Although it was only the first time they met, Li Xiuyuan felt that this dragon horse seemed to have been known to him for a long time, and there was an indescribable feeling of intimacy between them.
Although this feeling is somewhat absurd, it actually exists.
Only now did Li Xiuyuan look at the dragon horse seriously.
But I saw that this dragon and horse were all white and flawless, shining brightly in the dark night. The mane on its body was as bright and smooth as satin. Its strong body shape was different from ordinary horses. It was not only tall and powerful, but also slender.
A horse's head looks like a dragon's head, except that it has two dragon horns growing out.
Ordinary people can tell that this horse is extraordinary just by looking at it.
Not only is it a thousand-mile horse that is rare to see in a century, but it also displays miraculous qualities in every aspect.
The dragon horse neighed a few times, stood up, and slowly came to Li Xiuyuan. He lowered his head and rubbed against him affectionately, as if he had recognized Li Xiuyuan as his master.
"Such a horse can only appear in paintings. If it were alive, it would be impossible to appear." Li Xiuyuan touched the head of the dragon horse and thought to himself.
However, when he touched it, he felt that the dragon and horse were made of flesh and blood and were not illusory objects at all.
Perhaps only a painter like Zhang Sengyao who has mastered the art of painting can achieve this.
"After my soul returns to my physical body, carry me for a walk." Li Xiuyuan's eyes moved and he said.
The dragon horse neighed and looked quite happy.
Li Xiuyuan immediately returned to his body and strode out of the house. At this time, Long Ma was already half-kneeling on the ground. He was very spiritual and motioned for him to sit up.
"I, Li Xiuyuan, am not a weak scholar. There is no need to cater to me like this. I can still easily sit on your horse." Li Xiuyuan smiled, turned over and sat on it.
The dragon horse's head shook, its mane flew, and its strong body jumped up, like a white dragon about to soar into the sky.
The dragon horse carried Li Xiuyuan and galloped up. He just felt his body sink. The dragon horse jumped lightly from the ground, flew more than ten feet high, easily crossed the eaves, and landed on the roof.
The four hooves stepped on the ground without breaking a brick, as if the whole horse was light and weightless.
"Haha, what a dragon horse. It's really rare in the world. Since it can fly over the eaves, why not take me around Hua County?" Li Xiuyuan laughed.
The dragon horse neighed again and raised its front hooves. After understanding Li Xiuyuan's words, he immediately exerted force on his feet and his strong body jumped out. He flew three to five feet away and landed easily on the roof of Qiao's lobby.
, and then continued to run forward on the roof without falling on the street. It was really incredible to carry Li Xiuyuan and run around Huaxian County like this.
Only now did Li Xiuyuan understand what the legendary treasure horse meant, and what it meant to walk across mountains and rivers as if walking on flat ground.
"Ouch!"
The dragon and horse neighed, the sound was like a horse's neigh, but more like a dragon's roar. At this moment, the dragon and horse let go of their iron hooves and ran on the roofs of the houses in Hua County. The speed was as fast as the strong wind, the movements were light and agile, and the momentum was like flying in the air.
But Li Xiuyuan, who was sitting on the horse, did not feel the bumps and fatigue at all.
With this divine horse under his crotch, if he were a peerless warrior in ancient times, he would definitely dare to decapitate an enemy general among thousands of troops.
Because it was the middle of the night, most people in Hua County were already fast asleep. The scene of the dragon and horse galloping was hardly seen by anyone. Even if someone did see it, they would only see a white sound passing by.
I thought it was dazzling, but I never thought it was a horse galloping on the roof.
However, Master Qiao in the Qiao Mansion saw this scene very clearly.
When he saw Long Ma carrying Li Xiuyuan out of the mansion, his face was filled with shock, and even his palms could not help but tremble slightly.
"Zhang Sengyao's dragon horse is willing to be ridden by others. How is this possible?" Mr. Qiao murmured to himself, unable to calm down for a long time.
Ever since his ancestors got this dragon and horse picture, the Qiao family has known that the dragon and horse picture is magical, but for hundreds of years no one has been lucky enough to ride on the dragon and horse. It is not that the ancestors of the Qiao family have never tried strong methods to restrain the dragon and horse.
