Aze's parents were buried together in one grave, while his grandfather was buried alone. The same was true for most of the other graves. Offerings were placed in front of every grave without favoritism. With the help of Jin embroidery, Aze placed lit sandalwood and candles in front of each grave and bowed in front of each grave.
"Uncle Chang, Aunt Chang, I'm Aze, I'm here to see you on behalf of Along..."
"Uncle Qian, I'm here to see you on behalf of Ani..."
"Uncle Li, Grandma Li... I'm here to see you on behalf of Agu..."
…
Aze visited every grave and kowtowed to each one, and finally returned to the graves of his parents and grandfather.
"Aze, I have learned to invite the gods and send them away. I will help you send the energy of the offerings into the underworld."
As Jin Xiu spoke, she made hand gestures and cast a spell. Faint rays of light circled around the graves. Aze and Ji Yuan could see the sandalwood incense circling over a dozen graves.
Inviting gods and sending away gods is a widely spread magic spell, and is not limited to the immortal way, nor is it limited to "gods". It can be said to be widely used. The "gods" here not only refer to spirits, but also refer to some magical things. It is a magic spell of communication nature, which is also called "inviting gods and sending away gods" in the immortal way.
Of course, there is no comparison between inviting gods and restraining gods in this kind of magic. It is just like ordinary people and a group of fans crowding together and shouting at a celebrity to invite him over. Whether it will work or how much effect it will have depends entirely on what others think. It is just convenient to use it here.
"Aze, look, the incense didn't dissipate directly, which means someone in the underworld has collected it. Don't worry!"
Aze was obviously delighted when he heard this, and looked at Ji Yuan, who nodded, indicating that Jin Xiu was right.
"That's great. Dad, Mom, and Grandpa are really still here? Can I see them?"
"Of course you can. Mr. Ji is here. Even if you don't have the master's token, they won't dare to stop you."
Jin Xiu took a light photo of Ji Yuan's horse, and when she turned back to take a peek, she saw Ji Yuan shaking his head and smiling. She was immediately delighted, thinking that she had taken the perfect photo of the horse.
The village where Aze lived was called Miaodong Village. It had been completely abandoned since the whole village was massacred by soldiers and bandits more than two years ago. Even the surrounding farmland was not cultivated. It was not only Miaodong Village, but also the two nearby villages. The situation was similar. The remote areas had completely become dead places.
Ji Yuan did not fly this time. Instead, he took Aze and Jin Xiu to travel on the ground. This down-to-earth approach made it easier to observe the world in the cave.
Of course, ordinary people don’t have strong legs, so Ji Yuan couldn’t really ask everyone to walk slowly. Instead, he exerted his influence imperceptibly, allowing the three of them to walk briskly without realizing it when they passed through some unremarkable places.
The other two villages they passed were also silent. The stale smell mixed with the stench of corpses lingered, followed by a long and desolate mountain road. It seemed that there was not a single living person in Aze's hometown. Apart from the birds and beasts, Ji Yuan and the other two were the only living people left.
This feeling was very depressing, at least for Aze and Jinxiu. The former was heartbroken, while the latter was shocked by the tragic scenes of the villagers, which also affected her mood. This also caused the two people who had been chatting constantly in heaven to be relatively silent now.
"No matter where you are, looking back at history, disputes are always a theme that cannot be avoided. Some disputes are like quarrels, while others have serious consequences. Grudges will continue to circulate. As long as everyone is not a saint, all this will not disappear. Even if you can't fight, the resentment in your heart will still exist, so all you can do is try to avoid it as much as possible."
Ji Yuan said this and looked at Jin Xiu.
"You have been practicing in the mountains and have rarely seen the cruelty of the world. But if you think about it carefully, your master's Daozang must have said it a long time ago, but it is not yet time for you to understand it. If you have the chance in the future, go out and walk more often in the mountains."
"yes!"
Jin Xiu quickly bowed to Ji Yuan. Aze could treat Ji Yuan like an elder, but she, as a disciple of Jiufeng Mountain, would not dare to do so. She knew very well how great a master Mr. Ji was, and she must never forget the etiquette when listening to the teachings of a master.
As if he had just come back to his senses from Ji Yuan’s previous words, Aze kept walking and looked at Ji Yuan and said.
"Sir, you said that disputes will not disappear, we can only try to avoid them. How can we avoid them?"
“Good question!”
Ji Yuan put one hand behind his back and made vague movements with his right hand as he walked. In the eyes of Aze and Jin Xiu, Mr. Ji drew many lines back and forth horizontally and many lines back and forth vertically. Finally, a grid flashing with fluorescent light appeared in front of Mr. Ji, and it moved forward with the footsteps of the three people.
"What's this?"
"checkerboard."
Aze and Jinxiu looked at each other and saw each other's confusion.
"checkerboard?"
Is playing chess the method
Ji Yuan looked at the chessboard in front of him and said with narrowed eyes.
"Let me ask you, what is the key to a successful game of chess?"
