After a few words with the shopkeeper, Shi Xuan took Ding Mingde back to his small courtyard. Although he said he wanted to talk by candlelight at night, Ding Mingde was tired and hungry all the way. Now that he had eaten and drank enough, he was feeling sleepy, so he met Shi Xuan.
After chatting for a few words, Xuan couldn't stop his eyelids from rolling down.
Seeing this, Shi Xuan smiled knowingly and remembered the time he used to stay up all night to go to class, and hurriedly took Ding Mingde to the left wing to settle down.
Returning to his room, Shi Xuan did not immediately start to meditate. Instead, he closed his eyes and sat cross-legged, seemingly resting his mind or cultivating, but in fact, he let go of his spiritual sense and watched the entire courtyard warily, reacting to the vicious attack from before.
Shi Xuan didn't dare to be careless about his gaze, and if someone came, he might get more information.
It's a pity that the owner of that gaze did not come to visit Shi Xuan's yard tonight. The only sound in the whole yard was Ding Mingde's snoring and the chirping of cicadas on the parasol trees in the yard, making the night seem peaceful and quiet. Shi Xuan was on guard for an hour.
After that, he put down his guard and started to visualize. During this period, whether on the road or in an inn or restaurant, Shi Xuan never relaxed his practice of visualization. Every day, he could feel the power of his soul, which had entered his mind.
I have reached the peak of the soul-strengthening stage, but unfortunately I still haven’t touched the threshold of the soul-out-of-body stage.
The moonlight was like water, and the night breeze was slightly cool. After Shi Xuan finished his meditation, he sat in front of the window and looked at the night scene in the yard, listening to various subtle sounds. This feeling was like being independent from the whole world, quietly observing this
The world. For Shi Xuan, everything is actually like a dream, but now that he is here, all he can do is move forward.
For Shi Xuan's current cultivation level, daily sleep is still very necessary, especially since he is going to Tongxuan Mountain tomorrow, and he needs to be mentally alert. Originally, Shi Xuan had already arranged a specific itinerary, but the appearance of Ding Mingde made it more difficult
Shi Xuan put Shuanghu Village at the top of his itinerary. Because he didn't know much about it, he had to be extremely vigilant. After relaxing for a while, Shi Xuan went to bed.
Have a good night's sleep.
The sky was slightly white and the breeze was refreshing. Shi Xuan ordered two breakfasts after practicing in the early morning, and then woke up Ding Mingde. Tongxuan Mountain is fifty miles northwest of the city. Based on Shi Xuan's journey, it would only take a few hours to arrive, but
If you take Ding Mingde, who looks like a frail scholar at first glance, you will probably have to walk for a whole day. So wake up Ding Mingde early, and then you will have more time whether you walk or hire a carriage.
In the yard, under the sycamore tree and at the stone table, Ding Mingde was sitting opposite Shi Xuan. He looked like he was not awake at first glance. Although his personality was a bit bookish, he did not have any arrogance. He knew that he was just rubbing against Shi Xuan.
The food and the house were very cooperative, and I took a shower and got up.
"Brother Mingde, I have arranged for the waiter to call a carriage so that we can arrive at Tongxuan Mountain in Shen Shichu. Should we be able to make it in time?" Shi Xuan asked.
Ding Mingde said with some gratitude: "Brother Zi'ang, thank you for your trouble. According to my cousin, the chief steward will wait for me at Yuhua Pavilion for an hour during Youshi. It's totally time."
After the meal, Shi Xuan and Ding Mingde carried their luggage and went to the counter to pay the full price. Shi Xuan gave an extra two taels of silver as a tip to the waiter. The waiter blushed gratefully and led Shi Xuan and Ding Mingde respectfully.
Ding Mingde walked to the side door of the inn.
As soon as he walked out of the side door, he saw a relatively simple carriage. The two horses seemed to be a bit older, and the driver was a middle-aged man with a somewhat honest appearance. Seeing Shi Xuan and others coming out, they hurriedly stepped forward.
He nodded and bowed and said: "Two gentlemen, we are going to Tongxuan Mountain. I, Zheng Daniu, am not boasting. I have been walking this road for almost twenty years. My carriage is smooth and fast."
"Well, the waiter told you just now that as long as you catch this trip well, I will reward you with not only the two taels of silver for the fare, but also an additional five taels of silver." Shi Xuan still has some spare money now, and he has arrived.
Now at the stage of the Great Zhou Dynasty the day after tomorrow, you only need to eat enough food to replenish your energy every day. You can also hunt in the wild, and your need for money is not as high as it was in Cheyenne City.
"I'm sure, you two gentlemen, don't worry, don't worry!" Zheng Daniu said happily when he saw that his income far exceeded his imagination. Then he let the two of them get into the carriage, sat on the carriage frame, and raised his hands.
The whip inside.
Zheng Daniu was not bragging. Although the carriage was unavoidable, it was much better than the carriage he had ridden before. Just seeing Ding Mingde's face turn pale without spitting out was proof. Shi Xuan saw that Ding Mingde was not that energetic.
Talk and chat with Zheng Daniu.
He is worthy of being a man who has been driving a carriage to Tongxuan Mountain for twenty years. Although many of Zheng Daniu’s words did not allow Shi Xuan to get more information, they also confirmed some of the things Shi Xuan had inquired about before. For example, Tongxuan Mountain is indeed full of people every year.
