Navigating on the canal was very boring, so Song Qian bought a lot of wine and story books to entertain himself. Jing Yu drank with him, but Jing Yu was not in the mood to read story books. What was originally a good public trip was turned into a flood fighting team.
Qiao Xu was even more unlucky. She discovered her major flaw when she took the waterway for the first time, which was seasickness. She was fine staying in the cabin, but once she got to the deck, she couldn't stop vomiting. She couldn't enjoy the scenery along the way. .
"Two points." Jing Yu played two cards from his hand.
Song Qian spread his hands: "I can't afford it."
This is a toy from the West. They found it from a small vendor when they stopped at the port on the road. It is full of wrinkles. Jing Yu knew that it was a playing card, but he did not expect that it existed in this world.
I don’t know how many days passed, but the ship docked in Yangzhou. This place is uniquely blessed and can be regarded as a relatively wealthy treasure land in Dalin. Because Qiao Xu had been bored in the cabin for too long, the task of purchasing food and supplies was given to her so that she could go out and relax. Relax.
Qiao Xu was wandering around the market. She didn't know exactly where the vegetables were sold, so she kept walking along the road. The road was busy with traffic and pedestrians. Fortunately, Qiao Xu was petite, so she could easily shuttle among them. As expected, an accident happened. Her vision went dark, and she seemed to have bumped into someone's broad chest.
Looking up, a delicate and handsome face appeared in front of her. Qiao Xu blushed and took a few steps back.
"How's this girl? You're not hurt." The voice was like a spring breeze, like a bowl of hot tea in the cold winter.
Qiao Xu didn't know how to speak for a moment, so she flicked the black hair next to her ear and whispered: "I'm sorry... I... accidentally... bumped into you."
The visitor was a scholar, carrying a common book box on his back.
"Looking at the accent, she is not a local, right? Do you need me to lead you?" The scholar still looked polite.
Qiao Xu stabilized her mind and returned to her usual personality: "Well, I'm here to buy groceries. Please lead the way."
"..." The scholar saw such a huge contrast between her and didn't say much.
Qiao Xu asked: "Are you going to take an exam?"
"Autumn Palace has already been listed, and I am going to Beijing to prepare for Spring Palace next year." The scholar replied unhurriedly, with a special warmth in his voice.
"Since you are helping me lead the way, I don't want you to work in vain, so you can come to our boat. I came by boat from the capital. You can go back with us then."
When the scholar heard this, he was happy and said with a smile: "This is very good. I am worried that I can't find a suitable method."
In the evening, Jing Yu saw Qiao Xu's figure and...the man behind him.
"No, why did you bring a man back when I asked you to buy groceries? You're quite weak. Qiao Xu, you can do it. It's okay." Jing Yu complained.
Song Qian didn't hear clearly and turned around to look: "Awesome."
Qiao Xu heard Jing Yu's ridicule and retorted: "You can't even gather Qi. You are quite weak and you still have the nerve to criticize others."
"I am handsome and full of masculinity, how can I be compared with this guy?" Jing Yu asked others to poke at his sore spots, cultivation is amazing, can he become an emperor?
The scholar with some male and female looks stood in front of the two of them, frowning slightly: "Don't argue, be nice and live ten more years. I'm just dropping by. I learned from Miss Qiao that you are from the capital, so I decided to ask everyone to give me a lift. I also know that I am going to Lin'an next, and as Confucian scholars, I can naturally come in handy."
"so you……"
"I'm not talented, I'm only in the fourth level of foundation building." The scholar bent down and said with a bow.
Jing Yu cursed in his heart: You **.
Qiao Xu looked at Jing Yu with a look that looked at trash, as if she was humiliating him.
"What do you call this brother?" Song Qian went up to greet him.
The scholar bowed again: "My surname is Chen, and my name is Xueyun. I hear it in my ears, covered with snow, and the lingering sound of it remains."
"It's a good name. It's a cultural person. In fact, our team is short of intelligent talents like you. You see, three people can't put together one brain. Brother Chen's arrival will make our Dingming Si Pengpi shine." !" Jing Yu didn't know when he changed his attitude.
