Deyang

Chapter 90 Deyang

When we walked to the afternoon, we finally saw Deyang City.

There is no city wall in Deyang. At first, you can see scattered houses in the distance among the stretches of fields divided by locust trees. Then the dirt roads full of ruts and ravines become wider, with more gravel and the like. . As we passed through the large fields on both sides, we saw more densely packed houses.

The taller ones are just four or five-story cornice towers, and most of them are one- to two-story wooden buildings. The number of pedestrians on the road also began to increase, mostly on foot, mixed with ox carts and donkey carts, and rarely horse-drawn carriages.

People in Deyang are much more sophisticated in their dress than those in Jinshui, and Chen Xiu's dress, which looks rich in Jinshui, is not particularly eye-catching here. Their four big horses were a little conspicuous, but when they saw Cheng Peixin's dress and the swords on Li Wuxiang and Cheng Shengfei, pedestrians on the road averted their eyes.

Feiyun Temple is not in a busy city. After passing the continuous thatched houses on the periphery, there are mostly courtyards covered with green tiles. There are smooth stone slabs on the road.

The stone road is not too narrow and can accommodate four horses running parallelly. Passers-by can walk on both sides, and residents facing the street can sit on the stone strips placed outside their courtyards to enjoy the cool air. It's May now, and the big branches on both sides of the road are lush and leafy. The tree crowns are reflected in different shades of green by the sunlight from the zenith, and sprinkled with spots of light on the bluestone slabs.

Li Wuxiang rode his horse and walked slowly on such a street, and couldn't help but let out a little breath. There was a similar ancient town where he came from, but many of the buildings facing the street were rebuilt later. They were built roughly and were too new. They often had neon lights, colorful signs and the like, which made people feel nondescript and extremely uncoordinated.

But here, he can experience a kind of restrained, natural beauty that belongs only to the human years.

Feiyun Temple is at the end of this street at the corner. The courtyard wall is very high, about one foot, freshly painted with whitewash, and covered with tiles. The gate is slightly higher than the surrounding courtyards. There are no carved beams or paintings. There is only a vertical plaque that reads "Tianxin Feiyun Temple".

The three of them dismounted, Cheng Shengfei called the door, and an old servant in green clothes opened the door. He was not surprised to see Li Wuxiang. He just lowered his eyes and took the reins of the four horses and let the three people in.

When Li Wuxiang walked into the door, he still saw a white screen wall, but thin bamboos and plantains were planted in front, making it a scene of its own.

When I walked around the screen wall, I saw a small courtyard, not as big as the Chen family's courtyard. Directly opposite is the Taiyi Hall, with a total of eight door panels, all open, and wing rooms on both sides.

The yard is beautifully kept. On the slate floor in the courtyard there were only leaves that had fallen from the old locust tree beside the wall. The house, with its white walls, black tiles, and light brown wooden windows, looked extremely peaceful.

The most unusual thing is that there is almost no smoke - there is no incense burner in the courtyard for incense for good men and women like ordinary temples. There is only an incense table in front of the Taiyi statue in the Taiyi Hall. There are incense roots in the small stove and some flowers and melons are offered. fruit.

This Taiyi looks almost the same as the one on Ranshan Mountain.

"I don't ask ordinary people to come here to worship." Cheng Peixin smiled and led him to the backyard. When he passed in front of the Taiyi Hall, she stopped and joined hands with Cheng Shengfei and bowed before adding, "Look, I said this place is very clean. , not fake, right?”

Li Wuxiang also bowed and nodded: "Pure and beautiful."

He himself wanted to build a yard like this.

The backyard is even prettier than the front yard. Although the courtyard is the same size, there is a large cluster of lush bamboo in the middle of the courtyard, almost becoming a small forest. This became a natural big umbrella, blocking out the sunlight in the sky and casting a patch of shade. It also blocked the east and west sides so that no one could see clearly as soon as they opened the window.

Cheng Peixin led Li Wuxiang to the east chamber, showed him a room with light fragrance, asked him if he was satisfied, and then said seriously: "I'll prepare it first. One of the things I need is a little troublesome. We will open the altar to dispel Xu Daosheng's soul tomorrow night. You can rest for a while, or you can look around the city. Deyang is a big city. It has been peaceful for thousands of years, and the city is still lively. of."

Li Wuxiang nodded in agreement, and when she left, the view became extremely quiet.

From the time I left Jinshui to now, I have lived in the open air with few people. His body didn't need a good resting environment, but he still had a human heart after all, and he felt tired after walking all the way.

He sat on the bed and found that the bedding was dry and soft. He walked to the window again and found that the tables and chairs were spotless. There was no dust even in the gaps in the window, which made him feel extremely comfortable.

So he opened the window halfway, and the sunlight fell on the table from the tops of the bamboo trees. He sat at the table for a while, looked around again, and then decided to really go out and take a look.

