Yinhuang City.
This is a secular town, densely populated, densely populated with rivers, intertwined with boats, and extremely prosperous.
The streets are crowded with people from all walks of life. Scholars, vendors, warriors, entertainers, storytellers, and jugglers can be seen everywhere.
When Chen Xi just arrived at Yinhuang City, he felt a strong worldly atmosphere coming towards him. The world was vast and prosperous like a dream, which was completely different from the world of cultivation.
"Qingfeng steamed buns, freshly baked Qingfeng steamed buns... I used to work in the royal kitchen of the palace. Grandpa Taizu visited me privately in disguise. I once tasted the steamed buns steamed by my ancestors and praised them full of praise."
"Dear readers, this feather fan was sewn by the most talented woman in Shuyulou. The words on the fan came from the hand of Wuyu, Langzhuang, the number one scholar in the Imperial Academy. The feather fan is fragrant and has the aftertaste of calligraphy. It only sold for eighty gold. I walked by Don't miss it if you pass by." This was a vendor selling feather fans, shouting.
"I saw the Jingsi Immortal, opening his embroidered mouth, and spitting out a mouthful of fairy sword, just like a white rainbow piercing the sun, the cold light rustling, covering the sky and blocking the sun, which scared the old demon Hualiu so much that his dead soul came out, and he flew away as if he was lustful. To escape..." In the teahouse, the storyteller was frothing and talking.
"Ah, it turns out to be Brother Qingxian. Do you want to go to Beijing to take the exam? I heard that the examiner of the Hanlin Academy is Mr. Xiao Jinyu. This man is upright, selfless, and has strong writing skills. He hates flashy and beautiful articles. Let's do it. When writing an article, you must carefully consider Mr. Xiao Jinyu’s preferences, otherwise you may lose your reputation.”
"What Brother Feng Bao said is absolutely true. I spent ten years of hard work studying the books of saints and sages in order to be named on the gold medal list and become famous all over the world. After I pass the exam, I must go to the brothel in the capital that is known as the best brothel in the world. Let’s have a nice dinner at Yunlou and have a good time with the first courtesan.”
"Hahaha, when you are named on the gold list, the wedding night, and meeting an old friend in a foreign country, these are the three most proud things in life. Aren't these the three most proud things that we admire and yearn for? Brother Qingxian, let's go, have a drink and talk together, and have fun in time. Don't It’s a waste of this great time.”
On the street, two scholars wearing Confucian robes and blue shirts were walking and talking, like scholars coming to Beijing to take the exam, full of longing and yearning for the future.
Looking at the scenes in front of him and listening to the various sounds on the street, Chen Xi's mood calmed down unconsciously.
He walked on the secular streets, experiencing the joys and sorrows of ordinary people, watching them busy for a day's livelihood, and thinking deeply in his heart.
This is the secular world, the turbid waves of the mortal world, in which all living beings shuttle, birth, old age, illness and death, each with his own destiny. Although he is as small and ordinary as an ant, he lives endlessly, making up the various forms of this mortal world, and promoting historical changes.
"The monks are struggling under the way of heaven and working hard to obtain eternal life. Ordinary people are ups and downs in the human world, working for their own livelihood. It is ridiculous that the monks despise mortals, think that they are superior, and regard all living beings as worms. But under the way of heaven, who can Aren’t you just a tiny worm?”
"If we can stand on the way of heaven in this life, can we transcend all things?"
Chen Xi stopped in the endless flow of secular world, looked at the sky, his thoughts were vague, and for the first time he had a strong impulse to break the shackles and stand on the way of heaven.
He wanted to know what he would see when he stepped on the path of heaven.
"Brother, do you want to buy a pair of straw sandals?"
Next to the street where Chen Xi stopped, there was a middle-aged woman selling straw sandals. Standing next to her was a little girl, short and thin, with dark skin and a dirty face. Only a pair of big eyes were dark and clear, as bright as stars.
When the little girl saw Chen Xi standing in front of her straw sandal stall for a long time, she thought he was attracted to the straw sandals knitted by her mother. After much hesitation, she finally summoned up the courage to ask softly.
"Da Ya, don't talk too much!"
The middle-aged woman's expression changed, and she scolded Chen Xi. The demeanor displayed by Chen Xi was not comparable to that of ordinary people. She was worried that her daughter's words would make Chen Xi unhappy, which would cause trouble.
"Mom, but we don't have enough money for medicine, what should we do about my brother's illness?" The little girl lowered her head and twisted her little hands nervously, saying weakly.
Chen Xi had woken up from his reverie and saw that the mother and daughter's clothes were covered with patches and they were very shabby. They obviously lived an extremely poor life and were very pitiful.
On the stall in front of the mother and daughter, there are pairs of straw sandals, which are full. It is obvious at a glance that one pair has not been sold yet.
It was already dusk, and if nothing unexpected happened, neither mother nor daughter would have any income on this day.
"I want these straw sandals."
Chen Xi moved his palm and handed a piece of silver to the middle-aged woman, "Take it and go home quickly to treat your child." This piece of silver is enough for a poor family to live stably for several years.
"Ah, thank you so much, sir, thank you so much, sir..." The middle-aged woman had a large silver ingot in her hand. She couldn't help but be stunned, and then she quickly thanked her, feeling a little incoherent with her excitement.
