My enemies became my companions

Chapter 514: Fighting the Jade Dragon (Three-in-one extra chapter)

The lights were on, creating a warm atmosphere. The eaves of the ancestral hall in Hukang Village were covered with bright moonlight. A group of villagers gathered there, watching the several large black sacks thrown down by the Taoist priest.

Slowly opening them one by one, we saw densely packed grains and wheat seeds for spring sowing.

Everyone's faces swayed like wheat waves. They showed joy at first, but then quickly suppressed their emotions, fearing that the thieves were not dead yet. The grain was stolen, and being happy too early usually did not bring good things.

When there was only one large black sack left, which was full of stuff, everyone held their breath, made looks at each other, and several hands reached out to open the sack.

Hey, they all have round heads.

Everyone was silent for a moment, as if everything before their eyes was an illusion, but it was just a fantasy of the whole village starving to death, and there was no movement among them.

Suddenly someone woke up as if from a dream.

"They are all dead, really all dead! Hero!"

Someone screamed, suddenly breaking the silence. The ancestral hall was instantly filled with joy. Some people jumped onto the table, some squatted on the ground and roared, and some hugged each other and cried. There were so many incense sticks in front of the ancestral tablets that even the New Year had never been so lively.

"It's time to sow the seeds! Hero, hero! The new door god has sent the hero here, the door god has sent the hero here!"

"It's the Taoist priest, no, the Immortal Priest. The Immortal Priest's Taoism is unparalleled. Amitabha, my Buddha has mercy on me!"

"You are just a half-baked person, wandering around and flattering the horse. It's the 'Wulian Tianzun'. Hey, divide the seeds first, don't worry about the food! Don't grab it!"

"This door god is really spiritual, really spiritual..."

The ancestral hall was in chaos, with everyone arguing and noisy. No one cared about each other and hurried to distribute the seeds. This was the livelihood of the whole village, and the stomachs of all the villagers depended on it. As they came and went, there was a mixture of infinite gratitude to the Taoist priest and discussions and admiration for the door god.

No matter how people celebrated and expressed gratitude, Chen Yi just took out the gourd and pretended to pour wine and drink it alone. He didn't care at all and looked very carefree.

"The Chen Qianhu I posted really worked!"

"It's really useful to say that it's so ugly!"

"Captain Chen is ugly for the best! Ugliness brings great magical power! Why can't he be uglier?"

Chen Yi's movements while drinking were stiff.

Yin Tingxue chuckled, and when she saw Chen Yi glance at her, she quickly covered her mouth.

She suppressed her expression and said, "I'm not laughing, I'm not laughing...haha...no, I really wasn't laughing at you, it's just that the corners of my mouth are a little curved."

Chen Yi retracted his gaze. It was not convenient to argue with her at the moment, so he just asked her to wait... Just as he was thinking this, Yin Tingxue sat closer without making a sound, half leaning into his arms.

Chen Yi secretly despised the little fox's snobbery, then put his arms around her waist, which was so delicate and soft.

After the villagers distributed the seeds, they returned to the ancestral hall with wine and meat. Immediately, someone knelt down in front of the two Taoists, and the rest of the villagers knelt down one after another.

Chen Yi stood up and waved his hands, saying, "No, no."

He stopped everyone from kneeling and kowtowing, and held his hands up in the air, looking like a very humble gentleman. He also said a few words like "it's a trivial matter" and "I don't deserve your gratitude".

Having said that, Yin Tingxue felt very happy when she saw her husband's brows relaxed.

For so long, I have been obedient and gentle to him. He sometimes laughs at me for being snobbish, but who can blame him for falling for it...
Yin Tingxue tilted her head slightly.
She knows him best.

…………

The next morning, it was time to leave. The villagers of Hukang Village were naturally reluctant to let go, not only because of the great kindness the Taoist had shown them, but also because they were experiencing religious unrest at the time and could not live in peace.

Last night, they offered the previously hidden preserved wine, preserved meat, grains, and copper coins and silver coins covered in dirt, but Chen Yi refused them all. So, everyone left the village to see him off. The village chief led the way, clasped his hands together, bowed solemnly, and said:

"Master, you are so kind and virtuous. We, the common people, cannot repay you in this life. We only wish to serve you like a slave in the next life!"

