Outside the tall wooden archway in Liantian Town, a white-maned wild wolf stood. It had black fur, a tall body, two pointed ears, and a huge mallet in its hand, which was covered with wolf fangs. Iron nails.
"I, Tiansha Wuqi, the master of the Shuangsha Cave in Langya Mountain. Previously, the Earthshaman came to pay homage to the village. You were too harsh and damaged the face of Langya Mountain. Today, I, Tiansha, will come to seek justice. !" The wolf demon who became Wu Qi waved the mace in his hand.
The monster's visit to the village aroused waves in Ning Xiaoling's lifeless heart. She was very excited. After hearing the news, she quickly ran towards the outside of the town, hoping to catch a glimpse of the monster.
Then, she discovered that no one seemed to be very interested in the big demon Baizhuang who claimed to have a great reputation.
The craftsmen never stopped working on their hands, and the farmers were also focused on cultivating the crops, with their backs barely straightening. Only the other monsters were still concerned about the Wuqi Demonic Wolf, discussing its origins, but in the end they all laughed. stand up.
After Ning Xiaoling looked around, she felt that she was too excited.
"Senior brother, how come they don't have the sense of urgency of the enemy?" Ning Xiaoling couldn't understand.
Ning Jiujiu said: "Maybe I'm used to it."
The first ones to arrive outside the village were Ning Xiaoling and Ning Changjiu.
In a field overgrown with weeds, Wu Qi stood on a solitary stone with his stick pressed on his head, calm and composed. After seeing the pair of senior brothers and sisters, he said coldly: "Is it just you?"
Wu Qi's eyes looked disappointed.
"You yellow-haired girl, you also want to learn the martial arts of our Langya Mountain?" Wu Qi waved his mallet, as if he wanted to drive them away directly.
Ning Xiaoling's eyes were equally disappointed. She sighed, thinking that the monster Baizhuang was indeed more powerful than the thunder and raindrops. She didn't even bother to draw her sword and directly rolled up her sleeves to confront the demonic wolf.
After three rounds, Ning Xiaoling slashed down with his palm and cut the mace into two pieces. Wu Qi looked at the broken stick and was dumbfounded. He yelled "You're cruel" and then turned around. Escape.
Ning Xiaoling was too lazy to chase.
She couldn't understand why such a weak monster had such a famous name and made others happy in vain.
This visit to the village lasted for several days.
In the past few days, Ning Xiaoling came to challenge, and was more and more disappointed each time. However, the townspeople here were very interested in the immortal master's action, and more and more people were watching. After driving away the seventh monster, Ning Xiaoling Xiao Ling finally couldn't bear it anymore and decided not to bully small animals anymore.
Later, after asking Qiu Sheng, they found out that there was a Lotus Seed Festival in Liantian Town. At that time, many spiritual lotus seeds would grow in the lotus pond, and the residents of Liantian Town would also invite many powerful monsters to the festival. Lotus Seed Festival, so before summer is approaching, monsters often come to pay homage to the village, just to prove their strength and then get the qualifications to be invited to the Lotus Seed Festival.
Only then did Ning Xiaoling realize that all the real big monsters around her had been bribed by Lianzi... She could no longer muster any energy.
"I will never leave Liantian Town before the Wushen Month ends!" Ning Xiaoling vowed.
Ning Jiujiu smiled helplessly. He had heard his junior sister's complaints too many times these days.
Ning Xiaoling also gave up struggling and said: "I'd better practice hard in the remaining half month. Brother, do you have any powerful spells to teach me? Just the formation last time that could move very far at once. I I want to learn that…”
"That can't be learned overnight." Ning Jiujiu said.
"How long have you been studying, senior brother?"
"I didn't learn it, I realized it on my own."
"..." Ning Xiaoling said angrily: "Senior brother is bullying someone again!"
There were no more disturbances in the following days. Although monsters often came to pay homage to the village, Ning Xiaoling had already sealed her sword and could not leave the mountain. I don't know who would challenge him. In short, none of the monsters who paid homage to the village got any benefits.
Ning Xiaoling eats fish, plays with cats, practices swordsmanship, and walks around the town every day, while Ning Changjiu is dragged along by his junior sister to do these things, and occasionally teaches her some exquisite Taoist techniques.
