After walking around for a long time, it was already noon.
Among the five people, Tang Ping didn't get anything, but Yan Xuan found some rare spiritual grass seeds, and the price was not expensive with Tang Ping's help in bargaining, so he seemed happy.
Qian Chao was the one who gained the most. Li Jian kept following him, watching Qian Chao take out spiritual stones from his storage bag to pay the casual cultivators again and again. He silently counted the money he had spent this morning. Brother Qian has spent about a hundred spiritual stones, and he can't help but sigh to himself. After all, the truth has been revealed. As long as those caring people among casual cultivators keep staring at Brother Qian, they will definitely know that he must have a lot of spiritual stones. Look at it. Please be careful when waiting for your return trip.
Just as he was thinking about this, Li Jian heard Tang Ping say from the side:
"No, Brother Lu, why do you want to drink at noon? What will you do in the evening? Is it possible to have another drink? Let me find a decent teahouse at noon to drink some tea and some refreshments, and then Let’s continue walking around Ruixuan Town. Ruixuan Town is so big and we’ve only visited a few places. How about we go to the Star Picking Tower in the evening?”
"Uh... Okay, let's drink it tonight." Lu Pingchuan had no choice but to agree, but his embarrassment made both Tang Ping and Yan Xuan want to laugh.
In this way, the five people left here, and after making inquiries, they headed towards a teahouse called "White Crane Tower".
The White Crane Tower is also quite a famous place in Ruixuan Town. The tea and refreshments are said to be first-class.
The White Crane Tower was really lively. When the five of them saw the signboard of the White Crane Tower from a distance, they also saw the flow of people coming in and out of the tea house.
Just as the five people arrived at the door and were about to go in, they suddenly heard someone calling Qian Chao.
"Hey! Mr. Qian!"
Qian Chao looked up and found that the five people walking out of the door were Luo Ying, Wenyuan, Lu Shuang, Yan Shuang and Luo Bin.
Luo Ying and others were very curious about the appearance of Qian Chao and others in Ruixuan Town. They knew how well these little guys had cultivated in the past few days. Now that they can come to Ruixuan Town, could it be...
She looked up and down carefully and said in great surprise:
"Hey, I really didn't expect that you have already broken through the fifth level. No wonder! When did it happen?"
"Just a few days ago, we just broke through."
After all, they all knew each other. Qian Chao and others greeted each other and started chatting with each other.
"Hey, Girl Tang, after all, I am also your senior sister. Even if you don't like me, you still have to say hello when you meet me, right?"
Luo Ying was not an energy-saving lamp. When she found that Tang Ping was saluting the four people around her, but was indifferent to her, she immediately stopped doing it. With her fiery temper, she must have said it to her face. from.
Tang Ping had no choice but to pretend to bow again and say hello to senior sister before giving up.
"Hmph, that's pretty much it. Hey, Qian boy, what are you doing here?"
"We are here to see the excitement. We have always heard people say that the excitement in Ruixuan Town is very lively. We have long wanted to come but have not been able to come. Now that we have broken through the Xiaowu Pass, we will naturally come."
"Oh, there's actually nothing to see here. It's just that there are more casual cultivators and people from other aristocratic families. When will you go back? Do you want us to get together? This road is not easy to walk."
Tang Ping immediately said:
"No need, Senior Sister Luo, we just came here and we still have a few days of fun."
After hearing this, Yanxuan secretly pulled her sleeves, and Lu Shuang also chuckled helplessly, but Yanshuang was a little confused.
Luo Ying glared at Tang Ping again, and then said:
"Well, we have been here for a few days and are about to go back. You should be more careful on the way back. It's still not peaceful recently."
"Yes, thank you, senior sister, for reminding me."
Then Luo Ying and others said goodbye and left.
Luo Ying still sighed a little in her heart. Until now, she felt that it would be a good thing for Qian Chao to become a disciple of her grandfather. However, later Wenyuan told Luo Ying what happened when she persuaded Wen Mian. Only then did he realize that there was a reason why those seniors did not accept money as disciples, but his grandfather had always refused to tell him. In this case, Luo Ying no longer insisted, but whenever he thought about it, especially When you see the money boom, you will feel very sad.