He tried to tame it by force, but the dragon and horse turned into a ray of white light and entered the painting. They did not come out for a full thirty years, showing no supernatural power and just like ordinary objects. The ancestors of the Qiao family also felt regretful and regretful, and finally died of depression.
Since then, the Qiao family has no idea of forcibly taming the dragon horse.
Mr. Qiao is also a man who has read a lot of poetry and books. He knows very well that the reason why the dragon horse is unwilling to let you ride is not because the dragon horse is unruly, but because he is not worthy of riding the dragon horse.
But today, Long Ma actually took the initiative to carry Li Xiuyuan on his back, willing to let him ride.
"Li Xiuyuan is just a mere boy. Even if he has passed the examination this time, he is only a scholar. How can he tame a dragon and a horse?"
Mr. Qiao beat his feet and chest a little and said, you know that he is also a scholar, but he can't be taken seriously by this dragon and horse.
Now that the dragon and horse have recognized their master, this makes him so willing. What's more, once the dragon and horse recognize his master, this picture of the dragon and horse of Seng Yao may not be preserved.
Even if I don't give it to Li Xiuyuan, Longma will go with Li Xiuyuan. Then what's the use of holding an empty painting in my hand?
It should be noted that the dragon that Zhang Sengyao put the finishing touch on has flown away, and the dragon and horse will naturally run away. A painting cannot keep the dragon and horse.
Mr. Qiao had a lot of thoughts at the moment, but after he calmed down a while later, he secretly thought: "Although this Li Xiuyuan is just a boy, since he can make Longma recognize him as his master, there must be something extraordinary about him. If he is ordinary and mediocre,
Long Mali will not pay attention to such a person, so he will let him ride. Maybe this Li Xiuyuan can help me solve the troubles I have been having these days."
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look forward to it.
If this is really the case, it would be nothing if the Dragon Horse Picture gritted his teeth and gave it to Li Xiuyuan. It can be regarded as a smooth sailing and the beauty of adulthood.
now.
After Li Xiuyuan rode a dragon horse around Hua County for a few laps, it was considered a bit of fun, but he did not forget his business.
While riding the dragon horse, he also found the location of Zhang Yuanwai and the Zhang Mansion.
The main purpose of coming to Hua County this time is to reincarnate Zhang Yingjie. Currently, it is tentatively planned to reincarnate Zhang Yingjie in Zhang Mansion.
"It would be a bit inappropriate to send Zhang Yingjie to the Zhang Mansion so late at night."
Li Xiuyuan wanted to ride a dragon horse to the Zhang Mansion to deal with Zhang Yingjie's affairs first, but after thinking about it, he still felt that the matter could be postponed for a while.
At present, the most important thing is to find Miss Qiao's soul first.
Moreover, I am also a scholar, so there is no reason to become a thief in the middle of the night. Moreover, the matter is not urgent. Thinking of this, I rode my dragon horse back to Qiao's yard.
"It will be dawn soon, and it will definitely be bad for you to be seen by others. Go back, and we will meet again next time."
He said goodbye to the dragon and horse, and motioned for the dragon and horse to return to the painting.
After all, this is the picture of the dragon and horse of the Qiao family, not his own. Even if the dragon and horse are destined to him, he cannot claim it as his own privately.
The dragon horse neighed several times and looked at Li Xiuyuan with some reluctance. The iron hooves were treading in front of him, but he was unwilling to leave.
Li Xiuyuan smiled and said: "Go back, we still have time to meet each other. After I rescue Miss Qiao's family, maybe Mr. Qiao will be enlightened and give you to me as a gift."
After hearing this, Longma seemed to be in a much better mood. After neighing, he ran away, and finally turned into a white light and disappeared into Qiao Mansion.
After Li Xiuyuan saw Long Ma leave, he turned back to the house and rested for a while.
After daybreak, he woke up the two guards who had slept all night, made some preparations, and left Qiao Mansion.
"Master Li, where are you going this early in the morning?"
The old servant at the door of Qiao Mansion woke up early and asked curiously when he saw Li Xiuyuan and his party were about to go out.
