The clear night is dust-free, and the moonlight is like silver.
On the official road east of Huaide County, two horses, one green and one yellow, were galloping under the moonlight.
After entrusting the family letter to Liu Mu, Qi Jingzhi once thought of shamelessly going to the underworld where Yu Shan belonged to ask for one last meeting with Old Wei in the name of Master Meng's disciple.
However, he then thought about it. The hero of the old Wei Dynasty was so heroic and free before his death. He probably just took a bath in the underworld and then directly entered the reincarnation. He would not go to the underworld to be tried at all, so he gave up this thought and focused on I just want to attend Aunt Jiao's birthday so that I can fulfill Old Wei's dying instructions as soon as possible.
As for the saint of the White Immortal Sect, just like Lu Yunzi, she was eaten dry and wiped clean by the small bronze mirror. The two immortal attendants in white had limited knowledge, but they avoided a lot of trouble.
Speaking of which, among the demons Qi Jingzhi killed along the way, the three vixens were too weak to mention, and only the tiger spirit did not trigger the small bronze mirror to take action. Now that I think about it, it was probably because of the spiritual stele in Fuya Temple.
It can also be seen from this point that the foundation of the Baixian Sect is far inferior to that of Fuya Temple, and it cannot produce similar treasures to protect the spirituality of the saints in the sect.
On the contrary, the Tianyi Sect mentioned by Liu Muzhi seems to be quite extraordinary, and its basic scripture "Ji Zhu Jing" is closely related to the "Secret Method of Qiu Zhu Cheng Yun" of Bai Xian Sect. However, this sect only existed more than a hundred years ago. Because the whereabouts of the Golden Toad Dharma King have been revealed, but now I don’t know where to find him.
Qi Jingzhi had various thoughts in his mind while riding on the back of a green horse very skillfully, as if he was a veteran who had been immersed in riding skills for many years.
His experiences in the dream in the pillow, especially the last stab at killing the giant snake, laid a solid foundation for him to become the Angry Crane after the dream.
In addition, Qi Jingzhi also unexpectedly gained Lu Qiyun's mediocre riding skills. Although his shaving skills have not yet been proven, his skinning skills that he already knew have probably been greatly improved.
Jiao Yulang hit the nail on the head when he said that the Qinghong Gong Jade Pillow can help people refine their hearts in the mortal world and is a priceless treasure.
Amidst the sound of horse hooves, Qi Jingzhi seemed to have regained some of the feeling he had when he was riding a snowy beast and charging in his dream. However, this time he was only followed by Jiao Yulang's cavalry. In front of him was not a battlefield with people shouting and screaming, and seas of blood and smoke, but only a quiet official road that seemed to have no end.
Not far to the north of the official road, a sparkling river flows eastward. The plain moon shines separately and the bright river shadows together.
According to Xiaowazi, this river is called Caojiang. It is not big among the rivers and lakes in Daqi, but it is not small either.
Qi Jingzhi turned to look at Jiao Yulang: "The night is already dark. Let's stop our horses after running for another half hour and continue our journey tomorrow morning."
"good!"
Jiao Yulang, who was riding a yellow gelding, responded and couldn't help but praise: "Brother, it's your first time riding a horse. You really have great endurance!"
In the eyes of him, a direct descendant of a military noble family who has been riding horses since childhood, Qi Jingzhi's riding skills are not very good and are barely enough for traveling. On the contrary, his endurance is even more surprising.
The two of them walked and stopped along the way. In total, they stayed on the horse for several hours. Even Jiao Yulang himself was sore all over, but Qi's brother still looked in high spirits. ….
Qi Jingzhi smiled when he heard this, shook his head and said, "My legs have been dead for a long time, but I feel so happy when I ride the horse that I don't feel the pain."
While he was talking, a huge black shadow suddenly stood out of thin air in the center of the official road dozens of feet away in front of him. It looked like a large tree with lush branches.
The huge and low-hanging tree canopy stretches in all directions, not only completely covering the already extremely wide official road, but also extending far away, like a huge green umbrella canopy.
Qi Jingzhi saw it from a distance and felt alert in his heart. He immediately tightened the reins to slow down the momentum of the young horse.
Jiao Yulang also saw it, and while slowing down, he whispered: "I don't remember that there is such a big tree on this official road, I'm afraid it's a bad person!"
Qi Jingzhi nodded and said solemnly: "I won't offend anyone unless they offend me! Let's go around!"
After that, he turned the horse's head and drove the green horse to trot down the official road and walk slowly on the beach of Caojiang River.
Jiao Yulang quickly
Follow him, and at the same time keep looking at the big tree that suddenly blocks the road.
As the two people continued to get closer, the big tree suddenly disappeared from the official road.
At the same time, the two people's eyes suddenly darkened, and they saw on the river beach in front of them, a huge tree like a canopy was slowly stretching its figure, and the huge tree crown even reached the top of the river.
