Birds flew over the green foothills and landed on the treetops, chirping non-stop. The winding road below was covered with golden millet drying in the sun, and farmers from the nearby village were pushing and pulling wooden rakes to turn the millet over to dry.
The autumn harvest has passed. The newly harvested millet needs to be exposed to the sun for seven or eight days, or as many as ten days, to remove moisture before it can be stored in the warehouse. Most rural households choose to dry their grain on the roadside. Passing vehicles often slow down, and occasionally they will step on the accelerator and rush through, with crushed grains everywhere, attracting farmers waiting nearby to shout and curse at the van with "Qixiashan Crew" written on the rear window.
On another mountain in the distance, dappled sunlight from the forest fell on people's shoulders. On the slightly sloping yellow mud mountain road, the donkey's hooves fell as if they were on flat ground. In front of the reins, his green shirt was gently caressed by the wind. Lu Liangsheng, with the reins on his back, looked at the undulating mountains outside the mountain, walked along a steep slope, looked at the winding road along the mountain below, and frowned.
On the way back, the scenery was unfamiliar. When I arrived at Qixia Mountain, everything around me was unfamiliar. The villages and towns, big and small, had been completely unrecognizable after thousands of years. The roads that I used to take home were also gone. There were only hard roads. Only when I walked on the yellow mud path on the mountain did I feel a little bit of the original feeling.
On the swaying old donkey's back, a small door of the bookshelf opened, and the Toad Taoist stretched out his two short legs, changed into a short-sleeved flowery dress, shook out two peanuts from the gourd lying horizontally inside, put them into his mouth and grinded them slowly.
"After a thousand years, I couldn't even find my home when I came back. The roads were coiled like a snake, which made me feel terrified."
When Lu Liangsheng heard his master's words, he just smiled. These roads made it convenient for the people living in the mountains to travel, and also allowed passing vehicles to pass smoothly. He could naturally see that this was beneficial to the country and the people. So he didn't reply to Toad Taoist's words. He stretched his fingers out of his wide sleeves, pinched his fingers and stretched them into the air. The spiritual energy was weak, which was completely different from the spiritual energy when the spirit gathering array was still there.
… It seems that the spirit gathering array may have been exhausted or destroyed after thousands of years.
"Master, let's go down the mountain and ask for directions nearby. Maybe some people still remember where Lujia Village in Qixia Mountain was located back then."
The toad opened its mouth and spat out the peanut. The bark of an old tree that it passed by was knocked off with a bang.
"As you wish."
As they were talking, the figures of the man and the donkey became blurred in the sunlight shining through the treetops, and they came to the side of the road at the foot of the mountain. Lu Liangsheng's clothes turned into the clothes of the person he had seen on the way, and his hair gradually became shorter, looking quite sunny. Amid the old donkey's heavy breathing, the scholar waved his hand, and the sound turned into a roaring roar that others could hear, and the donkey's body gradually lost its metallic luster.
Boom... Boom... Buzz!!
Amid the hum of motorcycles, we drove along the winding mountain road. After passing the bend ahead, there was a straight road at the foot of the mountain. There were towns and villages gathered on the side of the road. Most of them were low, self-built three-story buildings, and there were various shops below facing the street.
The car drove into the street with a buzzing sound. A woman came out of a nearby shop with a basin of water and poured it under a tree on the street. She heard the roar of the engine, raised her head, and heard a voice asking her.
"Big sister, can I ask for directions?"
The woman holding the basin looked at the street and saw an unnamed motorcycle slowly stopping. On it was a young man wearing a T-shirt with an arrow printed on it. He was wearing a pair of shiny leather shoes under his jeans and stepped on the brake pedal, smiling at her.
Seeing that he was a sunny and handsome young man, the woman was also straightforward. She wiped the water stains on her hands and said with a smile: "Young man, what directions do you want to ask? I know this place very well."
The young man was Lu Liangsheng. The motorcycle he was riding was actually an illusion created by the old donkey, but it was still a donkey to him. As he spoke, the front of the motorcycle, or the donkey's head, swayed by itself. Liangsheng reached out and patted it, then changed the subject.
"It seems that the eldest sister has lived here for many years?"
The woman looked at the front of the car that had just swayed in a daze, probably thinking it was some high-end motorcycle. She made a fuss and ended up being laughed at by others. After hearing the young man's polite words, she smiled and looked away.
