Longling at night.
There is an indescribable beauty.
The pitch black sky is mixed with a sliver of blue, and the fiery clouds as the sun sets in the west smudge the sky with a touch of red.
The three colors blend together and are silent.
Only the cold wind blowing from afar, the whimpering of the ground at night, and the swaying of withered grass.
In the deep ditch at the foot of the mountain.
You can also see a few horses, slowly lowering their heads to look for food.
The leading one is as white as a dragon.
Suddenly it is Longju.
It didn’t take much time.
Finally, when the last ray of setting sun set in the sky, a crescent moon finally rose slowly, hanging hazy among thousands of mountains and valleys, making people subconsciously think of the word "cold moon" in their minds.
Chen Yulou exhaled and looked away from the bare mountain ridge in the distance.
A wind lantern hangs in the fish bone temple behind you.
Although dim.
But compared to the cold weather in the past, it is a bit more lively.
Even the gate made of fish bone serrations doesn't look that scary.
Kunlun and the old foreigner are busy cooking.
From the time I went to the tomb early in the morning, I thought that the trip would be completed in half a day at most. However, under the tomb without seeing the light, time passed much faster than imagined.
When they come up from the secret passage under the shrine.
The sky has turned dark.
Unconsciously.
A whole day has passed.
The nearest villages to Longling were more than twenty miles away, and it was difficult to travel at night. The most important thing was that Yang Fang was in a low mood, so he simply decided to go to the Fish Bone Temple overnight.
This is the current situation.
It’s about cooking.
In fact, it is just a simple pot of dry food purchased in Gulan County.
A fire pond was dug under the corner of the temple outside.
Set up the pots you bring with you.
Add water, add ingredients, and then add a little oil and salt.
In a deserted place like this, you would be satisfied with just one hot bite, and you would not care about the taste.
Besides, none of them are good at cooking.
Looking past several people.
Chen Yulou looked towards the temple again.
In the dim light.
A lonely figure leaned against the wall.
Yang Fang has maintained this posture since he came out, with his hands tightly protecting the bamboo basket, his eyes empty, silent, and he seemed not to have moved from beginning to end.
See this.
Chen Yulou couldn't help but sigh secretly.
No matter who is responsible for this kind of thing, it will be difficult to get out of it in a while.
The firewood was burning in the fire pit.
Not long after, a faint fragrance filled the air.
The old foreigner got up and was about to call Yang Fang, but when he saw his appearance, he didn't know how to speak. When he was in a dilemma, a hand gently patted his shoulder.
Chen Yulou was holding a pot of strong wine.
Passed by by mistake.
Go straight through the temple gate and enter.
"Come on, brothers know that you are in a bad mood, but this is not your intention. Get drunk and wait until tomorrow to continue looking forward."
"Besides, if senior sees you now, It makes me feel uneasy.”
The cork was pulled out with a bang.
Passed the wine bottle over.
Yang Fang slowly raised his head, his eyes full of bloodshot eyes.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded.
He really needs to get drunk and vent his depression and pain.
Wait for the two of them to walk out of the Fish Bone Temple one after another.
Kunlun and the old foreigner, who had already prepared the dishes and chopsticks, couldn't help but look at each other, and both of them secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Only from the shopkeeper.
Otherwise, if it were them, they really wouldn't know how to comfort him.
"Come on, come on, tonight, one by one, you will not come home until you are drunk!"
Drag Yang Fang to sit down.
They are all old men, and none of them are that particular. They sit on the floor and eat around the fire.
Chen Yulou picked up a pot of strong liquor and shook it at several people.
"Okay!"
How could the three Partridge Whistle refuse?
The response was immediate.
Seeing this, Yang Fang's eyes turned red, he pursed his lips and didn't say anything, he raised his head and took a big sip.
The refreshing drink passed through my throat.
Once it enters the belly.
In the blink of an eye, it turned into a blazing flame. The burning and tearing feeling in his chest did not make him uncomfortable, but instead gave him an indescribable sense of relief.
This wine is turbid and spicy.
It's like a knife cutting one's throat.
I brought it to the small shop at Shibalipu Wharf outside the ancient city of Hanzhong.
Because it was too strong, except for Chen Yulou who liked him, they had always kept away from him, so he could still survive to this day.
In the store that day, Yang Fang even tasted it briefly, and after one sip, he didn't want to drink anymore.
But at this moment, he only felt comfortable all over, as if all the pores on his body had been opened, and the depression accumulated under his chest was released bit by bit.
“Good wine!”
Spitted out the smell of wine.
Yang Fang rarely spoke.
However, seeing that he was about to continue, he was stopped by Chen Yulou, "How can there be such a heavy drinker? Eat something and take your time. This wine... you have to taste it slowly."
< br>Suffocate the donkey.
This is not groundless.
I didn’t look at the way the coolies looked at him in the shop that day, and they almost had the words “reverence like a god” written on their faces.
Most people simply cannot bear it.
People like Yang Fang who have something on their mind should not come here, otherwise, after a few mouthfuls at most, they will be drunk to death and fall to the ground.
“Okay.”
Yang Fang nodded.
Took the chopsticks handed over by the old foreigner and took out a piece of bread.
Sucking in enough soup.
It was surprisingly good.
After three or two mouthfuls, even the bones of the body are warmed up. Someone is with you.
Gradually.
