Eleven years later, at the foot of Maoshan Mountain, Jurong County.

At noon, the most prosperous bazaar in the south of the city is still full of people, the hawkers who do business and the people who buy things are endless, and the shops on the street sell goods from the north and south, silk cloth, fish, vegetables, fruits and rice, and the shops are lined up, and they are very lively.

"Sell fish! Green, grass, silver carp, carp, ensure fresh, big meat and beauty, today there are not only fish for sale, but also a thousand-year-old toad, come and see wow!

The middle-aged stall owner of a fish stall skillfully shouted and solicited business.

"Millennium toad?" many passers-by became curious and stopped to watch.

"Come and see, this is the Millennium Toad, you see. The stall owner reached out and lifted a wooden barrel and showed it to passers-by.

The wooden barrel contained half a bucket of water, and a toad the size of a piglet squatted inside, puffing out, dark green, wrapped in a black bump, with a red mark on its back, several inches long, and its green eyes were faintly shining.

"I caught such a big toad in the river in the morning, this is the first time I have seen it, and I heard people say that this toad is a good Chinese medicine, which can cure all kinds of poisons and diseases, how about it? As long as you have a penny, you can take it! It can be boiled, stewed, or fried!"

Seeing the lively passers-by hearing this, they shook their heads and waved their hands to say that it was too expensive, and it was not necessarily delicious, so they ignored the enthusiastic sales of the stall owner and turned their heads to leave.

The crowd dispersed, showing a Taoist boy, and I don't know when he squeezed in, bending down to stare at the toad, seeing that he looked like he was about ten years old, combing his hair in a double bun, although his hair was yellow, but his eyes were bright, his forehead was full, but he was a little demented, wearing a shabby Taoist robe, cloth shoes, and an old jacket on his shoulders.

"Isn't this the little stone master on Maoshan Mountain? The stall owner said with a smile that the stone had bought fish here several times with the master during the New Year's holidays, so the stall owner knew that the stone was from the Taoist temple on the mountain, and also knew that the master and apprentice lived a hard life, thinking that the stone came to turn the fate.

Shi shook his head, his eyes did not leave the big toad, and said, "This thing, eight hundred wen, can be sold to me?"

As soon as the stall owner heard the fun, he was worried that the transaction could not be done, and he still cared about your Taoist monk, as long as it was the buyer, so he hurriedly said: "Okay, the original price is hanging, since the stone master said, 800 Wen will be 800 Wen!"

The stone shook out a string of copper coins from the blanket and handed it to the stall owner, who counted it briefly and said, "It's exactly eight hundred wen, the stone master can't be wrong, are you boiling or stewing?

The stone turned and walked away with the heavy toad, ignoring the kindness of the stall owner, he threw the money into the wooden box, thinking that it was really easy to make a fortune today, and never expected that he would be unlucky next.

The stone left the south of the city and walked towards the Jurong River in the east of the city, walking for a long time, tired and sweaty, panting, this toad has a fat body, and it is really heavy.

Finally came to the river, the stone glanced at the toad, untied the straw rope, the toad gasped on the ground, his big eyes turned a few times, the green light flashed in his eyes, he jumped three times in a row, fell into the water with a "poof", and disappeared in a circle of ripples.

Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable, the stone saluted with one hand, and recited the trumpet.

Maoshan Mountain, Shangqing Palace.

Because the release of the big toad was delayed, the stone returned to Huayang Temple on the mountain north of the city, and it was already night.

The sky is full of stars, and the oblique moon hangs westward.

In the small courtyard enclosed by a bamboo fence, there are three thatched houses that are not very tall, which are still built by Liu Laodao's master and apprentice who saved enough money for several years to save money, and the Maoshan sect has declined for too long, and the Taoist temple incense is bleak, and there is no money and income, how can it be pompous? If it were not for the two huge Taiji diagrams painted on the wall, it would be easy for people to think that it was an ordinary or even a little shabby house, but this is indeed the Shangqing Palace of Maoshan Huayang Temple.

The stone pushed open the bamboo fence, stepped in, and saw that in the middle of the hall, the god was solemn, and the incense and candles were lit on the table, and the master Liu Guquan was closing his eyes to recuperate, and the leper old dog was lying at the door, and when he saw the stone coming back, he barked twice and ran to meet the stone.

The stone made a "shhhh

Hearing this, the stone sighed in a low voice, drooped his head, turned around and walked into the main hall, and stood beside the master, while the leper lay down in the doorway.

Liu Laodao sat steadily on the futon, ten years of wind and frost destroyed his face, he was older, but his expression was not the slightest tiredness and depression, his spirit was more abundant than ten years ago, like an old tree gradually green.

"Master. The stone cried in a low voice, timidly.

"Stone, why did you come back so late, are you playful again? Also, the teacher asked you to go down the mountain to Liu Yuanwai's house in the south of the city to collect merit money, but you received it?" This Liu Yuanwai is a well-known rich family in Jurong, but this year's year is unfavorable, several relatives in the family have passed away, please Liu Laodao chanted the scriptures excessively, 800 merit money is owed for half a year, and even merit money is owed, it can be seen that the dead people in Liu Yuanwai's family are not without reason. Liu Laodao's master and apprentice usually point to people to recite scriptures to supplement their families, and it happened that they didn't get into the account for two months, and they couldn't open the pot in the view, so today Liu Laodao instructed the stone to go to ask for the debt.

"It's coming. The stone still did not raise its head, and its face was as red as the red colored mud on the statue of Sanqing clay in the center of the hall.

"Where? I'm going to buy rice tomorrow—"

"Master—the money—I lost it. The sound of the stone was still timid, like snowflakes falling into a fire, instantly melting into the air.

"Oh. Liu Laodao glanced at the stone like a hanging chicken, his heart was like a mirror, he knew that although this apprentice was a little stupid, but he was not going to lose money, he must have done a good deed, so he smiled a little, trying not to embarrass the little apprentice: "Money is nothing more than things outside the body, and people who cultivate the Tao do not seek wealth and wealth, but——"

Liu Laodao paused, tried his best to appear without reproach, and continued: "Stone, you and I have not yet attained the Tao of immortals, and the art of opening the valley has not yet been completed, and hunger in the stomach is also a great suffering, in this case, starting tomorrow, you will go down the mountain to turn into fate, Stone, are you willing?"

The stone stiffened his neck and nodded, "Master, I am willing." ”

The next day, the stone went down the mountain early and was ordered by the master to go to Jurong County to make a margin.

Jurong County, the north of the city is a piece of official mansion, the Zhumen high wall, the south of the city is the place where the merchants gather, the people are prosperous, the west of the city is the mass grave, the popularity is cold, the east of the city is adjacent to the Jurong River, because the river is turbulent, often there is a big flood, there are not many nearby households, quite a little remote.

Coming to the foot of the mountain, the stone thought, this sentence Rong County is so big, where to go to the fate? Naturally, the west of the city does not go, and the north of the city cannot go, the high gate is big, and the momentum is like ascending to the sky, but it is better to go to the east of the city, by the way, go to the river to see, the big toad released yesterday is still there?

The stone walked along a tree-lined road that was rarely walked to the east of the city, and was halfway there, and before he reached the river, he saw a figure in the dense forest by the roadside, blocking the way of the stone.

"Little Master Stone, are you going to turn into a fate?"