At the foot of Huayan Mountain in the morning, people line up like ants.
"Sir, aren't you leaving?"
The businessman stood weakly beside the Taoist and looked at him with questioning eyes. When he saw no response, he finally asked.
"We'll leave in a few days."
The Taoist turned his head and looked at the refugees around him, then looked up at the increasingly hot sun.
This place is far more dry than Shazhou. If there is another heavy rain here, it may take longer than a hundred days. Moreover, there is a lack of geographical environment to retain water and a lack of residents. A rain will not only be of little use.
It won't even last a day.
Fortunately, he still has a way.
"Then let's sit in the back, where you can get some shade from the sun. It's really too hot here. If you can't get some shade, sir, you'll be dried out by the sun very soon."
"I'm not afraid if I have the Taoism around me." Song You said, looking up at him with a gentle tone, "It's good here. I'll just sit here and feel the charm."
"..."
"Don't stay here for a long time." Song You said to him, as if he didn't care about how much saliva he was wasting. "I see you know the etiquette and observe the rules, and have the courage and perseverance. It is really rare. The ups and downs in life are only temporary, as long as
If you can overcome this difficulty, given time, whether you can become a great person or not, it is difficult to be mediocre and inactive. It is better to leave as soon as possible and find a way out."
"..."
The merchant's lips were so dry that they turned white and cracked. He looked at the water bag carried by the Taoist again and realized that there was actually no more than two mouthfuls of water in it. He didn't dare to ask for it and had no strength to speak. He just arched his hand towards him and staggered.
Staggeringly, he turned around and walked away, heading towards the shade ahead.
Looking back——
The Taoist sat cross-legged without moving, his luggage was placed beside him, and the horse stood beside him. The cat found a small sand dune, stood on it, stretched its neck, and looked around.
What a strange Taoist.
The businessman walked to the shade and just breathed a sigh of relief when his legs gave out and he fell to the ground.
…
There are indeed few major roads in the vast Gobi desert, and Huayan Mountain is the only place where people in the entire Hecheng area must pass.
Countless business travelers and refugees gathered here.
No one dares to travel when the sun is hot. No matter how much water you bring, you will fall under the scorching sun and high temperature before walking a few miles, and then be quickly roasted into a mummy. So every time it is close to noon, people will
You have to work hard to find shelter. Even if you can't find it, you have to huddle in the shadow of the camel and cover your body with a cloth. Only morning and dusk are the best times to travel.
Many caves have been dug into the stone walls of Huayan Mountain, and there are also many natural canyons and cracks. There are also sheds and wooden houses set up, which can provide shade. In addition, Huayan Mountain faces the west, so every noon there will naturally be people.
A large shadow is cast on the ground. Over time, it naturally becomes an excellent shade place for people coming and going.
At this time, countless people were staying here, and feeble discussions were heard from time to time.
Some understand it, some don't.
"This damn weather..."
"Do you know where there is water nearby?"
"Where is the water? The rivers in Hecheng have dried up. Hecheng is almost empty. Didn't you see that everyone is fleeing outside?"
"I don't want anyone to live anymore..."
"Where are you going? Can you get out?"
"If you don't leave, you will die..."
"This trip will cost you your life."
"well……"
Talking with the last effort is the solace subconsciously sought when death is approaching, the expectation for information about water sources, and the last sigh and complaint in life.
"God, if you don't want us to live, just take us away. Why do you want to leave us to suffer in the world? I have never done anything bad in my life..."
Wails, sighs, prayers.
The sound floated into the Taoist's ears.
Both the speaker and the silent person could not help but look at the Taoist in front of them.
Some of the people were hiding in caves, some huddled in the shadow of the canyon, some huddled in cracks, or sat under wooden sheds. Only this Taoist sat alone in the sunshine.
The sun in the Gobi Desert is extremely fierce. It can scorch the ground enough to fry eggs, and it can make people unable to open their eyes. Under the strong light, the Taoist sitting cross-legged is so conspicuous that he even has hair on his body.
The old Taoist robes became brighter and whiter.
There happened to be a shallow pit at that place.
The Taoist refused to leave, and neither did the cat Swallow. Anyway, the shadow cast by the quilt was enough to shield her and the swallow from the sun, so they kept staring at the Taoist who looked like an old monk in meditation.
Thanks to the hard work, the bay-red horse lying next to her was lying down.
Fortunately, cats, horses and swallows are protected by Taoism, and they are not so easy to die of thirst or exposure to the sun.
It's just uncomfortable but still uncomfortable.
As the sun lasts longer and the lack of water lasts longer and longer, this discomfort will become more and more severe, and even monsters may not be able to bear it.
The quilt bag still cast a small shadow, and the calico cat was lying on the ground. There was a swallow beside her, who was also listless. When she felt uncomfortable, she couldn't help but look at the Taoist next to her.
The Taoist priest actually sat under the scorching sun for three full days without moving or even opening his eyes.
If it were any ordinary person, they would be baked dry in one afternoon.
"..."
The calico cat couldn't help but crawl forward.
Climbing very slowly.
As soon as her claws stepped out of the shadow range and touched the ground under the scorching sun, there was a burst of heat. The instantaneous temperature change made her retract her claws like lightning. It was not until she used her spiritual power to protect her body that she stepped forward again.
