The water drops on the tree were crystal clear, sliding quietly from the edges of the leaves, falling down, and because of the wind, they drew beautiful arcs in the air and hit Zhang Xiaofan's face.
The cold chill woke Zhang Xiaofan from his dream. He opened his eyes and subconsciously shouted: "Master..." But there was no one around except Lin Jingyu lying beside him, having a good dream.
It seemed like a dream.
But the broken grass temple in the distance and the sleeping playmates beside him told him that all this was true.
He thought for a while, shook his head, walked to Lin Jingyu, pushed hard, Lin Jingyu muttered a few words, woke up slowly, rubbed his eyes, and before speaking,
I felt a chill coming over me and couldn't help but shudder.
He opened his eyes and saw that he and Zhang Xiaofan were soaked, lying under a pine tree in the wild. He couldn't help but be stunned and said: "Isn't I sleeping at home? How did I get here?"
Zhang Xiaofan shrugged his shoulders and said: "I don't know either, but I'm very cold, so I'd better go back quickly."
Lin Jingyu had many questions in his mind, but his body was indeed cold. He nodded immediately, got up and ran towards the village with Zhang Xiaofan.
Before arriving at the village, the two of them had already noticed that something was wrong. Usually at this time, the villagers had already gotten up, but today it was extremely quiet, not even a human being was seen, and as the morning breeze blew, there was a faint smell of blood.
taste.
They looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes. They quickened their pace and ran towards the village. It didn't take long for the two of them to arrive at the entrance of the village. When they looked in from the main road at the entrance of the village, they saw grass on the flat land in the middle of the village.
There were more than 40 households in the temple village and more than 200 people, men and women of all sizes, all lying in the open space, their bodies stiff and turned into corpses, blood flowed into rivers, flies flew around, and the smell of blood rushed towards their faces.
Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan were shocked to see this horrific scene. They were so frightened that they screamed and fainted.
※※※
I don’t know how long it took, but Zhang Xiaofan suddenly woke up, sat up suddenly, gasped for air, and his hands were shaking slightly. When he fell asleep, his mind was filled with vicious ghost faces, blood and bones, and nightmares.
He calmed down and looked around, only to see that this was an ordinary wing room with two small windows. The furnishings in the room were simple and clean, with only a few pine tables and chairs with kettles and cups.
Taking up half of the room is a large kang connected together with four beds. In addition to the one he is lying on, the bedding next to him is also a bit messy, as if someone has just slept on it. As for the others
There are two, and the quilts are folded neatly and meticulously.
On the wall directly above the four beds, there is a banner hanging with a big word:
road!
Looking at it like this, it looks like an ordinary guest room in an inn, or a room where several disciples share a room to learn from a master.
Zhang Xiaofan sat for a while, and suddenly a thought came to his mind: Maybe everything last night was a nightmare? Maybe I have been sleeping here all the time? Maybe when I walked out of this room, my mother would smile and scold him as usual.
: "You little lazy bitch!"
He slowly got out of bed, put on his shoes, and walked towards the door step by step.
The door was ajar. Through the crack of the door, there was a slight breeze blowing in, making it cool.
He walked step by step, holding his two little hands tighter and tighter. His heart was beating hard and he held his breath. Soon, he walked to the door and put his hand on the door.
At that moment, this wooden door was as heavy as a mountain and as heavy as iron.
He gritted his teeth, said cruelly, and opened the door with a "哜Ah" sound.
The bright outdoor light suddenly shone in, causing him to squint his eyes. The warm sunshine fell on his body, giving him a faint warmth.
However, his heart suddenly fell into the ice cellar.
Outside the door is a small courtyard with several pines and cypresses, a few bushes of grass and trees, and a few fragrant flowers blooming happily. In front of the door is a corridor leading to the outside of the courtyard. Four feet in front of the door, there are several steps.
Connected to the courtyard and corridor.
At the corner of the steps, a child sat alone, his face in his hands, sitting there in a daze, motionless.
Perhaps the sound of the door opening alarmed him. The child hesitated for a moment and slowly turned his head.
Lin Jingyu.
Zhang Xiaofan opened his mouth wide, with thousands of questions in his mind, but when his words reached his lips, they fell silent.
He wanted to shout again, but his heart was so depressed that he couldn't shout.
Two lines of tears just fell down quietly.
The two children just stared at each other in silence.
From an unknown place in the distance, there are quiet birdsong, the sky is blue, and there are a few white clouds.
