It was early spring, and in a still chilly spring rain, new branches sprouted from the bare tree trunks, and tender green grass tips slowly broke through the wet soil. Then, a huge hoof print came down and sank deep into the soil along with it.
In the wet woods, raindrops were shaking along the fingers. An old donkey, swinging its tail, carried a scholar on its back and walked leisurely along the path.
Lu Liangsheng held the "Liezi" and read it for a while. When he reached a place with drier road, he jumped off the donkey, held the reins and walked slowly. It took him two days to leave Chang'an and head east. He was not lonely because of the company of Zuo Zhengyang and Yan Chixia. When they talked occasionally, they mostly advised him to give up the idea of going out to sea.
However, Lu Liangsheng had his own ideas and told the two about the Kongtong Seal, and they had nothing to say.
"Since Fellow Daoist Lu is thinking about his country, then just do it."
"It's a pity that we two don't know how to swim, so we can't help much at sea..."
When they arrived in Luoyang, Yan and Zuo sent them to the Ten-Li Pavilion and then said goodbye and left. Only Lu Liangsheng was left riding his old donkey to continue going north along the Yellow River, and then east to Qingzhou.
Ding-ling-dang~~
The sound of copper bells rang among the foothills. Lu Liangsheng, holding a book in one hand and leading an old donkey in the other, walked through the shade of trees on the mottled ground, looking at the misty white fog outside the mountain in the early morning and humming leisurely.
"The morning breeze blows the ground, where is the moon? I drink a cup of dew on the branches~~Looking at the hustle and bustle of the world, it is better to forget about everything and be free in the mountains~~"
The scenery in the mountains was like being back in Mount Qixia. Lu Liangsheng was meditating and couldn't help humming a few words. His sleeves stirred the mist that spread up the mountain road. He looked like a knight in the green mountains, like a fairy in the clouds, and became one with the surroundings.
The bookshelf placed on the old donkey's hip was shaking, and the small door of the compartment was pushed open. In front of the flat purple gold gourd, the Toad Taoist stretched comfortably, and the membrane of his webbed feet was stretched comfortably.
“This mountain has a nice view…”
Looking at the undulating mountains in the thin mist, the toad praised and turned his head to say: "Liangsheng, where are we now? Are we going to the East China Sea?"
Lu Liangsheng, who was carrying books and leading a donkey in front, stopped talking and turned his head to look over with a smile.
"It's still early. After we pass Qingzhou, we will go to Penglai County to see if there are any ships. Then we can talk about going out to sea. But before that, let's stop by Wanfo Temple to see if Monk Fajing is in the temple."
"Hmph, most likely he's not here."
The Toad Taoist priest, whose two short legs were dangling from the small door, climbed up the bookshelf and jumped onto the donkey's back. He straightened his robe and said, "That fat monk can eat more than me. How can the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple contain all that? Speaking of this, I am a little hungry. Let's find a place to eat."
"Son, ah ah~~"
The old donkey nodded its head and neighed twice in agreement. Lu Liangsheng patted its muzzle and looked around. It was a desolate mountain and wilderness, and there was obviously no roadside teahouse for rest and food. He simply went down the mountain road and found the path into Qingzhou to get on the official road. There were more and more pedestrians and merchants coming and going. He found a group of merchants passing by, asked the name of the place and the nearby teahouse, and then hurried over.
This is the border of Qingzhou, and it is not far from the Wanfo Temple. You just need to pass the Sikou Pass that you passed last time, and then go north to find the Wanfo Temple. You can visit Fajing on the way. I wonder if he is still practicing in the temple after the old monk Zhenhai passed away.
The flat official road stretched out, with the hustle and bustle of carriages and human voices. It was nearly March, and merchants were traveling back and forth on this official road to Qingzhou. In the gentle spring breeze, many merchants and pedestrians from all over the mountains and five peaks gathered in the roadside teahouses to rest, eat hot meals, and talk about some interesting stories, which caused a lot of laughter.
