The master of Daoist Long may not have had any good intentions at first, and he came all the way from Beijing to Sichuan to complete the task rather than do good deeds, and he was reluctant to take risks with his apprentices, and he probably wanted to stay at the critical moment later. The latest free chapters of the book can be found here. Of course, it is not excluded that the two have been together for a long time and have feelings, from the time the Jiantian Master began to look for a place when he accepted the Dragon Taoist as an apprentice, to the mouth of the cave where the eyes of the earth may be hidden because of the earth's movement, it has been more than father and son for nearly twenty years. Thirty years have passed, and he still can't forget his master, it seems that this Dragon Daoist is also a person who values feelings, thinking of this, Liu Qiao can't help but feel something.

Seeing that Daoist Long was still immersed in missing his master, Liu Qiao asked, "Aren't the villagers very angry when those young people died?" Is there also a compensation for the villagers if the land that the county decrees ruled that the land belonging to Guanli was cultivated by the villagers, and only some food was provided to Guanli? ”

Daoist Long said: "The villagers here are still very united, at that time, many people asked the master to give an explanation, otherwise he would have to resist his life, and finally the county order also sent someone to pass the master to the county to make it clear, and the master couldn't take out a sign to send the people in the county away." Later, a few more people from the county came to discuss with the master for a long time, and the idea of using the fields to appease the villagers was still the master's own idea, and I only listened to it in the main hall at that time, as if the second time the county came, they were still very polite to the master. ”

Liu Qiao nodded and asked, "You wait for the matter to pass and go up the mountain again?" Under what circumstances did you see that topaz? ”

Daoist Long said: "After the people in the county left, the master suddenly felt very anxious that night, and the next day he went to the city again, and came back in the afternoon and went up the mountain with me. ”

Liu Qiao said: "What did you say? ”

Daoist Long said: "I told Master that I felt different when I came up twice, and the first time I came up, I found that my head was very dizzy and tired, especially the bones were very uncomfortable as if they were about to become brittle, and Master said that he also felt this way at that time, so he didn't want me to take risks." I also said that I didn't feel that way at all this time, as if I still had inexhaustible energy on my body, Master thought about it and took out a piece of topaz and put it in my hand, and asked me to go in and find a suitable place to put it, and if there was danger on the way, I would come out in time□ and I felt a familiar feeling when the adults came, so I decided that you had that topaz on you, and it was also the reason why I could detect it as soon as you went up the mountain. ”

Liu Qiao asked: "I not only have topaz, but also your master's kind of brand, it can be said that I and your master are both from the same place, and we are also completing the same kind of tasks." You've come to me today not just to tell me these few words, but now you're going to tell me what you're trying to achieve. ”

Daoist Long said: "My parents died when I was young, and my uncle gave me to the master as an apprentice, just like Shi Quan said, I am a master for one day and a father for life, I still can't forget the master's kindness to me, I just want to go into it to leave a clue about the master." If he is still alive, I want him to continue to teach me, and if he is dead, I will bury his bones and do my filial piety, and nothing else. ”

Liu Qiao thought for a while and said: "At the beginning, Shi Quanshi Baihu has already entered and come out from here, there is nothing in it, there is only a stone drum with words, he gently extended the text on the stone drum, we are studying what it means, you come to see if you recognize it?" ”

When Daoist Long heard that Shi Quan had entered, he looked at Shi Quan and asked, "How can you dare to go in again after you have already been injured once?" Are you alright? ”

Shi Quan bowed his head and said: "Thank you Master for your concern, I plugged my ears with a strip of cloth for fear of disturbing my mind by hearing some strange sounds, except for the feeling that the bones are about to become brittle as Master said by Master, and I feel much more comfortable when I come out and come to Lord Liu." ”

Daoist Long nodded, turned to look at the white cloth spread out on a stone in front of Liu Qiao, some ink on it did not look like it was written by a person, but first smeared ink on something, and then covered it with a white cloth, and then rubbed it down→ Daoist looked at it and said: "I don't know these words, but I know that this is indeed the words engraved on the stone drum inside, because there is a pit in the middle of this word, just put that magical topaz into it." ”

Shi Quan said next to him: "I went in once ten years ago, I didn't care about it at the time and thought it was a stone drum, I started to go in and touched it carefully, the texture is not as thick as a stone, nor is it as cold as copper and iron, I don't know what it is made of." ”

Liu Qiao said: "It doesn't matter what it is made of, no matter what it means, I will hand over this rubbing to the emperor after I return to Beijing, so that the people of the Hanlin Academy will know it as soon as they study it?" Now trouble Shi Baihu to go again and put this topaz in the recess of the word in the middle, and it will be completed in a few days. ”

Daoist Long asked in a trembling voice, "Lord Liu, can you let me take a look at Topaz?" ”

Liu Qiao glanced at Daoist Long, took out a small wooden box wrapped in yellow silk, opened the wooden box, took out the topaz from it, and handed it to him, Daoist Long stretched out his hands and took it, turned it over and looked at it, and said, "It's this piece of jade!" When the master heard what I said, he asked me to put the jade in the recess of the word in the middle, and I didn't let me get it back for about half a year, thinking that the master found out that someone was looking for him, so he took the jade and left□ my lord, you said that it would be done in a few days, is it too little time? ”

Liu Qiao shook his head and said: "Your master thinks that the longer the better, but in fact, it only takes more than seven to nine days to be harmful, this is an expert told me, saying that this thing is not used by ordinary people, maybe it is harmful, Shi Baihu will go and put it away now, and we can all go back to Beijing to complete the task." ”

