Chapter 24 Tongxuan Mountain
After noon, Shi Xuan and Ding Mingde were ready to set off because they had to rush to Yuhua Pavilion. The two stood up and said goodbye to Yan Jujian. At the same time, Ding Mingde politely invited Yan Jujian to accompany them. After all, both parties The destination is the same and it's another acquaintance. It would be rude not to invite someone. But after all, Yan Jujian's identity and origins are not clear. If they really go together, they will waste a lot of energy on guarding, so they just invite him politely. If the other party is interested, he will naturally decline.
Unexpectedly, Yan Jujian had no intention of declining and agreed directly. Shi Xuan and the two were unable to get off the tiger, so they had to ask him to get on the carriage. For Shi Xuan, maybe this is okay. 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 looked at Yan Jujian's burly figure, but Shi Xuan's promise of a reward of five taels of silver prevented him from objecting. He could only watch Yan Jujian step onto the carriage, causing it to creak under the pressure of the carriage. There was a creaking sound, and even the two horses in front took a small step back involuntarily.
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, except for occasionally asking Ding Mingde a few words, and for Shi Xuan Completely ignored, even Shi Xuan could feel a slight sense of wariness.
Shi Xuan felt more and more that this trip to Tongxuan Mountain was weird, but since he was going to seek immortality and seek Taoism, and he had the means to suppress the situation, there was no way he could just give up.
The weird atmosphere in the carriage continued to the foot of Tongxuan Mountain. Just after half 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 some money and sending him away, Shi Xuan used the excuse to go behind a mountain wall, intending to take this opportunity to hear 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 breath, entering an ethereal state, using his keen senses to the fullest. Because it was far away, he could not hear as casually as before.
Sure enough, I heard Yan Jujian say in a low voice: "I wonder if little brother Ding knows what happened when a certain family came to Shuanghu Village in Tongxuan Mountain?"
"No, aren't you looking for an old friend?" Ding Mingde said in a confused voice.
"Yes, a certain family's friend came to Tongxuan Mountain two years ago, but no news came back. A certain family was worried about his safety, so they came here to find him."
"Are you in danger in the mountains? It is said that there are many ferocious beasts in this mountain."
"Hahahaha, will he die from the mouth of a wild beast?" Yan Jujian's mocking voice couldn't control the volume.
"That...that is?" Ding Mingde said hesitantly.
"After a certain family came to Chuzhou City, they conducted secret investigations for a long time and found that many people disappear in Tongxuan Mountain every year, and they all have one thing in common. Hehe, do you know what it is?" Yan Jujian did not directly Answered and moved on to another topic.
"Been eaten by a wild beast?" Ding Mingde replied blankly.
"Hey, they are either people like you or those whose parents have died, or people who are away from home all the time and don't go home for several years. In short, they are people who will not cause too much trouble even if they disappear. ”
"Ah? How, how, how could it be possible!" Ding Mingde was a little frightened.
"So, a certain family originally wanted to go up the mountain to explore by themselves, but by chance I heard that you were going to Shuanghu Village in Tongxuan Mountain. I remembered that this place name was also mentioned in a letter sent to me by a friend of a certain family, so I came over to see you. After asking, I found out that your parents were deceased, and combined with the information that I had found out before, I decided to go with you. "
"I, I, I'm not going." His teeth began to chatter, and he was about to retreat.
"Brother Ding, don't you think it's too late to go back now that you've reached the foot of Tongxuan Mountain?" Yan Jujian said in a playful voice.
"You...what are you doing? Brother Zi'ang, by the way, I'll go back with Brother Zi'ang!"
"Hey, your brother Ziang doesn't have to take you back!"
"What's the meaning?!"
"He is a hidden master. If he wants to kill you, it would be easier than killing a chicken!"
"It's difficult, can't it be! No way! Brother Zi'ang is generous and generous, and he has the legacy of the ancients. He is a gentleman at first sight!" Ding Mingde retorted excitedly, the more he spoke, the smoother he spoke, and the last half of the sentence was completed in one go.
"A certain family doesn't read much, but I still heard a saying, which is, you can't have the intention to harm others, and you can't have the intention to let others go. I'm afraid you two haven't known each other for a long time." Yan Jujian said leisurely.
"This, this..." Ding Mingde was speechless.
"Brother Ding, since you are here, why not take a certain family to investigate and get to the bottom of it and completely solve the troubles? Otherwise, even if you return home, you will not be safe and may even harm your loved ones."
"Cousin, yes! Cousin, he is coming too!"
"That's right, let's go with a certain family. Without boasting, the certain family can definitely keep you safe, little brother. Although your martial arts brother is very powerful, he may not be able to win. Pass a certain hand." Yan Jujian's calm voice was full of confidence.
"This..." Ding Mingde's hesitant voice.
"In this world, including the hidden old monsters, those who can defeat a certain family can be counted on ten fingers." Yan Jujian's calm voice gave people a lot of confidence.