His chatterbox also opened up little by little.
No longer as depressed as before.
Talking about past events and recounting what he saw while traveling in the world.
Chen Yulou was waiting for him to speak, fearing that he would remain silent and hide everything in his heart, and then he would be in trouble.
What is he best at?
He has the ability to win over people's hearts and spit out lotus flowers.
No matter what kind of words, he can pick up the words, from all over the world, humanities and geology, starry feng shui, zhiguai rivers and lakes.
Unconsciously.
The wine table was already under his control.
Yang Fang was still as dull as before. The firelight shone on his face, and his frowning brows gradually relaxed, and his face became a little more transparent.
Until he wakes up again.
It was already after noon the next day.
Lifting the robe on his body, Yang Fang opened the door with a surprised look on his face, only to find that Kunlun was the only one in the Fish Bone Temple.
"Are you awake?"
"The shopkeeper and the others went out to check the terrain. It will probably take a while before they can come back."
"Are you hungry? There's food left for you in the pot. It's still warm."
Kunlun looked calm.
Woke up from meditation and said softly.
It seems that what happened last night never happened at all.
Yang Fang couldn't help scratching his head. He also wanted to ask what happened last night. Why was it like it was broken into pieces? He couldn't even remember how he fell asleep.
However, after sleeping until now, I feel a lot more relaxed.
I am also really hungry.
My stomach growls loudly.
He didn't show any pretense, he took the bowls and chopsticks, walked to the fire pit and sat down, opened the lid and ate.
Wait until you are full and satisfied.
There were also voices from down the mountain outside.
Chen Yulou and others had woken up early in the morning.
After eating something briefly, I saw that Yang Fang showed no sign of waking up for a while. He sat outside the Fish Bone Temple and looked at the thousands of mountains and valleys in Longling. The terrain was like fish scales. The more he looked at it, the more he felt... amazing.
So.
Three people go together.
Depart from the Fish Bone Temple.
I just relied on my feet to walk all over the surrounding mountains.
The journey is naturally full of dangers. On the seemingly calm ground, no one can predict whether there is a hole or a trap underneath.
If you are not careful, you will fall into it.
Having seen the horror of Longling Labyrinth, the old foreigner simply released two armored beasts to explore the way.
It has to be said that the Chuanshan Cave Mausoleum is worthy of being a five-element earth monster.
Just like Yuan Hong, he has a natural keen understanding of terrain.
As long as you follow them, you will be able to walk on flat ground even if you have thousands of ravines.
One morning.
The three of them returned contentedly.
"Brother Yang Fang, are you awake?"
Seeing Yang Fang coming to the door after hearing the noise, Chen Yulou glanced at him first and saw that his expression was calm and not as dull as yesterday. said with a smile.
"I've been awake for a while."
"Have you eaten?"
Yang Fang nodded.
Seeing this, Chen Yulou did not delay, "In that case, it is sunny today, suitable for traveling."
"Maybe we can take a fast boat and reach Yang County as soon as possible."
Riding a horse is naturally faster than taking a boat.
However, this trip requires the remains of Senior Jin Abacus, plus the piece of golden jade weighing hundreds of kilograms, so it is much more suitable to take a boat than to ride a horse.
“That’s fine.”
A flash of pain flashed in Yang Fang's eyes, but it was quickly suppressed by him.
Anyway.
Now that the matter has been decided.
The most important thing now is to return the master’s bones to their hometown and lay them to rest.
Simple tidying up.
Without further hesitation, the group set out from the Fish Bone Temple and headed straight to the dock outside Gulan County. Different from when they arrived a few days ago, there were many more boats on the vast water.
Obviously taking advantage of the good weather.
Fishing, ferrying and transporting goods.
I asked someone at the dock and heard that they wanted to charter a boat to go to Yang County downstream. For a while, it caused quite a stir.
Although they all live near the river.
But the gap between Gulan County and Yang County is too big.
Since the Iron-headed Dragon King died in Zhangjiawan more than ten years ago, his fate seemed to be in doubt.
The merchant ships from other places would rather travel an extra hundred miles to go to Yang County to enter the harbor for the night, rather than stay, for fear of getting into trouble with the River Dragon King and being contaminated with bad luck.
The merchants who used to rely on water have lost their business and plummeted.
Even ended up selling the boat.
Now I finally have a business.
It is still a big company that will charter a boat at the first request.
A group of boatmen almost got into a fight.
In the end, Chen Yulou personally ordered a large boat. After all, there were five horses accompanying them on this trip, which could not be accommodated by ordinary ships.
Have a quick bite to eat on the boat.
Boat owners who live by the water always have their own unique cooking methods for river fresh food.
It doesn’t require good cooking skills, skills, or too many seasonings.
Boil with salt.
Add some more spicy food at most.
A splash of hot oil brings out the fragrance.
It's more delicious than anything I've had in a restaurant before.
The group of people who originally wanted to decline the boatman's kindness, looked at the rich soup in the iron pot and the fragrance filling the air, and for a while they couldn't lift their feet.
Sit down around the iron pot.
Then let’s drink the wine brewed by the boatman himself.
Everyone felt indescribably happy after eating this meal.
The ship went down with the waves.
It wasn’t until early the next morning that we finally arrived at Shuijing Wharf outside Yang County.
Get off the boat.
The group headed straight for Fangjiashan. (End of this chapter)