"Junior brother and sister..."

The third senior brother took out a few tart cakes from the bamboo basket and handed them to Lin Jue and the younger junior sister respectively. Then he sat down among the fallen leaves, took out the wine gourd, and took a bite of the tart cakes.

"I always feel that the tart cakes made by my junior brother are more delicious than those sold at the foot of the mountain!"

"It's just because the meat is good and the ingredients are not used." Lin Jue sat on the ground holding tart cakes in his hands, but still looked up at the sky.

"That's how it should be! Well, it's just a little dry!" said the third senior brother, holding the wine gourd and raising his head to take a sip. He suddenly showed a satisfied look, shook his head and muttered, "One cup will help Jia Ming's court affairs, and the setting sun and moon will be born again.

It’s just the right time to drink wine with the autumn wind!”

"Senior brother..."

"Here——"

"No, it seems like it's going to rain." Lin Jue looked at the wine gourd generously handed over by the third senior brother, unmoved, "Should we find a better place to shelter from the rain?"

"Really? Xiaoyu, right?"

"heavy rain."

"How do you know?"

"Learning alchemy."

"Huh? Does this thing still have this function?"

"yes."

Alchemy requires time, solar terms, rain, snow, wind and clear weather. Although Lin Jue cannot predict it in advance, he still has some ability to judge when it comes to the end.

The three of them held tart cakes and looked up at the sky at the same time.

Sure enough, after a while, the originally white sky became much darker, and there were many clouds floating in the sky that looked like ink marks, and these clouds were gathering together again.

It looks like it's really going to rain heavily.

The third senior brother scratched his head.

Suddenly a gong sound was heard.

The three of them lowered their heads again and followed the sound.

It was expected that it had already passed the junction of dusk, and the light in the mountains was much darker. There was only one road in the mountains and forests that could pass the carriage, winding to an unknown place, and the farther away I looked, the darker it became. No one was seen coming from behind, but in front of me.

A motorcade came slowly and leisurely.

This is where the sound of the gong comes from.

It was too dark, so I couldn't see it clearly until I got closer.

There are quite a few people in this group——

Two young men leading the way, each holding a golden gong, beat it twice after walking for a while. Behind them were two strong men riding bay-red horses, and behind them was a two-horse carriage, followed by the carriage.

Four boys, four maids, and four others behind the carriage.

The three people under the tree couldn't help but look at each other.

The fox stared at them curiously.

"Ghost?"

The junior sister saw something was wrong and asked in a low voice.

"No." The third senior brother said, "There should be villages in the mountains and wealthy families. Don't be rude."

"Can I ask for directions?" Lin Jue also stared ahead.

"Okay?"

"Then it's time to ask for directions." Lin Jue's eyes flickered, "in case the heavy rain will damage the elixirs and treasures of heaven and earth."

"Junior brother is still reliable. Next time you will be the senior brother."

"Alright."

Seeing them approaching, Lin Jue picked up a sword, stepped out of the square, and walked to the road to wait.

The sky was really dark, and it was even darker under the trees. When the Taoist walked onto the road, the group of people saw him, and immediately stopped. They all looked at him, and then looked back behind them.

"Why did you stop?"

A voice came from the carriage.

Then the car curtain opened, and an old man poked his head out.

"Huh?" The old man looked at him with some surprise, "It's so late, why is the Taoist priest alone on this mountain road?"

"Old sir, you're polite." Lin Jue bowed to him, thought for a while, and explained, "It's just that we are lazy and stupid and didn't plan the route well. When we got to the middle of the mountain, it got dark and we couldn't move forward.

There is no shop at the back of the village. I thought it would not be too cold during the Mid-Autumn Festival, so I would just spend one night in the mountains. Unexpectedly, looking at the sky, it was going to rain. I happened to see the old gentleman's guard of honor.

Let me ask, is there a hotel nearby?"

Under the tree behind her, the little junior sister was sitting upright, but she couldn't help but turn her eyes to the side and look at the third senior brother.

The third senior brother also looked at her.

Their eyes made contact, and the junior sister's eyes quickly turned back.