Climb up and walk to the Taoist - take a closer look at him, smell him again, as if you just met him a short time ago, and observe his situation.
It's just that the calico cat back then was afraid that the Taoist priest would die and wanted to see if he was still alive. Now the calico cat naturally knows that the Taoist priest will not die that easily, but he also wants to observe him.
"Are you thirsty, Taoist priest?"
The calico cat asked the Taoist priest tentatively, keeping his voice very low, not wanting to disturb him, but also wanting to hear his answer.
"Meow?"
The calico cat tilted its head and came closer to the Taoist, looking at the Taoist's dry mouth: "Do you want to drink water? We still have a little water!"
"Ms. Sanhua, please come back. Don't bother sir." Yanzi's voice came from behind, and it was also very small and weak. "Sir, you are comprehending some kind of spiritual charm."
"Well?"
The cat turned its head instantly and stared at him suspiciously.
"Didn't Miss Sanhua notice that there is a kind of aura surrounding Sir, which is getting thicker and more mysterious?"
"Meow~"
Mao'er felt it carefully, and it seemed that it was indeed the case: "This feeling seems a bit familiar."
"Yangdu."
"Yangdu!"
"There was something similar in Yangdu."
"Yes!" Cat's eyes widened slightly, "You seem to be smarter than me!"
"The sun is very hot and I haven't drank water for two days. Sanhua Empress, stop talking or moving around. Come back and hide. When it gets cooler in the evening, I will take the horse to the Gobi to look for water."
"OK……"
The cat stopped walking this time. Instead, it bent its legs slightly and jumped directly from the Taoist to the quilt.
The figure stretches in the air and casts a shadow on the ground.
Yanzi immediately seemed to have awakened the fear in his blood, and subconsciously wanted to run, spreading his wings, but resisted and took them back. However, after the cat jumped back to him, he remained silent
I moved a little further away from her, feeling relieved.
The sun sets in the west and dusk slowly falls.
The violent heat between heaven and earth finally began to change into gentleness.
It becomes more comfortable at night.
Morning is the coolest time.
But as soon as the sun comes out, it heats up quickly again, as if it is showing its power to the world.
This is another reincarnation.
During this period, every morning and evening when it was cool, someone would pass by the Taoist and see him sitting motionless. They would come over to check on him. They even saw that he was a Taoist and took special care of him, even though he was too thirsty to have any strength.
, but would also come and ask him to see if he was still alive and persuade him to leave.
Of course the Taoist didn't answer.
Occasionally, there would be people with evil intentions who wanted to see what was in the quilt bag and see if the water bag was empty, but they were scared off by the red horse standing up and making a pretentious kicking motion.
Just sit there for a few more days.
The aura around the Taoist became more and more mysterious, and both the swallows and the calico cats were clearly aware of it - the mystery here was really difficult to describe, and they didn't know how to understand or comprehend it. They only knew that even if they stayed in the mysterious center of the aura,
Doing nothing, it feels like you are being baptized naturally. If you can catch a little more, you will get a little more blessings.
Until after ten days of sitting.
When you practice and gain enlightenment, your aura will naturally affect the world.
The Taoist finally opened his eyes.
It was dusk at this time.
There were still countless business travelers ahead, refugees and ordinary people staggered past, and people were gradually walking out of the shaded areas of Huayan Mountain, walking into the distance, thirsty like zombies.
There happened to be an elderly businessman from the Western Regions, holding a camel, staggering over to see him——
She must have been hiding in the shade of Huayan Mountain to watch him all day. Before, the sun was scorching hot and I didn't dare to come over. Now that the sun has gone down, I came over to see if the Taoist was alive or dead.
He was immediately startled when he saw the Taoist open his eyes. Although he was weak, his eyes were indifferent.
"you are still alive?"
"yes……"
This is the first person the Taoist sees when he opens his eyes.
"Where did you come from, sir? Why did you sit here all day? Why didn't you go behind to hide from the sun? Why didn't you leave?"
"I'm practicing here."
"Practice?" The businessman shook his head, "This is what we do here, sir, you should leave quickly. If there is not enough water, I can give you two sips, just consider it a good thing."
"Thank you very much."
Song You stood up and said in a sincere tone, "But I'm not short of water."
Many passers-by glanced at him.
I saw the Taoist pick up the water bag from the side, as if he wanted to drink water. When everyone saw this, their eyes couldn't help but be a little more envious. Maybe it was because of the burning, and even their throats began to swallow subconsciously, but the Taoist pulled out the stopper of the water bag.
, but did not drink, but slowly tilted it.
When everyone saw it, they were stunned again.
"..."
The water in the water bag is almost gone. Even if the water bag is completely turned upside down, only a drop of crystal appears on the mouth of the pot, like crystal. It stays for a few breaths before slowly dripping down.
"Snapped……"
Water drops fall on the thirsty Gobi desert.
A small drop of water was swallowed up by the Gobi in an instant, but it did not disappear without a trace. Instead, it seemed to become an introduction, moistening the Gobi, and then it was as if the earth had opened a hole leading to an underground river. From this moisture, it went crazy
Water gushes out, expands it, and slowly turns into a lake.