The lotus boat sailed into the lake, and the duckweeds parted. Ning Changjiu looked at the color at the junction of water and sky with indifferent eyes. He tapped the side of the boat lightly with his fingers, letting the lotus boat sail forward according to Qiu Sheng's guidance.
Ning Xiaoling looked calm, but her heart was pounding and she was a little nervous.
Xiaolian was lying next to the lotus boat, stretching out her hands to stir up the water, listening to the sound of rushing water, smiling constantly, looking full of energy and not tired at all.
Ning Jiujiu asked: "What kind of monster is it?"
Qiu Sheng replied: "A big snake! The injured boa constrictor is quite big. In the past, some immortal masters were frightened and couldn't help but draw their swords."
Ning Xiaoling calmed down, thinking that she had seen the big world, how could a python scare her
They were lucky today. After the lotus boat sailed away, a large black mass appeared under the originally dark water. At that moment, Ning Xiaoling found that she had greatly underestimated the length of this big python.
The black shadow was dozens of times longer than their lotus boat. When it emerged from the bottom of the water, Ning Xiaoling felt a little dizzy. She always felt that the next moment, the big python swung its body and the little lotus boat was about to capsize, and then The python opened its bloody mouth, and they all became the snake's prey.
Ning Jiujiu gently grabbed her hand and reassured her.
And Ning Chang's hand in his sleeve was ready to make a sword secret, ready to deal with sudden changes at any time.
But everything was calm throughout.
The dragon-sized figure under the lotus boat slid silently across the bottom of the boat. It exposed a little of its black back and created a very narrow triangular water pattern as it swam.
At dusk, the big python obediently swam with the lotus boat for a while. Qiu Sheng did not urge him, but just made a silent gesture to the two immortal masters, as if he did not want to disturb this "river god".
Before the skylight disappeared at the end of the lake, the river god-like python finally raised its head. Its head was dark blue, just like the color of old tiles, full of age. There were red lines on both sides of its eyes, giving it a sinister look. It turned its huge cone-shaped head and stuck out its slender tongue at the people on the lotus boat.
"Master Immortal, chase after me." Qiu Sheng whispered.
Ning Jiujiu tapped the side of the boat and drove Lianzhou to the side of the big snake. The head of the big snake was the size of Lianzhou. It looked very scary. Ning Xiaoling was frightened, but looking at Xiaolian, who was seven or eight years old, The little girl was not afraid and even reached out to touch the big snake's head, which made her feel much more relaxed.
Ning looked at the dark blue head for a long time, then stretched out his hand and touched the fine and hard scales. The scales were very smooth, like pebbles washed countless times by running water.
"Does it have a name?" Ning Jiujiu asked.
Qiu Sheng scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "It's called Dahei."
Ning was silent for a long time and said calmly: "What a good name."
Ning Xiaoling pursed her lips and suppressed a smile.
The snake named Dahei played with them for a while. Then, as if to prove the origin of its name, it rolled its body. Ning Jiujiu looked along its extremely long body and suddenly frowned. stand up.
Ning Xiaoling also let out a small exclamation.
Only then did they know what Qiu Sheng meant when he said that the big snake was injured.
I saw that the big snake was almost torn from the center of its body. Its abdomen was empty. There was only a thick and rugged white bone connecting the two ends of the body. It looked like an iron rope connecting two soft sticks. The big snake was indifferent to such a fatal injury, and swayed leisurely and sank into the depths of the lotus pond.
A cold mist appeared at the end of the lotus pond.
The moon has unknowingly hung in the sky. The dark blue sky is like a huge cloth, the stars are dotted like fireflies, the silver light on the water is swaying, and the moon's shadow ripples into parallel silver strings.
The lotus boat turned back, leaving slowly but quickly returning. It didn't take long before it landed ashore. Qiu Sheng returned the lotus boat and then returned home with the two immortal masters.
Ning Xiaoling met a lot of new monsters today and felt very happy. After returning home and settling into a clean new room, she suddenly realized a very important thing.
