The people of Wangjiazhuang didn't care. The Shetou Mountain area was very remote. For the farmers here, the world was good and the royal grain and national taxes were not low. The world was bad and the village could not squeeze out more oil and water.
The only thing people in Wangjiazhuang care about is the future.
This year was a good year, with good weather and good harvest, but Zhuangzi was still full of sorrow.
Wang Laoliu loaded a bag of grain onto the bullock cart. He was very reluctant to touch the bag of grain. He turned to the old patriarch and asked: "The grain we have worked so hard to grow is just going to be handed over to those bandits?"
The wrinkles on the old patriarch's face deepened, and he let out a long sigh.
"If we don't give it to them, they will come down and grab it!"
At least no one will die. The old patriarch did not say this.
A few days ago, the bandits on Snake Tou Mountain sent down a group of men. Strange to say, they actually asked the village to pay them taxes! If they didn't pay, they would come down and collect them with a knife!
For the harvest in this field, the imperial grain and national taxes were paid once, and the landowners paid the tax once. Now the bandits have to pay again, and the 100% is reduced to 99%.
With how little food each family has left, can the children in the village survive the deep winter?
The old patriarch felt bitter in his heart.
It seems that this winter, he and the old guy from Zhuangzi will have to go into the mountains.
"It would be great if Taoist Xuanxiao was nearby!" Wang Laoliu suddenly said.
This Taoist Xuanxiao is a new hero who has emerged in the near future. It is best to fight against injustice. He has wiped out many gangsters and stupid thieves who blocked the road. It is said that he has even killed many demons and ghosts entrenched in ancient tombs in the mountains.
The old patriarch shook his head. There were hundreds of old thieves on Snake Head Mountain. No matter how powerful Taoist Xuanxiao was, what could one person and one sword do?
He was about to open his mouth to refute, when suddenly, there was a ringing of bells in the field.
"Jingle Bell."
In the mist between the ridges, a Taoist priest riding a donkey appeared. A copper bell was hung on the neck of the big green donkey, making a tinkling sound.
When the Taoist priest saw Zhuangzi, he drove his donkey until he was seven or eight paces away from the crowd.
"My father-in-law, I heard that there is Snake Head Mountain nearby, and there is a 'mountain spider' on the mountain. Where should I go?"
When the Taoist priest asked this question, the villagers there looked nervous, and some even quietly took out hatchets and hunting bows. The old patriarch turned back and glared at the crowd, and then a few young people who were eager to try stopped.
No wonder they were so nervous, because this "Mountain Spider" was not a spider, but a human being, to be precise, a mountain bandit leader. Because the knife was so fast, it seemed to have eight arms when it was swung, and it was also ferocious and cruel, and had a weird hobby.
That is, he loves spiders so much that if someone hurts a spider in front of him, he will chop him into pieces no matter who he is. Therefore, the green forest gave him the nickname "Mountain Spider".
Of course, this is not necessarily true. The world is in chaos, demons are dancing around, and the definition between humans and demons is not as clear as it was in the peaceful era.
The king of the mountain who collects taxes from Zhuangzi is the "mountain spider". The Taoist priest in front of him is tall and has a sword on his back. He looks like a good swordsman, and he most likely came to Luocao on Shetou Mountain. As for looking for the mountain
There is a possibility of trouble for thieves. There are hundreds of old thieves on Snake Head Mountain. What can one person and one sword do?
Moreover, this Taoist priest looks really weird. He doesn't even have a bun on his head. He has a layer of short hair on his head, which is only slightly more than that of a monk.
short hair?
Wang Laoliu stared at the short hair for a while, then suddenly exclaimed:
"You...you are Taoist Priest Xuanxiao?!"
The Taoist priest turned sideways on the big green donkey.
"You recognize me?"
…………………………
The old patriarch told the current situation of the village. When he talked about the difficulties, the daughters-in-law and daughters of several families shed tears secretly, and several men also had red eyes.
Xuan Xiao pondered for a while, then suddenly threw a small object over.
The old patriarch hurriedly caught it, and Xuan Xiao's voice came to his ears.
"Old man, how about selling me this car of yours?"
The old patriarch looked up blankly and opened his palms, and the villagers suddenly burst into an uproar.
Lying in the palm of the old patriarch's hand was a bead, jade-white in color, round in shape, and about the size of an eyeball. Anyone could see that not to mention this cart, even the entire village, was not worth a fraction of this bead.
.
"As for that group of bandits..."
When the villagers heard this, their eyes were still full of the color of the beads, Xuan Xiao smiled indifferently.
"How about selling it to me as well?"
The old patriarch was already dazzled by the round luster of the beads. He didn't hear what Xuan Xiao said clearly and just nodded in agreement. But he didn't know that the beads were actually worthless. On the contrary, they were very cheap. They could be bought for just a few dozen yuan.
sack.
The only one who can come up with such high imitation goods is Li Changan.
After returning to the ancient world, Li Changan discovered that several months had passed here, and the old Taoist had already left Yulin and was missing. Only a tomb of Li Changan's clothes was left next to the ruined temple.