Chen Yi shook his head and refused to accept it.

The villagers said many similar words, but Chen Yi rejected them one by one because he was a very principled person. If it wasn't for the beauty, there would be no point in working like a slave.

Chen Yi and Yin Tingxue walked along the mountain path. After walking for about five or six miles, they looked back and saw that the village was only a small dot hidden in the bushes. To them, it was just a small episode on the road.

Mount Longhu is further south.

Thinking of meeting Zhou Yitong and Lu Ying there, Chen Yi's heart became a little restless... Realizing this, Yin Tingxue silently clenched his hand.

Just when Yin Tingxue was about to say something, her ears suddenly twitched.

"Master, Master..."

A clear child's voice suddenly sounded. Chen Yi turned his head and saw a young child jumping out from the bushes, holding a bunch of fruits in his hands and offering them forward.

Each fruit is large, plump, fresh and crisp.

"I finally caught up with you along the way. My parents asked me to come here to thank you, Taoist priest, for getting rid of this evil." The child smiled widely.

Chen Yi looked at him for a few seconds, then smiled and said,
"Go back, it's not necessary."

The child asked again and got the same answer, so he turned around and walked away, looking back every few steps.

Yin Tingxue felt that the child looked unfamiliar and didn't know where he came from.

…………

The White Lotus Rebellion was so rampant in Huguang that even Mount Longhu had to be closed to prevent the spread of the virus. However, Nankuo County was far away from the war-torn area and maintained a peaceful environment. It was still a festive place after the Chinese New Year. The streets were busy with cars and pedestrians, and many vendors were shouting along the road inside and outside the city gates. Everything seemed to be the same as before, except that people had long learned the phrase "Mother of No Birth, Home of True Emptiness".

"Fagao, hot fagao."

"Luo Za offal, Lu Za offal..."

"Selling wontons."

Among a group of vendors, a cart full of candied haws on bamboo skewers and straw sticks was passing through the street when he was stopped by someone. They were a man and a woman. The man was wearing a Taoist robe. He handed over two copper coins and picked a candied haws without saying a word. The vendor did not delay and left with the bamboo skewers and straw sticks.

The girl tasted the candied haws shyly but happily.

This is just a small street scene in Nankuo County.

The really big street scene is at the other end, outside the county government office.

There were bursts of drum beats, and the drum for appealing for justice was deflated and then inflated again. An elderly, well-dressed man in his fifties bowed down when he saw the county magistrate coming out.

"My daughter from Shouao Jia's family has been missing for two days. I beg the county magistrate to help find her!"

The people around formed a circle around him, and many of them recognized that the old man was a well-known longevity tycoon in the county, who was known to be kind-hearted. They started talking about him.

"Mr. Shou...he...sigh, good people don't get good rewards."

"Her daughter has suffered a lot too. She has been weak and sickly since she was a child. A wandering doctor came to treat her not long ago and she is getting better. She just arranged a marriage for her, but she was kidnapped. I heard that her in-laws are so worried that they are going crazy."

"Who wouldn't be anxious about this? Alas, it's been two days, I'm afraid it won't be found."

Before long, someone came to take Shou Aojia inside and drive away the crowd, but he could not drive away the growing noise of discussion.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see clearly that when a wealthy family like the Shou family discovered that their young lady was missing, the first thing they would do was to search for her in secret, waiting for the bandits to blackmail them. If they wanted to go to the government office, they would not do so openly. Coming to complain after she had been missing for two days was already an indication that they were looking for a body.

The disappearance of Mr. Shou's daughter spread like wildfire, and people in the streets and alleys were talking about it, especially in teahouses and wine shops.

When there is religious unrest, there are always things that make people sigh and lament.

Shortly after entering the city, Chen Yi and Yin Tingxue found a teahouse to rest for a while. They ordered three or four dishes, and while enjoying the food slowly, they listened to the discussions in the teahouse.

Places where people come and go are good places to get information, no matter whether it is true or false.

