"Yuanzhen, you really shouldn't be lying!"
Everyone was walking along the Zhixian River, looking for a restaurant. After all, they had been hanging around on the big ship for a whole day without eating properly, so the six of them were already very hungry. Qingxuan walked and scolded his disciples.
"Master, I really saw the clues. It's just inconvenient to point out. Before leaving, I gave him a hint!" Yuan Zhen explained to the master.
"Then tell me, what's the clue?" Qingxuan saw that Yuan Zhen was still insisting, so he asked him to continue.
"Hmph, I saw senior brother winking at Lao Tao." Yan Ran became more jealous when she saw Yuan Zhen speaking out on her own initiative.
"Master, I don't know if you have noticed, but the scholar in white in the Hall of Eternal Life is holding a paper book in his left hand. Although it is a clay sculpture, it still looks like a paper book. But in the side hall of the old Taoist, above the portrait, A roll of bamboo slips.”
"I didn't notice it, but what does it have to do with it? Maybe it was done by chance. After all, the real clay sculpture is used by believers to worship. The ancestral icon is the place where the disciples of the sect kneel down."
"Maybe I'm too worried."
…
Because from Guangnan County to Wushan County, both the north and south of Xiajiang River belong to Daxia territory. Therefore, the fishery industry in Zhi County is extremely developed, and there are many large and small fishing boats on the river. In addition, the scenery along this section of the Xiajiang River is beautiful and crowded with tourists.
The six of them followed the riverside and found a boat. The painting boat floats on the calm water. Everyone was blowing the gentle river breeze, watching the fishing boats singing late in the distance, eating the fresh and tender fish caught in the Xia River, and chatting about what they heard along the way...
…
It was getting late, all the pilgrims had gone home, and the door of the front hall was closed.
Inside the Hall of Eternal Life.
The old Taoist priest sat cross-legged in front of the true form of the Holy Ancestor, frowning, looking at the clay sculpture of the Holy Ancestor, and the scene of Yuan Zhen winking was repeated in his mind. Sitting here cross-legged has been an hour.
"What is the purpose of the little immortal when he leaves?"
"What does it mean when your right hand points to your left hand?"
"I also recite the words of my Immortal Palace Gate: I will serve Tang and Yu to catch the Han Dynasty, I will travel to the immortal capital in the sky, I will serve the holy master and teach you the secrets, and I will enjoy the endless life through the magical elixir."
"Teaching the key...teaching the key! Yes, it must be like this!"
The old Taoist recalled that when Xiaoxian Chang recited these three words, he was very energetic. He was so wise that he suddenly realized what the little immortal wanted to do.
"Fang Jing, come on! Come here with the axe!" The old Taoist looked crazy, ninety-three years old, but he was still very agile. He jumped up and shouted outside.
"Master, I brought the chisel. What needs repairing?" Xiao Fangjing was in his living room in the east hall, rummaging through boxes and cabinets. After finding the chisel, he came in confused.
"Bring it here." The old Taoist priest grabbed the ax and chisel and put it on the ground. He kowtowed three times and bowed nine times to the clay statue of the Holy Ancestor.
"Holy Ancestor, the 18th generation disciple Wang Jian, in order to ensure the continuity of the inheritance... I am offended!"
After prostrating, the old Taoist priest picked up the ax and chisel, walked to the left side of the clay statue of the Holy Ancestor, raised the ax and chisel, and struck bit by bit against the book held in his left hand.
"Master, what are you doing?"
Xiao Fangjing was even more confused when he saw that the master was going to chisel the ancestor's clay body.
After digging in with a few axes, the old Taoist discovered that the book was different from the true form of the Holy Ancestor and was actually made of stone. The book is hard and I don’t know what material it is made of, but some small stones have been chipped off. Old Taoist Wang Jian ignored Xiao Fangjing's question and continued hammering.
Seeing that the master didn't look like an old fool anymore, Xiao Fangjing didn't dare to go up to stop him, but he didn't dare to go up to help either, for fear of ruining the master's plan, so he stood quietly to one side.
