After the beginning of autumn, continuous drizzle fell along the river.
The surface of the turbulent river was covered with mist. The boats docked at the pier swayed slightly with the water. Merchants and travelers waiting to cross the river went to a nearby rest house to eat and drink, watching the continuous autumn rain and waiting for the boatman to set sail.
"It's not raining hard, when will the boat set sail?" "You ask me, who should I ask?"
"The boatman is really too cautious."
"Bang bang~~~"
"Who the hell is making so much noise? Knock, knock, I'm going to die!"
Not far away from the tables where vendors were talking, there was another table where a Taoist priest in a Taoist robe sat. He had a pointed face, a pair of mustaches on his upper lip, and his eyes were darting around. Next to him was a little Taoist boy who was carrying a small gourd. He sat on a stool with his feet dangling, tapping the tea bowl with chopsticks from time to time.
Someone took a look and pulled down his companion who was about to stand up: "Forget it, forget it, don't go, it's just a child. The Taoist priest is obviously not a good person, it's best not to go."
"Who isn't a good person?!"
Hearing this, the Taoist clapped his chopsticks, stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and stepped on the bench: "Who is the bad guy? Point him out in front of me!"
In the tea stall, vendors at eight tables all raised their fingers in unison. Seeing that they were all pointing at him, the Taoist was stunned for a moment, shrugged his shoulders and sat back in dismay.
"If my master had not forbidden me to attack ordinary people before his death, I would have smeared your faces with talismans. Besides, I am a little ugly, but I am also a woman. Do you have any?!"
He picked up the chopsticks again while mumbling, and saw the little guy next to him laughing while eating. He glared at him angrily.
"Eat quickly, we still have to cross the river. The boat will leave soon. If you don't insist on following me, I will..."
The little guy took a mouthful of rice and raised his eyebrows.
"Buried in the soil?"
"Bah, that's called Earth Escape Technique!" The Taoist casually took two bites, shook his sleeves, retracted his neck and turned to the side, looking at the lead-blue rain curtain outside and yawned.
"I can use the Earth Escape Technique. I might be close to Chang'an by now. Who wants to walk slowly on the road with you? We even need to take a boat. I don't know if I have enough money."
This Taoist priest was none other than Sun Yingxian whom the scholar had mentioned before. The little man beside him was Mingyue from the mountain. After finishing the rice in the bowl, the little man propped up his chin and looked at the continuous rain lines hitting the reeds on the river bank, which were rising and falling, and spoke in a low voice with his lips pouted.
"I didn't want to come out either... It was my mother who insisted that I go out and see the world, telling me not to stay in the mountains forever, as I would have no future..."
The conversation suddenly stopped, Mingyue's eyes lit up, and she reached out to pull the Taoist's robe: "Bad Taoist, you said you don't have enough money, how about I change some gold and silver, or find some robbers and get some money from them. I heard from the villagers that you did this before."
Speaking of Lu Liangsheng, Sun Yingxian, who was facing away, became excited. She turned around, reached out and tapped Mingyue on the head, and restrained her usual playful smile.
"If that good guy knew you used magic to turn silver into silver, he would definitely beat you up. Besides, as for the robbers, I have never encountered them before now that the world is peaceful. Don't say these things in front of that good guy!"
"oh."
Mingyue covered her head and watched the Taoist rummaging through the yellow cloth bag for a long time, took out a few coins and piled them on the table. She looked at them again and again, then stood up and walked outside, whispering to the little man behind her: "This is what I have hidden for a long time. When we get to Chang'an, you must find a way to return it to me."
"You've been hiding for so long and that's all?"
The Taoist stood in the rain, looking at the raindrops falling from the sky. He patted the yellow cloth bag, which made a rustling sound, and it was obvious that there was still a lot of rain left.
"Huh, you still think it's not enough? I save one cent a day for two years. Do you know how long it took me to save in two years? A full six hundred cents!"
Mingyue followed behind, counting on his fingers. His mother had taught him some arithmetic. He counted over and over again, but always felt something was wrong. He frowned and shouted in confusion to the figure in front of him.
