The new headmaster of Qingcheng, Daoist number Chen Kongzi.
This is an unfamiliar name, at least Li Yan they have never heard of it, and his reputation is not well known in the Xuanmen world.
But this is normal.
Among Xuanmen, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, there are many masters who practice in the mountains all year round. They have not shown up in the world for a long time and are not known to outsiders.
There are also some who wandered around under a pseudonym when they were young, accumulated experience, and practiced in the world, and then resumed their Daoist alias and went up the mountain.
Chen Kongzi's rise to the top must have gone through a multi-party game.
Of course, Li Yan doesn't know these things either.
The key thing is that after they have been in Shuzhong for so long, they are finally able to go to Qingcheng Mountain and handle some things in advance.
For example, his long-awaited magic weapon sword...
The snow is falling heavily and the mountains are covered with snow.
There are few pedestrians on the mountain roads, and there are occasional traces of ruts, but they are covered with snow and become less obvious.
There was silence all around except for the falling snowflakes.
The mountains are filled with mist and snow hangs on the branches.
There is loneliness between heaven and earth, quiet and desolate.
This is the ancient Sichuan Road leading from Chengdu to Guanjiang Estuary. The age is unknown, but it has never been interrupted since ancient times.
If you want to go to Qingcheng Mountain, the best choice is to follow Official Road from Chengdu to Guanjiang Estuary. When you get close, go southwest.
Or take the waterway, from Yibin Meishan side, transfer from Minjiang River to the Jinma River, and go directly to Guanjiang Estuary.
If you want to get there from other places, you have to go over mountains and ridges and take some nameless trails where wild animals roam.
Even the villagers in the mountains would not choose to do this.
This Official Road used to be quite busy, but now it has entered the twelfth lunar month, and with the Chinese New Year coming up in more than half a month, the number of pedestrians and business travelers on the road has naturally become sparse.
People in Shu can endure hardship, but they can also enjoy it.
Even if you live poorly, you can't talk about it, kill pigs and sheep, and prepare as much delicious food as possible for the festival.
In my free time, I drink tea and play leaf cards. I am stupid enough to run around here at this time.
What's more, the weather this year is a little unusual.
Some time ago, the snow came a little early.
In the past two days, there has been heavy snowfall, and the waterfalls on the mountains along the way have been frozen and turned into ice, as if they were in the North...
On Official Road, a group of people on Li Yan are moving forward.
Wearing cloaks and hats, they were very visible on the white snow. The only animal was the stupid donkey carrying luggage.
"What a damn weather!"
Sha LiFei shook the snow off his hat, took off the wine gourd from his waist, drank a few sips, then wiped his mouth and said, "Yan XiaoGe, let's go up the mountain now, can we see people?"
"It should be fine."
Li Yan also took a sip of wine, looked at the snowy mountain scenery, and said with a smile, "Mrs. Bai has inquired for us."
"Now Qingcheng Mountain has settled down and is preparing for next year's Opening Cellar Assembly. When Divine Land heroes will gather together, no force will be willing to lose face in front of outsiders."
"It will definitely be busy after the New Year. Let's go up to the mountain in advance, and some things will be easier to handle."
Mrs. Bai, who was originally Life Controller Society's Bai Huan, was escorted all the way to Chengdu by them.
Sha LiFei pretended to be casual and asked, "Have they settled down?"
"It's okay."
Li Yan shook his head and said, "Those women from Life Controller Society were disfigured due to practicing Gu Arts and did not want to be exposed in front of others. Now they have all joined Water Moon Convent, and they have entered Qingcheng."
"Zhao Yun and Xing Yu are two girls who are highly valued and trained by Water Moon Convent. Mrs. Bai and the others also benefited from it. No one dares to embarrass them..."
As he said that, he glanced at Sha LiFei who was absent-minded, and joked, "Old Sha wants to ask someone else, right?"
Sha LiFei chuckled and said, "You know why you're asking."
Li Yan shook his head and said, "Don't worry, Dragon Lady has been in retreat at Great Snow Mountain. Mrs. Bai said that with Lute Worm, the chance is not small."
"That's good..."
Sha LiFei muttered and wrapped himself in a cloak.
He has grown a lot during this time.
When a person reaches middle age, at best he is a charlatan, at worst he is a shabby man with nothing, so he is very courageous.
But now, many things are available.
The so-called ignorance and fearlessness, only when you start to practice and feel the difficulty, you realize what geniuses Li Yan are.
What's the way forward?
How to gain a foothold without becoming a burden?
He has been thinking about it this time.
I am much more stable and consider things more carefully.
Thinking of this, Sha LiFei suddenly asked, "Yan XiaoGe, are you going to the capital?"
"You mean Qiankun Academy?"
Li Yan pondered for a while, "A while ago, a letter came from Yan Jiuling, saying that after Metropolitan Exam this year, he will work at the Qiankun Academy."