That night, the four of them held a welcome party with good wine and meat. Song Qian also performed a sword dance to add to the fun. Chen Xueyun recited a poem about it, "The bright jade hangs in the sky, and the shadow of the sword is in the lonely boat."
…
Lin'an City has become a vast ocean, the water level is waist deep, and people have to rely on rafts to move around, which is very inconvenient, and the government's supplies are also insufficient.
Jing Yu and his party entered the city on a raft, working in pairs.
The buildings on both sides of the road are soaked in water. Most of the buildings at this time are made of wooden structures. If you keep running like this, even if the water recedes, the houses will be soaked.
You need to first go to the county magistrate and hear from the document that you are taking refuge on a mountain. It is a mountain that can be seen with the naked eye, and a section of the temple roof is just exposed on it.
The monks in the temple did not chant sutras and meditate as usual, but distributed food to the residents to ensure their basic food and clothing.
There is a century-old ginkgo tree planted in the center of the temple. At this time, Lin'an County Magistrate Liu Shisan was wandering under the ginkgo tree. His expression was tense, as if he was under great pressure.
Whenever the door of the temple is pushed open or there are footsteps, he will raise his head with a look of relief. But when he sees a monk or a citizen, he quickly lowers his head and sighs.
Jing Yu crossed the threshold and saw the ginkgo tree. It was already mid-October, and the leaves of the ginkgo were turning yellow and beginning to fall off. There were three or four monks cleaning the tree, and there were ordinary people living in the lobby on the left.
Liu Shisan originally had no hope, but this time he looked up and the wrinkles on his face suddenly relaxed, because the court officials finally arrived.
Chen Xueyun noticed the blue official robe first and walked up directly to introduce their identities to Liu Shisan.
"My lords are finally here! I have been looking forward to your arrival every day, and my hair has turned a lot gray." Liu Shisan complained.
As Liu Shisan talked, he led four people to a living room, which was temporarily arranged for the county magistrate to work. It was very simple. If there were not enough chairs, futons were used to make up the number.
Liu Shisan continued: "It has been raining for a month, and it has calmed down a little recently, and the rain is pouring. You don't know, but the rain last week was scary, and occasionally there was lightning and thunder. Everyone was worried. I thought Lin’an was going to be destroyed.”
"We all understand this, please tell us specifically what happened to the dragon." Jing Yu asked curiously.
The rainwater on the eaves flowed down the roof, and ripples appeared in the water that hit the blue bricks. Liu Shisan looked at the ripples, and his thoughts drifted back to the past.
"The first time I saw it was when someone was washing clothes by the river. It didn't fully appear, just the back was exposed, but the woman washing the clothes described that her back was covered with scales, and she even threw a small stone on it. The scales are harder than armor, and sparks are directly generated when stones hit it."
Jing Yu didn't speak, waiting for the magistrate to continue speaking.
"I wanted to find someone to go down and have a look, but the young guys with good water skills didn't dare to go into the water when they heard it was a monster. No one was willing to accept the reward. After all, if you don't come back up, it won't be worth the gain. The second time was I saw it myself. There were many tourists along the river, and there were several restaurants. Standing on the top floor of the restaurant, I had a good view. Then when I leaned against the railing and blew in the wind, I caught a glimpse of the monster's general appearance with my peripheral vision. It was white and had scales. , I am certain that the length of that monster must be dozens of feet."
"Then why did you think it was a dragon?" Jing Yu seemed to be very interested in this monster.
Liu Shisan rubbed his eyebrows and closed his eyes: "I'm not sure, but many people told me that they saw dragon horns and that they could control wind and rain. I really can't find a more appropriate monster than a dragon."
A smile appeared on Song Qian's lips: "There are thousands of monsters in the world, but just a few rumors to identify it as a dragon, and even build a Dragon King temple, you are too cowardly. The conditions for the formation of a dragon are extremely harsh, Lin'an Even if the place gives it three hundred years, it may not be able to come out."
