Chapter 196 Adventure in the Barren Mountain The autumn wind was bleak, the clouds were as dark as ink, and among the desolate mountains and forests, there stood three Taoists who didn't know where they had come from. In front of me stood a clump of reed grass, which had already turned yellow and had flower spikes like loose cotton wool, with a few sparrows standing on them. Then I saw a Taoist priest bowing to the sparrow. Sparrows are common birds and are disliked by many people, but they are actually very cute. Although it does not have a slender and elegant body, nor bright and fancy feathers, its body is round, with simple and plain colors. It has a pair of small black eyes that stare straight at the Taoist who is bowing below, and at the two people who are waiting a little further away in the back. Some of them were more vigilant and focused their attention on the white fox and the civet cat on the donkey's back. They stayed only out of trust in this Taoist. "We are Taoists from Mount Yi. We have no ill intentions. We just got lost accidentally when we got here and don't know which way to go. It's about to rain again, and there's no place to stay in this desolate mountain..." Lin Jue probably knew that Ma Que didn't know where Yishan was or what a Taoist was, but out of courtesy, he still described it in detail. This was also a way to express his kindness and respect: "So I would like to ask a few Taoist friends, is there any house nearby where people live, or a place where we can stay overnight?" Although a few sparrows were not scared away by him, they all looked confused and looked at each other.

"It's a place for us to sleep overnight and shelter from the wind and rain." Lin Jue had to explain again, paused for a moment, and added, "It's a place for three of us to sleep overnight." "It would be best if we could have a meal." The third brother added from behind. Although Lin Jue was helpless, he still conveyed the truth: "It would be better if we could have a meal." A few sparrows seemed to understand then and turned their heads again, chirping and whispering to each other. "Haw!" Finally, a sparrow chirped twice and turned its head to look in a direction to the southwest. Lin Jue looked in the direction its beak was pointing. It's a barren mountain there. But if you look closely, there seems to be a barely perceptible thin line between the barren mountains and weeds, like a path covered by weeds. "Thanks……" Before Lin Jue could say anything, an autumn wind blew, causing the reed bushes to sway violently. Naturally, the sparrows could not stand steadily, and they quickly flapped their wings and flew away. It did not fall down after this flight, but flew higher and higher, and soon turned into a few small dots in the sky and could no longer be seen clearly. "Thank you all." Lin Jue had no choice but to raise his voice and shout out. I don’t know how far this sound can be carried in the wind. When he looked away, he saw that the Junior Sister and the Third Senior Brother had come to his side. The fox and the cat also came over, and kept looking back at the sparrows in the sky. "They pointed me in a direction and said that might be the place we are looking for." Lin Jue pointed to the forest and said, "There seems to be a path in the weeds, but it is not often walked on and is almost covered by weeds." The fox and the civet cat looked in the direction he pointed, took a look, and then turned back to look in the direction the sparrow flew away. Lin Jue knocked on Fuyao's head:

