Chapter 486: Worthy of being an old Jianghu

The Mural City occupies an area equivalent to the size of a Red Candle Town. The only difference is that the streets are messy, with varying widths and are often skewed. There are few high-rise buildings. In addition to numerous shops the size of tofu cubes, there are also many stalls. , the hawking sounds come and go, just like the crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs in the rural villages. Of course, most of them are silent businessmen, just squatting by the roadside, with sleeves and shoulders shrunk, paying no attention to the pedestrians on the street, looking at them as they like. Like to buy or not.

There are different opinions about the origin of the Mural City, especially the pictures of the female officials of the Heavenly Court painted all over the walls, with various manners and arousing people's imagination. The Pima Sect, which founded the mountain here, kept it secret.

Chen Ping'an walked and stopped all the way. In about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he followed a huge flow of people who also came here to come to a wall of murals. The mountain wall was more than ten feet high, and the murals were impressive. Chen Ping'an stood in the crowd and looked up. The content of the mural was a side profile of a graceful goddess. She seemed to be walking forward, with a flying look. There were auspicious clouds under her feet, and around her waist was a piece of clothing that had been worn by the world since then. The rare luggage inkstone, I don’t know whether it is the relationship between the light or the aura of the mural, but the goddess’s eyes are flowing, like a living person.

This mural of a goddess, named "Hanging Inkstone" by later generations, is mainly green in color, but there is also just the right amount of lime powder and gold, which is like the finishing touch, making the mural thick but not losing its fairy spirit. At first glance, it gives the impression of cursive writing in a book. The writing seems simple, but upon closer inspection, the folds of the dress, the accessories, the texture of the skin, and even the eyelashes are all extremely dense. , such as copying scriptures in small regular script, and the writing is in line with the law.

I think the person who painted it must be a master of painting.

Chen Ping'an only has a rough understanding of Luzhou Yayan in Beiju, so he can only hear roughly the discussions around him for the time being. The eight murals in the underground city have been used by people of various dynasties and generations for thousands of years. People one after another take away five blessings that are destined by God. And when the five goddesses walk out of the mural and choose to serve their master, the painted mural will instantly fade. The scroll lines remain the same, but become like line drawings. The five murals were no longer gorgeous and colorful, and their spiritual energy had dispersed. Therefore, the Pima Sect invited the patriarch of the sect who had been friends with Liuxiazhou for a certain generation to cover the scrolls with a unique secret technique to prevent the murals that had lost their spiritual energy from being eroded by the years. All.

Most of the tourists who come here to enjoy the scenery admire the goddess’s stunning appearance. Of course Chen Pingan also looks at it. If you don’t look at it, it’s in vain. After all, it’s just a mural. What can you do after looking at it? .

It’s just that Chen Ping’an focused more on the small ancient inkstone hanging around the goddess’s waist. Two ancient seal characters could be vaguely seen, which read “掷电”. The reason why he recognized it must be attributed to him. In the "Authentic Alchemy Book" presented by Li Xisheng, there are many insect and bird seals on it, but they have actually been lost in the world.

Near this mural, there is a shop that specializes in selling copies of this goddess picture. The prices vary. Among them, the hard yellow copy filled with double hook corridors is the most expensive. One is the size of a round fan. Dare to offer twenty pieces of snow, but Chen PinganSeeing that the paintings were indeed beautiful, not only in shape but also in spirit, Chen Ping'an bought two of them, planning to keep one for himself and give one to Zhu Lian in the future.

Zhu Lian once said that when it comes to collection, the most taboo thing is to be miscellaneous without being refined.

The shop is run by a pair of boys and girls. The girl doesn’t like to deal with customers, but the boy is particularly smart. When he saw that Chen Pingan bought the most expensive one in the shop, he started to give Chen Pingan Distinguished guest, I solemnly recommended a set of hard yellow volumes containing five pictures of goddesses, placed in a bright red wooden box. The young man said that the cost of this wooden box alone was worth several snow coins.

Chen Pingan gently reached out and wiped the wooden box. The wood was delicate and the aura was light but mellow. It should indeed be produced at the top of Xianjia Mountain.

The young man also said that the other two paintings of goddesses cannot be bought here. Customers have to walk two steps to buy them at other shops. There are still three ancestral shops in the Mural City, and the elders are here. The rules were stipulated not to steal business from other shops, but all three shops could sell the five copies of the murals that had been covered up by the Pi Ma Sect.

Chen Pingan thought for a while, said to look at it again, put away the "hanging inkstone" picture of the goddess, and then left the shop.

As for the chance of a goddess or something, Chen Pingan didn’t even think about it.

