Knife splashing

Chapter 623 Yuanchen Initially Set, Jinshui Post
The Qin insect is an ancient strange insect.

It is recorded in the Shan Hai Jing that it has a very strange appearance, with insect scales all over its body, but it moves like a snake and is proficient in earth escape.

After refining the Life Gu, there were changes again.

Its body had obviously shrunk a lot, now only one finger long, and was covered with black scales. It was still in the shape of a snake, but now it had transparent wings.

buzz~
It is not afraid of the severe cold. It flaps its wings, quickly passes through the cracks in the ice cave, then crawls out of the hole in the old pine tree and crawls to the side of the sand.

At this moment, Sharifei was being deceived by the illusion.

Fortunately, he had a lot of treasures on him, including the amulet he snatched from Xiong Baodong and the White-robed Bodhisattva bracelet.

Both are treasures for concentrating the mind and guarding the soul.

Even though Sharifei was confused and stared at the fluorescent sky, he still remained a little sober and held on to the old pine tree tightly.

Feeling the Qinworm Gu crawling near his ear, he immediately raised his hand to grab it, but the Qinworm vibrated, and then he heard Long Yaner's voice:

"Don't move. I'll help you get rid of the poison."

Then, the lyreworm vibrated its wings and opened its mouth.

Dense scales suddenly flew out from the sand-fly's body and were all swallowed by it.

Sharifei regained consciousness immediately, his scalp tingling as he looked at the qin insect beside his ear, and shouted loudly: "How are you? Are you okay?"

Inside, Long Yaner heard this and just wanted to get up, but due to long-term fasting, her body softened and she almost fell down. She could only shake her head and said, "I'm fine, I'm just very tired. You go first, I'll recover tomorrow and then go out."

Sharifei looked around and shook his head, "How can this be possible? It's freezing cold. I'll help you get out."

After saying that, he immediately drew out the Guanshan knife and chopped it on the ice.

Originally, using firearms would be faster, but on this snowy mountain, if too much noise was made, it would inevitably trigger an avalanche.

Time and again, the ice continued to break.

Finally, he had split open all the ice blocking the cave entrance.

Sharifei hurriedly went in, shivered, and moved forward with a torch, and finally found Long Yaner inside.

The two looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Sharifei scratched his head, walked forward, took off his thick cotton robe, helped Long Yaner up, and wrapped her in it.

Then, he flipped his wrist and used some clever strength to carry Long Yan'er on his back and tied her up tightly with a rope.

Long Yan'er already knew what he was going to do, and shook her head speechlessly, "No need, I just came out of confinement, I'm not injured."

"Better to be warm than cold."

Sharifei didn't waste any time. He carried her out of the cave and pulled the cold rope, climbing up in the wind and snow.

He was a master of dark energy, and Long Yan'er was light, so there was no difficulty in carrying her up the cliff. He walked on the knee-deep snow towards the cave where everyone was living.

The snowy night was dark and the wind was blowing hard with heavy snow.

The torch could only illuminate an area of ​​three feet. Apart from this area, the surroundings were all dark. It seemed as if there were only two people between heaven and earth.

Shalifi was a mortal after all. He took off his thick cotton jacket and walked in the snow. He shivered with cold, but his mind became clearer.

Suddenly, he said in a muffled voice: "By the way, that matter is over."

A trace of surprise flashed in Long Yaner's eyes, "Why?"

Sha Lifei replied in a muffled voice: "We are not suitable for each other. Your witchcraft is mysterious and your future is limitless. There is no need for me to delay you."

Long Yan'er was silent for a moment, looked around and shook her head, saying, "It was also like this when I was in seclusion before, with only one person walking alone in the darkness."

"At that moment, I felt that cultivation, wealth, and romance were all false."

“Life is but a dream. We will die in the end. Why don’t we rest early? It is so hard to wake up.”

Sharifei was attracted by her words and couldn't help asking, "How did you wake up later?"

