Niu Batian closed and bolted all the windows in Yan Fei's room, then left Yan Fei's room. While closing the door gently, he hooked his finger from the outside and fastened the bolt inside. Although he had not been in Nandao County for too long, he finally had some understanding of the simple folk customs here, so it was better to lock the door before sleeping.
Except for some snoring sounds, the corridor of the inn was silent.
Niu Batian looked at the room where Ji Yuan was in the distance. After hesitating for a while, he did not dare to go there in the end. Instead, he returned to his own room. Soon, snoring sounds with a hint of nasal sound were heard in the room. He was actually asleep.
Ji Yuan was lying on the bed in his room, his eyes closed but his thoughts were racing.
Judging from the behavior of this bull monster, in addition to the necessary foundation that its nature is not bad, there are probably two possible origins. One is that the monster was taught by kind people at the beginning of its life. Another possibility is that if it was a domestic cow that became a monster in the beginning, it would also have a certain influence.
Early the next morning, Yan Fei woke up from bed, rubbing his slightly aching head. He looked around and was a little dazed for a short while before he remembered what happened last night, from chasing the murderer at night to encountering evil spirits, and then to a drink in the evening.
"Hiss... How much did I drink last night..."
Yan Fei rubbed his hands as he thought about it to ease his headache. Although he couldn't say that he could drink a lot, he had never been drunk before. But yesterday he drank until he was unconscious.
"Boom boom, boom boom..."
The knock on the door was accompanied by Lao Niu's honest voice.
"Brother Yan, are you awake? It's already daybreak, and Mr. Ji will be leaving soon."
"Wake up, I'll be right out!"
Upon hearing that Mr. Ji was going out, Yan Fei did not dare to delay. He adjusted his breathing and mobilized his true energy to ease the feeling of hangover, then lifted the quilt and got out of bed.
He hadn't taken off his clothes last night, so after washing his face with the clean water in the basin in the room, Yan Fei quickly opened the door and went out.
As soon as I went out, the person I saw was Niu Batian waiting in the corridor of the inn room.
"Good morning, Senior Niu!"
Yan Fei bowed respectfully and remembered calling the other party "Brother Niu" when he was drunk yesterday, but he couldn't say it now.
"Hey, Brother Yan, why are you calling me so distant again? We almost cut off a chicken's head and burned yellow paper last night. It's better to call me Brother Niu or Brother Niu. Come on, let's go downstairs and buy some food."
The two went downstairs together, and Ji Yuan was already sitting at a square table drinking porridge.
There was a simple pot of porridge, a few side dishes, and some soft pancakes on the table.
"Morning, Mr. Ji!"
Yan Fei bowed to Ji Yuan even more respectfully.
"Morning, sit down and eat. After eating, I plan to leave Nandao County and continue to head north. I wonder what plans Master Yan has?"
Yan Fei's face turned red when he heard this. If he could calmly accept Mr. Ji's "Hero Yan" yesterday, then today these three words sounded particularly harsh. He knew that Mr. Ji certainly did not mean to mock him, but he couldn't help feeling awkward. It was not as pleasing to the ear as Niu Batian's "Brother Yan".
However, this feeling only lasted for a moment. What was more important now was that Mr. Ji was about to leave. Yan Fei hesitated for a moment and then tried to ask a question.
"Mr. Ji, where are you going? Is there anything important?"
"Not yet, just heading north."
Yan Fei nodded and asked again.
"Then, if it's convenient, can I accompany you for a while? Don't worry, I am not an ungrateful person. I just want to accompany you for a while."
Ji Yuan looked at Niu Batian, who was lowering his head and saying nothing, and then looked at Yan Fei.
"Master Yan, please sit down and have some porridge. If you want to follow me, just follow me. When I feel it's inconvenient, I will tell you naturally."
"Hey, that's right! Come on, come on, Brother Yan, please sit down and drink the porridge. This porridge tastes delicious. Come on, Brother Niu, I'll give you a big bowl."
Niu Batian took a bowl very attentively, stirred the casserole to fill Yan Fei's bowl, and then placed it in front of Yan Fei's seat.
"Mr. Ji, do you like this side dish? I went out specially to find it!"
Ji Yuan looked at Niu Batian and smiled at him rarely.
"fine."
This smile made Lao Niu feel more relieved. He picked up the bowl and took a big mouthful of porridge before saying to Yan Fei.
"Hey, Brother Yan, you and I really get along well. We just met. Brother Niu, I still have a lot to talk to you about, but let's drink porridge first, and we can talk on the way, on the way..."
Anyway, as long as Yan Fei follows Ji Yuan, Niu Batian will never have trouble finding an excuse to stay.
While drinking porridge, Yan Fei accidentally discovered that Ji Yuan was reading a book, but out of the corner of his eye he noticed that the pages were blank with no words on them.
Niu Batian obviously noticed Yan Fei's slightly puzzled expression, and he moved closer to him and explained in a low voice.
"If what I guessed is correct, what Mr. Ji saw was the Heavenly Scriptures of the Immortal Dao, which is a spiritual text that imitates the meaning of the immortals. Not to mention you, Brother Yan, even I, Old Niu, can't see the handwriting, but there must be words on it, but I don't know what kind of immortal magic it is."
Yan Fei swallowed a mouthful of porridge, looked at Niu Batian and whispered.
"Even Niu, Brother Niu, you can't see it? Mr. Ji said that you have a deep cultivation..."
"Brother Yan, you don't understand this, right? I am a demon cultivator, which is very different from immortal cultivators. My understanding of the mysteries of Taoism is much worse. In my current state, I can only see the title of the book. Of course, if I were in meditation and cultivation, I should be able to read it."
