Chapter 1: The Boy at the Foot of the Mountain

Chapter 1: The Boy at the Foot of the Mountain

In the early morning, the first ray of light overflowing from the sky fell on the lush mountains of Xiaoan Mountain. The dew-covered vegetation made Xiaoan Mountain particularly dazzling.

The backyard of an inn in Xiao'an City at the foot of the mountain.

"Creak" The thin wooden door was pushed open from the inside, making a harsh sound.

The boy who had just struggled to get out of bed walked out of the room with sleepy eyes and staggered to the well in the backyard, ready to start the first thing of the day, filling the kitchen water tank with water.

He skillfully pulled up the first bucket of water, scooped it up with a ladle and took a big gulp. As soon as the cold well water entered his throat, the young man suddenly became clear-headed, and his slightly groggy eyes suddenly became brighter. He touched his stomach with his hand and said to himself Said.

"very hungry!"

At this time, a soft female voice came from the front hall of the inn.

"Qing'er, have you prepared the water? Come and have breakfast!"

"That's great, Mom." After saying that, he immediately took action. Under the temptation of food, he filled the water tank in the kitchen next to him in a short time.

After breakfast, the dozen or so tables in the hall were wiped down. There were almost no visitors in the morning, so the young man lay down on the table and took a nap.

The young man's name is Duan Qing, the only son of the innkeeper and his wife. He has been doing odd jobs in the inn since he was sensible.

More than ten years ago, shopkeeper Duan Niu, his wife Du Yueqing, and their infant Duan Qing fled to Xiao'an City to settle down. Duan Niu and his wife used their savings to open a small inn in this small town. The business has been pretty good over the years.

The inn is called Woniu Inn. It is not big, but it has an antique charm. Counting Duan Qing, there are only four people in total.

Du Yueqing, the housekeeper, is in charge of the accounts, Duan Niu is the shopkeeper, and Duan Qing does miscellaneous tasks. In addition, the famous chef Zhang Dasheng is hired. Duan Qing usually calls him Dasheng Ge.

I can usually handle the work in the inn, but I am quite busy during lunch.

It was almost dusk, and Duan Qing, who had been busy all day, didn't have time to have dinner, so he quickly left the inn and ran towards the north of the city.

After a while, Duan Qing came to a green brick house.

The gray-black tiles on the roof have a lot of moss growing on them, and most of the green bricks are mottled, indicating that the tile-roofed house is old.

he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Wu Xiucai came out 258."

After a while, a young man with sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes, with beautiful trees facing the wind, trotted out from the door.

Duan Qing has pretty features, he can't be said to be handsome, but he is good-looking, but compared to the young man in front of him, he pales in comparison.

This handsome boy's name is Wu Wen, and he has been Duan Qing's playmate since childhood.

He was not a real scholar, but a nickname given to him by Duan Qing, because Wu Wen looked gentle in appearance, and he had determined to obtain fame and become a high official since he was a child.

That's why he picked up such a nickname. In fact, this guy's heart really doesn't match his appearance. He does a lot of things like teasing young girls from good families and doing petty thefts.

As soon as Duan Qing saw Wu Wen come out, a smile suddenly appeared on his face. "Let's go, it's still early and we can swim a little longer."

"Okay, I'm just waiting for you. I'm bored to death after staying at home for a day!" Wu Wen is also a restless person.

This 258 is their secret code, which means to take a shower in the river. To the east of Xiao'an City is a small river. It is named An River because it surrounds Xiao'an Mountain and is crystal clear all year round.

When the weather is hot, there are many children and teenagers, naked, swimming and playing in the Yingying River. Every time, the girls and wives passing by are embarrassed and sigh in secret.

Among the naked children and teenagers, they naturally had their share.

There was nothing interesting to do in Xiao'an City. Taking a shower in the river during the hot season became one of the few activities for them.

Duan Qing is under sixteen this year, Wu Wen is a few months older than him, and they are both at an agitated age.

As the cold river water flowed, Wu Wen suddenly said mysteriously: "Qing'er, do you want to do something fun?"

Duan Qing, who was lying on his back in the river with his eyes squinted, admiring the sunset, hummed. "Well, what's going on?"

Wu Wenyou walked to Duan Qing and whispered in his ear: "Does Liu Yuanwai from the north of the city know?"

Duan Qing hummed. Liu Yuanwai was one of the largest households in Xiao'an City. He owned a lot of fertile land and rented it out to nearby villagers for farming. The rent was very high.

He usually relies on the thugs he raises to bully the people, roaming the countryside, and is secretly called Liu Papi by the people of Xiao'an City.

"I heard that Liu Papi is having a 60th birthday party today and has invited a magician from other places. Why don't we go and get to know him better?" Wu Wen looked at Duan Qing and asked eagerly.

"Alchemist?" This was the first time Duan Qing heard this word, and he read it again with some confusion.

Wu Wenshu read more than Duan Qing. Seeing that Duan Qing was confused, he explained casually: "Oh, he is the kind of person who knows some weird skills, such as refining alchemy, breathing fire, etc."

