In Chang'an, the weather in late autumn is already very dry, and the dust raised by the autumn wind makes pedestrians on the street hide their faces and stop to take shelter. Tarhan led Pri through the streets of the southern city. Chang'an is worthy of being the capital of the Western Wei Dynasty, and both Puli and Tarhan, who are outside the Saiwai, can't help but be impressed: high walls and deep courtyards, green tiles of Zhumen, jade steps, and majestic stone lions. Tree-lined gardens, lively night markets, natural lakes and small rivers with boats and pedestrians on the banks of the canals.

Although it is almost difficult for everyone to come out after the two of them have made up, the unique appearance of the people of the Western Regions also allows the Han people to know at a glance that they are from Fanbang. At this time, Tarhan walked in front, dressed in the service of an ordinary Han and wearing a wide-brimmed hat. The brim of the hat was pressed very low, deliberately not letting people see his true face. Behind him, Pu Li was dressed with more bells and whistles, a big gold wire trimmed hat, a pullover made of fine brocade, a satin pants embroidered with mandarin ducks, a pair of fine figure-eight riding boots, and a small hat with a round melon skin with a very Western style on his head looked very blinking.

Tarhan was afraid of being recognized, he didn't even ride a horse, walking in the streets and alleys of Chang'an South City, shuttling between the homeless people in the market, even if he was so low-key, there were still people who frequently looked at them, because Pri was dressed too strangely, and with two strong bodyguards, it was really a wink.

Talhan was reluctant to bring him to Chang'an, but the high priest asked Pri to follow. This made Tarhan complain in his heart, but he was helpless. This time it was a trip to Chang'an arranged by Hou Mo Chen Chong for him, and he used the excuse that he wanted to come to Chang'an in person to make friends with some dignitaries, but in fact, it was to find out the whereabouts of the Classic of Mountains and Seas in private. According to the high priest, there was a Taoist priest named Tufuzi who might know the whereabouts of this scripture.

I don't know about Tufuzi Tar Khan, but after inquiring, Hou Mo Chen Chong learned that this person was a down-and-out Taoist priest in his fifties, who had been placing orders in Xianheguan in Chang'an South City all the year round. This person lives in a simple place, and ordinary people really don't know his details and deeds. It is said that this person was a native of Yecheng in the Eastern Wei Dynasty and came to Chang'an in the last years of the Northern Wei Dynasty. But he has always had a bad reputation among the local Taoist priests.

It is said that this man also used the corpses of dead people to make alchemy, and the practice was very terrifying. Such a legend thrilled Talhan's heart, and he seemed to be keen to deal with such cult tendencies. He himself has an evil aura in his bones.

A group of four people came to a barren and desolate Taoist temple, Tarhan pushed away the hat, looked up at the door, and saw three large characters with mottled handwriting: Xianheguan. Tarhan looked inside, and it was overgrown with weeds and rubble, and it looked very desolate. Tarhan took two steps forward and walked up the steps to push open the hidden door, and shouted inside, "Is anyone there?" Behind him, Puri and two bodyguards: Chai Dang and Shinu followed.

Talhan stood in the doorway and shouted twice, but no one in the courtyard responded. Pri covered his nose and complained: "What smells so bad, I don't think it's possible to live here, it can't be that they are mistaken." He didn't dare to say that the high priest's news was wrong, he could only say that Hou Mo Chen Chong's inquiry was not clear. There was indeed a stench of rotting corpses in the courtyard, which one could smell from the door. Although Tarhan was also very skeptical of the accuracy of the news, he was also very disdainful of Priyan's words.

Tarhan turned to Shinu behind him and said, "Go in and see if anyone is there." Shinu nodded and did not speak, pushed open the door and walked in the direction of the main hall, the doors and windows of the three temples were already in a dilapidated state, and one of the doors had leaves on the wall leaning to one side. Shinu walked into the courtyard with one foot deep and one foot shallow and walked towards the Three Temples.

Although it was already the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, the weather at this time was noon, and the sun above his head was still shining a little to make people sweat.

