The ancient cypress trees on Jinyang Road are still lush.
There is another open space on the roadside, still blocked from the sun by ancient cypresses, but there is an additional stone statue in the open space. You can vaguely identify it as a Taoist priest, but you can't tell the appearance.
A bay-red horse stopped at the edge, gnawing on the grass beside the road.
Empress Sanhua turned into a human form, collected dry firewood, lit a small fire on the ground, and used bamboo sticks to string a bunch of bamboo shoot insects, which she had just caught in the bamboo forest on the road. Each one was very big.
, she was putting it on the flame to roast, with a serious expression on her face, and kept turning it over.
The unique aroma of a roasted crustacean insect slowly wafts out, attracting greedy insects.
The Taoist stood aside and looked at the stone statue.
There's really no similarity at all.
"Ding ding ding..."
A bell sounded in the distance.
The girl looked up habitually—
Several merchants were walking from a distance with horses and mules, and behind them were several people, either carrying burdens or leading donkeys. They didn't know where they were going, and they were all discussing with great interest as they walked.
Although it was only the morning and it was cool on the boulevard, it was midsummer after all, and it was hard to avoid feeling hot even when you were on the road. Without exception, these people were all sweating profusely, with their wet faces and necks reflecting light, and their cheeks and foreheads showing a bit of light.
She was blushing, and her eyebrows were raised as she spoke, showing a bit of excitement.
The sound slowly reached Empress Sanhua's ears.
"Can this be false? My cousin saw it with his own eyes! Yesterday evening, the sun had just set, and the sky was still visible, so I wouldn't have seen it wrong!"
"This is too mysterious..."
"Isn't that right? The sword flew over, spinning around while flying, making a whining sound. The tree next to the house only touched once and was immediately cut off. I passed by in the morning and took a look, and cut it out.
The opening was as bright as a porcelain plate! It is said that the sword light glared directly at the eyes, and the monster couldn't run away. It probably didn't even react, and its head fell off! It must have been the action of a god!"
"Then have you seen the monster?"
"I saw it! Of course I saw it! Many people in Niu Village gathered around to look, and I also went over to take a look!" The middle-aged man carrying the empty load suddenly grinned, "That's scary! I'm afraid the monster has a waist.
The two of them were so thick, their claws were like hooks. Only the body was left, and the neck was neatly chopped off. The head was sent to the county government early in the morning. I didn't see it, but I heard that the head was
It’s so scary that not many people dare to touch it even if it’s dead!”
"It's a pity that I passed by Niu Village and didn't go to see it..."
"If you want to watch the excitement, you can go back now. It's not far anyway. By this afternoon, it will probably be burned."
"That's all. I have been timid since I was a child and I was afraid that I would not be able to sleep after watching it. Knowing that this monster has been eliminated, I will feel less uneasy when I pass by Niu Village in the future."
"I just don't know which god took action."
"What a magical method..."
"..."
Everyone was chatting excitedly, getting closer and closer, and then walking further and further away. Their expressions were full of novelty, and they also yearned for gods and the method of decapitating demons with a sword from the sky.
Sanhua Empress was also so focused on listening that she even forgot to turn over the string of bamboo shoots and insects in her hand.
It wasn't until the group of people walked further and further away that she couldn't hear them anymore. She suddenly realized what she was doing. She quickly turned over the bamboo sticks in her hand and looked down at the same time. She saw that one side had been slightly burnt to black, but it still gave off a faint glow.
A richer aroma made her sniff and huff her nose.
Then while roasting, he asked the Taoist:
"Why hasn't the swallow come back yet?"
"Soon."
"so long."
"yes."
"Can't he fly?"
"It must have been delayed."
"What's the delay..."
Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden sound of wind above his head.
"Woooooooo..."
The sound was like the sound of a sword cutting through the air quickly, but it was continuous and came from above the head.
Empress Sanhua suddenly looked up again.
I saw a ray of silver light spinning and falling from the sky. Although it came from the gap between the branches and leaves of the ancient cypress, the cypress trees were dense and it still couldn't avoid touching the branches and leaves. Wherever it touched the silver light, no matter the branches or branches, they were all neat and tidy.
was cut off and dropped.
"brush……"
The silver light stopped spinning in mid-air and aimed at the horse.
At the same time, a sword's scabbard poked out from the horse's back. The silver light was impartial, and it automatically returned to the scabbard with a flick of the brush.
It's a short sword studded with precious stones.
"Puff puff..."
Then a swallow flew over and landed on a branch.
"I'm back." Yanzi lowered his head to look at them and said, "The monster in Niu Village has been hiding in the nearby mountains. When it gets dark, it wanders to the entrance of the village. It's easy to find. The guy at the bridge asked people to carry it across the river.
A mountain demon was injured but hid in the forest. I searched for it all night and wasted time."
"Thanks for your hard work."
The Taoist said to him.
Sanhua Empress turned her head and stared at him without blinking. She felt that the flying swallow and the flying knife looked very powerful.
Those passers-by felt the same way.
This time the movements of his hands didn't stop.
"His ha..."
Sanhua Empress brought the skewers in front of her, took a breath, and the smell told her that the bamboo shoot worms were already cooked.