"That's a kind bird that showed us the way. Don't have any bad ideas." Seeing this, the younger sister also looked at Caili and stretched out her hand, wanting to imitate her brother, but she couldn't bear to do so. She could only hold Caili's head and rub it vigorously, imitating him and saying: "That's the kind bird that showed us the way. Don't have any bad ideas!" "Hehe, Junior Brother, this skill is really useful. If I hadn't been so untalented, I would have wanted to learn this 'gathering beasts and training birds'." The Third Senior Brother said with a smile, looking up at the direction Lin Jue pointed and the thin mark on the grassland, "Let's go, I think that's also a road, probably leading to an abandoned village or deserted temple." "Those sparrows won't deceive us, right?" asked the junior sister. "No, they are not that smart. At most, they just don't understand what we say, or they make mistakes themselves, which leads to misunderstandings." Lin Jue said, "Besides, the method of gathering beasts and taming birds is to communicate with birds and beasts in a friendly manner. If they can deceive us, this spell will not work." "So that's it." The little sister nodded and murmured, and then said to them: "There used to be some sparrows on Yishan Mountain. They were all spirits. When I was repairing the road, they often flew over to see me. Sometimes they were just a few sparrows, and sometimes they turned into a few little people wearing gray and yellow clothes, about the same size as sparrows. When it rained, they would use large leaves or lotus leaves as umbrellas." The three followed that direction and, with the help of the fox, soon arrived at a withered yellow grassland. At the same time, the thin trace in the grassland was found. After some analysis, the three of them decided that this should be the road. However, it was not a deliberately built road, but a path made by people trampling the grass. The path was narrow and was eroded by weeds, making it difficult to distinguish. Where there is a road, there must be people living there. The three men led the donkey and the horse, and walked away, pushing aside the grass. In spring and summer, the grass and trees grew wildly. It was probably a green field at that time. Now it has turned into a barren land. Both sides of the road are covered with silky grass that is as high as a person's knee. There are also some scattered sedges. The light was dim at dusk, and when the wind blew, the carpet-like weeds were immediately stirred up, and the reeds also swayed continuously, and the whole world was filled with the sound of wind. The voice of my junior sister also helped to dispel the loneliness and boredom on the road. If it wasn't going to rain that night, it would have been nice to keep walking like this. Not long after, the three met another fox. It is a very ordinary red fox, with mainly gray, hemp and yellow fur, which is quite similar to Fuyao before it changed color. As soon as Fuyao saw it, she stared at it. The fox also kept looking at Fuyao. Lin Jue still bowed sincerely, introduced himself, explained the situation, and asked, "Is there a place where the three of us can stay overnight? It would be best if it is a place that can accommodate us and is safe enough." The fox is smarter, so Lin Jue asked more complicated questions. Then the fox tilted its head, its eyes flickering, and it was obviously thinking. Then it turned its head and looked in the direction the sparrow had pointed before, and raised one of its front paws, as if to point the way for them. "Thank you." Lin Jue still thanked him and continued walking over there. The third senior brother and the younger junior sister followed behind, while the fox jumped around in the windy waves and sea of ​​grass, its figure sometimes appearing and sometimes disappearing. "In about a quarter of an hour, it will be dark, and in another quarter of an hour, it will rain." Lin Jue said.

"So accurate?" "The technique of alchemy." As expected, it soon got dark, and the wind suddenly became louder. Three Taoists, a horse and two donkeys formed a long line, holding a small lantern, a small point of light in the dark world, and kept moving forward. The world is so big, the rivers and lakes are so vast, and at this moment they also feel a sense of freedom. Except that there hasn't been any human presence for a long time. Until I climbed over the small slope in front of me—— In the still-lightened sky, the undulating mountains in the distance could still be seen, all reduced to silhouettes, but in the valley below, there were a few houses with lights on. Like a small village. "Hey! These people know how to find a place. This place is not only for shelter from the wind, but also for shelter from people. I'm afraid the tax collectors can't find it?" The third brother said with a smile. Lin Jueze had already started down the mountain. There was ice on his head and a raindrop had already fallen. Gradually walked towards those households. The three of them felt strange at this time. It’s not that this place is so eerie or dilapidated, but that these houses are too exquisite and luxurious. In ordinary mountain villages, lights are rarely lit at night. Even if a reading lamp is lit and placed in the room with the doors and windows closed, it may not be visible from a distance. However, in this village, every household lights lanterns. Under the bright lights, the houses that look like pavilions and palaces are reflected, with carved beams and painted rafters, which are very beautiful. The three of them couldn't help but look at each other, all of them had doubts in their hearts. However, there was no evil energy in this place. Lin Jue also thought that those sparrows and the fox would not deceive him and deliberately bring him into danger. He felt relieved and walked into the village. The wind and rain were quite strong at this time. Everyone under the eaves could hear the sound of raindrops becoming increasingly dense. "This place is well built. Since they know the structure of human houses, they must know the principles and etiquette of human beings. If it is not a cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest, it cannot be a rude monster." The third brother said based on his own experience, "Maybe it is the residence of the gods in the mountains." "call……" A gust of wind blew and brought them closer to a pavilion. But unexpectedly, at this moment, the door opened. "Squeak~~" The house was brightly lit, and the light immediately shone out, pulling the shadows of several people into the dark rain outside. Several people turned to look at the same time. I saw that there was a relatively spacious hall inside, with candlesticks all around, some placed on the ground and some inserted into the wall, all with candles lit, illuminating the hall brightly, and many red curtains hung in the light. At the innermost part, there was a table with some fruits and a glass of wine on it. A beautiful woman in a loose red dress was sitting in front of the table, with two women serving her. Seeing the person outside the door, the three people in the room looked over with some surprise.