Talhan's attention was all focused on the courtyard at this time, Xinu cautiously walked to the door of the temple, pushed open the door and looked inside, only to see Hula suddenly fly out of it Several pigeons frightened Xinu at the door, even Talhan was startled, and was busy entering the Taoist temple to take a closer look. It was an old voice coming from the side door on the side of the Three Temples, "Who are you and what are you doing here?" ”

Talhan and Chai Dang were both stunned on the spot, just now it was clear that no one was there for a long time, why did someone suddenly come out, the two turned their heads to look at the side door, and saw a pale-haired and ragged old man glaring at him. Talhan hurriedly bowed and saluted: "The old man is polite, I am a merchant from the Western Regions, and I want to pray for the blessing of my deceased father in this view." Are you a Taoist priest in this view? ”

Although they are already very fluent in Chinese, the appearance of the Turks of Tarkhan can be seen at a glance to be different from the Han people, fortunately, Chang'an has always been a mixed residence of Hu and Han, and many strangely dressed people from the Western Regions will come to this ancient capital every day, so the local people are not surprised by these red-haired and green-eyed Fanbang barbarians, and this old Taoist is estimated to have seen aliens, so after hearing this, he said very calmly: "Don't run away blindly, this is not your place, and this Taoist temple has been deserted, and it is not praying for the dead." ”

Hearing this, Tarhan smiled and said: "In this case, please forgive us for our recklessness, the weather is so hot, I have been walking for a long time, and my mouth is dry, I wonder if the old man can give a bowl of water to drink?" Looking at Talhan's kind smile, Lao Dao said angrily: "You guys have a lot of things, wait here honestly." With that, he turned and went back to the backyard.

Puri stood at the door and asked: "How is it, is this person we are looking for?" Tarhan ignored him, and Chai Dang and Shinu took his words as air more like silent wooden men. Puri had to be embarrassed and said, "What does this yard smell, it's so fucking stinky." It's the same flavor as a dead mouse. I can't take it anymore. So saying, he retreated to the big tree outside the gate.

After a while, I saw the old man walking out with a kettle and three tea bowls, he hurriedly stepped forward in a hot sweat, stretched out his hand with a smile on his face, and said: "It's really an old man, thank you very much." "Both hands are going to take the teapot. The old Taoist imperial teapot and tea bowl said: "You don't have to be polite, just leave as soon as you finish drinking water." Talhan nodded and smiled, "That's nature, that's nature." ”

By pouring tea, Tarhan asked the old man: "Old man, I think this Taoist temple is very huge, I think the incense was also very strong before, how can it be so depressed and dilapidated now?" Lao Dao sat on the threshold in front of the temple door and shook a puff fan and said: "You have a lot of words, and you can listen to the things here, and you don't know the details, why do you have to ask so much detail?" ”

Tarhan handed the old man a night of tea and said: "I like to listen to people talk about the ancients the most, anyway, I have nothing to do, so the old man might as well come and listen to us." Lao Dao glanced at him, took the tea in his hand but didn't drink it but put it aside, and then said, "Well, since you want to hear it, then I'll nag a few words." This Taoist temple was called Sanqing Temple before, it is a very famous Taoist temple in Chang'an, the master of the temple is said to be the great disciple of the heavenly master Zhang Linfan, there is a superb Taoist line of resurrection and turning stones into gold, it is said that he taught the emperor the prescription of immortality before being given to this Taoist temple.

It's a pity that the emperor didn't live forever, or died, and later the crown prince ascended the throne as the new emperor, and some people framed the Taoist priest for killing the emperor with evil magic, and the new emperor asked the Taoist priest to be arrested, and the disciples of the entire Taoist temple were also sent to prison and locked up. ”

Speaking of this, Pri couldn't help but interject: "I'll just say how can there be immortality spells in this world." He just saw them drinking water here, and he felt that he was also thirsty, so he ignored the smell in the yard and came in to ask for a cup of tea, and happened to hear the old Tao talking about the ancients. Lao Dao listened to his words and stopped looking at him a little angrily, and Talhan hurriedly said: "Don't care that he is an open-mouthed person, you continue." As he spoke, he picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. Pri on the side ignored the disgusted eyes of Lao Dao and Talhan, and actually picked up a tea bowl and poured water to drink.

