"Interesting stuff..."
Song You stood there, frowning and muttering.
Then he withdrew his gaze and walked away with his stick.
The vast mountains ahead are covered with ice and snow, the sky is a huge complete blue semicircle, the ridges of the snow-capped mountains have gentle curves, and there is no human habitation in sight.
In the snow, a line of footprints went south down the mountain, and there was also a line of more chaotic footprints heading east along the ridgeline.
Although the Taoist didn't know what the little demon wanted to say, or whether it wanted to hint at him or wanted him to stay longer in Yuezhou or even the north for some purpose, he was a person who listened to advice, and with his own I just went down the mountain to travel around the world. I felt that it would not be a bad thing to spend more time walking around Yuezhou in more detail, so I really planned to walk around Yuezhou in more detail again - I originally planned to go to Qingtong Forest. After arriving at Tianzhu Mountain, they went to Zhaozhou to spend the winter, and now they will go around one more time.
Yuezhou is basically deserted and it is really difficult to walk there.
There are often bones on the road. The corpses were exposed in the wilderness more than ten years ago. They should have been laid to rest long ago, so we must take the time to help them.
Along the way, I encountered several demons that had been exterminated by the Heavenly Palace. Some of them had a fishy evil aura, and some even summoned the ghosts of innocent people. They looked like they were not good things at first glance, so they were naturally eliminated.
However, I also discovered some things that were wrong, most of which were difficult to discover. Only from the aura of heaven and earth can we know that there was a great power entrenched here. But that's all. Apart from the strangeness in the aura, no great demon or practitioner was found. This is the same as the situation in Qingtong Lin.
I don't know whether the other party knew that he was coming and hid it deliberately, or whether the other party had already left or died and was no longer here. In short, it was not easy to find him, it was time-consuming and labor-intensive, and it also seemed very rude.
The only big demon that caused trouble in Yuezhou was the White Bull King. He was almost the worst behaved among the demon kings who were born due to the war in the north. However, it has been wiped out by the Tiangong Qing Dynasty. Yuezhou is also a place with rich spiritual charm and long culture. For so many years, it is a normal thing for ancient demons to exist like in the southern region. Since there are no rumors of the other party causing trouble, Song You's search like this is almost enough. It would be inappropriate to search for him carefully, which would delay his trip.
I had no choice but to write it down and continue leaving.
This took almost another month.
By the time we left Yuezhou and walked to Zhaozhou, it was already the end of the twelfth lunar month in the sixth year of Mingde.
Originally, we should enter Zhaozhou from the north of Yuezhou, but now we have to enter Zhaozhou from the south of Yuezhou, climb over the dangerous mountains, pass the heavily guarded Xiongguan, and then arrive at Mozhu County.
Song You stood at the gate of the city, stopped, raised his head and looked at the word "Mozhu" on the top of the city, then stepped forward to show his certificate, and walked into this northern city under the curious eyes of the city guards. small town.
Mozhu County is located in the southwest corner of Zhaozhou. It is the junction of the three states and borders the southeast corner of Yuezhou and the northeast corner of Hanzhou. However, the antenna and Xiongguan separate them. This is why Yuezhou was ravaged by the Saibei people more than ten years ago. One of the reasons why the state was not severely affected.
As I walked along, I saw that although the streets were narrow and old, and the houses on both sides were small, there were many people on the road as the New Year was approaching. Thanks to the fact that it was in the morning, I could still see many vendors setting up stalls.
There are those who sell charcoal, those who sell firewood, and those who sell water.
There were people selling eggs, people selling dustpans, and more interestingly, Song You also saw people making preserved eggs for others.
Compared to the uninhabited land of Yuezhou, even compared to the county seat of Yanzhou, and even compared to the county seat of Hezhou, Mozhu County has many more people and looks more similar. However, compared to the counties in the south, Mozhu County is much shabby. Many officials have been demoted these days, mostly to Zhaozhou and the southernmost island.
The ground was paved with stone slabs, and the horses' hooves made a clanging sound.
There are occasional steps, and horses are careful to climb them.
The Taoist asked around for a long time before he found the door of an inn in the middle of the city.
Thanks to the developed economy of Dayan, and thanks to the fact that Mozhu County is located at the junction of three provinces and specializes in the bamboo used for writing brushes, it is very popular among the literati and scholars of Dayan. The inns and carriage shops in this city are also similar.
Song You put the horse outside and stepped in.
The threshold is low and removable.
The entrance is into a large courtyard, which is convenient for merchants to stop and park. It is not a lobby. Only after entering the courtyard can you find the store.
Most of the rooms in inns these days, especially those in small towns, are usually occupied by long-term guests, such as candidates and people on official business trips, as well as short-term businessmen and people traveling in the world. Most of them will choose carriage shops or Maodian. Car and horse stores are convenient for stocking goods and are convenient for merchants. Housing in Maodian and Jifeodian is cheap and inspections are not strict. Some even do not need to register, which is convenient for Jianghu people.
Song You talked with the store owner and decided to rent a house for one month at a price that was cheaper than renting a house in many counties in the south.
Then he walked out again and took the horse in.
The horses were kept in the yard.
The room is upstairs.