After half a tea cup, the old Taoist was already sweating profusely. Of course it's possible to go down with an axe, but the old man is afraid of destroying what he expected. I have been tapping carefully.
"Bang." Suddenly there was a soft sound, and the old Taoist followed the sound and saw that there was a hole where he continued to chisel. With a soft sound, some dust particles entered. It's supposed to be hollow inside.
Sure enough, there is a universe within, and the old Taoist couldn't help but breathe heavily.
The old man reached into the hole with a chisel and pried it gently. After a while, the hole opened wider and wider, seemingly revealing some mud-sealed objects.
Finally, the old Taoist pried open the entire stone book and saw a round mud-sealed object inside!
The old Taoist suppressed his excitement, and with trembling hands, he gently took out the mud-sealed object and placed it on the ground.
The sinewy hands gently peeled off the sealing mud, and inside the sealing mud were several layers of tightly wrapped oil paper. The oil paper was peeled off layer by layer, and a roll of bamboo slips lay quietly in front of you.
If you look closely, you will see that they are exactly the same size and shape as the bamboo slips in the portrait of the Holy Ancestor!
The old Taoist tremblingly unfolded the bamboo slips layer by layer. Under the dim yellow oil lamp, dense Chinese characters appeared, with four characters at the top: "The Sutra of Immortality."
The old Taoist was holding the bamboo slips and burst into tears!
The two of them knelt down and worshiped frequently towards the clay sculpture of the Holy Ancestor.
After kneeling down, the old Taoist turned around and rushed out of the Hall of Eternal Life. Fang Jing followed, and the two of them knelt down and bowed outside again.
The old Taoist announced: "Wang Jian thanks all the immortal masters of Qingshan Sect! Thank you to the little immortal chief!"
In the blink of an eye, tears were streaming down my face again.
…
After eating, the six of them were about to leave the boat. Yuan Zhen suddenly had a strange feeling, as if someone was talking about him. Then he disagreed.
"Secretary uncles, where should we go next?" Yanran asked.
"It's getting late, let's go back to the boat and have a rest. Falling asleep with the river breeze blowing is also an experience." Qing Yi thought about it and said to Yanran.
"Uncle, you are afraid of spending money, haha!" Then there was a string of laughter like silver bells.
"That's right. A ten thousand mile journey costs one out of ten. The amount of silver you bring is even ten out of ten. You should save some money."
…
When everyone returned to the big ship, it was already time to enter the sea.
Except for various boatmen, there were no other guests on the boat. They must have disembarked and stayed in the hotel to rest. That’s right, those who practice Taoism are most afraid of crowds of people and noise.
The six people returned to the house on the first floor, where the two elders shared a room, Yan Ran lived in the middle room, and Yuan Yu and the three lived in a room. Open the window, sit cross-legged facing the river, listen to the sound of the waves, and say nothing all night.
…
The hour has come, and the passengers heading downstream are returning to the ship one after another.
"Qi Ying!"
The big ship faced the morning glow and sailed towards the east.
The wind is stronger today than yesterday, and the ship is traveling much faster. Zhi County is more than 200 miles away from Yunyang County, and the ship arrived at the Yunyang County pier after more than three hours of sailing.
The big ship has to stay at the dock for half an hour, with passengers getting on and off, and some going down to look for food.
The six of them really couldn't get used to the food on the boat, so they endured it until now. The big ship entered the dock, and went down to find a restaurant, tasted some Yunyang snacks, and returned to the ship with satisfaction.
The ship continued to sail eastward.
At this time, when we first entered Shen, the scorching sun had already turned to the right rear of the big ship.
Full of tea and rice. The three rooms for six people faced the north of the Yangtze River, and the gentle breeze from the river blew in through the windows, making people even more drowsy. After nearly two days of sailing, I have already lost interest in the scenery along the way. So he simply lay down in the house and fell asleep. Yuan Zhen didn't have a bed, so he and Yuan Luo crowded together.
