The six members of the Qingshan Sect rested in Yunjin Temple for three days and had dinner. Accompanied by Wang San, they left the mountain gate and flew toward the southeast.
About an hour later, everyone flew to the Huyi Mountains, two hundred miles southeast.
The Huyi Mountains run from northeast to southwest and stretch for more than a thousand miles. To the east and south it also stretches to the East China Sea. The Huyi Mountains are not deserted. On the contrary, the Huyi Mountains span three counties, and there are also many small plains scattered with more than a dozen large and small cities. Several criss-crossing official roads pass through the mountains.
The seven people specially selected inaccessible mountain tops to fly over at night to reduce the possibility of being discovered. With Wang San leading the way, after another two hours, everyone landed near a small town called Jiaocheng, which belonged to Funing County.
Wang San said that this small town is only three or four miles in radius and has a population of less than 20,000. There are naturally many fishermen and fishmongers on the seaside.
The seven people made another flyby, bypassing the small town and arriving directly at the edge of the sea.
The six members of the Qingshan Sect had never seen the sea before.
Ever since Patriarch Tianchen mentioned the East China Sea several years ago, everyone has been wondering about what the sea is like.
At this moment, everyone is walking on the soft beach, listening to the never-ending ebb and flow of the waves, and smelling the salty and humid air, which is both emotional and novel.
Three years ago, everyone from the Qingshan Sect set out from the sect and after several days of arduous trek, they arrived at Chuyue County. After asking around, I learned that I could take a boat to the east. On the Xiajiang River, walking to Wu Gorge, we suddenly encountered water thieves. In order to chase down the water thieves, he entered Wushan and rescued Fairy Bai. He practiced in the Wushan cave for three years and was finally able to fly with a sword.
If they take the water route along the Xia River, they might be able to reach it in half a month. But they will lose the immortality of Wushan Cave. You must know that Patriarch Tianchen practiced for thirty years in Tianshu Cave before he could fly with a sword. The six of them were not only able to fly with swords, but also learned many spells from Fairy Bai, and were equipped with such heaven-defying things as the Qiankun Bag and the Vermilion Green Fruit!
The six of them will certainly not regret their three-year trip to Wushan.
"Look, what is this?"
As Yanran was walking, she suddenly saw a white spiral-shaped object at her feet and was startled.
"My little fellow Taoist, this thing is a conch. It is very beautiful. Girls on the seaside love the shell of this thing."
Wang San, who was talking softly with Qing Yi and Qing Xuan, heard Yan Ran screaming and explained to her.
Yan Ran heard the sound and carefully picked up the fist-sized conch. Under the weak moonlight, it was white and sparkling, and it was indeed very beautiful. The conch was suddenly picked up, and the living things inside the conch suddenly retracted into the shell. Yanran was startled and almost threw it away.
"The snail meat can be eaten after boiling. It is very delicious."
Wang San added.
As soon as Yanran and the four heard that the food was delicious, they started looking for it on the beach. Conches like to come ashore at night. In a short time, the four of them picked up more than ten conchs of various sizes. Snail shells come in various shapes.
"Ten years have passed by in a flash, and when I come here again, it feels like a lifetime ago."
Ten years ago, Wang San arrived at this beach first.
"One mile above the tidal flat, there is an old Suntou, I don't know if he is still alive. I had a few meals at his house that day. Every meal was seafood, fish, shrimp, crab and clams, it was really delicious."
"Why don't you come with me to his house to have a look? It's time to have a baby at this time. Everyone can sleep until midnight and have a rest."
Wang San suggested.
"Of course that's good, please help me lead the way."
We flew for half the night, and after the fresh energy of knowing the sea for the first time, we were already very sleepy. As soon as he heard that there was a place to sleep, he would not let it go.
Within a mile, six people arrived in dozens of steps.
"Bang bang bang!"
Wang San knocked on the wooden fence.
"Which one is it?"
After a long time, an old voice came from the house.