"There is not much business in the inn at this time. Everyone has gone home during the Chinese New Year. Business will be better after the Chinese New Year. My husband is a spiritual practitioner and he definitely likes to be clean, so I chose a room at the back for him to avoid being disturbed by farmers selling vegetables below in the morning. If I wake up, I won’t smell the horse manure in the yard.”
"Thank you."
"The small shop has meals, but you have to tell them in advance. They usually also provide boiling water, hot water and bathing water. You have to tell them in advance and charge them separately. Charcoal for oil lamps and oil heaters is also charged separately, and you charge as much as you use. There is one at the opposite door. If you want to cook at restaurants and stalls that sell food, you can also borrow the kitchen. You can pay for oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, wood consumption, etc. as you see."
"Write it down."
"There is a teahouse on the left when you go out, and not far on the right. Hehe, there is a tavern with girls, and a gambling house is also over there. If sir, you are free and want to have fun, you can also go and check it out." The shopkeeper said with a smile, "But It's been very uneasy in the north recently. Although our Zhaozhou area is better, there are occasional rumors of encountering ghosts. I don't know if you are afraid of this, sir. Anyway, try to go out as little as possible at night. Our place is small, and when it gets dark, there is not much fun except for pubs and gambling houses. Can be found.”
"I must inform the innkeeper that I have two friends here. One is a handsome young man, and the other is a girl of several years old. Sometimes they may come in and out of the inn to see me."
"Understood."
"It saves the shopkeepers' trouble."
"Sir, have a good rest and call me if you need anything."
After the shopkeeper finished speaking, he left with a respectful attitude.
Song You put down the quilt bag, opened the quilt, and a calico cat ran out from inside. He looked left and right, very curious, and then started to run around and sniff around to get to know this strange place. Then he opened the side of the quilt bag. Then a swallow flew out of the bag.
The swallow has a different temperament from the calico cat, and feels guilty for sneaking into the inn:
"It's causing trouble for you sir."
"Nothing."
Song You said to Yanzi, and then asked: "Then where do you live on weekdays?"
"I'm still not used to living in a house. I saw a big tree growing outside the door, so I can just live in the tree or on the roof. I can also help my husband watch out and watch his horses."
"That's fine."
It doesn't mean that swallows are not allowed to stay in other inns.
It's just that in this cold weather, it's troublesome for Yanzi to explain. It's even more troublesome to explain clearly that Yan'er is spiritual and obedient. Anyway, he knew that swallows usually like to live in open places. Even if they sleep in the wild, they have to rest on the top of a branch with an unobstructed view. They don't like to live indoors. At most, they will fly indoors when they have nothing to do. Song You is too lazy to do so. Talked to the store more.
As for Sanhua Empress, she simply fell asleep in the quilt bag.
"There seems to be something smelly here..."
The calico cat turned around and said to Song You.
"It just smells musty."
"Moldy smell!"
"Just open the windows for ventilation."
The Taoist went to open the window. Although he said he would open the window for ventilation, he blew in a strong wind.
The wind quickly swept away the musty smell in the house.
When Song You turned around, the calico cat had transformed into a girl. Following his original appearance, he began to take out all the necessary things from the quilt bag.
The store had clay pots and thick bowls for drinking water, but I brought some with me, so I took them out and put them on the table.
The lantern was originally placed next to the quilt bag, but she took it to the bedside.
You should also put away your own robes, knives and flags.
I know that every time a Taoist visits a place where he usually lives, he must write something, so he must also take out pens, inks, paper and inkstones.
The little girl is meticulous, like a little adult.
It really feels like a Taoist boy again.
In fact, Song You knew that it was just the thought in her mind that "Sanhua Empress is a mature and powerful big cat and it's time to take care of the Taoist priests". When ordinary people's cats grow up, they sometimes like to feed their owners in turn, as if they can get a sense of accomplishment from it.
"Thank you, Miss Sanhua."
Song You said with a smile, and looked at the street outside for a while by the window. The little girl had already prepared ink for him.
I had no choice but to walk over, sit down, and spread out the white paper as usual.
Originally, we planned to go to Zhaozhou Government Office to rest. This period coincided with the Spring Festival, and the north was icy and snowy. Not to mention the cold weather, the roads were also difficult to travel. It was better to wait until spring began before rushing on. However, after hearing a few words from the deer demon, he was delayed in Yuezhou for an extra month, and now he only got here.
It's the twelfth lunar month of winter, and it's the Spring Festival again. It's freezing and snowy, so it's not suitable to travel in a hurry, so I won't go to the bustling city. I'll stay in this remote town for a month or two, and then continue traveling when the snow melts in spring.
Everything you see and hear in Yuezhou should be carefully recorded.
Not only the Five Colorful Pool Yuelong Waterfall, not only the sacred bird flying in the night sky in the Qingtong Forest, but also the Tianzhu Mountain where the gods first ascended to heaven, and the corpses all over the ground. The rivers are frozen and can be walked on, the rime is like a dream, and the calico cat is so cold that it burrows into the chest every night.
The Taoist was very patient and wrote page after page, his handwriting always steady and unchanged.
Sanhua Empress lit a heater for him. She was afraid of the cold, so she thought he was also afraid of the cold, so she pushed the heater to his feet and called the swallows in the window to warm him together.
(End of chapter)
