The Shuxi Mountain is quiet at night.
This year's winter seems to have come earlier than in previous years. Before the beginning of winter, most of the leaves on the mountains have already fallen. I'm afraid that the first snow will fall in a few days.
The pilgrims left the mountain before sunset, and travelers found a place to stay early. Even if there were a few lonely people, they would ride their horses as fast as they could to the post station at the foot of the mountain.
On the mountainside, several ox carts were still climbing up the mountain.
The carriage was inlaid with gold and silver, the oxen were decorated with flowers and bells, and even the servants driving the carriage and accompanying the maids were beautiful and graceful. In winter, they all wore light gauze and feather crowns, and as they went, they scattered perfume powder mixed with gold. From a distance, they looked like a procession escorting a bride for mountain spirits and ghosts.
"Stop it. Who are you showing it to in this remote place?"
The golden dust in the sky finally stopped.
Fuqiu stretched out a finger to hook the car curtain, sneezing and looking out.
It was pitch black outside the window, and not even a ghost could be seen. I didn't know where I was in Shuxi Mountain, let alone where Yongye Temple was.
He really shouldn't have taken this trip.
I heard that a few days ago, there was an unusual sky phenomenon in Buxu Valley in the night city. There were dark clouds, thunder, and strange lights in the sky. I don’t know whether it was some monster ascending to heaven to overcome the calamity, or if it was the end of the world. But after a night of tossing and turning, it was calm again. In the end, no one can tell what happened.
But just because no one knows about it doesn't mean it didn't happen. Something unusual must be fishy. And in these troubled times, it's best to be cautious.
After lowering the car curtain, he took a deep breath and picked up a half-wet handkerchief beside him to wipe the sweat off his face.
It is clearly the beginning of winter, but the sweat on my forehead never stops.
"What kind of charcoal is burning? It's so stuffy."
The Taoist boy accompanying the carriage did not dare to delay and quickly stirred the charcoal fire in the basin, and whispered to the servant driving the carriage.
However, an oxcart was always much slower than a horsecart, and going uphill made it even slower. The cart finally stopped when the charcoal in the basin had burned brightly.
Fuqiu helped the Taoist boy climb down from the carriage. He thought they had arrived, but when he forced himself to straighten his stiff neck, he realized it was just the mountain gate. Furthermore, this mountain gate looked just like the mountain before. Not only was there no servant or monk guarding the gate, there wasn't even a lantern to be hung.
This is not a temple, it's clearly a ghost place.
Fu Qiu looked at the endless stone steps on the mountain road and coughed heavily.
The Taoist children standing behind him immediately understood, took a sedan chair from the ox cart at the back, quickly spread a fur mattress on it, set up a small heater, and quickly packed up.
After a while, the sedan chair carrying the old Taoist priest, surrounded by three or five disciples, went up the mountain.
It was late at night, the mountain road was rugged, and the sedan chair swayed with every step, making the person on the sedan chair fall into a deep sleep.
Fu Qiu tried hard to keep his eyelids open, which were fighting each other, and barely maintained the last bit of clarity.
After a stick of incense had passed, flat ground finally appeared all around. On the flat ground, between the cracks in the mountains, a temple stood faintly.
This temple is not small, but the gate that welcomes visitors is really dilapidated. It is obvious that it has not been repaired for a long time. Even the plaque is missing a piece. It looks like it is short of money for incense donations.
Not only is it a haunted place, it's also a poor place.
Fuqiu waved his hand, signaling the people on both sides to get off the sedan chair.
The stove warmed his butt, and he reluctantly stretched out one foot. Just as his toes touched the ground, a voice rang out from under the temple gate.
"Who are you? Why don't you get out of the sedan chair?"
Fuqiu, who has been traveling for many years and has always been very grand, has not encountered such a shouting for a long time.
He made up his mind and jumped down from the sedan chair. Taoist children immediately supported him on both sides. The group of people walked towards the figure at the temple gate with great momentum.
The torches at the temple gate illuminated the face of the man who had spoken rudely. He vaguely resembled a young man dressed in black, dressed like a guard. He had slender eyebrows and a feminine figure, and the light in his eyes was very cold.
But the Taoist boy in the lead was not someone to be trifled with. Although he was not very old, he had a face that looked like a bull with a big nose. He snorted two puffs of white air and his nostrils were raised high.
"We are the Dharma protectors and fellow Taoists of the Northern Hongji Sect. This is the Sect Master, Fuqiu Tianshi. Our Sect Master has traveled all night and is very tired. How can you interrogate him? Why don't you go in and report it quickly?"
The other person raised his eyebrows and spoke in a sinister voice.
"Fuqiu? Which Fuqiu?"
As soon as these words were spoken, there was silence for a moment.
Fu Qiu had never been asked such a question before. He staggered back half a step and was barely caught by someone.
The Taoist children and fairies behind him suddenly turned into scoundrels and evil women in the street. Each of them seemed to have grown three or four more mouths and started to attack the guard with all their voices chattering.
"How dare you be so rude, you bold slave?!"
"If your shabby temple hadn't sent someone to invite us so desperately, how could our master have put down the half-finished ritual and condescended to come to your poor and remote place?"
"Don't forget that the Spring Festival at the beginning of the year was single-handedly organized by our clan leader. If he ever mentions today's events before His Majesty, you won't deserve to have your head chopped off..."
"The Sect Master has done such great deeds and helped the world. How many people are waiting for him to save them from suffering? It would be fine if you weren't grateful, but is this how you treat your benefactor who came from afar?!"
After a burst of spit, Lu Songping slowly looked towards Fuqiu in the middle.
"Didn't your sect leader mention who invited him here?"
Fuqiu, on the other hand, had just steadied himself and was about to lift up his colorful robe to reveal the golden medal bestowed by the emperor. Upon hearing these words, he paused and suddenly felt a chill all around him.
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