"Master, are there any gods in this world?"
A childish voice came lazily on the big bluestone. Not far away, there are green trees and a gurgling stream under the rocks. The little Taoist boy was lying on the big bluestone, holding a piece of dogtail grass in his mouth, and holding a large leaf in his small hand to block the still dazzling sunset.
"Xiaowu, of course there are gods in this world. I told you before that the founder of the sect is a god." A thin Taoist in his thirties with a bun, wearing a white Taoist robe , holding a fly whisk, stood on the big stone and stared at the north.
"Master, the founder of the sect! That happened hundreds of years ago! It has been so long, who knows whether it is true or false? But I have been following you for three years. All the way from Chang'an to the south, there are even legends about immortals. No."
"It's only been three years." The thin Taoist slowly walked down from the big bluestone. "Yes, it's been three years. The north should be at peace, and it's time to go back to Chang'an to see our old friends."
"Master, can you go back? I miss my parents so much, I miss my Ah Huang so much!" Xiao Daotong Li Yu stood up and jumped up. He tapped the cloth lightly, jumped off the big bluestone about ten feet high, and walked quickly towards the master.
"I don't know Huang Lao's skills, but you have learned the true inheritance of my sect's body-lighting skills. You can teach me!" The Taoist turned around with a look of approval in his eyes.
"How can I catch up with Master? Xiao Wu jumped down, but Master can indeed take me up with him." After Xiao Wu finished speaking, he stuck out his tongue.
"Given time, Xiao Wu will definitely be able to surpass my master." The Taoist gently stroked Xiao Wu's head with his hand.
"Xiaowu, let's go back to Chang'an!"
"Yes, master!"
Under the setting sun, two figures, one tall and one short, gradually went north.
…
Eighteen years ago.
The thin Taoist was originally named Tuo Bazhen and was born in Yanmen County. When Tuoba changed his surname to Han, his family changed his surname to "Yuan", leaving only the word "Zhen". He read Chinese books and learned Chinese rituals, but his favorite thing to read was Taoist books.
Yuan Zhen belonged to a royal family and had seen many turmoils and disputes in the world at a young age. He had always loved Taoism. When he was twelve years old, while playing with a group of children in front of the archway, he met Taoist Priest Qingxuan who was passing by Yanmen County. He saw Taoist Qing Xuandao coming from a distance with a long sword on his body, a fly whisk in his hand, and fluttering clothes. He looked like an immortal, and he couldn't move his feet immediately. So he stepped forward and knelt down, calling him master. Taoist Priest Qingxuan stopped and stared at Xiao Yuanzhen for a while, held his hand on his long beard, squinted his eyes and said with a smile: "Even if I want to accept you as my disciple, your parents must agree!"
When Xiao Yuanzhen heard this, he immediately took Taoist Priest Qingxuan with him, walked through the hall, came to his home, and informed his parents of his intention. His parents were both devout men and women. Although they came from a royal family, their father was a scholar and was born with a weak body. He had never been on the battlefield, let alone tainted with blood. He often goes in and out of the palace and rarely gives away some rice, flour and money to his family members and beggars on the street.
Yuan Zhen's father invited Taoist Qingxuan to his seat, and Yuan Zhen's mother personally served tea to Taoist Qingxuan. Yuan Zhen's father pondered for a moment and said: "Taoist Master Guan has an immortal spirit and Taoist bones, and he must be a divine man. Yuan Zhen has been fond of Tao since he was a child. If he can follow the Tao, he will do anything. What I worry about is the miserable life in the future. Yuan Zhen I really can't bear it. I don't know where the husband's palace is and whether it's a long way away. If he misses his wife so much and misses his children so much that he wants to visit, how can he find it?"
Taoist Master Qingxuan smiled knowingly: "Sir, there is no need to worry. I am Taoist Qingxuan of the Qingshan Sect in Western Shu. I like to travel around the world and make friends, but I still have no disciples. I stayed in seclusion in the sect three months ago to settle down. Towering in the sky, I suddenly had a feeling: There is a Tao seed in the land of Yanmen, and it is destined for me. So I walked and traveled, and to this day, I am happy to meet your noble son Yuan Zhen. If I travel like this You can reach there in March. If you take an ox-cart, you can probably reach it in January or February. The journey is not too far. It’s a coincidence that when Yuan Zhen saw me, he knelt down and called me master. It can be seen from this that Yuan and I We are truly destined.”
"As for whether you will be poor in the future, sir, you don't have to worry about it. Although the Qingshan Sect is not a famous sect, there are nearly a hundred Taoists and family members in the whole sect. In the past few hundred years, it has cultivated thousands of acres of fertile land and hired hundreds of tenants. At the mouth, the entire clan gathers together with the tenants, so there is no risk of having enough to eat. Whenever disaster strikes, the remaining grain is opened into warehouses to help the people who are living in poverty."
"This thing is a token of Pindao. If Mr. and Mrs. want to visit Xiao Yuanzhen in the future, they can use this token to enter and leave the Qingshan Sect of Western Shu. The Qingshan Sect can be found five hundred miles away in the mountains southwest of Shu County." Then Taoist Qingxuan took out a simple sheathed sword from his waist. The scabbard was only two inches long.
Yuan Zhen's father heard this and solemnly took the sheathed sword. He looked carefully and saw a strange word written on the hilt, but he didn't recognize it. The words are already mottled. So he was very surprised, so he held the sheath with his left hand and pulled out the small sword with his right hand, but it didn't move at all. "Hey! What is this and why can't it be pulled out?"