"Hehe... Young man, let's not talk about anything else. My sister has been married here for 20 to 30 years. She knows every corner of this place. Just ask."
"I see."
After a few polite words to get closer, Lu Liangsheng started to inquire about some place names in Qixia Mountain. However, the places he asked about stunned the woman, as she had never heard of many of the place names, such as the Mountain God Temple, Lujia Village, and Qixia Shrine. She even ran to the shop next door and asked an old lady who was sewing shoe soles about it. The latter shook her head in confusion, and even the previous generation probably had no impression of them.
The town is not big, with only two or three roads running through it. There are some familiar neighbors nearby. When they saw people busy working here, many of them came over. I realized they were asking for directions, but when they heard the place names, they shook their heads and said they had no idea.
"Young man, you must have remembered it wrongly. There are no such places in Qixia Mountain."
"Yes, I lived here when I was a child, and I never heard of it. Who told you?"
"I heard about it from others, and I wanted to come and see it out of curiosity."
Seeing that the people in this town were so welcoming, Lu Liangsheng didn't want to just leave after asking them questions, so he spoke politely to them for a while and asked if there was anyone with the surname Lu nearby.
A man in his forties came over and said with a smile:
"Your surname is Lu? There are many people with the surname Lu in Qixia Mountain. Mine is Lu. It's a common surname in this area. My grandfather told me about it when I was a child. It's a surname that has been passed down since ancient times."
"Yes, that's what my ancestors said. They also said that our ancestors originally lived in the mountains and were later brought out."
Hearing these words, Lu Liangsheng's lips curled up slightly to reveal a hint of a smile. In the past, in the Qixia Mountain area, only Lujia Village was a big family. Now, most people in this area are surnamed Lu. Could they be the descendants of the Lujia Village back then
After thousands of years, he still had descendants to pass on the legacy, and there were so many of them, which made him feel a little comforted. Looking at them enthusiastically pointing the way, Lu Liangsheng's expression became much gentler.
"Have your elders ever mentioned Koizumi Mountain?"
"Koizumi-san?"
Everyone looked at each other, murmured the place name in confusion, and suddenly someone clapped his hands, remembered something, and said, "Is it the mountain with the waterfall?"
Lu Liangsheng's eyes lit up. Finally someone knew where it was. He asked hurriedly, "Do you know where it is?"
The man curled his lips and pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't know if this is the Xiaoquan Mountain you are looking for, but there is indeed a waterfall there. Unfortunately, it was bought by someone last year and the area was built into a villa. Last time I went to dig the foundation with someone, I heard that a hotel was going to be built above the waterfall."
Once reminded, the people around finally knew where the place was, and many of them nodded in agreement.
"Hey, so I've been there too." "... That place is now called Shengyuan Dijing."
"Yes, that's the name of the place. I just came back from there yesterday. Let me tell you something. Don't tell anyone."
This immediately aroused Lu Liangsheng's interest. He was not in a hurry anyway, so he might as well listen to what it was about.
“… I had just heard about it when I came back.”
The man was urged several times, turned his head and looked around, and whispered: "… Aren't they building a villa over there? Hey, now the workers don't dare to go there. I heard that there was a ghost there, and the real estate developer went to invite a magician."
hiss~~
There was a sudden gasp from everyone all around. In this day and age, with the streets full of cars and tall buildings, these rumors were more interesting. Everyone lowered their voices and listened attentively to what the other party was going to say next. Some couldn't help but urge him on.
"Tell me quickly, is it serious?"
"Yeah, have you seen it? What does it look like?"
"How would I know? I was notified by the foreman yesterday, so I came back." The man was pressed to a standstill. Even though he wanted to show off his eloquence, he really didn't know. "I only heard that the development of that villa attracted some unclean things, and someone fell from the building for no reason. Fortunately, he didn't die. That's all I know. I think, young man, you should..."
He turned around and said "Huh!" The young man who was on the street just now was gone. The people around him were also shocked. They were so engrossed in listening that no one noticed when the young man left.
…
Buzz—
The wheels sped along the road, heading towards the location that the people in the town had inquired about. Lu Liangsheng, sitting on top of the motorcycle, looked at the undulating mountains in the distance beyond the road.
There was a hint of doubt between his slightly furrowed brows.
"Could it be that Yanzhi has already left Xiaoquan Mountain and that the place has been occupied by some evil spirits?"