Chapter 24 Tongxuan Mountain

After noon, Shi Xuan and Ding Mingde were ready to set off because they had to rush to Yuhua Pavilion. They stood up and said goodbye to Yan Jujian. At the same time, Ding Mingde politely invited Yan Jujian to go with them. After all, they had the same destination and knew each other. If he didn't invite him, it would be rude. But after all, Yan Jujian's identity and origin were unknown. If they really went together, it would waste a lot of energy to be on guard, so they just invited him politely. If the other party knew what was going on, he would naturally refuse.

Who knew that Yan Jujian didn't mean to refuse at all and agreed directly. Shi Xuan and the others were in a dilemma, so they had to invite him to get on the carriage. For Shi Xuan, maybe this is a good thing. The danger in the open is much easier to deal with than the shadow in the dark.

Zheng Daniu's face turned green when he saw Yan Jujian's burly figure, but Shi Xuan's promised reward of five taels of silver made it impossible for him to object. He could only watch Yan Jujian get on the carriage, which made the carriage squeak, and even the two horses in front of him took a small step back involuntarily.

The two horses pulled the heavy carriage slowly on the official road, and Yan Jujian just sat cross-legged in the back after getting on the carriage, basically not talking much, except occasionally asking Ding Mingde a few words, and completely ignored Shi Xuan, and even Shi Xuan could feel a little wary.

Shi Xuan felt that this trip to Tongxuan Mountain was getting weirder, but since he was going to seek immortals and seek the way, he had a trick up his sleeve, so he couldn't just back down.

The weird atmosphere in the carriage lasted until the foot of Tongxuan Mountain. Just after half of the Shen time, Shi Xuan could already see the three words "Tongxuan Mountain" written on the boundary monument at the foot of the mountain.

After giving Zheng Daniu the silver to send him away, Shi Xuan went behind a mountain wall on the pretext of convenience, intending to take this opportunity to listen to what Yan Jujian, who was a little wary of him, would say to Ding Mingde after he left.

After arriving at the mountain wall, Shi Xuan leaned against the rock, closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing, entering a state of emptiness, and exerted his keen senses to the fullest, because the distance here was far, and he could not hear it as casually as before.

Sure enough, he heard Yan Jujian lower his voice and said, "I wonder if Brother Ding knows why I came to Shuanghu Village in Tongxuan Mountain?"

"No, isn't it to find an old friend?" Ding Mingde said with some doubts.

"Yes, my good friend came to Tongxuan Mountain two years ago, and there has been no news from him since then. I am very worried about his safety, so I came here to find him."

"Did he get into trouble in the mountains? It is said that there are many ferocious beasts on this mountain."

"Hahahaha, will he die in the mouth of a beast?" Yan Jujian laughed, and the volume was a little uncontrollable.

"That... that is?" Ding Mingde said hesitantly.

"After I came to Chuzhou City, I secretly investigated for a long time and found that many people disappeared in Tongxuan Mountain every year, and they all have one thing in common. Hehe, do you know what it is?" Yan Jujian did not answer directly, but turned to another topic.

"Being, being eaten by wild beasts?" Ding Mingde answered dully.

"Hey, they are either people like you who have lost both parents, or people who have been away from home for many years and have not returned home for several years. In short, they are people who are missing and will not cause too much trouble."

"Ah? How, how, how could it be!" Ding Mingde was a little scared.

"So, I originally wanted to go up the mountain to investigate by myself, but I accidentally heard that you were going to Shuanghu Village in Tongxuan Mountain, and I remembered that this place name was mentioned in the letter from my friend to me, so I came to ask. After that, I found out that you were a person whose parents were both dead, and combined with the information I had found out before, I decided to go with you."

"I, I, I won't go." His teeth began to tremble, ready to back out.

"Brother Ding, don't you think it's too late to go back now that we're at the foot of Tongxuan Mountain?" Yan Jujian said in a playful voice.

"You...you, what are you going to do? Brother Ziang, by the way, I'm going to find Brother Ziang to go back with me!"

"Hey, your brother Ziang may not take you back!"

"What do you mean?!"

"He is a hidden master. It's easier to kill you than to kill a chicken!"

"Difficult, is it? No! No! Brother Ziang is generous and magnanimous, with the legacy of the ancients, and he is a gentleman at first glance!" Ding Mingde retorted excitedly, and the more he spoke, the smoother he became, and the second half of the sentence was finished in one go.

"I haven't read much, but I still heard a saying, called, you can't have the intention to harm others, but you can't have the intention to let others go. I'm afraid you two haven't known each other for long." Yan Jujian said leisurely.

"This, this..." Ding Mingde was speechless.

"Brother Ding, since you are here, why don't you take me to investigate thoroughly and completely solve the problem? Otherwise, you will not be safe even if you return home, and may even bring harm to your family."

"Cousin, yes! Cousin, he is coming too!"

"That's right, take me with you. I can say without boasting that I will definitely protect your safety. Although your brother Ziang is very good at martial arts, he may not be able to defeat me." Yan Jujian's calm voice was full of confidence.

"This..." Ding Mingde's hesitant voice.

