Chapter 593 Traveling to Yunzhou in the autumn of the third year of Da’an
At dusk in midsummer, the sky is full of flapping sounds, either swallows or bats, and there are also many mosquitoes, making it seem lively and full of life.
The sun is setting on the horizon, and the clouds are burning red.
Under the sunset is a peaceful mountain village scenery.
On Yin Yang Mountain, at the entrance of the Taoist temple, a Taoist brought a deck chair and sat here, blowing the mountain breeze, feeling the coolness and vitality of the evening, looking at the distant scenery, and letting time pass by.
There is a cat sitting on the ground next to him, sitting obediently and upright, with his tail wagging from side to side.
There are faint sounds of cocks crowing and dogs barking from the villages at the foot of the mountain. When they reach the mountain, they have already echoed in the mountains, with a vague echo that makes people feel calm.
The Taoist thought of nothing at this time.
Don't think about the way you came, don't think about the road ahead, don't think about the Taoist priests buried behind the Taoist temple, just use your eyes to take in the scenery, quietly lost in thought.
The mountain breeze is extremely comfortable, and the ancient pines are rustling.
At this time, the Taoist was also extremely at ease.
In the past, when he was in Guanzhong, every midsummer, when the weather was good and the sunset was beautiful, he would sit here with Lao Tao, sometimes chatting in a low voice about irrelevant things, sometimes not saying anything at all, just enjoying it quietly, which was similar to indulgence.
The ultimate freedom brought by time. In the view, the starling sometimes stops on the ancient pine at the door, sometimes flies in the sky, and sometimes stands on the armrest of the old lounge chair.
After you leave, only Lao Dao and Bago will be left, right?
In a daze, Song You actually heard the sound of birds flapping their wings, and saw birds spreading their wings across the sky. With dusk as the background, only black shadows could be seen in the dim darkness, but when he looked carefully, he realized that there were no
Not a myna, but a swallow.
Until it got dark.
"gentlemen."
The swallow's voice sounded overhead: "Would you like us to cut the rice at the bottom of the mountain?"
"The rice at the foot of the mountain..."
The Taoist gradually regained his composure, thought for a while and said, "It's not necessary. Since we are just passing by, there is no need to let them know. Let's wait until we really come back in seven years before cutting."
"Then those grains won't be wasted?" The worried voice of the cat came from the side again.
"No, after a few days, they find that no one has cut the rice, and they will cut it themselves." Song You said calmly, "We are only here for a few days, and in these few days, there will still be trouble.
Sanhua Empress and Yanzi will go out for me to look for the evil spirits causing trouble nearby. You can try to transform into a human and go to the village at the foot of the mountain to ask. We will set off in a few days."
"Where are we going again?" the cat asked.
"Yunzhou."
"Yunzhou!"
"Not far."
“The only place we haven’t been to is Yunzhou!”
"Miss Sanhua is really smart." Song You paused and then said calmly, "But it is not completely correct to say that we have never been to Yunzhou."
"Meow?"
"You will know when Sanhua Empress comes."
"Yunzhou..."
“I heard that Yunzhou’s scenery is very good and the weather is good, especially the sunshine. You can see beautiful sunsets. In many places, it’s like spring all year round..."
The Taoist said while looking at the horizon.
At this time, there was only a ray of light left in the sky.
Not long after, the world completely entered night.
In the dim Yin Yang Mountain, the Taoist still did not return to his house, but continued to sit at the door, telling two little monsters in the dark the story of the old Taoist's travels.
Naturally, it is very general.
Most of them he heard from elsewhere.
Just saying that she was upright and irritable when she was young, loved to convince others with her strength, practiced the Five Elements Spiritual Method, learned the Five Elements Magic, and defeated all the invincible opponents in the world, is enough to make Mao'er yearn for her.
…
The villages at the foot of the mountain are more muggy than those on the mountain.
The hot night made many people unable to sleep. Out of boredom, they had to gather together with cattail fans, fanning themselves to get rid of the sultry heat and swatting away mosquitoes, while chatting. In the increasingly dark environment, no one could see each other clearly.
With his face, you can only tell who is talking and where he is sitting based on his voice. It is quite atmospheric.
Summer nights, as long as it doesn't rain, are like this almost every day.
It's boring to say it's boring, it's interesting to say it's interesting.
There really aren't many other forms of entertainment.
It’s just that there’s a new topic tonight——
Today at noon, some people were working in the mountains. When they were tired, they straightened up to wipe their sweat. Another person was sitting on the ridge of the field to take a rest. By chance, he happened to see the clouds and mist on the Yin Yang Mountain disperse, and a corner of a Taoist temple was faintly revealed behind the clouds.