"I don't believe it either. It's a helpless move to cater to the people. Besides, the Dragon King Temple was built by local dignitaries. I can't object to it. But any sensible person knows that worshiping a guy of unknown origin is a fantasy. Liu Shisan said vaguely.
"So, Xiao Qianzi, based on your understanding of monsters, what do you think?" Jing Yu pushed Song Qian's shoulder.
Song Qian said impatiently: "I sit and watch. Apart from dragons, everything with scales is a snake."
"OK, let's go to the Dragon King Temple!" Jing Yu turned around and left.
Three people followed him and asked, "What does OK mean?"
Jing Yu only gave them a mysterious smile, he was too lazy to explain.
The Dragon King Temple is very close to the river. The most amazing thing is that this temple does not get a drop of water, and the surrounding ground is dry, as if it is covered with a protective film.
A bunch of oil-paper umbrellas were opened in the rain, covering her pretty back. Her toes slid over casually, not sinking into the water, but floating on the water. Arriving in front of the Dragon King Temple, she put away her oil-paper umbrella and summoned a few sticks of incense from nowhere. She snapped her fingers and small flames appeared on her fingertips. She lit the incense and inserted it into the ceramic bowl filled with earth. She put her palms together and faced it. The Dragon King statue in front of him was mumbling something.
She is the only guest in the Dragon King Temple. If anyone is here, they will definitely be intoxicated by her amazing appearance, with snow-skinned skin and beautiful face, and her eyes will look at the statue with eyes wandering.
She didn't know why, but she was reluctant to leave this place. She turned back three times every step of the way. She didn't hold up an umbrella until she walked out of the temple gate and left.
The speed of the raft couldn't keep up with the horseback riding, and Jing Yu's arms were sore and swollen, so he finally let Qiao Xu use his feet. The range of applications of martial arts is still very wide.
What is amazing is not only the dead water city, but also the Dragon King Temple, which is water-proof. The waist-high water turns into a vertical section as soon as it reaches here, and it seems that it will evaporate a little further.
Song Qian first used a flying sword to explore the path before the four of them settled down safely. The Dragon King Temple was not large in scale, and there were only statues of the Dragon King and ceramic bowls inside.
Jing Yu rolled up his wet trousers and looked up. He saw three incense sticks burning in a ceramic bowl. His heart stopped for a beat. The other three people also found clues. Everyone was taking refuge in the mountain. Why was the incense in the Dragon King Temple newly lit? You can't hide people in such a small place. The more unknown you are, the more scared you are. Jing Yu's hair stood up. He was a little afraid to look directly at the Dragon King Temple.
"After careful observation, I feel that this person will come again because the ash in the bowl is very thick." Chen Xueyun rubbed the ash with two fingers.
"How about squatting for another day?" Jing Yu was a bit out of his depth.
As soon as Qiao Xu heard about squatting, she raised her eyebrows and said, "Get out! I won't squat with you anymore. From the time you entered Dingming Division to now, you only squat for every mission, and you squat for a long time. Isn't it boring?"
"Is there a possibility that squatting is the most effective way? As long as it is a living creature, it will definitely travel to and from several locations repeatedly. This is the biggest flaw."
Qiao Xu was speechless: "..."
"I feel that the clues we have can deduce the general truth, which is better than being a headless fly." Chen Xueyun explained.
Song Qian also agreed with this statement: "We can assume that the snake in the river is a big snake, so it can call the wind and rain, which is naturally different from the method of a dragon. Most dragons are born with this, and if a big snake needs to reach this state, it must be a sixth-level snake. Above the Heavenly Tribulation Realm. Lin'an's spiritual energy is not abundant, and it is difficult to reach this level through pure cultivation. My inference is that there are forces behind the scenes, and they may have provided the Orochi with considerable resources."
"Then you support monsters like the Great Snake and bring disaster to the human county of Lin'an. I suspect that this has something to do with the monsters. They want to destroy the city of Dalin too much." Song Qian saw that everyone was listening attentively. , so there was no pause.