Li Changan had no choice but to bury the bottle of Lai Mao in his own grave and set off alone. As for why he bore Xuan Xiao's name, firstly, the old Taoist buried the ultimatum in the grave as a relic, and Li Changan conveniently used it.
Secondly, if he makes some noise, the old man will know that he is still alive.
He was looking for a new monster that appeared in the Yellow Shell Book, but the Yellow Shell Book did not provide clues about the monster, so he had to cover his head and wander around, acting on the wind. Along the way, if there were injustices, he dared to take care of them because he had no worries.
With one shot, he can kill both humans and demons, and he has gained some fame.
Therefore, some people in this remote village also knew his name.
In this case, Li Changan should take care of this matter!
……………………
There is a natural cave in Shetou Mountain. If it were in a beautiful place, it might have been occupied by some monks to make a cave. But now, it was made a nest by a group of stupid thieves. After several repairs, it happened to be the "Juyi Hall"
”.
There is a banquet going on in the "Juyi Hall".
Several heads of the Shetou Mountain were enjoying a feast at the banquet. On the table, there were roasted pigs, stewed chicken, beef and mutton... Although they were all produced in the fields in the mountains, they were still quite rich. In addition, each of the heads was leaning on
A disheveled woman added a bit of joy to the banquet.
These women had forced smiles on their faces. Although they were all dressed as farm girls, they were all of middle-to-upper-class appearance, and it was unknown where they got them.
In the middle of the hall, there is a dancer dressed in tulle, with a voluptuous figure. As she twists her waist, she smiles and frowns, and her eyes seem to be filled with spring.
The leaders were so jealous that they wanted to rush forward and make a fuss about her on the spot, but in the end no one dared to take action because this woman belonged to the strong man at the top, the head of the Snake Head Mountain - Mountain Spider.
In the center of the hall, the dancer was dancing to a wonderful point, and the tulle on her body was about to fall off.
"The big boss!"
In the midst of the lively banquet, a whistling voice broke into the room.
Mountain Spider glared at the bad-tempered little boss, patted his thigh, and the dancer twisted her waist and sat over.
"What are you doing?"
The little leader was dumbfounded and had no idea how to read people's words, but he still replied carelessly: "The offerings from Wangjiazhuang down the mountain have been brought up."
Mountain Spider waved his hand impatiently. It was delivered as soon as it was delivered. Why report such a trivial matter?
"The person who brought the things was a Taoist priest..."
Oh, this piqued the mountain spider's interest a little bit.
"...He said he wanted to give the boss a treasure."
……………………
The little boss led Li Changan into the hall and then left. Only Li Changan, a few leaders and the women around the leader were left in the hall.
As soon as he entered the door, he was met with several unkind glances. He looked back and saw that several leaders did not eat, and the women did not tease him, but stared at him.
A lame show of force. Li Changan remained calm and secretly despised in his heart.
But these women, especially the one next to Mountain Spider, are really more beautiful than the last... Huh? Li Changan twitched his nose.
"Taoist priest, you ruined my mood!" Shanzhidama Jindao sat on a chair and glared at Li Changan in the hall. "Your precious treasure had better be a real treasure, otherwise..."
A cruel and teasing smile appeared on the mountain spider's face.
"I'll cut off your baby and make some soup to cheer me up!"
After saying that, the whole hall burst into laughter.
Li Changan stood leisurely, thinking that the laughter was just a breeze, and he just spread his hands forward.
Suddenly.
The roar of laughter in the hall came to an abrupt end like a chicken being pulled by its neck. Everyone in the hall stared straight at Li Changan's open palms.
That's a bead.
Yes, they were purchased online together with the one given to the old patriarch. The merchant's workmanship was poor and the beads they sold were of different sizes. Li Changan also gave a negative review. This one is the biggest among them.
"Hurry up and close the door!"
The air in the hall was quiet for a long time. It was not until Li Changan made a gesture to put it away that Mountain Spider jumped up from the chair. The first thing he said was to close the door so that no one outside could see it.
The leader at the bottom quickly closed the door.
Mountain Spider spoke again: "Tighten the door latch and door bars!"
Li Changan took a look and saw that they were all thigh-thick solid wood. They were probably used to defend against foreign enemies, but now they were used to defend against his own men.
The leader hurriedly secured the door tightly, and the mountain spider over there couldn't wait to scream: "Bring it to me quickly!"
The leader took the beads again and quickly presented them to them.
Several leaders couldn't help but leave the table and gathered together. The mountain spider couldn't put it down and kept saying: "Okay, okay, okay!"
In their excitement, Li Changan suddenly spoke.
"I have something else to give you."
"What else baby!"
Hearing this, Mountain Spider suddenly raised his head and looked over, his eyes full of greed and eagerness that could not be concealed. The first thing he gave was a priceless treasure, wouldn't the next thing he gave... Mountain Spider's poor imagination, has already found
There is nothing more precious.
"I'll send you all..."
Li Changan stopped when he said this. He opened the cloth bag he carried with him, revealing a simple hilt of a sword. He looked at the bandit leader who was trapped in a small room and isolated from his men, and smiled casually: