The snow has just begun to fall, and Qingcheng Mountain is covered in silver.
The white snow weighs on the pine branches, the green and white contrast with each other, the smoke and clouds rise, and under the sunlight, it looks like an ink painting.
The ancient road between the mountains is winding, covered with snow, rarely visited by pedestrians, and occasionally there are footprints left by small animals.
Li Yan and Wang Dao Xuan, stepping on the snow, crunching in the mountains, looking at the vast surroundings, felt comfortable in their hearts.
"What a great place..."
Wang Dao Xuan exhaled, and praised with a smile on his face, "Qingcheng is a quiet place in the world, and it really deserves its reputation. It also has a certain charm in winter."
"We'll talk about the style and stuff later."
Li Yan looked around, shook his head and said, "Where is Water Moon Convent? No one in this barren mountain asked."
When he arrived at Qingcheng Mountain, he realized that he had made a miscalculation.
It was freezing cold, the mountains were blocked by heavy snow, and there was not a single pedestrian on the road. Qingcheng Mountain Road was not like his previous life, with guide signs and the like.
The two couldn't find Water Moon Convent and actually got lost.
"How about we go straight up the mountain?"
Wang Dao Xuan looked at the distance, shook his head and said, "It will get dark soon. Qingcheng Mountain There should be a Hongchen Daoist temple down there for people to offer incense. Let's go there first and then inquire."
Li Yan thought for a moment, nodded and said, "That's fine."
He originally wanted to go to Water Moon Convent first, see old lady Bai Huan, and then ask Master Xiaoyue about the situation on the mountain to avoid making mistakes.
But considering the situation, we can only go up the mountain first.
The two of them had an idea, so they stopped running around, returned to the main road, and headed towards Qingcheng Mountain along the main road.
Qingcheng Mountain The clouds cover the fog and the distant mountains look like light ink. In addition, the sun is not visible on cloudy days in winter, and the sky becomes a little dark as dusk approaches.
The two of them walked up the slippery stone steps, but saw a dim light in the distance, and a building hidden among the snowy branches.
However, Li Yan were not in a hurry to get closer.
I saw a Daoist sitting cross-legged in a pavilion not far away, with a long sword behind him. He was only wearing a thin Daoist robe in the cold weather.
He seemed to be quite old, with a slender face and some gray hair, and he was alone in the pavilion.
But Li Yan didn't dare to underestimate it at all.
The fact that he can guard the mountain gate here in this kind of weather at least shows that his skills have been practiced to the point where he can withstand the cold and heat.
Li Yan himself is not capable of this.
Sure enough, when he heard the two of them stop, the Daoist slowly opened his eyes, stood up, came to him, and gave a slight Daoist salute. "Two fellow Daoists, what's the point of going up the mountain?"
This Daoist has already realized that Li Yan and the others are sorcerers.
If he were an ordinary person, he wouldn't show up at all.
"Li Yan, come and pay homage to the mountain."
Li Yan took out a letter Visiting Card from his arms.
There is also a letter from Wudang Master Yu Chanzi at the back.
After taking it, the Daoist glanced at it for a few times and immediately smiled, "It turns out it's Young Hero Li, which has become famous in the world recently. I even heard about it in the mountains."
"I'm a poor Daoist Ming Shanzi. It's freezing cold. Young hero, please come with me. Rest one night at the Jianfu Palace. It won't be too late to go up the mountain tomorrow."
"Thank you, Daoist Master."
Li Yan two people quickly handed over their hands to express their thanks.
Under the leadership of the Daoist, the two turned to the mountain road on the right.
Not far away, I saw a palace standing under the cliff, with the words "Jianfu Palace" written on the gate arch.
The couplets on both sides read respectively, "Playing the flute and playing the flute when the weather is cold, the jade flute will control Qingluan's residence", and "Yuanyun Road is near Du Laoqian to get rid of her gray hair".
The architectural style is typical Shu style.