"Qiankun Academy will officially open the hospital in April or May. If you have time, you can go shopping. After all, we will have to deal with it in the future."
"Don't be careless about this."
Sha LiFei said in a deep voice, "We have seen many changes in Xuanmen and Jianghu along the way, all of which are related to Human Path's changes."
"What exactly is this Human Path reform like? Old Sha I don't know, but it must have something to do with the imperial court."
"Let's get on the line with the Qiankun Academy. At least we can figure out what will happen, so as not to be confused and used by others."
"That's right."
Li Yan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
They are a team of wandering immortals, traveling around the world, practicing and practicing, half in the world, half in Xuanmen. Although they have met some court officials, they are destined not to step into the quagmire of Imperial Court.
However, Human Path has already felt the power of change.
Even Great Luo Dharma Realm will be affected.
In this era, there is no way for anyone to retreat.
Commandery Commandant Office is the emperor's eagle dog.
Enforcement Hall is Daoism's forbidden love.
Only the newly established Qiankun Academy is the most suitable for them, allowing them to move forward and retreat freely without drifting in the storm.
Of course, we have to wait for things to happen in Shuzhong...
The mountains are blocked by heavy snow and the roads are difficult.
Although everyone had extraordinary foot strength, they walked for a whole day but could only reach half of the distance. Unknowingly, the wind and snow became stronger.
"San Er, find a place to stay."
Seeing that it was getting dark, Li Yan turned around to remind.
Lu San nodded, picked up the eagle whistle around his neck, pinched Yang Seal and blew it. The ups and downs of the whistle immediately echoed in the mountains.
"Cha~cha!"
Several eagle calls were heard in the sky.
The falcon, which became more and more handsome, flapped its wings in the air, flew back and forth a few times, then fluttered its wings and landed, chirping on Lu San's shoulder.
"There is a ruined temple in Qiantou Mountain."
Lu San frowned slightly and said, "But there was a carriage parked outside the temple."
"Most of them are pedestrians on the road. It's okay to pick up a companion."
Li Yan didn't care. After giving a warning, he led everyone to speed up and follow the falcon.
About the time I touched Three Incense Sticks, the sky was completely dark.
The wind and snow howled along the mountain roads, blowing straight into people's bones.
"Go this way."
Seeing the falcon signal, Lu San pointed his finger to the right.
I saw a mountain road on the right, leading halfway up the mountain. The woods on both sides were covered with snow, and the road was also white.
Most of this mountain road has been abandoned, and it is covered by heavy snow. If there are no eagles to detect it, they will probably miss it.
Leading the donkeys and carrying luggage, everyone walked through the almost deserted mountain road.
After walking not far, a large piece of flat land suddenly appeared in front of it, with mountains and valleys on its back, and a large Mountain God Temple was built.
Generally speaking, the size of Mountain God Temple is not uniform.
Like some famous mountains and rivers, the names of mountain gods have appeared in history books. The temples built are like palaces and are full of incense. Temple fairs are held every year, attracting pilgrims from all over the world.
In some places, the mountain god is nameless or even has only one shrine. Occasionally, hunters passing by will point to Three Incense Sticks devoutly.
This Mountain God Temple is considered medium-sized, with a main hall, two rows of Wing Room, and an adobe wall blocking the outside.
A Mountain God Temple like this basically has a permanent temple and even functions as an inn, where business travelers passing by can stay and earn some money along the way.
However, the building in front of me was abandoned.
Half of the adobe wall outside collapsed and was covered by heavy snow.
A carriage was parked outside the temple. It still looked brand new, but the horse pulling the carriage was nowhere to be seen, and it was pitch dark inside the temple.
Li Yan twitched his nose and frowned:
"It smells of blood, be careful!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone immediately dispersed.
Lu San raised his hand and the falcon soared into the sky, checking the surrounding mountains and forests to see if there was any ambush.
Sha LiFei and Wu Ba, on the other hand, quietly protected Wang Dao Xuan.
Li Yan first came to the carriage and picked up the door curtain with the hilt of the knife, but saw that it was messy inside, with blood stains and signs of struggle.
He frowned, came to the ruined temple again, jumped into it, checked it out and said, "It's okay, there are a few dead bodies, they must have been attacked by bandits."
Sha LiFei and others entered the temple.
This Mountain God Temple is in such a dilapidated state that it can barely block the wind and snow. The windows and doors of the main hall have been torn down and used for chopping wood to make fires.
On the right side of the half-collapsed Wing Room, several corpses were lying, including men and women, old and young.
This was obviously a family, rushing home during the Chinese New Year. Unfortunately, they encountered bandits and were robbed of everything.
Their clothes were pulled off, and the two female relatives had obviously been violated. Their bodies were in a mess, and their faces were full of fear and despair.
"What a beast!"
Wang Dao Xuan frowned when he saw it.