He wants to buy some letter paper and a larger bird such as a pigeon or myna. He planned to write a letter to Xue Baoping and send two prison characters with it. If she accidentally lost or broke the talisman in her hand, it would be nice to have a replacement.

When I went out, I didn't take the front door, but the back door from the backyard. The backyard should be the kitchen, toilet, utility room, and servants' quarters. It's not that particular, just a paved floor. There was also someone in the backyard by the door - an elderly woman wearing an apron, sitting on a bench and washing vegetables in a wooden basin filled with water.

When he saw Li Wuxiang, he stood up respectfully as if he had been informed: "Is Master Tao going out?"

Li Wuxiang said yes and immediately opened the small door for him.

He chose the right hand side of the alley at the back door and walked slowly, then went onto the street. Then he turned right and then left along the street and saw a lively market.

The road is slightly wider, and there are shops with large doors on both sides of the street. All the door panels have been removed, and the contents of the shops can be seen at a glance. Outside the shop, there were some hawkers who had set up stalls on the street, selling a wide variety of goods. He took a look at many of the gadgets and didn't even know what they were for.

This scene was very similar to the streets he had seen in movies and TV series before. The difference was that everyone's expressions were more vivid, with real emotions and emotions.

Li Wuxiang looked around as he walked and changed his mind - I wonder if there is anyone selling eagles here... The eagles should be able to bring something, right? It can catch rabbits.

He walked into a silver jewelry shop and picked out a pair of silver earrings. They are small and exquisite, each set with a red object. I don’t know if it is a gem. He plundered some money from Xu Daosheng and those few wandering cultivators, paid the money generously, and asked if there was anyone selling eagles.

There actually is. The shopkeeper called a boy and asked him to guide Li Wuxiang.

The little guy looks like he is only thirteen or fourteen years old, but he talks and acts like an adult. While taking Li Wuxiang away, he talked to him eagerly, talking about the customs and customs near Deyang. After walking through this lively street and there were fewer people on the road, he said: "Guest, you are not a local, but you don't know that you have come at the right time. These days, the city is the most peaceful."

"How do you say that?"

The waiter chuckled: "Guest, you must have met those wandering cultivators during your travels, right? Uh... What do you do, guest?"

Li Wuxiang thought for a while: "I'll buy some goods here and there."

The young man raised his eyebrows and said: "That's right, you know that those casual cultivators in the world are the most harmful. They are said to be cultivators, but when they encounter lone businessmen in the wilderness, they are kind-hearted. You robbed things and left, you were evil-hearted, and you harmed people too!”

"There are a lot of casual cultivators around Deyang. They are a nuisance to the city! It is common for the poorer people to default on food and drinks and buy them at low prices. The richer and more powerful people will walk in and say something to any shop they like. , I think your shop has bad feng shui, and may be in trouble. When the shopkeeper heard this, he quickly handed over the money. It would be better if he could send it away, but some people pushed the money and glared, eh, you Who do you think I am?"

"Like this, they are coming to your shop. If the owner has some power, and the two parties exchange a few words, the person will take the money and leave. If there is no power background, this will be the only one in the future." He raised his eyebrows Three fingers.

"The casual cultivators will take away 30%?"

"Alas, the boss can only keep 30% of the shop! Many shops have collapsed every year because of this." The young man sighed and smiled brightly, "Where did I just say it? It's better this time. Before. These days, many casual cultivators from Deyang went to Ranshan, saying they were looking for treasures. Guess what?"

Li Wuxiang immediately became interested. He touched in his sleeves and took out about ten copper coins: "I can't guess, but I guess it's something fun. Please tell me in detail. If you talk about it, your mouth will be dry. Use these to buy some soothing throat." of."

The boy bowed and took the copper coins, thanking him several times: "We in the city only heard the news last night - a group of casual cultivators went to Ranshan Mountain to hunt for treasures, but they were actually going to the Ranshan Sect. Then. Where is the Ranshan Sect? The Thirty-Six Sects are so courageous!"

"They made the mountain a mess. The magnificent palace was all destroyed, and countless gold and silver treasures were looted! What happened now? The new Ranshan sect leader has returned to the mountain! The new sect leader is the one left behind by the old sect leader. Disciple, the old sect leader came down the mountain just to pass the throne to him! As soon as the new sect leader came up the mountain, he happened to bump into these unlucky people who didn’t open their eyes—"

"With a pinch of magic spell and a step, he killed more than a dozen people in one encounter! The group of people were frightened to death, and they quickly went down the mountain to bring reinforcements. The reinforcements came up the mountain a few days ago. A group of Wuyangyang people, the new No matter how powerful the sect master is, he can't resist it for a moment and immediately sends out the cloud-piercing arrow!"

"We also have Feiyun Temple and Bixia Palace in our city, which are stationed by experts from the Tianxin Sect and the Louguang Sect. As soon as they saw the cloud-piercing arrow, they immediately knew that their fellow sect was in trouble, so they rode two auspicious clouds and went straight to the mountain. After going there, he didn't do anything and just stood there. All the casual cultivators were frightened! At this time, the new sect master showed his power and killed a mountain of corpses and blood. They were all frightened and ran down the mountain overnight. "

"These people returned to the city and didn't dare to ask for anything. They said that the sect leader's name was...what was his name, Li..."

