Knife splashing

Chapter 411: Night Rain in Bashan
The night was as dark as ink, and the mountains and forests were wrapped in a thick layer of rain and fog.

It was dark and damp, and the drizzle penetrated the clothes, bringing a biting chill straight to the heart.

The mountain path was muddy and quiet all around. The drizzle hit the fallen leaves, making a rustling sound, and there was a sense of emptiness and remoteness.

In the rain and fog, several lanterns were swaying.

The lantern light was dim, as if it was about to be swallowed up by the damp, cold darkness.

A group of travelers were walking in the mountains. They had different body shapes and were all wearing straw raincoats and hats. Their dark shadows were surging, like ghosts in the rain at night.

Li Yan flicked his fingers and the raindrops fell off his hat.

He took out his pocket watch and looked at it in the candlelight. It was already two quarters past midnight (2:30), and he couldn't help but frowning slightly.

Sha Lifei beside him was even more dissatisfied and said, "Brother Zhang, you can't play like this. How far is it?"

Next to them is "Clipper Zhang".

The old man was also embarrassed, and hurriedly bowed and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't expect that the village at the foot of the mountain had been destroyed by war."

"I remember there is an inn two miles ahead. The owner is a Tujia, one of the best heroes in Badong. Other places may be in chaos, but his place will definitely be safe!"

As he spoke, he felt somewhat uneasy.

He sailed with Li Yan and others from Yunyang down the Han River, and then along the Yangtze River through Zigui County.

The original plan was to continue forward and reach Fengdu County.

However, halfway through the journey, one of his disciples came with a letter on a fast boat, saying that strange things had happened in his brother's family in Badong, as if an evil spirit was causing trouble, and two people had died.

Naturally, he could not just sit there and watch his only brother ask for help. Li Yan and others were also on the boat, so "Clipper Zhang" asked them for help.

Badong County is close to Zigui, and is located to the east of Gu Ba County. It is close to Zigui County and is adjacent to several chieftain cities.

Although the war has subsided, the Tusi city has surrendered, and the imperial army has continued to move south, the scars of the war still remain.

Unlike Yunyang, Badong is a small county with a small population, and Han and native villages are scattered in the mountains.

The rebels rampaged and some villages were razed to the ground.

They did not stay in Badong County. They wanted to go into the mountains to find a place to stay, but the village in "Fast Boat Zhang's" memory had become a ruin, so they had to continue on their journey.

Unexpectedly, it started raining as soon as night fell.

Seeing that "Speedboat Zhang" was uneasy, Li Yan smiled and comforted him: "Brother Zhang is fine, it's just a night trip, we are used to it."

Sharifei also laughed, "Don't blame me for my irresponsible words, brother. Don't worry, we will take care of your brother's matter!"

"Thank you all."

"Clipper Zhang" clasped his fists, his eyes full of gratitude.

Although they are all fellow warriors and it is normal for them to help each other, the people in front of them are no longer the same as before.

Not to mention, Wang Daoxuan also taught him some methods to avoid disasters.

To have such an attitude is obviously a great honor.

Li Yan stretched his legs and shook them, and the thick mud on his feet flew off. He interrupted, "Since we are free, why don't you tell me about your brother?"

"Fast Boat Zhang" hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Young Master Li, didn't the Taoist priest say that we should not talk about dreams in the morning, killing in the afternoon, or ghosts and gods in the evening?"

"We are still walking in the mountains at night. What if..."

"Don't worry, Brother Zhang."

Sharifei lifted his bamboo hat, touched his big bald head, and said with a smile: "That's for ordinary people. Follow us, there are no taboos!"

"Fast Boat Zhang" heard the same and said, "Alas, my real name is Zhang Shuisheng, and my brother is Zhang Linsheng, and we asked the old man in the village to give us the name."

"Maybe the name has some meaning. I live on the water, but my brother is a landlubber who has learned some tricks to hide treasures in the mountains..."

"Oh, Brother Zhang hid it well enough."

Sharifi said happily: "So you have a Xuanmen brother, why do you need to ask us about the taboos of sailing?"

"Clipper Zhang" shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Brother Sha, you are joking. My brother is not a cultivator. He just learned some mountain-climbing skills from others and found some rare mountain herbs and so on."

"He was originally a member of the Gelaohui, but later he became lame and married a Tujia girl, so he simply retired from society and gradually made a fortune in the village through his tricks, and he was considered a landlord."

"The previous letter didn't explain clearly. It seems that he went into the mountains to look for treasure, and I don't know what followed him back home..."

"I see."

Li Yan seemed to be thinking about something, then he looked to the southwest, turned his head and whispered, "San'er, that's the Wushan area, you should be alert, and tell us if you find anything."

"Yeah." Lu San nodded muffledly.

This is also one of the reasons why Li Yan agreed to go into the mountains.

According to Gu Linzi, in Wushan, there is a lineage of Chu witches who practice seclusion and live in seclusion, avoiding the world and rarely seeing outsiders.