, quite simple and mysterious.
But not long after, the Taoist temple disappeared again.
It's really like a mirage.
That Taoist temple is familiar to many people.
Why so many people?
Because since more than ten years ago, that mysterious Taoist temple has rarely appeared. Sometimes it can be seen, sometimes it cannot be seen. Some people go up the mountain to find it, and some people come down and say that there is no Taoist temple on the mountain at all. It is really the same as those in the stories and legends.
The Xianjia Cave is exactly the same. And since a few years ago, no one can find it anymore. Many of the young people present who have become heads of families are only in their teens and twenties, and many women are only a few years old or ten years old.
Some of those who got married just now have only heard of a Taoist temple on the mountain. The Taoist priest in the Taoist temple is very great, like a god. According to the local tradition, every year after harvesting the grain, he leaves a little bit in the corner of the field.
After a period of time when no one collected it, I went to collect it again, but I never saw that Taoist temple or the Taoist priests in the Taoist temple.
Not to mention there were many children and teenagers surrounding him.
To them, that Taoist temple is like the legendary Heavenly Palace, only in legends.
Now that someone has seen it again, it is naturally surprising.
Surprised, some people also had doubts.
It's just that more than one person saw this scene. Both of them swore, patting their chests to ensure that they were not lying and that they could prove each other. After the two people finished speaking, another old man stood up and said that he seemed to see a young Taoist priest from a distance at noon.
We walked outside the village and followed the path up the mountain.
"It would be great if the gods from the Taoist temple on the mountain really come back!" An old man said in a drawled voice, "The world is getting more and more chaotic now. It's better here. I heard that in other places, it's early morning and evening.
You may encounter demons and ghosts when you walk at night. If the gods from the mountains come back, how can these things be so rampant?"
"I don't know if it's..."
"The Taoist Priest has come back. We'll know in two days if the grains in the fields have been cut!"
"right……"
"Is there really a Taoist temple on the mountain?"
"Is it possible that I all lied to you?"
"Is Taoist Master Guanzhong really that powerful?"
"Hey, that's not a lie..."
The old people at the foot of the mountain also began to talk to the younger generations about the abilities of the Taoist priests on the mountain. Coincidentally, most of the people they talked about were also Taoists of many walks of life.
In the following days, news came one after another that demons and monsters along Jinyang Road had been eliminated one after another, which became a topic of conversation among the villagers when they took a rest in the evening. It was more interesting than the usual chat about family members and their selfishness.
At the same time, harmful monsters and evil creatures in nearby villages were also eliminated one after another - some were burned to ashes for no apparent reason. People could only see a fire and screams coming from the fire in the distance, waiting to be brave.
When I walked over, I found that the demons and demons had been burned to death. Some were like thunderbolts from the clear sky, killing the demons. Some were like silver lights falling from the sky. It was a magical way to cut off the heads of demons and demons. Some were like a tiger and a group of big wolves emerging from nowhere.
He took the spirited monster into his mouth.
Without exception, by the time people arrived, the evil spirits had been eliminated.
The villagers thought for a time that the Taoist priest from the mountain had returned, and wanted to go up the mountain to look for him and offer incense to him.
However, Yin Yang Mountain is still empty, with only ancient pines leaning over, green grass like silk, and the mountain wind blowing constantly day and night. There is no sign of the Taoist temple's existence at all.
No one harvests the grain from the fields.
…
A few days later.
A deep pit has appeared out of thin air in front of the Taoist temple in the mountain. There is a gully connected to the stream, which leads the water to form a small pond, and then flows into the stream again through another gully to form running water. Empress Sanhua catches the water from the stream at the foot of the mountain.
He picked up a lot of small fish and shrimps, and even followed the Taoist's instructions to pull out aquatic plants and throw them all into the pond.
The Taoist had already packed his luggage, put it back on the horse, and walked out of the Taoist temple with the horse.
"Is Sanhua Empress okay?"
"Miss Sanhua is ready."
"Then let's go."
The Taoist still leaned on his bamboo stick and took two steps.
"Squeak! Bang!"
The Taoist temple door behind you closed automatically.
"When we come back next time, will this little lake be full of fish?"
"Most likely."
The Taoist liked the description of Sanhua Empress very much——
It's full of fish and full of rabbits.
There is a feeling of planting and harvesting.
And so is this small pond.
The cat calls it Little Lake.
There are really different ideas everywhere.
The Taoist looked around and then looked back at the Taoist temple. Naturally, he felt a little reluctant to leave, but he didn't miss it too much. He just stopped by to take a look, and soon moved forward again.
Just wait until seven years before coming back.
Clouds and mist covered the mountain again.