There are people who have gone missing. Although they are all said to have been eaten by wild beasts, only a few of them can find their bodies. For example, in Tongxuan Mountain, you can often hear a sound similar to a tiger's roar at night, which is rumored to be caused by the monster.
As soon as noon arrived, Zheng Daniu saw the sun shining brightly and said to Shi Xuan: "Master Shi, we have walked more than half the distance. We will arrive in just over an hour. There is a tea shop in front of us. It is already afternoon, so why not go there?"
Drink some tea, eat some food there, and rest before leaving."
Shi Xuan looked at Ding Mingde, whose face turned pale, thought about the short distance left, and nodded: "Then let's go and have a rest. It happens to be afternoon."
After the carriage had walked for another half-quarter of an hour, a simple tea shop appeared on the roadside. A small pavilion served as the kitchen, with a large pergola outside, with five or six square tables randomly placed, and a hanging
A flag with the word "tea" written on it is the entire tea shop.
When Shi Xuan's carriage stopped, a petite middle-aged aunt with slightly gray hair came out of the tea shop. She said to Shi Xuan and the others: "A few guests want to drink tea. A large pot only costs ten dollars."
Wen, we also have bacon, smoked chicken and rice here."
"Then bring a big pot of tea, cut a plate each of bacon and chicken, and fill it with rice. Is this enough money? If you have more, I will reward you." Shi Xuan looked at Zheng Daniu and Ding Mingde, and then gave it to the landlady.
One tael of silver said.
"That's enough! That's enough! Please take a seat inside." The landlady said very attentively when she saw the more generous guests.
Perhaps because of the hot weather in August, not many people are willing to travel far to offer incense and worship Buddha. There is only one customer at one table in the entire tea shop. This customer is very tall and tall, just sitting there, he is as tall as the landlady and has thick eyebrows.
He has big eyes, a beard, and his specific age cannot be determined. He is wearing an old Taoist robe, full of holes and stains. There is a huge sword on the table, which is twice as wide as the sword used by ordinary people in the world, and five years longer.
In addition, there is a large pot of tea, a plate of bacon, and a few steamed buns that look like they are brought with you.
In addition, there is a curtain around the edge of the woods behind the tea shop, and several tough guards around it. These are the female relatives of powerful families going out to play.
Zheng Daniu took some food and tea and went back to the carriage to enjoy it. On the one hand, he was looking at the carriage, and on the other hand, he felt that his status was not worthy of sitting and dining with Shi Xuan.
Shi Xuan originally planned for the three of them to have lunch together, but Zheng Daniu insisted on it, and Shi Xuan couldn't force it. He and Ding Mingde had tea and bacon, and casually chatted about Ding Mingde being a teacher at Tongxuan Mountain.
Although Ding Mingde was a little dizzy from the bumps before, he regained his energy when he saw the food. While eating, he talked happily about future arrangements.
At this time, the burly Taoist stood up. He was nine feet tall (one foot is about 0.23 meters), almost a head taller than Shi Xuan. He took his giant sword, and then walked slowly behind Ding Mingde, his face expressionless.
He nodded towards Shi Xuan expressively. Shi Xuan didn't know what he wanted to do. He just looked at him warily. From the steps and actions of this tall and strong stranger, you could tell that he was a master. What level he was in?
, Shi Xuan doesn’t have the ability to see it yet.
Ding Mingde was getting excited when he suddenly felt a shadow covering his head. Shi Xuan, who was opposite him, also looked behind him with a smile. He quickly turned his head and saw the burly Taoist standing behind him like a mountain pressing down on him. He couldn't help but look towards Shi Xuan.
The direction moved a bit.
The burly Taoist said with a cold expression: "A certain family is also going to Shuanghu Village in Tongxuan Mountain. I heard that the two of you are traveling together, so I came over to get acquainted." I don't know if he deliberately had this cold expression, or if he really doesn't know how to interact with him.
When dealing with people, he seems very arrogant.
"Taoist Master, you are right. We meet each other because we are destined. I don't know Gao's surname?" Shi Xuan said with some caution in his heart.
"A certain family is not a Taoist priest, but this Taoist robe is loose and comfortable to wear. A certain family's surname is Yan, and the master named it 'Jujian'." Yan Jujian still looked expressionless.
The master's standard of naming was really poor. Shi Xuan cursed a few times and then introduced: "This is Mr. Ding Ming De Ding. This time he went to Shuanghu Village in Tongxuan Mountain to be a teacher. I am poor... I am Shi Xuan.
I was on a trip to Tongxuan Mountain and happened to meet Brother Ding. We hit it off and we went together."
Yan Jujian looked at Shi Xuan and Shi Xuan carefully, and said with some meaning: "A certain family went to Shuanghu Village in Tongxuan Mountain to find an old friend."
Yan Jujian did not ask for their consent and sat down on his own. Shi Xuan wanted to see what the tall stranger had in mind, so he did not stop him. After the pleasantries, Yan Jujian began to ask Ding Mingde about
Although it was just an insinuation about what happened in Tongxuan Mountain, Shi Xuan clearly understood that he was not very good at talking to others. Only Ding Mingde, a nerd, couldn't figure it out. He was very happy to have met a new friend.
, he answered all questions readily. Shi Xuan secretly murmured, could he also come to seek immortality and seek enlightenment?
And when Shi Xuan in turn wanted to get information about Shuanghu Village in Tongxuan Mountain from Yan Jujian, he found that the tall and strong stranger basically answered Shi Xuan's questions with "unclear", otherwise he just said "I don't know".