Perhaps, it can help Lu San get more inheritance.

There are many experts hidden in Wushan, including the walking dragon in Baokang County, and some people secretly help the Ghost Cult to fight against Yulongzi.

Li Yan had no plans to go into the mountain, but now that he was here, he decided to explore the periphery, perhaps finding some clues...

As they were talking, they had already walked two miles.

What "Clipper Zhang" said was indeed correct. After turning the corner of the mountain road, an inn gradually appeared in the rain.

This inn is a stilt house, built against the mountain. It is quite large and has three floors. In the sad wind and rain, a few dim lanterns are swaying outside.

Seeing the light, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Daoxuan was a little surprised. He took out the compass and looked around. He nodded and said, "Interesting. This stilt house is in the shape of a sitting tiger, with a blue dragon and a white tiger on the left and right, and a black tortoise behind... Unfortunately, there is no water in front."

"The Taoist priest has good eyesight."

"Speedboat Zhang" quickly said: "The owner of this place is Peng Laohai, his ancestor was a famous Feng Shui master in the local area, and it turns out that there was really a stream in front of it..."

As they were talking, they were approaching the inn.

I saw that the inn was built purely of wood. It was mottled after years of use and had a slight smell of mold and decay. Raindrops dripped along the dilapidated eaves and hit the bluestone floor with a ticking sound.

No one lives on the first floor of the stilt house. It is home to livestock such as chickens, ducks, and pigs, as well as two dogs that bark in the dark.

"stop!"

Before I got close, a voice was heard from the second floor of the inn.

I saw a man hiding behind a wooden pillar, holding a bow and arrow in his hand. He turned sideways and said coldly, "It's windy and rainy. Where are the guests coming from?"

"Fast Boat Zhang" stepped forward quickly and said, "You are Brother Peng's disciples. Don't misunderstand me. I am 'Fast Boat Zhang' and I have been here several times before."

"It turned out to be Senior Zhang."

The man breathed a sigh of relief, put down his bow and arrow, and lit the lantern, revealing his figure. He was a young man of medium height, wearing a blue robe.

"Senior Zhang, please come up."

The young man looked friendly, but did not come downstairs to greet him.

He remained calm and kept looking at the shrine beside the mountain path. He was completely relieved when he saw that the bell hanging on the red rope on it did not ring.

Li Yan naturally noticed this little action.

He didn't care. He had the courage to open an inn in the deep mountains and forests. He not only had to guard against people, but also had to have means to guard against other things.

Since the person was an acquaintance and not a ghost, the young man immediately became much more polite. He went downstairs with a lantern and wanted to help everyone carry their luggage.

"No, we can do it."

Sharifei smiled and raised his hand to block it.

The young man was also very tactful, so he led the way with a lantern, and the wooden stairs creaked as he stepped on them. At the same time, he asked, "Senior Zhang, why did you go up the mountain in the middle of the night?" "Don't mention it."

"Quick Boat Zhang" said with a gloomy face: "We originally planned to stay overnight in Yangjiazhai, but we didn't expect the village to be destroyed, so we had to go up the mountain overnight."

The young man sighed, "There was a war a while ago, and the people from Tusi City were stationed there. Since Yangjiazhai was a Han village, it was directly destroyed."

"Alas, we are all from the same village, how can you be so cruel..."

When I entered the second floor, the same musty smell hit me.

The young man lit a candle, and a hall suddenly appeared in front of him. It should be the place where guests usually eat and chat. The wooden tables and chairs were old, but neatly arranged.

There was a heating stove in the middle, and an old woman with a haggard face was squatting beside it, holding a hatchet in her hand, with a vigilant look on her face.

"Grandma Tian, ​​it's okay, it's a human."

The young man quickly said, "They are the master's friends. Let's get some food and drinks to warm them up."

“Ah, ah…”

It turned out that the old woman was a mute. After demonstrating for a while, she quickly went to the back kitchen and started working.

Li Yan and others put their straw raincoats and hats outside the door, and under the arrangement of the waiter, they moved their luggage to the large dormitory room.

The waiter was stirring the charcoal fire, and everyone sat down around it. The chill brought by the journey on a rainy night was gradually dispelled.

The old lady moved quickly and brought a large casserole, which she hung over the fire. It contained cured pig's trotters, which were stewed together with dried potatoes, dried beans, and a lot of soybeans.

"Quick Boat Zhang" took the sesame cakes from the basket, put them on the fire to bake, and said with a smile: "Country Inn, these are all prepared in advance. Brother Peng's specialty is mutton noodles, so I can only satisfy my craving tomorrow."

The waiter also brought a jar of ebony rice wine. Everyone plugged in the tubes and took turns drinking a few sips. Finally, their bodies felt warm.

It was the middle of the night and they had no appetite, so they just ate a little to fill their stomachs. The rest was eaten up by Wu Ba.

"Clipper Zhang" then asked, "Where's Brother Peng? Hasn't he been in the store these days?"