Seeing that they all took turns drinking tea, Lao Dao continued: "The Lord of the Views is indeed a powerful mana, and the emperor's prison can't hold him, so he escaped from the prison that night. The emperor was furious, and wanted to execute these disciples in the Taoist temple and burn the Sanqingguan with a fire. However, both the minister and the empress advised the emperor not to do so, for fear of angering the gods and the celestial masters. So the emperor ordered that the Taoist priests in the Taoist temple should be assigned to the army. ”

Seeing that the four people seemed to be very engrossed in listening to their own talk about the ancients, the old Taoist seemed to have a smug look, and continued: "Later, this Taoist temple was abandoned until three years ago, a Taoist priest from other places rebought this place, renamed Sanqing Temple as Xianhe Temple, and participated in meditation and alchemy medicine here every day. Tarhan asked curiously, "If someone has bought it again, why does it still look desolate now?" ”

Lao Dao raised his head and said with a mysterious smile: "Because the Taoist priest who bought this place is me." Tarhan was a little surprised that the old man in front of him, who was crumbling and ragged, would have the money to buy a pretending Taoist temple, so he pretended to be surprised and asked, "Old man, what are you buying this place for?" Lao Dao said with a smile: "To tell you the truth, I bought this place to find a place with a lot of people and a clean place to do alchemy." ”

"Oh, what kind of Dan are you practicing?" Tarhan became more and more curious about this old man, and always felt that he was full of mystery. Lao Dao smiled: "What do you think I am practicing Dan?" Tarhan looked at him, and suddenly felt dizzy, and he was shocked and secretly said badly, and was about to get up sharply, but then he found that Puri behind him had already fallen to the ground and was speechless, and Xinu and Chai Dang were also sitting on the ground panting, as if they were about to fall.

At this time, Lao Dao stood up, kicked the tea bowl on the side of the door and smiled: "You will soon know what kind of Dan I am practicing." At this time, Talhan felt that the old man's face was distorted, he knew that he had begun to hallucinate after drinking the Menghan medicine, and he was full of anger and wanted to go forward to catch the old man, but he found that his limbs were as weak as cotton, and he fell to the ground with a thud, and watched the old man come over and kick him in the face, and his eyes were dark, and he lost consciousness.

When Talhan woke up, he found that his **** upper body was tied to a door panel, and his body and feet all felt sore, this Mongolian and Han medicine also had an anesthetic effect, and Lao Dao was afraid that they would be strong in the Western Regions, so he specially strengthened the effect of the medicine, so although Talhan was tied up at this time, he had no strength at all, and it was very difficult to even turn his neck.

I saw that this was a dimly lit secret room, surrounded by cold stone walls, a candle was lit in the corner and on the table, the faint light and the damp and moldy smell in the secret room looked very strange, Tarhan saw that Shinu and Pri were also tied to the door panel like himself, there seemed to be no one else in the secret room, and he didn't know how long he had been locked here, so Tar Khan shouted in a weak voice: "Pri Xuan...... Hinu ...... Whew, wake up......"

After shouting for a long time, Xinu woke up first, but it seemed that he looked dumbfounded, like a walking corpse without a soul, and Puri also woke up leisurely and said: "What's wrong with me, do you have any strength, where is this, Tarhan?" At this moment, Tarhan still wanted to know where this was, and he desperately recalled the previous situation, and said: "We fell into the way of the old thief, and we were bewitched by him with sweat medicine. ”

Puri wanted to cry without tears and said: "I said a long time ago that this Taoist temple is very strange, tell you not to come in, you don't listen, now it's okay." Hey, where did Chai Dang go? Why don't you see others? Tarhan also wondered where this firewood went, and then suddenly heard someone use the key to open the door of the secret room, and the three of them stared at the door, and the familiar face of Lao Dao was revealed, and his expression looked very obscene at this time. (To be continued.) )