Zhang Jiao couldn't think of which sage's title this was for a moment.
Since the reason why he repeatedly failed in the examination as a scholar was that he could not answer certain unfamiliar questions, he read widely in miscellaneous books. He learned from them how to distinguish herbs, avoid wild beasts, and camp overnight.
As far as Zhang Jiao knows, because he wrote "Zhuangzi", also known as "Nanhua Zhenjing", the great Taoist Zhuang Zhou during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period was called "Nanhua Zhenren", and by extension "Nanhua Old Immortal". Reasonable, but Zhuangzi was naturally not a woman. If she were a descendant of Zhuangzi, she should not mistakenly call "Nanhua" "South China".
Woohoo - a wolf howled, interrupting Zhang Jue's brief trance. He cupped his hands and said, "This girl..."
Since there are many women who have realized the "unparalleled" warriors, under their leadership, the status of ordinary women who only want to support their husbands and raise children has also risen. Although it is still difficult to achieve equality between men and women, at least women can get involved in some historical aspects. The position is dominated by men.
However, even so, Zhang Jiao couldn't say something like "It's getting late, can I go to the girl's house to stay for a night?" It was still too abrupt.
"Thanks to the girl for rescuing me, Zhang Jiao, Mr. Julu, can you please ask the girl to recommend me a master?" Zhang Jiao finally said this. He tried several times, but he could not connect the "Southern China Old Immortal" with the young woman in front of him. stand up.
"How could a scholar with low martial arts like you go so far into the mountains..." The woman who claimed to be the "Old Immortal of South China" looked at Zhang Jiao again, then turned around with the strange little animal in her arms: " Come with me, even though I am an uninvited guest, if you stay here for one night, it is not too much for you."
This...sounds like there have been more lodgers before him? Zhang Jiao breathed a sigh of relief. She can accommodate other travelers. Her residence must be spacious enough, and he doesn't have to worry about being killed by that "fu" because he is too close to her. Fu" bit him to death.
...Huh? Being bitten to death by "Fufu"? Is this a premonition like encountering a natural enemy?
————
The sun had already set, and the mountains and forests in the distance were dark, and the shuddering roars of tigers and wolves were heard one after another. However, Zhang Jiao, who was following the "Southern China Old Immortal", had no trouble seeing the road under his feet because the surroundings around him were already dark. Not "mountain forest".
The surrounding "trees" are tall and straight, but have no roots. If you look carefully, you can find that they all hang down from the dense canopy at high altitudes, stick straight to the ground, and take deep roots. Because the giant tree whose body is not yet visible has enough Leaves, these "trunks" naturally do not need to have branches or leaves, and in this "forest", there are many bright flying insects that gather together and emit bright yellow light. Even if it is night, the light is still close to Similar at dusk.
"Originally, you can see these lights if you walk some distance further, and then you are attracted to them," said the "Southern China Old Immortal": "But you are unlucky enough to encounter a wild wolf. If it weren't for Fu Fu, you would be here now." You will definitely be covered in bruises when you come back."
"There are a lot of wild wolves nearby? Wouldn't it be dangerous for you, Miss Lin, to live here?" Zhang Jiao thought for a long time, and finally decided to use the "Lin Hao" mentioned when the "Southern China Old Immortal" introduced himself.
"Hao" refers to women, and also refers to kindness and beauty. If the word "Lin Hao" is analyzed in terms of nomenclature, it means "a beautiful and kind-hearted woman who lives in the forest".
...It certainly doesn't look like his real name either.
"Those wild wolves usually don't dare to approach this 'Fairy Forest'. Most of what you encounter is a small group of hunters who have been chasing the hunters here, neither daring to come in nor willing to leave." Lin Hao replied.
Orion Zhang Jiao thought of what he saw on his way to collect medicine. He didn't even stop to look for prey, but went straight to the depths of the mountain with a bow and an arrow on his back.
Hehe, he planned to be like me, but he was not ready to sleep in the forest at night. But what is the "Fairy Forest"?