She turned her head, looked at her senior brother, and asked, "What are we here for?"
Ning Jiujiu said: "It seems that he is here to help eliminate demons."
Ning Xiaoling said: "But all the monsters here have been influenced... What should we get rid of?"
Ning Jiujiu sighed and said, "This is a good thing for the townspeople here."
Ning Xiaoling held her face in her hands, half of her previous satisfaction gone, and said, "Then other disciples have accumulated countless meritorious deeds this month, and we are cheating here this month?"
Ning Jiujiu comforted him and said, "It's a good thing to be able to practice with peace of mind."
Ning Xiaoling grabbed her sword, unsheathed it, looked at her own face on the mirror-like sword, frowned, and said, "Then are we just going to eat and drink for free?"
Ning Changjiu said: "Who would have thought that the weather in this wilderness would be so smooth."
Ning Xiaoling held her chin and said, "If I were one of those demons, I probably wouldn't dare to come with such a big black snake with a disabled body and a strong will sitting around."
Ning Jiujiu thought of the big black snake, and his mind wandered, some dusty fragments vaguely emerged, and he slowly pieced together a shapeless picture.
Ning Xiaoling kept complaining there and said, "Senior brother, why don't we go out of town and have a look. Maybe there is a big monster outside looking at us!"
Ning Jiujiu dismissed: "Lu Marion told us not to run around, and senior brother's physique really attracts monsters, but no one can come to rescue him."
Ning Xiaoling thought of Madam White Bones. The sword falling from the sky gave her a thrill every time she thought of it. She suddenly felt that it would be nice to live a rural life for a month. There were delicious pastries, fun monsters, strong snakes, and her spiritual energy was still there. Quite abundant.
"It's quite suitable for retirement." Xiao Ling, who is only fourteen years old, commented.
Ning Changjiu smiled and said, "You said the same thing last time I went to Linhe City."
Ning Xiaoling snorted and said: "A cultivator has a home all over the world. Senior brother, you have thought too little this time."
Ning Changjiu smiled and nodded.
Ning Xiaoling boiled a pot of hot water, then spread out the neatly folded quilt, recalling today's experience, and said curiously: "What's wrong with that girl named Xiaolian's mouth? I checked it, it's obviously normal, why is it so bad?" Can’t speak?”
Ning Jiujiu also investigated it, but he couldn't figure it out, so he had to say: "This town is weird, and it is not difficult to understand some abnormal weird people and strange things."
Ning Xiaoling asked again: "What about those monsters? Why are they so good, especially the big snake? If you look at other places, he would be the monster king in his own right."
Ning Jiujiu nodded in agreement. The giant python with a green head and black body, red eyes, and a large area of torn abdomen was difficult to estimate, and when it appeared, it actually gave him a natural sense of oppression. , in short, he is by no means weaker than Mr. Xueyu, and Mr. Xueyu was also a generation of demon sparrows that dominated Nanzhou back then.
And such a giant python, which is supposed to be born with horns and turn into a dragon at any time, is somehow willing to guard this lotus pond.
"Perhaps there is an expert in charge of this town." This is the only reasonable explanation that Ning Jiujiu can think of.
A word to wake up the dreamer.
Ning Xiaoling suddenly realized it and nodded repeatedly: "It makes sense! There must be a very powerful master living here in seclusion, maybe he is an old senior from Yujian Tianzong!"
Thinking of this, Ning Xiaoling's mourning mood was mostly gone. The regret of not being able to slay the demon was suddenly overshadowed by the expectation of finding the mysterious master.
She looked at her senior brother with watery eyes and begged: "Senior brother, please accompany me to find that old god tomorrow."
Ning Jiujiu thought to himself, didn't the old god live here in seclusion just because he didn't want to be disturbed? But he couldn't resist his junior sister's begging, so he had no choice but to agree.
The night is getting darker.
Ning Xiaoling had already fallen asleep, and Ning Jiujiu came to the window as a habit and looked at the scenery outside the window.
