Candle Dragon to the left

Chapter 760 229. Autumn of Taihang (4.2k)

On the day of Frost's Descent, the peaks of Taihang Mountains are covered with ochre-red gauze.

Before the morning mist dissipated, the mountain path was already covered with flaming maple leaves.

Chu Xing'er walked up the steps carrying a wicker basket filled with dew-covered red dates and wild chestnuts. The ginkgo leaf hairpin in her hair swayed like a golden bell with her steps.

"The king asked me to patrol the mountains, so I'll take a look around Taihang... hm?"

At the corner of the mountain path, she paused in singing and looked down to see three sets of footprints of varying depths imprinted on the maple leaf carpet, winding their way to a deep lake surrounded by mountains.

In the long pavilion on the lake island, Li Xi'an was playing chess with himself with black pieces.

The hem of the robe fell down, spreading along the steps on the red maple-covered stone slabs. The color of the longevity robe spread over the red carpet woven by frosted maples like the sunset. It made the visitors from afar unable to tell whether it was the ancient robe of the Dragon King that dyed the ancient Taihang Mountains red, or the maple flames of the Taihang Mountains secretly climbing up the corners of his robe.

Li Xi'an used the dragon's tail to roll up the yellow gourd, and from time to time filled the teapot beside him with pine needle tea. As the tea smoke rose, the lake breeze brought the cool fragrance of snow lotus. A frost-maned black deer stepped through the mist in the forest, landed lightly on the lake, and arrived at the lake island in the blink of an eye.

A distant visitor has arrived.

Qingyan jumped off the saddle, his black cloak swept the red maple leaves off the branches, and the broadsword at his waist made the dragon-patterned jade pendant jingle.

"The snow-haired silver needles of the north go perfectly with your autumn dew." She threw the teapot wrapped in blue, her blue eyes swept over the black pieces on the chessboard, "The two idiots from Tianyang went to the north to make trouble. They wanted to dig through the frozen soil and dig deep into the ground to find the so-called Eight Immortals. The snow girls in the cold weather come to me every day to complain. I can't stand this noise, so I come to your place to take shelter for a few days. This tea is the money for the stay."

The rising tea smoke blurred Li Xian's face.

He just smiled and said, "Why did this black deer follow you? It is the descendant of the group of creatures that rose up in Taihang."

"When he met me by chance at the celebration, he became my disciple and followed me sincerely, not staying in Taihang Mountain and entering the mist of time. Everyone knows that Taihang Mountain is the quietest place this year. The local big monsters are immersed in the mist. Only the singing of the little Buddha can be heard in the mountain."

Li Xi'an looked at the teapot in his hand and chuckled, "This is rare. If I use this teapot as a loan, I'm afraid I can live here for more than ten years."

He filled Qingyan's glass with the freshly brewed pine needle tea and said, "Sit down."

Qingyan patted the black deer's head, and it jumped into the lake and disappeared into the forest.

"They are a little too presumptuous, especially that guy who stays up all day..." Seeing the juniors leave, Qing Yan narrowed his eyes and began to complain.

Before he finished speaking, a fat black and white ball wrapped in a chaotic air mass came over from the lake, sweeping the maple leaves on the lake island into flying all over the sky.

"Dang, dang, dang! I'm making a grand appearance!" Da Zhiyi broke through the chaotic air, raised his arms and shouted, but the next moment, the red maple leaves in the sky fell on him like rain, and Da Zhiyi was submerged in an instant.

Da Zhiyi shook off the red maple leaves on his body and with just a slight movement of the bamboo tube in his arms, the fragrance of honey filled the entire pavilion.

"I brought some freshly cut cliff honey from the Qinling Mountains! This is a good thing. I managed to get one from my fairy sister with great difficulty. She always says that this stuff is too sweet and will damage her teeth, but she ends up eating more of it than I do every year. Brother Zhu, please try it... Ouch!" He was about to step forward, but was tripped by a tree root and the bamboo tube flew out of his hand towards the tea stove.

It was caught steadily by a long arm covered with white hair.

The white ape was wearing a linen robe soaked by dew, holding the bamboo tube in one hand and a cut peach wood sword handle in the other. The sword body had long since turned to powder, leaving only the jade carving of a Chiwen inlaid on the sword handle, which was emitting clouds and mist.

