Folklore: The baby starts the game, and the mother takes off her painted skin

Chapter 259: Sesame's Big Move! [Seeking monthly votes]

"You guys still have this ability?"

Taoist Wu Xiao also looked at Zhima beside him in surprise, as if he was meeting him for the first time.

Zhima grinned and said, "The Great Wall of the West wasn't built for nothing."

"Isn't it possible that the Western Great Wall has this ability? You've only been there for a few years, and yet you've learned everything."

Taoist Wu Xiao couldn't help but touch his bald head and thought about going to the Great Wall in the West.

Zhima laughed, "I'm hungry, let's go downstairs and find a place to eat and talk."

This is exactly what Liu Bai likes. It is so good to talk about everything while eating, especially eating some mountain spirits and water monsters, which can increase qi and blood.

This sesame is also a hobby. From time to time, when walking on the road, he would prepare a mountain spirit to celebrate.

And unlike Liu Bai, every time he kills a mountain spirit he has to use the carnivore's methods, which is quite troublesome.

There are no such requirements for Zhima killing the mountain spirit. As long as he kills the mountain spirit with his sword, it will not turn into a Yin Pearl, but will remain in its original form.

Soon, on a huge rock by the river, three people gathered around a fire and ate roasted mountain spirit meat.

Zhima first ate a hearty meal, then introduced it to Liu Bai: "The Moon Spirit Tears you want are the elegant names given by scholars. In layman's terms, this thing is the essence of the moon."

"If you know how to do this, it's not difficult to do. If you don't, it will be extremely difficult."

Zhima seemed to be talking nonsense, but Liu Bai could only listen carefully.

"It just so happens that I know this trick." Zhima smiled, took the barbecue handed over by Taoist Wuxiao, took a bite and said again:

"If you want to get this thing, you have to find a high mountain on a full moon, set up some tactics, and then you can collect the moon essence."

Taoist Wuxiao calculated for a moment, then raised his head and said, "In a few days it will be the 15th day of August. The 15th day of August is the Mid-Autumn Festival, when people reunite. It's just right for the three of us to find a high place and help the young master get the Tears of the Moon Spirit."

"That's no problem. We can find a shaman along the way to ask where the highest mountain south of Liuzhou is. Then we can climb it and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together. It will be a rare experience."

Sesame laughed.

Mid-Autumn Festival... When Liu Bai heard about this festival, he murmured in his heart.

When I was in Huangliang Town, I always spent the Mid-Autumn Festival at home. Even last year when I was still in Yunzhou City, I went back home on the Mid-Autumn Festival.

But now, it is not an exaggeration to say that we are thousands of miles apart.

Liuzhou is past Yizhou, Yizhou is past Kuizhou, and Kuizhou is past Yunzhou. Moreover, Huangliang Town is located west of Yunzhou, close to the border of Xiangzhou.

So how far is this journey... Liu Bai subconsciously looked up to the west, which was the direction of home.

Xiaocao looked at her master's appearance and knew what he was thinking.

So it jumped up from the stone where it was feeding the little Gudong, and gave Liu Bai a hug, "Don't be sad, young master. You have the little grass to accompany you."

"What's the matter?"

Liu Bai suppressed his emotions and took a big bite of the meat.

Zhima smiled and said, "A little brat is a little brat. Are you missing your mother?"

"When you grow up and hang out more, you won't feel this way anymore."

Liu Bai shook his head after listening to this and said seriously: "Homesickness has nothing to do with age or experience. It only has to do with one's heart."

"Even if I travel all over the three kingdoms, go to the depths of the forbidden land, or live for hundreds or thousands of years, I will still miss home when I need to."

Zhima, who was originally laughing, stopped laughing after hearing what Liu Bai said.

He even felt that the meat sprinkled with various spices in his mouth had lost its taste. He wiped the oil off his hands, stood up, walked to the side of the boulder, and took out a long flute from Xumi.

He gently put it to his lips, and then a melodious and slightly desolate flute sound rang out on both sides of the river.

Liu Bai didn't expect that this seemingly reckless sesame swordsman actually had such a versatile side.

But when the flute sounded, the emotions that Liu Bai had just suppressed began to rise again.