"Ouch! It's really going to rain!" The old man looked up at the sky with a kind expression, "Where is the Taoist priest coming from?"

"Come from this way."

"Come from here, go there, oh, then you have to walk to Huaishu Store to find accommodation. It's still thirty miles away. It takes an hour and a half to walk." The old gentleman was kind-hearted and said.

After a pause, he squinted his eyes and looked at the young Taoist priest. Seeing his tender face, he couldn't bear it, "I can only stay overnight in a nearby village."

"Please give me some advice, old gentleman."

"You go forward, about two miles, and you pass the first moat. Not far after that, there is a small road on your right. Follow it and you will reach our village."

"Can I stay overnight in the village?"

"The villagers are kind-hearted, you can stay here." The old man said with a smile, "The village's surname is Zhang, and there is a big family in the village. That family, hey, is a kind person, quite wealthy, and likes to do good deeds. It's the family at the head of the village.

You can just go and stay at his house. That family’s name is Zhang Yu. Just say it’s me, Zhang Yuande.”

"That's great!"

Lin Jue couldn't help but his eyes lit up:

"Thank you sir!"

"Taoist priest, you're welcome. If you walk faster, you might be able to catch a good meal."

"Thank you very much!"

Lin Jue respectfully stepped aside and waited for them to leave with a salute.

Looking back, he saw that the fox was already beside him. The third senior brother and the younger junior sister also packed their luggage and walked out of the square with the donkey.

"Look!"

The third senior brother also smiled and said to them: "Let me tell you, there will be a road for the car to reach the mountain, and it will be straight for the boat to the bridge. Why are you worrying so much?"

The two looked at each other and said nothing.

It's getting darker.

Lin Jue took out a very small lantern, not much bigger than a palm. He murmured a few words in a low voice, and the light lit up in the lantern. He hung it in front of Senior Brother Donkey with a long whistle stick.

The junior sister stared at him and couldn't help but wonder——

Why is it that even though he practices with his little senior brother every day, he always learns new spells without knowing it?

The light can only illuminate a small area.

The group of people continued walking forward.

There is one pavilion in ten miles and one pit in five miles.

Erli Di is just a bend in the mountains.

Sure enough, I saw a ditch.

After walking through the moat, there was indeed a path leading to a village behind the mountain.

When the sky became gloomy and even the shadows of the mountains in the distance could not be seen clearly, I saw lights in the distance, and at the same time, there were some faint sounds of blowing and crying.

The closer you get, the clearer the sound becomes.

It was a family at the head of the village, lighting up the lights in the dark night and conducting funerals inside and outside the ancestral hall.

The group of people looked at each other and walked over with lanterns.

"May I ask, who is Zhang Yu's family?"

Seeing the sudden arrival of several Taoist priests, the neighbors who came to help were surprised and quickly invited the host from the ancestral hall.

The host was also puzzled.

"This is the Taoist Priest? Oh! I have already asked the Taoist Priest to take care of my family's affairs." The host said, wiping the tears on his face.

A few drops of rain fell on them.

"The layman has misunderstood. We are not here to steal the rituals of our colleagues." The third brother turned a blind eye to the falling raindrops. "We are Taoists from Yishan. Halfway through our trip, the weather happened to change. We didn't want to get wet. I heard that the weather here

The owner is a kind person, so he came here specifically to stay for one night."

"Yishan?"

“The mountains of Yi County.”

"Yixian County?" Zhang Yu frowned, "So far away? How do you know us? But we have known each other before?"

"We didn't know each other before," the third senior brother said truthfully. "We met an old gentleman on the road named Zhang Yuande. We asked him for directions, and he asked us to stay here for the night."

"ah?"

When the man heard this, he was shocked.

After being frightened, I felt a little angry.

"What did you say?"

"No offense intended."

"You Taoist priest! My family is known for its good deeds and good deeds. If you come to stay for the night, you politely say that even if my father dies, I can make room for you to stay for one night, but you use my dead money.

Dad is kidding!”

Hearing this, the junior sister behind him was shocked.

