At the Daolu Branch Inn in Zhoucheng, an ordinary-looking gray-robed Taoist priest walked out of the inn room where Zhang Wenfeng had lived for several days. He held in his palm a jade bottle that had collected aura using magic. The bottle was slightly larger than his thumb.
I searched carefully several times but couldn't find the missing hair.
Zhang Guanzhu is a very cautious person and did not leave any belongings or hair behind.
…
A year has passed in my busy life.
After a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner and evening classes, Zhang Wenfeng and the other three went down the mountain to the old lame man's yard to keep watch on the New Year's Eve.
The old cripple set up firewood in the main room and burned it vigorously. The firewood crackled and exploded from time to time, sparks popped up, and smoke filled the air. Several people laughed and chatted lively when Wei Xingde saw three Taoist priests coming.
, hurriedly put down the tea bowl to say hello.
The two chatting women quickly put down the melon seeds they were chewing and stood up to let the guests in.
The old lame man smiled and asked everyone to sit down. It was New Year's Day today, so he was not polite. He liked the crowds and bustle the most.
The woman squeezed in close to the door so that she could make tea, pass water, and serve snacks.
Wei Jingjie and He He, two older boys, sat next to the woman and listened to the adults chatting.
Wei Jingcheng, Hu Qiang'er, and Shan Badger were playing with firecrackers in the yard, running around and chasing each other wildly. From time to time, Hu Qiang'er would come into the main room to grab snacks, and come out to share the fruits.
The donkey and the earth spirit did not show up. They were busy with their own affairs and did not pay attention to celebrating the New Year.
The old lame man replaced the tea with wine and took a sip. Under the light of the fire, his face was bright red. He was chatting with the viewer, discussing some arrangements made by Zhangjiazhuang years ago. "All the relatives who helped you in the past have been given away."
New Year's gifts vary in size, including rice, flour, money, grain, and coarse cloth. Some poor relatives who cannot open the pot sometimes also give emergency food.
In the name of you and the second child, fifty taels of silver notes have been sealed to repair the ancestral hall.
Country people have shallow eye sockets, loose lips, and love to gossip.
The clan leader took the banknote, and both Muramasa and the clan leader expressed their opinions. If anyone dares to criticize you again, Brother Feng, the clan rules will be enforced. So some money still has to be spent. Our situation has become big, and the villagers should do it.
You still have to move around, the benefits are shared out, it’s not cheap for outsiders.”
Zhang Wenfeng took a sip from the big bowl of tea and said with a smile: "It's a good arrangement of yours. I'll leave the outside affairs to you. I'm rest assured that the three of us can calm down and practice."
The old cripple smiled and was very pleased. He hesitated and then said: "Your two brothers, I gave you a new year's gift according to your example. It's not much, it's just a meaning."
Zhang Wenfeng picked up the tea bowl and touched it lightly with the wine bowl in the old lame man's hand, and said with a smile: "All the human relations in Zhangjiazhuang are all left to you to worry about. My second senior brother and I are outsiders and will not interfere. Please worry about it.
"
"Where, where, should be done."
After sitting for more than an hour, the second senior brother took out the copper coins wrapped in red paper and started to distribute them to the old lame man. He said auspicious and polite words, everyone had a share, which was a good omen.
The three of them went out and went home, either reading or practicing.
Lao Laizi and Wei Xingde had to stay up all night, and there were some old-fashioned rural rules here.
Zhang Wenfeng returned to the cave and meditated to adjust his breath. As expected, he was not disturbed by distracting thoughts and quickly entered into cultivation.
On the first day of the new year, senior brother Jia De'an and third senior brother Shang Zheng came with their apprentices in the dark to participate in the annual "Tianla Sacrifice" ceremony. Gu Chaowen from the village was sent by his parents, and Wei Jingjie and his brothers naturally participated.
There are two new monks in Xianling Temple, which is a sign of prosperity.
After the eldest brother and the third brother finished the rituals and the first meal of the new year, they visited the Xianling Temple and saw the earth-shaking changes. They were full of praise and felt honored.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, several third-generation outer sect believers came to burn incense and worship the Taoist ancestors.
In the next few days, some little fox demons who followed the local customs came to pay New Year greetings with gifts. Chen Qingqiao from Qingshui Temple and Che Sheng from the county town, Wu Youde and others came to visit, making the place more popular than in previous years.
Yue Anyan is also busy running in both directions. She is now the only woman in Xialin Village who can enter the ancestral hall to worship her ancestors. Standing next to the clan leaders, her status is high as you can imagine.
The old cripple patted the donkey's back, looked it up and down, and said strangely: "Donkey day, why have you shrunk and gone back? I didn't deduct your rations of fodder and beans. You eat every meal like a Chinese New Year. Where did your fat go? ?”
The more he patted the donkey, the smaller it shrank, from the height of his shoulders to only reaching his waist.
