"So I won't force you to do things you don't want to do next time. Anyway, I have taught you the method of cultivation, and I will lead you through the door."
"How much you can cultivate next depends on your own fortune."
The girl's calm and indifferent voice made Bai Ape's fear a lot less.
In the rain curtain, it secretly raised its head, looked at the little girl in front of it, and asked tentatively, "Gee? Gee?"
The girl nodded and said, "Since you want to go back to find a companion, then go. There is nothing in this mountain, just take care of yourself."
Although the girl's indifferent appearance is not pleasant, it is completely different from the fierce and serious image before. Only then did Bai Yuan feel relieved and confirmed that the little girl's words were sincere.
Then it jumped up with a smile on its face, screaming non-stop.
In the rain screen, the happy white ape seemed to have unloaded some heavy burden, and then screeched, happily and lively, ran towards the mountain forest to find its companion.
And behind it, the little girl sitting cross-legged in front of the Wolf Temple watched the white ape disappear. After a long silence, she sighed slowly.
This monkey head, in the end, did not stay to practice...
Chapter 52
After the three of the Li people left, Hanyu Mountain returned to the tranquility of the past.
Lu Heng received Tianlei again and went back to the underground to dive into cultivation.
The sudden epiphany made him realize the supernatural power of using the rain of tribulation clouds, and it also gave him a better understanding of the nature of Tianlei. So this time, the retreat will probably be longer than before.
In front of the Wolf Temple, apart from cleaning the dead leaves, what Xiao Ai did the most was penance.
With the wolf demon's two hundred years of Taoism, she no longer needs to eat three meals a day like ordinary people, and her demand for food is not large.
Vegetables were planted in several wastelands reclaimed in Houshan, and the rice, oil, and salt brought from Shuisheng Village were enough for the little girl's daily needs.
Except that the monkey head basically does not come to the Wolf Temple, everything in this mountain seems to be the same as usual. If it is said that the biggest change, it is the vegetation in the mountains.
Hanyu Mountain, which was originally withered due to the mid-winter season, experienced the rain, and many trees whose leaves had fallen off actually began to sprout, just like the arrival of early spring.
A wild peach forest in the back mountain even bloomed in anti-season in the severe cold and mid-winter. The refreshing aroma of peach blossoms wafted in the mountains, even in front of the Wolf Temple, which was far away.
Outside the Hanyu Mountain, in the camp of the Xifeng Department, a raging fire was ignited in the newly built sword furnace.
The astonishing scorching high temperature, and the strange and gloomy icy air staggered out of the sword furnace day and night.
During the daytime, the cold wind was frigid, and the surroundings of the sword furnace were as cold as an extremely cold abyss. After night fell, a crimson fire appeared from the sword furnace, and the terrifyingly hot temperature scorched everything in the air. With the sword furnace as the center, the vegetation withered and everything withered within a radius of one mile.
Such a strange environment of alternating hot and cold, even the Li people living in the Xifengbu camp felt a little uncomfortable. If the villagers of the Shuisheng Village outside the mountain came to live here, I am afraid that they would run away in joy if they couldn't stay for a quarter of an hour.
The two priests who contributed to the casting of the divine sword never came out since they entered the sword furnace. In order to prevent external interference, they even sealed the inside and outside of the sword furnace, which would not be opened until the day when the sword was formed.
So Qianqian got bored.
After the old priest retreated, she was responsible for all the affairs of the clan, but most of them were trivial and trivial matters, which troubled the girl.
But if you want to be lazy, you can't, you can only bite the bullet and deal with the boring trivial things in the tribe with a helpless face.
However, after the heavy snow stopped, the aquatic village outside the mountain became much more lively.
Because the heavy snow has stopped, the weather has been good in recent days, and the Xifeng Department and Shuisheng Village have resumed communication.
Two ethnic groups with different cultures and even different living habits temporarily chose an open place outside the mountain for a market, exchanging things with each other.
Gold and iron utensils smelted by the Li people, various prey furs collected on the journey, and herbal medicines in the mountains, etc., the Shuisheng Village brought out their own brewed wine, raised livestock, and even villagers set up stoves in the market to start fires on the spot. Fried food for the Li people.
This market is held every six days, and it is quite lively.
Qianqian is very interested in the market. After all, it is very fun, so the market can be established, and she has taken the lead in doing a lot.
It is a pity that the market has only been held three times, and it had to be temporarily suspended because of another heavy snowfall.
Now that New Year's Eve is approaching, even outside Hanyu Mountain, which is remote and not connected to the outside world, the New Year's flavor in the village is gradually becoming stronger, not to mention the ancient cities outside the mountain.