The sharp spring cold gradually dissipated, and the light wandered everywhere in Liantian Town, and the gentleness was mixed with a little bit of heat.
After Ning Xiaoling calmed down, her heart was really at peace. The leisurely life was so comfortable. When the warm sunshine fell on her white skirt, she suddenly felt like a small tree. Between the light and the With a little growth and development in the rain and dew, it seems that she will soon become a beautiful fairy like Master.
Ning Changjiu also liked this kind of comfort, which made him feel like he had returned to the Taoist temple in his previous life. Apart from practicing without any distractions every day, he would sit on the edge of the cliff and watch the sunset, or go to Dahe Town to visit the simple townspeople.
But now in the house, when he is alone, he often looks at the paintings in the house, feeling the slightly familiar brushstrokes on the paintings, thinking about their origins and the stories they contain, and in the end his eyes always Come to the layout of the town in the middle.
Ning Jiujiu has always believed that there must be a demon when things go wrong. According to this old man's writing skills, he should not have painted such a mediocre poem and painting.
And it is still hanging in the center.
Ning Changjiu could not see anything special, and for more than twenty days, the old man lived alone in that small building, with Qiu Sheng delivering meals and never coming to see the two guests.
Qiu Sheng also served the two immortal masters well, and his daily life was impeccable. Xiao Lian was also very well-behaved. As her name suggests, she often went to the vast lotus pond to go boating. Now the lotus leaves have reached the sky, and the endless blue sky is visible. In the color, the swaying lotus wind is like the slightly swaying skirt of a girl.
What makes Ning Xiaoling happy is that after these ten days of quiet practice, her realm has indeed become much more solid. However, she has only reached this realm on the ladder, and her foundation is not strong. Therefore, no matter how hard she practices, the distance is still far away. The first stage of longevity is still far away.
Ning Jiujiu calmly watched the time passing by day by day, thinking about Lu Marry's letter of war and the sword summit on the four sides half a month later. He was worried and always felt uneasy.
And when the Godless Month is about to pass, and the Kingdom of Sin King is about to open, it is the day before leaving the town. All the previous calmness seems to be waiting for the waves after a strong wind, and before the huge changes come, Ning Changjiu, who was in Liantian Town, was pulled by Ning Xiaoling to say goodbye to the little monsters one by one.
…
…
Ning Changjiu accompanied Ning Xiaoling through several alleys, and finally met the patrolling rabbit spirit. Ning Xiaoling stopped the rabbit spirit and said goodbye to it seriously. The rabbit spirit was still wearing the same clothes. Wa Jia carries three carrots on its back like a sword.
Knowing that Ning Xiaoling was leaving, the rabbit spirit hesitated for a while, reluctantly took out a carrot, held it in both hands like a sword to a hero, and handed it to Ning Xiaoling, who took it solemnly. carrot.
On the rooftops on both sides of the street, lizard spirits and toad spirits were still shouting at each other. A mallard duck also swayed its slightly fat body and came to them through the streets and alleys, quacking to say goodbye to them.
Ning Xiaoling leaned down and touched its smooth feathers.
The first time she saw this duck, she saw it being chased by a fish on the lotus pond. Ning Xiaoling kindly rescued it. She never thought that a month would pass in the blink of an eye.
"Senior brother, when will we introduce some monsters to the mountain gate?" Ning Xiaoling suddenly thought.
Ning Changjiu dispelled her fantasy with one sentence: "Do you think your senior brothers and sisters have bad food?"
Ning Xiaoling sighed, said goodbye to those monsters, and walked towards the place where he lived.
Qiu Sheng caught a big seabass today and made a pot of thick soup. The black cat was already sitting upright, staring straight at the steaming heat. He didn't know how much endurance it took to hold back the taste of the fish* *.
Ning Xiaoling sat next to the black cat. She habitually took the cat into her arms and rubbed it. Then she picked up a piece of the most delicious meat from her belly and put it into the black cat's mouth. The black cat meowed a few times with satisfaction. , but it sounded like a baby crying.
When they finished eating, the sky was covered with residual clouds.
The whole town is like an exquisite painting, with light and shade from far to near, the red of the clouds in the distance, the green of the flowing clouds nearby, the thousands of swaying blues, the dark silver of the lotus pond, all the colors. It is held just right, and its appearance is peaceful and quiet.