The old lame man reacted suddenly, kicked it away with his sloping foot, and laughed and cursed: "You donkey, you haven't put up a roof for three days, and even I dare to play with you. I'm going to find grass by myself at noon today, and I won't take care of you." "
The short donkey turned into a short leg and jumped, letting the old lame man kick, and ran away happily with "uh ah" and "uh ah", followed by Hu Qiang'er who smiled lightly and grinned.
Zhang Wenfeng was checking the growth of Pileum nobilis in the enclosed stone hall of White Fox Fort. More than thirty small mushroom buds had grown in the black ridges. They were growing very well. He didn't know how many of them would survive and mature in the end.
His "enlightenment" method and "nourishing vitality spell" magical power cannot be used to cultivate Pilego mushrooms.
We can only let nature take its course, let the ghost head mushroom absorb the cold ghost energy in the stone hall and grow more or less, and see what God wills.
On the tenth day of the first lunar month, Zhang Wenfeng flew to Zhoucheng to pay New Year greetings to Protector Xie, met with Yun Qiuhe and He Guangjun, and bought some blank array flags, blank talismans and other items in Zhoucheng, and returned to the Taoist temple that day.
After the Lantern Festival, the New Year comes to an end and the weather becomes warmer.
Zhang Wenfeng selected several areas on the southern slope of Wangxia Ridge and on the top of the mountain, reclaimed them, and spread them with soil, fertilizer, and grass ash. He planted more than thirty antique spiritual plant seeds one by one from Fangshi street stalls.
He warmed each seed for a long time and replenished its vitality according to his own experience.
But whether the seedlings can survive depends on God's will and character.
In addition, a piece of land was opened on the top of Xitanling. He planted the ten Lingcha seeds that were seriously lacking in vitality. After his cultivation, he was confident that more than half of them could survive. He deliberately took out the divine soil and planted it. In the past, the old lame man was reluctant to add salt when cooking, so he sprinkled a little.
Hu Qiang'er, who was watching, sniffed and asked curiously: "Master, what kind of treasure is this? It smells so good."
His taste is rather unique. Different from humans and monsters, he likes the dark soil brought out by the master.
It smells so appetizing!
Zhang Wenfeng pinched a handful of soil and put it in the palm of the little guy who was swallowing saliva, and said with a smile: "I can only give you a taste. This is the 'sacred mud' of the Earth God. It is very rare."
He helped complete the case of Baihuling in Xiahe County last year. Although the result was not satisfactory and he escaped from the white witch Chu Qing'er, he secretly gained a lot.
The reward issued by the state city was only 800 spiritual energy stones, and he had already received it.
I heard Protector Xie revealed that part of his merits were converted into merit points, which would be of great use in the future.
What is its usefulness? Protector Xie smiled and said, "I can't tell you." He was very mysterious.
Hu Qiang'er put every last bit of mud into his mouth, half-closing his eyes with a look of intoxication and enjoyment. He was absorbing the pure fragrance and nature of the mud. It took him a while to finish eating, and then he burped. This is the first time I have eaten so much in a Taoist temple.
"Sir, don't you sprinkle some 'sacred mud' on the seeds over at Wangxia Ridge?"
"I'm going to sow it. I hope I can grow one or two spiritual plants."
"Don't worry, sir, I'll be keeping an eye on the seeds in the two hills these days to see if they sprout."
"Thank you for your hard work. I will graft more than ten spiritual peach branches and spiritual plum branches, and you will take care of them too."
"Sir, what is grafting?"
"I will demonstrate it to you later. If the grafting can be successful, our Taoist spiritual plant garden will be expanded several times this year. You can use it in the future."
"Okay, okay."
Zhang Wenfeng taught the little spies how to choose branches with buds and cut them, how to cut diagonally on the branches of ordinary peach trees, join them, bind them and fix them, etc. They worked in the forest all morning.
It's the end of the month in a blink of an eye, the season of spring flowers blooming, and the eyes are full of fresh green everywhere.
Zhang Wenfenghua bought Lingcha seeds at a "high price" and cultivated eight Lingcha saplings. This survival rate made him very satisfied.
More than thirty antique spiritual plant and elixir seeds actually allowed him to grow six seedlings, which was an unexpected surprise.
In the words of the second senior brother, you can make a lot of money by spending a little money.
The branches of the spiritual plants grafted by him and the little demon spirit were carefully taken care of. The rejection reaction between ordinary fruit trees and spiritual plants was relatively large, and only nearly 30% of them survived. This also made the little demon spirit feel more confident. He wanted to continue in the spring. Grafting, to complete the master's idea of planting the garden as soon as possible.
The ghost head mushroom cultivated in the sealed stone hall of White Fox Castle has more than ten mushroom buds left after these days of growth.
Every few days when I checked, a few pills were missing. Zhang Wenfeng simply stopped looking. Out of sight, out of mind.
The twenty-ninth day of the first lunar month is an auspicious day.
Suitable for traveling, starting work, and getting married.
Early in the morning, Zhang Wenfeng and his donkey set off quietly and flew toward the southwest.
They will meet up with Xin Yue, who has split up, somewhere at the junction of Huanye Wasteland and Guiziling, so as not to attract anyone's attention.