Mulberry leaves are not unusual, but it is already autumn and winter. Except for evergreen pines and cypresses, the trees in the mountains have already lost their leaves due to frost, and the mulberry trees are no exception. If you want to find the green mulberry leaves at this time, you can only go to the warm south.
The man before was a mountain cultivator in Lizi. He could travel thousands of miles in a day and was able to carry mulberry leaves back from the south. But silkworm cocoons were not a rare thing and were sold everywhere. He traveled thousands of miles to find and carry mulberry leaves back. I'm afraid it wasn't for the sake of it. Sericulture.
However, mulberry leaves are bitter and astringent, and other animals do not like to eat them. Furthermore, if you are feeding other animals, there is no need to select mulberry leaves specifically.
If it were any other leaves, Nanfeng wouldn't think much about it. The reason why he is so interested in mulberry leaves is because he once took dragon-toothed silkworms, which Tianqizi found for him. According to Tianqizi, dragon-toothed silkworms were found for him. Already extinct, the bottle of medicinal powder ground by the dragon-toothed celestial silkworm was obtained from the Imperial Palace of the Western Wei Dynasty and is the only remaining bottle in the world. That day, he asked about the use of the Dragon-Tooth Celestial Silkworm, but Tianqizi didn't tell him.
The man who just passed by had already ascended to live in the mountains, and ordinary things were not worth his troubles and travels.
This person is carrying mulberry leaves, which are naturally used to raise silkworms. But silkworms are mostly raised in spring and summer. It is already autumn and winter. Neither domestic silkworms nor wild silkworms can survive. Those who can survive in such cold weather must be Strange species.
Various signs reminded Nanfeng of the bottle of dragon-toothed silkworm that he had taken. Although Tianqizi once said that the dragon-toothed silkworm was extinct, Tianqizi also said that the dragon-toothed silkworm became extinct eighty years ago, which is not far away from now. , it is unknown whether a small number survived.
Since the dragon-toothed silkworm is extremely rare, no one knows its origin, and no one knows its use. If the man carrying the mulberry leaves is really feeding the dragon-toothed silkworm, he can take the opportunity to ask what happened and explain his doubts. .
Thinking of this, Nanfeng tilted his head and looked eastward. At this time, the lavender spiritual energy was still moving eastward rapidly, and after a few ups and downs, it disappeared into the mountains and dense forests.
Nanfeng was still hesitating whether to continue eastward or turn back, but this time he didn't hesitate anymore, threw away the mulberry leaves in his hand, and headed eastward.
After walking a few steps, the south wind stopped again. To the east was the endless Taiyi Mountain. His cultivation level was not high. It would be very dangerous to walk alone in the mountains, and there was no chance of meeting the man carrying the mulberry leaves. Big, it's hard to tell whether the other party is feeding dragon-toothed celestial silkworms. Is it worth risking one's life for something uncertain
After standing for a moment, Nanfeng turned around and walked back, but he did not go far. Instead, he returned to the original place and picked up all the mulberry leaves that had fallen to the ground. He looked at them carefully. These leaves were thick and tender, and they were obviously carefully selected. , the petioles are cut off from the tail, which shows that when picking, the other party selects them piece by piece, rather than grabbing them in large quantities.
This discovery confirmed Nanfeng's previous guess that what the other party was feeding was most likely dragon-toothed silkworms. Even if it wasn't dragon-toothed silkworms, it must be some kind of strange silkworm.
It's better to go east. If you encounter someone, you'll have a chance to ask.
After making up his mind, Nanfeng no longer hesitated. There was no obvious path to the east, only a suspected path, and he strode forward along the path. It is naturally dangerous to enter the mountains, but it is equally dangerous to walk on the road. Without the ability to protect yourself, no matter where you are, it is not safe.
Thinking of the dragon-toothed silkworm, Nanfeng thought of Tianqizi. Apart from his master Tian Yuanzi, Tianqizi was the best person to him. However, there was no news about Tianqizi at this time, and his life and death were uncertain. That day, Tianmingzi and others were in Tianqizi. A medicine bottle was placed in the ovary to mislead him into thinking that Tian Qi Zi had come back. This meant that Tian Qi Zi’s disappearance was related to Tian Qi Zi and others. If you think about it carefully, Tian Qi Zi had two experiences. One was that he was killed by them. , there is another possibility that he is imprisoned by them. No matter what the situation is, he must return to Taiqing Sect. If Tianqizi is still alive, he must be rescued. If Tianqizi has been killed by them, he must do it for him. revenge. Tianqizi was kind to him and could not accept the kindness of others in vain.
Since I had never stayed in a hotel before, I didn’t bring any dry food with me when I went into the mountains. Fortunately, there were many cassava, yams and frost-dried fruits in the mountains, so I didn’t have to worry about eating.
At this time, except for the Liang Kingdom in the south, the people of the two Wei Kingdoms were very poor. They did not have enough to eat, and there were frequent shortages. War was the root of the problem. In wars, people had to be drafted as soldiers. There was no one to cultivate the land, so there was naturally less food. .
Under such circumstances, few people move their families to the mountains and forests to avoid disasters. There are three reasons. First, the government strictly investigates homeless people who have left their nationality. Second, many mountains and forests are royal hunting grounds. Let alone living in seclusion, even cutting down trees for hunting will be punished. There is a third reason. There are many tigers, leopards, jackals and wolves in the wild mountains that bite people, and there are many poisonous insects, rats, and ants that can kill people. This is the main reason why people dare not avoid the mountains and forests.
