Chapter 2: Wanji Temple (4)
A night of wind and rain caused a thin layer of Bodhi leaves to fall on the Divine Blessing Avenue, and the air was mixed with the fragrance of leaves and the fragrance of earth. Cheng Jiao took a big breath of sweet air, totoed, jumped on the horse's back, tapped the horse's belly, and Chi Ji ran in small steps. She ran south and then east, along the bluestone avenue by the lake of flames to the east of Hot Spring City.
On horseback, the sky is blue as if it is new, a red sun is climbing upward, ten thousand golden lights are scattered on the wide lake, and the blue water of the lake is now brilliant as molten gold. Cheng Jiao and Chi Ji, who were running in this swaying golden light, were also plated with golden red.
This is the glory of the sun goddess, who fills all the voids between heaven and earth!
The hot spring town shrouded in golden sunlight has long since awakened. To the right of the stone road is the city's largest and more than 100-year-old "Three O'Clock Morning Market", named because it only appears between 5 and 8 o'clock in the morning.
Energetic vendors are shouting on the streets selling thousands of goods from all over the Goto.
It is most famous for its fine silk embroidery, beaded shoes, embroidered belts, embroidered headscarves, embroidered bags, and dresses that fill the shelves. The fine and flat stitches, the bright and smooth beads, and the vivid three-dimensional embroidery pieces attracted the girls to stop and admire. The coastline of Helios Island is long, and the fishermen along the coast seek the protection of the sea god during the summer and autumn fishing season, and go out to fish at night when people are forbidden to go out, and send them to the city's markets overnight in the early morning with fishermen's horses. Because the "3 o'clock morning market" is close to the pier and is the first to open, it is also possible to sell the freshest seafood. Boatloads of fresh shrimp, live fish, mussels, crabs, and sea urchins were dumped in bamboo baskets, which were quickly snapped up by gourmets. Everywhere, anxious diners can crack open the shell of a large black sea urchin and drizzle it with a sauce made with wasabi and shichimi powder, and eat the tender meat raw.
Due to the long hours of sunshine, the large temperature difference between day and night, and the sweet and clear river water, flour made from wheat is the most sought-after there.
Merchants from Poseidon Island, where the mountains are winding, rainy and humid, are full of confidence in their mountain goods, with mushrooms, fungus fat, walnuts and pine nuts. The juicy bamboo shoots are marinated in a special sansho pepper and have an attractive aroma, and they are the best toppings for bibimbap. If you're lucky, you'll come across a rare matsutake mushroom for sale, just a few small flowers, cooked with hens and bamboo sunflowers, a delicacy that the gods coveted.
The merchants of the Isle of Mars are most recognizable, fully armoured, wearing soft armor, carrying short swords, carrying long swords, or carrying crossbows and crossbows on their shoulders. Connoisseurs who are well versed in the art of swordsmanship will not look at the cold and glittering weapons on their stalls. They often dragged the stall owners into the shadows and took out money bags full of gold and silver rings in exchange for their own weapons. It could be a dagger hidden in a plain cooked cowhide sheath, or a glowing cedar bow sharpened on both ends, or a longsword wrapped in tattered fur. After the transaction, the buyer often disappears without looking back with the baby in his arms, but the seller looks at the heavy money bag in his hand and is sad.
Every few ten days, there may be strange people who seem to be crazy and chaotic claiming to be from the Crescent Moon Realm or the sacrificial island next to the Spirit God Island. This tends to cause the biggest commotion in the bazaar. Because these things that are called commodities are placed on the stalls are unheard of and unseen.
Today, there is one such weirdo who has put out a whole stall of bottles. There are large and small, high and low, some are full, some are empty, there are high-necked and round-bellied wine bottles containing liquids of unknown color and texture, and there are also strange bottles with concave front and convex back, which are shining as if they are closed in the elf. Cheng Jiao listened carefully to the stall owner's shouting: "All kinds of dreams collected from the edge of the Shadow Land! Come and buy it! There are sweet spring dreams, and there are nightmares of the end of the world! Freshly baked and top quality! Do you want to see the destruction of beasts in the apocalyptic dream? There are dreams within dreams you can't think of! Come and buy it! Cheng Jiao saw that the peddler's hair and nails were falling off, and he was wrapped in a dirty and tattered cloak, and he looked as if he was going to fall to the ground and die in the blink of an eye! She really didn't understand the use of such a person asking for money.
In addition, there are the vendors who sit on the side of the bluestone avenue and sell special ointments and miracle powders, the little boys who walk carefully along the bluestone road selling perfumes and perfumes, the flower girls who look at you timidly and smile and wave the flowers and garlands in their hands, and the bewitching young women who dress up as witches to give Cheng Jiao the most headache - they will suddenly burst out from the side of the road to stop her horses and sell her the gold sand used by the lord of the hot spring hall. These fake shrine maidens swore to Cheng Jiao that the letters of prayer written in this golden sand would reach the Tranquility Mountain, where the gods were located, and that the gods who loved the world would certainly grant any request he saw in the letters! This rare golden sand sells for only twenty silver rings, and if you don't have any cash, this girl, you can exchange it with the pearl jewel on your braid!
Seeing that there was the gate of Myofa Mountain in front of her, Cheng Jiao was entangled by these imposter witches who were good at discovering treasures, so she simply pulled off the pearl pearl on her braid and threw it sideways into the crowd of the market. The "shrine maidens" who gathered around Chiji watched in amazement as the young lady on horseback threw this valuable ornament into the crowd! They screamed and scrambled towards the dazzling parabola. Cheng Jiao was finally able to get out.
Cheng Jiao knew that this pearl Yingluo was a good thing, but she didn't need it anyway, and she had to cut her long hair before going to Jinwu Courtyard tomorrow! It's better to use it for some time to spend more time with grandpa. If it is picked up by a poor person, it is considered a daily good deed in accordance with the teachings of the gods.
Chiji's feet were fast, and in a blink of an eye, he ran into the mountain gate of Miaofa Mountain. This deep cave looks like a tunnel forty or fifty meters long, and the sound of red hooves is heavily amplified in the mountain gate, beating the ear drums of Cheng Jiao. Therefore, the moment Chi Ji rushed out of the mountain gate, Cheng Jiao felt that the world was quiet for a moment, and outside the mountain gate was another world with shadows of trees and mottled light and shadow. After walking another kilometer or so, she came to the stone steps of the mountain, she dismounted, tied the reins of Chiji to the stone carving tethered horse stake at the foot of the mountain, and climbed the steps.