After the song was over, Zhima put away his flute and sat back in his previous seat.

"When I was ten years old, the whole village was haunted. I left home when I was ten years old and have been wandering in this world ever since. From then on, wherever there are my children, that is my home."

As he spoke, he leaned back slightly, lay down on the boulder, closed his eyes and hummed the cheerful little tune again.

“Home is where my heart is.”

Liu Bai didn't have any idea. Instead, Xiao Cao asked casually after listening to him, "Zhima, are you telling the truth?"

"It's the truth." He said without opening his eyes.

Liu Bai looked at Taoist Wuxiao again and asked, "Master, what about you?"

Liu Bai only knew a few things about this bald Taoist priest, for example, he was originally a Taoist priest of the Shenxiao Temple and was responsible for the secrets of the Minglong Temple.

Other than that... I only know the first and second smiles.

"I am a poor Taoist." Taoist Wuxiao smiled.

Zhima also looked at the bald Taoist priest curiously and said, "I haven't heard you, an old Taoist priest with a big nose, talk about it before. Can you... tell me about it today?"

"Although I met you in Yunzhou, I am not from Yunzhou."

"Oh?"

Liu Bai raised his eyes with a hint of surprise, but there was no need to ask any more questions, as Taoist Wu Xiao continued the story himself.

"I was also picked up by my master. I was young at that time and didn't have any memory of these things. When I asked him again later, my master just said that he picked me up in the west."

"As for what exactly is to the west, Xianshan? Xiangzhou? Or somewhere further away, he never said anything, never said anything." Taoist Wuxiao shook his head, "I never asked again after that."

"It seems that among the three of us, only Master Liu has the most perfect background and life."

Zhima shook his head and laughed.

"After that, I grew up in Shenxiao Temple. Luckily, I had some talent for walking in the underworld, so I became a walking underworld person. After that, I traveled to many places, and there was not much difference between me and ordinary walking underworld people."

Wu Xiao looked at the greasy barbecue in his hands, spread his hands and smiled.

"Yes, we met when you were traveling. At that time, you..." Zhima looked him up and down, "You still had some hair at that time."

"Ok?"

Wuxiao, who had just lowered his head, raised his head and looked at him. For the first time, a hint of surprise flashed in the depths of the bald old Taoist's eyes, but he still laughed it off without showing any expression.

"You idiot, if you keep talking about this, I'll give you a few slaps in the face."

Wu Xiao knew very well that his hair had been gone since the day he ignited the fire and walked into the Yin, so although he was younger when he traveled around the world, his hair was already like this now.

Where did this little bit of hair come from?
Wu Xiao didn't say anything. Zhima glared at him casually and said, "Come on, let's fight, right? Who's afraid of who?"

As he said this, he rolled up his sleeves.

Wu Xiao jumped off the boulder and rolled up his trouser legs, "Come on, let's do a big fight, or you won't know what an old Taoist is!"

Liu Bai laughed when he saw the old Taoist priest who had lived for hundreds of years but still had the mentality of a young boy.

It is true that a man remains a boy until he dies.

Seeing this, Xiaocao urged Xiaogudong, "They're gone, let's eat quickly."

Of course, Xiaocao doesn't eat these things, but as long as it sees Xiaogudong eating them, it will be very happy.

Little Gudong never disappoints, and when it comes to eating, it is not afraid of anyone!
After playing around, the three of them set off again. After some inquiries, they also found the highest peak in the southern part of Liuzhou.

It is located in a small town called Songshan Castle, and the name of the mountain is "Guai Zai".

It is a strange mountain, hundreds of feet high. When we climbed to the top of the mountain near the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, we could already feel the cold.

A cool breeze blows.

Fortunately, Liu Bai, the weakest among the three, has already achieved the unity of yin and yang, and the stove is burning brightly. Not to mention the autumn breeze, even if there is heavy snow above, it is no different from ordinary weather to them.

When the three men arrived at the foot of this strange mountain, it was only August 14th. With one day left, the three men went to the nearby Songshan City and bought a lot of food and fruits.

Liu Bai also picked out a gift for Madam Liu.

