After Chen Mo and Yan Yu rested for a night at the foot of a small hill, they walked to a bustling town on the evening of the next day. The town had no city walls and was just a gathering place established in a valley.
The mountain is the city wall, and the entrance and exit are the valley mouths.
Chen Mo held Yan Yu's hand and stood at the entrance of the valley, looking at the lively scene inside. Occasionally, one or two people walked inside with laughing faces, and some people came out with dejected faces, but these were all
I was attracted by the two people standing in the middle of the road.
"Why do those people look at us wrong?" Yan Yu shook the small bamboo box he was carrying on his shoulders.
"Because it's our first time here."
"What happened the first time we came here? The first time we came here, we looked at us like we were monsters?" Yan Yu curled his lips. "When I went to other places before, I never saw those people look at us like this.
"
"It's different here. I heard that the people here are very hospitable. Please don't run around later. I won't look for you if I can't find you."
"Humph, if you don't want to look for it, don't look for it. I have legs. Are you afraid that I will disappear?" Although he said so, his little hand still held Chen Mo's palm tightly.
"Little brother, it's getting dark today. Why don't you come in and find a place to rest?" At a tea stall-like position at the entrance of the valley, some people were sitting scatteredly. One of them put one foot on a long bench.
, Holding a bowl of tea in one hand, the other hand reached into the chest of his clothes and rubbed them, looking like his clothes were ragged.
"Let's go. I still have some money. Let's have a good meal today." Chen Mo pulled Yan Yu and walked inside.
"Then what should we do after we finish eating? Are we going to hunt in this mountain from now on? This is a temple place, so it's not good to kill animals here." Yan Yu was worried about their future.
"Let's talk about it when we run out of money. Who knows what will happen in the future."
"Can't you have a sense of worry?"
"without."
As they walked hand in hand and walked inside, those people became inexplicably happy, as if they were welcoming some distinguished guests. At this time, an old monk wearing shabby cassocks slowly walked out from inside, holding a Huazhai in his hand.
The bowl was empty, but there was nothing in it. What he was holding in his other hand was not a Zen staff, but an old wooden stick full of knots. He walked slowly in front of Chen Mo and stopped, moving a little tremblingly.
He raised the alms bowl in front of the two of them and said in an old voice: "Two little donors, could you give some money to the old monk to buy some food? The old monk has not eaten meat for two days, no, he has not eaten.
It’s time for dinner.”
Seeing how thin the old monk looked, Yan Yu originally wanted to reward him with a few copper coins, but when he heard the old monk's wrong words, he immediately didn't want to give it.
"You let it slip, you fake monk."
"Little donor, what are you talking about? Old monk, I am a little hard of hearing and can't hear you clearly."
"I said we have no money and can't help you." Yan Yu's tone became louder.
"Little benefactor, I see that you are a well-educated and sensible person with your delicate features. How come you talk nonsense without blinking an eye? Why would you come to this place if you had no money?" the old monk said slowly and logically.
"No, I just don't want to give it. You are pretending to be a monk to defraud people of their money and meat."
"Form is emptiness, emptiness is form, meat is vegetables, and vegetables are meat. Where did the old monk lie?"
"Yeah, you fake monk is still distorting Buddhist principles. This is the holy land of Buddhism. You are saying this in front of the Buddha's eyes. Be careful that Buddha will crush you to death with a slap. Even if he doesn't crush you, he will crush you for five or six hundred years.
.”
Chen Mo watched the two people, one big and one small, touching each other. He took out two copper plates from his arms and put them into the clean alms bowl that could be used to look in the mirror. A crisp sound interrupted the conversation between the two.
"Master, just say goodbye."
After Chen Mo finished speaking, he pulled Yan Yu and moved on. There was no point in wasting time with an old man here. Chen Mo didn't care whether he was a monk or not, or whether he ate meat. Anyway, now, he was a little hungry.
"Young man, the old monk has a message for you. Haste makes waste. Meditate and return to the source. There is a Baotu Spring on Liuxu Mountain. Listen to the sound of the spring water there."
The words that had passed by him came back and he looked back and said: "Old monk, when we call you master, you really think of yourself as an eminent monk. If you are shameless, be careful I will take back those two copper coins."
"
"Liu luo luo." Hearing the verbal threat, the old monk picked up his cassock and ran away with nimble legs and feet.
"Look, Chen Mo, you have been deceived. Although two copper coins are not much, but you are conscious of money. It is quite hungry to buy two full heads when you are hungry. You also said that there is Baotu Spring on the mountain, so
It's a big place, I didn't explain it clearly, it was just nonsense. In the end, if I can't find it, I blame myself for not having a chance, bah bah bah." Yan Yu thought to himself.
"Let's go, it will be dark if we don't go."
The two of them passed by the tea stall at the entrance of the valley, and the men who looked like young gangsters said playfully to them: "Young man, how much money did you get defrauded by that old bald donkey?"
Chen Mo ignored them and looked at the many restaurants inside. It was really prosperous. At first glance, he really didn't think this place was some kind of dragon's pond and tiger's den, but he believed that those who told him about this place were not lying to him.