"Then what's going on with the Dragon King Temple?" Jing Yu asked.
Song Qian shook his head blankly: "I can guess that the person worshiping here may be the big snake himself, but I don't know why it wants to worship the Dragon King imagined by the people, and why it wants the Dragon King Temple to be protected from floods."
"Let's do this. I and Miss Qiao will go back to the temple and wait. Brother Song and Brother Jing will stay here to observe. We should cooperate inside and outside." Chen Xueyun gave a reasonable plan.
Jing Yu pulled out a dozen talisman papers: "Okay, here are the talisman papers. Each person has three talisman papers. If there is news, throw it into the air so that we can all see it."
Jing Yu and Song Qian found some thatch and blankets and spent the night. Fortunately, it was dry and warm in the Dragon King Temple, and Jing Yu had a sweet dream.
In the early morning, a circle of mist surrounds the mountain forest, and birds fly through the forest, making clear calls. The Dragon King Temple once again waited for a regular visitor. She was still wearing the silver dress and holding an oil-paper umbrella.
Jing Yu was woken up by Song Qian, and the two of them hid behind the temple, leaning against the wall, sticking their heads out, and looking into the dark room.
The beauty's beautiful nose trembled imperceptibly, and her white slender eyebrows frowned slightly. She sensed the smell of human activity here. However, she did not alert the snake, but lit three incense sticks as usual and worshiped the Dragon King Temple in front of her.
When Jing Yu saw this person's appearance, he was so surprised that his chin almost touched the ground. He really felt like he had met a fairy who was not stained by the secular world.
Song Qiandao's heart was strong, he was unmoved, his eyes were deep, as if he understood something.
The fairy did not leave immediately. She stood the oil-paper umbrella by the wall. The light from outside came in, and the blurry figure became clear. She was slim and graceful, and her lustrous white hair hung naturally on both sides. She seemed to be talking to herself. Talking to himself, he seemed to be explaining to the two people hiding in the dark.
"As a demon, I am alienated from the bustling city, people, and happiness. But I stayed underwater for too long, so long that I lost track of time. When I saw groups of children playing by the river, or in the water I envy women who wash clothes and passers-by in restaurants. I also want to indulge in the secular world, and would rather have only a short time. People have built a Dragon King Temple for me. In fact, my heart is complicated. On the one hand, I am not a dragon. , I am not worthy of this temple, but on the other hand, I do enjoy the feeling of being noticed by everyone, which makes me secretly happy."
She still hadn't finished her thoughts and sat cross-legged on the ground, regardless of whether her white dress would be dirty: "Time has only brought me loneliness. I believe that all demons with spiritual intelligence feel the same way. So I wanted to take up the responsibility of the Dragon King Temple, but it's a pity that I met a group of people who claimed to be my kind. They gave me various resources and allowed me to reach a state where I could control some of the laws of nature in a very short period of time. I didn’t expect that I was still too young to be deceived by such a group of my kind. The side effects of resources are very strange, making me unable to control my own abilities. Just like this flood, my abilities suddenly burst out while I was sleeping. Seeing the happy people in the past fleeing to the mountains to survive, I feel very guilty and guilty. , I also thought about the self-destruction demon pill, but I couldn't do it every time. I had no choice but to worship this statue that belongs to me every day to numb my heart."
Jing Yu's heart was moved. He also had moments of loneliness. It would be better to say that he spent all his time in loneliness. No one could understand his behavior as an outsider. It would be fine if he knew the memories of his previous life, but he even forgot about his family, career, and partners in his previous life. This irreparable feeling of emptiness is no different from that of a demon who has lived alone for thousands of years. Fortunately, life is short, and there are always a few people who will appear on the otherwise ordinary journey, and Jing Yu's soul is nourished by this.
After saying this, the beauty stood up and slowly walked out of the Dragon King Temple without looking back.