Chen Xi, on the other hand, had already left.
"Mom, have we met a god?"
Chen Xi suddenly disappeared, causing the little girl to rub her eyes, thinking it was an hallucination.
But when he searched again, he could no longer see Chen Xi. Only the piece of silver ingot was still in her mother's hand. This made the little girl think that she had met the legendary god, and her big dark eyes were full of excitement.
Outside Yinhuang City, ghosts roam the deserted ridge.
This is a gloomy place that makes everyone in the city talk about it and change their expressions. There are evil spirits floating in it, haunting it at night, specializing in stealing people's hearts and eating their hearts and lungs. It is extremely terrifying.
It is said that those evil ghosts were all rebellious officials and traitors of the previous dynasty who were killed here. Their corpses were scattered all over the place, blood flowed into rivers, and their resentment persisted, eventually turning into evil ghosts.
For hundreds of years, almost no one has dared to approach this ghost place. It is so inaccessible that it is like a forbidden land.
However, tonight, a tall and elegant figure came to an already dilapidated temple on the desolate ridge.
The walls of this temple are crumbling, and there are dust and cobwebs everywhere. The statues in the temple have blurry faces, are in pieces, and have collapsed long ago. It is impossible to tell which deity they are dedicated to.
Boom!
As night fell, black clouds covered the sky, and I could not see my fingers. Suddenly there was a muffled thunder, silver snakes danced wildly, and heavy rain poured down.
Thunder, lightning, heavy rain... made this ruined temple in the wilderness become even more eerie and terrifying.
Peng!
A wisp of flame suddenly rose, igniting the dry firewood gathered on the ground, burning brightly, adding a touch of warmth to the gloomy ruined temple.
"The one hundred and seven assessment tasks are now finally completed. If you think about it, it has been more than a month since I left the sect, and there are only less than seven days left before the peak test..."
The firelight flickered, reflecting on Chen Xi's handsome and resolute face. He glanced at the jet-black bead the size of a dove egg in his hand, and then put it away.
This is the Ghost Bead, which he got after killing an evil ghost in the Ghostly Wasteland just now. It is not very precious, but it is an essential material for refining a heaven-level elixir.
"Um?"
At this moment, Chen Xi raised his eyebrows, as if he had discovered something, "This place is full of evil spirits, monsters and monsters, and the evil and resentment is extremely strong. It is also the middle of the night when heavy rain is pouring and thunder is tearing up the sky. How can there be anyone at this time?" Come…”
"Hey, it turns out it's them."
Chen Xi's consciousness spread, and he saw in an instant that at the foot of the Huangling Mountain, a mother and daughter were walking up the Huangling Mountain in the heavy rain and wind. Their steps were staggering, their clothes were soaked, and they were extremely embarrassed.
They were exactly the poor mother and daughter that Chen Xi saw in Yinhuang City, who made a living selling straw sandals.
"Weird, don't they know how dangerous this place is..."
Chen Xi frowned, feeling a little strange. Ordinary people like them, coming here, were like sheep falling into the tiger's mouth. After all, those evil spirits did not distinguish between good and evil when killing people.
"Mom, there is a fire here. Let's go in and take shelter from the rain. When the rain stops, let's go home overnight, okay?"
"That's okay, Da Ya, please slow down and be careful not to fall."
Not long after, the pair of mothers came to the desolate ridge, hurriedly walked towards the ruined temple, pushed open the door and entered. When they saw Chen Xi beside the fire, they were both stunned, as if they had never expected it. , unexpectedly met Chen Xi here.
"Let's sit down and warm up by the fire first." Chen Xi stood up and said as he looked at the mother and daughter who were soaked in water.
"Thank you so much, sir, thank you so much, sir..." The middle-aged woman wiped the rain off Daya's body and thanked Chen Xi gratefully. She repeated the same sentence. Although she was a little nagging, it could be seen that she was a A simple and kind woman.
Soon, Chen Xi learned that the mother and daughter lived in a village on the other side of Huangling Ridge. There was originally another road leading directly to their village, but in order to seize the time to treat their son, they did not care. Otherwise, we can only take this shortcut and rush back all night.
"Brother, why are you here? This is a ghostly wilderness. There are many evil spirits. Aren't you afraid?" Da Ya raised her little head and asked Chen Xi.
"Since there are evil spirits, why aren't you afraid?" Chen Xi asked with a smile.
"I'm afraid, but my mother and I have to go home to prepare medicine for my brother. He is very ill. My mother and I are so worried that we have no choice but to go home overnight." Da Ya said with a smile.
Chen Xi looked at the bright smile on the little girl's dark face and was suddenly stunned, feeling a trace of silent emotion and shock in his heart.
This is just a child of five or six years old. In order to treat her brother, she can even forget her fears and even put her own life at risk... What kind of relationship can make her so brave and fearless
"Brother, this is a crane I knitted for you. Take a look and see if you like it." Da Ya suddenly said excitedly. She carefully opened her pocket and fumbled for a long time, but only took out a handful of wet grass. Xu.
"The crane was crushed... Big brother, I'm sorry." Da Ya looked at the grass in his palm, tears welling up in his big eyes, and whispered.
(End of chapter)