It's not that they are picky. The specialty of Songshan City is pine wood carving. There are ordinary craftsmen and ghost walkers who are engaged in the wood carving business. The puppets they carve are mostly of strange and bizarre styles.

Madam Liu never liked taking things from ghosts, so Liu Bai found an ordinary craftsman.

He was asked to help carve a picture of "A Woman Embroidering by the Window". The appearance of the woman was exactly the same as that of Madam Liu after Liu Bai had a detailed discussion with the woodcarver, and the carving was based on the general appearance of Madam Liu.

His craftsmanship was so high that even Xiao Cao was amazed when he saw it.

He exclaimed that she was exactly the same as Madam Liu.

Then they inquired about the things about Guai Zai Mountain in Songshan City, especially the origin of the word Guai Zai.

People here say that there is a kind of insect called "Guai Zai" that is native to the Guai Zai Mountain.

This strange insect was born from the accumulated resentment of heaven and earth. It is red all over and has all the facial features.

One of its characteristics is that if you pour strong liquor on it, the strange insect will disappear in the liquor, which is very strange.

As to why he was born in this strange mountain, there are many different opinions.

Some say that this Guai Zai Mountain is high enough and close to the sky, so the Guai Zai insects were born on this mountain.

There is also a saying that there was originally a large city near this Guaizai Mountain, which was the predecessor of Songshan Castle.

But in the early years, this big city was destroyed by evil spirits, so countless people were killed and injured, and the resentment was so great that this strange insect was born.

Some also say that because this place is called Guai Zai Mountain, the Guai Zai insect was born here.

For such people, just ask them how the name "Guai Zai Mountain" came about, and they will be unable to answer, and will just stammer and say "it has always been like this."

On the next day, August 15th, the Mid-Autumn Festival, Liu Bai and his two companions climbed up this strange mountain.

It was still early, and Zhima muttered a few words. He cleared a piece of space on the top of the mountain, put some delicious food there, and then went down the mountain to look for the strange insect.

The top of the mountain is quite flat and spacious, with knee-high bamboos everywhere. The wind blows up green waves all over the ground, which is very beautiful.

Liu Bai climbed up a high place and looked at all this, and wanted to shout out loud to relieve his emotions.

Looking down, there were still some wandering evil spirits hiding in the shadowy cold bamboo forest. Upon seeing this, Liu Bai spit out a life-threatening rocket, which exploded above their heads, scaring them so much that they fled in panic.

The grass laughed out loud.

Wu Xiao set up a table here, and placed delicious food and wine on it. After finishing his work, he stroked his beard and smiled, "It's been a long time since I've had such a relaxing time today."

"Then the Taoist priest will experience it carefully for a while."

Liu Bai smiled and sat back on a chair. "Come, prepare some strong liquor. When Zhima catches that strange bug, we can learn something new from it."

"Sesame……"

Hearing the name, Wu Xiao was hesitant to speak, and even paused with the wine jug in his hand.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Liu Bai asked in confusion when he saw this.

Taoist Wuxiao turned his head and looked down the mountain, then smiled and said, "Zhima will be back soon."

Sure enough, just as he finished speaking, he could see a figure rushing out from the woods at the foot of the mountain, with his snow-white sleeves fluttering. He was running in the bushes mixed with cold bamboos, and often rushed very far away with just a step.

Looks like a snow-white kite.

As he floated far to the top of the mountain, the smile on Zhima's face could no longer be concealed, and he stretched out his right hand with a clenched fist.

"Quick, quick, where's the liquor? I got the weird bug."

Taoist Wu Xiao quickly took out a brand new wine bowl and in his right hand held a pot of strong liquor that had been unsealed.

Liu Bai also came over, and Zhima put his right hand on the wine bowl, and a scarlet beetle appeared inside.

There is not much difference in appearance, except that the facial features are all located on the abdomen. At first glance, they even look a bit like human features, a human face.

Taoist Wu Xiao hurriedly poured the strong liquor into the pot. The strange insect, which had just been struggling violently to turn over, immediately stopped moving after sensing the strong liquor.

After standing there for a moment, his figure slowly disappeared in the wine until it completely disappeared.

Liu Bai watched this scene with his own eyes, looked up and said "How strange".

