Ships enter port.
A group of people descended from the erected boat plank.
Across the ancient ferry, in front of you is the Wuxi River, which is built on the mountains and rivers. The cliffs on both sides are towering, the mountains are rolling, the clouds and fog barriers, the dense forests and strange rocks are all hidden in the fog, making it difficult for people to Get a glimpse of the beauty.
Wuxi and Wushan both have the word Wu.
There are two reasons.
One is two small cities built around Wushan.
Since ancient times, it has been said that in the morning clouds and evening rain in Wushan, the goddess is hazy.
The second thing is that this place was the fiefdom and burial place of Wu Xian in ancient times. This person was born in the Tang Yao era and was good at astrology. He also invented the method of divination and used witchcraft to treat people. Disease, great reputation.
Beyond this.
Actually, there is another reason.
Wuxi and Wushan were the capitals of the Ba Kingdom many years ago, and the Ba Kingdom was best at witchcraft and Nuo. Over time, it was named after the word witch.
These days, there are still many people practicing witchcraft in both places.
It’s just that most of them are hidden in the deep mountains and old forests.
Just like the Gu people in Miao territory.
The dragon has always seen its head but not its tail.
Crossing the crossing and entering the small town, it is said to be a county, but in fact it is a water town.
The Daning River passes by Rao Town.
The springs in the mountains gather to form a gurgling stream, which divides the town into two. On both sides are many merchants and shops open for business.
Spreading out from the cliffs on both sides are ordinary people.
The lamp hanging in front of the door.
Erratic.
As if falling among the clouds.
It’s no wonder that before, they felt like they had suddenly entered the Fox Fairy Ghost Market in Zhiguai Zatan.
It’s just dark now.
The town is quite lively.
Bustling people passed by in a hurry.
The stall at the door was full of men who had returned from work. They were all bare-chested and bare-armed, holding straw hats to fan themselves in the cool breeze. They had a cup of rice wine in their hands, and they were talking about things they didn’t understand. patois.
There are also fishermen returning from fishing, as well as old farmers busy in the fields.
Wearing the stars and the moon.
Busy and lively.
Among the clouds and mist, smoke curled up.
The smell of fireworks in the market.
"Strange, I haven't heard of mining here in Wuxi. Why do those people look like they are coming back from the mine?"
Walked around.
A few people finally found a restaurant and found a seat by the window, which happened to be facing the top of Qianshan Mountain, and every house was brightly lit.
While waiting for food to be served.
Yang Fang suddenly remembered what he had seen on the street before and couldn't help but wonder.
“Wushan Salt Mine!”
Chen Yulou explained casually.
“This place has been producing mountain salt since ancient times. Although the quality is average, the price is so low that many people in the town open private mines to make a living.”
You must know that no matter which dynasty, salt and iron are prohibited substances.
It is firmly in the hands of the officials.
Not to mention private mining, it is also trafficking, which is a serious crime of decapitation.
It’s just that in the profiteering business, there will always be ruthless people who are not afraid of death.
Wuxi is located in a remote area, and most of the mines are deep in the dense forest and cliffs. In addition, the entire town is mostly made up of the same clan, mining, and trafficking.
For thousands of years.
They really made it happen.
I don’t know how many wealthy families have been created by making a fortune through private salt.
This group of people has a lot of money, and most of them quit when they see good things. They move out of here early and come ashore. They either buy land and land titles and are happy to be rich, or they change careers and do some serious business.
The remaining poor people have nowhere to go and can only stay in Wuxi Town and mine salt for others.
After more than a thousand years.
There are no less than a thousand mines, large and small, in the Wuxi area. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the planning bureau had exhausted all the mines, and most of the remaining scraps were buried deep underground.
If you are lucky, you can pick dozens of kilograms in one day.
If you are unlucky, you may not see a handful of salt particles for half a month.
I can barely support my family.