At this time, Qi Jingzhi and Jiao Yulang were no more than ten feet away from the giant tree blocking the road. They could already tell that it was an old camphor tree. The tree body was yellowish brown and the bark was cracked like scales.
What is particularly eye-catching is that the trunks and even many thick branches of the old camphor trees are tied with dense red silk and red threads, which is quite festive in its green and vigorous appearance.
"She's actually a camphor tree girl!" Jiao Yulang couldn't help shouting.
Seeing the doubtful look on Qi Jingzhi's face, he immediately explained: "This is a custom in many places south of the river. Parents are afraid that their children will not be able to feed themselves, so they will look for the oldest and strongest camphor trees in the ten miles and eight towns to raise their children. The young children regard her as their mother, and not only do they worship her every year, but they also tie a red thread to the camphor tree mother for protection."
"Huh? Is this a sacrifice to the evil god? Doesn't the local government care?" Qi Jingzhi said in surprise when he heard this.
"Who doesn't want the children in the family to be prosperous and all of them to grow up?"
Jiao Yulang shook his head: "It is said that this method is quite effective. Even many people who eat money from the yamen secretly participated in it. The government did not want to offend the public, so they mostly turned a blind eye. If the superiors inquired, they would say that the people were not good enough. Asking a child to adopt a godmother is not considered an offering to an evil god..."
"Oh? From what you said, this camphor tree girl is actually a kind spiritual tree?"
Qi Jingzhi looked at Jiao Yulang, and the corners of his mouth turned up unconsciously: "There must be a reason why it stopped us. Maybe it wants to be the godmother of this little kid like you."
Hearing this, Jiao Yulang curled his lips and became displeased: "My family doesn't believe in this kind of stuff! If any of the children make random sacrifices and make friends with other people, they will be punished by the family law!"
Qi Jingzhi nodded and put away the smile on his face: "Do you still remember what the black donkey spirit said before he died? There is an old camphor tree in the Qinghong Temple. He was afraid that the jade pillow would be stolen and he would be blamed for it, so he ran away overnight."
"Of course I remember! Could it be this guy?"….
A look of surprise appeared on Jiao Yulang's face, and he immediately smiled: "Okay! You don't have the guts to stop the black donkey spirit, but you come here to cut the path. Are you treating our Yushan Lu brothers as soft persimmons?"
Hearing this, Qi Jingzhi couldn't help but glance at the little kid and shook his head helplessly: "Are you addicted to pretending to be the devil?"
He reined in his mount suddenly, raised his head to look at the old camphor tree not far away, and shouted loudly: "You old man is so ignorant, how dare you block the way of our Lu brothers! Do you really think that my Skinning Demon King's sword is harmful? ?」
As soon as he finished speaking, the crown of the old camphor tree suddenly shook violently, making a roaring sound.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of little people, no more than a foot tall, emerged from the depths of the dense branches and leaves on the tree crown.
These little people are all dressed in white. They reach out and grab the red rope tied to the branch of the tree. They are hanging on the branch like fruits. Their little feet are floating back and forth, and their mouths are laughing like babies.
At the same time, an old voice came from the tree: "Two young men from the Lu family, please forgive me. The old lady dared to show up to block the road. I have something to ask, do you two have a jade pillow with you?"
Seeing that the name of the two demon kings of the Lu family did not scare the other party, Jiao Yulang immediately turned on his face and said: "Humph! What if I bring it with me? So what if I don't bring it with me?"
"If you two brothers bring jade pillows, can you give them to me? I would be very grateful!"
Hearing this, Jiao Yulang immediately sneered: "I look more and more like a thief! To tell you the truth, the jade pillow is on me! This treasure is already in our brother's pocket. You come to ask for it with nothing." Yes, you really have a thick skin!"
Old Zhangshu's tone was still calm and unhurried: "These red shrimp seeds are the good fruits produced by the old lady absorbing the essence of vegetation, earth and stone, and supplemented by the merits of incense. Eating them can harmonize the internal organs and nourish the mind."
It paused and seemed to weigh it before speaking again: "If you two are willing to help, I am willing to give you ten red shrimp roe!"
After hearing this, the two people in front of the tree looked at each other with surprise on their faces.
Qi Jingzhi raised his head and looked carefully at the little people named Red Xiazi. He saw that apart from their short bodies, their facial features, eyes, limbs and laughter were the same as those of babies. However, they seemed to be very stupid. They could only laugh and could not understand human speech. Words, not knowing that the old camphor tree that I rely on is going to give them to outsiders to eat.
Thinking of this, the young man felt a little unhappy in his heart.
He looked at the old camphor tree with cold eyes and said in a deep voice: "They look too much like humans, we brothers can't bear to talk about them! As for the jade pillow, it will be sent back to Pengze Water Mansion, so I won't bother you!"