Wuxiao and Zhima looked at each other and raised their heads at the same time and said, "It's really strange!"

Xiao Cao followed suit, but Xiao Gudong swallowed his saliva, pointed at the bowl of wine and asked in a low voice: "Is this wine drinkable?"

Taoist Wuxiao laughed loudly and poured the bowl of wine. "What kind of wine do you want to drink, girl? I bought you the best sweet-scented osmanthus pear juice. It's very sweet."

Little Gudong: "Gudong, gudong."

Now it was Zhima's turn to laugh.

Drink wine at high places and compose poems on high places.

The three of them drank and ate heartily, chatting about everything under the sun, mostly about Zhima and Wuxiao.

They have traveled a lot and have a wide range of knowledge, so they can talk about anything.

Liu Bai was busy listening, and other than that... maybe he was a little homesick, because he always felt that the mooncakes in Liuzhou were not as fragrant as those made by Madam Liu.

At the same time, thousands of miles away, Madam Liu also felt that the mooncake in her hand had no taste.

Eating the mooncakes was boring, so she raised her hand and swept them away. Before they fell to the ground, they had already turned into nothingness. With nothing to do, Madam Liu went out again and walked in Huangliang Town.

He walked through the streets and alleys, and no one could see him.

She finally climbed to the highest point of Huangliang Town and stared at the lights all over the town in a daze.

In a trance, she seemed to have thought of it, and she took another step to the Ma family farm and came in front of Master Ma.

When Mr. Ma saw her, he was surprised and was about to speak, but Madam Liu flicked her fingers.

In an instant, a figure popped out from Master Ma's body.

Master Ma stood there in a daze. The figure behind him was in a trance for a moment. After reacting, he bowed deeply to Madam Liu.

"Thank you, Master Qingyi, for your care."

Madam Liu had no expression on her face. Her cold voice rang out as she asked directly, "How does reincarnation feel?"

"..."

"It's getting dark, the moon is out!"

Xiaocao shouted excitedly.

Liu Bai looked up at the moon. It was bright in the sky and there were layers of clouds under his feet, as vast as the ocean.

Taoist Wuxiao was always looking at the sea of ​​clouds below his feet. "So people always say that the weather is bad, it's because they are not standing high enough."

"It's natural, just like me!"

The drunken Sesame Swordsman stood up, patted his chest and said loudly: "If I think the weather is not good, I will use my sword to clear away this layer of clouds!"

After saying this, he floated up, as if he was going to cut through the clouds with his sword.

Taoist Wuxiao hurriedly pulled him back, "Tears of the Moon Spirit, Tears of the Moon Spirit."

"Oh, there's also this."

Zhima rubbed his face with his hands and immediately came to his senses. He then apologized to Liu Bai and sat back in his original seat.

Taoist Wu Xiao also got rid of his drunkenness and sat down.

Liu Bai did not move the whole time, just sat there drinking tea. If Zhima insisted on forgetting about this, he would not force her.

Asking for help from outsiders...it’s better to go back and ask your mother for help.

Zhima chuckled and cleared a space on the table, then reached into his sleeve and took out a white bowl and placed it on the table.

He didn't light the fire, but just stroked the white bowl with his left hand, and bent his five fingers slightly a few times.

There is one more thing in this white bowl.

It was a loach no thicker than a finger, swimming unsteadily in the water, twisting its body like a swimming dragon.

"This fallen dragon is pretty good."

Taoist Wu Xiao looked at the loach whose body was faintly golden, stroked his beard and sighed.

Liu Bai had also heard of the word "fallen dragon".

Loach is also known as "fallen dragon", which means the dragon that was punished to fall into the mud plow.

It has the nature of a dragon but not the shape of a dragon, the luck of a dragon but not the fate of a dragon, it has the bones of a dragon but not the appearance of a dragon.

All your life you can only look up to the wind and clouds, but you can never become a dragon, nor rise to the sky.

This thing is similar to a carp, and both have methods of being raised. This method of raising is also called raising a spirit pet, and it is also a rare way to improve one's own fortune.

There are many details to pay attention to.

For example, the "raising a fallen dragon" story. Loaches are cunning and sly by nature, good at scheming, good at understanding the situation, extremely suspicious, and difficult to recognize their master.