After eating, Xiaolian suddenly ran to the small wooden building, and then ran out quickly.
Ning Xiaoling was still chatting with Qiu Sheng, saying that she wanted to see the strong snake again, when someone tugged her clothes behind her.
Ning Xiaoling turned around and looked at Xiaolian's wide-open eyes. The little girl opened her mouth and babbling something, but Ning Xiaoling could only understand it half-understood.
Ning Changjiu, who was beside him, suddenly opened his eyes.
After Qiu Sheng heard what his sister said, he also frowned, looked at the two immortal masters uncertainly, and said, "Grandpa... Well, grandpa invites you in."
"I haven't seen you for a month, what are you doing at this time?" Ning Jiujiu asked.
Xiaolian twisted her fingers, drew horizontally and vertically, and then drew the outline of her body.
This time Ning Jiujiu understood: "Old sir, you want to draw a portrait for me?"
Seeing that he understood her words, Xiaolian jumped up excitedly, pointed to the yard, and motioned for them to go in.
Ning Jiujiu smiled and said: "Since the master invites me, there is no reason not to go."
Ning Xiaoling subconsciously glanced at the lifelike black cat hanging on the wall and knew that this old man's painting skills were very extraordinary. If he could get two paintings, he would be able to show off when he returned to the peak. .
Ning Changjiu and Ning Xiaoling walked towards the small wooden building.
In the dusk, the old building looks like a lonely symbol.
Today, the door bolt is not locked. When I push open the ajar door, the scent of ink hits my nostrils.
Ning Xiaoling looked around the bamboo building full of ink in surprise. There were many paintings hanging on the walls. The age of those paintings was difficult to trace. The edges of the painting papers were faintly yellow. The styles of the paintings were different, either delicate and elegant or majestic. , caught Ning Xiaoling's attention in various ways.
So Ning Xiaoling didn't pay attention to the expressions of the senior brothers around her.
The moment Ning Changzai walked into the house, his breathing stagnated.
He thought of some things in the past, and the three-month painting career suddenly came to mind. The layout of the building in front of him was so familiar that even some of the paintings on the walls overlapped with some of the pictures in his memory.
This must be just a coincidence...
Ning Jiujiu thought about this, and then he saw an old man standing in front of the table at the corner, his arms rising and falling. The old man was not too old. He was wearing a green-yellow robe. Perhaps because he had been working at his desk for a long time, his back was slightly swollen. rickets.
Ning Xiaoling walked towards the old man, curious about what he was drawing.
Ning Jiujiu suddenly took her hand and stopped.
The junior sister's arm hurt, and she turned her head in confusion, and then she was stunned. He rarely saw such an expression on his senior brother.
I saw Ning Jiujiu staring at the old man in front of him without blinking. His expression was too calm, terrifyingly calm, as if the air in the room had solidified with his gaze.
"Um... Ahem..." The old man picked up the pen and covered his mouth with a fist with his other hand. His body shook with the sound of coughing, and the air began to flow again with his coughing.
The old man turned around slowly.
Coincidence becomes reality.
"Mr. Zhang." Ning Jiujiu couldn't suppress the impulse in his heart and called out his last name.
He recognized the old man in front of him. This was Mr. Zhang, whom he had worshiped as his teacher in Dahe Town in his previous life and studied painting for three months!
Only then did he remember the brush strokes of those scrolls. It was just that Mr. Zhang from Dahe Town was a hidden master. The traces of a monk could be clearly seen in his brushes, and all the paintings of the old man in front of him were It was the work of a mortal, so Ning Jiujiu only felt familiar with it, but had never connected them together.
But today, before nightfall, the old man met them for the first time, and Ning Jiujiu heard the beating of his heart.
Dahe Town and Bu Keke belong to the same hidden mountain. If his memory from his previous life is correct, he was sent to learn painting from Mr. Zhang by his senior sister when he was eight years old. Mr. Zhang should have been in Dahe Town for a long time now. Could it be that time has flowed backwards and many things have changed...
Then, he immediately thought of the most critical thing.
This old painter might know the way to Big River Town!
In a very short period of time, Ning Xiaoling raised her head and blinked twice, and countless thoughts went through Ning Changjiu's mind.
"Do you recognize me?" Mr. Zhang looked at his strange look and asked lightly.