Looking at the leaving figures of the five people, Yanxuan said:
"Why are the five of them here?"
"Who knows, maybe Yan Shuang wants to come here for a visit." Tang Ping replied.
But that's not what Yanxuan meant. She just wanted to express her hidden worries. There might be a storm where Yan Shuang appears.
…
Just when Qian Chao and others saw the signboard of Baihe Tower from a distance, there were two women and a man sitting across the bank from each other in a position near the window on the upper floor of Baihe Tower.
The man was fair-skinned, with long eyebrows and big eyes. He had a good appearance. He had broad shoulders. Although he was sitting down, he must have been a tall and healthy person when he stood up.
Sitting opposite him were two women. The older one was dignified and beautiful, especially her pair of slender phoenix eyes, which added a bit of majesty to the woman. The woman's hair was all curled up. She is meticulously combed, her eyebrows are slender, her forehead is smooth and full, and her cherry lips are straight and her nose is straight. If there is any flaw in this woman's face, it is that her cheeks are slightly thin, which makes people look at her. I always feel a bit mean. Although she was sitting leisurely in the teahouse at this time, this woman also had her back straight, which made people look vaguely close to her.
The girl sitting next to her is still almost a little girl, but her stature has gradually grown and she looks a bit more graceful. This girl's appearance is quite similar to the woman next to her, but the difference lies in this The little girl's appearance is quite pretty and smart, and she is particularly cute.
At this time, the little girl was eating a lot of food on the table, while the woman was talking to the man opposite.
"I heard that Brother Cao was in retreat for foundation building, why did he come out?" the woman asked.
"Yes, I was in seclusion a while ago. However, I felt uneasy. I tried a few times and finally gave up. I was afraid that something would go wrong if I forced myself into seclusion, so I went out for a walk to look for opportunities."
The man known as Brother Cao said with a chuckle, looking at the woman opposite with unabashed admiration and admiration.
"I'm feeling restless... Since I'm feeling restless and came out to relieve myself, why is it that Brother Cao is traveling alone and doesn't see the girl surnamed Mei in Qixia Mountain?"
"Junior Sister Shangguan, I'm worried about this. Maybe something happened before that made Junior Sister Mei misunderstand me, so Junior Sister Mei... Haha, but this matter is hard to explain after all..."
"It's hard to explain? I'm afraid Brother Cao doesn't want to explain. Isn't it just confusion...and ambiguity that Brother Cao always likes?"
The woman surnamed Shangguan was not polite. Speaking these words directly made Brother Cao opposite him speechless for a moment. Even the little girl who had been eating cakes next to him raised his head and looked at his sister in confusion.
When Brother Cao was about to say something, he heard a voice coming from downstairs: "Hey! Mr. Qian!"
Luo Ying's voice to greet Qian Chao was not too quiet, so it was clearly heard upstairs.
The man surnamed Cao didn't pay much attention, and was just thinking about how to deal with the woman in front of him. However, the woman surnamed Shangguan frowned and said, "It's Luo Ying, she's here too."
The man surnamed Cao looked down from the window and saw Luo Ying and others downstairs stopping Qian Chao and the other five people from talking.
"Not only Luo Ying, but Yan Shuang is also here, as well as Wenyuan and Lu Shuang. Well, the little guy opposite seems to be the Qian Chao that was rumored a few days ago..."
When the person surnamed Cao said this, the little girl eating cakes took notice. She was not sitting near the window, so she stood up with a piece of cake and walked to the window to look down. After seeing clearly, she immediately He turned around angrily and said:
"Sister, that girl stole my Cuizhiqing!"
These green branches are a group of spiritual birds, and this girl is exactly what Tang Ping and others encountered when they were wandering around the casual cultivator in the morning. First, they questioned the casual cultivator in a series, and then glared at Tang Ping. A few glances at the girl who confused Tang Ping.
Hearing her sister's words, the woman surnamed Shangguan also turned her head and looked downstairs. She recognized Tang Ping at a glance, not because she knew her, but because Tang Ping's lake-blue dress was like hers and that one. The little girl is wearing the same clothes. It seems that the three of them are disciples of Shuiyun Valley.
"Did you make a mistake? Did you see her buying those green eggs?" the woman named Shangguan said with some suspicion.
