn't ask any more questions. He was bored at night, so a Taoist priest's words were not a bad thing, so he did the same.
"Liu Xian Empress is long gone. People in Lanmo County have believed in Liu Xian Empress for at least hundreds of years. Liu Xian Empress has always protected the food here from being disturbed by rats and insects. This is the temple. , I am afraid it has been practiced for decades." Jiang Erfu said, "The Liuxian Empress has always been very popular, but now, with the Mouse Immortal causing trouble, the Liuxian Empress's incense has become even more popular."
"I see."
Song You nodded.
He looked back at the statue of Liu Xian, which was almost in the center of the altar with Zhou Lei Gong, and almost understood.
Hezhou was originally a grain-producing land. Many years ago, people believed in the snake fairy to protect their fields and rice warehouses from rats. This is similar to the way people on Jinyang Road believed in the Sanhua Empress.
Seeing that this Liuxian is in the same temple as Zhou Lei Gong, and almost in the middle, we can also know that she should be a legitimate deity who has received imperial conferment, not a wild deity like the Sanhua Empress. From this we can also see her status in the hearts of the local people, and she is a very respected local deity.
"Although the Rat Immortal has been rampant in the past few years, the Liu Immortal also has great magical powers." Jiang Erfu said while quietly glancing at the Liu Xian statue on the altar. Apparently, in Liu Xian's temple, in front of Liu Xian, he He was afraid that he would offend the gods by making arrogant remarks about Liu Xian, so he mostly said something nice, "Although we are not from Lanmo County, we have heard a lot about Lan Mo County's Rat Immortal doing many evil things, and rats are causing trouble. If it weren’t for the Liuxian to fight against it and protect everyone, I’m afraid the entire Lan Mo would have been eaten by rats.”
"I am also curious." Song You asked them, "The rat demon here is so powerful. Why are there still people working in the fields, people still living in the village, and people still walking on the road?"
"It all depends on Liu Xian."
"Appreciate further details."
"The people here just need to place a memorial tablet of Liu Xian in their homes, and they will be able to avoid the rat plague. If they invite the snake fairy to the fields, they can also protect the place from disaster. Just don't be stupid and kill the rats."
"What if I don't offer it?"
"It's okay if you don't pay for it. It's the same if your neighbor does. It's just that they are protecting you, so how can you not pay for it?"
"That's true."
"As for what you said, why are there still people walking on the road?" Jiang Erfu smiled, "Although this rat demon is rampant, how dare he come out to cause trouble in broad daylight? Those of us who travel in the world are also familiar with the rules of the road. As long as Calculate the distance, and either go to the city to live, or live in a roadside temple. Whether it is a temple for Thunder God or a temple for Liu Xian, as long as you live in the temple, the rat fairy will not dare to invade no matter how rampant it is. Yes. If you don’t live in a temple, it depends on your luck. Sometimes a cow gets lost and you look at it the next day and it can be eaten clean by you."
"How many people left?"
"A lot, but not much. How can it be so easy to find a way to survive after leaving home?"
"I see."
The people of this land are incredibly resilient.
The nation has survived for thousands of years, and it is not without the credit of this resilience.
The two parties didn't chat for long, but Song You asked questions very carefully, and he knew almost everything he wanted to know.
The fire lit by the Jianghu people is getting darker and darker.
There were occasional rustling sounds outside, which attracted the calico cat in the Taoist's arms to stretch its neck and look outside.
"Sir, when you travel all over the world, why do you bring a cat with you?"
"We are destined to go together."
"..." Jiang Erfu shook his head and reminded in a low voice, "Then sir, you have to take good care of your cats. In Lanmo County, no matter whether rats or snakes, you are not allowed to catch and eat them randomly. If you eat a mouse or a field mouse, It will cause the Rat Fairy to take revenge and eat the snake, haha, Lady Liu Fairy won’t blame you, but if the local people find out, they won’t spare you lightly.”
"Meow..."
"Thank you so much," Song You said, "My cat said she also knows and won't eat snakes."
"Ha ha……"
Jiang Erfu smiled and stopped talking.
This group of escorts were on the right side of the temple entrance, either sitting on the ground against the wall, or lying upside down in various directions. They seemed to have a good relationship. Some of them even used their companions' legs as pillows and used thick cloth as quilts. The friendship between the people at the bottom is really different from that of the literati. There are not so many romances, flowers, snow, moon, plums, orchids, bamboos, chrysanthemums, poetry, wine and tea. However, clinging to each other to keep warm in the cold night, it is not unforgettable in a lifetime.
The fire slowly extinguished, leaving only the red wood.
The swordsman lowered his voice and asked softly:
"Sir, do you want to get rid of the rat demon?"
"There is chaos in the north, there are many demons, and the Heavenly Palace is too busy for a while. Since we are here, let's start with this rat demon."
"Shu is willing to ride on the horse and follow the teacher to slay demons!"
The swordsman made a fist, fearing to disturb the person opposite him, so he kept his voice low, but his tone was very firm.
"It's time to work."
Song You also covered himself with a thin blanket and slowly closed his eyes.
There were some rustling sounds in the middle of the night, and it was from a young man among the escorts. He must have seen that Song You and his entourage were carrying horses, and the wool felts and woolen blankets used by Song You were also of high quality, so he thought they were rich people. , so he tiptoed up to the two men and the cat, but the swordsman was alert and just tapped the floor tile with his scabbard to startle him back. The night after that, except for Empress Sanhua who came in and out from time to time, almost nothing happened.
Thank you to the leader of "Emma's Warm Man Brother" for bowing and showing off your breasts!
(End of chapter)