“That’s not right either.”
"Mother, don't take it so seriously. I was just saying it casually."
"You! Dare! Insult! My! Mother!"
"Hey, hey, hey... This is a catchphrase, just like those monks, who say Amitabha to everyone they meet for no reason. Hey, hey, don't bite! This is my new robe!!"
The big one and the small one started playing in the rain. The people and vendors nearby who were waiting to cross the river looked at them speechlessly. Soon, a boat came to the dock to cross the river. Sun Yingxian walked onto the deck with red marks on her face and an unhappy look on her face. Mingyue, who was standing next to her, had messy hair and one eye was black. The two just stared at each other and crossed the river while listening to the story of the river monster told by the boatman.
As soon as they reached the shore, the two men snorted and turned their faces away, but they still walked together. One didn't know the way, and the other didn't dare to lose the other, otherwise he would not be able to report to the man in Chang'an.
It was afternoon when we arrived at Suliu. The sky was gradually setting. The fields along the way were rippling with golden circles in the autumn wind. Farmers were busy harvesting in the fields with their families. When they were tired, they sat on the roadside and chatted about interesting things. They saw two Taoists, one big and one small. They smiled and took out their own ceramic bowls to pour cold tea and handed them to them, thinking it was a favor and a way to establish a good relationship.
"Where are you two Taoist priests going?"
"I will take this small bag with me and go to Chang'an."
Sun Yingxian was a carefree person. After drinking the water, she returned the bowl to the other party, pointed in a direction casually, and raised her hands: "Thank you for the water, old man. We still have to go on our way, so I'll go first!"
"Hey, Taoist priest, wait a minute!"
The old farmer put away the bowl, caught up with the two men and called out, "It's getting late, don't rush on the night trip. Listen to the old man's advice, the road ahead will be difficult."
The Taoist priest, who was often away from home, could tell that the phrase "not easy to walk" had a different meaning. He narrowed his eyes and twirled the tip of his whisker: "Oh? Where is it not easy to walk? I am a Taoist priest who can easily subdue demons and catch ghosts."
"Hey, there are no monsters or demons there."
The farmer had limited knowledge and didn't know where to start. He gestured randomly with his hands, then slapped his thigh and said, "I'm afraid you'll meddle in my business."
The Taoist priest became interested. He reached out to wipe away Mingyue's hand that was pulling at him, and forced the old man to squat on the side of the road, laughing out loud.
"I haven't encountered any ghosts for a long time. Come on, tell me what kind of monster it is."
"I told you, it's not some demon."
The old man stamped his feet in anger. Seeing that no one was around, he whispered, "We believe in Wutong here. We are afraid that you Taoists will mess things up and make the gods unhappy, so we reminded you."
Wutong? Could this old man be talking about the Wutong God
Sun Yingxian put away his relaxed expression, and immediately gave the old farmer a fist bump, then turned around and took Mingyue away. The little guy followed behind him, holding back his laughter: "After hearing that it was a god, you didn't dare to do anything?"
"Bullshit, what kind of god is that? It's just a demon ghost that has attained enlightenment!" Sun Yingxian kicked the wild flowers on the roadside, rolled up his sleeves and clasped them behind his back, and almost subconsciously thought of the Honglian Temple in Qixia Mountain. The demon ghost that has received incense and offerings is very different from the Yin ghost that has received incense and offerings. After the demon dies, its soul is not yet a demon ghost, it already has many abilities. It lives in a temple and is blessed by incense and offerings. It is impossible for ordinary people who practice Taoism to deal with it. What's more, these guys do good things while doing some evil things on the other hand.
As the red glow of the sunset came, Sun Yingxian shook off her thoughts and looked at the falling night. She couldn't help but curse, "That mother... Bah, she called you her mother. Looks like I'll have to go out tonight again."
Wow-
After a few curses, an old crow stood on a branch and screamed in the last trace of red. Not far ahead, the outline of a town could be seen, which had an eerie feeling.