Seeing that the two seemed very interested, Ming Shanzi smiled and introduced, "According to legend, this place is the place where Ning Fengzi True Person practiced. It was built in the Tang Dynasty. The original name was 'Zhangren Temple', and Southern Song Dynasty was changed to 'Jianfu Palace'."
It was already evening now, and the sound of wooden fish in the Daoist temple could be heard, as well as the sound of young Daoists doing evening classes.
"Uncle Master."
The Daoist boy at the door saw the three of them and stepped forward quickly.
"These two are fellow Daoists who went up the mountain."
Ming Shanzi smiled and said, "Go and prepare two good guest rooms and some vegetarian meals."
"Yes, uncle."
After the Daoist boy left, Ming Shanzi took the two of them into the palace and briefly introduced, "Ning Fengzi True Person is the main god of Qingcheng and the main worshiper in the palace, as well as senior Du Guangting. The following halls are dedicated to Lord Lao and East Flower Emperor."
"The mountains have been closed due to heavy snow recently, and there are no guests. The guest rooms are inevitably contaminated with dust and need to be tidied up. Please come with me to have some tea."
After that, he took the two of them to a room Quiet Room and poured tea in person.
"The Daoist priest is too polite."
Li Yan slightly raised his hand, feeling a little strange in his heart.
The status of Qingcheng in Shu goes without saying.
He doesn't think that his reputation in the world is worthy of such courtesy from others.
Sure enough, the Daoist smiled slightly, stroked his beard and said, "My little friend, there is no need to worry. To be honest, Pindao is always on the mountain and takes the initiative to guard the mountain, just waiting for you."
"Waiting for me specifically?"
Li Yan felt something in his heart, "Senior, please give me a clear explanation."
Ming Shanzi did not hide it, and said with a smile, "The poor Daoist family's surname is Cheng, Yi Divination Sect's head Cheng YuanXing is my brother."
People from the Cheng family...
Li Yan became vigilant in his heart and suddenly realized. "So that's it. Senior Cheng's divination skills are amazing. At that time, he helped us get rid of Shu King Residence's entanglement. It's a pity that we didn't have the chance to meet him."
After leaving Fengdu, Shu King Residence sent people to block the river, so they did not go up the mountain.
Li Yan specifically pointed out this matter, firstly to express the gratitude, and secondly to express doubts that the relationship between the two parties was not like this.
Ming Shanzi certainly heard what he meant, hesitated for a moment, and said, "You don't need to be on guard, little friend. I am waiting for you here. I have something to ask."
Li Yan nodded and said, "Senior, please tell me."
Ming Shanzi clenched his fists, his eyes became excited, and he said in a trembling voice, "My little friend, have you ever seen our Cheng family Old Ancestor?"
"Sword Immortal Cheng?"
Li Yan was a little surprised, shook his head and said, "The heroic figure of the Sword Immortal, I have been yearning for it for a long time, but unfortunately I have no chance to see it. Where did the senior hear the news?"
Ming Shanzi said in a trembling voice, "It was Old Ancestor who sent the message and mentioned you."
"What?!"
Li Yan was taken aback and became even more confused, "To be honest, I have never seen Sword Immortal Cheng. Maybe he heard something about me?"
"No."
Ming Shanzi was a little anxious and shook his head and said, "Old Ancestor sent a message saying that he traveled everywhere and saw heroes rising everywhere in the world, dragons and snakes rising from the land, and changes in the human world are probably not far away."
"He asked the Cheng family to give up the fight for the position of headmaster of Qingcheng. He also mentioned you, saying that you have black evil under your feet and thunder and thunder on your head. You are afraid that you will be the one who will be robbed. He asked the Cheng family not to provoke you."
Hearing this, Li Yan's heart suddenly jumped.
He knew that Sword Immortal Cheng must have seen him before.
Others may be confused, but he understands what is going on.
But Dragon Snake Plate can be carried with you.