One of the porters, who had been drinking, said loudly, "At this time, I'm afraid we won't be able to find it anywhere."

"Killing people and setting fires brings you a gold belt, but repairing bridges and roads leaves you with no corpses. It's hard to find even if you want to. Sigh... If it were you, I'd better not beat the drum, and still keep some reputation, so that people won't talk about you behind your back and poke you in the back."

"Go away, you are just talking about it."

"It's not people like me that you're guarding against."

"Don't say such sarcastic words. Death is the greatest thing." Someone sighed. Although the woman was not dead yet, she had been missing for two days, and in people's minds, she was no different from dead. "The life insurance family wants to see the person alive or the body dead. Otherwise, they can just say that the gods have come down to earth to enlighten her and let her go to the mountains to practice Taoism, and that's it."

"They all said he was taken away by the gods."

Yin Tingxue picked up the dishes and enjoyed them silently. She felt a little uncomfortable listening to these words.

Chen Yi on the side remained silent, his expression did not change much. He had been in the martial arts world for a long time and had seen many things like this.

People in the teahouse were still talking and chatting.

"Speaking of immortals, have you heard that there are immortals coming from Jiangxi?"

"He's a wandering Taoist priest, right? There's some kind of Heroes' Meeting at Mount Longhu, and all kinds of Taoist priests went there."

"He is a true immortal! He rode a crane all the way, enlightened the beasts, killed the monsters, held a white lotus in his hand, spoke a Taoist spell, and carried a long sword on his back. I heard he came from Yinjian Mountain, and his surname is Lu."

As the voices came one after another, Chen Yi's brows drooped slightly.

Jiangxi, Yinjian Mountain, surnamed Lu, the person these people are talking about is undoubtedly Lu Ying. The path they take is different from his, and they are already close to Longhu Mountain. It is estimated that they are just around the same time.

According to the legends about gods, Lu Ying has found fate?
Chen Yi pondered for a moment, his mind full of complicated thoughts, and his hands were a little slow in picking up the dishes.

They ate the meal while listening to the guests chatting about all sorts of things. It took nearly an hour. Yin Tingxue at the side had already taken out some books to read. When Chen Yi came to his senses, only one third of the dishes were left on the table.

After a brief thought, he decided that he had to rush to Longhu Mountain as soon as possible. Without any delay, he stood up and asked someone to come over to settle the bill.

Seeing there were leftovers on the table, the waiter brought over a food box to pack them up, but suddenly, he heard someone shouting outside the door.

"Please wait a minute, sir. Give some of the leftovers to the poor."

Then I saw a beggar coming out of nowhere outside the door. He was dressed in rags and looked pitiful.

The beggar bowed forward with a smile on his face. Seeing that no one answered, he pointed at the remaining dishes on the table and said, "Please be kind. You can't finish them, so why not give me some of the leftovers?" Chen Yi stood still. Yin Tingxue beside him didn't think much and was about to nod in agreement. At this time, Chen Yi grinned and refused, "I don't like to waste."

After saying that, he snatched the food box from the waiter and quickly put the food into it with chopsticks.

"you!"

The beggar's face stiffened and he pointed.

But after the Taoist priest had packed up, he took the little Taoist priest beside him and walked away in a swagger.

The diners around couldn't help but talk about it.
"This fortune teller is so stingy that he won't even give me any leftovers."

"Don't be generous to others. It's not easy to make money."

"Everyone knows that it's not easy. Being stingy is being stingy. Hey, man, I have some left for you to eat."

The diners were just about to show some kindness, but the beggar came and went without a trace, and no one knew where he went.

…………

The river was surging and the water was vast. A large ship slowly left the port. Chen Yi and Yin Tingxue rented a room on the upper floor.

Along the way, they had always traveled by water in fishing boats and small boats, which were fast and free. But this time was different from the past. This waterway was the main artery for grain transportation, and the Xiashui Su family was responsible for the grain transportation here. The millet from the Huai and Bian rivers entered the Huai River from the south of the Yangtze River, and then entered the capital via the Bian River. In order to prevent people from transporting grain and smuggling salt privately, even the ferry business was monopolized.