But once it recognizes its master, it will transfer the luck that it cannot enjoy to its master, in order to protect its master's good fortune.

"This is a good thing I have raised for decades. Don't be greedy, old Taoist." After Zhima said this, he placed a small jade bowl on the white bowl.

The edge of the jade bowl is just as big as the white bowl, and it is very stable when placed on it.

Zhima then placed a pair of white jade chopsticks horizontally on the jade bowl, and he held the other chopstick in his hand, making his belongings very complete.

"Are you ready?"

Zhima asked with a chuckle, holding the chopsticks that looked like white jade.

"I?"

Liu Bai pointed at himself, his meaning was very clear... Do I need to prepare more?

What should I prepare?
As soon as Liu Bai finished speaking, the chopsticks in Zhima's hand fell gently and hit the other chopstick that looked like white jade.

The sound is extremely crisp.

With a "ding" sound, the collision of white jades stirred up a snow-white ripple that spread across the top of this strange mountain.

It's like the ripples caused by raindrops falling on the lake.

Then, above the spreading ripples, a phantom of a jade bowl rose up, and it looked exactly like the jade bowl in Zhima's hand.

The jade bowl was now about a hundred feet wide when opened, and the shadow of the fallen dragon could be seen coiled within it.

Rolling up and down, there is a faint sense of dragon bones.

When the strange vision appeared, Liu Bai only felt that the snow on the top of the mountain became whiter and the moonlight became brighter.

The moon, which was originally very high in the sky, seemed to have fallen to the earth and was hanging above his head.

He just looked up at the scene and was somewhat shocked.

Just at this moment, a "tick-tock" sound suddenly rang in his ears, like rain falling on earth.

"How much do you want?"

Sesame asked with a smile.

According to the description on the [Yellow Millet Book] treasure blueprint, only four drops of Moon Spirit Tears are needed, but to be on the safe side, Liu Bai said:
"Eight drops is enough."

"Easy to say."

Zhima nodded, indicating that there was no problem at all. The strange phenomenon continued to appear, and the "ticking" sound in Liu Bai's ears would sound every three breaths.

This went on for half an hour.

Zhima looked down at the white bowl on the table and said, "Enough."

He waved his hand to disperse the strange vision that covered the sky, and at the same time collected the jade chopsticks in the bowl. Only the white bowl was left in it, and even the fallen dragon disappeared.

He placed another jade bottle on the table, picked up the white bowl and poured the Moon Spirit Tears in it into the jade bottle.

It was also the first time that Liu Bai saw this. He saw that the Moon Spirit's Tears were silver-white in color and were emitting bursts of light.

It doesn't look like an ordinary thing at first glance.

After everything was put into the jade bottle, Zhima casually handed it over and said, "It's a good thing. Keep it."

Liu Bai stood up and took it with both hands, "Thank you Zhima."

Xiaocao also jumped up from his chair and bowed to Zhima in a serious manner, "Thank you, Zhima Swordsman."

"Xiao Cao, I admit that you are the greatest swordsman in the world, um... at least until tomorrow morning."

"Okay, okay." Zhima laughed and raised the wine cup in his hand, "For your brother Cao's title of the greatest swordsman, we all have to drink a cup."

Taoist Wu Xiao naturally held the wine cup and drank with them.

But at this moment, the three people present turned their heads and looked towards the south.

That was the direction they came from. At that time, they saw a long green rainbow above the clouds, which seemed to come through the sun and flew straight to the top of the mountain.

Taoist Wu Xiao suddenly lit the fire, and the heat wave swept across the night sky. He also put down the wine cup in his hand and stood up.

The meaning is self-evident.

The one who came also had the aura of the shrine, and he did not try to hide it.

But the voice arrived before the person did.

"Haha, what a great swordsman in the world."

"It's the night of the full moon, the Mid-Autumn Festival on earth, drinking on the mountain top, how joyful, can I, Xue Ci, ask for a glass of wine?"

The man stood far away, paused, and indicated that he had no ill intentions.

Liu Bai squinted his eyes and saw that the man had a middle-aged face, dressed in a green shirt, with long hair loose, looking very elegant and freehand.