The Taoist took the calico cat and the horse, clanking down the mountain path, and walked along the stream. There was also a swallow flying in the sky.
After passing the village and walking another two miles, I got onto the main road, passed through Lingquan County, and after walking for a long time, I set foot on a path that could only be passed by one person. The path was winding, with fields on one side and soil on the other, leading to
An official road covered by thousand-year-old cypresses.
The cypresses are ancient cypresses and the roads are ancient roads.
It is Jinyang Road and Cuiyun Corridor.
The Taoist stopped.
The horses and cats behind him also stopped, and the sound of the shaking bells also stopped for a while.
Then the Taoist turned his head and looked——
As expected, the familiar mountain and the Taoist temple were no longer visible.
"..."
The Taoist smiled and stepped forward.
My eyes suddenly darkened, and my scalp, which had been burned by the sun, felt a sense of coolness. The lush ancient cypress trees blocked out all the sunlight. In front of me was an ancient stone road with bumps and bumps. The ancient road was full of sunlight that filtered through the branches and leaves of the ancient cypress trees.
The spots left behind are dotted with bright and dark colors.
Thirteen years ago, he also came to Jinyang Road from here.
It's just that after getting on Jinyang Road, the Taoist walked to the right, but now he has to go to the left.
However, Jinyang Road was an ancient road built by the Yu Dynasty to connect Yizhou to the Guanzhong Plain. It could not lead to Yunzhou, so not far away, the lush ancient cypresses gradually disappeared. Jinyang Road, a beautiful and legendary ancient road,
The road also ended at the Taoist's feet, and turned to another ancient road connected to Jinyang Road, an equally legendary trade route——
Five feet road.
Yidu is an important node on the Ancient Tea-Horse Road. Yunzhou also plays an important role in the tea-horse trade market. There are also many tea merchants and horse traders. In order to facilitate the transportation from Yizhou to Yunzhou, there is a special road connecting Yizhou and Yunzhou.
Yunzhou's trade route is Wuchi Road.
As the name suggests, Wuchi Road is about five feet wide.
It was also built by the Yu Dynasty, but it is much narrower than Jinyang Road, and there are not so many ancient cypresses along the way.
However, there are many mountains from Yizhou to Yunzhou, and road construction often requires rock drilling, which is very difficult. It is not easy to build such a standard five-foot road. Moreover, most of the businessmen walking there are good at climbing.
Shangkan's southwest horseback transporting goods, such a relatively narrow official road is enough to meet the demand, and it is much easier to walk than the original mountain road.
The Taoist walked along this road heading west.
Another road not traveled.
There are often merchants and pedestrians on the road. Because the road is narrow, the two sides get closer when they pass each other, and each other can see each other's face clearly. But the fate of this life is probably only so much.
The scenery along the way is pretty good and there are often mountains.
I can feel that the altitude is rising slightly, and I can also feel that the temperature is getting cooler day by day, and the vegetation in the mountains around me is getting lighter and darker every day.
"Sir, it's autumn."
"yes."
"Yundu is about four hundred miles away, and the weather in Yundu seems to be much warmer than this. It seems like it's still spring and summer."
This five-foot road leads directly from Yidu to Yundu. There are almost no confusing forks in the middle, and there are often mountain springs. Except for the occasional Taoist who gets interested and insists on climbing, the swallow's ability to explore paths and find streams lies on this road.
There was almost no use for him, so he often flew to distant places to check and tell him the situation ahead.
"Sure enough, the four seasons are like spring."
"Sir, are you planning to spend the winter in Yundu?"
"Yundu is also possible. But I heard that the scenery in Ma County is better, so it is best to spend the winter in Ma County." Song You had already thought about it, "After this winter, we will go to the south of Yunzhou."
"knew."
Yan Zi recorded Marsh County.
I'm planning to fly over tomorrow to have a look.
There were also many monsters along the way.
We are all regular business travelers, so where we start from and where we end up every day are almost fixed. As long as we don’t take a nap or oversleep in between, or miss our trip due to anything else, there will be almost no cases of us not being able to reach our destination at night and sleeping in the wilderness.
Whatever happened, the Taoist would do whatever he wanted. He often couldn't find a place to stay after dark, so he slept in the mountains and was disturbed by monsters.
Or simply stay in a hotel run by a demon.
Fortunately, Lady Sanhua was alert, and so was Yan Zi. Often he would be asleep and not even know that the demons had already been eliminated.
In the autumn of the third year of Da'an, the Taoist finally arrived in Yundu.
At this time, Yundu was just a small city in the southwest. Although it was also the seat of a state, its economy and culture were completely incomparable to Yidu.