Tong Ming Zuo placed the bamboo tube steadily on the stone table and glanced at the chessboard. "Do I have to regret my move when playing chess with myself?"

Li Xian paused while pouring tea.

Chu Xing'er appeared from the other end of the stone table, stretched out her finger to steal a sip of the honey wine, but was rolled up by the dragon's tail and thrown onto the futon beside her.

The girl pouted.

Tongmingzuo showed the hilt of the peach wood sword in his hand. "I found it in the ice cave under Changbai Tianchi. I am really puzzled that he could find something I don't know. I asked someone to look into the origin of this thing. It is very old. I am afraid it is something from the old Kyushu. It is stuck in the cave under Tianchi and has long been integrated with the rock wall."

Chu Xing'er took a closer look, her eyes wandering along the carved patterns on the hilt, and finally came to a conclusion: "This is not from Jiuzhou, it is a fragment of a magic weapon at the level of Taixu True Immortal, but now it has lost all its spirituality and is useless, so there is no way to know which True Immortal its owner is."

"Taixu Zhenxian?" Tongmingzuo lowered his head and stared at the hilt of the sword. "It does have a background, but how could Taixu Zhenxian's magic weapon appear in Jiuzhou?"

Several people around came over, and Qingyan said, "I'm afraid Jiuzhou participated in the fall of Taixu, but it was just a support. I found some merit tablets in Taixu, which vaguely recorded the deeds of Jiuzhou Supreme. They fought against the fallen creatures together with the immortals and Buddhas, and blocked the boundless black tide outside the land of Taixu. If Jiuzhou and Taixu were allies in the past, then it is normal for the remaining true immortals to come to Jiuzhou for refuge after Taixu was destroyed. This may be a relic left over from that time."

"It's been too long since the old Kyushu era began, let alone the Taixu era?"

As they talked about the times, everyone's eyes couldn't help but fall on the red figure in front of the stone table.

Li Xi'an smiled and used a tea needle to pry the Chiwen off the handle of the peach wood sword, causing it to detach from the handle and transform into a living creature swimming in the mist. He then pushed aside a patch of mist, and a peach-dressed woman was reflected in the light that came through the mist.

"Do you know her?" Li Xian drove the Chiwen to the woman's eyes. The mist condensed and the woman's face gradually became clear. It was the Queen Yunxiao. She was well-educated. Although she had not yet found the throne, her aura had become much stronger. Many sealed memories emerged, and she had become a living dictionary for people in Jiuzhou to study the ancient history of Taixu.

Yunxiao looked down at the Chiwen and said after a long silence, "Where did you find this?"

"Originally, there was nothing at the bottom of Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain, but after Cheng Tian went there, this thing appeared. How about it? Can you tell the details?"

Yunxiao shook his head, "It's not something from a true immortal."

Chu Xing'er was puzzled, "Isn't he at the True Immortal level? I wouldn't be wrong about this."

"It is a sword worn by an ancient creature, not his magic weapon. It may have been given by someone else. But since we can find this thing, there may be other things buried in Jiuzhou. This... is incredible!" Yunxiao's voice trembled, "Its owner is... Lingbao Tianzun!"

…………

Da Zhiyi chewed a walnut and said vaguely: "Isn't Lingbao Tianzun an existence similar to the Jiuzhou Ancient Emperor, the ultimate creature belonging only to the original era?"

Tongmingzuo put away the mahogany sword handle, "Changtian Baichi would not have such a thing appear out of thin air... Chengtian has a bronze lamp in his hand, on which is engraved the law of the universe. Now that Nanzhu is returning to the unity, it is also returning to the Kyushu. I guess this is a Kyushu object from another timeline, not from our universe."

Chu Xing'er brought the red dates and wild chestnuts picked in the morning, and without interrupting, Da Zhiyi came over and grabbed a handful in his hand.

Qingyan stroked the bandage wrapped around the hilt. Speaking of other universes, she couldn't help but think of the one-eyed dragon that was extremely similar to Nanzhu. "If this situation occurs when the Nine Provinces are united, some unclean relics may suddenly appear. Taixu fell because of filth, and the Nine Provinces have also experienced the baptism of filth. If they want to counterattack, this timing is perfect. Infiltrate in the process of unification, and spread the corruption that once poisoned Taixu all over the Nine Provinces..."