"It should be internal thieves colluding with external bandits."
Sha LiFei is experienced and made a guess after just one glance. "The clothes were stripped off, which means they are valuable. There are no calluses on the hands. They are all happy people. Not a single servant's body was seen..."
"Look at this body, it must have been killed yesterday."
Wang Dao Xuan was a little puzzled, "It's winter, so the bandits on the mountain should all be locked up for winter, right?"
Greenwood Path and Orchid Character Sect have the habit of cats in winter.
Every year in autumn, the bandits start to take a holiday.
The boss called the people together, divided the money (Red Cabinet), hid the long weapons, and made an appointment to code the people in April next year.
These bandits, those who have families, lie to their neighbors and say that they have been doing business in other places throughout the year and will go home to celebrate the New Year.
Those who had no home either spent the winter in small groups in the stockade, or sought refuge with relatives and friends, or even went to find prostitutes with whom they were interested.
There are even those who "help others".
The so-called "gang-up" means one woman and two husbands.
Normally, a woman has a legal husband. When the bandits come, she immediately takes over the bed, and the husband is responsible for fetching water, working, and serving.
Like this, the original husband is usually in poor health and loses the ability to support the family, so the whole family can survive only by being a cuckold.
In short, snakes have their own ways, and rats have their own ways.
After the cat winter is over, the bandits must gather together to count their numbers.
Once you've entered a den of thieves, it's almost impossible to get out.
If the head of the family finds that someone has not come, he will send someone to find out the situation. If someone is killed, he will track down the murderer and chop off his head as a sacrifice to his brothers.
If someone informs or rebels, find the guarantor and himself and kill them as a warning to others. Almost every year, there are similar murder cases in various places.
At the same time, ordinary people also gained experience.
Just like ferocious beasts need to gain weight for the winter, bandits need to gain weight in the autumn. Bandits are just as red-eyed, and there are so many of them.
So I am on my way in autumn to hire more escorts.
But in winter, the only trouble is the difficulty of traveling.
Robbery in this kind of weather is breaking the rules.
"I'm afraid they're not bandits."
Sha LiFei shook his head and said, "It's the Chinese New Year, and I want to return home in fine clothes. I have brought a lot of wealth with me, which makes the servants jealous."
"After that, we can get someone to report it to the police, but in the middle of nowhere, if we don't have someone to take care of it, Yamen Runner won't bother to bother, and it will probably be an unsolved case again."
He travels around the world, and this kind of thing is commonplace.
Although they felt a little uncomfortable, everyone still carried out the bodies one by one, dug a hole and buried them outside the temple, and then Wang Dao Xuan chanted sutras and was saved.
After finishing all this, it was already dark.
Everyone lit bonfires at the mountain temple to escape the snowy night.
Although it was freezing cold, they had already become accustomed to it. They stewed a large pot full of bacon, sausages and sauerkraut, heated up the sesame seed cakes, and ate and chatted over strong wine.
Before they said a few words, Li Yan and Lu San raised their heads at the same time and looked outside the hospital.
"Someone is coming!"
Li Yan reminded me in a low voice.
Everyone remained calm and put their weapons at hand.
"Hurry, it's right here!"
Not long after, shouts were heard outside, and then in the darkness, there was a faint flicker of fire, accompanied by the neighing of mules and horses.
But it is a large caravan.
"Gentlemen, I remember there is a ruined temple here..."
A flattering voice sounded from the front.
"Everyone stop!"
Among the caravans, an old man in black robe suddenly walked out. His facial features were straight and he had an air of majesty.
He was holding a long knife in his hand. He sniffed first, then looked at the carriage next to him and the mound where the corpse was buried, and frowned.
Whoosh!
He made a gesture, and many of the men in the caravan immediately drew their weapons in a hurry. Some even bent their bows and nocked arrows, aiming at the ruined temple.
"This is..."
The driver who was responsible for leading the way suddenly became a little nervous.
The old man didn't pay attention to him, but raised his hands towards the ruined temple and shouted loudly, "He Wu!"
"Friends in the temple, may I ask which path you took?"
Sha LiFei walked out of the temple wrapped in a cloak and said impatiently, "Brothers from the escort agency, we are not bad guys, we are just passers-by in the snow. Come in if you want."
However, the old man still refused to move. He glanced at the mound of soil and said in a deep voice, "Liang Zi, the dirt in the dirt is probably the fishy substance that turned into fish?" (There are corpses in the soil, are you fake Daoist priests ambushing you?)
"Yo~"
Sha LiFei was also stunned for a moment, then he raised his hand and said, "It turns out that he is also a fellow Daoist. This matter has nothing to do with us, so there is no need to worry."
The old man obviously didn't believe it, but when he saw Li Yan and others in the hall through the broken door, he suddenly remembered something and his expression became respectful.
"I dare to ask you, but Twelve Yuan Chen?"