Meicheng, located in the eastern part of Tangguo, near the Tangyin Mountains, is a medium-sized city. There are more than 300,000 people in the city, and the merchants who come and go from the south to the north stop at the city every day are bustling in and out of the city between several city gates, but it is also very lively. The deacon of Meicheng was directly appointed by the Emperor of Tang and was responsible for governing the daily affairs of Meicheng. The deacon was conscientious and conscientious, and the people of the whole city lived and worked in peace and contentment under his rule.

At a time when the path of cultivating truth is prevalent, there are contradictions between cultivators, and even cases of doing things on the street have occurred from time to time. It is difficult to deal with the problems between monks by relying only on ordinary officers and soldiers, so the monks who are subordinate to the government are naturally born, and their positions in the government are far higher than ordinary people, and there are even some immortals with high magic power who directly become the precedent of the commander of a country. Meicheng is no exception here, and the chief and deputy commanders of the army are two Ziyuan Realm real people.

In the afternoon of this day, Jiang Jianqiu, Ling Shengxue and Yue Mingxin rushed to Meicheng overnight. The horses of the three men were exhausted, and they left their horses at the city gate and hurried into the city to the deacon's house. Soon after, the two commanders of the Meicheng garrison also hurried to the deacon's palace. After that, the deacon's mansion began to be a little noisy, and it seemed that the sound of quarrels could be faintly heard from inside. After a long time, Jiang Jianqiu and the others walked out of the deacon's mansion in a huff. Jiang Jianqiu seemed to be unwilling to take a few steps, and turned around to face the gate of the deacon's mansion, as if he was about to shout something. It's just that before his mouth opened, Ling Shengxue on the side had already grabbed his shoulder.

"Senior brother, the deacon is a person who covers the sky in his own city, and if you fall out, you will only cause more trouble. Ling Shengxue knew his senior brother's temper very well, for fear that he would cause other unnecessary troubles.

Jiang Jianqiu's face turned red at the moment, and he muttered: "When I see those two turtle masters, I get angry and shirk it in every possible way, isn't it just afraid of death." The turtle hides in its shell and is safe, and there is no danger in living for a thousand years!"

Ling Shengxue saw that the more he spoke, the louder his voice became, so he had to pull him away from the door of the deacon's mansion first, and Yue Mingxin was also frowning when he followed aside. A few people walked to the mouth of an alley not far away, pulled over and stood still, discussing what to do next.

After running around continuously, they finally returned to Meicheng and reported the tragedy that had occurred in Sanhuai Village to the deacon. Later, it was mentioned that more than 10 children had been abducted by Forget Worry, and he hoped that the deacon would send someone to help rescue them. Unexpectedly, the two commanders who came later heard that it was the monster of Tangyin Mountain, and they all pushed back. The two refused to go to the rescue on the grounds that the safety of the city defense could not be completely abandoned, and that there should be no rash conflict between the shemales. Jiang Jianqiu and the others wore out their mouths, and the two people also did not move, insisting on reporting the matter to the capital and waiting for the emperor's instructions before acting. Jiang Jianqiu saw that the two of them were afraid of the monsters of Tangyin Mountain, so he quarreled with them angrily, and finally broke up unhappily.

"At present, it is estimated that it will take more than ten days for the deacon to report to the capital at the earliest, and the final result is unknown. It seems that counting on the Meicheng government will not work. Jiang Jianqiu slammed his fist on the wall, and a foot-long crack cracked on the green bricks.

There was also a hint of gloom flashing in Ling Shengxue's eyes, she thought for a while and said, "Right now, the only way to go back to the master is to ask the master to come forward to deal with this matter." Although it may take seven or eight days to rush back, the master will definitely not sit idly by. ”

"Seven or eight days...... Jiang Jianqiu's brows furrowed into a ball of twisted flowers, how slim the chances of these children surviving after seven or eight days, they all knew it in their hearts.

Yue Mingxin hesitated for a moment and then whispered, "Why don't we go to Sanssouci Valley to try, maybe we can find a way to get out of those children." ”

Jiang Jianqiu sighed and said, "It's not that you haven't seen the ability to forget your worries, a few of us haven't been meat buns and beaten dogs in the past." ”

Yue Mingxin knew that what Jiang Jianqiu said was reasonable, but she just didn't give up, and turned to look at Ling Shengxue, her face full of expectation, hoping that this thoughtful Ling girl could help her say a few words.

