When we first left the city, it was still cloudless.
But after only half a day's journey, it began to drizzle, and then it started to rain heavier and heavier.
Crunch~
The wheels of the carriage ran through the Official Road mud, leaving long ruts.
With two tung oil covered carriages and five horses, the group meandered towards Tai'an under the leaden sky.
Li Yan flicked the rainwater from the brim of his hat and turned his head to look.
After death, South City has long been hidden in the mountains, rivers and rain.
But what he was looking at was not South City, but he was recalling his original conversation with Lu HongYuan...
"Killing people? Senior Lu might as well say it clearly."
"Does Little You Li know that Mingde Academy used to be 'Gentleman's Sword' Zhou Zhao?"
"I heard that he is your favorite disciple."
"It's also a scandal. Three years ago, he broke into the forbidden area of the academy at night, stole a forbidden book, and killed a fellow student."
"Senior, why don't you take action yourself?"
"He has changed his appearance and is hiding somewhere. He just showed up in the world a few years ago. Now he calls himself 'Judge of the Underworld' and actually got Living Underworld Messenger Summoning Warrant. He even said that if I kill him, I will fight to the death to drag hundreds of disciples from the academy to die with me."
"Why choose me?"
"The battle for the master is probably about to begin..."
"This fight will last for at least several years. My friend, your reputation is now far and wide. Even if your skills are still low, someone will come to you. As long as you stop you, the opportunity may be someone else's. My unworthy disciple's long-cherished wish in life is to become a grandmaster, so he will definitely come to you."
"This..."
"Kong Shangzhao Three Dynasties, young and old, will be protected by the Mingde Academy from now on."
"If you want to kill this beast, I can call you Martial Arts True Intention."
"Deal!"
Murder is not a problem for Li Yan.
What's more, he is a guy who kills his fellow disciples and will definitely cause trouble for him.
With Lu HongYuan's protection, Kong Shangzhao can follow them on the road with peace of mind.
Of course, the more critical thing is the battle for the Grandmaster!
He had heard about it many times before, but outsiders only looked at it in the fog. The grandmaster Huo Yin he met in the capital was also aloof and rarely communicated with him. This time, from Lu HongYuan, he finally learned the inside story of the battle for the grandmaster.
Grandmaster is both a title and a vague rule.
Ten is the number of perfection, Divine Land There are only ten masters in the past generations, without exception.
As long as more than half of the previous grandmasters die or retire, a new grandmaster battle will begin.
Each time, it takes several years to stand out in battle after battle.
In the end, it was not about winning against anyone, but about defeating all contenders.
It's a kind of despair, thinking that you are inferior to others, Dao Heart is damaged, and it will be difficult to make further progress in the future.
In short, the successful king and the defeated bandit either rise up in the struggle or become lonely.
Li Yan has no intention of coming to challenge him, he just doesn't know who will come to him.
Thinking of this, he turned the horse's head, shook the reins, and followed the crowd...
As we head southward, the sky becomes lower and the distant mountains are immersed in a gray mist, their outlines like swollen paper.
The wind blows from the direction of Daiyue, carrying the smell of earth and rotten leaves.
Official Road The wild chestnut trees on both sides swayed their branches wildly, filtering out a denser curtain of rain.
The rainwater gathered into small streams in the rutted ditch, and was suddenly trampled by the hind hooves.
Wu Ba was too big, and there were no horses that could carry him for a long distance. In addition, he had to protect his luggage, so he drove a carriage with the rear luggage compartment completely covered with oilcloth. The door Tiger Crouching Cannon was wrapped in thick felt and tied to the back of the saddle. The barrel of the gun gleamed coldly in the rain and fog.
The weaker Kong Shangzhao, Fatty Lin, Wang Dao Xuan and Long Yan'er were all in the second carriage.
"Bohai Qiu Mu..."
Fatty Lin flipped through <Classic of Mountains and Seas Illustrated> and frowned. "'Bohai Twisted Wood Reaching the Nine Abyss', that's the only sentence in the whole book. Brother Kong, have you found any other clues?"
