After waiting for a long time, the carriage started moving again, but the people in the carriage and the coachman were still thinking about the previous adventure.
Since the fog had dissipated, there was no need to lead the horses forward. All the coachmen sat back in the carriages and drove them forward.
After all the carriages had gone far away and a shadow moved on a big tree by the roadside, Ji Yuan jumped down from the tree again.
"Whether it will be done or not, and how useful it will be after it is done, is not something I can decide!"
Ji Yuan had a particularly good impression of the green carp. This good impression was different from the ones he had with Lu Shanjun and the red fox, as well as the old turtle. The difference from the Jiang Shen Bai Jiao was even greater. It was a pure good impression.
Especially when he came to the boat later because he was greedy for wine, it was also out of a desire for beautiful things like rice wine. He had no fear or flattery towards Ji Yuan. From Ji Yuan's perspective, he saw a rare "cleanliness".
'We'll see each other someday!'
With this thought in mind, Ji Yuan smiled and walked forward while taking out a dry biscuit from his bag. Because of the spiritual energy, the biscuit had not gone bad yet, so he started to eat it with confidence.
Just take the official road, and ask someone for directions when you have the chance. This time, Ji Yuan will not take the convenience of taking a straight line, so he will take a detour to avoid getting into any mountain valley again.
Although Ji Yuan was not yet the free and easy immortal he had longed for, he was still confident in his leg strength, which was definitely not worse than that of a galloping horse. His endurance and recovery ability were also much stronger than a horse. Even so, it still took him more than half a month to get out of Jizhou. He then had a more intuitive understanding of the entire territory of Dazhen.
Of course, this was also related to Ji Yuan's route and relatively regular schedule. Although he felt that he was always on the road, he had seen jugglers and monkey shows, attended village banquets, and looked for local wine, which also delayed him for some time.
. . .
June 21st is the Great Heat.
Before they knew it, it was midsummer, the hottest time of the year, and Ji Yuan finally arrived at the Aidu Mountain where Zuo Kuangtu's tomb was located.
It was only when Ji Yuan saw the mountain that he finally understood why the name of the mountain was so strange.
Looking around, you can see that all the mountains in this short-bellied mountain are relatively flat and low, and many of them are like a bulging general's belly. There are very few towering peaks, and the names given by the villagers are simple and rough.
"This Zuo Kuangtu has been dead for decades. I wonder if anyone has taken care of his tomb. Will he be buried or collapse..."
Ji Yuan muttered to himself as he found a place nearby on the official road to enter the mountain, intending to look for the "navel peak line" that he had learned from the sword intention post.
From morning to afternoon, Ji Yuan finally found out what the so-called navel peak line was.
Looking at the rocks in front of him that were only a little over half a meter high and less than two meters wide, and surrounded by numerous weeds and wild flowers, Ji Yuan was a little speechless.
The fact that it is called the Navel Peak is truly a reflection of Master Zuo's abstract style. If one really wants to look into it in detail, there are at least a dozen places in the entire Aidu Mountain that can be called the Navel Peaks.
Ji Yuan squatted down and used his oil-paper umbrella to push aside a patch of tall weeds, revealing the mottled tombstone and the collapsed earth grave behind it.
The words on the tombstone seemed to have been carved with a sword, and obvious sharp marks can be seen on the edge. It reads: The tomb of my father Zuo Li, the unfilial son Zuo Qiuli.
"Zuo Kuangtu is not really called Zuo Kuangtu. Perhaps after decades, not many people in the martial arts world know his real name."
Looking at the overgrown weeds on the grave, Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh.
"Master Zuo! I remember that you were the best martial artist in the world, but in the end, you couldn't even add a handful of soil to Qingming..."
The Zuo family must have encountered some kind of accident, or Zuo Li had made some explanation, or perhaps his descendants had simply forgotten about this tomb. Even though they knew that a few decades was a very long time for ordinary people, Zuo Li was a man who once stood at the top of the world. Even Ji Yuan now couldn't help but feel a little sad.
After bowing three times towards Zuo Li’s tomb, Ji Yuan lightly jumped onto the rocks behind the tomb.
The big rock was covered with a lot of soil and overgrown with dense weeds. Ji Yuan raised his foot and stepped heavily on an exposed stone foundation.
"Bang~~"
As the sound echoed, Ji Yuan listened carefully, then smiled, walked to the center of the boulder, pulled out the weeds, and used a small stone slab to dig the soil. After digging for more than ten times, he hit something hard.
