The sun was shining brightly, shining through the gaps between the thick leaves. Amid the annoying chirping of cicadas, a woodcutter carrying firewood on his back saw two people and a donkey coming up the mountain path. He squinted his eyes, looked for a while, and then grinned.
"So it's Mr. Lu and the Taoist priest. What are you doing up the mountain?"
The area close to Lujia Village and Beicun was mostly populated by local villagers who went up the mountain to collect firewood and were familiar with each other. Moreover, Lu Liangsheng was rarely unknown in this area, so he was naturally recognized.
“Come and see the mountains and rivers.”
Lu Liangsheng looked at the woodcutter's appearance and thought he was from the North Village. He shook his sleeves and bowed casually, "Old man, I remember there seems to be a small waterfall in this mountain. Is it still nearby?"
"Yes, yes. I just passed by there."
The woodcutter turned sideways and pointed the way they had come. Perhaps he was worried about neglecting the former tribute scholar in front of him, so he wanted to help lead the way. Lu Liangsheng smiled and dissuaded him. With a subtle movement, he brushed the old man's body with the sleeve of his robe, casting a small spell on him, preventing him from being tripped by vines and tree stumps on the way down the mountain.
After watching the woodcutter slowly walk away humming a folk song while carrying three bundles of firewood, Lu Liangsheng then pulled the old donkey and the Taoist priest and continued walking forward.
This mountain is a branch of the entire Qixia Mountain, and is also known as Xiaoquan Mountain. It occupies only a few miles of land, but is like a human arm, stretching from south to east. At the foot of the mountain is the only road leading to Lujia Village.
Wow~~
The dense forest leaves rustled as Lu Liangsheng slowly pulled his old donkey across the light spots on the ground. The Taoist followed behind, occasionally looking up from the compass and looking around.
"When this mountain swirls, it attracts rain and dew. No wonder your Lujia Village has such fertile land even though there is only a small river. Fortunately, it is also connected to Qixia Mountain. If it were a separate place, it would be Fentou Mountain facing you..."
While the Taoist was talking about horse racing, he heard the sound of water amid the cicadas. Lu Liangsheng in front of him let go of the reins, patted the old donkey on the head, and let it stroll around by itself.
Turning around, over there, there was the sound of rushing water. A small waterfall was falling along the mountain wall into the pool below, stirring up circles of ripples that pushed to the beach.
“This is it.”
Lu Liangsheng sighed. When he was a child, he came here to play in the water with his friends in the village. Later, his mother found out and beat him up. Lu Laoshi came to persuade them, but he was also beaten up and made to kneel in front of the ancestral tablet in the main hall.
Thinking back on it now, it’s quite funny.
However, now looking at this waterfall as a cultivator, the water is clear and contains spiritual light. Although it is weak, it is connected to the mountain veins and the main mountain of Qixia, and the spiritual energy circulates continuously.
'No wonder those chivalrous men in the martial arts world like to practice in seclusion in places like this for four to five years, or even longer. This meager spiritual energy is not only helpful for their daily improvement in skills, but also greatly helps them to gain enlightenment.'
He was slightly dazed as he looked at the rushing waterfall. In his field of vision, the Taoist stretched out his hand and waved it back and forth in front of him a few times.
"Hey, Mr. Lu, wake up!"
"Heh... I was thinking about some childhood memories and was lost in them."
Lu Liangsheng did not hide his embarrassment at all. He chuckled and took out the scroll. Occasionally, the sound of wild animals stepping on fallen leaves could be heard in the forest. Even if it was a big insect, the scholar did not need to pay attention to it.
When he walked to a stone not far away and spread out the scroll, the Taoist on the other side stepped continuously, making strange steps. He stopped at the expected place every time, picked up a stone, drew talismans on it with cinnabar, and placed it at the place where his feet were standing.
There were seven places in total. After finishing, he jumped onto the cliff, took out a magic knife from his yellow cloth pocket, and carved on it. Stone chips fell down.
Not far away, on the shoulder of Lu Liangsheng who was also busy, the Toad Taoist climbed down his arm, walked to the edge of the pond on flippers, looked at the crystal clear water, sat on a stone, closed his eyes comfortably, and enjoyed the leisure time with dappled sunlight and flowing clear water.
I like this kind of life more and more.
… I feel like I won’t get angry even if I’m teased or scolded.
In the pleasant thought, the toad couldn't help but curve its mouth into a big arc towards the sun, showing a peaceful smile.
Rustle~~
There was a noise in the woods. A wild boar came out of the bushes, looked cautiously at the figure in white and blue robe over there, grunted, moved its long nose, walked to the edge of the pond with its little hooves, took a sip, and then suddenly jumped up.