I heard some guests keep saying that once the goddess walks out of the scroll, she will serve her master for the rest of her life. The five people in the scroll in history all formed immortal Taoist couples with their masters, and then at least Both of them were able to become Nascent Soul Earth Immortals. One of them, a down-and-out scholar with mediocre Taoist qualifications, even got the favor of a "immortal staff" goddess. He unexpectedly broke through again and again, and finally became the most famous scholar in the history of Beiju Luzhou. The great monk of Immortal Realm. It’s true that I have embraced such a beautiful woman and become a deity on the top of the mountain. At this point in my life, there is nothing more I could ask for.

Chen Pingan felt his palms sweating when he heard that. He quickly drank a sip of wine to calm down his shock. He only had to put his hands together and silently prayed that the senior goddess on the mural would be more discerning and not blindly fall in love with him. .

After that, Chen Pingan went to the other two murals and bought the most expensive gallery book, which was of the same style. A nearby store also sold a set of five paintings of goddesses, and the price was the same as what the young man said before. , one hundred pieces of snow cost money, no discount. These two pictures of the Goddess Tianguan are named "Walking Rain" and "Riding a Deer" respectively. The former holds a white jade bowl in his hand, tilted slightly, and visitors can vaguely see the sparkling light inside the bowl, and the golden light of a dragon. The latter is riding a colorful deer, and the goddess's skirt is trailing, making her look like a fairy. This goddess also carries a green unsheathed wooden sword with the three characters "happy wind" engraved on her back.

Chen Pingan was mixed in with the crowd along the way, listening and watching more.

One of the words made Chen Pingan obsessed with money, and he planned to become a Baofuzhai himself. During this trip to Beiju Luzhou, in addition to practicing swordsmanship, he might as well do some business. Anyway, things are so close. Among the square objects, the position has almost vacated.

Some passers-by say it is the picture of the goddess here in the mural city. Because of the beautiful painting and the gimmick, it is known to all the north and south of the continent. It is located in the north of Beiju Luzhou. In the area, monks often offer extremely high prices.It was very popular in the northern palace official circles, and there were even wealthy immortal masters who were willing to pay a small sum of money to buy a set of eight complete murals of city goddesses.

Chen Pingan thought about it carefully. At first he thought it was profitable, but then he felt something was wrong. He thought that such a good thing was like losing a bunch of copper coins on the ground, and any monk with a little wealth could do it. Pick it up and earn the difference. Chen Ping'an took a closer look at the group of chatting tourists not far away. They didn't look like the stooges of the three shops. After thinking about it again, he realized that Beiju Luzhou has a vast territory and Skeleton Beach is at the southernmost end. The ferry boat is a big expense, not to mention that the Goddess wanted to sell it for a high price. It depends on whether the other party has a good heart and is more casual. It depends on how lucky it is, and it depends on three factors. There are so many boxes filled in the corridors of each shop, and the output is various. If you take it all together, there may not be any monks who are willing to earn this relatively difficult small profit.

Of course, it is also possible that the shop and the Skull Beach Pi Ma Sect have their own fixed sales channels, which are just unknown to outsiders.

Making money.

Among the people Chen Ping'an has traveled such a long way, Sun Jiashu of Laolongcheng and Dong Shuijing of Longquan County have done the best. Not to mention Sun Jiashu, who already has a big business, but Dong Shuijing, who was born in a poor alley and became "suddenly rich", Chen Ping'an admires the most for his attitude towards making money. Dong Shuijing, after he was already making money day by day, and Yuan County Magistrate , Cao Duzao, and Guan Yiran, whom he was going to visit recently to make acquaintance with. He would also make friends with such a big shot, but he also made a small amount of money from the wonton shop. Although Dong Shuijing runs the shop now, in the eyes of some people, it may be more It may be a sentiment cultivated after having a rich family, but Dong Shuijing is still diligent, serious and unambiguous.

This is the business experience a businessman should have.

So Chen Ping'an found the shopkeepers at two shops and asked if he could give him a discount if he bought more gallery books in one go. One shop just shook his head and said that he could buy up all the shops. Inventory, even a piece of snow cannot be spent less, and there is no room for negotiation at all. Another shop was run by a hunchbacked old woman. She asked with a smile how many sets of goddess pictures the customers could buy. Chen Pingan said how many were left in the shop. The old woman said that filling books in the gallery was a delicate job and the shipment was extremely slow. Moreover, these The main painter of the picture of the goddess in the gallery has always been an old guest of Pima Sect. Other painters did not dare to paint at all. Lao Keqing never wanted to paint more. If it were not for the rules of Pima Sect, according to this old painter , every time he gives a glance to the evil-minded disciples in the world, he will gain an extra amount of karma, and he will really make a lot of money. The old woman immediately admitted that the shop itself was not worried about sales and could not save much. Now there were only about thirty units left in the shop, and they would all be sold out sooner or later. At this point, the old woman laughed and asked Chen Ping'an. If this is the case, discounting means losing money. Is there anyone in the world who does this kind of business?