Long Yaner said, "I asked what else in this world I am concerned about. After thinking about it, revenge for my elder brother is one, and my promise to marry you if I survive is also one."

"Besides that, I can't think of any meaning in life. I just feel pathetic. How can I say I'm wasting my time?"

"What's so sad about that?"

Sha Lifei said in a muffled voice: "People are like this. If you don't know something, just go ahead and take a look at it first."

"You have to go through it before you can say that."

"Well, let's go first."

Long Yan'er looked at the darkness around her, and became silent again, not knowing what she was thinking about.

Seeing this, Sharifei quickly changed the subject and said, "By the way, there is one more thing that you may not know."

"The Yang family of Bozhou has been destroyed, and the remaining members have all been taken to the capital. They will probably not escape being beheaded at Caishikou. Your revenge has been avenged."

Hearing this, Long Yan'er's eyes turned cold, "It's a bargain for them. I really want to see their heads fall to the ground with my own eyes."

"That's just right."

Sharifei was happy, "After we get down the mountain, we will go to Yuzhou, and then to the capital. If we are lucky, we might be able to see it."

"Why are you going to the capital?"

"Qiankun Academy is now open."

"What is Qiankun Academy?"

"Don't worry, I'll tell you slowly. It was very lively during your seclusion. We almost died..."

In the wind and snow, the two of them walked and talked while holding torches.

The little flames gradually faded into the darkness...

…………

boom!
There was a muffled sound, and rocks flew everywhere at the entrance of the cave.

Li Yan strode out in the splashing snow mist.

After expelling the "Five Heavenly Fragments" that evolved from the incense of the Queen Mother of the West, there was no longer any obstacle. He built the Eight Generals' Divine Palace in the inner altar, and the shrine of the Queen Mother of the West also dissipated and shattered.

After coming out, I just saw Wang Daoxuan and others getting up and setting off.

"Brother Yan, are you okay?"

"There were some minor troubles, which have been resolved. Where are you going?"

"I'm afraid something happened over there..."

After finding out the reason, Li Yan also set out to rescue people.

However, not long after they walked away, Lu San said in a muffled voice: "It's okay, they are back."

Li Yan also moved his ears and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

As they were talking, they saw flashes of fire in the distance. Shalifi, covered in snow and with his face frozen blue, returned with Long Yaner on his back.

When he saw everyone, he immediately shouted, "What are you all standing there for? Come on, help me, San'er, do you have any more hot water?"

After returning to the cave and struggling for a while, Sharifei rubbed his body beside the fire and said, "Really? I won't come to this damn place again next time... When are we going down the mountain?"

He changed the subject deliberately because he didn't want people to ask him questions.

However, Lu San said in a muffled voice: "I heard you talk very happily, you are very powerful in Chengdu Prefecture..."

"Stop it, stop it."

Sharifei's face turned red with embarrassment, "That's not how you use your magical powers."

When he told Long Yan'er about recent events, he inevitably exaggerated a lot. He also boasted about it to everyone he met on a daily basis. He was very thick-skinned and didn't care even if he was exposed.

But this time, I felt inexplicably guilty.

Li Yan also sat by the fire, holding a cup of brewed tea, watching the people in front of him talking and laughing. Although the wind and snow were howling outside the cave, it was as warm as the campfire in front of him.

"All right!"

At this moment, Wang Daoxuan, who had been busy with his head down, suddenly looked up and saw strings of copper coins in his hand.

These copper coins are two copper coins strung together.

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and smiled, "This is a little gadget I made. Earlier in Huashan, Brother Yan got a set of twelve Yuanchen coins, which are the coins of the natal spirit. Every night when you concentrate your spirit, you hold the coins in your hand and you can inject the power of concentration into them."

"With his current level of cultivation, this little bit of concentration is no longer important. Since the sword has been recast, I will take it apart and use it as a keepsake."