Like Kong Shangzhao and Kuai Dayou, he did not think about joining Twelve Yuan Chen, but First Gate was focused on helping Lineage find the spiritual wood.
"I only know that the last time he appeared was in Jinling."
Kong Shangzhao replied truthfully, "Back then, strangers from overseas came and offered Bohai Qiu wood. I heard it was more than five feet long, with bark like dragon scales and as hard as iron. It floated on the sea for several years and was incorruptible. Like the best ambergris, it could only be found by chance."
"As for where this tree grew, no one knows. It is called 'Bohai Qiu Mu' because the stranger claimed to be from the Bohai Sea and used this tree in exchange for an ancient book in the royal family's secret collection. After that, the 'Bohai Qiu Mu' never appeared again."
"Has it been conquered by the Daxuan Royal Family?"
"It doesn't look like this. This treasure is too big. Everyone will know when it is shipped to the capital. It should still be in Aurous Hill..."
Listening to the discussion between the two, Wang Dao Xuan said, "Young Master Lin, Lin Family are in a bad situation now?"
"Don't hide it from the Daoist priest."
Fatty Lin said bitterly, "Lin Family The industry does not belong to my family alone. Due to the Japanese pirates' rebellion, most of the family's masters were killed at sea. If we cannot rebuild the treasure ship and go to sea to make profits, we will not be able to suppress people's hearts."
"I don't care about this, but the elders and young ones in the family may suffer."
"Don't worry, things will be solved."
Wang Dao Xuan didn't know what to do, so he could only comfort him with words.
After that, he looked outside the carport and changed the subject. "I was wrong. I thought it would only be cloudy for days. I didn't expect it would rain so hard. The changes in the celestial phenomena are indeed becoming more and more unpredictable."
At this moment, Li Yan also rode over and said sideways, "Daoist Master, I'm afraid I won't be able to reach Tai'an today. It's getting dark. Then find a place to take shelter from the rain. Aren't you familiar with this place?"
Wang Dao Xuan wandered around the world and spent most of his time between Ji Province and Qilu.
For a period of time, he even set up a stall in Tai'an city to tell fortunes for several months.
"Let me think about it..."
Wang Dao Xuan stuck his head out and looked around.
"Keep going, I remember a ruined temple..."
The sky turned towards evening like splashing ink, and the rain stopped for a while, but turned into a mist, which stuck to my clothes and couldn't be shaken off.
On the left side of the front road Official Road, a grass-covered path suddenly branched out, half hidden behind the skewed Locust Wood.
The team followed the instructions of Wang Dao Xuan and turned left into the wilderness trail.
Soon, I saw that half of a low temple door had collapsed and was embedded between the ruined walls.
The door plaque has long since decayed into half, leaving only a mottled remnant of the word "Tai".
"That's it! It's just a tile after all!" Sha LiFei shouted back.
This deserted temple is not large, and the main hall can only accommodate two or three carriages and horses, so the carriages have to be parked outside.
When I walked into it, I saw that the shrine in the middle was dedicated to the mountain god or the earth. Most of the mud was peeled off, revealing the bones of rotten wood.
The sacred case is in ruins, the remaining candles are in tears, and the dust is so thick that it can even bury your feet.
There are some random grass futons scattered along the wall, which have long been soaked black by the moisture.
The most eye-catching thing is the several holes in the roof, where the skylight is wrapped with fine raindrops and penetrates diagonally into the hall, eroding deep dark puddles on the adobe floor.
The eaves ticked, hitting the broken bricks, and the sound was like leaking.
Sha LiFei and Lu San hurriedly moved down the dry food barrels, and Wu Ba used a knife to split open the scattered food on the table to make firewood.
The fire sickle burned, and an orange-red halo suddenly broke through the darkness in the hall, making the fragments of the murals of gods and monsters on the four walls flicker.
There is half a mottled dragon on the wall, with black holes left where the dragon's eyes were gouged out, but Dragon Body's scales seem to be swimming in the smoke.
The tongue of fire licked the wet wood, and white smoke rolled up in strands.