Chen Pingan had no choice but to rely on the old woman's sincere words, so he spent twenty pieces of snow to buy a box set with five pictures of goddesses in it., named "Changqiao", "Baogai", "Lingzhi", "Chunguan" and "Zhankan" respectively. The five goddesses hold lotus lanterns, support the treasure cover, and hold a white jade Ganoderma lucidum in their arms, surrounded by hundreds of flowers. Birds were flying around, and the last one was the most unusual. He was wearing armor and holding an axe, sparkling with lightning, and very heroic.

Chen Pingan returned to the earliest shop again and asked about the inventory and discounts of the gallery. The boy was a little embarrassed. The girl suddenly smiled and glanced at the boy who was her childhood sweetheart. She shook her head, probably thinking that This foreign customer was a bit too philistine and continued to be busy with his business. Facing the customers, old and young, who were filing in and out of the shop, he still had no smile on his face.

In the end, the young man was easier to talk to, or maybe he was thin-skinned, but he couldn't resist Chen Pingan who was looking at him and smiling, so he secretly led Chen Pingan to the room behind the shop and sold Chen Pingan ten sets of wooden boxes. I received ten pieces of snow from Chen Pingan.

After Chen Pingan checked out, when he left the store, he had an extra package slung across his back.

The girl nudged the young man with her shoulder and teased: "How can you do business like this? The customer just chatted with you for a few words and nodded in agreement."

The young man said helplessly: "I'll just follow my great grandfather. Besides, I'm just here to help you with odd jobs, and I'm not really a businessman."

The girl kept a clear distinction between public and private affairs, and warned: "I don't care, there are ten snowflakes in the shop." I see the loss of money. You can go to your great-grandfather to make up for it later and beg him to paint more for my shop."

The young man smiled and nodded, "Don't worry. "My great-grandpa loves me the most. If others beg him, it won't work. If I go and beg, it's too late for my great-grandpa to be happy."

The girl suddenly said: "Then have you told the guest not to show off when you go out." Huang Bai, there are so many people in the shop, and he carries so many galleries to fill in books, it is not a small sum of money. The area near the Mural City is originally a mixed bag of fish and dragons, and the atmosphere is smoky. He likes to bully outsiders the most, and he can use all kinds of deception and abduction. You Didn't you just give me a few words of warning? Look at the way he bargained with you. If you didn't agree, you would have been able to work as a waiter in our shop. Also, with that foreign accent, he didn't look like he was particularly well-off. The more so, the more You should be careful."

When doing business, the girl has a temperament that takes the bait, but when it comes to the young man, she is not shy about her words. She must also have a cold-skinned and warm-hearted temperament.

The young man was stunned for a moment, slapped his head, and said guiltily: "I forgot!"

The girl glared and said in a low voice: "Then go quickly! You are wearing a The direct disciples of Ma Zong are all about to travel down the mountain. Why are they so unsophisticated?"

The young man said, "What about the business here?"

The girl laughed angrily and said: "I've been here since I was a child, and you've only come down to help a few times over the years. Is it possible that without you, I can't open my shop?"

Young Fei I ran out of the shop and found the foreign ranger wearing a bamboo hat, and whispered some precautions.

Chen Pingan smiled and said: "Okay, thank you for reminding me."

The young man waved his hand and turned around to run back to the shop.

Chen Pingan asked: "Can I take the liberty to ask?"

The young man immediately stopped and nodded: "But it doesn't matter, I will definitely not hide what I can say. "

Chen Pingan asked: "This

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The eight goddess murals have such a great opportunity, this beach of bones is covered with Why doesn't Ma Zong confine him? Even if his own disciples can't seize the good fortune, isn't it common sense that the wealth should not flow to others? Rather than seizing treasures and monopolizing opportunities, it is better to form a good relationship with those who are destined. There is an ancestral motto in the Pima Sect's ancestral hall, 'As we practice the Dao, we must not worry about our husbands.'"

After Chen Pingan chewed these words carefully, he sighed with emotion: "The Pima Sect is very powerful!"

The young man was very happy. Although he was not tall and had an average appearance, he was actually a Phi Ma sect. An inner disciple of Ma Zong's Patriarch Hall, he has achieved great success in cultivation, so he has a restrained spirit. Although he is very young, his seniority is quite high. He has only been familiar with the girl in the mural city shop since he was a child. Whenever he has the opportunity, he comes down the mountain to help. At the top of Mazong Mountain, there were many white-haired old monks who called him Junior Uncle.