Such a technique of Wangqi is simply appalling!
Thinking of this, Li Yan also swallowed, "Senior, can you remind me what the Sword Immortal looks like?"
Ming Shanzi hesitated for a moment and sighed, "Since Old Ancestor mentioned my little friend, there are some things that don't need to be concealed."
"Many years ago, my family Old Ancestor said that he vaguely sensed the opportunity to become a god, so he resigned from his position as head teacher Shu Mountain and devoted himself to cultivation."
"My family Old Ancestor is a Sword Immortal. Naturally, he is a wind god and handsome, like a banished immortal who came to the world. But later, I don't know what happened, and he no longer ascended to the gods. He just lived in seclusion in the back mountain of the clan and consulted the past books."
"I thought that Old Ancestor failed to ascend to the gods, and no one dared to mention it anymore. Old Ancestor rarely showed up, but according to the disciples who went to deliver food, Old Ancestor was getting weaker and weaker, and he was blind..."
Bang!
Li Yan didn't hold the tea cup firmly in his hand and dropped it on the table...
Guan County, Qingjiang Inn, in the lobby.
Bang!
Sha LiFei slammed the table, his eyes widened, and he cursed angrily, "You idiots, you said something that has nothing to do with Laozi, why are you still acting like this!"
On the opposite side, several Yamen Runner looked like they were facing a formidable enemy.
The head catcher, a man with a sinister face, was not afraid when he heard this. He grabbed the handle of the knife and said in a cold voice, "Bold!"
"Could it be that these gangsters want to openly resist arrest?"
He spoke forcefully, but his body was trembling slightly. He was obviously very scared, but he was holding on and refused to retreat.
"Constable Wan, I have something to say."
Seeing this, Wang Tianzuo of Shunyuan Escort Agency hurriedly stepped forward and said with a smile, "This matter is a misunderstanding. I can testify. If we were the murderers, how could we go to report the crime?"
While he was talking, a piece of silver was stuffed into him.
"Stop doing this!"
The catcher pushed him away, threw the money on the ground, gritted his teeth and said to Sha LiFei, "You have done something wrong. If you can, kill us, otherwise we will be captured without mercy!"
When Wang Tianzuo saw this, his face immediately darkened, "Constable Wan, there are some things that you can't interfere with."
At this moment, he had vaguely guessed the reason...
"Hmph!"
Constable Wan obviously knew Wang Tianzuo. He snorted coldly when he saw this, "Brother Wang, it's not your Shunyuan Escort Agency's place to interfere in this matter either. Just listen to me and just leave."
Wang Tianzuo narrowed his eyes, "What if I don't?"
For a moment, the atmosphere in the inn was gloomy.
Seeing this, the other guests felt chilled in their hearts and retreated one after another.
At the same time, Lu San also felt something in his heart, and whispered in Sha LiFei's ear, "There is an ambush outside, with hundreds of guardsmen and muskets."
"Hmm."
Sha LiFei nodded slightly and glanced at me.
He also understood what was going on at this moment.
They discovered a murder case in the ruined temple before.
With Ji Yinde's thoughts in mind, they took some items from the carriage, and after arriving at Guan County, they immediately went to the county government to report the crime.
There was nothing there when I went there.
Near the end of the year, the county government office was also very deserted. Yamen Runner, who was on duty, took notes casually, but it seemed like he didn't take it seriously at all.
But as soon as they arrived at the inn and were halfway through their meal in the lobby, a large number of Yamen Runners came in, saying that they were involved in a murder case and wanted to arrest someone.
Thinking about it, you all know there is a ghost in it.
It is impossible to capture him without mercy.
There are two official names, and when you go to the Yamen, you are said to be a prisoner, and you are a prisoner, and you may not know what measures will be taken in the future.
If that doesn't work, we can only resort to a tight siege.
"Report!"
At this moment, a Yamen Runner rushed in panting, and said urgently, "Head arrest, the trafficker has caught him."