This luxurious ship has a spacious viewing platform on the upper floor, which is as large as half a deck. Not many people come here to enjoy the river breeze. Chen Yi leans on the railing and looks into the distance, while Yin Tingxue lowers her head to read a book facing the sunlight.

Yin Tingxue was very curious when he read the story of the woodcutter encountering the fairy in the book.

"With such a daily life, can we really meet a god?" Yin Tingxue asked Chen Yidao while holding up the book.

"Silly girl, there are millions of gods in the world, there are too many." Chen Yi paused, pressed her nose and said, "Aren't you a golden elixir? What's so strange about that?"

Yin Tingxue scratched her nose. Chen Yi was right. She had achieved the Golden Elixir, so it shouldn't be surprising. However, she had never had any real feeling about the Golden Elixir and still considered herself as a mortal.

She turned back and flipped through two more pages of the book, and was immediately immersed in it. She finished the whole story and was left with an endless aftertaste.

The book says that a woodcutter named Zhang went up the mountain to chop wood and met an immortal. The immortal saw that Zhang had the destiny to meet him, so he gave him gold and silk and told him to come back the next day. Zhang went again the next day. The immortal saw that he was sincere, so he gave him immortal dates, took him to the top of the mountain, let him stay there to practice, and granted him immortality.

However, Zhang, who had the destiny to practice, did not become an immortal. Because he missed his parents, he could not break away from the mortal world and dared not speak. The immortal had already seen through it and let him go down the mountain.

After he came down the mountain, although he had some visions, they gradually disappeared as time passed, and he never saw the gods again. He continued to grow old, get sick and die as usual, because he had been cut off from all contact with gods since the day he came down the mountain.

The story is simple but full of charm, and the final conclusion is short and exquisite:
"How can you get what you miss?"

Suddenly, a few drops of rain fell from the sky, and a gray shadow descended, covering the entire ship. The waves of the river were dim, and the people on the viewing platform returned to their rooms one after another. Yin Tingxue quickly closed the book and walked to the eaves. Looking back, she saw Chen Yi motionless.

The drizzle was falling, and scattered lines filled the sky and the earth. Layers of fog rose on the open river surface. Yin Tingxue called Chen Yi twice, but he still didn't move. Just as he was about to walk over, he widened his eyes and heard some footsteps beside him. It seemed that there was a figure approaching in the mist.

Chen Yi leaned on the railing and looked into the distance, with a little golden light in the corners of his eyes.

In front of him was a man in Confucian robes and a tall hat, riding on clouds and mist from afar.

"You have come from afar, I wonder if you have any advice for me?" Chen Yi asked indifferently.

"Taoist priest……"

The man's clothes were floating like clouds. Facing Chen Yi's gaze, he slowly spoke:

"Do you know what the Way of Heaven is?"

Chen Yi opened his narrowed eyes a little and asked, "What is the Heavenly Law?"

"As for the big truth, I think you have read poetry and books, but it is just 'The way of heaven is constant, it does not exist for Yao, nor does it perish for Jie.'" The man in Confucian robes paused for a moment, and slowly said: "In the small things, it is like water overflowing when full, and the moon waning when full. As the sage said: 'I have heard that the vessel of the seat is tilted when empty, upright when full, and overturned when full.'"

Chen Yi remained calm, raised his hand and continued, "Please continue."

The man in Confucian robes continued, "You can't do everything, and you can't enjoy all the blessings. Along the way, I changed into two different forms. One time, I changed into a village child and gave you a fairy fruit, but you didn't accept it at all. Isn't this doing all the good deeds? Another time, I changed into a beggar and asked for food from you, but you didn't take any of it. Isn't this enjoying all the blessings?

Although I am not as knowledgeable as the saints, I have heard that the ancients often said: "Pride brings harm, humility brings benefit." The affairs of the world should be moderate and impartial, otherwise there will be disasters in the future. It is important to know that the rise and fall of a person lies in the four words "too much is as bad as too little."

After hearing all the words, Chen Yi's face was solemn, and he asked, "Isn't it true that good is rewarded with good, and evil is punished with evil?"

