Seeing Gezao Mountain right in front of him, Changsheng felt mixed emotions. He had never traveled far before meeting Master and others. After Master rode the crane, he braved many dangers and traveled alone for thousands of miles. He experienced hardships and hardships, and now Finally arrived at the destination, and finally lived up to Master's dying instructions.
Stopping and looking at it for a moment, Changsheng retracted his sight and thoughts. Now is not the time to feel sad. Changes may happen if you don't step into the gate of Gezao Mountain. There are still dozens of miles to go. You must be careful and careful. There can be no accidents.
The place where he landed was not a pier, but a grassy area. He was worried that people would see the boat parked on the shore, so he spent a lot of effort to drag the sampan into the grass on the shore.
He hid the boat and did not dare to take the main road. He only walked in the mountains, forests and grass fields beside the road. From the forest, he could see the situation on the road. There were more pedestrians on the road than he expected. Not only were ordinary people and people from the world, but also There were many Taoist priests wearing Taoist robes.
At first he thought these Taoist priests were all Taoists from Gezao Mountain, but later he discovered that the styles of Taoist robes they wore were slightly different and they should come from different Taoist temples.
The people in the rivers and lakes in small and large groups were also dressed in different clothes, riding horses or riding cars, but there were no Beggar Clan disciples among them.
The bustling pedestrians on the road made Chang Shengduo puzzled. This road leads to Gezao Mountain. Those ordinary people may be villagers from the villages along the way, but what are so many people and Taoist priests doing in Gezao Mountain?
With doubts in his heart, Changsheng walked cautiously for more than ten miles. It was not just the Beggar Gang who might harm him, but all gangs who were interested in the secret book might attack him.
At this time, he could clearly see the scene on the mountain. Gezao Mountain was different from what he had imagined. He originally thought that Gezao Mountain was just a mountain peak. Only then did he realize that Gezao Mountain was a stretch of mountains. There are five towering mountain peaks surrounded by walls, and there is a Taoist temple on each mountain. He can't figure out which one is Gezao Mountain.
However, he could see the mountain gate entering the mountain. The mountain gate was located at the foot of Yanglu Mountain. The gate tower and stone square were tall, large and majestic. Due to the distance, he could not see whether there were any words on the gate tower.
There are several elegant wooden houses on the left and right of the mountain gate, which must be where Taoist Zhike greets pilgrims.
There is a large square outside the mountain gate. The square is paved with stone slabs and is circular in shape. It covers an area of two miles. At this time, the large square is full of carriages and sedans, and many horses are tied on the edge of the woods around the square. .
Although Changsheng didn't know the inside story, he knew that there shouldn't be so many people in Gezao Mountain on weekdays. Taoist temples are places of spiritual cultivation. Even if they entertain pilgrims for a living, they can't make it noisy all day long. Moreover, these people who came this time The people seemed to be coming from other places. The people I saw along the way had relaxed expressions and were chatting and laughing. They probably weren’t here to seek revenge and cause trouble. The most likely thing was that something big was happening in Gezao Mountain and everyone was here to join in the fun. of.
Since the situation was unclear, Chang Sheng did not dare to show up rashly, so he could only continue to hide in the mountains, found a few platycodon roots, grabbed them in his hands, and chewed them while observing them.
After observing for a long time, I found that there were many Zhike Taoists at the foot of the mountain. Whenever a group of people came, a Zhike Taoist would come out to greet them and send them into the mountain. After sending the guests in, the Zhike Taoist would rush back to welcome the new guests again and be responsible for picking them up. There were at least ten Taoist Zhike introduced. Even if Gezao Mountain was a large Taoist temple, there should not be so many Taoist Zhike. If his guess was correct, many of them were sent from other places to help temporarily.
When the guests entering the mountain arrive, they will know what the guest is showing. Because the distance is too far, he cannot see what everyone is holding, so he can only guess that it is something similar to an invitation.
It was not until late afternoon that there were not so many guests at the foot of the mountain. Changsheng saw the opportunity, ran to the road, and walked quickly towards the mountain gate.
Before reaching the mountain gate, a young Taoist priest suddenly walked out of the woods nearby. He was adjusting his clothes as he walked. Needless to say, he must have had an urgent need to urinate and ran to the forest to relieve himself.