After removing the blocking stones, a dark yellow wooden box was revealed underneath. There was also a mostly rotten part on the edge of the wooden box that looked like a sword handle.
Ji Yuan showed a look of joy, and reached out to take out the heavy wooden box. He wanted to pick up the sword, but when he grasped the hilt, he found that it had completely rotted and fell off at the touch. He had no choice but to grab the slightly rusty metal handle to pick it up.
The legendary long sword Qingying does not look like a divine weapon at all. The hilt is corroded and falling off, the scabbard is rotten, and even the sword body is covered with rust.
An ordinary warrior might be disappointed, but in Ji Yuan's eyes he knew that this was all appearance. The long sword in front of him was very clear in his eyes, and there was even a sense of agility flowing through the sword.
Ji Yuan stretched out his hand and flicked the sword.
“Ding~~~”
The sound was very crisp, and the sword body caused invisible air ripples.
Ji Yuan stretched out his hand and gently stroked the sword to the tip. A trace of spiritual energy flowed into the sword along the lines on his fingertips. He gently asked the sword in a neutral and calm voice.
"Are you willing to see the light of day again with Ji?"
As soon as the words fell.
"Buzz~~"
The sword body actually shook slightly by itself, shaking off a lot of dust on the sword body.
"Great, great, great sword! It really has its own spirituality!"
The clear shadow of the long sword gave Ji Yuan a great surprise, so the secret book of swordsmanship must be even more amazing, right
With such a strong sense of anticipation, Ji Yuan couldn't suppress his excitement. He sat cross-legged on a stone, placed Qingying horizontally on his knees, and solemnly opened the wooden box that should be made of nanmu with both hands.
The edge of the box was sealed with thick wax. When it was opened, there was a faint fragrance of nanmu inside the box, and a martial arts secret book lay at the bottom of the box.
Ji Yuan picked it up and saw the impressive name "Zuo Li Sword Classic". He couldn't resist his curiosity and started flipping through it even though he knew his eyesight was poor.
Zuo Li must have poured a lot of effort into writing this secret book. As the most advanced innate master, there is also a hint of meaning in it. Although it is not as clear as the Sword Intent Post, Ji Yuan can actually see most of the words in the slightly blurry text.
But this surprise seemed to fade as I read deeper.
In the middle of the night, Ji Yuan was still sitting cross-legged on the stone, but the book was casually placed on his legs.
"What is this? Where is the mystery of the Sword Intention Book, which is about transforming one's mind into another and forgetting oneself? No matter how wonderful this secret book is, how is it different from an ordinary internal energy secret book plus a sword technique with one move after another? No matter how wonderful it is, it is still... Is there a secret compartment under the stone?"
Ji Yuan looked at the small pit again with some hopelessness, then stretched out his hand and slapped the rock.
"Bang~~~"
Because it was late at night, the sound seemed more obvious in the silence. After listening carefully, he still couldn't hear where the stone was empty. Ji Yuan realized that this palm was just deceiving himself.
After a long time, the slight feeling of loss gradually faded away.
"Haha, now that I have the Sword Intention Note and the Long Sword Qingying, what else can I be dissatisfied with? Hero Zuo has been very good to me!"
After stuffing the secret book into his bag, Ji Yuan picked up the sword and held up the nanmu box, then jumped lightly off the rock.
Looking at the appearance of the long sword without a handle, Ji Yuan had an idea with interest. He casually broke off a vine of suitable thickness from the side and wrapped it around the tail of the sword. With the spiritual energy and magic power, there was a faint mist in the air. The vine slowly became lush and green, forming a special green vine hilt.
"Although you have spiritual power, you are limited by metal. This long sword with green vine roots can just replenish your energy. It will become your sword handle and merge with you. I will use spiritual energy to nourish you from time to time."
After saying this, Ji Yuan stood in front of Zuo Li's tomb holding a sword. He originally wanted to weed the tomb, but when he stood beside the tomb and took a look, he felt that it was fine the way it was now.
He just left a piece of cake and the last uneaten rabbit leg in front of the tombstone, and then Ji Yuan walked away.
"Master Zuo, please take your time!"
Although he knew there were no ghosts in the tomb, Ji Yuan's words before leaving still echoed in front of the tomb.
This nanmu box may be exchanged for some silver, but as for the secret book, it is better to return it to the descendants of the Zuo family...if there are any descendants left.