Jing Yu's brain was driven by unknown power. He ignored Song Qian's dissuasion and rushed to the door. He grabbed the oil paper umbrella dropped by the fairy, raised it above his head, and shouted towards the graceful figure: "If you have a chance, I am willing to be your believer! If you think you are too lonely, you might as well look forward. You have to believe that even if you are a demon, you still have a close friend!"
The silver threads fluttered in the wind, and she turned around gracefully, with a faint smile on her cold expression, and crystal tears slid down her cheeks.
Song Qian quietly appeared behind Jing Yu and put his hand on the other person's waist with a wicked smile on his face: "You are so obsessed with lust that you have fallen in love."
Jing Yu was startled: "How could it be possible? I have resonated with her, do you understand? A gentleman talks but doesn't do anything, and I can't bear to shoot a woman. What if she did it unintentionally?"
"Okay, I also want to be a gentleman." Song Qian put away his flying sword and stepped aside to give a signal.
Jing Yu wanted to go back to the temple to calm down, but instead he was hugged into a soft embrace. The beauty hugged Jing Yu tightly and sobbed. The latter's face turned red, his brain shut down, his hand loosened, and the umbrella handle fell to the ground.
"Beauty, you are too tall, I can't breathe..." Jing Yu's neck was entangled with the woman's arms. He would not be able to take in air for a while, and there was a risk of suffocation.
When the woman found out, she immediately let go, and Jing Yu lay on the ground, feeling excited about the rest of his life.
Song Qian was stunned. When he got closer, he realized that the snake's human form was so tall. It was estimated that the snake was about six feet tall, which was quite astonishing.
"From what you said, you were the one who caused the heavy rain?" Jing Yu asked casually as he sat on the ground.
The beauty nodded, stopped sobbing, and returned to a cold expression: "I am a water snake who has been practicing for nine hundred years. I was originally at the critical point of the sixth-level catastrophe. I ate a bunch of pills given by mysterious people and managed to come up. Then I have gained the ability to control wind and rain, but I can control it. When I came in, I noticed the presence of someone in the temple. I thought you might be the demon slayers from the capital."
"When did Dingmingsi become famous?"
"I heard it from a mysterious person. A new demon eradication agency was formed in the capital, specifically to eradicate demons that cause harm to the world. It seems that those mysterious people are disgusted with this agency." The beauty stood obediently in front of Jing Yu.
"If it's not a monster that likes killing, we usually won't deal with it. Just like the Shelu before, it just stole jade and was eventually caught as a mascot." Jing Yu smiled and said, "What do you call it? Yes. Name?"
"My name is Ningqu, are you really not going to kill me?" Ningqu asked, blinking his beautiful eyes.
Song Qian said calmly: "Are there any casualties in this flood? If so, what are the specific circumstances? Since the flood is not necessarily your problem, the Dingming Division will not take immediate measures."
"You should ask the county magistrate, what is she doing?" Jing Yu replied, he was very dissatisfied with Song Qian's sneak attack just now.
"That's why you're protecting me? In the declining world, you actually abandoned your brother for beauty. How sad!" Song Qian pretended to be heartbroken.
At this time, Qiao Xu and Chen Xueyun arrived. When they saw a stunning beauty standing in the center, they didn't even blink.
"Look, these two of you are obsessed with Shushan's feminine beauty." Jing Yu mocked.
After a brief introduction, Qiao Xu also imitated Jing Yu and complained: "No, I asked you to squat alone, how can you abduct a witch back? Jing Yu, you can do it, it's okay."
He still holds a grudge, Jing Yu cursed.
Ningqu's mana was uncontrollable, and the most effective solution was to kill him, but this plan was naturally rejected. He could only ask Gu Danqing, the old man, to see if he could stabilize or seal the demon's mana.
However, the stagnant water in Lin'an can be easily solved. As long as Ningqu is taken away, once the rain in Lin'an stops, the county magistrate will naturally have a way to organize the strong men to drain the water. However, for safety reasons, the four people and one demon could only return to the capital by land. There was no telling when Ningqu's ability would happen again. (To be continued)