"I'm also lucky. On Mount Qingcheng, I found the 'Guangzheng Tongbao' minted by Meng Chang. It is also a twelve-yuanchen coin. It is used with the natal yuanchen coin. It has two sides, the yin and yang, and can vibrate to transmit messages over short distances."

"Put them all away and get familiar with them as soon as possible."

After that, he threw the Chenlong coin to Li Yan, kept the Youji coin for himself, and gave the Wuma coin to Shalifei, the Wudog coin to Lu San, and the Chouniu coin to Wuba...

"Miss Long, which one do you want?" Wang Daoxuan looked at Long Yaner again.

Long Yan'er was stunned and a little confused.

Wang Daoxuan laughed dumbly and said, "When you were practicing, I pretended to be Rooster, but was later discovered. So our team is also called the 'Twelve Yuanchen'."

"Brother Yan saw this and simply named it after it, and it made him famous. Which one do you want?"

Looking at everyone's eyes, Long Yan'er knew that she had completely joined the team. While feeling the warmth, she was also confused. "I don't know either. Taoist priest, just give it to me."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, "The Waking of Insects has just passed, and your natal Gu has the image of a snake again. It is already the Si month, and the Yang energy is beginning to flourish. And you just happened to break through the barrier and come out..."

"Let's take the snake as Taiyi Yuanchen!"

…………

There are rivers under the Xiling Snow Mountain.

It belongs to the Minjiang River system together with another river, and eventually flows into the Nanhe River, making it an important river in the Chengdu Plain.

Similarly, it is also an important waterway with many ferry crossings.

The river channel here suddenly widens and the water flow slows down.

There is a ferry on the south bank, named "Jinshuiyi", which means "a river of washed brocade, connecting all directions". It is the throat of western Sichuan leading to Yunnan, Tibet, Huguang.

The post station is located on the mountainside and by the water, with stone steps winding into the river.

The three-story courtyard has green tiles, earthen walls, flying eaves and brackets, and a broken wooden sign with the words "Jinshuiyi" hanging above the door.

The river breeze, wrapped in broken ice, swept over the corners of the posthouse, and the copper bells under the eaves jingled. The postman, Old Zhou, wrapped in faded cotton armor, huddled beside the stone steps of the ferry, heating a charcoal basin.

As soon as the spark appeared, it was extinguished by Jiang Feng and turned into a wisp of green smoke.

"What a late spring cold snap!"

Old Zhou cursed and lit the brazier again. After the water in the iron kettle boiled, he limped to the backyard of the post station carrying the iron kettle.

Before he even entered the door, his expression changed, and he knocked on the door with a flattering smile and said, "Sir, the water is boiling."

"come in."

A cold voice came from the door.

The postman, Lao Zhou, hurriedly pushed the door open carrying an iron kettle.

But in the shabby room, there was an old man in black sitting in front of a square table. He was Dilongzi from Tongtian Sect, and four disciples were standing beside him.

"My lord, if you need anything, just ask."

Old Zhou rubbed his cracked hands with a smile on his face.

Dilongzi gave a look, and the disciple next to him immediately threw out a piece of silver.

Old Zhou caught it and smiled happily.

Dilongzi then said in a deep voice: "Did anyone come down the mountain today?"

Old Zhou quickly shook his head, "No, excuse me for being so nosy, but the weather is very bad this year. Even if someone went up the mountain at this time, they would definitely freeze to death."

"It would be better if I froze to death..."

A disciple nearby grumbled.

Dilongzi glanced coldly, and when he saw that disciple quickly shut up, he said to Lao Zhou coldly: "Keep watching, don't ask any unnecessary questions."

"Yes Yes."

Lao Zhou didn't dare to say anything more and quickly closed the door and went out.

There are countless post stations all over China, and to maintain such a scale, a lot of silver is consumed every year.

Some big post stations are still okay because they have money.

Like Jimingyi, it is comparable to a small town.