"I've met the Taoist priest." Changsheng hurriedly bowed his hands to the young Taoist priest.
"Immeasurable Heavenly Lord," the young Taoist bowed his head in return, "You little good man, what do you have to do?"
"Taoist Master, I came from a very far away place. I have something to ask to see the abbot, Taoist Master Luo Shunzi." Changsheng said.
"Oh, you came at the wrong time," the young Taoist shook his head and said, "This year it is our turn to conduct the Shangqing Dharma Conference in Ge Zaoshan. Comrades from various Shangqing sects came from all over the country. Uncle Luo Shunzi was busy greeting those from far away. Comrades who came here and heads of various factions who came to watch the ceremony."
Hearing the words of the young Taoist, Chang Sheng was not surprised. He looked around and saw no one around, and hurriedly took out a piece of silver and handed it over quietly, "Taoist Master, I really have something important to see Taoist Master Luo Shunzi. Could you please go and report it."
"Hey, little good man, what are you doing?" The young Taoist waved his hands. "It's not that I'm deliberately making things difficult for you, but the abbot really can't get away. He is very busy right now. If I If you go to report it, you are asking for trouble."
"Then I'll wait here and report it when it's convenient for you." Changsheng continued to deliver.
"Little good man, I really can't help it. Please take your silver back quickly." The young Taoist was helpless. "The Shangqing Dharma Assembly is held every three years. It is solemn and grand and will last for several days. No pilgrims are allowed in Gezao Mountain during these days. Entering the mountains."
Changsheng forced the piece of silver to the young Taoist, turned around and walked into the woods, "Thank you, Taoist Master, for clarifying your doubts. You can go and do your work. I'll be waiting in the mountains. I'll report it when it's more convenient for you."
"You, you will definitely not be able to do it these days. We will not receive pilgrims." The young Taoist wanted to hand over the silver coins, but Changsheng had already taken seven or eight steps.
The young Taoist hesitated because of the difficulty. After thinking about it, he called out, "Hey."
When Changsheng turned around, the young Taoist said, "We will not receive pilgrims during the Shangqing Dharma Assembly. This is what the headmaster has told us and cannot be changed. It's up to you if you want to wait, but you have to abide by the rules and never leave Dongshanyuan." If someone climbs over a low wall and breaks in without permission, if he is discovered, he will not be severely punished, but he will be taken to see the abbot, who will interrogate him and then send him down the mountain."
"Yes, yes, thank you Taoist Priest for reminding me." Chang Sheng thanked him repeatedly.
"I'm not reminding you, I'm admonishing you." The young Taoist threw the silver to Changsheng, turned around and left.
Changsheng picked up the silver coins on the ground and watched the young Taoist leave with full gratitude.
After the young Taoist left, Changsheng began to walk towards the mountain. After walking a few miles, he saw the winding and towering courtyard wall, and then he followed the wall and headed towards the east mountain.
After stumbling for an hour, we finally arrived at Dongshan. The courtyard wall here is actually not short, it is nine feet like the walls elsewhere, but the terrain outside the wall is high, and you can easily climb over it from here.
When he came here, Changsheng felt relieved, unplugged the cork, and took out the Huitian Golden Pill hidden in it. Although the journey was bumpy, the Huitian Golden Pill was intact, except that the wax seal outside the pill had to go to Wutong first. A little bit of it was worn away when stuffed into the branches.
In addition to the Huitian Golden Pill, the wooden stick also contained a little gold, a healing pill and a Huitian Pill. At this point, the wooden stick was useless, but this stick had been with him for thousands of miles, and he was reluctant to part with it. After discarding and removing the contents, the stick was still in the hand.
Luo Shunzi will be seen soon. Changsheng took out the letter that master Luo Yangzi had written to Luo Shunzi from the lining of his clothes.
When I took it out and looked at it, I was almost scared to death. The oil-paper envelope was somehow damaged and the wax seal had fallen off.
Worried that the letter would be blurred due to moisture, Changsheng hurriedly took out the letter and looked at it. No, it was really damp, and the ink stains had penetrated to the back.