Wuxiao didn't say anything, but Zhima stood up and pulled him back with a smile, then shouted to Xue Ci, "Meeting is fate, if you don't mind, why not come over and have a drink?"

Wu Xiao turned around and looked at his young master. Liu Bai also nodded to indicate that it was okay. He then said, "Brother Xue, please."

Xue Ci smiled and stepped forward a few times in the air. He first bowed to the people, then took out a jar of wine with the scent of peach blossoms and said with a smile:
"I just came from Jianzhou and asked the Peach Blossom Fairy for two pots of peach blossom wine. Today we just happened to meet, so I should drink this good wine!"

He laughed and brushed off the sealing mud, and the aroma of the wine became even stronger.

When Taoist Wuxiao smelled the aroma, he felt the wine bug in his stomach stirring, "But when you are drunk, you don't know that you are just a guest. The whole city is full of peach blossom fairies?"

"Except for him, who else in the world dares to call himself the Peach Blossom Fairy?" Xue Ci asked with a smile.

"Okay, okay, then I won't go home until I'm drunk today."

Liu Bai stood up, and Zhima also stood up to make room for him. Then they each announced their names.

Xue Ci first poured himself a glass of wine, indicating that it was okay, and then he stepped forward to pour wine. Liu Bai initially said no.

"This thing is rare. You can't buy it even if you have blood beads outside. Drinking it can replenish both spiritual energy and blood."

Liu Bai: "When I said no, I meant don't stop... fill it up, fill it up quickly."

"Sir, you are drinking alcohol at such a young age. I will go back and tell the queen about it."

"Say, just say it!"

"..."

At first there were only three of them sitting there, but now there were four of them. After a round of toasts, Liu Bai knew Xue Ci's background.

They are considered to be the romantic men in the territory of Chu State. Most of them hang out here for a while and then go somewhere else.

I have even been to the Three Kingdoms.

"If you can disregard moral bottom line and don't care about your state of mind, then the current Wei State is a paradise for shady people."

After Xue Ci finished the wine in his glass, he pursed his lips and said, "That place is now ruled by force. As long as you have the strength, you can do whatever you want."

"But the Qin State is not a good place. It is too strict."

"Even some prostitutes are not allowed to open at night." Xue Ci spread his hands and said helplessly: "Think about it, who would go there in broad daylight?"

"It doesn't have to be at night. We are not allowed to operate at night. It's very difficult."

After listening to this, Zhima smiled and said, "I wonder if Brother Xue has ever been to the Great Wall in the West?"

Xue Ci waved his hands repeatedly, "That place is a place to kill evil spirits. None of my abilities can be used to exorcise evil spirits. If I go there, I will die. I can't go there."

Some people are flocking to the Great Wall in the West, while naturally there are also people who avoid it like the plague.

This is the reality among the Yin-walkers.

Zhima Xiaoxiao didn't force it, nor did she try to persuade her. After all, everyone has his or her own way of living.

Xue Ci's eyes rolled, as if he suddenly thought of something, so he looked up at Liu Bai with hesitation in his eyes.

"Brother Xue, please feel free to talk." Liu Bai saw the hesitation in his eyes.

"Well... it's like this." Xue Ci hesitated for a moment, and finally chose to speak, "I know a good place, I wonder if you are interested?"

"Oh? Where are you going?"

Taoist Wu Xiao had already guessed something when he saw his reaction.

"In a few days, there will be a gallery boat on Zuihua River, and there will be the Twelve Scenes of Zuihua... also known as the Twelve Beauties."

Xue Ci said as he raised an eyebrow at Zhima.

"It's full of good places that only people who walk in the underworld can go to. There are all kinds of mountain spirits and alien races, including snake girls, fox girls, cat girls, etc. As long as you can afford the price, everything is negotiable."

Liu Bai's heart was moved when he heard this. He remembered the past events that Master Ma told him when he was still in Huangliang Town.

Like something like a snake woman's tongue can be forked.

"You three, are you going?"

Xue Ci asked again.

-

(It’s the last day of the month, hurry up and sell your monthly tickets! It’s almost 2000. We agreed before that when it’s full, we’ll draw the black monkey in the group.)
(End of this chapter)