The bright moon is like water, the tile eaves are like frost, a large banana leaf is covered on the bamboo window, a large piece of bamboo is swaying in the night wind, and the continuous bamboo shadows on the courtyard wall covered with slender vines are rustling.
The world fell into silence. Perhaps it was because of the departure of the gods that the stars were projected onto the sky more clearly.
On a normal day, he would be training Lu Yuai at this moment, but Lu Yuai went through another half month of training and fell into a bottleneck again. Ning Jiujiu had a serious discussion with her and could no longer think of a better solution. She believed that the next path was to rely on her own hard work to complete the thousand-mile journey of sword body training.
Lu Yuanjian could also sense that she was only a hair's breadth away from Zi Ting. When Ning returned in a month, the person who would greet him might be a peak master in the Zi Ting realm.
Ning Changjiu's heart became calmer and quieter.
The pale golden spiritual veins in his body began to flow, and the air sea opened like a vortex. The surrounding spiritual energy poured in and began to rotate at an incredible speed. If he opened his eyes at this moment, he could see his eyes glowing like the sun. Thousands of golden lights.
The spiritual energy is refined into spiritual power after several cycles.
Ordinary practitioners can clearly feel their own bottlenecks before entering each realm. Each realm has obvious boundaries.
But Ning Jiujiu couldn't sense his own line.
The moment the Golden Crow arrived, all obstacles were swept away. The road to Taoism was already smooth sailing for him. He could only see a line in the distance. He was not sure that line represented longevity. It's still Ziting, or it's further away.
After practicing peacefully all night, Ning took a long nap. The stars in the sky gradually faded away, and dew was already rolling on the tips of the green grass.
In the early morning, Qiu Sheng called the two immortal masters to have breakfast.
The dish is fish cooked by Xiaolian.
Ning Xiaoling was still hesitant at first, thinking that she had promised the little black cat not to grab the fish yesterday, but after she took the first chopstick, she took it down without anyone noticing, and the black cat beside her who also got up early quickly He jumped onto the long wooden bench and whined at the girl, scolding her for not keeping her word.
Ning Jiujiu took two simple bites.
He has never had much interest in the delicacies of the world.
After breakfast, the sun shone into the house. In the bright hall, the paintings hung on the walls became much clearer.
Ning Changjiu cast his gaze over. Those paintings had rich themes. There were pictures of fishing boats floating on the river in the vast mist, dazzling green landscapes, and flowers and birds with extremely fine strokes. The energetic black cat in the house also had a portrait. vivid.
Ning Jiujiu's eyes slowly passed over, and finally landed in the center of the hall, where a painting hung. Compared to the others, this painting was very inconspicuous. It even looked regular because the layout was too square and the lines were too rigid.
It was a layout map of a small town.
Ning stared at it for a long time and shook his head slightly. He didn't see anything special about it. Instead, he had the illusion that he could draw even if he picked up a pen and studied the art for three months.
And a poem was also written neatly on the left side of the painting. This poem was equally ordinary:
The fragrance of plain lotus shakes the wind and shakes the bell, and the lamp reflects the bamboo wall courtyard.
The returning home bird looks at the high building in the distance, the solitary lamp shines like water on the moonlight
Ning Xiaoling noticed her senior brother's eyes and looked over. After reading it twice, she commented in a low voice: "It seems I can write it too."
Ning Jiujiu thought to himself that he and his junior sister were a perfect match in terms of poetry and painting.
In the morning, Ning Changjiu chatted with Qiu Sheng for a few words. Xiaolian sat on a bench and listened quietly, making gestures from time to time.
Ning Jiujiu asked him some things about the reclusive master in the town.
This is difficult for Qiu Sheng. Although Qiu Sheng is only ten years old, the town is not big and the relations between the neighbors are good. He has visited every door on the street. There are quite a few strong and capable men, but he must What do you mean by an expert hermit...
He thought about the famous grandfathers in Liantian Town, but he shook his head every time he thought of one of them. Most of their fame came from their erudition and unique craftsmanship. If we really talk about martial arts, I'm afraid they don't even like to patrol intersections. Even the showy little white rabbit can't beat it.