Ling Shengxue naturally understood what Yue Mingxin meant, but she had always been calm, but she had no intention of accompanying this eldest lady to act recklessly. She shook her head and said, "Miss Yue, I advise you to dispel this idea. Helping the needy is a good thing, but it needs to be done within our means. A few of us are now going to Sanssouci Valley just to risk our own lives. ”

Yue Mingxin couldn't help but sigh lightly, although what these two said was right, she still couldn't let go of those children.

Yue Mingxin's eyes rolled, and he said to Jiang Ling and the others: "It's better to be like this, anyway, we can't think of a better way to break our heads at the moment, so let's let this matter go first." I heard from the deacon that my sister Ling'er went to the Qinghualou in the south of the city, and I left her alone in the city before, so I was really a little relieved, would you like to go with me to find Ling'er?"

Jiang Jianqiu scratched his head when he heard it and said, "Qinghualou, it sounds like the name of a restaurant, and your sister will enjoy it very much." Speaking of which, in the past few days, I have either climbed the mountains or fought with monsters, and I haven't eaten a bite of food seriously, so I'm a little hungry when I hear this name. ”

Jiang Jianqiu and Ling Shengxue were already Jade Mansion Realm cultivators, and they could usually act as usual without eating for ten days and a half months, so when it came to eating, it seemed strange. However, in the past few days, Jiang Jianqiu has been fighting continuously, especially Jiang Jianqiu has been injured again, but the loss of his body is not small, and when he mentions eating, he really feels hungry in his stomach.

Yue Mingxin smiled slightly and said, "Since this is the case, then the little sister will be the east, and the two of you will have a full meal." ”

Jiang Jianqiu thought about it for a while, and there was really nothing they could do for the time being, and they had been fighting continuously for the past few days, and they were indeed a little tired, so he nodded and agreed.

Ling Shengxue glanced at Yue Mingxin deeply, and said lightly: "Senior brother, you and Miss Yue will go first, I'll do some things, and we'll meet in Qinghualou in a while." With that, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd on the street.

Yue Ming was stunned for a moment, turned her head and asked Jiang Jianqiu, "What is Miss Ling doing, do you still have friends in this city?"

Jiang Jianqiu shook his head and said, "I don't know, my junior sister sometimes acts mysteriously on weekdays, but don't worry, she is very clever and will not be in any danger." ”

Jiang Jianqiu and Yue Mingxin walked on the long street, coming to this noisy and bustling market from the deserted deep mountains and old forests, and people's mood seemed to be relaxed, and there was a faint feeling of fatigue.

Yue Mingxin suddenly sighed and said softly: "In this world, there are people like Brother Jiang and your senior brothers and sisters who sacrifice their lives and forget their lives for others, and there are also those two commanders who are indifferent to others for their own safety. Mingxin had been cultivating behind closed doors in Fengming City before, and he really didn't know that the difference between the monks in the world was so big. ”

Jiang Jianqiu smiled bitterly, and said in his heart, Miss, you are really lonely, and there are many people who are a hundred times worse than those two commanders. He thought for a while and said, "Those two kings and eight shell commanders are indeed greedy for life and afraid of death. But from their own point of view, what they are doing is only to make themselves further on the path of cultivation. After all, in terms of cultivation, avoiding risks and cultivating wholeheartedly is the way to success. You think it's righteous and courageous, but they just think it's meddling. ”

Yue Mingxin nodded suddenly and said, "Yes, those two commanders are pursuing to ascend to immortals, and we force them to help the needy, but it is also difficult for some strong people." However, since the two of them are sitting in the position of guarding the city, they have something to do, and it is really chilling to do nothing. ”

Jiang Jianqiu shrugged his shoulders and said, "Each of them cultivates the true 'Dao' differently, so it's not easy to blame anything. After all, there is no right or wrong way to the Tao. There are tens of millions of monks in this world, and there are naturally tens of millions of ideas they uphold, and everyone is sticking to their own 'Tao', hoping that one day they will become immortals. ”

Yue Mingxin nodded as if he didn't understand and said, "Stick to your original heart, it doesn't sound like it's very difficult, then why are there so many cultivators in the world, but there are few people who have really ascended to immortality?"