※※※
Zhang Xiaofan sat on the other side of the steps, lowered his head, and looked at the stone path in the courtyard.
There was silence in the small courtyard.
I don't know how much time passed like this, but Lin Jingyu said slowly: "I woke up earlier than you, and there were still many people in the room at that time. I asked them, this is Tongtian Peak of Qingyun Mountain."
Zhang Xiaofan whispered: "Qingyun Mountain..."
Lin Jingyu said: "I heard from them that they were a few disciples of the Qingyun Sect who were passing by. When they saw the village, in the village..." At this point, his voice couldn't help but choke up.
He stretched out his hand and rubbed his eyes vigorously, took a deep breath, and continued: "Later, they found the two of us at the back of the village and took us up the mountain."
Zhang Xiaofan's lips twitched but he didn't raise his head and said, "What should we do in the future, Jingyu?"
Lin Jingyu shook his head and said sadly: "I don't know."
Zhang Xiaofan was about to say more when he suddenly heard a strange voice coming from the corridor behind him: "Ah, are you all awake?"
The two of them looked back at the same time and saw a young Taoist priest standing there. He was wearing a blue robe and looked quite heroic. He walked over quickly and said, "It just so happens that several masters also want to see you and ask you questions."
Some questions. Just follow me."
Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu looked at each other and stood up. Lin Jingyu said: "Yes, please ask this elder brother to take us there."
The young Taoist priest glanced at Lin Jingyu, nodded, and said, "Come with me."
Following the Taoist priest, the two walked out of the courtyard. What appeared in front of them was a longer and larger circular corridor. There was a red pillar every two feet on the edge. There was also an arch between every two pillars.
They walked forward along the corridor, passing arches and pillars one after another, and then discovered that inside each arch was a small courtyard that was almost the same as before. It seemed that this was where the disciples of the Qingyun Sect lived.
Not to mention anything else, judging from the scale alone, there are probably no less than a hundred small courtyards like this, which shows that there are so many disciples of Qingyun.
After walking for a while, I saw the end of this corridor, which was a towering white wall. A door opened below, with two thick wooden door panels, ten feet high. I almost looked up, but I didn't know.
How did you find such a huge piece of wood in the first place?
The young Taoist priest turned a blind eye. He probably went in and out on weekdays and was numb from watching. There was no emotion on his face like the two children. His face was expressionless and he walked straight out of the door. Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu hurriedly walked out.
Keep up.
As soon as they stepped out of the door, the two children held their breath at the same time and looked at everything in front of them in disbelief.
This place is almost like a legendary fairyland.
It is a very huge square, the ground is paved with white marble, and the light is shining. At a glance, it makes people feel insignificant. The white clouds in the distance are like gauze, floating under the feet. In the center of the square, every few dozen feet
Then a huge copper cauldron was placed, divided into three rows, with three in each row, a total of nine cauldrons, arranged regularly. From time to time, light smoke floated up from the cauldron, and the smell was clear but not dissipated.
"Go here." As if he understood what the two children were thinking, the young Taoist priest showed a smile on his face and let them stare for a while before waking them up and continuing to move forward.
"This is the 'Sea of Clouds' among the Six Scenic Spots of Qingyun. There are better ones ahead!" the young Taoist priest said as he walked.
Lin Jingyu couldn't help but ask: "What is it?"
The young Taoist priest pointed his hand and said: "Hongqiao."
The two of them looked far into the distance and saw something shining far ahead, at the end of the square, behind the hazy mist-like clouds. They quickened their pace and walked forward.
Gradually, the sound of water came, and occasionally there were one or two strange thunderous sounds, coming from nowhere.
As they got closer and closer, the clouds were like gentle fairies, gently surrounding them, gradually pulling back the vague veil, revealing their clear faces.
At the end of the square, a stone bridge without seats or piers rises across the sky. One end is placed on the square, extending diagonally upward into the depths of the white clouds, like a dragon leaping into the sky, with an aloof momentum. There is the sound of water, and the sunshine
Under the light, the entire bridge exudes colorful colors, like a rainbow in the sky, falling into the world, gorgeous and beautiful.
Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu were stunned.
The young Taoist priest smiled and said, "Come with me." After saying that, he walked onto the stone bridge first.
When they stepped onto the stone bridge, they realized that there was water flowing down on both sides of the bridge, which was extremely clear, but the middle part was not wet. The sun shone through the clouds on the bridge and was refracted by the water, forming a brilliant rainbow.
