Starting from Qingzhou and extending southward for thousands of miles along the official road, the scenery changes greatly. At first, you can see the endless mountains, shrouded in clouds and mist, like a secluded residence of an immortal family. As we travel to Linzhou, the mountains gradually decrease and are replaced by contiguous lakes, like a paradise, where the sun rises and the sun sets. The leisurely life often makes people passing by stop. Further south, when you reach the banks of the Chijiang River, you can see only two small villages scattered on the endless plains.
Perhaps because of the existence of the Demon Sect, or perhaps because of the legend of Liu Yidao, except for the fishermen who have already taken root here, few people have moved here for thousands of years. This place is more like a corner forgotten by the world, with no contact with the outside world. What connection.
May 7th.
Half a month after leaving home, Chang An and Chang Sheng finally arrived at the bank of Chijiang River.
At this time, Chang An had been staring blankly at the beautiful Chijiang River for half a day. In order to find a way to live forever for Sanliang, they traveled over mountains and rivers to come here. They wanted to follow the legend of Liu Yidao to the bank of the Chijiang River and find the legend. The demon sect in.
But after staying here for half a day, Chang An still has no clue.
"Brother Shi, why did you invite me here?"
Not far from the river, a conversation between a boy and a girl attracted the attention of Chang An and Chang Sheng.
The boy's expression was reserved, avoiding the girl's innocent eyes.
"Yang...sister, this...is for you."
The young man spoke incoherently, took out a branch of wild flowers picked by the roadside from his arms and handed it to the girl.
The girl was delighted when she saw the flowers. She wanted to take the flowers and say thank you, but she hesitated to take back the hand she just extended.
"Brother Shi, we met for the first time yesterday, why don't we get to know each other better first."
When the young man heard this, he seemed a little panicked. He looked at the girl anxiously, and unconsciously stretched his hands forward, but unexpectedly, the girl silently took a step back.
The young man knew that he had lost his composure and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"So, what do you think of me?"
The girl was silent for a long time, and the boy's breathing became more and more rapid.
"I think Brother Shi is a very nice person."
The girl responded shyly to the boy, and then quickly fled from the river.
The young man laughed honestly. He looked at the girl's leaving back from a distance and couldn't regain his consciousness for a long time, until Chang Sheng came up behind him.
"Hey! Silly big man, look at your wife!"
After sitting by the river for half a day, Chang Sheng, who was already bored, finally encountered something new.
"Well!"
The boy jumped at the sudden sound, causing Chang Sheng to giggle.
"Hahahaha, brother, this silly big guy is so funny."
The young man was a little angry, thinking to himself, you obviously scared me, but instead of apologizing to me, you still called me stupid, and he said angrily
"Who are you and why are you here eavesdropping on us?"
Chang Sheng laughed even more happily when he heard this
"You silly guy has such a loud voice, who wants to eavesdrop on you?"
Chang An walked over expressionlessly and carried Chang Sheng behind him.
"Brother, I'm sorry. My girl is playful by nature, so I'll help you out on her behalf."
The young man was also a real person. When he saw Chang An apologized, he waved his hand and said
"It doesn't matter, I have had a loud voice since I was a child."
Seeing the fishy smell all over the young man's body, Chang An thought it came from the nearby fishing village and asked
"Brother is a local?"
The young man had a cheerful temper and directly reported his family name.
"My name is Shi Kuang, and I am a native of Shijia Village here."
When Chang An saw that he was happy, he no longer hesitated and announced himself to the door.
"My name is Chang An, and this is my sister Chang Sheng, from Qingzhou in the Central Plains."
Chang Sheng's eyes rolled, and he didn't know what he was thinking, so he interrupted.
"Then your wife is from Yangjiacun!"
When Shi Kuang heard this, his face turned red.
"She is not my daughter-in-law, but she does come from the Yang family village next door to us. Her name is Yang Bai."
Chang An looked at the sky and saw that it was already evening. He took out a piece of silver and handed it to Shi Kuang and said
"Brother Shi, my brother and sister want to stay here for a few days. I wonder if they can stay at Brother Shi's house?"
Shi Kuang didn't dare to take the silver, scratched his head and said
"You have to ask my dad about staying here. You can go home with me first and ask my dad."
So Chang An and Chang Sheng followed Shi Kuang all the way back to Shijia Village. Before entering the village, Chang An asked about the strong fishy smell that hit their faces. Chang Sheng even covered her mouth and nose. Shi Kuang saw them appearance, said
"This is the taste of a fishing village, but it will be much better once you enter the village."
Chang An looked at Shi Kuang in confusion, why would things get better after entering the village?
But as Shi Kuang said, after entering the village, the smell of fish is not so strong. Instead, what comes to face is the faint smell of rice.
Chang Sheng couldn't help but said
"smell good!"
Shi Kuang nodded
"You came just in time, it's time for dinner."
"The big rock is back!"
A fat woman in the distance was calling Shi Kuang in a loud voice. Seeing this, Shi Kuang responded loudly.
"Third aunt!"