While Zhang Jiao was thinking, he heard Lin Haoyan say: "We're here."
Looking up, it turned out to be a giant tree that was so huge that even hundreds of people could not surround it. There were many houses around its roots, including simple thatched houses, more formal wooden houses, and giant deers.
There are common mud-tile houses in the county, as well as magnificent stone houses made entirely of white stone.
And against the giant tree, there is a mansion that can be called a manor. It is complete with pavilions and pavilions, paths of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos and chrysanthemums, winding water corridors, rockery and fish ponds. It is so luxurious and magnificent that even Zhang Jiao once
The county governor's mansion I've seen in the county town is far inferior.
While sighing, Zhang Jiao couldn't help but feel wary. This place was so close to the giant deer, so why hadn't he heard any rumors about it? If it weren't for the fact that everyone who came here was so tight-lipped, then here... there was no way in or out.
As if sensing Zhang Jue's hesitation, Lin Hao suddenly stopped, looked back and said to him: "If I keep following, I'm afraid it will interfere with your judgment. Why don't you observe and make your own judgment."
Zhang Jiao was puzzled when she suddenly heard these words without beginning or end. Just as she was about to ask, she saw "Lin Hao" and "Fufu" in her arms disappearing into a gust of breeze at the same time.
————
"Zhang Sheng, Zhang Sheng! Don't go near those houses!"
Zhang Jiao was about to go to various houses to investigate when he suddenly heard someone calling him in the forest. He turned around and saw that it was a hunter from Julu County whom he had met several times. His surname was Cheng Yuanzhi.
When he looked again, there were several unfamiliar hunters sitting around a bonfire around him, and several others seemed to have been injured by wolves, lying on the straw mats, moaning in pain.
"The owner of this place allows me and other lost people to live in the house, but why do we sleep here?" Zhang Jiao approached the bonfire and asked Cheng Yuanzhi.
"If you want to live in that house, you have to pay a price. We can't afford it, so we have to live here temporarily. Although there are huge trees, it doesn't count as sleeping in the open." Cheng Yuanzhi replied.
"Do you need money?" Zhang Jiao frowned, but felt that the woman's demeanor shouldn't be like this.
"Other inns cost money, but here they cost lives," Cheng Yuanzhi said: "There are door signs on those houses, which read 'Entry', 'Easy', 'Ordinary', 'Difficult', and 'Shura'."
"It increases according to the sophistication of the house?" Zhang Jiao thought thoughtfully.
"That's right!" Cheng Yuanzhi said angrily: "Even if it is an 'entry' shabby thatched house, you need to kill sixteen wolves before you can move in - if we have such ability, why would we need to escape?"
"That's right -" a healthy injured person interjected: "The sixteen wolves were scattered in groups of four. I managed to kill three groups. Unexpectedly, the last group suddenly became much more ferocious. If I hadn't escaped quickly,
, and shouted to admit defeat in time, fearing that he would die there."
"Who is this warrior?" Zhang Jiao looked at the injured man.
"Oh, his name is Zhang Mancheng, and he is your same clan as Zhang Sheng." Cheng Yuanzhi introduced him.
"I admire Mancheng's bravery," Zhang Jiao took out some herbs from his medicine basket and applied it to Zhang Mancheng's wounds: "However, I think those houses are spacious and can accommodate more than one person. Why don't you challenge more than one person at the same time?"
"..." The area around the bonfire fell silent for an instant.
"Can it still be like this?!" Zhang Mancheng jumped up instantly. Although he was grinning slightly from his unhealed injuries, he looked excited: "Even a thatched house can accommodate four people - no, if multiple people can work together, it can be a wooden house.
It’s more than enough! Yuanzhi, Amao, let’s go!”
Zhang Mancheng, whose nature was like a fiery one, grabbed Cheng Yuanzhi and the man he called Deng Mao and rushed to the nearest thatched hut, tearing off the door plate with the word "Entry" written on it.