"Since you two mentioned Pengze Water Mansion, you must know the inside story. In a sudden thought, the old lady was deceived by that damn ghost dragon. She was charged with theft for nothing, and she couldn't explain it clearly even though she was full of words!"
"Since you two want to return the jade pillow to its original owner, why not make a good relationship with the old lady? Although Pengze Water Mansion is rich and powerful, the thank you gift may not be better than ten red shrimp roe. Even if you two don't If you eat it, you can exchange it with others, and you won’t suffer any loss in the end.”
Hearing this, Qi Jingzhi's face remained calm, but he couldn't help but be surprised in his heart.
He has seen a lot of spirits recently, and the temperament of this old locust tree is the most docile among them. No matter whether he was ridiculed by Jiao Yulang or rejected by him face to face, the other party never showed the slightest bit of violence. This was even the case for Senior Mandrill. Can't do it either. ….
With this thought in his mind, Qi Jingzhi's tone became a little gentler: "We also know a little bit about your matter. When you return the jade pillow, you can explain it to Pengze Shuifu on your behalf. Please get out of the way and let us Brother, come over."
Old Zhangshu was silent for a while, then slowly said again: "Twenty pieces!"
Qi Jingzhi shook his head gently: "It has nothing to do with the number. If you say you don't want it, you don't want it!"
Jiao Yulang on the side also echoed: "My brother is the most loyal person. Once I tell you, I will never break my promise!"
Hearing this, Old Zhangshu stopped talking, and the dozens of red shrimps also closed their mouths.
These strange little creatures loosened the red ropes in their hands one after another, falling down like ripe fruits, and disappeared without a trace as soon as they touched the ground.
At the same time, the trunk of the old camphor tree swelled visibly to the naked eye, its branches became thicker and thicker, and its already huge crown spread out unscrupulously, trying to cover the sky and the moon.
In an instant, the old camphor tree turned into a wall with only one tree!
The originally soft riverside beach quickly rose up, and countless thick tree roots rushed out of the ground, climbing in all directions like living creatures, which made people's scalp numb.
Two ordinary horses, one green and one yellow, neighed in fear and kept retreating, hastily avoiding the ferocious tree roots that were spreading close to the ground.
Seeing the tree roots quickly passing around him, and the thick and dense tree crown above his head, vaguely surrounding the two of them, Qi Jingzhi immediately took out the silver candlestick in his hand and said coldly: "It's really no use. discuss?"
"I never do harm to anyone, I just want you two to stay a moment and think about it carefully!"
The old camphor tree said this in a muffled voice and then became silent again. However, the movements of the branches, leaves and roots sped up a little faster. It was obvious that he wanted to surround the two of them, and he really did not attack them directly.
Naturally, Qi Jingzhi would not easily believe what Lao Zhangshu said. Even if what the other party said was true, he would never put his two lives in the hands of a strange spirit.
He immediately lit the silver candlestick without hesitation, raised his hand above his head, and directed the silver evil blood flame towards the branches and leaves that almost touched the top of his head.
A green leaf was immediately ignited, and then the entire cluster of leaves and the entire branch. The seemingly inconspicuous blood flame spread instantly.
The yellow-brown bark, which was already cracking like scales, was burned and exploded, making a crackling sound.
"ah!"
It wasn't until the bloody flames covered a small area of the tree crown that the old camphor tree finally reacted. The huge tree body trembled violently and screamed continuously.
The red shrimps that had just disappeared appeared from all corners of the tree canopy, standing high and low.
On the low branches, everyone looked anxious, and kept making babbling sounds from their mouths.
"Hurry and help the old woman put out the fire!"
The howl of the old camphor tree became louder and louder, the dense and thick roots slapped the ground crazily, and the flaming red crown, which was mostly ignited with blood flames, danced wildly in the air.
After hearing the order, as if they finally had a backbone, the red shrimps opened their mouths to their maximum width and spat out strings of green or yellow bubbles towards the blood flames.
The green bubbles fell on the burning branches, and immediately turned into green fluorescent sap, which penetrated into the cracks of the burned bark, isolating the blood flames.
The yellow bubbles were obviously heavier, and they all hit the dancing blood flames directly, and then shattered silently, turning into turbid raindrops like muddy water, temporarily suppressing the spread of the blood flames.
Seeing this, Qi Jing held up the silver candlestick with one hand and controlled the reins with the other, driving the green horse in a circle around the old camphor tree.
Originally such a horrifying sight, the ordinary green horse must have been frightened when it saw it. However, when it was illuminated by the blood, it calmed down instantly and could not walk more calmly.
At this time, there was a lot of blood everywhere, encircling a large area of the nearby land. Both Jiao Yulang and Lao Zhangshu could clearly see the bright red flames on the candlestick in Qi Jingzhi's hand.
Therefore, wherever the young man on horseback holding the silver candlestick went, the crown branches and roots of the old camphor tree moved out of the way, not daring to attack it directly. .
Tu Longshi
