Volume 1: Winds Rising From the Mountains and Swamps Chapter 93: Winter Solstice
Jiulong Mountain is getting colder after the snow.
The chirping of birds in the mountains became fainter and faded. All things are gathered together, and as the rainbow disappears, the weather rises and the earth's energy falls. Lin Yi is in the Tianlong Sect, and the first winter solstice and new year has arrived.
The Shang Kingdom was a vast country with different customs. In some places, the first day of the first lunar month is regarded as the beginning of the new year. Northern Xinjiang and southern Xinjiang agree that the winter solstice is the beginning of the year.
Lin Yi held a piece of letter in his hand, written by Banxian Hong of Qin Cheng, and brought along by someone, along with a floral cloth package.
The letter said that Lin Yi did not go home for a long time after he left, and the whole family missed him very much. Hong Banxian's letter also said that after the New Year, Quan'er would be fifteen years old, and he hoped that Lin Yi would go back in his spare time.
Lin Yi put down the letter and found in the package a suede mattress sewn by Tsuen'er. The mattress was several feet in size and densely sewn with needlework. It was strong, soft, and very warm. Lin Yi gently shook his head while stroking the mattress in his hand...
At this time, in the valley behind Immortal Summit, are the tombs of Master and Grandmaster covered with wormwood, and has anyone cleaned them? In Xiaotian'ao, how are your uncle and aunt's family doing? Cui'er must be thirteen years old! And Mr. Su’s entrustment...!
"Junior Brother Lin——!" Wen Lun's voice came from outside the house. Lin Yi packed up his things and walked out.
Hu and Wan were all dressed in new cotton robes, with joy on their faces. Seeing Lin Yi, Hu Wan waved the three of them to leave quickly.
It would be outrageous to have no one on duty in the chariot and horse courtyard. Wen Lun and Shen Ding took Lin Yi away. Only Hu Wan was left to look after the house.
The three of them walked to the gate of the villa and met Jiang Fangdi and the others. Xu Yue's eyes were filled with joy, and Jiang Fangdi and Dai Yuanhai were also smiling. It turned out that the three of them also wanted to go out for a stroll, so they teamed up and walked out.
"Is it hard to patrol the mountains every day?" Lin Yi asked Jiang Fangdi and the three people beside him.
Jiang Fangdi waved his hands, his movements became more calm, and he said: "It's just a daily routine!"
Dai Yuanhai and Xu Yue also smiled and nodded in agreement.
"The inner disciples are about to go on a trip, have you heard anything?" Lin Yi said in a casual tone.
"This has nothing to do with my outer disciples. It's nothing to inquire about." Jiang Fangdi shook his head and said.
Lin Yi's expression flashed with worry.
Wen Lun came up from behind with a smile and said: "This matter has something to do with my chariot and horse compound!"
Seeing everyone looking at him, Wen Lun smiled proudly and said in a rather showy manner: "A gentleman travels all day long without his luggage. Therefore, when a disciple travels, he must be accompanied by a carriage. Tell me, this is different from our carriage courtyard. It doesn’t matter!”
Jiang Fangdi suddenly said: "So, you are going to drive the carriage with us?"
"Of course!" Wen Lun said sourly.
Shen Ding muttered dissatisfiedly from behind: "Junior Brother Lin's friend is now, can't you just talk to him!"
Wen Lun hurriedly smiled and said: "It's normal for you to wait until you get started late, so you don't know about this, haha!"
Lin Yi's inner worries were gone, and he was still a little surprised! I was so sleepy that someone gave me a pillow and became a horse-raising disciple. What a coincidence! A disciple of the Tianlong Sect is about to go on a trip, and he has been anxious about not being able to accompany him. Sneaking and following is a last resort. Now that we have such a good opportunity, it is really exciting!
"How many people and cars are required to accompany the chariot and horse compound?" Lin Yi asked nonchalantly, his expression unchanged.
"In previous years, it was just two people and two cars. This time it will be about the same!" Wen Lun rolled his eyes and continued with a smile: "Is it possible that Junior Brother Lin intends to travel far?"
"Is there anything wrong?" Lin Yi asked with a smile.
Wen Lun laughed and shook his head and said: "There's nothing wrong with this. It's just that it takes more than a year to go back and forth, and the journey is very hard. No one wants to go to the courtyard of carriages and horses."
Lin Yi kept walking, raised his eyebrows, and said thoughtfully: "The inner disciples went on a trip, and then turned around after a few years?"