Enjoying the warmth of the sun, Toad Taoist yawned lazily.
A black shadow jumped into the pool, splash—
Water splashed and the toad sitting on the stone with its mouth open got drenched in the face. Its new short jacket with cloud patterns was instantly soaked. In the puddle of water, the toad opened its eyes and stared at the pig's head that was grunting out of the water. Its cheeks were swollen and the densely packed bumps on its back turned dark purple.
Sensing the evil spirit, the wild boar suddenly started to swim to the edge of the pond, spread its hooves and ran, breaking through a cluster of bushes, and even turned around and snorted at the toad that was running wildly in this direction.
The moment the pig's head turned back, it saw the donkey's buttocks leisurely swinging its tail.
snort
The pig let out a grunt and suddenly slammed its front hooves into the ground.
Boom!
Or he crashed right into it!
…
Wow!
The water flow hit the surface of the pool. The Taoist on the cliff put down his sword, dusted off his hands, and shouted to the scholar who had been prepared.
"Old Lu, the rest depends on you."
In front of the flat stone, the scholar rolled up his wide sleeves with one hand and held a pen in the other hand, using his magic power to lightly write the two words "Qian Kun" on the scroll. Hearing the Taoist's words, Lu Liangsheng picked up the war scroll. The wind blew through the woods, and with a whoosh, he threw it into the air. He then waved two fingers in his sleeves.
"go!"
The scroll is like a fish, swimming in the air, passing under the branches, flying to the waterfall, disappearing behind the water curtain in the blink of an eye, and sticking to the mountain wall.
"The painting is a battle formation, the brush writes yin and yang, the universe borrows the law—"
There was a gentle breeze in the forest, but suddenly it became very windy, and the branches and grass around them swayed violently. The robes of the scholar and the Taoist priest rustled. In their sight, the spiritual energy of the mountain and the spiritual energy of the water were drawn from all around like silk threads being unraveled, and penetrated into the scroll attached to the mountain wall behind the waterfall.
"Is it done?" asked the Taoist as he put away the compass.
"We still need three more pieces to complete the formation, don't you think so, Master?"
Lu Liangsheng turned his head and saw the figure of the Toad Taoist priest by the pond. When the Taoist priest shouted, "Old Toad", a bloody smell suddenly wafted over.
In the wind, the grass in front rustled. Lu Liangsheng and the Taoist looked intently and walked quickly over to push the grass aside.
What was revealed was a burning bonfire, a gutted wild boar skewered on a stick, roasting and dripping with oil, and the Toad Taoist sitting beside it, his mouth slightly open, sticky saliva dripping down.
Seeing this, the disciple and the Taoist swallowed their saliva and looked at him seriously: "What's the matter?"
“It’s okay…” Lu Liangsheng’s mouth twitched.
The toad snorted, turned around, hugged his flippers, and picked up his short coat to dry by the fire.
"Come over and have lunch with me if you have nothing to do. Humph, you little wild boar dares to show off in front of me."
The old donkey was chewing some green grass, then raised his head to look at the toad, snorted something like "Pah", and continued to bury his head, chewing leisurely while swinging his bald tail.
"You old donkey... you are insulting me..."
The fire flickered, and the Toad Taoist standing nearby looked at the old donkey over there, veins bulged on his forehead, then he snorted and turned aside.
Lu Liangsheng sat down next to him, handed over a piece of meat, and said with a smile: "Master is a god, with a majestic bearing and awe-inspiring power. Don't be angry."
"Who gets mad at an old donkey?"
After hearing what his disciple said, Toad Taoist felt that it was true. He felt relieved and waved his webbed feet.
"Hurry up and eat. This is baked by my teacher. If you can't finish it, take it back."
After finishing the greasy lunch, Sun Yingxian felt so greasy that she was shaking all over. She felt better after eating fruits from several trees. Afterwards, she and Lu Liangsheng went to three more hilltops and set up all the remaining magic arrays in one go.
Looking from a high place, one can vaguely see the middle range of Qixia Mountain, Xiaoquan Mountain, and Getouling Mountain on the back mountain of Qixia... forming a big circle, surrounding Lujia Village in the middle.
The sky was tilted, and the dusk cast a bright red glow. The white and blue robes fluttered in the wind. Lu Liangsheng stood in front of his teacher's tomb under an old pine tree, looking towards the mountains. Soon, Hong Lian came to call him for dinner. The man and the ghost walked back to the village, talking and laughing.
The sea of clouds in the mountains was surging, and spiritual energy that ordinary people could not see was flowing slowly, and the formation was complete.