The man in Confucian robes raised his eyebrows, but still smiled and said, "You are a Taoist practitioner, and what you seek is to understand the way of heaven and live forever as an immortal. If that's the case, then you should understand and return to the greater truth: 'The way of heaven is constant, it does not exist for the sake of Yao or die for the sake of Jie'. Whether good deeds are rewarded or evil deeds are rewarded is a matter of nature and has nothing to do with humans."

Chen Yi shook his head slightly and said, "I don't think so."

The man in the Confucian robe finally lost some of his indifference. He frowned and said in a cold voice, "Do you know that I am the God of Qingyi River? You killed all 37 people on that hill, and only the second son of the Su family was left. You seriously injured him, but you still didn't let him go. You even deliberately left a trace of his aura on him, hoping to lure the snake out of its hole and kill all the guilty relatives of the Su family! Don't you think it's too much?!"

The voice was loud and clear, and behind the Qingyi River God, the river suddenly surged with waves piled up like thousands of layers, like towering mountains floating on the water!

The Dragon King is angry and uses both kindness and force!

But he never expected that the man would pull over a chair and sit down in front of him.

"So that's what you want to say. Let me stretch my legs first."

Yuan Qi's face instantly turned gloomy, and there seemed to be raging waves in his eyes. After a while, an extremely creepy sneer appeared on his face, and his face had the look of a dragon.

"You are ignorant and foolish, and you don't know the way of heaven." The man lamented, "I have enlightened you three times, but you still refuse to change your ways. You have no chance of becoming a god."

In an instant, a long dragon roar sounded like thunder. Dark clouds gathered in the sky, layer upon layer. Yuan Qi broke through the air and entered the clouds. A huge dragon head emerged from the clouds!

"I was kind enough to ask you to forgive others, but you didn't appreciate it!"

Chen Yi laughed loudly, and the long sword on his back was unsheathed with a clang. The sound of metal grinding against stone could be heard in the clouds and mist. He took a step and turned around like a black sword and rushed into the storm!
Yin Tingxue became frightened by the loud noise and quickly hid behind the door, covering her ears and sticking half of her head out.

Dark clouds rolled in, as black as the sea. Rugged and winding lines pulled and pulled, cutting the sea of ​​clouds apart layer by layer. Above the huge dragon's body, the sky was bright and dark due to thunder, and the figure in the Taoist robe turned in and out, as if dancing with a sword on lightning.

The Silver Sea was stirred up by huge waves, the roar of the Dragon King was mixed with the surging river, the waves were rolling, the building ship was floating up and down, as tiny as a small boat, the guests on the ship, both big and small, ran away, staring at the strange phenomenon in the sky with horror on their faces.

But after a stick of incense, the thunder seemed to stop. Instead, Chen Yi's figure flashed faster and faster, and the sword light poured down like a rainstorm, gradually dyeing the rain red.

Wow!
A fierce battle with the Jade Dragon, murderous aura filled the sky, and its scales fell like snow!

Chen Yi's body was covered in dragon blood, his face was calm. The Qingyi River God pulled the huge blood-stained dragon body, stretched out his beard and brandished his claws. He was so furious that his voice rolled across the sky and earth.

Dark clouds gathered behind him, and purple air was spreading, which was about to attract a nine-day mysterious thunder!
“I told you not to do everything and not to do anything extreme, but you insisted on killing everyone! You know I have been in charge of Qingyi River for nearly a thousand years. Can't I cause strange phenomena in heaven and earth and block your path to becoming an immortal? Why don't you accept my toast and drink a forfeit? Why don't you want the guidance of an immortal?!”

Chen Yi's expression was no longer calm, but he smiled, sneering: "Eliminate all evil, cut off the roots, I am a third-rank warrior, I can do whatever I want, I have my own path, why do I need gods to guide me?"

The next moment.

The sword light and purple thunder intertwined.

One sword for the world,
The mighty river was cut in half over ten miles, a dragon's roar exploded among the heavy black clouds, and a speck of green quickly fled towards the distant sky.

The blue sky is vast and the world appears bright and clear.