Lu Liangsheng came to the teahouse and tied the reins to the horse post. The waiter who was busy inside just happened to wipe an empty table and came out. When he saw the scholar coming in, he greeted him enthusiastically.
"Sir, we only have shortbread and herbal tea in our store, but the shortbread is stuffed with mutton. You can eat it here or take it away, and it's filling."
"Four cakes and two bowls of herbal tea."
Lu Liangsheng smiled, shook the hem of his robe, sat down, took out a large toad in clothes from his sleeve and put it beside him. Then, he bowed to the guests who were looking around and said, "I always carry a large toad with me. Please forgive me if I have disturbed you."
Most of the people who traveled around were generous men and businessmen. Seeing that the scholar was gentle and polite, they naturally didn't say much, and some even joked:
"The big toad is a sign of wealth. We may even benefit from the young master's help."
As soon as these words were spoken, the merchants felt very comfortable. After all, they were auspicious words. The big toad coiled up on the scholar's table looked more and more pleasing to the eye. After the people at one table left, they ran to Lu Liangsheng, bowed three times to the Toad Taoist, and then went out with their companions, smiling, to lead the donkey and drive the cart and leave.
Lu Liangsheng smiled and watched the men driving the carriages along the official road, then turned around and said softly:
"Master... It seems that if we build a Golden Toad Temple in the future, the incense will definitely be very popular."
The Toad Taoist rolled his eyes, moved his flippers, and turned away: "How can your master live in a temple? Besides... incense doesn't taste good."
Da da da da…
Outside the teahouse, the sound of horse hooves could be heard shaking the ground. Lu Liangsheng had just finished talking to his master when he glanced back outside. Two horses, one black and one yellow, slowly stopped by the roadside with the sound of "whoosh" from their riders. A man and a woman dismounted. The woman was wearing a bamboo hat covered with a black veil, so her face could not be seen clearly. The two of them came over, tied the reins to the horse post, walked into the teahouse and sat at the table that had just been vacated. They placed their swords and knives on the table, making the noise in the originally bustling teahouse much quieter.
Judging from his appearance, he should be a bandit.
The shopkeeper saw that the guests were uncomfortable and just smiled apologetically at them. As long as they walked in the door, they were guests, especially those who were in the underworld. How could he dare to chase them away? He asked the waiter to go up and take the guests to order food. At the same time, a man and a woman sat close to each other over there. They could be seen as a pair of chivalrous lovers. The man had a short beard under his chin, his eyebrows were upturned, and he was wearing a black warrior's uniform with a waist and wrists tied around him, which made him look majestic. He seemed to be aware of the gazes around him, and a smile appeared on his face, and he cupped his fists to the guests around him.
"My husband and I travel the world with weapons, and we have no ill intentions. We apologize for being rude to you!"
"No problem, no problem!"
The people around him quickly responded, saying that it would be best if everyone did not offend each other, and then they ate their own food. The woman wearing a black veil and a bamboo hat next to the man smiled, not caring about the difference between men and women, and counted the copper coins and handed them to the waiter who came over.
"Young man, please hurry up. After we finish eating, my husband and I have to go on our way."
"That's fine, but before I serve you two tea cakes, there's another guest over there who'll come first."
The waiter said this carefully, and his eyes couldn't help but glance at Lu Liangsheng at the other table. He had already seen the man and woman when they came in, especially the big toad on the other table. Now he couldn't help but glance at it again and looked carefully. The scholar was dressed simply and plainly, but he looked handsome, but he couldn't tell anything else.
Lu Liangsheng noticed the gazes and turned sideways to see the two men looking at him. He naturally heard what the waiter said just now and smiled: "Young man, since these two are in a hurry, why not serve their tea and cakes first."
"Thank you!"
The man hurriedly bowed. He had a good impression of the scholar and could not help but start talking to him. The woman sitting next to him, under her black veil, frowned slightly and stared at the scholar's profile.
'… This scholar looks so familiar, I seem to have seen him somewhere before.'