The third aunt saw two people following Shi Kuang and asked curiously.
"Dashi, why did you bring two strangers back?"
Shi Kuang giggled.
"My new friend wants to stay here for two days."
When the villagers heard that Shi Kuang had brought two strangers, they ran out one after another and looked at Chang An and Chang Sheng curiously.
After a while, the three of them arrived at Shi Kuang's house.
In the yard, Shi Kuang's father was repairing the fishing net. Chang An frowned slightly when he saw the strong fishy smell emitting from the wet fishing net.
"dad!"
The middle-aged man who was repairing the fishing net did not turn around, but responded lightly.
"Well, go wash your hands and get ready to eat."
Shi Kuang hesitated for a moment and shouted again
"dad."
The middle-aged man turned around in confusion, only to see Chang An and Chang Sheng standing at the door. The middle-aged man quickly stood up, patted the dust on his body vigorously, and said
"Dashi, who are these two?"
Chang An took a step forward and said with a smile
"Uncle Shi, I'm sorry. We, brother and sister, want to stay here for a few days. I wonder if we can stay at home?"
With that said, Chang An handed the silver to Shi Kuang's father. Shi Kuang's father looked at the silver, waved his hand, and said with a smile.
"No, no, we don't need money to live here. If you don't mind that my family is small, you can just live here."
After Shi Kuang's father finished speaking, he shouted into the house again
"My dear, we have a guest at home. Let's cook two more dishes and add two more pairs of bowls and chopsticks!"
Then, Shi Kuang's father ran into the house, moved out a long dining table, and called Shi Kuang to move the stools together.
After a while, a sweaty middle-aged woman walked out of the house, wearing a scarf and holding a cooking shovel in her hand. When she saw Chang An and Chang Sheng, a simple smile filled her face and she said
"You are friends of Dashu Shi, sit down quickly, dinner will be served soon!"
Chang An smiled, nodded his thanks, and introduced himself to the Shi family.
"Hello Aunt Shi, my name is Chang An, and this is my sister Chang Sheng."
Shi Kuang's mother smiled and nodded, saying
"Stop standing, sit down quickly."
Chang An looked around. At this time, the people next door were also sitting in their yards, preparing to sit in the yard and enjoy dinner together as a family.
Shi Kuang explained
"It's very hot here in summer, so everyone likes to eat in the yard at night."
Chang Sheng looked at the busy figures in every household, feeling warm in his heart, and unconsciously leaned on his brother's shoulder.
After a while, the dining table was filled with food. Shi Kuang anxiously picked up the dishes on the plate with his fingers and put it into his mouth. With a sound of "pop!", Shi Kuang was slapped away by Shi Kuang's father sitting beside him. The dish in his hand glared at him sternly, and Shi Kuang had to retract his hand angrily.
Shi Kuang's mother touched her son's hand distressedly, gave Shi Kuang's father a blank look, and said
"Stone, does it hurt?"
Shi Kuanghan said with a smile
"Mom, it doesn't hurt."
The dinner at Shi Kuang's house is quite rich, including tofu, cabbage soup, stir-fried vegetables...
Although it is not as wealthy as the Chang family, the Shi Kuang family's dinner is indeed sumptuous.
Chang Sheng looked at the dishes on the table with confusion and said
"Aren't you a fishing village? Why is there no fish on the table?"
Shi Kuang's father and Shi Kuang's mother looked at each other and said slightly apologetically.
"The wind and waves in the Chijiang River have been very strong recently. Our village has not gone out for fishing for half a month, so naturally there will be no fish. If you two want to eat fish, I will go out for fishing tomorrow."
Chang An apologized hurriedly
"No need, Uncle Shi, my girl is just naughty and doesn't really want to eat fish."
Chang Sheng also waved his little hands and said
"Uncle Shi, I'm sorry. I don't want to eat fish, I'm just curious, so I'm just asking."
Shi Kuang's mother said carelessly
"It's okay. People in our village don't have as many ideas as you outsiders. You can eat if you want and sleep if you want. Just tell me what you want to eat and I'll make it for you."
Chang Sheng said obediently
"Well, thank you Aunt Shi."
Shi Kuang's mother happily touched Chang Sheng's head and said
"The little girl is so cute."
Dad Shi Kuang suddenly asked
"Shitou, how about the girl from the next village you met yesterday?"
Shi Kuang looked nervous and said
"How about what?"
Chang Sheng took over the conversation and said
"Uncle Shi, the two of them met secretly this afternoon."
Shi Kuang's mother became excited when she heard this
"That's right! Little baby, tell me quickly."
After that, Chang Sheng and Shi Kuang's mother chatted happily.
Shi Kuang's father and Chang An also chatted, and they spent the dinner happily.
At night, Chang An, dressed in black, walked out of the hut. Chang Sheng in the house was already fast asleep.
The night was quiet, and every household in Shijia Village had turned off the lights, leaving only the endless chirping of insects in the wild. Chang An stepped lightly, then rose into the air and landed gently on the roof of the thatched house.
