Cultivating the Tao, paying attention to "quiet and inaction", "leaving the country to sit and forget".

Therefore, most of the Taoist priests in order to avoid the noisy city, have run to the deep mountains and old forests to cultivate, although Li Daniu this Taoist temple is not built in the deep mountains and old forests, but also away from the downtown area, choose to build in the quiet, empty, beautiful scenery of the mountains and forests.

The two walked all the way, the road under their feet became narrower and narrower, and there were fewer and fewer pedestrians to see, but the scenery became more and more beautiful.

Out of the city, the two avoided all the main roads, followed the path, crossed a stream, and finally saw a Taoist temple in a forest.

This temple is built in a forest, although it is not a blessed place surrounded by mountains and rivers, but it also makes people feel like a "paradise".

"White Deer View?" Li Chunfeng looked up, and a wooden plaque hung at the entrance of the Taoist temple.

Observing carefully, Li Chunfeng found that the scale of this Taoist temple is extremely small, there are no tall archways, mountain gates, and palace-like buildings, and this small Taoist temple is at most the scale of a Tang Dynasty courtyard.

"Li Lang comes with me." Da Niu smiled and pushed open the door of the Taoist temple.

The courtyard is very neat and tidy, and there is a tall main house in the courtyard, which is particularly solemn compared to the surrounding buildings, with yellow walls and green tiles, cornices and arches, and copper bells hanging high on the four corners of the house, and the breeze blows, making a crisp sound.

Stepping up the stone steps, you will come to the house, where the three Taoist supremes of Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing are enshrined high in the center of the hall, and incense burners and other tributes are placed on the table in front of the three statues.

This hall must be very old, although it is old, but it has been cleaned.

The enterer Bailu watched for a long time, but he didn't find any other Taoist priests, and Li Chunfeng couldn't help asking, "Da Niu, where is your senior brother?" ”

Da Niu smiled: "In the past, there were only me and the master in the temple, and after the master died, I was the only one left to take care of the Taoist temple." ”

"You're the only one left now?"

"That's right." Li Daniu nodded.

Hearing that there was only one Taoist priest in this Taoist temple, Li Chunfeng couldn't help but feel happy in his heart, and couldn't help but say: "This is easy to do." ”

"Easy to do?"

Li Chunfeng smiled: "I mean, fewer people are quieter. ”

"That's what my master said when he was alive," Li Daniu pouted, "but I always feel a little lonely." ”

Li Chunfeng said: "Don't worry, I will come here to see you when I have time." ”

"Really?"

"Of course."

Hearing Li Chunfeng's answer, Da Niu couldn't help but laugh, since he was a child, he has relied on his master for his life, and he has little contact with the outside, so he has no friends at all.

Since the death of the master, Da Niu has become even more lonely, Li Chunfeng paid off the "penny" breakfast money for him, and promised to come to see him often in the future, in the heart of the honest Li Da Niu, he has regarded Li Chunfeng as a friend.

Li Chunfeng looked around and said, "Da Niu, where are your master's alchemy tools?" ”

"Follow me."

After that, Da Niu took Li Chunfeng to the back of the hall, and on the ground, there were many things like "pots and pans", and there seemed to be a stove next to it, which was the place for alchemy? It's the kitchen.

Li Chunfeng said: "Your master, is it here to refine the pill?" ”

"That's right." Li Daniu nodded seriously, and then whispered, "Li Lang, my master is very powerful, and many dignitaries and nobles rush to ask for the elixir he refines." ”

"Rushing to get it?" Li Chunfeng was a little surprised.

Li Daniu smiled mysteriously and said, "Wait a minute, I'll show it to you." ”

With that, Da Niu turned around and walked towards a side hall, and after rummaging through the cabinets in the room, Li Da Niu walked back with a small wooden box.

"This is what my master refined," Li Daniu said this, with a proud face, "Originally, Master had three left, but two of them were exchanged for money by me." ”

Taking the small wooden box from Da Niu's hand, Li Chunfeng asked, "How much can this thing be exchanged?" ”

"You can exchange it for thirty wen." Da Niu said proudly.

Thirty Wen is definitely a lot of money for ordinary people in the early Tang Dynasty.

Li Chunfeng slowly opened the wooden box, and when the wooden box opened, a slightly pungent smell of tobacco came to his face.

"Huh? Tobacco flavor? Li Chunfeng was stunned for a moment, only to see a brown pill-like thing the size of a fingernail appear in front of him in the wooden box.

Is this thing an elixir? Li Chunfeng said secretly, who can eat this appearance and pungent taste? For these ancients, Li Chunfeng felt more and more difficult.

"Li Lang, do you know how to refine this elixir?" Da Niu asked.

"I don't know," Li Chunfeng shook his head, and then tried to ask, "Da Niu, after taking this pill, can it really prolong life?" ”

In Li Chunfeng's opinion, if such a thing really eats the stomach, I am afraid that it will eat the stomach.

Li Daniu pursed his lips and said, "I haven't eaten this thing either, but when Master was alive, he said that if he ate this thing, he could spy on the way of heaven." ”

"Spying on the Heavenly Dao? That's bragging, right? Li Chunfeng said secretly in his heart.

Over there, Li Daniu continued: "However, it is difficult to produce poppies for refining this thing, so Master can only refine a dozen pieces a year. ”

"Poppy?" Li Chunfeng said curiously, "Da Niu, can you take me to see what the poppy looks like?" ”

"Okay." Li Daniu said, "Poppy flowers grow in the backyard, you come with me." ”

After speaking, Li Daniu put away the pill, and then led Li Chunfeng to the backyard.

The backyard is not big, and there is a separate place for planting, and as soon as he arrived in the backyard, Li Chunfeng was attracted by a few gorgeous flowers.

"Well, this is the poppy flower," Li Daniu said, "According to Master, these flowers were introduced from the Western Regions from a far, far away, and they are very precious. ”

But see this plant with purple-red flowers, the stem is between 30-80 cm high, the leaves are strip-lanceolate, the leaves are alternate, the pinnate is deeply lobed, the flower buds are ovate-shaped, the flowers are 4-petaled, gorgeous and gorgeous.

Li Chunfeng was fortunate to see such a strange plant once in the 21st century, and that was at a drug propaganda meeting on Anti-Drug Day. Such a special flower, Li Chunfeng will never forget it in his life, and he never imagined that the second time he saw it was in Datang, it was - poppy!

(Note: The origin of the opium poppy is West Asia, and it was introduced to China and cultivated as early as the Six Dynasties.) In this regard, Mr. Deng Zhicheng researched: "Cold Fasting Night Talk" quoted Tao Hongjing's "Immortal Notes" and said: The broken intestine grass is unknowable. Its flowers are beautiful, and the name is hibiscus flowers. Therefore, Taibai's poem said: "In the past, it was a hibiscus flower, but now it is a broken intestine grass." How long can you get good things for others? "Broken intestine grass refers to poppies, known to have flowed into China for a long time, covering far away in the Six Dynasties. The four lines of the poem engraved by Zeng Taibai are small seals. However, opium poppy cultivation was not extensive, and it was still paid as tribute from abroad during the Tang Dynasty. ）