After thanking the young man again, Chen Ping'an walked towards the entrance. Since he had bought those pictures of goddesses, it would be a worthwhile investment for him to open a business in Beiju Luzhou in the future. Okay, I won’t continue wandering around the Mural City. I actually saw some ghost repair artifacts for sale in large and small shops along the way. Not to mention the quality of the items, they are really expensive. I guess the real good items and top-notch items must be found here. Stay for a while and slowly look for those time-honored brands hidden deep in the streets and alleys, and then you have a chance to find them. Otherwise, Shopkeeper Huang of the Ferry Boat would not have mentioned this, but Chen Ping'an didn't want to try his luck. Besides, Mural City is the most popular place. The top-notch Yin Ling puppet was bought as a retinue. Chen Ping'an didn't need it the least, so he rushed to the Swinging River Temple six hundred miles away from the top of Pima Zong Mountain.

After leaving the mural city and looking at the Pima Sect where the clouds and mist on the top of the mountain obscured the scenery, Chen Ping'an thought of Taiping Mountain in Tongyezhou for no reason.

The foot of the mountain is bustling and overcrowded. This Xian family mansion with thirty-six direct descendants and one hundred and eight outer sects has a few monks for a sect-headed cave mansion. Most of them are on the mountain. desolate.

In fact, my current situation is similar.

There are still too few people.

But when there are more people in the future, Chen Pingan is also worried. He is worried that a second Gu Can will appear. Even if it is half Gu Can, Chen Pingan will have a big headache.

There was once a Taoist allusion about a layman worrying about heaven. Chen Pingan read it over and over again many times, and the more he read it, the more he felt he had endless aftertaste.

Chen Pingan took off the sword gourd, took a sip of wine, tossed the package, put away his thoughts, and continued his journey.

Still going on foot.

As for the speed of breathing and the depth of steps, I deliberately keep them within the ordinary five levels of the world.The atmosphere of Jingwufu.

The River God Temple is easy to find. Just walk to the bank of the swaying river and then go all the way north. The Ghost Valley is located northeast of the temple, so it can barely be considered a convenient way.

The Swaying River is extremely wide and stretches as far as the eye can see. The water is deep and the river is slow, giving you the feeling of watching a lake.

There is no bridge on the swaying river. It is said that the river god does not like others walking on his head. There are many ferries and boats. Chen Pingan rested at a small ferry and drank a bowl of local dark tea. , Generally speaking, river water is of inferior quality when making tea, but the gloomy tea here, if you drink water from the river at will, the tea is extremely refreshing and sweet, mostly due to the richness of the swaying river water. The water transport is at its peak, which invisibly benefits both sides of the river. There are lush vegetation and large clumps of reeds. In early winter, they are still green and lush, so many birds and waterbirds inhabit it.

On this journey, you can occasionally see traveling monks, followed by Yin Ling followers with clanging iron armor, but their footsteps are extremely light and almost do not splash dust, just like the rivers and lakes of the small country of Aquarius Island. A master, the armor he wears is extremely fine. The seals are engraved with Taoist talismans. The gold and silver threads are intertwined and the glistening light is flowing. It is obviously not ordinary. Almost all of the burly Yin spirit is covered with face armor, and some of the exposed skin is green and black. .

One place is nurtured by water and soil, and the monks in Luzhou in Beiju, regardless of their level of realm, are more cautious and restrained than the monks in Aquarius Island who walk at Dadukou. The monks here look like there is no one else around. Very bold.

If Pei Qian got here, he would probably feel like a fish in water.

Chen Pingan asked for two more bowls of Yinchen tea. It was not that Chen Pingan was so thirsty that he needed a cow to drink, but the rule of the tea stall was that three bowls of tea would cost a piece of snow, and drinking less than three A bowl is also a starting point for spending money.

Chen Pingan was not in a hurry, so he drank tea slowly. Then most of the dozen or so tables were occupied, and they all stopped here. More than a hundred miles ahead, there will be a historic site, over there. On the bank of the Swaying River, there is an ancient iron bull that fell to the ground. Its origin is unknown, its rank is extremely high, and it is close to a magic weapon. It was neither sunk into the river by the God of the Swaying River to suppress water transportation, nor was it captured by the great monks of the Skeleton Beach. There was once a The Earth Immortal tried to steal this thing, but the outcome was not good. The River God turned a blind eye to this and did not use his magical power to stop it. However, the water of the Swaying River surged violently, overwhelming the sky, and actually directly involved a Golden Elixir Earth Immortal. The river water drowned him alive. After that, no one dared to covet this iron bull that respected hundreds of thousands of kilograms.

Chen Pingan had just finished his second bowl of tea when a table of customers not far away got into an argument with the tea stall man over why the tea stall had to charge two snowflakes for four bowls of tea. matter.

The shopkeeper is a lazy man. Seeing his waiters quarreling with the guests, he actually gloats over his misfortune. He lies on the oil-stained counter and drinks alone, with a plate of wine and food in front of him. He grew up in The water celery by the swaying river is particularly delicious. The young waiter is also very stubborn and does not ask the shopkeeper for help. Surrounded by four guests, he still insists on his own opinion or obediently takes out two snow coins., or you have the ability not to pay the bill, anyway, the silver tea stall does not accept one or two taels.