Li Yan folded his arms and leaned on the inner sill of the temple door, looking at the statue of the god.
They were sleeping in the wilderness, so naturally they were not afraid of any ghosts, and they found no strange phenomena.
It just made him wonder why a statue of a god could be built in such a remote place.
"This is Bixia Yuanjun Temple."
Seeing this, Wang Dao Xuan explained, "There used to be a village nearby, Attendant all year round, but due to a great epidemic, no one in the village survived. Without the incense, the place gradually became deserted."
Li Yan smiled and said, "Gods cannot live without humans..."
Bixia Yuanjun, also known as Taishan Jade Maiden, Taishan Niangniang, Taishan Nainai, the Daoist scriptures call it "the immortal jade girl Bixia protects the world" "True Person" is called "Jade Green Great Emperor" in "Daishi". Because he is in charge of Mount Tai, he is honored as Holy Mother of Mount Tai Bixia Yuanjun.
Its dojo is naturally Dongyue Mount Tai, the most respected of the Five Sacred Mountains.
This deity is also worshiped by the state. It is said to "protect all living beings and respond to the nine states" and "control the divine soldiers of the Yue Mansion and watch over the good and evil in the world." There is a saying among the people that "the Lord of the North and the Mazu of the South" show its influence.
This time I came to Mount Tai to investigate the changes in Dongyue's status.
When encountering Taishan Niangniang's temple, Li Yan naturally couldn't help but take a second look.
Immediately, he was attracted by the things described on those murals.
In addition to the dragon, there are many little people on it, following Dragon Body and bowing to Bixia Yuanjun.
"This is about the Northern Song Dynasty."
Wang Dao Xuan explained with a smile, "When Song Zhenzong granted Mount Tai to the east, he returned to the imperial palace and washed his hands in the Jade Girl's Pool. A stone figure emerged from the water. This was the Jade Girl, so Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty then ordered the pond to be dredged, the Jade Goddess statue to be re-carved with white jade, a temple to be built and renamed Zhaozhen Temple, and envoys were sent to pay homage to her. She was named 'The Holy Emperor's Daughter' and was granted the title 'Heavenly Immortal Jade Girl Bixia Yuanjun'."
"Oh?"
Li Yan As soon as he heard this, he realized the problem, "When will it be turned into a national sacrifice?"
Wang Dao Xuan naturally knew what he meant, and nodded. "That's right, in the past they were all private sacrifices. Later, because of this incident and Xuanmen's contribution to the flames, Bixia Yuanjun was allowed to enjoy national sacrifices and be included in the Immortal Book."
"But it's been a long time. We used to call him Taishan Jade Maiden. We'll see you at Yellow Emperor, and we'll see you at Emperor Ming of Han."
Li Yan After listening, I felt thoughtful.
The experience of Bixia Yuanjun is somewhat similar to that of Erlang Zhenjun.
According to what Erlang Zhenjun said, those who can open up an area on their own in the Great Luo Dharma Realm to protect the gods usually do not show up most of the time. I don't know what kind of practice this person is now.
Mount Tai Prefect's change in position, is it related to it...
The rain stopped one night, and the next day it was bright and clear.
Bixia Yuanjun Outside the temple, the washed mountains and forests are verdant.
Li Yan The group of people drove together, traveling along Official Road towards Tai'an City.
At noon, the outline of a towering city appeared at the end of the field of vision.
The blue-grey city wall winds along the mountain, like a giant python sitting at the feet of Mount Tai.
It is Tai'an Prefecture City.
The carriages and horses passed through the Wengcheng and entered the east gate of Tai'an.
As soon as you enter the city, you will be greeted by the hustle and bustle and the rich smell of incense.
Although the streets are not wide, there is an endless stream of people coming and going.
The stone road has been worn smooth and shiny by years of footsteps, and there are many shops on both sides, mostly selling incense, candles, paper horses, statues of gods and Buddhas, and Taishan Stone Dare.
The banners of hotels, restaurants, and teahouses waved lightly in the breeze, and the waiters at the door shouted one after another.