The young man replied, "There was a war a few days ago, and without the peddlers and mountain visitors, the store had no business. In addition, my two senior brothers died, so the master went to help them with the funeral."

Clipper Zhang frowned, "Going to the army?"

The young man shook his head and said, "They were soldiers, but not here. They went to the seaside to fight the Japanese pirates. Their bodies were just brought back two days ago."

As he spoke, a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes.

"So they are Tujia elite soldiers."

Li Yan's face became serious, full of respect.

Tujia martial arts have a long history and originated from "Maogus". They are good at using white-pole spears, swords and shields.

They are very good at dealing with Japanese pirates.

The commander of the coastal troops even wrote in a letter: In close combat, the Japanese pirates are very skilled. The only ones who can defeat them are the soldiers from Huguang who are skilled in sickle, hook, spear and crossbow. We must mobilize the elite troops of the two Xuanfu Divisions of Yongbao.

Some things are not simply black and white. There are Tusi rebels here, and there are Tujia elite soldiers fighting against the Japanese in the south...

It was late at night and no one was in the mood to chat. After eating a little, they returned to their rooms.

Li Yan sat in meditation on the bed.

Outside the window, the night rain continued, and the raindrops broke the old window frames, making this inn deep in the mountains even more lonely.

After finishing his training, Li Yan lay on the bed, took out the dragon-patterned jade sceptre from his arms and examined it, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

There were three main things he decided on during his trip to Bashu.

One is to attend a gathering of live ghost messengers, which takes place in Fengdu.

Nowadays, there are very few people who practice the "Luofeng Sutra". It is rumored that there is an old senior among the living Yincha, whose Taoist name is Yin Changsheng, who practiced the "Luofeng Sutra" to an extremely high level and became a god in Fengdu.

The gathering of the living Yin Messengers will be held in the twelfth month of the year, which is still some time away. You can first ask about Yin Changsheng...

The second is the Dragon Girl’s commission.

There was a problem with Lord Jiangshen's seal. Judging from the reaction of Longwen Yungui, the looseness of the dragon-suppressing pile in Shennongding was not the main reason.

If you want to find out what is going on, you have to go to Dujiangyan.

The third is to go to Qingcheng Mountain to refine magical tools.

Fortunately, they have made a lot of money during this period and are not in a hurry to take on tasks, so they can take it step by step...

…………

The return date is not yet due, but the night rain in Bashan rises in the autumn pond.

He Dang altogether cuts the candles at the west window, but talks about the rain in Bashan.

Li Shangyin's poem "Night Rain Sent to the North" talks about the night rain in Bashan Mountain, which falls at night and stops during the day.

Although the poem refers to Jinyun Mountain in Chengdu, not the remnant of Bashan Mountain, the rules are almost the same.

The next day, at dawn, the night rain stopped.

Li Yan opened the window and saw that the mountains were shrouded in thick fog, the trees were dim and shadowy, and nothing could be seen clearly beyond a hundred meters.

Then he smelled the aroma of mutton.

The smell was so strong that Li Yan couldn't help swallowing his saliva.

After pushing the door open, I found that Wu Ba, Lu San and others had already gotten up and were squatting by the fire, eating happily with their large bowls in their arms.

"You didn't call me for anything good."

Li Yan smiled and ran quickly into the kitchen.

Inside the kitchen, there was a big pot of stewing mutton. The white soup was boiling with rotten meat, and the aroma almost knocked him over.

There was a small pot of red oil next to it, and the mute old woman was busy on the chopping board, with rolling pin and machete flying around, and alkaline noodles of uniform thickness were quickly formed.

Cook the noodles, stew them with mutton soup and add red oil, pour the meat sauce on them, and sprinkle with a handful of green coriander. It is really delicious.

“Great craftsmanship indeed!”

Li Yan praised it and quickly took the bowl.

I squatted at the door and ate two big bowls of food before I was satisfied.

"Clipper Zhang" said proudly: "Everyone, Lao Zhang didn't lie to you, did he? Every time I come to Badong, I think about this mutton noodles, and I asked them to prepare it early in the morning."

"Thank you, little brother."

Sharifei's face turned red after eating and he wiped his mouth.

"It should, it should."

The young man smiled and nodded, then looked outside the door again, his expression becoming a little serious, "Dear guests, how about waiting for the fog to clear before leaving?"

Li Yan and the others were wondering, but Clipper Zhang's eyelids trembled slightly, "That thing appeared again? Wasn't it subdued by the Taoist priest of Lingyun Temple?"

The young man had a bitter look on his face. "Lingyun Temple was bombed by artillery during the war a while ago, and then this thing appeared again."

Li Yan frowned and asked, "Brother Zhang, what are you talking about?"

Clipper Zhang looked outside the door and whispered:

"Whenever there is heavy fog on Badong Mountain, there is a creature called 'the fog guest' that appears and often takes people away."

"Some people say that they are the resentful spirits of the Ba people back then."

"Some people also say that they are lost people who died in a foreign land..."

　Second update in the afternoon
　　
　
(End of this chapter)