"In this world, including the old monsters who have been hiding in the world, there are only ten fingers that can defeat me." Yan Jujian's steady voice gave people great confidence.

"Okay! I promise you!" Ding Mingde gritted his teeth and agreed.

Shi Xuan saw that the two had finished their discussion and stayed behind the mountain wall for a while before slowly walking out. He apologized to the two with a smile on his face, saying that he had a stomachache.

Yan Jujian still ignored Shi Xuan, and Ding Mingde was not good at acting, so he responded to Shi Xuan with a slightly evasive attitude. Shi Xuan pretended not to see it and urged the two to go up the mountain together. This Tongxuan Mountain looked strange and big, but we haven't gone to places that are not strange yet.

The three walked on the mountain path in silence, especially Ding Mingde, whose face was full of heavy fear and his waist was almost bent. If Yan Jujian hadn't stood behind him, Shi Xuan doubted whether he would scream "Ah" and turn around and run.

Tongxuan Mountain is deep and quiet, and the birds are singing crisply. Even in the hot summer, you can feel a cool air. In this environment, the three soon arrived at a pavilion with luxurious decorations. The plaque hanging on it reads "Yuhua Pavilion" in three seal characters. There is a stone tablet on the left side of the pavilion, which records the history of the pavilion. It was built with donations from the Shangshu of the previous dynasty. Twenty years ago and three years ago, wealthy families in Chuzhou City donated money to repair it.

After seeing the pavilion, Ding Mingde said to Shi Xuan and Yan Jujian: "My cousin said that the butler of Shuanghu Village will wait for me here from the hour of You. Now there are more than two quarters of an hour before the hour of You. Why don't we go into the pavilion and rest for a while."

Shi Xuan nodded in approval, Yan Jujian did not comment, and the three of them went into the pavilion and sat on each side. Shi Xuan planned to take advantage of this gap to recover his spirit and prepare for the next trip, so he closed his eyes and rested his mind after sitting down, and his internal energy began to run slowly. I don't know if Yan Jujian was as careful as Shi Xuan, anyway, Shi Xuan noticed that he was also sitting with his eyes closed, without saying a word. Ding Mingde was fidgeting, and he stood up several times to walk towards Yan Jujian, and then walked back and sat down again hesitantly.

When the Qi was in motion, time flew quickly. Soon the sun began to set in the west. Ding Mingde judged from the shadow that it was almost the hour of You, so he stood up and prepared to wake up the other two. But before he opened his mouth, he saw Shi Xuan and Yan Jujian open their eyes.

Shi Xuan stood up and said with a smile: "It seems that the hour of You is coming soon." At this time, Shi Xuan saw a figure walking out from the corner of the mountain road in the distance, "Uh, is that the butler?" He pointed to that side.

Ding Mingde turned around and looked, but unfortunately his eyesight was not good and he could only see a blurry black shadow.

The figure staggered over and came closer after an incense stick of time. It was a man who looked very old. He was wearing a black cloth with patterns and a hat. The hair that was exposed from the hat was already completely white. His face was deeply wrinkled, like orange peel. He was dry and thin. He held a big red lantern in his hand with the word "Wang" written on it.

Shi Xuan looked at the old man and felt strange in his heart. It seemed that something was installed in this body. Unfortunately, it was not convenient to use magic to open the sky eye to see it now.

Yan Jujian gently pushed Ding Mingde, who was frozen in place, and Ding Mingde seemed to suddenly realize something and stepped forward to salute: "Are you the butler of the Wang family in Shuanghu Village?"

The old man raised his head, looked at Ding Mingde with his cloudy eyes, returned the salute, and said in a hoarse voice: "It's me, but Mr. Ding Mingde?"

"It's me, what's your name, butler?"

"My surname is Wang, and I don't dare to pollute Mr. Ding's ears with my humble name. Just call me butler Wang. Who are these two?" The butler saw Shi Xuan and Yan Jujian behind Ding Mingde.

"These two are my good friends, Shi Xuan, Shi Ziang and Yan Jujian. They sent me here and visited Tongxuan Mountain by the way. I wonder if you can take them to Shuanghu Village to stay for one night tonight?" Ding Mingde seemed to have thought of what to say long ago.

The butler looked back and forth at Shi Xuan and the other man with his cloudy eyes. Shi Xuan felt a chill, as if he was stared at by some cold-blooded animal.

After a few breaths of silence, the butler spoke lightly: "Since you are Mr. Ding's friend, you are also a guest of Shuanghu Village. Naturally, you are welcome. I'm just afraid that I can't treat you well enough."

"Sorry to bother you so much. Thank you, butler." Ding Mingde was secretly pushed by Yan Jujian again, and hurriedly expressed his gratitude, which was considered to be a finalization of the matter.

The butler glanced at the three people again, then half turned around: "Three distinguished guests, follow me closely. The road in the mountains is foggy and it's easy to get lost." Then he picked up the lantern and staggered back to the way he came.

Shi Xuan and the other two looked at each other, Ding Mingde closed his eyes, and followed the butler closely, while Shi Xuan and Yan Jujian walked side by side at the end.