"Li Wuxiang?"

"Yes! That's the name. Have you heard about it, my guest? He said that Sect Master Li was too cruel. Anyone who offended him was recorded one by one! Feng Ji, the four Feng brothers, let's leave just now They had six or seven shops on the street they passed, and they were all killed by the sect leader! No one dared to mention collecting the corpses!"

"There are some people who also occupy the shop. As soon as they arrive in the city, they pack up their belongings overnight and run away. They all know that if they don't run away, they will die! Aren't the guests going to buy a hawk? What a coincidence, that shop is just a charlatan. Xiu, I heard he went up the mountain, so he must have run away too!”

"Oh, what's it called?"

"Chuai Yuntian, a shop with a long history, is also a time-honored brand in Deyang."

"Oh, I mean, what's the name of the casual cultivator who occupies that shop?"

"Sun Dihuang." The boy snorted twice, "It's not just a thing. He took over someone else's shop, and he also took over the shopkeeper's daughter - she was married, and he poisoned her husband to death! This happened Everyone knows, but it can only be said that he died of illness, which is really tragic. "

Li Wuxiang nodded: "When I came here these two days, I also met a casual cultivator named Lao Guo. Have you heard of him?"

"There are several people with the surname Guo. What does the one our guest met look like?"

Li Wuxiang described Lao Guo's appearance in detail.

"Oh, him..." the young man laughed, "He is just a poor guy. He even got a silver knife on credit in my shop. Is he blackmailing you? Guest, you don't have to be afraid of him. What can I say? Well, let me tell you this, when he came to my shop to get credit, the shopkeeper couldn't figure out where he came from, so he gave him the money and he accepted it. "

"After collecting it, he took out the money and said to the shopkeeper, I will buy it. Hahahaha, after that, the shopkeeper didn't talk to him again. These casual cultivators are all incompetent. You don’t have to be afraid!”

Li Wuxiang breathed a sigh of relief.

He had only thought that all the casual cultivators in the world were desperadoes, but he didn't expect that what they did was so bad. If Lao Guo was also that kind of person, then things would be a bit troublesome - he promised to teach him how to be a swordsman.

Looking at it this way, he let him go once in the back mountain. He knew that he was repaying his kindness and did not fully tell his whereabouts. He let him go in the cave, and then he really found Feiyun Temple and Bixia Palace. Even from the point of view of a ruthless Jianghu man risking his life to gain wealth, this person is not bad at all. If you have never embarked on the path of spiritual practice and have always been an ordinary person, you might still be called kind and honest.

I just don’t know how many lives this guy has in his hands, and whether there are any innocent people.

The young boy continued to talk about the new sect leader of Ranshan, as if he was present and saw it with his own eyes. Just like that, we turned a few more streets and entered a less glamorous road.

This road should be on the edge of Deyang City. Although the road is wide, it is a loess road. The road is full of the hoof prints of various livestock, and the smell is not good. Both sides of the road are full of large and small sheds, which contain donkeys, mules, horses, cattle, etc., as well as some goats, sheep, and hunted wild products. They seem to be specialized in this kind of business.

The boy led him past several stables for horses and cows, and past several stalls selling delicacies and game, and finally saw a shop called "Chuanyuntian".

It's just that this shop seems to be no longer open. Some waiters are moving some wooden cages containing birds that were originally placed outside the shop into the shop. There is also a steward who sighs and weakly urges to hurry up. People around A group of people are watching.

The young man stopped and frowned: "Guest, I'm afraid we can't buy it. Let's look for another store. Oh, that's right. That Sun Dihuang got married in Deyang. This is to make this shop full. Moved, you see, the person in charge is the shop owner, he is so reluctant, ugh, Sun Dihuang really regards it as his own property."

Li Wuxiang stood down with him and looked inside for a while with the people watching the excitement around him: "So he hasn't left yet?"

"Well, this is because I can't bear to leave the family business."

Li Wuxiang thought again about what Cheng Peixin said by the campfire last night - although most people will not provoke him again, there may be some who are not clear-headed.

In fact, he felt that Cheng Zhangguan may have been practicing cultivation and did not have enough contact with ordinary people, so he said this matter conservatively.

In fact, the majority of idiots in this world are the ones who can really use their brains to think about things, weigh the pros and cons, and act rationally.

Before going up Ranshan Mountain, he planned to blend in with the crowd, pick up the treasure and leave, but he didn't expect to meet a walking person of the true form. Hearing these words from the boy's mouth, he knew that his reputation was already very big in Deyang.

People are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being strong, but if it were a tiger instead of a pig, that wouldn't necessarily be the case.

So he smiled and said, "I like this shop, so I would rather buy it here."

Two chapters merged into one.