In Ning'an County, apart from Shuixian Town, the closest places to Niukui Mountain are the villages at the foot of the mountain.
This time, Ji Yuan took Yin Qing and Fox along a small trail, heading towards Niukui Mountain from the direction of the mountain village.
After having a simple lunch with Ji Yuan, Yin Qing went home to change out of his schoolboy clothes and skipped out of the city with Ji Yuan.
The red fox hid in Ji Yuan's arms before leaving the city, and was released to follow him after leaving the city.
The straight-line distance from Ning'an County to the foot of the nearest Niukui Mountain is about ten miles. With Ji Yuan's current speed, even if he doesn't use his full strength, it will take less than a quarter of an hour. But with Fox and Yin Qing, they can make the trip in no time.
Children in this era, especially those of scholarly background like Yin Qing, did not have many opportunities to travel far away when they were young. Even though they were in Ning'an County, the scenery of the mountain village was particularly charming to Yin Qing.
Once children start playing, their energy is like a bottomless pit. No matter how tired they are, they will be full of energy again after a short rest. What's more, Yin Qing's physique is somewhat special.
Sometimes he would exclaim and laugh at the waterwheel, sometimes he would jump into the fields to catch frogs and insects to flatter the fox, sometimes he would want to jump into the river to take a bath like the village children, and from time to time he would roar at the vast fields and woods.
Ji Yuan generously prepared pastries and biscuits, so that little Yin Qing, who had strict family education, could enjoy a carefree outing.
There is food and drink, and a dog, yes, a fox!
After walking and playing for about an hour and a half, the two men and the fox arrived at the foot of Niukui Mountain. They followed a mountain path trampled by mountaineers and climbed a not-so-high hill in about half an hour.
When they got to the mountain, Ji Yuan didn't let Yin Qing run around freely. If he got bitten by some poisonous insect or snake, it would be difficult to explain to Yin Zhaoxian.
The wind in the mountains is cooler than that at the foot of the mountain. Although the hills are not high, they are dotted with towering trees and strange rocks.
Ji Yuan looked at the red fox that was already very excited, and pointed in the direction of the deeper mountains and forests.
"Go away. I hope you are not just a passer-by in my life. See you again if we are destined to meet again!"
"And me, and me! Little fox, don't forget me! Don't forget me!!"
Yin Qing had been holding it in, and when he shouted this sentence his voice was filled with tears.
"Yes, there is also Xiao Yinqing."
Ji Yuan smiled, feeling mixed emotions. Yin Qing's appearance reminded him of the three turtles, two rabbits and a parrot that he had raised to death as a child in his previous life.
The red fox whined twice, walked away from Ji Yuan, jumped onto a rock, then turned around and looked at the two people, one big and one small, in front of it, with a human-like look of reluctance in its eyes.
Ji Yuan and Yin Qing just stood there and stared at the fox for a while but saw no sign of the fox leaving.
"Mr. Ji, the little fox doesn't want to leave!!"
"Maybe he wants to watch us leave."
After saying that, Ji Yuan didn't explain any more. He turned around and walked down the mountain, holding Yin Qing's hand, who kept looking back every few steps.
After walking only about a dozen steps, Ji Yuan looked back and saw that the red fox was still squatting on the strange rock looking at them.
"Since we have known each other for a while, I will give you another gift..."
After taking a look at the clouds in the sky, Ji Yuan said to the red fox.
"Now that you have embarked on the path of cultivation, you are no longer an ignorant beast. You can lack anything, but you cannot lack a name. If you don't mind, you will be called Hu Yun from now on!"
Hearing Ji Yuan's words, the red fox's eyes lit up. For a moment, he ignored Ji Yuan's previous instructions and kowtowed to Ji Yuan with his paws clasped in front of Yin Qing!
"Ah!!!! Mr. Ji, the little fox really knows how to bow down!!! Ahhh!!!!"
Yin Qing, who was still struggling with the strangeness in Mr. Ji's previous words, was shocked when he saw the red fox bowing to someone and started screaming.
"Haha, let's go home!"
Ji Yuan patted little Yin Qing on the back and went down the mountain with the child whose sadness was diluted by excitement.
Ji Yuan was also very happy, much happier than the smile he showed. Although he was still a little confused, he just felt an electric shock in his arm through his sleeve, and the shadow of a chess piece flashed by his fingertips.
. . .
Perhaps because he was exhausted, Xiao Yinqing fell asleep on Ji Yuan's back on the way back.
This directly resulted in the speed of returning being many times faster than the speed of coming. Ji Yuan used spiritual energy to circulate his body and soon rushed back to Ning'an County.
When Yin Qing was sent back to Yin's house, it was not yet time for dinner. It was indeed only half a day.
