"The mountain god has appeared, may the mountain god bless us!"
The old man selling buns fell to his knees, kowtowed and prayed in the direction of Jieyang Mountain with a sincere tone and a humble attitude.
"steamed stuffed bun……"
At some point, the beggar who was lying on the ground suddenly lay down on the table. His eyes were glowing green, and his eyeballs were as big as copper bells. His eyes seemed to be glowing green as he stared at the four plates of big meat buns.
"Dumplings..." Although the beggar's mouth was drooling and he kept muttering "dumplings", he didn't dare to reach out to take them.
Zhang Ling pushed a plate of meat buns over and said, "Eat quickly!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the beggar grabbed two buns with both hands and stuffed them into his mouth hurriedly, swallowing them without chewing at all. In a short while, the five meat buns on the plate were eaten up.
"Steamed buns...delicious...hehehe..." The beggar smiled brightly, looking innocent and naive, as if the torture of being beaten half to death before was nothing compared to the steamed buns in front of him.
Zhang Ling simply pushed the remaining three plates of meat buns to the beggar's table and said, "They're all yours to begin with. Eat them quickly! If it's not enough, I'll buy you more."
The beggar on this side was wolfing down his food, while the old man on the other side brought him some soy milk, fearing that the beggar would choke: "Eat slowly, slowly, no one will snatch it from you this time!"
"A kind heart like a bodhisattva will bring a good life to a good person, and endless blessings."
Zhang Ling listened to the old man's thanks and waved his hand, saying, "Old man, could you please continue to tell me about the legend of the immortal turtle from two hundred years ago?"
"Oh!" The old man sighed and sat on the bench. His thoughts gradually became vague, and he also restored the secrets of the past in his mouth.
"Two hundred years ago, the appearance of the immortal turtle made the river water in Qingyun Town magical. The townspeople, drinking this water year after year, have become strong and healthy, extending their lifespans. This is why I, an old man, have lived to this age... The most amazing thing is that all pregnant women who insist on drinking this river water give birth to male children. All of them are intelligent and have exceptional memories. When they grow up, the worst of them will be a top-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations!"
Oh, there is this!
Zhang Ling suddenly felt interesting. It seemed that this immortal turtle was indeed very capable and had an extraordinary origin. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to always feel that the secrets of heaven were obscure and elusive when he was calculating.
"Qingyun Town has since become famous throughout Dali. Even the late emperor visited Qingyun three times to drink the river water. People from other towns have come here in droves, attracted by its reputation. However, it seems that only the people of the town can enjoy these magical effects, and outsiders don't benefit much."
"As a result, Qingyun Town became a popular destination, with women from outside the city eager to marry here. The place gradually prospered, and even the Qingyun Li clan emerged."
The Li clan?
Zhang Ling looked at the beggar who was immersed in the world of meat buns, and understood in his heart that it seemed that this beggar was the root of all cause and effect.
"The Li family is a prominent family in Qingyun Town. They are wealthy and powerful. Every head of the family has been kind and generous, and has made the Li family even more prosperous."
At this point, the old man sighed and shook his head. Looking at the beggar beside him eating his buns, he couldn't help but feel sorry and said, "But the good times didn't last long. Everything in Qingyun Town has become weird since the incident thirty years ago."
——
Qingyun Town.
The fog is thick and the clouds are lingering.
Although it looks like a fairy pond, it is actually a mortal world.
There were three people in the bun shop, a beggar, an old man, and Zhang Ling.
The unconscious beggar was enjoying himself, grinning foolishly and eating with grease dripping from his mouth.
The old man selling buns unravels his sealed past and tells a secret.
Zhang Ling pricked up his ears and listened quietly to the story about Qingyun Town.
"Thirty years ago, Madam Li Yun and her maidservant Niu Lan became pregnant at the same time. They both drank river water daily and offered incense and worship to the immortal turtle every month. After ten months of pregnancy, a baby boy was born."
"Although Niu Lan is a maidservant who came with the bride, she is actually the master's concubine. The master of the Li family is still very old, and now he has two sons. He is overjoyed, so he held a grand banquet to entertain guests from all over the world. I, an old man, am also honored to be able to participate."
"But within two or three years, everyone realized that Madam Li Yun's son was stupid and dull, not at all as smart and clever as other babies. This baby boy was named Li Qingyun, and he is the person you see before you."
Hearing this, Zhang Ling opened his folding fan and waved it gently, causing the mist in the sky to become even thicker. "I wonder how the child Niu Lan gave birth to is doing?"
The old man smiled bitterly and said, "At the age of three, he can recite poems, at the age of five, he can even compose verses at the age of seven. Compared to the child born to Madam Li Lan, there is a world of difference."
Zhang Ling raised his eyebrows and asked with interest, "What happened next?"
"Later, everyone in town said that this lady from a wealthy family was no match for the maidservants who came with her as a dowry from the countryside. Rumors spread like wildfire, and the head of the Li family even intended to pass the property on to Niu Lan's son. This was the beginning of the root of trouble. Madam Li, filled with resentment, sent people to kill Niu Lan and her son, and then she personally went to the river and swung her sword at the immortal turtle..."
Zhang Ling did not expect the story to be so tortuous, and it seemed that there was a bigger secret behind it. As a mountain god, he had no idea about it before, which was really a dereliction of duty.
The old man's face showed an expression of reminiscence and shock. He murmured, "I still remember that day. The immortal turtle's blood soaked the river water. The sky was originally clear and bright, but suddenly it became dim and dark. Then a heavy red rain fell from the sky..."
Red rain?
Zhang Ling frowned as the stories in his ears became more and more bizarre, but he was thinking in his heart: This Qingyun Town might really be involved in a terrible cause and effect.
"The rain was like blood, and it continued for three days and three nights. The people in the town were terrified, and every household stayed indoors for fear of disaster."
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