The little girl pursed her lips and said unconvinced:
"It must be her. There were no people from Shuiyun Valley there at that time, and I saw that she was still picking eggs of spiritual birds from other casual cultivators. It looked like she was an expert at first glance. She looked at those bird eggs just like you, sister. It’s the same when selecting those spiritual bird eggs. Only you, sister, know that Cuizhiqing is a good thing. I can’t think of anyone else who can buy it except her.”
The man named Cao looked at it, chuckled, and said:
"Well, I recognize that girl. She is the granddaughter of your senior Tang Bo from Shuiyun Valley. Well, she is also the youngest disciple of senior Gu Huo. Her name is Tang Ping. Oh, and the boy next to her is Qian Chao."
"Tang Ping, it turns out that she is a disciple of Uncle Guhuo." The woman surnamed Shangguan looked at Tang Ping carefully and remembered Tang Ping's appearance in her heart. "She may not have bought it. There are many people who know the goods. Then Even if Cuizhiqing is gone, my sister will just get it for you in the future."
The little girl came back from the window and sat down, muttering something, "It must be her..."
"Speaking of which, Master Qiu hasn't appeared in the sect for a long time. He..." The man named Cao finally changed the subject.
"Who said that? My master came back a while ago to pick up some things. According to his old man, it seemed that he had an idea of what he was looking for, and then he left in a hurry."
"Oh I got it……"
Luo Ying's voice greeting Qian Chao not only attracted the attention of the woman named Shangguan, but also several eyes from the windows facing the street in Baihe Tower. Even in the building, there were people who kept their eyes on the stairs. at.
…
Qian Chao and the other two went upstairs and found a quiet corner on the second floor to sit down. After tea and almost were served, they ate and chatted.
"Hey, Mr. Qian, it seems like you've been digging out spiritual stones all morning. Have you got anything interesting?" Tang Ping asked.
"Hey" Qian Chao took out something and put it on the table. "This is the most interesting thing."
What was placed on the table was a square piece of wood. The edges of the wood piece were neat, and they were obviously cut with sharp blades. On the wood piece, there were densely covered black spots, some large and some small, arranged in a disorderly manner. I don’t know what it means.
"This thing..." Tang Ping looked at it and seemed a little confused, "I seem to have seen it somewhere?"
"Of course," Qian Chao said, taking out another piece of wood and placing it on the table. This piece of wood was also covered with black dots of different sizes. "We got this from the ruins, remember?"
"Ah, now that I think about it, this came from the first ruins we opened, right?"
"Yes, I thought this thing was weird at the time, so I kept it. Unexpectedly, I saw one again in Ruixuan Town today."
"But these two are not next to each other. You see..." Tang Ping said, putting the two wood pieces together. "Even the textures of the wood pieces are different. Maybe these two did not come from the same place. "
"It's possible, but what I think is...the wood chips I have are definitely something with ideas, and this one was sold by a person from a down-and-out family who raised spiritual stones for a long journey. It's old enough. They are all carefully preserved. What do these large and small black spots on it mean? It can't be a chess record, right?"
Several people were attracted by Qian Chao's statement, holding teacups and looking at the two strange wood pieces.
"Could it be some kind of treasure map?" Lu Pingchuan asked.
"The treasure map is not like this." Yanxuan said.
"I once heard my grandfather say that he once led an army on an expedition and lost his way halfway. He relied on the stars in the sky at night to determine his direction. Could these black dots of different sizes be the stars in the sky? After speaking, Li Jian also smiled and said, "I am also making random guesses, but at a glance I can tell that this thing has been divided into countless parts. If you want to uncover its secrets, you have to collect more." of."
However, Qian Chao was stunned for a moment after hearing Li Jian's words, and then nodded:
"Well, what Brother Li said makes sense, but I don't know where I can find such wood chips again."
"Hey, that's simple. Brother Qian, didn't you find the first one in the ruins? We will definitely find more of these things if we open more in the future." Lu Pingchuan said.
"Well, what Brother Lu said is true. Boy Qian, we are also mid-level monks after all. There are many places outside that we couldn't go before. Just look for more ruins. We will definitely continue to find more. Where’s the baby!”