"Okay! I promise you!" Ding Mingde gritted his teeth and agreed.
Seeing that the two of them had finished their discussion, Shi Xuan stayed behind the mountain wall for a while before slowly walking out. He apologized to the two of them with a smile on his face, saying that he had a bad stomach.
Yan Jujian still looked indifferent to Shi Xuan, but Ding Mingde didn't know how to act, so he responded to Shi Xuan with a slightly evasive attitude. Shi Xuan pretended not to see it and urged the two of them to go up the mountain together. This Tongxuan Mountain looks very weird, but we won't go to places that are not weird.
The three of them walked silently on the mountain road, especially Ding Mingde, whose face was so full of fear that his waist was almost bent. If Yan Jujian hadn't been standing behind him, Shi Xuan doubted whether he would have said "Ah" After yelling, he turned around and ran away.
Tongxuan Mountain is deep and peaceful, the birds chirping crisply, and you can feel the coolness even in the hot summer. In this environment, the three of them soon arrived at a luxuriously decorated pavilion, with a plaque hanging on it saying "Yuhua Pavilion" in Chinese characters. There is a stone tablet on the left side of the pavilion, which records the history of this pavilion. It was built with donations from the previous dynasty. Twenty years ago and three years ago, wealthy families in Chuzhou City donated money for repairs.
After Ding Mingde saw this pavilion, he said to Shi Xuan and Yan Jujian: "My cousin said that the chief steward of Shuanghu Village will be waiting for me here starting from Youshi. Now there are still more than two quarters of minutes until Youshi, so why don't we just wait for you here?" Go into the pavilion and rest for a while.”
Shi Xuan nodded, Yan Jujian did not comment, and the three of them went into the pavilion and sat down on each side. Shi Xuan planned to take advantage of this gap to regain his energy and prepare for the next trip, so he closed his eyes and rested his mind after sitting down, and his inner energy began to move slowly. Yan Jujian didn't know if he paid the same attention as Shi Xuan, but Shi Xuan noticed that he was also sitting with his eyes closed, not saying a word. Ding Mingde, on the other hand, was restless. He stood up several times and wanted to go to Yan Jujian, but then walked back hesitantly and sat down again.
When the Qi was flowing, time flew by quickly, and soon the sun began to set to the west. Ding Mingde judged from the shadow that it was almost the time of united hour, 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 opening their eyes respectively.
Shi Xuan stood up and said with a smile: "It seems that the Youshi hour is coming soon." At this time, Shi Xuan saw a figure coming out of the corner of the mountain road in the distance, "Uh, is that the big housekeeper?" He pointed there.
Ding Mingde hurriedly turned around to look, but unfortunately his eyesight was poor and he could only see a blurry black shadow.
The figure staggered over, and it took him a while to burn the incense before he came close. He was an old-looking man, wearing colorful black cloth clothes and a military hat. The hair exposed from the hat was completely white. His face was deeply wrinkled, like orange peel, and he was dry and thin. He was holding a big red lantern in his hand with the word "王" written on it.
Shi Xuan looked at the old man and felt a strange feeling in his heart. It seemed that something was contained in this body. Unfortunately, it was not convenient to use magic to open his eyes to see it now.
Yan Jujian gently pushed Ding Mingde, who was frozen on the spot, and Ding Mingde stepped forward and saluted as if he suddenly understood: "Is the old man the chief steward of the Wang family in Shuanghu Village?"
The old man raised his head, looked at Ding Mingde with cloudy eyes, and returned the salute with a hoarse voice: "It's the old man, but Mr. Ding Mingde?"
"Is this the name of the butler?"
"Old man's natural surname is Wang. Don't dare to offend Mr. Ding's ears with a cheap name. Just call him steward Wang. Who are these two?" The chief steward saw Shi Xuan and Yan Jujian behind Ding Mingde.
"These two are my good friends, Shi Xuan, Shi Zi'ang and Yan Jujian. I sent them here to visit Tongxuan Mountain. I wonder if I can take them to Shuanghu Village to stay overnight tonight?" Ding Mingde seems to have been there for a while. Think about what to say.
The chief steward's turbid eyes looked back and forth at Shi Xuan and the two of them. Shi Xuan felt a chill, as if he was being stared at by some cold-blooded animal.
After a few moments of silence, the butler said calmly: "Since he is Mr. Ding's friend and a guest of Shuanghu Village, he is naturally welcome. I'm afraid he may not be greeted well."
"It's such an intrusion, so I'd like to thank the housekeeper first." Ding Mingde was secretly pushed by Yan Jujian again, and he hurriedly expressed his gratitude, which finally finalized the matter.
The chief steward glanced at the three of them again, then half-turned around and said, "Three distinguished guests, stay with me. The road in the mountains is foggy and it's easy to get lost." Then he picked up the lantern and staggered towards the way he came.
Shi Xuan and the other three glanced at each other. Ding Mingde closed his eyes and followed closely behind the butler, while Shi Xuan and Yan Jujian walked side by side at the end.