Shi Quan heard that he could leave in a few days, and he was excited to take the topaz from the hands of the dragon Taoist and turned over and went into the cave□ Qiao waited for Shi Quan to come back and said, "I will stay here for the past few days, will you go down or stay here with me?" ”

Shi Quan said: "I don't feel at ease when I go down, so let's accompany the adults here." ”

Daoist Long lowered his head and thought for a while and said, "I'm here to accompany you too, when I think of Topaz, I think of Master, and when I get closer to Topaz, I will feel Master's breath." ”

Liu Qiao smiled: "It just so happens that I am lonely alone, you are willing to accompany me here, anyway, the land at the entrance of the cave is big enough, we can go into the cave to avoid it when the sun or rain comes." After speaking, he turned around and called one of the guards behind him to take out the chess of the dragon Taoist in the view, and said that he would kill the dragon Taoist and Shi Baihu here for a few days→ Taoist was a chess nerd, and he would forget to eat and sleep when he played chess, and he was very happy to see that he could play chess.

In the next few days, the three of them ate and slept at the entrance of the cave, played chess, ate and drank, and someone sent it, and if it was convenient, they could also go down the cliff to find a secluded place to solve it. Among the three, Liu Qiao and Shi Quan's chess strength is about the same, Long Daoist has to send some Jingcheng to hug his arms on the side, but his addiction is the biggest, he often holds his urine and can't help but go down□ Qiao also told Long Daoist in his free time that his master can't find it, so old he is either an immortal ascending to heaven or he is dead, let him not think like a child that the master has just arrived at ≡the Heavenly Master Temple promised will definitely be fulfilled, that is, as long as he is willing to cooperate and make meritorious contributions, the Taoist Temple will not have to worry about eating and drinking in the future.

Daoist Long has also been acquainted with Liu Qiao in the past few days, so he asked him why he didn't have to worry about the law, whether he wanted to greet the county order and ask the people to return the occupied land to Guanli, so that he could rent it out and collect rent□ Qiao clearly told him that he would not interfere in local affairs, but he could be responsible for introducing some drought-tolerant new varieties of grain crops, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and other things, saying that these things are more productive than rice drought tolerance, and the grassland above is developed and planted with everything. The land that the villagers had already occupied was to be asked to be responsible for providing rations according to the original county decision, and the barren grassland could be said to the county and no one was allowed to occupy it.

Nine days later, about the middle of July, Liu Qiao asked Shi Quan to go into the cave and take out the topaz, and found that there was indeed a big difference, the previous topaz was a bright orange yellow, and now the color is a little dark, not to mention that the surface still has a warm luster, Shi Quan and Long Daoist were amazed□ Qiao immediately went down the mountain with fifty brocade guards and Shi Quan to prepare to enter Beijing, and by the way, let Hou Liangzhu send someone to guard the Heavenly Master Temple, saying that this place may be used in the future to protect well, this time Hou Liangzhu's merits will definitely be told to the emperor after returning to Beijing, Hearing this, Hou Liangzhu was overjoyed.

Liu Qiao said that the county order should protect the property and not be occupied by anyone, especially the grassland above will be used for experiments in the future to plant high-yield and drought-tolerant grain, and the county order has agreed one by one. The admonition to the villagers should be easier, just say that the fairy who harms people on the mountain has been defeated after nine days and nine nights of fighting, and she is sealed in the mountain by the imperial court and is not allowed to go out to harm people, but the villagers are better not to go up the mountain to collect firewood or something, in case you accidentally move the seal and then release the fairy There will be big trouble, and the villagers can't help but nod when they hear it.

When saying goodbye to Daoist Long, Shi Quan tearfully thanked Daoist Long for taking care of him, saying that he was a good person, and when the affairs of the imperial court were over, he would retire and come to the Heavenly Master Temple, and Daoist Long listened to the old tears□ Qiao suggested that Daoist Long should collect a few more people now, and only when there were more people would he be popular, anyway, the villagers who farmed the land would give rations, and when the output of the grassland was more, he would expand the Tianshi Temple, and put on beautiful clothes for Zhang Tianshi, and there were many people who came to worship him. And to learn from the advanced experience of Buddhism to diversify, in addition to Zhang Tianshi, you can also shape something to cross the sea of the eight immortals, worship the longevity of Magu, the bull riding Laojun, etc., etc., there are many idols, there is always one that can move people's hearts.

On the way back, Liu Qiao asked Shi Quan: "You have been here for ten years, what kind of person do you think Long Daoist is?" What kind of person is his master? ”

Shi Quan thought for a while and said: "Master and Master Ancestor should be both lovers, not stereotypical and have no lofty goals, but they are both cautious and cautious people. ”

Liu Qiao nodded and said: "People in love are too emotional, such a person can't restrain his emotions and it is difficult to achieve great things, and being cautious and cautious on the other hand is timid and afraid of things, but such a person is worthy of trust." I finally understand now why after a few decades, Daoist Long's master still did everything possible to send Topaz to the palace, because seeing that Daoist Long was almost sixty years old and still missing his master like a child, I felt that they should be the same kind of people, and in the eyes of people like them, it would not be easy to change one thing. In the case of Master Long Daoist, in his opinion, topaz is his task, and he lives for the task and dies for the task in his life. ”

Shi Quan bowed his head and said: "I stayed there for ten years for the mission, if it wasn't for the adult, I don't know how long I would stay, maybe it would be a lifetime." ”

Liu Qiao was stunned for a moment, thought about it and said with a wry smile: "I'm afraid that the reason why people like you and me exist is also because of the mission, without the task, we have no need to exist." ”