A strong man with a big beard and a purple face, behind him is an astonishing Yin Ling retinue. This puppet made by the Pi Ma Sect is carrying a large box. The purple-faced man was about to fall out on the spot and gave some advice to a carefree woman with a sword sitting cross-legged on a bench. The strong man took out a small summer coin and slapped it heavily on the table, "Two snow coins are money, right?" ? Then give me some money!"

This is obviously being difficult and disgusting.

Practitioners in the mountains, as well as pure martial artists with good martial arts skills, generally prepare more snow money when traveling, as they should never be short of it, and Xiaoshu money, Of course, there must be some. After all, this thing is lighter and easier to carry than snow. If you are an earthly immortal who owns such small things as a small fairy tomb and an exquisite arsenal, or a direct descendant of the mountain-top fairy family who has acquired these rare treasures since childhood. , then two theories.

As for the more valuable Guyu money, it’s not even that the more the merrier, because there aren’t many places where Guyu money can be used, unless you’re going straight down the mountain to make a big deal.

As a result, the young man said directly, "Why don't you take out some Grain Rain money?"

The purple-faced man glared, crossed his arms and said, "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up." Yes, don’t delay me. I’m going to burn incense at the River God Temple!”

The shopkeeper finally came to the rescue and said, “Okay, hurry up and give the customer some money.”

The young man grabbed Xiaoshu. The money went behind the counter, squatted down, and there was a crisp sound of money being knocked against money. He suddenly picked up a sack of snow money and threw it heavily on the table, "Take it!"

The purple-faced man Smiling and waving, the Yin Ling attendant behind him grabbed the heavy bag of snow money and put it into the box behind him.

The young waiter said with a straight face: "I won't see you off, but you are welcome to come."

The purple-faced man took out another small money and put it on the table, and said with a sinister smile: "Four more bowls of gloomy tea."

The young waiter said angrily: "Are you finished yet?!"

The woman sitting cross-legged twisted her body and looked ordinary. , with an attractive figure, and with this twist, she became more and more undulating. She smiled coquettishly at the young waiter and said: "Since we are engaged in the business of opening the door to welcome guests, don't be too angry. But sister, I don't blame you, young man." It's normal to be angry. I won't drink my sister's bowl of tea as a reward."

The guests at the other tables burst into laughter and screamed strangely. Continuously, a young and strong man whistled and glanced at the scenery in front of the woman, wishing he could chop off the two mountains with his eyes and move them home.

The young waiter became angry and was about to yell at the naughty fox. However, a young man with a sword next to the woman was already eager to try. He quietly rubbed the hilt of the sword with his palm, as if waiting for the waiter to humiliate the woman without any words. people.

Fortunately, the shopkeeper finally put down his chopsticks and said to the young waiter: "Okay, have you forgotten how to teach you? If you betray someone in person, you will cause the most trouble.. The rules of the tea stall have been passed down from ancestors. No wonder you are stubborn. If the customers are unhappy, there is nothing you can do about it, but you can just curse them. This is not the way to do business.

Then the shopkeeper looked at the group of customers with a smile, "Business has business rules, but as this beautiful sister said, open the door to welcome guests, so the next four bowls of gloomy tea will be How about I get to know four good guys for free? ”

The woman covered her mouth and smiled sweetly, her flower branches trembling.

The purple-faced man nodded, put away the small summer coin, and drank four bowls of the newly served gloomy tea in vain , then stood up and left.

The woman did not forget to turn around and wink at the young waiter.

Chen Pingan frowned and glanced at the table. There was a white bowl with more than half of the tea left, and there was still some imperceptible rouge on the rim of the bowl.

The shopkeeper shook his head with a smile, walked around the counter, and grabbed the cup before the young waiter. The white bowl was tossed into the swaying river.

Chen Ping'an finished his tea, put a piece of snow money on the table, and stood up to leave.

From Mural City to the crossing of the river, there is a fork in the road. The small road is close to the river, and the main road is slightly away from the river. There is also something special here. The river god here likes peace and quiet, but the main road in Skeleton Beach is full of traffic and constant flow every day. It is said that It is easy to disturb the repair work of the River God, so the Pima Sect paid for and built two roads for people to travel. If you like to enjoy the scenery, take the small road, and if you are doing business, take the main road. The well water does not interfere with the river water.