The Taoist priest looked at their ecstatic expressions and said, "Be careful, there is a bottomless abyss under this bridge. If you accidentally fall in, you will die without a burial place."
Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu were both startled, and quickly calmed down and walked carefully.
This Hongqiao is extremely high and long. When the three of them walked on it, they felt that the white clouds on the left and right gradually sank below their feet, getting higher and higher. But the strange sounds in front of them continued to come.
After walking for a while, the white clouds gradually thinned, and I actually walked out of the sea of clouds. Suddenly my eyes lit up, and I saw the sky was like a wash, and the blue was as clear as transparency. The sky on all sides was vast and boundless; below there was a vast sea of clouds, gently floating and sinking.
At one glance, my heart suddenly felt wider.
Right in front is the "Yuqing Hall", the main hall of Qingyun Temple at the top of Tongtian Peak.
The green hills are green, the palaces are majestic, and the "Yuqing Palace" is located on the top of the peak, surrounded by clouds. From time to time, there are a few auspicious cranes flying past, lingering in the air, like a fairyland, which makes people admire.
At this time, the Hongqiao stopped rising and formed an arch in the air, landing next to a green water pool in front of the palace. At the same time, Taoist chants were faintly heard in the Yuqing Palace, giving off an air of immortality. There was also that strange sound,
It is also getting louder and louder.
The three of them walked down the Hongqiao Bridge and came to the edge of the pool. A wide stone staircase led straight up from the edge of the pool to the gate of Yuqing Hall. The water in the pool was green and as clear as a mirror, and the silhouettes of people and mountains were clearly visible.
They walked up the stone steps and were about to walk towards the gate above when they suddenly heard a roar from the depths of the pool, which sounded like thunder. It was the strange sound from before. Looking around, they saw a huge vortex suddenly appeared in the center of the pool. After a moment,
I saw huge waves rolling up, a huge figure leaping out, and water splashing all over the sky.
The young Taoist priest seemed to have been prepared for it. With a move of his left hand, his body floated into the air, flew back more than two feet, and stopped in mid-air. However, the two children could not escape, and they were immediately drenched.
However, the two of them didn't notice their own situation at all. They only stared blankly at a huge creature that appeared in front of them. It was more than five feet tall, with a dragon's head and a lion's body, covered in scales, huge eyes and a big mouth, and two sharp fangs.
It sparkles in the sun, has a ferocious appearance, and is intimidating to look at.
The monster shook its body, huffed and puffed with another burst of water, and then, as if it had discovered something, it stretched its giant head towards the steps.
Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu saw that the monster's head was much larger than the two of them. Under the sun, the sharp teeth were clearly visible. They saw it getting closer and closer, and they were really scared. They couldn't help but cling to each other, their hearts
Thumping.
At this time, the young Taoist priest floated back out of nowhere, put one palm up in front of his chest, and said respectfully: "Lord Spirit, they were specially summoned by your masters."
The monster glared at him, made a "chi" sound, snorted, and rolled its big eyes, as if a person was thinking. Then he ignored the three of them and staggered to the side.
, he lay down on the dry ground by the pool, yawned, lazily laid his head down, basked in the sun, and fell asleep.
The young Taoist priest signaled the two people who were still in shock to continue walking and said: "The Spirit Lord is an ancient strange beast that I sent Patriarch Qingye to subdue thousands of years ago. It is called 'Water Qilin'. At that time, Patriarch Qingye made great light in the blue clouds and subdued demons. It is
The one who has exerted great power is now our Qingyun Sect’s mountain-preserving spirit beast, and is respectfully called the ‘Spirit Master’.”
After saying that, he bowed to the water unicorn again. Just as Zhang Xiaofan was looking at it, he was pulled by Lin Jingyu. Seeing Lin Jingyu wink, they also bowed to the water unicorn respectfully.
It's just that the water unicorn didn't look back or move, but it snored so loudly that it probably couldn't be seen anymore.
After the three people finished their salutes, they continued to move forward. After walking through the high stone steps, they saw a golden plaque in the distance with the words "Yuqing Palace" written on it. When they arrived at the majestic palace, they saw the door was wide open and there was plenty of light inside.
It enshrines the three pure gods of Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun and Daode Tianzun, with a solemn bearing.
In front of the throne of God, on top of the main hall, stood dozens of people, both moral and secular, who seemed to be under the Qingyun sect. In front of them, there were seven large sandalwood chairs, three on the left and three on the left, and another one at the center and at the front.
But there were only six people sitting there, and only the last chair on the right row was empty.