"Old Suntou, it's me. Do you still remember Wang San from ten years ago? He was the old man from Jiangzhou County." Wang San replied.
"Wang San?...Oh, I think about it! How did you get here in the middle of the night? Could it be a ghost?"
Old Suntou thought of Wang San, but hesitated again, muttering that he was afraid of encountering ghosts in the middle of the night. After all, why did he come to this remote place in the middle of the night?
"Where did the ghost come from? A few friends and I came all the way and arrived here at midnight. Please open the door."
Wang San found it funny. The old man thought he was dead, and a lonely ghost came to his door.
"Squeak - twist -",
A dim light came on in the room, and after a while, Lao Suntou groped his way out and opened the fence door.
"It's really you, why can't you change?"
Old Sun opened the door and saw six men and one woman under the moonlight. He looked at the one in front carefully for a while. This Wang San still looked the same as ten years ago.
"Come in, come in."
Lao Suntou slowly moved away to let everyone in.
The seven people walked to Lao Suntou's house.
Lao Suntou's family has three stone houses, with roofs covered with several layers of thatch. Under the thatch, there are several strong wooden beams inserted into the stone wall. Typhoons come here several times every year, and typhoons will basically tear away the thatch. After the typhoon passed, thatch was found again, dried and bundled, and then spread layer by layer.
Lao Suntou is alone and has no children, so he makes a living by fishing. There are many mosquitoes on the beach. In Lao Suntou's bedroom, apart from a black tent, there are fishing gear hanging all over the walls.
There was a salty smell of fish coming from the room on the west side. It was probably the dry goods that were dried during the day and put in the room at night. To prevent getting wet in the middle of the night rain and being eaten by snakes and rats.
The six members of the Qingshan Sect looked at it and wondered, how could there be a place to live here? But Wang San also has good intentions.
Wang San made his purpose clear, saying he would rest here for the rest of the night and see old friends he hadn't seen in ten years, and hurried away the next day.
The house at the east end is slightly cleaner and is where debris is stored. Old Sun tidied up the floor of the house at the east end. Since there was no place for the seven of them to lie down, they sat cross-legged until dawn.
The East China Sea is at the easternmost point of Daxia, and there is nothing blocking the seaside, so the sun rises early. The seven people left the house early and stood in the yard watching the sunrise.
At this time, where the sea and the sky meet, the sky is filled with morning glow. A red sun first appeared slowly, and then at a speed visible to the naked eye, after dozens of breaths, it completely jumped out of the sea. The sea was filled with golden light.
Everyone is used to watching the red sun at the top of Tianshu Peak and Wushan Cave. This time the sunrise on the sea, the scenery is different and very shocking.
Old Suntou used to go out to sea to fish before dawn every day. Today, the distinguished guest paid a surprise visit and did not go out. Old Suntou looked to be sixty or seventy years old. He had been working at sea all year round, and his skin was already tanned. The body looks quite strong and muscular.
After everyone watched the sunrise, Lao Suntou was cooking porridge for everyone. After a while, the fragrance spread far into the yard.
Old Sun rummaged through and found several dishes of various sizes, including one with a chipped tooth. Who would have thought that one day there would be so many guests at home?
Lao Suntou filled the porridge and invited everyone to come and eat.
The seven people had already been attracted by the aroma and their mouths watered. As soon as they saw it was ready to eat, they immediately ran over and prepared to devour it. Unexpectedly, the rice porridge is piping hot, and the thick fish fillets, fresh shrimps, and crab legs inside look even more tempting.
In addition to seafood rice porridge, Lao Suntou also steamed a basket of conches that everyone caught last night, and sprinkled some spices and a little green onion on top. There is also a dish of soy sauce next to it for everyone to dip into.
A big pot of porridge, a drawer of conches, and a plate of dried pickled fish, everyone ate it up!
The six people in Qingshan finally understood why Wang San could not forget the seaside delicacies from ten years ago. Simply delicious!