(For this piece of wood, see Volume 4: Trial Feather, Chapter 165: Treasure. This piece of wood will be an important thing in the future, but it will take at least a few million words before I let Qian Chao explore this piece of wood. The secret, well... you may not be able to tell after tens of millions of words, so just take your time, and as expected, my story will keep you entertained for a few years.)
Putting away the wood chips, Qian Chao took a sip of the spiritual tea in the cup. His eyes suddenly lit up and he praised:
"Good tea, really good tea. I didn't expect the spiritual tea from Baihe Tower to be so wonderful. I want to buy some when I leave."
But before leaving, Qian Chao was very disappointed. The shopkeeper of Baihe Tower, who was naturally a monk, told Qian Chao that Baihe Tower only sold tea, not tea. However, the kind-hearted shopkeeper told Qian Chao A place to go.
"Since this little brother loves tea, why not go to Yi Ming Pavilion? They only sell tea leaves but not tea. The spiritual tea there is no worse than our Baihe Tower. It is even better than our Baihe Tower." Woolen cloth."
After thanking each other, the five people left the White Crane Tower.
…
We continued to visit Ruixuan Town in the afternoon, and the two most interesting people were Tang Ping and Yanxuan.
Qian Chao had already seen almost all the things sold by casual cultivators in the morning, and was not interested in looking at anything else. Only the two girls, Yanxuan and Tang Ping, were attracted by some shops selling dresses and colorful accessories. They were choosing beautiful skirts, trying them on themselves to compare or just try them on, and they were chattering away. Lu Pingchuan didn't know why at first and followed him in, but he was immediately kicked out and had to wait outside with Qian Chao and Li Jian.
Unexpectedly, the two girls immediately got into the next store after leaving this store, and tried more carefully each time, making the three men outside waiting quite bored.
At this time, Qian Chao looked around boredly, and Mu Guan was attracted by a small signboard.
The words "Yi Ming Pavilion", isn't this the place where the shopkeeper of Baihe Tower said he sells good tea? Qian Chao was immediately moved when he saw it.
"Hey, Girl Tang, there is a Yiming Pavilion over there that sells spiritual tea. Let's go there and have a look. If you come out, go find us there."
"Oh well."
Yimingguan's shop is very small, and it seems a bit deserted between the busy shops on both sides.
The door was open, and there was an old man sitting inside. When he saw Qian Chao and others coming in, he immediately stood up with a smile.
"Little brothers, do you want to buy some spiritual tea?"
This old man looked to be around seventy or eighty years old. He was thin and energetic. He looked like he was at a high level of Qi refining and had a kind smile on his face.
"Exactly, we heard from the shopkeeper of Baihe Tower that you have good tea here, so we came here because of its reputation."
The old man looked pleased after hearing this and said:
"Haha, what he said is quite right. The spiritual tea here in Ruixuan Town... is really the best! Come, I'll get it for you..."
As he spoke, the old man took down the bamboo tube containing tea from the cabinet behind him.
Just when the old man turned around, Qian Chao looked at this small tea shop. There were no furnishings and the utensils seemed a bit old. Only the fragrance of tea floating in the entire tea shop made people feel relaxed and happy. Then Qian Chao I just wanted to glance at the wall...
When he came back to his senses, it was Li Jian who was gently shaking his shoulders. Qian Chao came back to his senses and found that Li Jian was looking at him curiously.
"Brother Qian, what's wrong with you? This old gentleman brought you tea..."
Qian Chao ignored Li Jian and immediately turned around to ask the old man.
"Old sir! Is this painting...that painting...is...your handiwork?"
When asking questions, Qian Chao's eyes were eager, which surprised the old man.
What Qian Chao was referring to was an ink landscape hanging on the wall inside the Yiming Pavilion. Above the picture was a late winter scene, with dark mountains and forests, falling snow at dusk, a silent cold river, a solitary boat, and an old man wearing a raincoat. He was fishing alone by the river in a bamboo hat. Behind the old man was a thatched house. In front of the thatched house was a clay stove, on which water was boiled. It was unclear whether he wanted to make tea or rice.
It was this kind of painting that fascinated Qian Chao and puzzled Li Jian and Lu Pingchuan.