It is also more than 200 miles from Yunyang County to Wushan County. If we follow the sailing speed in the morning, we will reach Wushan County on the south bank of Xiajiang River at the time of entering Haihai.
Perhaps they were exhausted from traveling through mountains and rivers in recent days, so the six of them actually slept for more than an hour.
The six people were awakened by the noise. It turned out that strong winds had risen. The boatman hurriedly lowered the height of the sail, and the speed of the boat subsequently dropped. The six people followed the passengers to the stern of the ship and saw black clouds rolling in where the water and sky met on the west side of the river.
The river here is very open, with tall mountains on both sides. Halfway up the mountain, white clouds floated in vain. When I asked the boatman, it turned out that I had entered the boundary of Wushan.
The wind was blowing dark clouds, and in just a few seconds, the dark clouds filled the river. The afterglow of the setting sun was completely blocked, and the fluffy white clouds had long since disappeared. The world instantly dimmed, as if it was the end of the world.
Immediately, thunder exploded and heavy rain came. The passengers shouted and ran to their houses and under the cabin.
The six people hid in Yanran's room, and the two beds were full of people. The reason is that Yanran is timid and afraid of thunder.
It’s already autumn, and the rain is so heavy.
Originally, the six of them opened the windows and planned to enjoy the heavy rain on the river, but the heavy rain hit the windows with the wind. I had no choice but to close the window and give up.
Six people sat awkwardly in a small space. After a while, the two elders lost their composure and returned to their houses. Yuan Yu and Yuan Luo pretended to be sleepy and returned to their houses. Only Yuan Zhen stayed with Yan Ran, sitting cross-legged on the bed.
"Crack--"
There was another thunder, and Yanran was so frightened that her face turned pale. Yuan Zhen was at a loss and could only sit still. Be content, at least there is still someone by your side.
It rained heavily for a long time, but it still refused to stop. Fortunately, the wind was not too strong and the ship was still moving slowly eastward.
By this time it was completely dark, and it was almost midnight.
Suddenly everyone felt that the speed of the ship increased, and the huge ship was a little bumpy.
"Guest, please hold the handle tightly. The river in front of you is narrowing, the river is twisting and turning, and the water is strong and the waves are high!"
"Guest, please hold the handle tightly. The river in front of you is narrowing, the river is twisting and turning, and the water is strong and the waves are high!"
The voices of boatmen came from up and down the big boat. It turns out that right in front is the famous Wu Gorge!
The Wushan watershed is wide in front and narrow in back. When it first enters the Wushan River, it is two or three miles wide. After passing through a triangular area, it suddenly narrows to less than a hundred feet at its narrowest point. The gorge is long and deep, with sharp peaks and rugged rocks on both sides. The river has twists and turns, making thousands of turns.
Coupled with sudden heavy rains, floodwaters leaked in from both sides and the river surface suddenly rose. The big boat at this moment actually looked like a small boat, swaying up and down and swaying left and right along the rolling river. Everyone on the boat followed the boatman's instructions and tightly grasped the handles of the bedside and seats. Although they did not fall off, they were shaken to the point of nausea.
The ship was almost out of control at this time. The experienced boatmen were constantly adjusting the rudder position and sail position to ensure safe travel.
"Dong dong dong!"
Suddenly, on the river, the sound of heavy rain and wind was mixed with the sound of drums.
Immediately afterwards, the six people heard the sounds of "duh-duh-duh", whistles, and shouts.
"Dear guests, we suddenly encounter water thieves! You must hurry up! We will rush over!"
Before they finished speaking, everyone felt the hull of the boat shake, and its speed suddenly increased. Under the impact of the rushing river current, it was bumping up and down, and the hull of the boat made a creaking sound and was shaking.
At this time, the captain of the big ship was complaining endlessly. He hadn't encountered a water thief in a year. Today, he actually ran into one!
…