It's not as simple as it seems on the surface.
"Little brother, have you eaten? If not, I will take you to a delicious restaurant with one-stop service. Even the place to stay will be arranged clearly for you." As he said this, he put his arm around Chen Mo's shoulders, but was stopped by Chen Mo.
Mo blocked it.
"No need, we have our own hands and feet."
After saying that, he took Yan Yu and walked deeper into the city without looking back.
"Hmph, that's pretty cool. I'll make you cry even if you don't cry. Don't think that you are a hero just because you have two knives. Damn, I don't know how many people like you come in every year and never come back.
I haven't been out before." The gangster cursed at the backs of Chen Mo and the two of them, and then said something to his peers. "That little girl, on the other hand, has a pretty face. She could be worth a lot of money if sold to a brothel."
After walking in, Chen Mo realized deeply that this place looked gorgeous, but underneath it was really fierce. Just after walking past a few mats, he saw several groups of people taking action, and there were quite a few people watching.
"Why is this place so messy? No one cares about it." After seeing a few fights, Yan Yu leaned closely against Chen Mo. Only in this way could he feel safe. "Those who are watching the excitement upstairs
Aren’t you afraid, sisters? They’re still smiling so brightly.”
Yan Yu knew what those well-dressed sisters did, and she did not reject the profession they were in. After all, they relied on their ability to make a living, but she had forgotten that the old monk pretending to be a monk at the mouth of the valley also made a living based on his ability.
"This is a place where no one cares."
"What are you doing?"
"In the future, no, you will know later." Chen Mo took a fancy to a restaurant and walked in directly. There were not many people here, which was why Chen Mo chose it.
"Come, sit next to me." Chen Mo pointed to a bench, and the two of them sat down at the same time, each putting down their things. Yan Yu did not refuse Chen Mo's request. After all, the previous scenes made her still a little nervous.
Scared.
"I didn't expect the Tang Kingdom to be in such chaos. I thought the Tang Kingdom was pretty good before." Yan Yu muttered a few words in a low voice.
At this time, a waiter-like person came over and said in a perfunctory manner: "What are you going to eat?"
"Watch it." Chen Mo put some broken silver on the table and let the waiter, who had an unfriendly attitude at all, figure it out.
The waiter took the silver, looked at the young man a few more times, and walked away.
Chen Mo's knife was leaning against the table, as if to warn those who were watching eagerly.
"This is not the Tang Dynasty." Chen Mo replied to Yan Yu's muttering before.
"Is this the Shang Kingdom?" Yan Yu knew that the Tang Kingdom was next to the Shang Kingdom, and Liuxu Mountain was at the junction of the two borders, and its location was a little closer to the Tang Kingdom.
"This place only belongs to Liusu Mountain. Liusu Mountain is Liusu Mountain. It does not belong to that country." Chen Mo explained.
"There is such a place, so why is it so messy? It turns out that the officials can't control this place, but can these people be allowed to run amok here so that the senior monks of Daotu Temple can stand it?" Yan Yu wanted to understand something.
But there are new problems.
"They are busy chanting sutras." Chen Mo couldn't explain it, so he just made up a nonsense answer.
Soon, the waiter brought the first dish and placed it on the table: "Sir, please take it easy for now. The next dishes will arrive soon."
Chen Mo was the first to take a bite. Just when Yan Yu was about to take a bite, Chen Mo's voice came out faintly from the side. The voice changed and became very cold. From now on, something bad will only happen to her.
He would only use this and when things happened.
"If you don't bring me a normal dish, I will take your hand off you."
The cold voice made the waiter stop, but he did not look back. After a while, he turned around and said with a smile: "Sir, I don't know what you are talking about. Could it be that our food is not to your liking? Why?
It's not our fault, our store has this taste."
"I don't want to say it a third time. When the second plate of food comes, I will let you go back to serve it with only one hand. It is indeed my first time to come to this peach garden, but you don't have to look at the color of the fat sheep.
Follow us."
Chen Mo's tone was still that chilling one. When he was at the mouth of the valley, he saw a medium-sized sign at the mouth of the valley. It had been a few years, but the writing on it was still very clear: Peach Garden.
The waiter was silent for a while, then he suddenly realized something and said with a smile: "Oh~!! I remember, this is not for you. I got it wrong. I'm really sorry."
With that said, he quickly took the dish away.
"What's going on?" Yan Yu looked at Chen Mo, as if nothing was normal since he called here.
"There is medicine in the dish."
"Ah, this is a black shop. This is too presumptuous. Let's quickly change to another one. By the way, didn't you eat that dish? Come on and detoxify as soon as you leave here." Yan Yu said anxiously.
"I'm fine. We don't need to change places. This is fine. Other places are probably similar to here. Just scare them."
"Then let's get out of here as soon as we finish eating. This place makes me very uncomfortable." Yan Yu said pleadingly.
"Don't worry, I'll talk after filling my stomach." Chen Mo rubbed her head.