In fact, Wu Wen didn't know who the alchemist was. He had only read a few descriptions in books.

Duan Qing was stunned for a while, and was a little tempted. He wanted to see if the alchemist Wu Wen mentioned really had such magical abilities.

But his simple nature made him have some scruples.

"But Liu Bapi's birthday banquet was all hosted by local gentlemen and celebrities, so we can't get in! Besides, Liu Bapi's family's vicious dog is very vicious!"

Hearing Duan Qing mention Liu Bapi's vicious dog, Wu Wen also shuddered. He had experienced how powerful that beast was before, and he almost had his butt opened!

It's just that the boy's nature is to heal the scars and forget about the pain. In addition, he really wanted to see something, so he gritted his teeth and said, "What are you afraid of? I just took the opportunity to deal with that beast and avenge what happened last time." Revenge of the Arrow! As for how to get in...the mountain man has a clever plan!"

Duan Qing saw that Wu Wen was so determined and that he was curious and wanted to join in the fun, so he agreed.

But he was still a little worried. "Well, that's up to you, but you have to think of a way to deal with that vicious dog first!"

When Wu Wen saw Duan Qing agreeing, he was so excited that he dived into the water, and then suddenly his head popped up from behind Duan Qing. He laughed and said: "Haha, Xiao Qingzi, don't worry, I have a solution for that damn bitch." deal with it.”

It is getting late, and most people in Xiaoan City have turned off their lights and gone to sleep. In this peaceful small town, in order to save some lamp oil, everyone is accustomed to going to bed early and getting up early, and rarely does any activities at night.

However, at this time, the Liu Mansion in the north of the city was still brightly lit, decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and it was very lively.

At this moment, in the backyard of Liu Mansion, under the window sill of a small house, two young men with nervous expressions and looking around were squatting. They were Duan Qing and Wu Wen.

Duan Qing looked around from time to time, for fear of being discovered. He remembered that he and Wu Wen had just gotten into the backyard through a dog hole that he found somewhere, and he couldn't help but blame Wu Wen in his heart. He could think of such a shameless method!

"Xiucai, please don't trick me. Does your method really work?" Duan Qing looked at Wu Wen suspiciously, feeling a little uneasy and regretful in his heart.

"Just be rest assured. The big fresh meat buns I wrote down this week, coupled with the green root bark powder I got from the medicine shop shopkeeper Wang, I guarantee that after eating the fresh meat buns, the dead dog will become a real person immediately." dead dog."

Wu Wen proudly raised what he had in his hand, which were several meat buns wrapped with oil paper and fine linen rope.

Duan Qing, a green root bark powder, knows that there is a long Xiaoan Mountain behind Xiaoan City.

The raw material of green root bark powder is the green tree, formerly known as the azure tree. The bark of the root part of the tree is highly toxic. A normal person can be comatose for several days after eating a small amount. In severe cases, he may even lose his life.

But on this day, there are few leaves on the top of the green tree, and there is no twig bark above the leaves on the top of the tree, but it is the best seasoning.

Every spring, the top of the azure tree is plucked, and the tender skin is dried and ground into powder, which is called green skin powder.

Usually add a little when cooking to enhance the umami flavor.

He would use it when cooking at his inn, and his father had taught him to identify the difference, so Duan Qing was quite clear about the medicinal properties of green root bark powder.

At this time, Wu Wen suddenly lowered his voice. "Qing'er, follow me."

After saying that, he took advantage of the darkness and walked towards the front yard.

There was constant noise in the front yard, and cheers could be heard from time to time.

Although Duan Qing felt a little regretful, he didn't want to leave Wu Wen alone, so he had no choice but to follow him.

The two of them walked all the way from the backyard to the front yard wall, climbed up the old tree at the corner, found a thick branch and stood on it, leaning on the wall and looking into the front yard.

At this time, there were more than a dozen Eight Immortals tables placed in the front yard. The tables were filled with all kinds of delicacies. Each table was filled with people, all of whom looked rich or noble. There were also a few big men standing at the door of the yard. A strong man with a big waist.

The banquet was in full swing, but everyone's attention was not on the food and wine on the table. Instead, they all focused their eyes on the front of the hall, exchanging ear-to-ear glances from time to time, and cheering each other.

Duan Qing and the other two followed the gazes of the crowd and looked towards the front of the hall. They saw an old man with white hair and childish face wearing a green robe, holding a fly whisk in one hand and waving it back and forth with the other. There was also a well-behaved girl standing beside him.

While waving his palm, a ball of fire appeared out of thin air. After the ball of fire appeared, the old man suddenly stopped his hand, looked at the ball of fire in his hand and nodded with a smile. At the same time, the whisk in his other hand swayed around the ball of fire.

With the whisk shaking, in just a moment, the fire ball condensed into a fireball.

Then the old man gently moved his palm, and the fireball suddenly rose into the sky. In an instant, it reached the high altitude of the front yard, and then exploded with a loud bang and spread out, illuminating the surrounding area.