As a result, when Chen Pingan walked along the riverside path for more than ten miles, Chen Pingan vaguely heard a feeble yell coming from a large clump of reeds in the distance. , the four people who came out to support each other were the guests who had been wrestling with each other at the tea stall. The woman among them suddenly heard a thunderous sound in her belly, and she gasped softly: "Hey, my dear mother is here again. "The woman turned around and ran staggeringly towards the depths of the reed swamp. She did not forget to remind her: "Keep that puppet you just bought out of the way. In this wilderness, if you don't let the wild man see my ass, how can you still do it? Taking advantage of a vagina? "

Chen Pingan looked straight and quickened his pace.

The purple-faced man glanced at Chen Pingan.

The young man with the sword next to him whispered: "It's such a coincidence that we bumped into each other again. Could it be the fairy dance created by the tea stall together? You were motivated by wealth before, and now you plan to take advantage of it? "

An old man in gray clothes who looked like a butler rubbed his cramped stomach and nodded: "It's better to be careful. "

The purple-faced man's face was gloomy, "I didn't think so.It's really lawless to go to this beach of bones. How dare a tea stall doing such a stupid business dare to act like this!

The old man in gray said helplessly: "The Skeleton Beach has always been full of strange people and strange people. Let's just take it as a lesson and gain wisdom. Think more about how to go next. If it's really a tea stall, There are people seeking wealth and life there, and the journey before reaching the River God Temple is difficult to walk. "

The young man looked at the back of the young man in the bamboo hat and made a gesture of raising a knife and dropping it, "Then let's strike first? It's better than trying to find out the truth for them, and then catch a turtle in a urn somewhere, maybe kill the chicken to scare the monkey, and the other party won't dare to attack casually. "

The purple-faced man thought it was reasonable. The old man in gray still wanted to make plans. The man had already said to the young swordsman in a deep voice: "Then you go and try the depth, remember

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Keep your hands and feet clean, and it is best not to throw the body into the river. If we really get caught, we have to rely on the protection of the river god. If the body is thrown into the river, You might be offending the river god of this river. Don’t waste it on such a big reed swamp.

The young man with the sword nodded with a smile, and then said with a smile: "Looks like a pure martial artist who has passed the body refining realm. If he is hiding something secretly and has a heroic courage, Not to mention capsizing in the gutter, but getting questioned is very difficult. "

The purple-faced man glanced at the old man in gray, who nodded silently.

The two of them swept forward one after another.

After a while, the purple-faced man The man rubbed his stomach, which started to churn again, and when he saw the two of them returning the same way, he asked, "Is it done?

The old man in gray clothes shook his head and said: "He disappeared all of a sudden, faster than a rabbit, but it is possible that he saw a bad opportunity and hid in the reeds. He just lay down and was hard to find."

The man with the big beard and purple face had a gloomy look on his face and looked around. The man in the shop lowered his head and pretended that we, the mighty dragons, would not fight against the local cowards.

The woman staggered out of the reed swamp with her hands on her hips and said sickly: "The guy at the tea stall is bad. He's a smiling tiger who has been stabbed a thousand times. He's such a domineering laxative. He's a strong bull." I was knocked down. I really don’t know how to pity flowers and cherish jade. ”

Chen Ping’an left the path and turned into the reed marsh. He bent forward and quickly disappeared.

After walking for more than 20 miles, he slowed down. Figure, I went to the river to grab a handful of water, washed my face, and then while there was no one around, I put the package containing the picture of the goddess into something nearby, then I jumped up lightly and stepped on the lush and dense grass. On the reed swamp, a dragonfly floated on the water, and the wind whistled in my ears, drifting away.

That group of Jianghu people, even if they have Yinling puppets as their personal followers, together they are probably not as good as an experienced Longmen. Realm monk, Chen Ping'an didn't want to fight and kill others when he arrived at Beiju Luzhou, not to mention that he would still be affected by Chiyu, which was a bad omen.

There were more pedestrians on the side of the path near the River God Temple. , Chen Pingan fell to the ground and walked outReed marsh, walk there.

I stood on the top of the reeds and looked at the famous ancestral temple that is famous throughout the continent. I saw a thick mist of incense rising into the sky, stirring the sea of ​​clouds above, making it colorful and blurred. The weather should not be underestimated. Even the Tongyezhou River Temple that I passed by at the beginning, and the Biyou Mansion that was later promoted to the palace, were not so strange. As for the several river temples in the Xiuhua River area in my hometown, they were also incomparable. This vision.

The common people have the incense burned by the common people.

There are also water fragrances specially designed for high-rollers.

The Heshen Temple is very kind. There is a wooden sign not to mention, but there is also a young boy who is guarding the wooden sign. Guests who come to the temple to worship gods and burn incense only look at their sincerity and do not care about the quality of the incense.

Chen Ping'an didn't save the money, so he bought a tube of swaying river incense specially produced by the ancestral temple to worship the gods. It was expensive. It cost ten pieces of snow, but the incense tube only contained nine incense sticks. The three sticks of incense at the River God Temple in Luan State cost a piece of snow, which was a lot more expensive.

