Once all six members of the team had boarded the boat, the cloud boat rose vertically into the air and then shot off with a whoosh.
Outside, the wind howled and the air surged, but inside the boat, all was peaceful.
After all, these items were taken from Liu Jinghong's mustard seed bag, and each one was extremely luxurious. There were three or four separate rooms in this cloud boat, as well as a huge chess and card room.
The game is Go, and the cards are leaf games.
Chu Hongluan doesn't know any of that.
So she pulled Liu Jinghong to play Connect Four, while the other four huddled together and started playing a game of leaf-rolling.
During the day, it's the chess and card room; at night, it's the bar. It's a simple routine.
However, Liu Jinghong had secretly replaced Chu Hongluan's wine with spirit fruit juice, only mixing in a tiny bit of alcohol as a smokescreen. Chu Hongluan only felt that the wine tasted a little weak, but she didn't take it seriously. After all, she knew her own alcohol tolerance after the last time.
Happy times are always short-lived. The Southern Regions and the Western Regions are adjacent to each other, so this trip will only take a few days.
According to the Lady of the Pavilion Master, Peak Master Wangsheng was tricked by that old bastard Liu Chengan into going to a remote village called Peach Blossom Village on the edge of the Western Regions. She said that no one had been seen entering or leaving that village for hundreds of years, and if any outsider accidentally entered the village, they would never return. She was afraid that demons had sprung up in the village, so she asked Wangsheng to go and see for himself.
But after Wang Sheng left, he was never heard from again.
At this moment, the cloud boat was suspended in mid-air, with a large area of low mountains below, dotted with a few shrubs, and only tumbleweeds running around the hills and valleys.
A group of six people stood scattered on the deck of the cloud boat, their robes fluttering and rustling in the wind.
Chu Hongluan held a map in her hand, on which the location of Peach Blossom Village was clearly marked. She looked at the map several times before confirming that the few dilapidated thatched huts scattered in the barren valley, which were almost buried by tumbleweeds, were the so-called Peach Blossom Village.
The name does not match the actual product.
"Go down?" Chu Hongluan asked hesitantly.
The group nodded hesitantly as well.
To avoid alerting the enemy, the six-person team disembarked from the cloud boat two miles outside the village.
They followed the cracked, narrow path, and as they approached the village, they saw wisps of mist rising from an unknown place. From the depths of the mist, the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking could be heard, and as they drew closer, they could hear birds chirping, insects humming, streams babbling, children playing, and a chorus of laughter.
The six people exchanged glances, all understanding each other's meaning: there was a barrier.
Perhaps the dilapidated and desolate village they saw from above was an illusion, or perhaps the idyllic paradise within the barrier was also an illusion. They clearly leaned more towards the latter.
Chu Hongluan stepped into the mist first, looking completely calm.
The rest of the group followed closely behind.
Being enveloped in mist, the laughter and chatter became even clearer, almost as if they were ringing right next to our ears.
As you walk, the air becomes humid, and the ground beneath your feet softens, feeling like you're walking on grass.
Only when the fog cleared and the scene before them became clear did the sounds become real and three-dimensional.
A winding stream divides the village in two, with peach blossoms blooming brightly on both banks.
The land is flat and spacious, with neat houses, fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, and bamboo groves.
The paths crisscross, and the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard from one another.
Their daily activities, farming, and clothing were all like those of outsiders.
The elderly and children alike were all enjoying themselves.
This passage from Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring" appears before my eyes, seemingly genuine.
Several villagers noticed them and immediately greeted them with smiles.
"Have you young heroes gotten lost in the mountains?"
Chu Hongluan smiled slightly, "We're here to find someone."
Liu Jinghong waved his fan. "About five days ago, did a drunken old man come here?"
The villagers in front of them exchanged glances, and the smiles on their faces faded considerably.
An elderly woman, who appeared to be around sixty years old, replied, “I haven’t seen her. It’s almost planting season, and everyone in the village has a lot of work to do. If someone from out of town comes, they’re usually taken to the village chief to be accommodated. If you’re looking for someone, why don’t you come with me to the village chief and ask?”
"That would be troublesome."
So the old woman led them to the village chief's residence.
They walked along the stream, and the villagers along the way greeted them cheerfully. Some were burly and strong, clearly former warriors; others were frail and fair-skinned, with refined manners, like scholars; still others possessed an air of nobility and elegance, clearly of extraordinary birth.
Importantly, many of them were cultivators, with varying levels of cultivation, but they all wore the same coarse linen clothes and worked like ordinary people, cooking and farming. They all had serene expressions and beaming smiles, as if they were genuinely enjoying this idyllic life.
A sense of unease crept into the hearts of the six people, and their brows furrowed more and more as they walked forward.
The path of cultivation lies in the exploration and pursuit of power, safety, freedom, immortality, and endless progress. Every cultivator harbors ambition, possessing an almost fanatical thirst for advancement and the acquisition of treasures and inheritances. The ultimate goal is to transcend the mortal body and ascend to immortality. Even if they give up halfway, they still desire a meteoric rise to power and the enjoyment of wealth and pleasure, rather than willingly abandoning everything to become an ordinary person.
From afar, Chu Hongluan spotted a familiar face in the crowd.
One glance was enough to send chills down my spine.
The young man, with his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, stood tall and straight, dressed in the same coarse linen clothes as everyone else.
That usually aloof, cold, and unsmiling face now wore the same smile as the other villagers.
He even raised his hand and greeted them...
Help! ! !
This Sword Pavilion's top disciple has been possessed!
"Spring Dawn."
"Sister, please tell me."
"How do you feel seeing Young Master Mo smile like that?"
"It's a bit disgusting."
"..."
Qiao Yue, who was lagging behind at the back of the group, weakly added, "Me too."
“Me too.” That was Liu Jinghong’s voice.
“Me too,” Song Nanhe replied, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms.
Everyone turned their attention to Li Dazhuang, who had not yet made a statement.
But they noticed that Li Dazhuang's rugged, square face was inexplicably flushed.
"And, and he had a really nice smile..."
"..."
The five men froze simultaneously, and instinctively moved a few steps away from Li Dazhuang.
Mom, there's something weird about you.
After walking for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, and passing through a peach grove, they saw a small thatched cottage at the foot of the hill. A beautiful woman lay on a rocking chair in front of the cottage, her black hair adorned with jade hairpins and her clothes plain white. She stood up and smiled at them from afar, as if a traditional Chinese ink painting had come to life.
This woman was out of place with the simple and honest atmosphere of Taoyuan Village, yet she stood out perfectly against the green hills, clear waters, and vibrant red peach blossoms.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com