Ning Jiujiu shook his head: "I don't know him, I just heard Qiu Sheng talk about it."
No! Senior brother must know him!
Goosebumps suddenly appeared on Ning Xiaoling's body. She could clearly feel her senior brother's thoughts. At that moment, her senior brother's mental fluctuations were too great. It was a deep panic. She was also a little shaken. This was absolutely impossible to hide. Emotions.
But how could senior brother know him? And why is it such a complicated mood
The smile on Ning Xiaoling's face gradually faded, and when she looked at the old man again, her eyes were full of caution.
Mr. Zhang was not suspicious. He half-turned around, brushed the roll of paper with his fingers, and said in a voice that was neither soft nor serious: "The two paintings are almost finished, but the look of these eyes is still unclear, so I I want to take a closer look at you."
Ning Changjiu hesitated for a moment, and then walked over with Ning Xiaoling pretending to be calm.
Ning Xiaoling looked at the table and was stunned again.
She saw two unframed paintings spread out on the desk. Those two paintings were portraits of her and her senior brother. She didn’t know when Mr. Zhang started painting, but now they had two paintings in front of them. The painting is almost completed. It shows a boy in white clothes and a girl in white skirt. Their eyebrows and eyes are realistic and delicate.
Then, Ning Xiaoling thought of a very scary thing - to be able to draw them in such detail, could it be that the old man had been secretly observing them in the dark
Ning Xiaoling thought of those dark corners of life, imagining that there was always a pair of eyes hidden there, and felt a cool breeze in her heart.
Ning Jiujiu knew what Mr. Zhang was capable of, so he was not too surprised and looked at the painting carefully.
Except for the eyes, which are a bit dull, there is nothing to criticize in the rest of the painting.
"Good painting." Ning Jiujiu praised it.
Mr. Zhang disagreed and said: "I have been painting all my life, but I don't know any other skills. I envy you for embarking on the path of spiritual practice at a young age."
Ning Jiujiu asked: "Old sir, can't you practice?"
Mr. Zhang glanced at him, smiled and said, "How can a person who cultivates immortality be a painter?"
This sentence sounded very convincing. Ning Jiujiu nodded outwardly, but he didn't believe it at all. He knew that Mr. Zhang was a very powerful practitioner. He was a master eight years ago, and of course he is even more so now.
"Old sir, this painting is quite immortal. Have you ever visited an immortal and asked about it?" Ning Jiujiu asked.
Mr. Zhang shook his head and said, "Not interested."
Ning Jiujiu said: "Sir, this clothes looks like a Taoist robe?"
Without raising his head, Mr. Zhang put the pen into the jar, stirred it, and casually replied: "I have indeed practiced Taoism for two years."
Ning Jiujiu continued to ask: "I wonder what Taoist temple you went to?"
Mr. Zhang asked back: "Why do you ask me this? I'm not a god, but I want to be a Taoist priest?"
Ning Changjiu smiled and replied: "My junior sister and I were Taoist priests before we entered the Sword Sect. Now that we see your husband in Taoist robes, we miss him very much."
Mr. Zhang replied: "There are not many Taoist temples nearby. When I was..."
He moistened his pen with fresh ink.
Ning long wanted to wait for him to continue, but Mr. Zhang seriously put down his pen and clicked on his eyes.
"Didn't grandpa say that we should take a good look at our eyes?" Ning Xiaoling interrupted and asked.
Mr. Zhang replied while writing: "I have already seen it."
From beginning to end, he only glanced twice.
Ning waited for a long time until he finished the two paintings, but failed to inquire about the origin of the Taoist temple.
The sky gradually darkened.
Because Ning Jiujiu was too focused on his thoughts, he suddenly raised his head and saw Qiu Sheng pacing nervously outside, as if something urgent was waiting for him.
Mr. Zhang finished the painting. He read it from beginning to end and nodded with satisfaction: "Before I leave tomorrow, I will give this painting to you."
Ning didn't answer for a long time.
Ning Xiaoling could feel her senior brother's worry. She didn't know what he was worried about. It was just that the old man sent the painting, so she expressed her gratitude out of politeness.
By the time Ning Changjiu and Ning Xiaoling walked out of the house, the bright moon was already in the sky. The moonlight was like water, but it looked like a lonely lamp on the corner of the eaves.