However, after Ji Yuan returned home, he went out again immediately. He took off his usual green robe and changed into a rough suit with arms tied tightly. He also used a bandage to tie up his long and casual hair and tied it behind his back.
After quickly completing these preparations, Ji Yuan leaped out of the Ju'an Pavilion using the elasticity of the jujube tree branches, then frequently used the roof to gain leverage and left the city in an instant.
Ji Yuan only knows two simple sleight of hand. One is called "disappearing into thin air and returning", and the other is called "being blinded by a leaf". Their definitions are vague and general, but they also have a scope of application.
Sleight of hand is nothing but a method of covering or diverting other people's sight so that they cannot see the truth. To put it bluntly, one should not rely on it too much. At least Ji Yuan does not think that he can really become invisible by disappearing into thin air. Even in front of ordinary people, a blind spot would be more realistic.
The so-called "a leaf" is just a concept, referring to a tiny thing. The "a leaf blocking the eye" method also means that one cannot see the whole picture or the truth because of a small thing blocking the view.
Ji Yuan used a few strands of his bangs to cast a spell, making it impossible for people who looked at his face to see it clearly or to see it as something else. Because the bangs as a "leaf" are real, this spell is small but much more reliable.
Ji Yuan was in a hurry to go out at this moment because he saw a carriage traveling on the official road from afar on his way back. The two people riding horses beside the carriage were the men in tight clothes he saw at the entrance of the county government office at noon. Ji Yuan would not remember the voices of their conversation wrongly, so it was self-evident who was in the carriage.
Of course, Ji Yuan was not so petty as to seek revenge if someone talked about him behind his back, nor was he saying bad things. It was mainly because he heard the conversation between the county magistrate and the slightly plump man at noon and subconsciously glanced at them. It was this glance that made Ji Yuan notice a faint light on the collar of the slightly plump man.
That was definitely not the fat man's fault, it must be that he was carrying something extraordinary on him.
At this stage, Ji Yuan is in a state of hunger for things like cultivation, but reason prevents him from going around seeking for help from immortals. Now he will not let go of this opportunity. At the very least he has to personally confirm what it is and find out the source.
But at noon I clearly heard that the master and his two servants would not leave until the next day, but now they were already driving their carriage onto the official road.
The wind around him kept brushing against his face. He was able to restrain himself inside the city, but after leaving the city, Ji Yuan used all his skills and chased in the direction he had just remembered. About two quarters of an hour later, a carriage that was about to leave the territory of Ning'an County finally appeared in his sight in the distance.
At this moment, the sky gradually darkened, and Ji Yuan fell silently far behind, worrying about how to achieve his goal.
"Should I just chase them and have a friendly conversation? Or should I think of another way, or should I just stop them and search for something before asking them? Should I act a little more aggressively? "
Ji Yuan grinned a little neurotically, rehearsing his ferocious look. He thought he had some acting talent.
However, before Ji Yuan could think more, a new turn of events occurred. From the woods on the left side of the official road, several figures wearing dark linen clothes suddenly jumped out, waving their weapons and attacking towards the carriage.
"Oh no! There's a strong man!"
The two guards jumped up from their horses and engaged the attackers.
The strong man in yellow clothes faced the attackers. He jumped off the horse's back, stepped on the horse's body, used the force to push out, clenched his fists, and hit one of the robbers hard.
“Die!!”
"Dang~~"
The powerful punch was unexpectedly blocked by the opponent's knife back, and he immediately drew out the knife to block the fist, then turned the blade and chopped it diagonally upwards towards the opponent, and the knife flower seemed to be divided into three.
“Sizzle, sizzle…”
Three sword strikes cut through the guard's fist, and one of the strikes caused blood to spurt from his shoulder.
"Yan Ling returns three times!!! You are Xiang Feng, the Thirteen Thieves of Yandi!!"
The yellow-clad guard leaped back to avoid the other two bandits who were attacking him, while shouting in horror.
As far as the peripheral vision could see, his companions were now in a precarious situation outnumbered by four, and had already sustained several injuries.
There was a dull thud of hammering flesh, and another guard was kicked hard, and with a "bang" he hit the body of the moving carriage.
"Stop the car for me!!"
One of the bandits roared.
“Ouch…”
The coachman hurriedly grabbed the reins and squatted there trembling, not daring to move. The people in the carriage were so scared that they didn't dare to make a sound.
Xiang Feng didn't even look at the two guards who were facing a serious enemy, but looked at the carriage with a smile while holding a knife.
"Wei Wuwei, it is rumored that the Wei family has passed down a piece of blue jade from generation to generation, which can protect against evil spirits. You should carry it with you, right?"