Thousand Needles City, which is very far away from Hanyu Mountain, is now snowing heavily, and the thick snow is accumulating on both sides of the road outside the city, almost knee-deep.
It is extremely inconvenient to travel in such a blizzard day, but there are not many pedestrians on the road. Because today's Thousand Needles City, there is a grand gathering, many villagers who live near the city will come to the city to buy New Year's goods.
In the wind and snow, there were many people on the galloping road outside the city gate. In order to resist the severe cold, the villagers were so thickly dressed that it was difficult to move around.
In the largest building in the city, the Palace of the God of Fire, Gongshu Jie put down the bamboo slips in his hand and looked at the subordinates who came out the door.
"Are you ready?" Uncle Jie asked.
The subordinate nodded respectfully, "It's ready, just wait for Master Wu Zhu's order."
"Okay," Uncle Jie nodded with satisfaction, looked at the heavy snow outside the window, thought about it, and asked again, "How many old clans can react?"
The subordinate shook his head, "The old clan didn't react, but there were some juniors from the clan hanging out in the city. Perhaps the clan elders knew the wind, so they sent these juniors out to test."
Gongshu Jie laughed, "If they want to test, let them test. With the wisdom of those people, how can I understand the deep meaning of my actions today?"
"Although sooner or later, they will understand. It's just too late to understand then."
"If today's event is accomplished, my general situation will be halfway up... Haha... Let's go, let's go to the city gate."
"Today, my father-in-law, Jie, will make the entire Thousand Needles City stunned!"
Uncle Jie burst out laughing and was in a happy mood.
In the past, he hated and disdained the old clans in the city and those clan elders who played with power and greed for profit.
However, Han Yushan and his party, having a chat with the wolf god, made him gain a lot. The wolf god's modest words and righteousness made him see a path he had never imagined before.
After returning, he prepared a detailed plan, carried out detailed ideas and deductions, and finally established what to do next.
It's just that to do those things, you need a reason, a beginning.
Although the name of Wu Zhu is magnificent, it cannot accurately convey the will to the ears of the villagers. The group of old clans who have not done enough will definitely make troubles and bad things for him.
But after today, the situation must be different! The villagers are stupid, but they can also be educated and trusted.
Thinking of this, Uncle Jie was in a happy mood, and his laughter was even more cheerful.
A quarter of an hour later, at the south gate of Thousand Needles City, a three-zhang-long log was erected.
A piece of news spread rapidly among the crowd entering the city.
"Master Wu Zhu said that if someone can move the logs from the south gate to the north gate, they will be rewarded ten gold!"
Less than an hour after the news was released, it spread throughout the Thousand Needles City at an unusually fast speed.
Because of the gathering, the Thousand Needles City is full of people today, and many nearby villagers come to the city to buy New Year's goods, which can be said to be very lively. After such a strange news spread, it instantly aroused the people's astonished discussion.
"Ten bounties? So much?"
"Just move a piece of wood, can you get ten gold? It's fake, right? How can you reward so much."
"Is that piece of wood so heavy that no one can move it..."
Similar discussions appeared all over the city.
Whether it's the villagers who came to buy the New Year's goods nearby, or the original residents of the city, everyone was very surprised by the news, and some didn't believe it.
Many people even went to the south gate to see it in person, and found that there really was a three-zhang-long log standing there. Although heavy, it is not immovable.
Next to the log, there are wizards and masters from the Fire Temple waiting, constantly preaching to the villagers entering and leaving the city that they can get ten gold by removing the log, and even the bounty has been prepared aside and can be taken at any time.
Such a bizarre thing quickly caused an uproar in Thousand Needles City.
It was only from morning to noon, although many villagers who came to watch the play gathered at the south gate, but no one came forward to try it in person.
After noon, the snow stopped, and the sun pierced through the clouds and shone in Thousand Needles City.
The news about the bounty upgrade has spread again.
"Master Wu Zhu said, now move that piece of wood and reward fifty gold!"
"Hi... fifty gold... true or false..."
"Why so many? What is Master Wu Zhu doing?"
"Yeah! It's too strange to get fifty gold for moving a piece of wood, isn't it?"
"Master Wu Zhu's actions are really profound, it's really hard to guess."
…
In the city, there was a lot of uproar because of the bounty.
In one of the quiet mansions, there were young people who came back from the outside and went straight to the family's old house.
"Grandpa, I went to see it. That uncle Jie is serious. He really prepared a reward of fifty gold. As long as he can move the wood, he can take the bounty!"
