When Xu Dao left, it was still early spring in the White Bone Temple, and it was suddenly warm and then cold.
Now that January has passed, when we come to Shezhao, the weather has completely warmed up, and because it is separated by many mountains, the climate here is even hotter and humid.
Riding a donkey and walking in the wilderness, Xu Dao put on a green shirt with fluttering belt, looking quite elegant.
After three people and one donkey spent a night in the wilderness, they finally arrived at Shezhao Mountain City in the evening of the next day, covered in dust.
Because the area is close to the Shezhao tribe and is a trading location within a thousand miles, they encountered many caravans and convoys along the way.
Although Xu Dao and the three of them looked old, small, weak, and completely without strength, because of this, not many caravans dared to pay attention to them.
It should be noted that Shezhao Mountain City is adjacent to the Shiwan Mountain. No matter who comes out of the mountain or comes all the way from the west, they are not easy to mess with.
In the thin sunlight, Xu Dao rode on his donkey, looked up at a high mountain that appeared in his eyes, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "We're finally here."
When the swordsman leading the donkey and Su Jiu holding the sword heard this, their eyes showed relief. Although the two of them did not say a word of complaint along the way, their waists and legs were sore and the soles of their feet were numb.
Especially the little fox girl Su Jiu, if she hadn't changed into fox skin and had a demonic transformation for some reason, her original body and bones would probably be useless.
Groups of cattle and horses appeared in the sight of the three people, crowding in front of them and taking turns to cross the river. In addition to the cattle and horses visible in the plains, there were also long-haired yaks in the highlands. Groups of them were driven by herdsmen and trampled on them in a noisy manner.
Get on the Lingkong Iron Cable Bridge and walk toward the mountains on the other side of the river.
The swordsman saw Xu Dao looking at the mountain city of Shezhao in confusion, and explained aloud:
"I heard that the Shezhao tribe was not a single ethnic group at first, but tribes of various sizes in the mountains, with dozens or hundreds of groups... Later, when the king conquered the country, he established the Liuzhao tribe, and this was how the Shezhao tribe was formed.
."
"The mountain city in front of me was carved out at that time. This mountain is called 'Sheshan'. The wood paved on the river is hundreds of years old. It has been dipped in tung oil and baked with paint. The grommets of the iron ropes on both sides are manned.
The size of a head. I heard that after the king conquered this land, he collected all the iron tools and cast them. Otherwise, crossing the river and entering the mountains would have to rely on boats..."
Xu Dao listened to the introduction by the swordsman beside him, and when he saw that the other party spoke in such detail, especially about the issue of setting up a clan under the imperial edict, it was far clearer than what he had inquired about in the White Bone Temple, and he couldn't help but look in surprise.
Combining the opponent's movements while walking, sitting and lying, and the smell of iron and blood on his body, Xu Dao couldn't help but guess that the swordsman's original identity was from the military.
But the swordsman surnamed Sha was just a mortal. Even if the other party had some past history or identity, Xu Dao didn't care about it. He looked at it for a few moments, then looked away, kicked the donkey in the belly, and just ordered: "Cross the river."
"Yes, sir." The swordsman heard this and quickly pulled the donkey forward.
The boy Su Jiu, who was looking around with his head open, also held the iron sword and hurriedly followed.
Stepping onto the iron cable bridge across the river, Xu Dao discovered that what the old swordsman said was true. The iron cables on both sides were three to four hundred feet long, and the iron rings were all the size of an adult's head, with skulls, grimaces and other patterns engraved on them.
Although he couldn't see any clues, after two or three hundred years, the bridge's iron cables had been weathered but showed no trace of rust. They constantly emitted a dull, hard black light, which was obviously not a mortal thing.
There is also the bridge deck under your feet. People and horse-drawn carriages walking on it feel as if they are walking on solid ground without shaking at all. Moreover, the iron cable bridge is more than ten feet wide, so even if a dozen horse-drawn carriages run parallel to each other, it will not be a problem.
Such bridges and materials cannot be built by ordinary manpower. Most of them were built by the king of Wu with a large army when he conquered the country, as the old swordsman said.
There are many vehicles and horses passing by on the bridge, and many herdsmen drive their cattle and horses directly on the bridge without worrying that the cattle and horses will fall off.
Xu Dao rode a donkey among them. He raised his eyes and jumped over the iron ropes on both sides to look at the river below.
Looking from a distance, the river at the bottom seems to be carved out of the mountains. Except for a few miles around, which is relatively flat against the desert highlands, the other sides are surrounded by rock walls, strange rocks, and vast mountains and forests.
Its name is the Wuxia River, which flows from the depths of the Shiwanda Mountains and can lead to the inland of the Wu Kingdom. However, most of the river sections are too fast, and there are countless reefs and dangerous rocks at the bottom, and there are even many
Monsters appear.
Not to mention going upstream from the mainland to the Shezhao Mountain City, even if you want to go down the river from the mountain city, you can only wait until the snow in the mountains melts and the river water surges.
Moreover, there is a custom here in Shezhao. Whenever the river is passable, one must first offer sacrifices to the river water god, and only then can one build a boat and go down the river.
This also means that it is possible to get out of Shezhao, but it is difficult to get in. You have to take mountain roads or take detours from the highlands. Outside goods are very popular here.
However, the above difficulties are mostly for ordinary people, but they are not the same for successful Taoists.
Xu Dao looked at the river and suddenly saw barefoot people walking on the river. Then he jumped up the river on both sides and climbed up Sheshan Mountain as if walking on flat ground.
Then I looked up at the tall Sheshan Mountain. The mountain was strange and hollow inside, just like a tall mountain that had been washed away by the river. Most of it was washed away from the middle, and then the rest was hollowed out to create layers of pavilions and bamboo villages.
"It is really not an ordinary mortal tribe. I heard that there are 100,000 people living in the interior of this mountain alone. If you include those at the foot of the mountain and other places, the number should reach more than ten or hundreds of thousands."
"This is not a village, but a city. No wonder it is called a 'mountain city'."
Xu Dao was calculating in his heart and said secretly:
"Judging from the appearance in front of us, in addition to the trading market for mortals, there should be a 'ghost market' on the mountain as I learned from inquiries."
The ghost market is not unique to the White Bone Temple, but is a market for practitioners to trade. There are also street markets and so on.
At that moment, Xu Dao looked at the tall Shezhao Mountain City in front of him, especially the top of the mountain that was shrouded in clouds and mist, and felt refreshed.
The reason why he traveled thousands of miles to come here was because this place was far away from the White Bone Temple and it was a big city, suitable for him to avoid trouble.
It is also because the ghost market here is open to the outside world and can be used by casual cultivators in the mountains and even the trading of monsters in the mountains, unlike the ghost market in White Bone Temple, which is only for the use of disciples.
Moreover, there are many people among them, and the good and the bad are mixed together. Xu Dao can not only hide his identity better, but also have the opportunity to sell spiritual objects and purchase miraculous medicines.
Of course, he has a more important reason.
That is because there is no information in the White Bone Temple, especially the news about the spiritual world. Xu Dao knows that there is a ghost market here, but he does not know where there is a ghost market.
If he didn't come here to inquire first, he would have no idea where to go after leaving the White Bone Temple.
"Let's settle here first, inquire about the news, and once our horizons are opened, we won't have to worry about where to go." Xu Dao comforted himself in his heart.
Then, he shook his head secretly:
"Although most of the Shezhao tribe is like the White Bone Temple, it will be occupied by demons... But although the world is huge, how can we know where it is not like this?"
Stroking the jade hook on his waist, he began to worry...