After everyone finished their breakfast, they started to chat with Lao Suntou.
As he talked, he talked about his wife, children, and children. It turns out that when Lao Suntou was young, he had a beloved wife and a lively and lovely son. Fifty years ago, we once went out to sea together. The weather was sunny when we set out. Unexpectedly, in the deep sea, a sudden strong wind and rain came and the boat capsized. Despite all efforts to save her, his wife and children were still buried in the sea. He was lucky enough to survive, and he suffered and blamed himself for half his life.
No one expected that Lao Suntou's memory would be touched, and they felt very embarrassed.
"Grandpa Sun, are there any legends about gods and goddesses in the East China Sea?"
Yanran asked questions at the right time and changed the topic, hoping to release Old Man Sun from his grief.
"I've never seen any gods, but there are quite a few myths and legends."
Old man Sun wiped away his muddy tears and replied to Yanran. If his son were still alive, he would be as big as this girl and the boy next to him.
"Then Grandpa Sun, let's talk about it."
"My grandson family has lived here in Jiaocheng for generations and made a living by fishing. We have abundant fisheries here and rely on the sea for food. Every time we go to sea, we must look east and worship the sea god. Who is this sea god, old man? Our ancestors never said that."
"Wealthy people have big boats, and they often use incense, candles, and fruits to worship the God of the Sea. Like my Sun family, on weekdays, they can only pray with bare hands. Only during holidays, they will buy some incense, candles, and yellow paper from the market to solemnly thank the God of the Sea. I hope the harvest will be good and safe next year.”
"In the early years, when my father was still alive, he and I went to sea together when the weather was good. On a favorable day, we could travel seven or eight miles deep into the East China Sea, but against a headwind, we could only travel three or four miles. There were sharks in the sea, so they didn't dare to go far. OK. We will catch some sea creatures and head back at noon, fearing that the weather will change suddenly. If the wind direction changes, it will be difficult to return."
"I don't know how many miles to the east, there is a big island. The old people call it Donghao Kingdom. Legend has it that the people there are called Donghao people. When the weather is good, you can see this big island. It is very broad."
"I heard from the old people that the Daxialou fleet arrived in the Eastern Anchovy Kingdom decades ago."
"People say that gods live in the country of Dongfeng, and some fishermen were once saved by gods."
Lao Suntou took out a dry tobacco pot from nowhere, lit up the dry tobacco, and slowly chatted with everyone while smoking.
"Grandpa Sun, have you ever seen people from the Dongguo Kingdom?"
"I've never seen him before. Even if I've been there, I might not recognize him. Maybe he looks the same as us."
"Have the people from Jiaocheng never been to Dongguo Country?"
Yuan Zhen asked.
"I've never heard of anyone going there. A big ship went to our village earlier, but it couldn't come back. I guess the ship sank..."
…
After talking for a while, it was already two o'clock in the morning and it was getting late.
The sun was shining brightly today, and no one wanted to delay Lao Suntou's fishing. Then he said goodbye to Lao Suntou. Before leaving, Qing Yi took out five taels of silver and forced it on Lao Suntou. Lao Sun couldn't put it down, so he had to accept it. He was very uneasy and very grateful to everyone. These five taels of silver were enough for him to make a living for half a year.
The next step for us will be life on the sea. During the three years in Wushan, apart from occasionally going out to buy things, I didn’t spend much money. In addition to leaving a hundred taels for Fairy Bai, there is no need to exchange fruits and melons for items in the future. At this moment, the six people have more than a hundred taels left, and there is no place to spend them.
Everyone didn't give them free money, and asked Lao Suntou for some dry biscuits and dried fish that he usually eats when he goes to sea. Lao Suntou didn't have much in stock, so he asked his neighbors to get some. Yuan Yu and Yuan Zhen carried two full bags, one bag of dry cakes and one bag of dried fish. Lao Suntou didn't understand why these guests left the silver and didn't use it, but took so many dried crackers and fish.
…