"It seems... it really doesn't happen." After Qiu Sheng thought hard, he shook his head helplessly.
Ning Xiaoling didn't feel disappointed at all. She wondered if being discovered easily could still be called a reclusive expert. Experts always hide their secrets!
Ning Jiujiu originally thought that Qiu Sheng's grandfather, the old man in the bamboo house, would be a master, but he carefully observed the strength of the brushwork in these paintings. Although the brushwork was smooth and sophisticated, it was just because practice makes perfect, and there was no painting skill. There are only a few traces of people who practice Taoism.
Ning Xiaoling was teasing the black cat with a small dried fish. The black cat jumped nimbly and waved its paw pads. After a few rounds, it jumped suddenly. After a blink of an eye, there was only a small fish tail between Ning Xiaoling's fingers. .
Xiao Ling was very surprised by the black cat's skill, and re-evaluated its fighting ability in her mind. She thought that if a little cat here was so powerful, there must be other inconspicuous big shots hiding there.
After playing for a while, Ning Xiaoling grabbed Ning Changjiu's hand and pulled him to find the master.
Qiu Sheng asked if he wanted to accompany him, but Ning Jiujiu declined.
This town is indeed not that big. The layout of the entire town generally shows the word "feng", which means auspiciousness.
The sun in spring is not strong and warm, with a lazy warmth.
They walked around the town all morning, carefully sensing with their spiritual senses, looking to see if there were any bright or strange shining spots on the map spread out by their spiritual senses.
But throughout the morning, they visited the town twice, but found nothing.
"The master is worthy of being a master." Ning Xiaoling was unwilling to admit her failure and firmly believed that the master was too tall.
Ning Jiujiu smiled helplessly.
"Hey, how are we going to go back and explain our victory to our master when the time comes?" Ning Xiaoling was still a little worried, and her mind could not help but recall the brave and heroic appearance of the other disciples slaying monsters with flying swords.
Ning Jiujiu said: "It's only the second day, I might encounter something strange in the future."
Ning Xiaoling curled her lips and agreed without trust.
In a house, they saw a huge lizard spirit lying on the roof tiles basking in the sun. This lizard spirit was raised by an old woman and called himself General Gecko. He moved quickly.
It saw the pair of senior brothers and sisters in white. General Gekko pointed his throat and said: "Master Immortal, eat spotted frogs."
On the roof opposite him, a toad spirit was awakened. It bulged its big round cheeks and said to each other: "Immortal Master, Immortal Master, kill the four-horned snake."
Ning Xiaoling burst out laughing and greeted each of them.
At the intersection, the rabbit spirit wearing tiles also arrived after hearing the news, speaking rabbit language that they did not understand, and struggled with them for a while.
In the afternoon, when the two of them were sitting on the lotus pond and looking at the lake, Ning Xiaoling finally despaired: "Brother, I don't know whether I should be happy or unhappy."
Ning Jiujiu said: "Of course we should be happy that the country is peaceful and the people are safe. You must learn from your sister Xiang'er and have the bearing of a king."
Ning Xiaoling held her face in her hands, watching the sunset slowly sinking into the lake, and said helplessly: "Senior brother, let me make a fortune, and I can also sit on the empress's chair?"
Ning Chang smiled and threw the stones into the water one by one.
"If other disciples get a chance, I won't be able to defeat them with the Sifeng Sword." Ning Xiaoling began to worry blindly.
Ning Jiujiu said: "After returning to the peak, there is still half a month before the Four Peaks Sword Summit. I have time to feel their strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, there is abundant spiritual energy here. You may not be worse than them if you practice with peace of mind."
Ning Xiaoling thought it made sense.
After that, such peaceful and calm days passed for seven full days. When Ning Xiaoling was planning to find the peerless master, another thing finally aroused her expectations.
On the seventh day, outside the archway in Liantian Town, a ferocious monster holding a mace in his hand, claiming to be one of the top three in the mace list within a hundred miles, came to visit the village.