Li Xi'an interrupted her and pushed the porcelain plate filled with cliff honey over to her, "Try Dazhiyi's kindness."

Tongmingzuo looked at the late autumn sun rolling in the sea of ​​clouds, "I heard that Tao Ruo will hold a Peach Festival in Tianshan in the coming Beginning of Winter. Today, Qixue has not arrived yet, so I went to help. When I came, I happened to run into an envoy sent by Tianshan. He told me that Tao Ruo was very grateful to Nanzhu and said that if it were not for Taihang Dragon King, she would not be where she is today."

Chu Xing'er's eyes suddenly lit up, and she threw away the honey wine in her hand. Da Zhiyi decisively took the snack and swallowed the bamboo tube with the honey wine in one gulp: "Peach Festival?"

Qingyan snorted coldly while holding the knife.

These people quickly changed the subject.

Li Xi'an smiled and dipped the wild millet in cliff honey and handed it to Qingyan's mouth, who took it away without hesitation.

In the long pavilion, tea smoke is rising.

When the pine needle tea stove beside the chessboard changed the charcoal fire three times, Li Xi'an looked up and saw the golden sunset on the lake began to fade. Chu Xing'er lay on the stone table, blowing a wild millet shell with her mouth, and the kernel had been eaten up by Da Zhiyi.

The Cang Ming Sword leaned against the pavilion pillar, and the frost on the scabbard deepened with the dusk.

Tongmingzuo held the chess piece in his hand and stared at the lotus-fire lamp on the stone table. The lotus-fire lamp slowly rotated as the moon rose, stretching the shadow of the person in the pavilion into a long and fragmented shape.

Dusk was closing in, swallowing up the last ray of daylight, and the subtle fragrance of the ice lotus in the lake spread over the ancient mountains.

"Where is the envoy from Tianshan?" Dazhiyi muttered.

A small boat carrying jars of wine came through the fog. A man in a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat gently pushed aside the ice lilies on the lake.

The man laughed loudly and said, "Everyone, you are a step late!"

Qingyan dipped the red dates into the honey wine and said, "You know how to pick the right time."

"The envoy from Tianshan?" Da Zhiyi turned over and glanced at the small boat.

"Oh my! It's Brother Luo!" Da Zhiyi looked at the wine jar again, his eyes rolling.

He immediately jumped onto the treetops holding the wine jar, and poured the candied fruit mixed with the wine all over Tongmingzuo's white hair. Seeing the strange laughter of Dazhiyi, Tongmingzuo calmly wiped his face, grabbed the chess piece, and ended the game with Nanzhu in a few moves.

Li Xi'an didn't even raise his head. He waved his sleeves and mist surged, recording the scene of Da Zhiyi's strange laughter. He said calmly: "When the Peach Festival comes, I will take it to An Wanxian to appreciate Qin Ling's heroic appearance when he takes the crown. He is really heroic and has unparalleled fighting power!"

"Ah!" Da Zhiyi was horrified, "No, Long Jun! My good brother!"

Da Zhiyi slid down from the tree swiftly, grabbed Li Xian's wrist, and said with a flattering smile, "Brother Zhu, please spare me this time because I brought this cliff honey... just this once!"

"This cliff honey is delivered every year during the Frost Descent." Li Xian continued playing chess without looking at him.

"Ah? No! My dear brother, I only eat these few portions in Yami all year round, and the majority is taken by Sister Xian..."

Li Xian spread the mist casually, reflecting the different angles of Da Zhiyi's strange smile, "Pick one."

"Can...can you not be picky?" Da Zhiyi rubbed Li Xian's shoulders and back in a flattering manner.

"I think this one is good." Tongmingzuo said.

Da Zhiyi's face fell completely, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Give it to you! I give it to you every year on the Frost Descent! My dear brother... look at this?"

The fog dissipated suddenly.

Da Zhiyi sat on the ground dejectedly, crying, "It's over, it's all over..."

Luo walked into the pavilion carrying the wine jar in both hands, "Looking at your mood, you probably can't drink it, right? All of it belongs to us!"