Chen Pingan twisted three sticks from the yellow bamboo incense tube with green and green water flowers, followed the pilgrims into the temple, lit three sticks of incense in the main hall, held the incense with both hands, raised his head high, bowed in all directions, and then went The main hall is dedicated to the golden body of the river god. It is very imposing. The painted statue is gilded all over. The height is suspected of being arrogant. It is more than three feet taller than the Tiefu River Water God statue in Longquan County, and the Dali Dynasty The gods of mountains and rivers, the height of their statues, all strictly abide by the rules of the academy. However, when Chen Pingan thought that this was Luzhou in Beiju, it was not surprising that the appearance of this swaying river god was that of a man holding a sword in each hand and a foot. The golden-armored old man with a bright red snake looks like a king of heaven with angry eyes, and is extremely powerful.

Then Chen Pingan spent more than half an hour walking around the dozens of huge temples. The roofs were covered with eye-catching golden glazed tiles.

One of the side halls is built to look like a dragon palace in the water. The statues are lifelike, and they are all assistant generals after big fish, snakes and dragons have transformed into human forms. They have various postures. Some old pilgrims and their children are laughing and talking about this. It is the villa of the River God. At night, all the officials and generals under his command who can call the wind and rain will come to life. However, the temple has a night ban. At night, only those immortals who can fly in the clouds and mist are qualified to come. I am here to be a guest and have wine and tea with the River God.

Chen Pingan stopped for a while in the apse and saw a couplet, so he twisted out three more incense sticks, lit them, stood respectfully in the white jade square, and then inserted them into the incense burner. Just left.

The couplets with gold characters on a black background behind Chen Pingan are "Don't kowtow if you are sincere, you will be protected by your own virtue", "I will let you burn incense for evil, and you will only make the water god angry".

After Chen Pingan left this river god temple, he continued his journey north.

As the sun sets over the Western Mountains, at dusk, Chen Ping'an comes to a small ferry. He needs to take a ferry across the shore to get to the place where Chen Ping'an has jurisdiction over the Skeleton Beach. Ghost Valley.

It’s just the ferry boats and young and old at the ferry crossingThe boatmen all stopped working, and the ferries stopped and tied ropes, and returned home one after another. Chen Ping'an wanted to increase the fare to cross the river, but no one agreed. They all said that ferries can't cross the river at night. This is a rule passed down from generation to generation, otherwise the river god will be angry. Yes, there are only three types of people except them: scholars go to Beijing to take exams, some people seek medical treatment for their illnesses, and people in distress want to commit suicide by drowning in the river.

Chen Ping'an thought about the importance of not building bridges on the Swaying River and these rules. He didn't even think about crossing the river. He simply lit a bonfire in a secluded place by the river near the ferry and planned to prepare for the next morning. Take the ferry across the shore at dawn.

The night falls and the river flows slowly.

Chen Ping'an faced the river, sat cross-legged, and practiced setting up sword stoves.

Nothing happened all night.

The sky was slightly bright, and Chen Pingan stood up and walked towards the ferry. There was a strong old boatman with shiny and dark skin, already squatting on the ferry, waiting for the guests.

Chen Pingan and Lao Zhouzi agreed on the price, eight cents of silver. The old man said that he would wait a little longer. He would only earn eight cents of silver by carrying a person across the river. He was a little sorry for the energy, so he asked Chen Pingan if he was happy. I am willing to wait. As long as one more person comes and earns eight more silver coins, I can punt the river across the river. Chen Pingan smiled and said it didn't matter, just wait, there was no rush to go anyway. Chen Ping'an took off his bamboo hat and sat on the ferry with Lao Zhouzi. He took off his sword gourd and took a sip of wine. The water in the pot was the home-brewed rice wine Dong Shuijing gave to Luopo Mountain.

Old Zhouzi's eyes lit up when he smelled the aroma of the wine. He turned around and asked with a smile: "Master, can you please enjoy the wine?"

Chen Pingan asked. Passing the sword gourd to him, Lao Zhouzi waved his hands, clasped his hands together, and said with a smile: "Young Master is very particular about people, and I, a bad old man like me, have to be very particular. You just pour the wine into my hand."

Chen Ping'an. Then he poured the wine, and Lao Zhouzi raised his calloused hands, lowered his head like a cow to drink water. After drinking, he smashed his mouth and asked with a smile: "Young master, are you going to the 'No Looking Back'? Oh, this The dialect is the dialect here. According to the great immortals of the Pima Sect, it is the Ghost Valley."

Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded: "I'm here because of its reputation. I'm a swordsman. He said that he must go to three places in the Skeleton Beach. Now that he has been to the Mural City and the River God Temple, he wants to go to the Ghost Valley to learn more."