The consequence of such mining is that the entire Wuxi Mountain is filled with abandoned mines.
On weekdays, every household has to restrain their children and strictly prohibit them from going into the mountains.
Otherwise, if you are not careful, you will miss the mark and fall deep into the mine, and you will not even find the body.
“So that’s it.”
I heard his explanation.
Only then did Yang Fang suddenly realize.
No wonder he felt the smell of salt from those miners before.
While talking, the waiter in the store has already brought the prepared dishes.
“Eat, eat.”
Seeing this, everyone stopped chatting in a tacit understanding.
Wuxi is no better than Wushan, and there are fewer unfamiliar faces. What we are talking about is the Wu Salt Mine. If it attracts the attention of someone who is interested, it will be troublesome.
Everyone present is a veteran of the world.
Know this.
Don’t talk about this anymore, just pick up the chopsticks and eat.
Wuxi and Wushan are not far apart, and the dishes are all similar, especially a plate of grilled fish, red oil chili, steaming, and the burnt aroma is almost overwhelming.
Just smelling the fragrance, everyone just felt salivating in their mouths.
How can I care about anything else.
The index fingers moved.
Only Bai Banla and Yuan Hong, one of them is from the north and cannot eat spicy food, while the latter is a mountain ape and cannot taste it at all.
I have no choice but to do so.
I could only order the waiter to serve a few plates of lighter meals.
On the other hand, Chen Yulou and the others were from Xiangxi, and they were both hot and happy.
Arrived at the border of Sichuan and Sichuan, it feels like going home.
It is already humid when crossing the water by boat, especially in Wuxi. The climate is so humid that you can almost squeeze out the water, which is suitable for eating spicy food. After a mouthful of soup, rice and fish, you will be dripping with sweat, and you will feel unspeakable. Comfortable.
There was a hissing sound, which made Bai Banyan grin his teeth. Just smelling the pungent spicy smell made his scalp numb, and he really couldn't understand how Shopkeeper Chen and the others could eat it.
As the night grew darker, the lights in the small town outside the window slowly went out.
The full moon hangs in the sky.
The group of people finally put down their bowls and chopsticks with satisfaction.
I just feel indescribably enjoyable.
"Calculating the time, at most it will be tonight or tomorrow morning. Taoist Master Xuanzhen will be here."
"Go back and wash up and rest early."
Chen Yulou stood up first and left a sentence, Then he walked straight to the backyard room.
"Okay."
"Let's go, go back to sleep."
"You kid, how many days have you been lying in bed? If you don't practice well, Bai Ze will surpass you in the future."
"How is it possible? After all, I have now reached the state where luck surrounds me and tempers my body. How long has Bai Ze practiced? ?”
< br>"Impossible? This practice is like sailing against the current. If you don't advance, you will retreat. Do you think you are a Luofu? You can improve your cultivation by sleeping?"
"..."
Amidst the chatter, everyone also stood up.
Return to their respective residences.
Yang Fang, who originally wanted to take advantage of his drunkenness and have a good sleep, did not dare to rest anymore.
After returning to the house, I took a bucket of cold and biting well water and poured it down over my head to wash away my tiredness, and then hurriedly entered meditation.
The same goes for everyone else.
Practice boxing, meditate, breathe, and exhale.
Take all the time to practice.
Until early the next morning.
The sky is just getting brighter.
The sun emerged from the clouds and mist. The ancient town was still shrouded in mist, but the streets and alleys were already full of pedestrians, with the sounds of hawking and walking coming and going.
Chen Yulou woke up from a deep sleep.
It was as if he felt something in his heart.
Get up and open the window.
Among the bustling crowd, a thin Taoist wearing a Taoist robe with long hair tied into a bun, carrying a baggage across his body and holding a dust bag in his hand, was passing through the crowd and slowly coming from the other side of the ancient town. Come.
Besides you are pedestrians passing by in a hurry.
He is clearly in it.