"How could it be? Every time the inner disciples go on a trip, they never come back for three to five years, right?" Wen Lun scratched his head, then smiled and said: "Haha, what I said is that the carriage and horse took them to the place. He who is about to turn back does not always follow.”
Lin Yi raised his eyebrows and nodded silently.
…
Along the way, several people kept talking and laughing.
The market outside Jiulong Mountain soon appeared in front of everyone. The place is busier than usual, with "winter solstice dumplings" made of fruits, vegetables or meat and vegetables being sold in front of the shops; dog meat in pottery pots on red clay stoves is emitting an alluring aroma; incense and candle stalls are crowded in the middle of the road; The cry of "making winter wine" spread far and wide.
"This dog meat is a great tonic! As the saying goes, if you take nourishment in winter, you will kill tigers in spring. Haha!" Wen Lun salivated, and he hurriedly ran over and bought a dog leg. He pointed to a row of wine jars and said happily: "This winter wine is very good. It is brewed in the jar before the winter solstice. It can only be drunk at the winter solstice next year. It is only brewed once a year!"
Wen Lun bought two more jars of wine and asked Shen Ding to hold them.
When Jiang Fangdi and Dai Yuanhai saw this, they couldn't help but buy some wine and meat. Xu Yue also bought a few vegetable dumplings and carried them in her hands.
When Lin saw that several people were busy, he walked forward alone. When he came to a scented candle stall, he stopped and bought a scented candle.
"Shopkeeper, give me one too!" Hearing this, Lin Yi turned around and smiled. It was Dai Yuanhai and the others who caught up.
"Senior brother Lin is going to the winter grave?" Xu Yue asked softly.
Lin Yi looked at Xu Yue in confusion, and after a moment, nodded suddenly.
When the winter solstice comes, the scholars and officials in the temples greet each other, which is called "worshiping the winter"; the humble and young worship their elders, which is called "congratulations to the elders"; worshiping ancestors is called "going to the winter grave"; those who live together in a clan gather together. The clan sacrifices are called the "Winter Solstice Meeting". Lin Yi also knew a little about the customs related to the winter solstice. He didn't care whether he went to the winter grave or not, he just wanted to pay homage to his master and parents. Buying incense and candles on behalf of Yuanhai must be the same.
A group of green-shirted disciples came towards them. Jiang Fangdi and others hurriedly dodged to the side, but when they turned around, Lin Yi was nowhere to be seen.
After the disciple in green shirt passed by, Lin Yi slowly walked out from behind the incense candle case.
"Junior Brother Lin, he disappeared in a blink of an eye. I was looking for you!" Jiang Fangdi asked curiously.
Lin Yi blinked his eyes and said with a smile: "Brother Jiang is here, why do you need to look for me!"
Jiang Fangdi laughed and said secretly that he was really dazzled. Little did he know that Lin Yi was now deliberately avoiding these inner disciples. Almost every time you meet these people, some trouble will arise, so it's better to avoid them early!
Several people continued to wander in the market, and when they passed the tea shed where Wen Lun stayed last time, the chai door was closed tightly. Lin Yi took a careful glance and couldn't help but think of Jin Ke. This Young Master Jin and Young Master Jin followed Guanshi Mu closely every day and did not leave the house at all for several months. He was as well-behaved as a cat. This is not bad, at least save one life.
When he was separated last time, Lin Yi wanted to know some secret things through Jinke. Seeing that his surly temperament changed drastically, and he didn't care about the disputes in the world, he forgot about the matter.
After he leaves the Tianlong Sect, Jin Ke will definitely be in a good mood.
After wandering around the market for half an hour, the group turned around. On the way back, Xu Yue always walked beside Lin Yi intentionally or unintentionally, and her beautiful eyes were always full of questions.
Lin Yi didn't think much about what the question was. He was secretly glad that the things he had been worried about had turned around!
After dinner, Han Jilai asked Lin Yi and the others to wait in front of the villa.
When the four of them arrived in front of the Foreign Affairs Hall Villa, it was already crowded with people, and they were rubbing shoulders. I am afraid that not all the disciples of the Foreign Affairs Hall were here.
Lin Yi and others crowded in the back and saw dozens of large lanterns as tall as one person lined up in front of the villa in the distance. They were hung high and reflected a bright light far and near.
On a high platform where wooden tables were put together, a figure swayed.
Lin Yi had never seen this formation before, and Wen Lun, who was beside him, was understanding and talked in his ear.
Only then did Lin realize that this was the winter solstice to pay homage to his teacher, and the row of lanterns also stayed up all night long to bring good fortune for the coming year.