Old Zhouzi stretched out two fingers and twisted them. Twisting the corner of Chen Pingan's green shirt who was sitting cross-legged beside him, he clicked his tongue and said: "Let me just say, the young master is actually a young god. I don't want to say anything else, old man. I have been welcoming and sending you off on this river all my life. I don't have any money in my pocket." It makes a lot of noise, but you still have good eyesight. Are your clothes already worth a lot of money?"

Chen Ping'an said with a hearty smile: "When you go out, you still have to show off your style, just to make yourself look fat. "

Old Zhouzi said: "Young Master's foreign accent sounds like someone from another continent. You must change it. Let's change it here. The forest is big and there are all kinds of birds. The more incompetent they are. The more you like to bully others."

Chen Pingan said, "The old man is right."

Lao Zhouzi turned his head and glanced, "Young master is lucky.Yes, someone came to the ferry so early, it seems we can cross the river. ”

Chen Pingan then followed the old man’s line of sight and turned around to see a staggering old woman. When he looked closely at the old woman’s face, Chen Pingan felt helpless.

The old woman arrived at the ferry. When she heard that Lao Zhouzi wanted to collect eight coins, she started to get into trouble. Then she turned to look at Chen Pingan. Chen Pingan looked like a fledgling in the world. He pretended not to know anything at first, and then waited until the old woman was stunned. After being stunned, she took the initiative to ask the young master if she could do anything for her. She only had four or five coins with her, so her kindness would be rewarded.

Chen Pingan just shook his head.

Lao Zhouzi was a little anxious and winked at Chen Ping'an. Unfortunately, in the old man's eyes, he was quite smart before, but now he looked like an ignorant wooden person.

In the end, the old woman became angry. He angrily said that he owed money and would pay it back next time he crossed the river, and Lao Zhouzi agreed.

Putting a boat across the river, the atmosphere on the boat was a bit awkward.

Chen Pingan watched. Observe your mind and pretend to be an old monk.

Old Zhouzi is a little anxious, but he doesn't know what to say.

The old woman is the most angry, thinking that the young man is really a thief. /p>

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she gave Chen Ping'an a hard look.

Chen Ping'an just pretended not to see it.

Later, she seemed to "can't help it." , started to talk nonsense, and had a pedantic conversation with the old woman, roughly why she couldn't blame him for being stingy.

The old woman slapped the boat rail and rolled her eyes.

When they arrived at the ferry on the other side, Lao Zhouzi was about to say something when the old woman grabbed his sleeve.

Chen Pingan jumped off the ferry and said goodbye without turning his head. , just left.

Lao Zhouzi was stunned for a long time, then turned to the "old woman" and asked: "That's it? Isn't it a pity? "

The rickety old woman had stood up straight now and sneered: "What else? You want me to stick it upside down? It's because he can't grasp the good fortune himself and can't blame others! This guy is the first one to fail the three small tests. If word spreads, I will be laughed to death by my sisters! ”

Lao Zhouzi always felt that something was wrong.

Why did that young man seem to deliberately miss this great blessing?

The first test, It was set up by the "old woman". Whether to force the river to cross or not, the young man passed. Then he replaced her and gave him another symbolic test. The young man also successfully passed the second test and generously gave him a sip of wine. Therefore, Lao Zhouzi felt that the overall situation had been decided and the matter was definitely done, so he sold the young man a small favor and deliberately removed some of the blinders to reveal some clues. Since the young man had already been to the River Temple, he should have noticed it. Yes, we should deal with it appropriately and not worry about trivial matters like a few dollars. Who just said "walking around in the world and pretending to be fat"

Old man?The woman became furious and stamped her feet, causing the old boatman and the ferry boat to sink to the bottom of the swaying river.

The two of them took the ferry and shuttled freely across the bottom of the river.

The old woman has regained her graceful true form, with ribbons fluttering, and a face that will captivate the country, and she is a well-deserved goddess.

Old Zhouzi sighed and felt very sorry for the young man.

After Chen Pingan left the ferry, he started to run away. He only regretted that the sword rising into the air was too eye-catching, otherwise he would have run further.

I took off my sword gourd and took a sip of wine to calm down my shock. Then Chen Pingan laughed and imitated Pei Qian and walked a few steps, feeling very proud of myself. I, Chen Pingan, am a veteran of the world!

After Chen Pingan laughed, he felt frightened again. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Fortunately, he was smart. Otherwise, just count on his fingers, how many times would he be beaten to death by Miss Ning? Even if she doesn't get beaten to death, I still dare to hug her and kiss Zhui'er on the mouth next time we meet...

On the other side of the ferry, Jiang Shangzhen's thoughts had moved slightly before, and he noticed some signs. , then decisively left and returned. Now he reached out to cover his forehead and murmured: "Chen Ping'an, Brother Chen, Uncle Chen! You are still the best!"

(End of Chapter)