Aze frowned, and Jin Xiu was also thinking hard. Although the latter was a cultivator, his heartbeat was slightly quickening. It was very much like the teachings of a master. If he could get any guidance from Mr. Ji, he would definitely benefit a lot.
After thinking about it, both of them almost had some answers and spoke directly.
"Chess pieces and chessboard?" "The players, and the skills of both players?"
Ji Yuan smiled.
"You are all right, but the most important thing is... the rules of this game!"
Ji Yuan looked at the sky and the earth.
"Without rules, there is no order. Sages know human nature and set rules to restrain it. Kings borrow the principles of sages and refine them into laws, intimidate people, and govern the people according to them. Although they are for profit, they also protect the people. And rules apply not only to humanity, but also to all things, including this world."
As he spoke, Ji Yuan stretched out his hand and pointed forward, marking out "star positions" on the chessboard. Then the chess path vaguely appeared, and then the entire chessboard gradually faded away, and the fluorescence dissipated before his eyes.
Aze looked at him blankly and suddenly asked again.
"But we have our own country and rules, so why are villagers being killed? Why are other countries attacking us?"
"Well, maybe the rules are not properly maintained, or the rules are wrong, or... maybe the rules are too narrow!"
While answering the two people's questions, the three of them had unknowingly crossed a long distance. By the time Aze and Jin Xiu reacted, the road under their feet was no longer overgrown with weeds and barren, and green farmland appeared in the distance. Only then did Ji Yuan slow down his pace.
After walking for about another quarter of an hour, the three finally saw a new living person. It was an old farmer who was busy pulling out weeds in the fields. He was wearing coarse cloth and a straw hat, with a hoe on his shoulder. He bent down and reached out to pull up the weeds in the fields one by one by the roots and threw them to the side of the road.
Ji Yuan could feel that Aze breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a living person.
The old farmer over there stood up and saw three people passing by the roadside. He saw that they were dressed neatly and appropriately and did not look like people from poor families. He did not say a word to them, but wondered in his heart how these three delicate-looking people got here, and whether they were afraid of being robbed in these unstable times
The old farmer didn't say anything, but Ji Yuan stopped and spoke.
"My dear father-in-law, the city ahead should be Beiling County, right?"
"Oh, yes, yes, after passing Beishanling is the county town. However, things are not peaceful these days. If you want to cross Beishanling, you three should go to a nearby town and wait for a while. It will be better if there are more people and you can travel together."
The old farmer glanced at the road behind Ji Yuan and others, and saw no carriages or horses following them. He then looked ahead and saw the road extending into the distance.
"Uh, where are you three from?"
Aze answered immediately with a little excitement.
"We came from Shannan. There are several villages over there. My family lives in Miaodong Village. Have you heard of it, old man? Have you seen or heard of people fleeing from there?"
There was obvious expectation in Aze's tone. Sister Jinxiu had told him before that if they encountered a war, they might not be the only five companions who escaped. If they could hide, so could others. Who knows, someone might have escaped and fled to other places instead of entering Qingtian Mountain.
"Shannan?"
This area is close to the Qingtian Mountains. Even if you don't count the Qingtian Mountains, the people's living places are separated by many hills. The villagers are scattered in these places. The vast land and sparse population are the true portrayal of this place. But some place names and roads are known to the locals. The old farmer subconsciously looked to the south, and then looked at the cloudy sky today. He seemed to think of something, and his body trembled, and his face looked a little strange.
"Uh... Well, I've never seen that before... I, I still have work to do, still have work to do."
As he spoke, he buried his head in taking care of the fields, and his speed increased a lot. He left the roadside and his body seemed to be buried in the crops in the fields.
"Old man..."
Aze wanted to say something, but Ji Yuan shook his head at him.
"Then you are busy, old man. We are leaving now!"
Ji Yuan bowed slightly and quickly left in the direction of Beishanling with the two of them.
When the footsteps could no longer be heard, the old farmer who was busy weeding in the field carefully stood up from the crops, but he could not see Ji Yuan and the other two in front or behind. He looked away and saw three small dots in the distance on the northern road.
The old farmer was stunned for a moment, then his body shook violently a few times, and he felt a chill running through his body.
"Hey, we have to go back early today!"
All the people from Shannan had died long ago. How could these three people from Shannan appear from? It's like seeing a ghost in broad daylight.
With such unlucky thoughts, the old farmer pulled out some more weeds, glanced at the fields casually, walked to the edge of the field, put on his straw sandals, and hurried away carrying his hoe.
"Mr. Ji, that old man seems to be quite afraid of us?"
Jin Xiu's skills were too shallow to be able to observe qi, but she could see that the old farmer's attitude towards them had changed.
"Well, since they think we are ghosts, they can't avoid us."
Ji Yuan looked at Aze and said.
"Aze, in order to avoid trouble, if you really want to mention Shannan's incident when you talk to others, just say that you escaped and escaped."
"Yes, I remember that."