This thing does not need any seasoning, it is very fragrant on its own, and it will become more and more fragrant as you chew it. However, Sanhua Empress still took out the salt from the quilt bag, pinched it and sprinkled it carefully, and saw the half-burnt bamboo shoot worms.
Evenly sprinkled with grains of salt, it feels delicious.
"Taoist! Eat it! It's delicious!"
The first bite was handed to the Taoist first.
"Thank you, Miss Sanhua."
The Taoist did not refuse this time, but stretched out his hand, twisted the top one, took it off the bamboo stick, and put it into his mouth.
This stuff is really fragrant.
The girl was stunned and looked at him without blinking.
She still had a small face with a pure face. No expression could be seen from it, she only felt serious. However, her gradually widening eyes expressed her inner surprise and joy at this time.
"You eat! You eat again!"
Sanhua Empress didn't understand the principle of fishing in dry water, so she started feeding the Taoist like crazy.
Yanzi said from the tree: "Last night, I eliminated demons and searched for demons in the mountains. I found that there are many demons and ghosts hiding in this forest. Many of them have evil spirits. It is obviously not the right path to follow."
"Um……"
Song You ate breakfast, nodded, and said in a calm tone: "Let's go slower on this section of the road. This is also close to my Fulong Temple in Yin Yang Mountain. In recent years, demons have been so rampant, and it is said that it is our Taoist temple.
I've neglected my duty, so please clean it up for me."
"clear."
The swallow on the tree replied.
"You eat again!"
Empress Sanhua also said on the ground.
…
In the next few days, the Taoist walked really slowly.
Even though we are getting closer and closer to Yinyang Mountain in Lingquan County, the Taoist is not in a hurry.
However, many times there are only Taoists and a bay-red horse left on Jinyang Road. They are either walking slowly along the road, stopping to rest, or lying in the shade of trees to sleep comfortably. Calico cats and swallows are in the mountains and forests beside the road.
Search for the evil spirits and ghosts that have done evil—these are all monsters that were born or awakened after the changes in heaven and earth in recent years. There is no one that can threaten them at all.
There are no big monsters around Fulong Temple.
The villages along the way gradually developed legends.
Someone was walking on the mountain in the early morning and saw the rocks gathering into people, as if the legendary mountain god showed up to kill the evil mountain demon. Someone was rushing on the road at dusk and heard a flock of birds suddenly flying in the mountain, and then there was a roar of demons and ghosts, which made people laugh.
People get cold.
Someone was staying at home in the middle of the night and heard something moving outside. Out of curiosity, he opened the window and took a look. He saw a spinning dagger falling from the sky, reflecting the moonlight, and chopped off the monster's head.
I saw and heard more than just people.
Some demons and ghosts stay in the mountains and always keep their peace. I heard that evil demons and evil spirits are constantly being eliminated, and even some demons and evil spirits that cannibalize a lot of people and are very powerful have also been neatly eliminated. Or some demons and ghosts are simply present at the scene and witness it with their own eyes.
When they saw it, they all couldn't help feeling panicked for a moment, fearing that it would be their turn.
The local gods also witnessed it several times and were amazed.
Only a handful of monsters, ghosts, ghosts and earth gods who have lived long enough can guess——
Maybe the descendant of Fulongguan has returned.
A few days later, a roadside temple.
The moonlight outside the temple is like silver, outlining the outline of the mountains and forests, and even the Jinyang Road in the mountains is clearly visible. However, the gods in the temple have already shown their figures and are bowing respectfully to the Taoists.
"I've seen you, your Majesty."
"A good man doesn't need to be polite."
"In the past few days, many evil spirits and evil things have been eliminated along Jinyang Road one after another. The little god began to guess that maybe the master has returned. When he saw a magical cat who was exorcising the demons, he was even more sure." Wang Shanggong
He almost didn't dare to look up at Song You. He couldn't see his Taoist cultivation back then, so he had to guess. He still can't see it now, but he has an inexplicable feeling that this person today has a higher level of Taoism than he did thirteen years ago.
I don’t know how much I have improved, but I’m afraid it’s already beyond my imagination. “I’m so lucky to finally meet you here.”
"I'm passing by here again this time, and I have the intention of visiting the Good Lord again." Song You said, "By the way, I want to ask the Good Lord, are there any evil spirits that we missed on the way back?"
"Reporting to your Majesty, as far as the little god knows, all the demons and evil things that have harmed people have been basically eliminated."
"Shan Gong is the god of the earth, and he knows the local area best. Please tell me about the demons and evil things ahead that have harmed people." The Taoist shook his head and said, "I have been away for many years, and the world has changed. I didn't expect Zhuo County to be here too.
It has become smoky. I happened to pass by, so I cleaned it up."
"The little god first thanks you for the people..."
Wang Shanggong still didn't dare to look at him and bowed his head in salute. However, from this angle, he could not avoid looking at the cat on the ground.
But this cat was sitting upright, with its head raised high, and staring at him unblinkingly.
What Wang Shangong thought of was the timid calico cat back then. He frightened her with just a few words. He didn't expect that when they met again, she would already have such abilities.