There are many products here, which means that no one comes here on weekdays. The richer the products in the mountains, the greater the possibility that there are ferocious beasts and poisonous insects lurking there.
In addition to looking at the products, there is another way to indirectly determine whether there are ferocious beasts and poisonous insects nearby. That is to look at the number of small animals such as rats, hares, and rabbits, and their reactions after being disturbed. If they do not run fast or far, it means that they are living normally. It is more comfortable and less dangerous. If you are frightened and get mad immediately, you need to cheer up.
After observing, Nanfeng cheered up.
After entering the deep mountains, the mountain road covered with weeds completely disappeared. Nanfeng could only open the way with a knife. He had been carrying a sword before. In comparison, the knife felt more practical. Although the sword had two sides, it was not easy to use. The force is not as crisp as the knife.
While moving forward, Nanfeng was also thinking about the future. If he met someone, they would ask him why he went into the mountain. There must be a reasonable reason. After thinking about it carefully, the only way to explain why he went into the mountain alone was by telling the truth. He offended Yu Qingzong and was driven down the mountain. He avoided the mountains for fear of being hunted. Only in this way could he explain his cultivation as a cave god.
After thinking about the details, Nan Feng began to recite scriptures. He recited the Cave God Scripture very loudly. This had two purposes. One was to let the wild beasts in the forest know of his arrival and avoid them as soon as possible to avoid waiting. As he approached, he suddenly jumped out and startled him. Furthermore, if the person you passed by in the sky is nearby, chanting sutras loudly can also show your magnanimity, lest the other person mistakenly think that he has ulterior motives.
At noon, I encountered a group of wolves, one large and one small with several cubs. They confronted Nanfeng from ten feet away for a moment. The male wolf led his family away. They are not stupid either. They know how to evaluate the strength of their opponents. Although Nanfeng is long He is not very tall, but he is already an adult. The most important thing is that he holds a bright knife in his hand.
In the afternoon, Nanfeng found a snake slough next to the creek. The snake slough was very well preserved. Looking at the snake slough, you can tell that the snake is as thick as a bucket and must be more than ten steps long. However, it is about to snow at this time. The weather was cold and snakes and pythons were dormant, which made it easier for him to travel. If he was traveling in summer, there would be not only snakes and pythons, but also mosquitoes.
Seeing that the sun was about to set, Nanfeng began to think about how to spend the night. He could avoid predators in the trees, but it was too cold to sleep in the trees, so it was more comfortable to live on the ground and light a bonfire.
Not far away, Nanfeng discovered several wild walnut plants. The fruits were ripe and fell to the ground.
This is a good thing. It is rarely seen outside. Even if it is available, it is very expensive. It costs two copper coins to buy one.
The south wind stopped, so he cut off the branches and built a shack under the tree. In fact, building an arrow shack was very simple. He piled some branches on both sides, put a few thick sticks on top, and then covered them with branches. This kind of shack is not durable, has ventilation on all sides, and does not provide shelter from the rain, but it is always enough for one night, which is better than being hit by the frost.
Lighting a bonfire, Nanfeng sat beside the bonfire and peeled the walnuts. The walnuts were covered with a thick skin and had to be peeled off.
While peeling, I suddenly heard a humming sound coming from the south. I looked up and saw a group of wild boar wandering not far away. It looked like they wanted to come and eat the walnuts, but they were afraid of the light and did not dare to get close.
Seeing that it was a wild boar, Nanfeng averted his eyes and continued peeling the walnuts. They were oily and fragrant, so they tasted sweet when eaten together with the dried fruits.
Seeing that the south wind was not too fierce, the group of wild boars took courage and slowly approached, eating walnuts from the outside.
The south wind did not drive them away. There were many walnuts, and he could not take them all away. He did not need so many, so he could share some with them.
The daring wild boar gradually approached, and the knife was right next to Nanfeng. Nanfeng was confident that he would jump up and kill it, but he did not do so. The wild boar dared to approach because they thought he would not hurt them. It is wrong to hurt others for their trust in you, even if the other person is a pig.
Being alone is helpful for thinking. Normally, Nanfeng wouldn't think too much, but at this time he thought deeply. He didn't kill the wild boar because of kindness, but the fundamental reason was that he was not hungry. If he He is about to starve to death. He will kill the wild boar without hesitation. He will not think about what is right or wrong. Yuqing and Taiqing are very right to provide a prosperous life for their Taoists. Only when people have no worries about food and clothing can they be successful. Set your mind to meditate on the way of heaven. If you are hungry and your chest is pressed against your back, let alone meditating and enlightening, you may even forget about basic morals and righteousness in order to find food.
At the second watch, Nanfeng moved the peeled walnuts into the shack, collected some hay from nearby and stuffed it into the shack to serve as a mattress. He put the knife within his reach, added firewood for the bonfire and began to sleep.
He also never chased away the group of wild boars. The wild boars lingered nearby. If any wild animals approached, they would panic and run away. They were a group of free watchmen.
When he was about to fall asleep, a little watchman came over with a hum, trying to steal the walnuts he had peeled. Nanfeng shouted and chased it away, and then he lay down to sleep again.
After an unknown amount of time, Nanfeng vaguely felt something near him. He thought it was another wild boar coming to steal food. He was about to wave his hand away, but suddenly he felt someone touching his face.
His heart trembled and he woke up instantly, but he did not open his eyes immediately because he didn't know what he would see when he opened his eyes...