"Not to mention you, even Pindao and our sect master have never pulled it out." Taoist Qingxuan said with a wry smile, "This thing has a long story. Pindao found this thing from the other peak of the sect. After trying several times and not being able to pull it out, I handed it over to the sect master, who also did the same. He was very surprised. The sect master handed it over to Pindao Haosheng again for safekeeping. Therefore, everyone in the sect knew that Pindao kept this thing. "
"Isn't this an important weapon of your sect? Can Dao Chang'an hand it over to me as a token?" Yuan Zhen's father was shocked. He held up the small sword with both hands and wanted to hand it back to Taoist Qingxuan.
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter," Taoist Priest Qingxuan waved his hand without taking the small sword. "Although this thing is a strange thing, it is really useless. Although our sect is not a big sect, it is difficult to enter. Having this token that everyone knows, it saves a lot of talk. This is one of them. It is also a valuable thing to give to Mr. This shows Pindao’s sincerity, sir, you can put all your doubts to rest. The second is. Mr. Wan Wang will keep it for Pindao.”
Hearing this, Yuan Zhen's father took back the sword in fear. Yuan Zhen's mother even took out a piece of gorgeous silk, carefully wrapped the sword, put it into a small sandalwood box, took it into the study, and locked it with the valuable books. together. After packing up, the two of them took Xiao Yuanzhen to Taoist Qingxuan solemnly.
"Taoist Priest, my little girl still has something that worries her. If she doesn't know it today, she might feel uneasy in the future. Although my husband and I have three children, there is only one boy——" Yuan Zhen's mother whispered to Taoist Priest Qingxuan. .
"Hahahaha, I must ask, if I follow the Tao, can I get married and have children?" Taoist Master Qingxuan laughed. "Honorable Madam, even if you don't ask, even a poor Taoist will tell you the truth. Although our Qingshan Sect promotes Taoism and practices Taoism, we can't help but get married. It's just that when we are underage, we are not allowed to talk about the personal affairs of our children, so as not to disturb the progress of Taoism and Dharma. You two don’t have to worry.”
"So, the little girl is worrying too much. The Taoist priest is laughing at her." Mother Yuan bowed and bowed.
"Yuan Zhen, kneel down and bow down to the master," Yuan's father said.
"As you command, Daddy."
"Master, please bow down to me three times."
"Easy to say, easy to say, hahahaha..."
After three days of warm hospitality, the old man and the young man set off on their way.
"Hey, Taoist Priest Qingxuan, please stay." Yuanzhen's father caught up with him panting, "I haven't asked for advice yet, Taoist Priest Qingxuan is serving in the sect." After saying this, Yuanzhen's father looked embarrassed.
"Haha, I am the junior disciple of the leader of the Qingshan Sect, but I don't have any responsibilities. I'll say goodbye and see you in the Qingshan Sect tomorrow!"
…
Near the south gate of Yanmen County.
"Master, where are we going?" Xiao Yuanzhen said excitedly as he walked.
"Go back to Qingshan Sect." Taoist Priest Qingxuan said with a solemn expression.
"oh."
"Is there a horse trading place nearby?"
"I heard from dad that there is a stable three hundred steps from the west gate of the county city. But why not just ask dad for one?"
"There are some things that you cannot let your father know. To avoid unnecessary worries. Take me to the stables in the west of the city."
…
On the official road to the south, two people and two horses galloped past.
"Master, why are you in such a hurry to return to the sect?"
"Master has a premonition that something will happen to the sect."
More than a month later. The two led two horses on a rugged mountain road.
Xishu County is located in the southwest of the Daxia Dynasty. Three thousand mountains, one after another, stand in the western part of Xishu County. Qingshan Sect is located in Daqingshan among the three thousand mountains. Daqing Mountain is more than a thousand feet high and has seven peaks. The highest peak is called Tianquan, and the Qingshan Sect is located on this peak. Fifteen miles west of Tianquan Peak is Yuheng Peak, about ten miles further west of Yuheng Peak is Kaiyang Peak, and about twenty miles southwest of Kaiyang Peak is Yaoguang Peak. About fifteen miles to the southeast from Tianquan Peak is Tianji Peak, and about twenty miles from Tianji Peak to the northeast is Tianxuan Peak. Twenty miles north of Tianxuan Peak is Tianshu Peak.
Tianquan Peak is located in the middle of the seven peaks. Although Tianquan Peak is the highest mountain, the southern foot of the mountain is quite gentle, and it is also the hub of Daqing Mountain. From the foot of Daqing Mountain, apart from the narrow paths that other animals and people have walked for a long time, there is only a human-made road leading to the gate of Tianquan Peak. Tianquan Peak leads to the other six peaks through small paths dug on the ridge. From west to east, from Yaoguang to Tianshu, it stretches for more than a hundred miles.
"Master, after listening to your explanation, is it possible that the Seven Peaks are cooperating with Beidou?" Xiao Yuanzhen held the horse with one hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the other. At the age of twelve, it is not an easy task to lead a horse up a rugged mountain road.
"That's right. You understand the Seven Stars at a young age." Taoist Priest Qingxuan led another horse and walked behind Xiao Yuanzhen.
"The "Book of Yu" says: Shun was at Xuanji Yuheng to unify the Qizheng." Xiao Yuanzhen continued.
Taoist Master Qingxuan slightly chinned his head and said secretly: "You can teach me, but it saves me a lot of talking."
One day after walking on the rugged mountain road, the afterglow of the setting sun was about to disappear, and the stars in the sky had already appeared in twos and threes. As the road turns, a huge white marble mountain gate comes into view, with two mottled Chinese characters written on it: "青山".
"Master, look, we're here!"