He stood on the roof, overlooking the entire village, and carefully observed every household.
Since entering the village today, he has been full of curiosity about the village. The strong fishy smell at the entrance of the village has faded into the village. It is obvious that he has just used the fishing net in the past few days, but Shi Kuang's father said that he has not left the boat for half a month. Not only It was Shi Kuang's family. He had also observed the neighbors next door and found that there were no fish-related dishes on their dinner tables.
His intuition told him that this village was hiding some secrets.
His light figure went back and forth between the roofs of various houses, using the insects in the wild to cover up the sound of his landing. Finally, his feet landed on the roof of the village chief's house. What attracted him was the dozen or so people in the village chief's yard. A large water tank and several salted fish hanging in the window of the village chief's house.
This is the first time Chang An has seen fish in this village.
Salted fish, which is common in fishing villages, looks so eye-catching in this village.
Chang An walked to a large water tank and opened it.
A strong fishy smell hit my face. There was a whole tank of salted fish stored in the large water tank.
Chang An checked the other water tanks one after another. As expected, they were all filled with salted fish.
I'm afraid all the fish in the village are in these jars, Chang An thought.
At this moment, a burst of crying suddenly came from the distance
"Someone, come quickly, my boss is dying!"
Every house suddenly lit up with lights, illuminating the entire village. Villagers walked out of their homes and ran towards the source of the sound.
Chang An quickly jumped onto the roof and faintly heard the voices of the villagers talking.
"Whose family is it today?"
"It seems to be Shi Meng's family."
"Even someone as strong as Shi Meng..."
"Stop talking and go quickly."
Chang An stood on the roof and looked far away in the direction of the cry, only to find that the cry was coming from the direction of Shi Kuang's house. After the villagers left, he used Qinggong and rushed towards the source of the cry.
After a while, he returned to Shi Kuang's house, only to find that the Shi Meng the villagers mentioned was Shi Kuang's neighbor.
At this time, the door of Shi Meng's house was already surrounded by villagers, including Shi Kuang's father and mother, who were also wearing coats and watching at the door.
Chang An lightly jumped into the room, changed into pajamas, pretended to be woken up by the outside, slowly walked out of the house, came to the yard, and asked Shi Kuang's parents:
"Uncle and aunt, what happened?"
In the neighbor's yard, two men were carrying a strong man out of the yard. The crying woman and child behind him were holding on to the man's clothes, as if they would not let them go.
Chang An looked at the strong man and thought that it must be the Shi Meng the villagers just mentioned.
Several women of similar age walked up, grabbed the woman, and persuaded her.
Uncle Shi looked at the lying man, sighed, and said calmly
"Shi Meng from the house next door is dead."
Chang An frowned, looked at the yard next door, and found that most of the villagers looked calm, as if death was a common thing for them.
Chang An became more and more doubtful and asked again
"How did you die?"
Shi Kuang's father looked at the neighboring courtyard and was silent for a long time, with complicated eyes, and then gave a specious answer.
"How else could he die?"
In the yard next door, the old village chief held a cane in both hands and looked at Shi Meng silently.
A middle-aged man walked up to the village chief and said
"Village chief, let's follow the old rules."
When the crying woman heard this, she cried even louder.
The old village chief walked tremblingly to the woman and said something in a hoarse voice. The woman had stopped crying, but her face was still pale and she looked numbly at the lying man, who seemed to be the village chief. She couldn't hear her words at all. When the old village chief saw this, he sighed, looked at the surrounding villagers, waved his hand and said
"Let's all disperse."
After that, the villagers dispersed one after another, leaving only two men carrying Shi Meng and slowly leaving.
Seeing this, Chang An secretly followed him while no one was paying attention.
The two men carried Shi Meng all the way out of the village, without stopping, and continued towards the distance.
Chang An followed him all the way. He was now regarded as a first-class master in the world. Even if he performed Qing Kung on an empty and quiet plain, he would not be easily discovered by these two men who had not practiced martial arts.
About an hour later, the two men carried Shi Meng to the edge of the Chijiang River. The two men gently placed Shi Meng on the riverside, then knelt down facing the Chijiang River and bowed respectfully. He jumped three times, and then ran back as fast as he could, as if he was full of fear of Chijiang.
After the two people left, Chang An came to Shi Meng's body. He looked at Shi Meng quietly, his frown never relaxing.
Shi Meng lay quietly on the dirt floor. The soil under him had been beaten by the river water and was already muddy. His complexion was green and yellow, there was still a faint trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and his facial features were twisted together in pain.
Chang An checked his whole body and found no wounds.
He probably died of poisoning, Chang An thought.
The water of the Red River lapped at the shore one after another. The soil on the shore had been soaked by the river water for thousands of years. Under the reflection of the moonlight, it exuded a dark red light. Against the blood stain on the corner of Shi Meng's mouth, it looked even more monstrous.
Chang Jing stood quietly next to Shi Meng, looking at Chijiang, recalling all the strange things he encountered today, silently. At this moment, a terrible idea was gradually taking shape in his mind...