Jiang Jianqiu looked at the flow of people in the distance, scratched his head and thought about it, and said: "My master said that there are no years of cultivation, there are too many temptations in the world, and there are only a few people who can really stick to their own ways and implement them throughout. The famous immortal Dao heart in history collapsed and caused a catastrophe, and the destruction of one's cultivation has also happened repeatedly, in short, the immortal road is bumpy. ”

Yue Mingxin looked at Jiang Jianqiu's eyes and couldn't help but show a smile, and said: "Brother Jiang, I usually look at you absent-mindedly, I can't think of such a lot of truths that I can say, I don't seem to understand it." ”

Jiang Jianqiu laughed, and said a little embarrassedly: "This is all I took from the master to learn and sell, not to mention you, I myself am in the clouds." The master said that the monk's own Tao needs to be constantly explored from the trials of the earth, which is also the reason why our Huaishan sect disciples often travel abroad. ”

Yue Mingxin nodded when she heard this, this statement was indeed very new to her. Fengming City disciples are forbidden to go out before leaving the school. This can be regarded as a kind of protection, but at the same time, the actual combat experience and experience of the disciples are insufficient, and they are much lacking compared to Jiang Jianqiu, a veteran who walks the rivers and lakes.

Yue Mingxin smiled and said, "Before, I watched Brother Jiang from behind the tree, you dealt with that Forget Worry alone, and used the Jade Mansion Realm cultivation as a head-on confrontation against the peak Heavenly Demon, which is really admirable." ”

Jiang Jianqiu's face was embarrassed, and he waved his hand and said with a smile: "Do you think I want to, I can't run if I want to! I knew that there was a beautiful snake in the woods, and I wouldn't have gotten into it if I was killed." He scratched his head and said, "You must not mention this matter to your brothers and sisters after you go back, otherwise you don't know how long they will laugh at you." ”

Yue Ming looked at Jiang Jianqiu, and said with a smile in his eyes: "Brother Jiang, we have come all the way, and your clothes are a little messy." As she spoke, she stretched out her hand and gently helped Jiang Jianqiu straighten out her entire placket from top to bottom.

Jiang Jianqiu usually mingles with the brothers on Huai Mountain, and his only junior sister Ling Shengxue is also a tomboy. He had seen a woman like Yuemingxin who was as gentle as water, and he couldn't help but stand in place for a while, a little at a loss.

After Yue Mingxin finished tidying up, she looked at Jiang Jianqiu with a smile and said, "Brother Jiang, have you and I met before?"

Jiang Jianqiu was stunned for a moment and said, "There shouldn't be, Huaishan and Fengming City are far apart." ”

Yue Mingxin nodded and said, "Yes, but I always have a sense of déjà vu when I see you." ”

When Yue Mingxin said this, a carriage happened to pass by the two of them, and the sound of rolling wheels suppressed her words, and Jiang Jianqiu didn't hear what she said clearly for a while. I couldn't help but be stunned and asked, "Ah, what did you say, Miss Yue?"

"It's nothing, I'm just talking to myself......" Yue Mingxin smiled slightly, turned around and continued to walk forward.

Jiang Yue and the two walked along the street, and soon came to a restaurant on the corner of the street, where a lacquered gold plaque was hung at the door of the restaurant, on which the dragon flew and the phoenix danced with the three big characters of "Blue and White Building".

Yue Mingxin looked up at the blue and white building and said, "It's here, Ling'er should be in the elegant seat on the third floor, let's go up." ”

The two of them entered the restaurant and climbed the stairs, and in a blink of an eye they had reached the third floor. Jiang Jianqiu raised his eyes and looked around, and before he could see the person sitting on the third floor, he heard a crisp children's voice from the front: "Sister, you are back!"

Jiang Jianqiu followed the prestige, and saw that on the edge of a table by the window, a teenage girl was waving vigorously at Yue Mingxin. This girl looks like she is in her teens, with a double ponytail on her head, dark and round eyes, and a beautiful face, which can be seen to be a beauty.