Lin Jue and the other two looked at each other. Finally, Lin Jue stood up, saluted and said: "We are Taoists from Fuqiu Temple in Yishan Mountain, and we are disciples of Taoist Yunhe. We didn't mean to disturb you, but we were traveling to Qingyan County at night, and we were not familiar with the road. When we got here, we found that there were no inns in the village, and the weather was not good. So we asked the birds and foxes on the roadside where we could stay, and finally found this place. Please forgive us if we are being rude." "Where is Yishan?" Although the woman was here with only two maids by her side, she did not show much fear when facing three strangers. Instead, she was more alert. "In Huizhou." "Huizhou? I heard it's not close." "We are going to the capital." "Beijing..." The woman looked at them one by one. In addition to glancing at the colorful beaver and the horse, she also paused for a few breaths to look at Fuyao and the two paper donkeys. At the same time, she lazily picked up a few ruby-like fruit grains from the plate, put them in her mouth, and slowly thought: "I hear you're here to take shelter from the storm?" Lin Jue couldn't help but turn around and exchanged glances with his third senior brother and junior sister, then said, "I hope we can find a small house for the three of us to stay for one night. We will leave early tomorrow morning." "Forget it, forget it. My place is hard for ordinary people to find. You can't see it even if you come here. You are guests who have come from afar. It's fate that you came here. It just so happens that I have been alone here for more than ten years. I am also very bored. I will treat you to one night." The woman said, and told the maid beside her, "Go and prepare some wine and food." "Yes." The maid left. Another maid, Ze Lian, came on foot and invited them into the house. "Give the donkey and horse to this servant." "Don't worry about the donkey." After Lin Jue finished speaking, he unloaded the donkey's bag, moved it to the door, and called out "Donkey come back". The paper donkey then turned into a piece of paper and flew back into his hand. The junior sister also called back the paper donkey. As soon as she got it in her hand, she immediately wiped the water stains on it with concern. The woman's eyes lit up as she looked at Lin Jue: "So you are really three Taoist friends who can perform magic. No wonder you look extraordinary. Please take a seat." The maid first brought a cushion, and then a table. The maid who had gone out earlier came back with a tray in her hand. On the tray there was a pot of wine, three cups, and a fruit plate with a few pomegranates on it. The maid stopped beside them and put down the food on the plates one by one. Lin Jue also lent a hand. But after putting it down, she didn't leave, but took out a small knife from her bosom. Lin Jue and the other two had all caught monsters and eliminated ghosts, and had experienced sneak attacks, so they reacted quickly. They instantly stared at the maid's hand, but the maid simply picked up the pomegranate, skillfully cut a few cuts on it with a knife, and then peeled the pomegranate, revealing the bright red, gem-like flesh inside. After breaking it open, push it hard and the fruit grains will fall out. The maid refilled their glasses with wine and then left.

"Masters, please eat some appetizer fruits and drink a glass of wine to warm your body. The food will be here soon." The woman above kept looking at them, as if she hadn't seen anyone for a long time, and was very curious and enthusiastic. The third senior brother and the younger junior sister both looked at Lin Jue. Lin Jue immediately understood—— Although they have now learned how to take medicine and have a certain resistance to poison, they are not as accomplished as Lin Jue after all. This place and this woman are both extraordinary, so they naturally have to be more cautious. So Lin Jue was also very cautious. He picked up a small grain, put it into his mouth, and savored it carefully. There is a rich pomegranate aroma at the tip of the nose, which smells very good. The pomegranate seeds turn into juice with a light bite, filling between the lips and teeth. "sweet!" Lin Jue said with a smile. The third senior brother and the younger junior sister then started to move, picking up the pomegranates and stuffing them into their mouths. "It was originally a wild tree somewhere else in the mountains. After I came here, I transplanted it and took good care of it. It has not let me down." The woman said, as if she regarded Lin Jue as the leader of the three people, so she kept looking at him. After she finished speaking, she asked curiously, "Master, just now, how did you find this place?" "We asked the birds and foxes in the mountains, and they showed us the way." "The Taoist priest is a human being, how can he understand the words of birds, wild foxes?" "I have my own magic." "I see." The woman said, "I haven't asked the Taoist priests yet, what to call them?" "My name is Lin Jue, courtesy name Wuzhi." "My surname is Li, and my common name is Miaolin." "Liu Qingyao." The three of them stood up and introduced themselves. (End of this chapter)