In Zhang Jiao's eyes, the three of them seemed to flicker for a moment, and then appeared in another posture. Zhang Mancheng's injuries seemed to be more serious, Cheng Yuanzhi was also slightly injured, and Deng Mao was even more disgraced, but the name on the house plate
However, the word "Entry" has been disappeared and turned into the word "Zhang".
"Haha! If I hadn't been injured, I would have challenged the 'ordinary' stone house today." Zhang Mancheng hung up the door number, and the door of the thatched cottage opened: "It seems that four people can live in this house! Zhang Sheng, you are coming too.
stop!"
Seeing Zhang Mancheng's success, a group of hunters around the campfire immediately teamed up with each other to get the house card. After all, although hunters were afraid of encountering wolves, with companions, a pack of equal numbers of wolves would never be able to defeat the hunter.
Zhang Jiao smiled at Zhang Mancheng and shook his head, walking straight towards the magnificent manor in the farthest corner.
"Challenge Shura?" Cheng Yuanzhi asked in surprise: "Is he going to fight hundreds of beasts alone?"
"No, we don't know what the occupancy requirements are for more luxurious houses," Zhang Mancheng shook his head: "He can only ask for his own blessings."
————
The hunters were blinded by a series of strange events. Zhang Jiao thought as he walked, no matter whether it was a beautiful woman, a strange forest or a village with giant trees, they could not match the mastery of "time" and "space" shown by the house number.
application.
Although many weird martial arts skills have emerged since "Wushuang" began to awaken. It is said that when practiced to a high level, it can even summon wind and rain, and spread beans into soldiers, but no one has ever seen it, and when it appeared quietly in front of them, it was...
Ignored by most people.
This kind of "ignorance" is best due to the lack of knowledge of the hunters themselves. If it were the original arrangement of the owner here, what they are doing now is seeking their own death - however, they have to do it.
Zhang Jiao thought so when he took off the "Shura" door plate at the entrance of the gorgeous manor.
Phew—the scenery in front of Zhang Jiao instantly stretched and twisted, forming a weird void passage. After passing through this passage, he found that he had not arrived at any weird place, but was in a room that matched the manor.
In the living room, two Taoists, an old man and a young man, were sitting at attention on a row of Taishi chairs in front of them.
The owner of this place? No, that's not the case. Zhang Jiao's eyes moved slightly and he didn't salute subconsciously.
"Hey, girl from the Lin family - we are all here, start the trial quickly!" The old man shouted without looking at Zhang Jiao.
A breeze blew by, and Lin Hao, who was holding a snow-white animal with pink petals, appeared in the hall. He glanced at Zhang Jiao in surprise and anticipation, then gently raised his hand and projected three satin books in the void.
.
"These are three chapters of "Taiping Yaoshu", which are divided into "Book of Heaven's Escape", "Book of Earth's Escape" and "Book of Human Escape". There is no distinction between superior and inferior, but the inner magical powers are different," Lin Hao said: "
Next, I will send all the Taoist priests to the trial scene of the master, and each one will choose one book in the order of passing the trial."
"Hey, Yu Laodao, Xiaosheng is going to investigate who can be the master of enlightenment in this world. Don't try to steal the escape book from Xiaosheng."
"Both the Human Escape Book and the Earth Escape Book are useful. If I take a step ahead, little friend, it depends on my mood."
"..." It seemed that he could obtain a strange book from the Immortal Family called "Book of Escape from Heaven" without any hindrance, but Zhang Jiao was not happy. These two people, or rather these two immortals, completely ignored him.
They distribute the spoils of war on their own, but on what basis?
Moreover, since they are allowed to participate in this trial, they will never have an obvious advantage.
"Miss Lin," Zhang Jiao said slowly, "Is it possible to obtain all three heavenly books?"
"..." The two Taoists, one old and one young, were stunned on the spot.
"Well..." Lin Hao tilted his head: "If only one person passes the test, the master can only hand over all the books to him."
Feeling the surging hostility from the two immortals, a smile appeared on Zhang Jiao's serious face.