There are many things wrong with reading other people's letters privately, but Chang Sheng no longer cares about that much. He opened the letter and looked through it eagerly. Fortunately, although the handwriting was blurred by moisture, fortunately there were not many words in the letter. Although it was printed and dyed, it was not covered, and it could still be read clearly. .
There are only a few lines in the letter, "If you get another one, please still pass it on. I know the deadline is approaching, but I finally collected three, and I have fulfilled my promise. I have no regrets. There are several children who are traveling with me. Please consider collecting them." Not well-known. '
After reading the letter, Changsheng folded it and put it back. He was not surprised by the content of the letter, because when he rushed to Yongzhou, Taoist priest Lin once said that there should be a golden elixir of healing in the eternal place of Medicine King. This " He remembered the word "ye" very clearly. The word "ye" showed that Taoist Lin had also found the Golden Pill of Returning to Heaven before. The letter confirmed his guess. In these years, Taoist Lin had found a total of three Golden Pills of Returning to Heaven.
He was not surprised that Luo Shunzi, the abbot of Gezaoshan, was the only one who handed over the golden elixirs. But what he was confused about was who gave these three golden elixirs to?
Putting the letter and the Golden Pill of Return to Heaven close to his body, Chang Sheng looked up and saw that there was also a forest inside the courtyard wall, with no road and no one.
After looking around, he climbed up the courtyard wall and jumped in. His purpose was to be seen and taken to see the abbot Luo Shunzi. He did not hide his whereabouts and went straight to the west. Through the woods, he saw a path going west, so he followed the path west. Walk.
Coming from Shandong to Shannan, Changsheng finally saw the real scene of Gezao Mountain. There are five peaks on the east, west, north and south sides of Gezao Mountain. Surrounded by the five peaks, there is a large flat area. Although there are many peaks on these five peaks, There are Taoist temples, but the largest Taoist temple is built in the flat area between the five peaks.
Just when Changsheng was looking up, he was discovered by a passing Taoist priest. He was in ragged clothes, so he was naturally not a guest. Since it was the Shangqing Dharma Assembly, the inspection was particularly strict, so he was directly taken away from Dongshan and sent to a remote place. The quiet side room was closed.
Changsheng was not afraid even after he was locked up, because he clearly heard someone outside the door saying, "Haosheng, guard, I will ask the abbot to come for interrogation." '
The house where he is currently imprisoned should be a place where disciples who have made mistakes can reflect on their mistakes. The room is very empty, with nothing but a few straw balls and no lights. It is almost dark at this time, and the room is quiet and eerie.
Not long after, a voice came from outside the door, "I've seen the abbot."
With a "Hmm," the door was pushed open, and a middle-aged Taoist priest wearing a purple robe stepped in.
With a little light outside, Changsheng could roughly see Luo Shunzi's appearance. He should be between thirty-five and forty years old, with a square face, a straight nose and a wide mouth. He was wearing a purple Taoist robe with many words on it. embroidery.
"Are you Taoist Master Luo Shunzi?" Changsheng asked.
"Well," Luo Shunzi said with a look of disgust, "Who are you? Tell yourself where you come from."
This person's expression was serious and Changsheng was a little timid. Instead of explaining in words, it would be better to hand over Master's letter directly. Thinking of this, he took out the letter from his arms and handed it over respectfully.
Luo Shunzi glanced at Changsheng, but did not accept the letter, but said coldly, "Open it."
Changsheng didn't understand why Luo Shunzi didn't open it himself, so he had to take out the letter from the envelope and send it with both hands.
"Expand." Luo Shunzi said coldly.
Changsheng was already nervous, and when he saw him again, his tone was cold, and he became even more frightened, so he could only unfold the letter and deliver it again.
Luo Shunzi then reached out and took the letter. After reading it, his expression changed drastically and he asked eagerly, "Where is the thing?"
Chang Sheng hurriedly took out the Golden Pill of Return to Heaven and handed it over.
Luo Shunzi took the golden elixir and read it intently. Only then did a smile appear on his face.
"What else do you have on you?" Luo Shunzi asked.
"There is a stick, and a dagger," Changsheng said, taking out the dagger from his waist, "and a little silver..."
Before Changsheng could finish speaking, Luo Shunzi suddenly raised his breath and struck Changsheng directly in the chest, "A bold assassin, how dare you sneak attack on me..."