"What did you say?"
This Constable Wan was stunned for a moment, obviously a little incredible.
Yamen Runner hurriedly whispered, "Those servants were tied up and thrown into the lobby. They cried for their fathers and mothers and confessed to everything."
"They said that after losing money in gambling and having a hard time at the end of the year, they saw Cai and wanted to kill the master's family. Your Excellency wants you to go back immediately."
"Who the hell..."
Constable Wan cursed for a while and quickly shut up. Then he gave Sha LiFei and the others a hard look, and said with some reluctance, "Withdraw!"
After that, he left the inn with a group of Yamen Runner.
"Sir, look at this..."
The shopkeeper who was hiding behind the cabinet came out carefully.
"It's okay."
Sha LiFei waved his hand and said casually, "It's really unlucky. The shopkeeper will buy another banquet and bring it to our room."
After that, he winked and led a few people back to the room.
"That man named Wan is a bait!"
As soon as he entered the room, Wang Tianzuo sneered and said, "This guy is very greedy. He doesn't even ask for money. He comes here with his head. It's probably because someone promised you a favor and is causing trouble for you."
"It should be Shu King Residence."
Sha LiFei looked out the window and said in a deep voice, "Someone recognized us. In such a short period of time, it was not possible for a county to mobilize guardsmen."
"In Guan County, there are people from Shu King Residence."
Wang Tianzuo heard this and said apologetically, "Brother Sha, I'm sorry. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have come Guan County."
Sha LiFei shook his head and said with a smile, "Brother Wang, why did you say this? To be honest, I will Guan County have other important matters."
They came to Guan County to look for clues to Erlang Zhenjun.
This matter is secret, so naturally Wang Tianzuo cannot be informed.
But he did not run away in times of crisis, but stood up and stood with them. No matter where he went, he could be called a hero.
"Oh, that's it."
Wang Tianzuo felt a little better, but he was also very sensible. He didn't ask too much, but said with worry on his face, "Since Shu King Residence's people are here, I'm afraid there are ways to follow up."
"Brother Sha, you'd better leave the city overnight. I still have some connections here and can make arrangements immediately."
"No rush."
Sha LiFei picked up the tea cup and took a sip. He looked out the window thoughtfully and said, "Those guardsmen haven't evacuated yet. If they leave now, they will most likely be charged with some crime."
"What I'm more curious about is, who is helping us?"
The prisoner will definitely not go to the county government office to confess his crime.
To be able to learn the news in a short period of time, catch these servants, and throw them into the county government office is definitely not an ordinary person...
"Coming!"
Lu San suddenly spoke and looked outside the door.
Boom, boom, boom!
There was only a knock on the door, and then the wooden door creaked open, and a middle-aged man in white walked in, with regular features and a very delicate appearance.
"I've met you all."
He smiled slightly, held the fan and cupped his hands, and glanced around, "Wu Ma, Chou Niu, and Xu Dog are all here. I wonder where Young Hero Li went?"
Sha LiFei felt something in his heart, clasped his fists and said in a deep voice, "You are the one who helped us out, right?"
"We have never met each other before. Do you know your surname?"
The man smiled slightly and shook the folding fan in his hand. He saw eight big characters written on it, "Shape without form, image without form".
This sentence comes from <Laozi>.
"The rope is indescribable and returns to nothingness. It is called a formless form, an imageless image, it is called a sudden blur."
Wang Tianzuo immediately changed his expression after seeing it.
"Faceless Young Master!"
Sha LiFei heard this and immediately became vigilant.
He heard Li Yan talking about this person.
This "Faceless Young Master" is Chengdu Prefecture's famous underworld master. At that time, he was competing for "Lute Worm" in Marquis Wu Shrine, and even lured Tang Ling away to kill Prince.
Divine Fist Society Zhang Zou Shaohai warned him not to associate with this person.
What does this guy want to do when he comes to them?