Small post stations like Jinshui Post Station were relatively poor, and the silver allocated by the imperial court was sometimes withheld.

Even though the treasury was full due to the opening of the sea in the past two years, there were still many places where money was needed, such as large-scale replacement of firearms, so Jinshui Station was still poor.

Old Zhou was disabled while suppressing bandits when he was young and was assigned here. As a bachelor with little income, his life was even more difficult.

And just this year, the imperial court finally issued a regulation that post stations in various places could be open to the public and allow people to stay overnight, but they had to register and the affairs of the imperial court would take priority.

Now, Lao Zhou finally has a way to survive.

Unfortunately, due to climate change, the mountains were blocked by heavy snow and no merchants or travelers were seen traveling to Sichuan and Tibet.

Now that a distinguished guest has finally arrived, and he is a master holding a Taoist certificate, he naturally has to entertain him well.

Get some silver and you can get through this spring.

Regardless of what Lao Zhou was thinking, after he left, a disciple of Tongtian Sect finally couldn't help but said, "Master, Li Yan might have already left. Why should we wait for him here?"

"Confused!"

Di Longzi sneered and said, "This guy is a difficult one. If he doesn't see us when he comes down, and chases us to Yuzhou, it will be a disaster."

"I have my own arrangements. If you are in a hurry, go by yourself!"

"The disciple is wrong."

The disciple lowered his head quickly, wishing he could slap himself.

They had always been arrogant following Dilongzi, so they naturally felt uncomfortable when they were suppressed by Li Yan in Qingcheng Mountain.

Seeing this, Dilongzi didn't bother to pay attention. He drank the tea in the cup, seeming to be thinking about something. No one knew what he was thinking about.

Just then, footsteps were heard outside.

But then Old Zhou came limping over, his face full of surprise and said, "Guest, guest, there are people outside, a large group!"

"Oh!"

Dilongzi quickly put down his teacup and went out.

Sure enough, a group of people came down from the distant mountain road, exhausted. They were Li Yan and others.

"Senior, you are indeed a trustworthy person!"

Seeing the earth dragon coming out, Li Yan smiled and clasped his fists.

"Young Master Li is joking."

Dilongzi also smiled and said, "I always keep my word. Besides, I want to find out who is behind this matter. I need Young Master Li's help."

"Hahaha, you're too polite, senior."

Li Yan had a smile on his face, but he was alert in his heart.

He had already inquired about it. This earth dragon was not a good thing. It had a bad reputation in the underworld and had cheated countless people.

Waiting here is definitely not because I’m afraid of him.

"Young Master Li, please!"

"Senior, please go first!"

The two of them put on fake smiles and pushed each other into the room.

After sitting down, Li Yan didn't waste any words and said directly: "Senior, when do we leave?"

"It depends on Young Master Li's decision."

Di Longzi said, "The fastest way to get to Yuzhou from here is to leave Chengdu and cross the Qinling Mountains. From Guangyuan Jinniu Road to Hanzhong Prefecture, then from Chang'an east through Tongguan to Kaifeng."

"Return to Shanzhou?"

When Sharifei heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, "I've been away for a long time, I miss that bowl of oil-splashed noodles so much."

"I'm afraid Brother Sha won't be able to eat it."

Di Longzi shook his head and said, "The Shu Road is difficult to travel. Now the mountains are blocked by heavy snow. If we go there, there is a risk of delaying our journey."

"But if we take the water route, from Chongqing to Jingzhou, and then from Xiangyang to Nanyang to Kaifeng, although it will take a few more days, we are not afraid of delaying the trip."

"Just follow your advice, senior."

Li Yan nodded slightly and did not object.

Just as Dilongzi said, taking the Shu Road is too risky. If the mountain is blocked by heavy snow or the plank road is destroyed, it will be delayed for a long time.

I don't know what happened to Zhao Luzi...

(End of this chapter)