The shouting of the young man caused the old man by the fire to raise his head slightly. He put down the ancient sheepskin scroll in his hand and asked, "Is there anything unusual about that wood?"
"No abnormality, just ordinary wood. Anyone with strong physical strength can move it alone," the young man said, "Grandpa, what kind of medicine do you think this uncle Jie sells in the gourd? Just move it. A piece of wood, a bounty of fifty? Does he have too much money to burn?"
The old man thought for a while, then shook his head, "Uncle Wu Zhu's actions must have a deep meaning... Let's see how he acts in the future. Today's events are by no means aimless."
"Then are we going to make trouble?" the young man said with a smile, "How about I go and remove the log? Get the fifty gold?"
The old man glared at him with a smile and scolded, "Be careful that Uncle Jie burns you to ashes..."
Among the old clans in the city, similar questions and answers appeared several times.
But because they couldn't see the deep meaning of Gongshu Jie's actions, the old clan finally reached a tacit agreement - this matter will not be mixed, let's see how he plays.
As for the ordinary residents in the city, as well as the villagers from outside the city, the atmosphere in the city became more and more lively because of the spread of the bounty on standing trees. Countless people ran to the south of the city to watch the play, wanting to see what kind of wood was going to be moved for the fifty gold reward.
On the snow-covered roads in the city, people were full of voices.
Above the city tower, Uncle Jie looked at the large crowd gathered below with a smile on his face.
Listening to the noisy discussions in the crowd, and feeling the success of today's event, he was in a happy mood and couldn't help but look in the direction of Hanyu Mountain.
All smiles.
If the wolf god could see his success today, would he be happy too
But what happened today is just the beginning. When this matter of relocating to wood and Lixin spreads out, he will be able to follow up.
At that time, the old clan in the city will react, and it will be too late.
Chapter 53 Funeral
Lu Heng, who was far away in Hanyu Mountain, did not know the lively atmosphere in Thousand Needles City.
Uncle Jie heard Lu Heng's story, and Lu Heng knew nothing about the decisions and plans he made when he went back.
Now, he is cultivating in the shrine below the wolf shrine.
The last epiphany gave him a deeper understanding of the nature of the power of thunder, and he was unable to leave the customs for a long time.
Outside of Hanyu Mountain, with the last heavy snow falling before New Year's Eve, the weather in the mountain gradually became clearer.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month of the small year, the sky will clear up and the snow inside and outside the mountains will disappear. Although the wind that blew through the mountains was still a little chilly, the coldest days of the mid-winter in the twelfth lunar month have passed.
In the Shuisheng Village outside Hanyu Mountain, one or two families held funerals.
Even if the food and clothing are abundant, there will be so many elderly people who cannot survive the severe cold of winter every year. And one of them is even a relatively close relative to Xiao Ai.
Although the other party did not dare to enter the mountain to disturb, Xiao Ai got up early on this day in Xiao Nian.
She took a hatchet and walked through the morning mist to the back mountain, chopped a bundle of fuelwood, carried it back alone, and then set up a stove to cook.
In the early morning in Hanyu Mountain, a wisp of cooking smoke slowly rose from the firewood room behind the Wolf Temple.
Xiao Ai's original intention was to bake a few cakes for breakfast, then practice a little practice, and then go down the mountain to attend his uncle's funeral after noon. But as soon as the stove was lit, there was a screeching sound outside the door, and a white ape sneaked in from outside the door.
Seeing Xiao Ai looking at it, the white ape quickly squeezed out a pleasing smile, "jiji...jiji..."
Xiao Ai glanced at it and said, "Why are you lying outside? Since you're here, come in."
It has been more than a month since Xiao Ai let the monkey head go to the mountains last time, but the white ape has never returned to the Wolf Temple to practice with Xiao Ai, perhaps playing wild in the mountains.
Of course, it could also be that he was afraid of Xiao Ai, so he didn't dare to come back.
As for whether the white ape has practiced since then, Xiao Ai does not know, and does not want to know.
She greeted Bai Yuan with a calm expression, and was not angry because Bai Yuan hadn't come back for more than a month. And Bai Yuan couldn't see the murderous aura on Xiao Ai, so he breathed a sigh of relief and walked in with a chirp.
It looked at the firewood house in front of it, and the girl standing by the stove with pancakes, sniffed, and very cleverly ran to the stove on the other side to slap the fire. When the fire in the stove was a little smaller, it cleverly added wood to the fire without waiting for the girl to speak.
Soon, the girl finished baking the pancake, and the scallion pancake with an alluring fragrance made Bai Yuan salivate.
The girl didn't tease it at all, and directly distributed three cakes to the white ape, "Well, yours."