Yue Mingxin stepped forward with a smile and said, "Ling'er, you are not staying in the deacon's mansion alone, why are you still running outside to wander around, what if you get lost." ”

The girl pouted and said, "I'm eleven years old, don't think of me as a child." It was too boring to sit in the deacon's house, so I went out for a stroll and met this old man, who knew how to tell stories. ”

Only then did Yue Mingxin and Jiang Jianqiu discover that there was an old man sitting beside Ling'er. The two looked carefully, and saw that the wrinkles on the old man's face were crisscrossed like a thousand ravines, and he felt extremely old at a glance. His gray hair was as unkempt as a chicken nest and scattered on top of his head, and the stains on his clothes were stacked on top of each other, and the original color could no longer be seen, and the white robe became a pale gray robe from a distance. The old man was holding a cane in his hand, and the head of the cane was inlaid with a piece of white warm jade, and there seemed to be a faint light flowing in the jade.

The old man squinted his eyes and seemed to be half-asleep, and nodded slightly to Jiang Jianqiu and Yue Mingxin.

Yue Mingxin smiled and said, "Hello old man, my sister has caused you trouble." In Xia Ling Shengxue, this is my friend Jiang Jianqiu, may I ask what the old gentleman is called?"

The old man looked at Yue Mingxin, there seemed to be a flash of light in the depths of his eyes, he coughed, and said smoothly: "This girl is so beautiful. Old man, I have been adrift for so many years, and I have never seen a few beautiful women who can compare to you. It's a pity that most of your face is covered by this mask, and you can't see your old age, it's a pity, it's a pity. ”

The old man didn't answer what he asked, and there was a burst of nonsense, but Yue Mingxin didn't know how to answer. Jiang Jianqiu frowned on the side, walked up to the old man and said, "Old man, touching flowers and grass is what you should have done sixty years ago." And in the face of beautiful women's answers, it is inevitable that there will be some gaffes. ”

The old man glared at Jiang Jianqiu when he heard this, and said loudly: "Bastard, I don't respect the old man at all, a little white-faced old man like you has seen a lot, and the crazy bees and butterflies around the beautiful woman just want to kiss Fang Ze, shameless, shameless." ”

Jiang Jianqiu was stunned by this old man, it seems that this old man's kung fu pretending to be stupid is really first-class, Jiang Jianqiu can only sigh and sit down and ignore him.

Yue Ling'er on the side giggled, and said with a smile: "This old man said that his surname is Tian, you can call him Grandpa Tian." Grandpa Tian is amazing, today he told me a story here for an afternoon, about how he explored Kunlun alone, and went to the East China Sea alone to explore or something, which is wonderful. ”

Jiang Jianqiu smiled secretly on the side, Kunlun or anything is an ethereal place, no one has ever seen it, and beyond the East China Sea, it is a Jedi. This old man made it clear that he was just playing tricks to deceive the little girl to cheat some food here, and a little girl like Yue Ling'er who had never been out of the house would be deceived.

Yue Mingxin listened to Yue Ling'er's words, and said to the old man with a smile: "Tianlao turned out to be a senior master, and the younger generation was rude before, so I hope that the seniors are not strange." ”

The old man waved his hand and said, "Forget it, people's hearts are not ancient, and some people with dark hearts regard me as a liar who walks the rivers and lakes, which is sad and lamentable." ”

Jiang Jianqiu covered his face with his hands and looked helpless, it seems that this eldest lady Yue Mingxin is only half a catty and eight taels compared to her ten-year-old sister. He thought to himself that if you can cheat, just cheat, anyway, the two young ladies in the family have money this month, and you can't eat her no matter how much you eat.

Yue Mingxin smiled and sat next to Yue Ling'er, and told her sister about her trip to Sanhuai Village. She integrated her own experience with what Ling Shengxue had said, and described it to Yue Ling'er in a colorful way, and the little girl's eyes couldn't take her eyes off it, and she was fascinated.

Jiang Jianqiu realized that this Moon Girl had a great talent for storytelling, and even he, who had experienced all the events from beginning to end, sounded like relish at the moment. Listening and listening, there was a sudden snoring sound on his side, Jiang Jianqiu turned his head to look, but the old man beside him had fallen asleep for some time. Jiang Jianqiu smiled bitterly, didn't bother to pay attention to him, picked up the teacup and took a sip, the breeze blew slowly from the window, he relaxed the nerves that had been tense all over his body, and began to enjoy this rare moment of rest.