The air is filled with the mixed smell of cooking smoke, sandalwood, and fried snacks, as well as the faithful men and women who come from all over, speak with different accents, and carry heavy sachets on their backs to prepare for the Daiding Incense.
Since ancient times, there has been an endless stream of people worshiping Mount Tai.
A small part of the prosperity of Tai'an City is also due to these pilgrims.
"Finally we're here. Let's find a better inn and have a warm meal. Tomorrow morning..." Sha LiFei said as he took off his Straw Cape, but before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a commotion in front of him.
Not far from the city gate, in front of the notice board leading to Dai Temple and the mountaineering winding road, I saw a large, dark group of people gathered around. There was a buzzing discussion, and there was an anxious atmosphere.
There were also dozens of officers holding water and fire sticks and soldiers in uniforms, guarding the main intersections of the mountain with serious expressions, and forcefully dispersed some pilgrims and travelers carrying luggage who tried to approach.
Li Yan frowned slightly and signaled the team to pause.
Sha LiFei had already slid off the horse first and squeezed into the crowd.
After a while, he returned with a slightly solemn expression, holding a freshly-uncovered notice in his hand.
"Yan XiaoGe, everyone, something happened."
Sha LiFei smacked his lips and handed the notice to Li Yan, "Mount Tai, the mountain is closed!"
The air suddenly became quiet.
Li Yan took the notice and unfolded it, only to see black characters on yellow paper, covered with the bright red seal of the magistrate of Tai'an Prefecture.
[Taian Prefecture Yamen and Daiyue Governor's Office jointly signed the ban]
Because of the Mount Tai Temple renovation, it is in urgent need of cleanliness and quietness, and the worship of Shinto.
With this edict and the Xuanmen Grand Sect's joint ultimatum, from now on, the entire territory of Taiyue, including the Red Gate, Zhongtianmen, South Heaven Gate and other winding roads, the peaks of Daiding and Houshiwu, and the Dai Temple inner courtyard, will be sealed off!
It is strictly prohibited for anyone not authorized by the order to climb mountains, enter temples to offer incense, or go on sightseeing tours.
Anyone who trespasses, regardless of whether they are monks, laymen, officials or citizens, will be punished for violating the sacred way, disturbing the holy place, and will be thrown into jail!
This order is like a mountain, and those who violate it will be severely punished!
"When did this news spread? Why was it so sudden?" Kuai Dayou asked.
"The notice was posted this morning."
Sha LiFei replied, "I heard from onlookers that since last night, a large number of soldiers and horses have been marching up the mountain from the bottom of the mountain, setting up checkpoints along the winding road. This ban was posted shortly after the city gate opened this morning, and all the pilgrims who were going up the mountain were forcibly persuaded to return, and the people on the mountain were also driven back down for some reason. Now the news has just spread, and the city is in a panic."
"What should I do?" Fatty Lin has a headache.
He thought that Li Yan would go up the mountain and the matter would be solved quickly, but unexpectedly there would be another setback.
"Find a place to stay first."
Li Yan didn't say much, and took everyone to an inn to stay. Then he called everyone together and said, "At Daming Lake, I got news from the Yanmen that there was something unusual in Mount Tai, and many monks outside have been recalled."
"Now it seems that the situation may be more serious."
"Yan XiaoGe."
Sha LiFei asked curiously, "Now you should tell us, what on earth are we here to do?"
Li Yan said helplessly, "Heavenly Secret cannot be leaked."
Everyone looked at each other in shock. This was the first time Li Yan had hidden something from them.
But it involves Great Luo Dharma Realm's secrets and Erlang Zhenjun's plans. If leaked, it might cause trouble.
"Yan XiaoGe If you don't say anything, there is a reason."
Wang Dao Xuan stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, "No matter what you want to do, you must first find out what happened."
"I'm going!"
Sha LiFei Without saying anything, he went out to find the local Jianghu Inn.
Not long after, he came back with a strange look on his face.
"Something strange did happen."
"Mount Tai is haunted!"