But I saw that the third senior brother looked calm and still saluted:

"No, no, we Yishan Taoists have true traditions and dare not lie. We did meet your father's guard of honor on the road and got his guidance to stay here."

He paused and said:

"Your Majesty, your goatee is just down to your chest? The guard of honor is four young men carrying golden gongs, four horses and servants on horseback, four boys, four maids, and a two-horse carriage?"

When the man heard this, he was immediately shocked.

Not only was he shocked, but the people behind him were also surprised.

After asking each other, it turned out to be completely consistent.

Surprised, he did not dare to be suspicious, so he quickly treated them as distinguished guests, invited them into his home, and entertained them well.

This place has not left the scope of Huizhou. It is still a house with white walls and blue tiles. There are many couplets on the pillars of the main hall. The most conspicuous one reads:

To have good children and grandchildren, you must start by respecting your ancestors;

If you want a good family background, you should study and accumulate good deeds.

A table was set up next to the main room, with a lantern hanging diagonally. There was an oil lamp on the table, several hot meat dishes, and a pot of home-brewed wine. The three of them were eating.

There was a circle of people around.

It had already started pouring rain outside.

Tart cakes are delicious. After all, they are dry food. They are a little better when they are hot, but they are greatly reduced when they are cold. No matter how good the dry food is, how can it compare with this hot meat and wine?

Whether it was the neighbors who came to help the Zhang family or the children and grandchildren of the Zhang family, they were all surprised and novel when they heard about this incident, and they all ran over and surrounded them.

"Where did the Taoist priests meet my father?"

"It's not far ahead."

"Dare I ask, dare I ask how my father is doing?"

"Don't worry, your father is very good." The third senior brother wiped the oil from his mouth and said, picked up the wine bottle and drank, "He walked alone to the official road and was buried with everyone. This is not a treatment that ordinary people can get. I think my father did a lot of things during his lifetime.

It's a good thing that you get such preferential treatment from below."

"Yes, yes..."

Everyone was happy and busy wiping away tears.

"What did my father tell the Taoist priests?"

"Your Majesty is very kind..."

Lin Jue told them all about the conversation between himself and the old gentleman, the old gentleman's demeanor and tone, and the minute details of his accent.

When everyone heard it, they all agreed.

Then he didn't dare to disturb their meal. He just asked the women to make beds for them, asked the juniors to feed the donkeys, and everyone went out to do their business.

The three of them were full quickly.

"Oh, I saved another meal of tart cakes." The third senior brother said with a smile, "Look, if you hadn't followed me, how would you have encountered such a thing, how would you have had such a good meal, and you might have eaten it somewhere.

.”

The two people looked at each other under the oil lamp.

Although the junior sister didn't say anything, she had a strange look on her face.

Lin Jue was also lost in thought.

The sound of blowing and rain outside kept coming.

…

Early the next morning, I said goodbye to the Zhang family.

The old man's eldest son, Zhang Yu, inherited the old man's kindness and hospitality. Not only did he refuse the money offered by a group of people, he also specially made some steamed cakes and gave them to them.

"Eat on the road. Eat on the road."

"Thank you, layman!" said the third senior brother, "By the way, how can I get to Yuanzhou?"

"Yuanzhou?"

"yes……"

"Although we have traveled further than the people in the same village, we have never been to Yuanzhou." Zhang Yu said thoughtfully, "I have a cousin who used to go to Niaoshu Mountain to run business. I heard him say

Once you get to Niaoshu Mountain, you can take the waterway to Yuanzhou, which is also the best way to go to Yuanzhou. The waterway is always easier than the land route."

"How to get to Niaoshu Mountain?"

"When you get to the main road, go to the right and keep walking. You have a journey of several days, so you have to ask for directions several times."

"Thank you very much."

The three of them had no choice but to enter the ancestral hall, stand in front of the old gentleman's coffin, and respectfully offer him three sticks of incense. Then they left and continued their journey to Yuanzhou Mingchi Mountain.

There are many strange things along the way, as well as fairies and ghosts.

A few days later, I asked about Niaoshu Mountain.

Then we looked for waterways and a pier.
Chapter completed!