The old man was more surprised than Qian Chao. He looked at Qian Chao strangely and said:
"That painting was not painted by me, but by my boss. Oh, it was painted by the owner of this tea shop. It has been hanging there. What, little brother, do you understand that painting? ?”
The old man's question was obviously meant to be a test.
"Of course I can't understand it, oh... I can't understand it all now, but it is deeply inspiring!" Qian Chao said.
"Inspiring?" The old man looked at Qian Chao suspiciously, "How about asking this little brother to comment on this painting?"
"Then I'm brave. As for this painting, let alone his brushwork and the desolate artistic conception of the whole painting. The whole painting has all five elements, but it is hidden and not obvious, and it is extremely harmonious and solemn..."
After the old man heard the words "Five Elements Complete", his eyes were filled with sparkles. Before Qian Chao could finish speaking, he said yes, stepped forward, reached out and took off the painting, rolled it into a scroll and handed the money to him. Tide's hands.
"this……?"
"Haha, my boss said that if anyone can understand this painting and tell some truth, this painting will be given to him. Little brother, don't let down my boss's kindness! "
Qian Chao was overjoyed, holding the painting in both hands and saluting repeatedly.
At this moment, Tang Ping and Yan Xuan also walked in from the outside to look for the three of them. Seeing this scene, they were very curious and quickly pulled Lu Pingchuan over to ask the reason.
"Since you can understand this painting, I can't give you this ordinary spiritual tea. Well, I've made the decision. Just wait a moment."
With that said, the old man moved the tea canister he had just brought back, and this time he took out several small canisters. When he opened it, the aroma of the tea was even more refreshing.
"It's really good tea, but...please ask me, old gentleman, if the boss is at home..."
"Hey... that's really unfortunate. Our boss went out to visit friends, so he's not here. Let's do it later. You will definitely meet us in the future."
Qian Chao felt very sorry after hearing this, but it was not a gain. At least this painting was a treasure to him.
Then there is the spiritual tea. Although the old man gave the painting as a gift, the spiritual tea was not free, and it was also very expensive. A small tube cost fifteen spiritual stones. Look at the small tube, the spiritual tea inside It is estimated to be only about one tael, which is indeed a high price.
However, Qian Chao did not hesitate to take out the spirit stone and bought a tube. Li Jian was also a tea lover. After smelling the spirit tea, he also bought a tube. Although he could not understand the painting, but For the sake of being with Qian Chao, the old man sold him the tea.
After Tang Ping learned what happened from Lu Pingchuan's mouth, she quietly walked out of the small tea shop and waited outside.
There were some ups and downs in her heart. A while ago, she asked her Sixth Grandpa why so many Jiuxuan seniors refused to accept Qian Chao as their disciples. At that time, she also swore not to tell Qian Chao and the others the whole story. Then I learned something from Tang Bonian. It turned out that Mo Zu from Yuhu Mountain wanted to establish a master-disciple relationship between an old friend of his and Qian Chao. If they don't recognize each other, no one knows each other, and if they meet each other accidentally, maybe there will be a master-disciple relationship.
Tang Ping knew about this, and now she was very suspicious or determined that the person who painted the painting was that old friend of Mo Zu. She was worried that the old man was that person, or that Mo Zu's old friend was tea there. In the room behind the shop, she knew that the inside story would definitely be seen through by such a powerful person, which might delay the flow of money, so she simply pretended to be impatient and pulled Yanxuan out of the tea shop outside. say.
After Qian Chao came out, Li Jian asked:
"Brother Qian, is there anything mysterious about that painting?"
"Of course," Qian Chao said with admiration, "This painting looks like a landscape, but it is actually runes. The runes of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth come together to form this landscape. Coincidentally, the painting The mountain above is the rune of the mountain, and the river is the rune of the water used. This implies some principles of the evolution of the runes, which I have not yet fully understood. Moreover, this painting can also be regarded as a formation. If I don’t know what the function of using cinnabar to draw on talisman paper is. The person who made this painting is an expert. At least this painting covers the two knowledges of talismans and formations. An expert... It’s a pity that I haven’t met him. "
After hearing this, Tang Ping said deliberately:
"That's okay. If you come back later, you can always block him in the tea shop."