Da Zhiyi's nose twitched, and he stood up with a kick of his legs, "Stop it, Brother Luo! Wait for me!"

Li Xi'an ended the chess game with a sigh, picked up the rolled-up wine cup, and let Chu Xing'er swing on the tip of his tail.

The fire went out, Changting was floating in the wine in the moonlight, Da Zhiyi was drunk and unconscious, and was secretly pouring wine onto the throne.

After taking a sip, Luo Yin suddenly said, "From the gates of the netherworld and the void, several extremely precious ancient Buddhist and Taoist scriptures such as the "Wish-fulfilling Treasure Wheel King Dharani", "The Auspicious Mantra for Eliminating Disasters", "The Mantra of the Mountain of Merit", and "The Mantra of Cundi" were transmitted back. There were traces of Sibu Zhuo's claws hidden in the cracks of the scriptures."

The eyes of the kings suddenly became sharp.

"They found an ancient Buddhist temple in Taixu, but were entangled in cause and effect."

"Now that your training is complete, you just can't escape?" Li Xi'an asked.

Luo waved his hand, and several ancient scriptures jumped out from the bone armor. Li Xi'an picked up the pages with his fingertips and saw the claw marks clearly.

"It's perfect. It's so perfect! After practicing to this level, how could you be trapped in the Taixu cause and effect and unable to escape?" Before Li Xian could say anything, Chu Xing'er glanced at him and said.

The night wind blew the maple leaves across the chessboard. The next moment, the chess squares lit up with golden lines, illuminating the entire lake island.

Chu Xing'er took the opportunity to secretly drink a sip of the wine next to Li Xi'an, choking and blushing: "Ahem...are you going to rescue them now?"

The maple fires on the mountain dimmed by three points. The Dragon King lowered his eyes and chuckled, "We can't let them miss the Peach Festival."

Li Xi'an pulled violently along the golden lines that lit up between the chess squares, and actually pulled out a silk thread.

He threw the silk thread into the Lotus Fire Lamp and said calmly, "Just wait for it to melt away."

"Okay!" Luo said loudly.

"Finally... we are complete. Jiuzhou, no one is missing!" Luo said in a low voice as he glanced at everyone.

"Cheers... to Jiuzhou!" Luo raised his glass, and the empty wine jar exploded into a star rain behind him.

Zhiyi swung the empty bamboo tube into the maple leaf pile, and suddenly stood up with his round body. Amber wine dripped down his cheeks and formed a winding Wei River vein on the stone slab.

"Cheers...to the people!" He burped, and the thousands of rice waves of the Qinling Mountains were reflected in his pupils. That was the autumn harvest totem engraved in the blood of the crowned king.

Tongmingzuo raised the wine cup to the north and said, "Cheers to tomorrow." Every word was like snow from the top of Changbai Mountain falling into the deep pool.

Chu Xing'er smiled and touched the empty wine cup to the void: "Cheers to those karmas that can never catch up with us!"

In his blue eyes, the image of the thousands of tribes bowing on the Arctic ice field emerged. The moment the wine entered his throat, the blade of the Cangming Sword trembled slightly, "Cheers to those who can still draw their swords at this moment."

Li Xian's wine cup suddenly rippled, and the wine in his eyes suddenly split into the mountains and rivers of Kyushu. Countless time and space were intertwined. His gaze swept over Da Zhiyi, Tong Ming Zuo, Luo, Qing Yan, and Chu Xing'er.

Finally he stopped in the deep night fog, as if he was looking at something: "Cheers to you all."

The golden threads in the lotus fire were burned off.

The roar of violence at three quarters past midnight tore through the sky at this very moment.

A burning peacock feather fell from the clouds, with a Buddha bone relic embedded in the feather's eye.

Chu Xing'er stood on tiptoe to catch the falling sparks, but saw that each spark was curled with Sibu's golden feathers. Da Zhiyi reached for the bamboo tube with drunken eyes, but caught nothing - the cliff honey in the tube had turned into golden quicksand at some point, leaking through his fingers into the burning midnight.

I spent half the night revising it and was generally satisfied with it.

It is really difficult to write daily conversations among multiple people.