Ji Yuan glanced at Lao Niu and said.
"It's not some magical method of immortality, it's just a book called "The Legend of the Outer Dao" with some interesting stories."
“Ohhh…”
Lao Niu nodded in understanding, and Yan Fei asked quickly.
"Brother Niu only knows about "The Legend of the Outer Dao"?"
Unexpectedly, Lao Niu shook his head in a very single manner.
"I do not know… "
Ji Yuan couldn't help but laugh. This old cow was indeed interesting.
However, Yan Fei frowned. When he saw the book without words, something suddenly occurred to him, but it was not clear. He thought for a long time before a light bulb suddenly flashed in his mind.
"Yes! The Book without Words!"
"Mr. Ji, is this Heavenly Scripture Book very precious and magical?"
Ji Yuan looked at the book in his hand.
"Whether a book is valuable or not depends on its contents. Although the Heavenly Scriptures are rather complicated to compile, the contents are at least not useless."
Well, actually, some people think that "The Biography of the Outer Dao" is useless, but Ji Yuanjue thinks it is a good book, at least it is a very entertaining book for those who practice Taoism.
Yan Fei nodded and sorted out his thoughts.
"Mr. Ji, I have heard that the Wei family of Zhonghu Dao in Zuyue State has a book without words. Although it has been passed down in the family for many generations, no one can see the words on it. I have also asked many friends in the martial arts world to observe and study it, but they have also gained nothing..."
Yan Fei continued after thinking about it.
"I used to think that the matter of the wordless heavenly book was a hypothesis of the Wei family claiming their identities, and not many people in the martial arts world believed it. But now that I see the book in Mr. Ji's hand, I think the Wei family's book may also be real. Are you interested in taking a look?"
A book without words
Hearing Yan Fei say this, Ji Yuan was of course very interested. Since it was passed down from generation to generation in the Wei family, there must be some reason why it could be a real Heavenly Book.
"Do you know where the Wei family is?"
Yan Fei was waiting for Ji Yuan to ask this question.
"Yan knows the approximate location. I will be able to find out the exact location when I get there. Besides, I, Yan Fei, am well-known in the Zhonghu Road of Zuyue Country. It won't be difficult to ask the Wei family to borrow the book for you to read!"
Yan Fei relaxed a little, thinking that at least he could help Mr. Ji a little.
"Okay, in that case, let's set off for Zhonghu Road after dinner."
. . .
The land area of Zuyue State was only a little more than half of that of Dazhen State, and the country was divided into nine regions. Apart from the difference in names, the other parts were not much different from the provincial system.
Nandao County is located at the junction of Nanyuan Road and Chaolu Road, while Zhonghu Road is just north of Jinglu Road.
It is not suitable for ordinary people to go to Zhonghu Road on foot, but Ji Yuan and the other two are not ordinary people. Ji Yuan and Niu Batian are not to be mentioned. Even Yan Fei rarely rode a horse when traveling in the past. If it were not an excellent steed, for a warrior with his martial arts skills, light work would be more practical.
By the beginning of April of that year, the two men and the demon spent about twenty days walking out of Chaolu Road and entering the territory of Zhonghu Road.
During the three people's journey, they encountered highway robbers, saw violent gangsters committing crimes, stayed in shady shops, and slept in deserted villages. It was common for them to spend the night in the wilderness.
It is no wonder that Yan Fei came to the Zuyue Kingdom to sharpen his sword. At least judging from the situation during this period, it is no exaggeration to say that there is chaos everywhere, and even Shintoism is very sluggish.
This process is also the process of Ji Yuan and Niu Batian deepening their understanding of each other. This old cow was indeed once a plowing ox.
A working ox is often a family's most important property and a treasure. It has always been taken good care of. After becoming a spirit, the old ox has been farming for the same family for three generations. Finally, the family sold the old ox to someone else, so half a month later the old ox broke free from the rope, broke through the cowshed, and left, going into the deep mountains and forests to practice on its own.
It is precisely for this reason that the old cow is deeply influenced by the human world and is fundamentally different from ordinary mountain monsters.
Of course, Lao Niu only told Ji Yuan about this in private. Although he and Yan Fei were close brothers, he seldom talked about such spiritual matters with the other party, unless Yan Fei really wanted to know and kept asking.
Niu Batian was also convinced in his heart that Ji Yuan was the kind of person who truly practiced Taoism and had no prejudice against monsters. The old Niu's mind was still relatively clear. This was a mysterious feeling that was often difficult to express clearly but was often the most effective.
That night, the moon was bright in the sky and the stars were sparse, and visibility on the ground was excellent. The three of them lit a campfire and sat down by a forest to rest.
Niu Batian saw that Ji Yuan was still flipping through the book and finally couldn't help it. He quietly moved closer to him, but before he could open his mouth, Ji Yuan spoke first.
"What's up?"
Niu Batian rubbed his hands and a simple smile appeared on his face.
"Hehe... Mr. Ji, you said there is a way to remove the evil spell on the back of my neck, this..."
Ji Yuan smiled in his heart but looked indifferent on the surface. He raised his head and looked at the bull monster.
"Why? Aren't you afraid that I will take advantage of the opportunity to harm you?"
"Oh, look at what you said, sir, if you want to harm me, do you have to wait until then? Can't you control me now? This old cow doesn't believe it. I have made up my mind. Please help me, sir!"
Ji Yuan nodded, thought for a while and asked.
"I can help you get rid of the evil spell, but how will you repay me?"
"ah?"
Lao Niu was stunned for a moment. He had never thought about this question, and Mr. Ji had never mentioned it before.