I saw a black dot falling down from the sky where the Taoist was standing. Suddenly, the ship shook and finally stabilized. The people on the ship, who were still in shock, looked carefully and found that the green dragon horn was cut off in the air, falling like a mountain, and setting off huge waves...

…………

There are many rivers in the south, and the color of dusk seems to be wetted by a layer of mist, hazy and even more dim and hazy than imagined. Such a deep yellow color would cause sandstorms in the northwest, but no sandstorms have risen for a long time, and even the wind is misty. Miss Donggong is really not used to it.

They are now in the hall of a villa of the Xiashui Su family.

The Xiashui Su family is a merchant family spanning three provinces, with their main business in Huguang. As the saying goes, "wealth does not last for more than three generations", but since it is a saying, it is what ordinary people say. The Xiashui Su family has been rich since their ancestors became imperial merchants and took on the business of grain transport. Over the past hundred years, more than ten Jinshi have emerged, and the "Anshan Gong" Su Hongtao holds the second rank and is ranked as the commander-in-chief. Obviously, they can be rich for another 30 years.

In recent days, Huguang has been harmed by the White Lotus Sect. Grain prices have risen in various places, and grain transportation has been tight. The Su family is needed to transport grain, and the business of the family is in full swing.

I don't know if it's flowers blooming...

It's still like boiling oil on a raging fire.

Donggong Ruoshu would not dwell on these things. For her, a Jin person, the more powerful the Su family is, the better; the more corrupt the water transport system is, the better. As one gains while the other loses, Dayu will suffer, and Dajin will become more powerful.

Xia Shui and Su Shi certainly did not dare to neglect Wei Wuque's team from Xi Que Pavilion and treated them well in every way, with bright lights, singing and dancing, and clinking glasses. The guest Dong Gong Ruoshu quickly became friends with the women in the mansion. On weekdays, he would occasionally visit the hall and take a walk in the county town, having a lot of free time.

But today, a familiar face came outside the hall, and his disheveled appearance gave Donggong Ruoshu a fright.

It turned out to be the God of Qingyi River. He was dressed in a scholar's robe and a tall hat, his face as white as paper.

More than twenty people in the hall were all shocked and stood up to salute in unison. Su Hongyi, the head of the Su family's eldest branch, hurried forward to support them, fearing that there would be any neglect. It was not just a simple matter of the host respecting the guests, but more like a servant paying respect to his master.

After Jiang Shen whispered a few words, the head of the family looked more miserable than if a loved one had died, and his eyes were full of panic.

Qingyi Jiangshen's expression was uncertain, his lips were closed, and he was reluctant to speak, as if he was extremely embarrassed.

At this time, Donggong Ruoshu stepped out of the hall and stuck his head out, "God Jiang, what's the matter?"

Yuan Qi turned around and was shocked for a moment. He didn't expect to run into the lady he met before.
"Mr. Donggong is here?"

"Yes, it's fate." Donggong Ruoshu nodded.

The head of the family, Su Hongyi, who was standing nearby, saw that the two knew each other and tactfully stepped back a few steps.

"What happened? You don't look well."

Yuan Qi's face was so pale that he could not hide it. He nodded reluctantly and then told the whole story of "I met a Taoist priest on the road. I wanted to give him an opportunity but he attacked me with swords instead and injured my lower body."

The more Dong Gong Ruoshu listened, the more he felt that this Taoist was despicable. As the saying goes, one should not hit a smiling person, but this person did such evil without any reason.

"Mr. Donggong is an outsider after all. This matter has nothing to do with you. We will handle it ourselves..." Yuan Qi sighed.

“When you see injustice, how can you not draw your sword and help?” After training in Taihua Mountain, Donggong Ruoshu has been a fourth-rank official. He has never had the opportunity to display his skills, so this time he is eager to try.

"But that person is very skilled in martial arts and has profound Taoist skills. I'm afraid Mr. Donggong..."

Donggong Ruoshu tapped the scabbard lightly and interrupted:
"God Jiang, you don't know that back in the Yuanfeng Tower in the northwest, I faced enemies that were several times our size. My friends and I fought against many enemies with a small number of people and killed them all."

(End of this chapter)