Shopkeeper Zhou settled Xiao Ziyang's horse and walked in from outside the door, "It turned out to be a Taoist master, this official road is in disrepair, and the mud can be buried on the legs and stomachs when it rains, and there are not many people who rush in this kind of weather." ”

"It doesn't matter, seeing that the rain is not heavy, I didn't expect this road to be so difficult. Xiao Ziyang said as he untied the long knife behind his back.

Shopkeeper Zhou was busy taking the long knife untied by Xiao Ziyang, Xiao Ziyang smiled strangely: "I'm afraid the shopkeeper won't be able to take it, so I'll come." ”

Shopkeeper Zhou didn't know it, "Master Dao doesn't look at me thin, I still have a lot of strength." As he spoke, he went to get the long knife in Xiao Ziyang's hand, and Xiao Ziyang saw that he insisted on taking it, so he let go of his hand.

I saw that the shopkeeper Zhou's face changed, "Oops!" and the long knife fell heavily to the ground with a "touch".

"What a heavy knife!" Shopkeeper Zhou hurriedly bent down to pick up the long knife, only to see him standing up tremblingly with the long knife in both hands.

"Let's do it with me," Xiao Ziyang took the long knife with one hand and leaned it against the pillar next to him.

"Dao Ye... It's really good kung fu," Seeing Xiao Ziyang holding a long knife in one hand like a wooden stick, Shopkeeper Zhou couldn't help but be dumbfounded, and he couldn't speak.

"Shopkeeper, go and pick some vegetables in the yard. The proprietress shouted in the kitchen.

"Zhilu said, Dao Master, you sit less first, and the meal will be ready immediately. Shopkeeper Zhou propped up the oilcloth umbrella and walked out of the back door.

The two of them worked for half an hour before bringing the food up, "Master Dao, you use it first, the chicken is stewing, it will be fine in a while." You can order wine to cool off. The shopkeeper asked.

"There's good wine. "Xiao Ziyang has a huge amount of alcohol, after cultivating "Purple Jade Smoke", his body is extremely strong, and the amount of alcohol has gradually increased, and now he himself doesn't know how much he can drink.

"Yes, I have a good champion red on the ten jars that I cellared ten years ago, but there are not many customers in my store, and the wine cannot be stored for a long time once it is opened, you see......"

Local customs, after giving birth to a son, ten jars of good wine will be stored, the beautiful name is called champion red, which means that the child is used to celebrate after winning the champion, but not to mention the champion, it is a show talent, and there are a few people who can win, so most of this wine is used to entertain relatives and friends when the child grows up. In order to seek good luck, the shopkeeper of Zhou cellared ten jars of good wine soon after getting married, but he has not had a man and a woman for ten years of marriage. Today, seeing Xiao Ziyang dressed brightly, he wanted to take the opportunity to sell a jar.

Xiao Ziyang waved his hand: "If you can't finish drinking, you can use the gourd to put it up, and I will quench my thirst on the road tomorrow." Your money is indispensable. ”

Shopkeeper Zhou agreed, and ran to the backyard excitedly.

Xiao Ziyang patted the sealing mud at the mouth of the altar, and a strong aroma of wine spread, "Good wine!" The wine is already good, and after ten years of cellaring, the taste is even more mellow.

Xiao Ziyang drank wine and chatted with Shopkeeper Zhou. During the small talk, Xiao Ziyang's current situation in Nanba County and the disaster of demon beasts ten years ago gradually became clear.

Early the next morning, the sun, which had been covered by thick clouds for three or four days, finally slowly rose again from the rolling mountains.

casually threw a silver pass treasure from Zhou's shopkeeper, Xiao Ziyang ignored the gratitude of the two, stepped on the jujube red horse, and galloped towards the county seat of Nanba County.

Although the jujube red horse's foot strength is good, it can't get up fast on this mud-like road soaked by continuous rainwater.

When the sun was about to set, Nanba Town, the county seat, appeared in front of Xiao Ziyang's eyes. Looking at the scenery in front of him, he secretly said: "What a paradise."

The town of Namba is located in the middle of a huge mountain plain, and to the east of the town is a huge lake. Half of the lake is on the plain, occupying a third of the intermountain plain, and the other half extends into the mountains, I don't know how big it is. Elsewhere around the town, there are golden rice paddies that stretch to the foot of the mountains in the distance.

In early autumn, the golden rice fields and the fiery red maple forests on the distant mountains paint a beautiful picture of early autumn under the light of the setting sun.

Xiao Ziyang stayed at the largest inn in town. This inn is very large, but like the inn on the official road, it shows an old state of disrepair.

Early the next morning, Xiao Ziyang rode around the town on horseback, and he looked around, trying to find a suitable yard to buy.

There are many idle yards in the town, most of which are in disrepair. After chatting with Xiao Er last night, Xiao Ziyang already had an idea of where he would stay, and gradually walked out of the south gate of the town.

Not far from the south gate of the town, there is a low hill on the edge of the big lake, this low mountain is only seventy or eighty zhang high, the mountain is gentle, located in the center of the plain slightly to the south, lonely and lonely from the surrounding mountains far away. Near the top of the hill, a corner of a house looms in the shade of the trees.

From Xiao Er's mouth, Xiao Ziyang knew that the name of this lake was Fengyu Lake, and the name of this mountain was Fenghe Mountain. On the top of the mountain, there is an old monarch temple, which still has incense more than ten years ago, but after the disaster of the demon beast, several Taoist priests left this place, and this Taoist temple was abandoned.

The road up the mountain is quite wide, and it has long been half-buried under the deep grass and low trees due to the lack of people walking around for more than ten years. Xiao Ziyang rode up the road, and after a while, he arrived in front of Lao Junguan.

This is a Taoist temple that sits in the north and faces south, the courtyard wall is built tall and sturdy, and the wall is faintly visible to be vermilion. One side of the vermilion gate remains, the other side leans crookedly against the door frame, and the place above the mountain gate where the plaque should have hung is empty.

Xiao Ziyang tied the horse to the branch at the door, carefully stepped over the inverted gate, and in front of him was a courtyard about six zhang long and three zhang wide, with bluestone slabs on the ground, and a few vigorous cypress trees surrounded by green bricks in the courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard is a foot-high bluestone platform, where it seems that there was originally an incense burner, but now it has disappeared.

At the end of the courtyard is a large hall, visible from the collapsed mountain gate, in which a statue of the old monarch is enshrined.

On both sides of the courtyard are two rows of side rooms, which are thought to be the residences of Taoist priests in those years.

Xiao Ziyang looked at them one by one, although these houses were in disrepair, they were still very strong because of the exquisite materials, and they could be inhabited as long as they were repaired slightly. In one of the best-preserved wings in the east, Xiao Ziyang actually saw traces of human habitation, and Xu was a beggar hiding from the wind and rain.

Along the stone road between the west wing and the main hall, Xiao Ziyang went around to the back of the west wing, where there was a small courtyard, and a clear spring in the middle was surrounded by stone slabs. There is a bluestone staircase on the edge of the courtyard.

Xiao Ziyang went up the steps, the stairs were not long, he went up the hillside in the shape of a son, he turned two bends, and came to the top of the mountain, and his eyes suddenly opened up, and the wide and calm Fengyu Lake was in full view.

The wide lake in front of him and the mountains shrouded in clouds and mist in the distance made Xiao Ziyang have the urge to look up to the sky and roar.

Xiao Ziyang was extremely satisfied with this place, and he was determined to make this place his future home.