But it's like being in another picture.
The dust and dust cannot cover up the aura of dust.
Who is he if he is not Xuanzhen?
When his eyes fell.
Taoist Xuanzhen among the crowd suddenly raised his head.
Separated by a hundred or ten meters, the two people faced each other, looking at each other from a distance.
Chen Yulou subconsciously cupped his hands, and the latter did the same and made a Taoist salute.
A moment later.
Inside the house.
Chen Yulou picked up the boiling well water, made several cups of tea, and pushed it to Feng Sibei and Partridge Shao respectively.
"Thank you so much, Shopkeeper Chen."
Taoist Xuanzhen clasped his fists with gratitude on his face.
He walked down the mountain the day before yesterday, walking under the stars and the moon, almost without sleep, and finally did not miss the appointment that day.
"Taoist priest, you're welcome."
Chen Yulou waved his hand and sat down.
After a few simple greetings, he didn't waste any time and went straight to the topic. After all, this was a big deal and there was no room for carelessness.
Feng Sibei entered Qingcheng Mountain to practice Taoism in his middle age.
But over the years, he has never given up on looking for the entrance to Dixian Village.
There are always several months of traveling to and from Wuxi in a year, and I have visited almost every part of the Coffin Gorge in Wushan.
It’s just that Dixian Village is too secretive.
In addition, the terrain of Coffin Gorge is astonishing, with criss-crossing canyons everywhere, dangerous bird paths all over the walls, and countless salt wells and mines.
No trace at all.
“According to the instructions left by the ancestors of the Feng family, Dixian Village should be hidden in a certain cave and well, and there is another sentence in the poem, which is called a great king, with a head but no body, who wants to visit Dixian , look for Wuyang first, so according to my guess, it may be related to a rumor in Wuxi."
I heard him ask.
Feng Sibei just took a sip of hot tea to disperse his sleepiness and exhaustion.
Without hesitation, he quickly summarized what he had seen and heard over the years.
“What rumors?”
This is the first time Partridge Whistle has heard of these.
Surprise could not help but appear in his eyebrows, and he asked subconsciously.
“Many years ago, flash floods broke out in Wuxi. Floods and natural disasters continued year after year. Countless people and animals were killed and injured, and they became blood food in the bellies of fish and turtles in the river.”
"When everyone was at their wits' end, a hermit with a beard and a black robe came out of the mountain. He called himself the King of Wuling, and he could command the Yin soldiers to dredge the river."
"This man also has the ability to open mountains and build rivers. Since then, floods have been eliminated. . ”
“This matter attracted the attention of the imperial court. Because of his achievements in water control, countless people were rewarded with gold and silver, and were given special rewards. "However, after he was granted the throne, he revealed his true nature, being extravagant and cruel, bullying men and women, causing trouble to the villagers, and eventually aroused public outrage. He was caught and beheaded. "
"When he was buried, he was repaired with a sheep's head, so he was also called the Wuyang King in later generations."
Feng Sibei has been here for many years.
Know all about these rumors.
What's more important is that his family was originally a wealthy family in Wuxi. It started from here, but for the Ming Dynasty, he was ordered by the emperor to go to the capital to build a mausoleum for the emperor.
Otherwise, the Feng family should still be living in Wuxi to this day.
Unfortunately, things have changed and the world has changed.
The Feng family, which was once prosperous, has long since declined.
"So, what the Taoist Master wants is to find the Wuyang King's Mausoleum first, and then we can naturally find the entrance to Dixian Village?"
Partridge Whistle looked calm.
He traveled all over the country and heard too many similar rumors.
It’s no longer enough to shake.
He just asked thoughtfully.
“Yes, there are many ruins left in the mountain, including stone statues and ruins, but the tomb of King Wuyang has not yet been seen.”
“This time, I have your help, through Tianxing Fengshui and Dragon Search. Acupuncture should be much easier!" (End of Chapter)