"As a loyal person, I agreed to help Mr. Qiao find Miss Qiao's soul. Naturally, I have to go around and inquire about it. I can't just sit in your mansion and wait for Miss Qiao's soul to come back on its own.
"After Li Xiuyuan finished speaking, he left with his guards.
When the old servant saw Li Xiuyuan running away so early, he felt that he was an honest man and he should be able to get rid of his lady's affairs.
"Young Master, we are new to Hua County. Where can we find out about Miss Qiao's soul?" the guard said on the way.
Li Xiuyuan smiled and said: "There is a saying from ancient times that there is a spirit three feet above the head. Since Miss Qiao's soul was lost in Hua County, it must be found in Hua County, and within a county, there are always a few souls.
It’s a temple with a lot of incense. It’s always a good idea to go to the temple and ask.”
"Where should we go to the City God's Temple?" the guard asked.
"No, I looked in Hua County. There are Tutu Temples, ancestral halls, and temples, but there is no City God Temple. The largest temple here is the Guanyin Temple." Li Xiuyuan said.
The absence of a City God's Temple means that this place is not within the jurisdiction of the City God.
Just like in Guobei County, there used to be a City God's Temple, but after Li Xiuyuan was born, the temple's popularity declined day by day, and it was eventually converted into a theater for operas.
Since the Guanyin Temple is the most popular here, it is definitely a good place to go to find out the news.
Wherever the incense flourishes, there must be ghosts and gods.
Since there are ghosts and gods, they must know the local affairs.
Because Li Xiuyuan rode a dragon horse through Hua County several times in the evening, he knew some local conditions. After having a little breakfast with the guards on the street, he came to the Guanyin Temple.
Hua County is not a big place, and it is not as prosperous as Guobei County, but strangely, the incense is particularly prosperous in front of the Guanyin Temple. It is only early in the morning and there is already an endless stream of pilgrims coming in and out.
In addition, there are many vendors setting up stalls in front of the Guanyin Temple selling incense, lamp oil, candle paper, and gold and silver ingots.
All kinds of sacrificial items are available here.
"There are so many people." Li Xiuyuan thought to himself.
But after he paid attention immediately, he frowned slightly: "The people here live in poverty and have many ugly faces. Why is the incense in front of the Guanyin Temple so prosperous?"
In his view, people would only pray to God when they were wealthy.
If you don't even have enough to eat, how can you worship God?
But the situation here was the opposite. He saw a woman who was very distressed and took out dozens of pennies from her clothes, bought some incense and candles, and entered the Guanyin Temple.
I also saw a thin black man, dressed in tattered clothes, but he took out a small piece of silver from somewhere, bought a lot of sacrifices, and hurried into the temple, preparing to offer sacrifices to the gods.
"Young Master, there are more and more people here this early in the morning. Let's go in quickly. We're afraid we'll be late and the place will be packed with people." Two guards protected the left and right, blocking the passing crowds.
Li Xiuyuan looked around, thinking thoughtfully: "This temple is a bit weird, it is not as simple as an ordinary temple."
After thinking for a while, he didn't waste any time and walked into the Guanyin Temple with his guards.
As soon as he entered the temple, he smelled a strong smell of incense.
The smell of incense here is several times stronger than that of the Chenghuang Temple in Guobeicheng.
"With such a strong smell of incense, could it be that Guanyin often appears to save all living beings?" Li Xiuyuan thought in his mind.
Only when the temple is effective can there be a scene of flourishing incense. If it is not effective, no matter how magnificent the temple is, not many people will come to worship it.
People pray to God in order to ask God to do something, not simply to contribute incense.
After looking around, I found that there were no other statues enshrined in the temple. There was only one statue enshrined in the spacious and tall hall.
A statue of Guanyin.
The Guanyin has lowered eyebrows and lowered eyes, looks natural, is dressed as a woman, and is holding a baby in her hand. It is a statue of Guanyin giving birth to her son.
However, what caught Li Xiuyuan's attention was that the statue was three feet tall and was golden and bright. Judging from his many years of experience with gold and silver at home, this three-foot-tall statue should have been made by smelting gold, silver and copper.
The inside is copper, the middle is silver, and the outside is gold.
Only in this way can this statue of Guanyin, the god who gave birth to his son, be built with such grandeur, majesty and wealth.