After a while, a person walked up to the high platform, it was the pale-faced steward Mu, and shouted loudly: "Quiet!" The audience was immediately silent. Elder Ma and four disciples came on stage next, holding a huge portrait high in their hands. Then Elder Ma said something about the Yang Qi rising during the winter solstice, and Taoist Master Jun congratulated him. Finally, burn incense and worship to the portrait.
The disciples of the Foreign Affairs Hall all bowed down, and Lin Yi could only kneel down along with Hu Wan and the others.
There was another sound: "The ceremony is completed——" All the disciples stood up one after another, and after a burst of beating sounds, dust began to rise everywhere. Laughter and complaints are endless.
When Lin saw everyone scattered, he wanted to go back, but Wen Lun grabbed him and followed Hu Wan and Shen Ding forward.
It wasn't until they reached Charter Peak that Wen Lun pretended to be mysterious and said, "You'll find out later!"
Lin Yi looked around and saw that almost all the disciples from the Foreign Affairs Hall were here, and it was completely dark.
Squeezing among the crowd, Lin Yi followed the others and looked at the halfway up the Charter Peak.
Not long after, with a cry of exclamation, dozens of huge bonfires were lit instantly. The flames shot up several feet into the sky, illuminating the sky brightly. Under the Charter Peak, it was as bright as day.
There was another burst of cheers, and nine fire dragons descended from the mountain peak like meteors trailing to the ground. Each fire dragon was about three feet long and made of unknown materials. The flames on the dragon's body exploded, and it was held high by the hands of the disciples under the dragon, and they flew down quickly. , dragging it into a giant dragon four or five feet long, which is a spectacular sight.
Lin Yi is slightly taller than ordinary people, so he can be seen clearly in the crowd. Under the dragon's body were nine inner disciples, holding the long dragon that was burning with fire. They performed Qing Kung Fu as fast as lightning, but they did not expect to be burned by the fire. It’s just that the nine disciples under the dragon are no strangers.
Among the nine people, Lin Yi recognized eight. They are the head disciple and the elder disciple. One of them was a stranger, and Lin Yi had never seen him before. Another person made him frown.
This person was Mu Qing'er, also holding a fire dragon, flying down from the mountain peak.
These disciples should be the leaders of the younger generation of Tianlong Sect. From the length of the fire dragon, we can see the level of each person's Qing Gong. The fire dragons of Qin Ren and Jitang carried the sound of the wind, their momentum was extraordinary and eye-catching. Mu Qing'er's fire dragon is smaller.
Nine dragons roar down, circling around nine bonfires, and nine huge fire rings appear at the foot of the mountain. The bonfires in the fire rings are blazing, like nine dragons holding beads, and they are powerful.
Not far from the bonfire, the head of the Tianlong Sect and the elders were standing.
"Qing'er is such a naughty kid!" Elder Xue complained to Mu Tiancheng, but his eyes were fixed on the small fire dragon, full of joy.
Mu Tiancheng gently held his beard and smiled: "My daughter, Mu Tiancheng, doesn't let her eyebrows grow, haha!"
Elder Ma on the side said: "Qing'er's qualifications should be the most outstanding among these disciples. As time goes by, Qing'er will definitely be better than the others!"
Mu Tiancheng chuckled and said: "Elder Ma is ridiculous. This girl is playful and willful. Fortunately, she is always alert and restrained!" After thinking for a while, he asked again: "The Qinglong Festival is coming soon. Are you ready for everything?" How's it going?"
"Master, don't worry, everything is ready!" Elder Ma replied solemnly.
That's good, our Tianlong Sect cannot be underestimated! Mu Tiancheng's eyes flickered slightly.
The bonfire crackled, and the raging flames burned fiercely, like long swords piercing the night sky.
The nine fire rings circled for a long time, as if they suddenly exploded, and suddenly closed, and the nine fire dragons gathered together, connecting head and tail and spinning rapidly, surrounding a larger fire ring.
In an instant, a sudden change occurred. With the nine people under the dragons roaring in unison, the nine fire dragons leaped into the air, and the flames splashed everywhere, like a startled dragon taking off its armor, like a flying dragon in the sky, like nine dragons gathering in the sun.
The nine dragons gathered in the air with a bang, and there was a dazzling light at the burst -!
The majestic momentum of the nine fire dragons and the magnificent and spectacular scene were breathtaking!
The disciples in the field cheered in unison, deafening!
——
ps: There will be another update at midnight
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