Qiu Sheng waited anxiously outside the door for a long time.
"What's wrong?" Ning Changjiu asked.
Qiu Sheng said nervously: "Nothing happened, right? Grandpa Zhang didn't make things difficult for you, right?"
Ning Xiaoling was very confused, thinking that Mr. Zhang was obviously very kind... Could he have missed something
Ning Jiujiu replied: "No."
Qiu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and whispered: "Two immortal masters, follow me!"
"What happened?" Ning Changjiu asked.
Qiu Sheng did not speak, but ran into the hall quickly, gave Xiaolian a few words, and then he said solemnly to Ning Changjiu and Ning Xiaoling: "Master Immortal... Actually, I have been hiding something from you. I originally thought This kind of thing will never happen, but what a coincidence... Well... I will take you to see the biggest secret of the town!"
…
The town's biggest secret.
This sentence had a strange magic power as soon as it was spoken, and the whole world seemed to have changed inadvertently.
Ning Jiujiu walked out of the house and looked back. I wonder if it was his imagination. The bright moon in the sky seemed to be a little lighter, and the light was taken away by the solitary lamp hanging on the wall.
The shadows of lamps are also like water.
Qiu Sheng led them through the town and to the lotus pond behind.
There is a layer of mist on the lotus pond, and the moonlight shines through the mist, like a layer of white gauze.
The three of them boarded the lotus boat together.
"Master Immortal, please move forward." Qiu Sheng said.
Ning Jiujiu tapped the side of the boat, and the lotus boat sailed towards the distance.
Passing through the center of the lotus pond, the huge and terrifying black shadow appeared again under the water. The black shadow lurked under the water, and only a dark blue head poked out. The snake head looked calmly as its body swam. ahead.
It goes with the lotus boat.
The lotus leaves were sometimes sparse and sometimes dense, and the mist was getting deeper. If there was no spiritual energy to protect the boat, they would be covered with dew at this moment.
The lotus boat was getting farther and farther away, and Ning Xiaoling looked nervously into the depths of the cold mist, for fear of seeing some terrible monster, but she suddenly discovered that the black shadow of the big python beside the lotus boat had disappeared at some point.
Ning Jiujiu knew that it disappeared when the second white mist blew, and it must have dived into the bottom of the water. Perhaps it did not even dare to approach the area in front of it.
Qiu Sheng was nervous from beginning to end and didn't say anything.
Ning Jiujiu and Ning Xiaoling didn't ask any questions, and the atmosphere remained eerily quiet.
Ning Jiujiu could feel that the area in the white mist had strange fluctuations.
Ning Xiaoling murmured in her heart, although this lotus pond was very big, in the past, you could still see the other side from a distance. Why did the lotus boat still not leave this fog after traveling for so long today
"Senior brother, are you really walking in a straight line?" Ning Xiaoling asked worriedly.
Ning's fingers tapping the side of the ship for a long time showed no change. He nodded and looked at the fog in silence, his pupils glowing with golden light.
He saw far away.
It was still just a fog.
The lotus boat sailed for an unknown amount of time, until Ning Xiaoling's nervous heart became less nervous, and light finally appeared in front of her eyes.
Ning Xiaoling looked happy.
Ning Changjiu's expression became even heavier.
The lotus boat broke through the fog, and the countless heavy white gauze was finally left behind. Ning Chang stopped knocking on the side of the boat.
Ning Xiaoling looked ahead and exclaimed uncontrollably: "How could this happen!"
In front of the shore where they docked, there was an archway with three words "Liantian Town" clearly written on it.
And the familiar town was enveloped in the mysterious moonlight.
Qiu Sheng pursed his dry lips, his voice was a little nervous and filled with guilt. He looked ahead and said: "Although there are immortal masters coming to the town every year, in fact, we don't have such a ghost festival. … is our Ghost Festival, but the time it comes is uncertain. Sometimes it happens once every few months, and sometimes it doesn’t happen for several years. The last time it happened was three or four years ago, and I can’t remember it clearly. , anyway, um... we bumped into each other by chance."
In the small town, the sound of banging was heard again.
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(Thank you to the leader, Ji Chanxi, for once again rewarding many Zongheng coins!! Thank you for your strong support and encouragement~)