Chapter 228: Boating for a Banquet Before we knew it, we were already halfway through mid-February. The peach blossom trees in the yard have quietly changed into green leaves, and the green mountains outside the door have also become lush, which makes people happy. Lin Jue was making elixir in the room. Thanks to his progress in fire magic and the improvement of his own Taoism, his magical powers have become stronger and stronger. Now he can refine pills like his second brother and no longer needs firewood. Just use magic to gather fire and use spiritual fire to make elixirs. Many elixirs cannot be made from firewood or charcoal. The alchemy furnace given by the second senior brother is very small. Although it cannot be used to refine too many pills at a time and cannot hold too many ingredients for some powerful elixirs, it saves a lot of mana. Lin Jue can easily use spiritual fire to refine pills and control the temperature well. The furnace is small, the pills are few, and the refining process is delicate. Perfect for practice. Today is the Spring Equinox, when the day and night are equally divided, and the yin and yang energies are half and half. It is the most mysterious day and suitable for refining the magic pill.

Lin Jue had been refining the elixir for a day and a night. The room was filled with warmth. The fox lay beside him, staring at him motionlessly, already bored of waiting. The colorful cat, seeking warmth in the house, also sat against the wall, with its legs stretched out and its tail wagging from side to side, amusing itself. Mystery gradually emerged in the alchemy furnace. The mysterious feeling gradually became stronger, and suddenly there was a burst of elixir fragrance. "Canopy..." There seemed to be a gust of wind in the alchemy furnace, blowing the spiritual fire in the furnace out along the hole and almost burning the fox. Become! Lin Jue immediately pointed his finger. The lid of the furnace slowly opened. There was a spiritual rhythm flowing in the firelight, and there was also some ointment-like things that had not yet solidified, shining brightly. Lin Jue immediately stretched out his hand and pointed—— Ordinary pills are rolled into pills by hand. The elixir is made by performing a magic trick. With a spell, the ointment solidified instantly and automatically divided into fixed sizes of magic pills. With another point from Lin Jue, these pills flew out of the furnace one after another. Lin Jue had already prepared the pill bottle. "Fuyao!" "Hey!"

The fox suddenly perked up and looked up, taking a breath of cool air. "call……" Seven magic pills flew through the cold air, instantly cooled down, became hard, and then fell into the bottle along the mouth of the bottle, making a series of tinkling sounds. The colorful cat beside it stopped its tail and couldn't help but look over. Lin Jue kept the last pill, let it fall into the palm of his hand, and examined it carefully. "Um……" Sure enough, there is still some gap compared to the second brother. However, since the furnace is smaller and produces fewer pills, the quality is still acceptable thanks to his careful attention. The efficacy of the medicine is naturally weaker. If ordinary people take it, the side effects may be greater, and the requirements for the method of taking it will also be higher. But Lin Jue was already content and didn't feel that he was wasting materials. Even the most skilled alchemists come from practice. If he had always asked his second senior brother to help him refine all kinds of pills, then his attainments in alchemy would have remained at this level. "Ding Dong..." The last one also fell into the pill bottle. Lin Jue put the stopper in and placed it on the shelf next to him. "Thank you very much." Lin Jue said to Fuyao, "You have done a great job." The colorful cat next to him looked at him. "You have also made a contribution." Lin Jue said one more sentence and then went out. Junior sister is practicing sword in the middle of the yard. Compared with before, because she had taken a pill of the original Giant Spirit Pill, her movements were more flexible, her sword swings were more powerful, and it broke through the air silently, but with a sharp chill. He swung the sword with his right hand and waved his sleeve with his left hand as he turned around. "call!" A gust of wind blew up the dust on the ground. If I fight her again now, without using magic, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold out for long. Luo Seng just came back from outside with a knife in his hand. "That crocodile demon is really going to hold a banquet." When Luo Seng saw that they were all there, he spoke directly. "How did Luo Gong know?"

"In recent days, the downstream of the Weishui River has been very uneasy. Some people have seen waves without wind overturning boats. There have also been strange tides in several places on both sides of the river, some of which have swept people into the water, and some have swept away many chickens, ducks and livestock from the riverside villages. Some people have seen the silhouette of a monster in the water. I asked someone, and this kind of thing happens almost every ten years, but each time it happens to a different village, so no one cares." Luo Seng paused for a moment and said: "This flood passed through several counties. Many county governments invited experts to perform rituals or went to the riverside to offer sacrifices. They also posted notices offering rewards for people to exorcise the demon." "I see." Lin Jue nodded, "Mr. Luo is really perceptive." "You can't hide it from someone who's interested." "Then we should also go to the banquet?" "Almost." Luo Seng said, "Should we go by water or by land?" "What do you think, Mr. Luo?" "On this road, most people take the water route, so why don't we take the water route as well? It will be more leisurely. If we encounter monsters causing trouble, we can just tell them that we are going to a banquet." Luo Seng said, "I'm afraid the water will be restless these days and no one will run a boat, so we have to rent one ourselves." "Then follow Luo Gong." "Let me clean up!" Luo Seng said, "I have found some brave men and asked them to come over. They will support us from outside when the time comes." "I'll tidy up a bit, too." "Me too!" The three of them walked into the house. The fox and the cat followed them. "Xiaohua, did you hear that? There is a big crocodile in the Weishui River. When we get to the river, you go down and catch the crocodile." Lin Jue said to the civet cat, "They are all fish anyway." "Meow?" Caili turned to look at him with a look of shock. Fuyao also looked at him and Caili in shock. "Haha, I'm just kidding. We have a lot of luggage here, and the house must be left alone. You can stay here to guard the house. If you get hungry, catch mice to eat." "Meow~" Caili finally agreed and stretched lazily. To be on the safe side, the three of them changed into new clothes, used the breeze to blow away the smell on their bodies, smeared some medicine residue on them, did not dare to touch the cat, took the things they needed, and walked towards the river. Lin Jue took out a few thumb-sized medicine bottles and handed them to Luo Seng. Facing Luo Seng's puzzled expression, he said: "Mr. Luo, remember—— "The green bottle contains the God Speed ​​Pill. After taking it, you will be able to walk and run as fast as the wind. However, the effect of the medicine will only last for an hour at most. Once the effect wears off, your legs will ache. Therefore, you can only take it in an emergency. "The white bottle contains the Heart Protecting Pill. After taking it, you will not be easily confused or deceived by miasma, demonic energy or ghostly spirits. “The green bottle contains Shatangdan. After eating it, you won’t drown even if you fall into the water, and you can move freely. Although the Alligator King’s cave is on the shore, it can still go into the water, just in case. “The red bottle is Huiguangdan, which can stop bleeding and wounds. If you are seriously injured and can’t walk, you can eat it to survive for a while. "The yellow bottle contains the Golden Light Pill. After taking it, there will be golden light protecting your body. I think it will help Lord Luo's combat power reach a higher level.

"There is only one pill in each bottle. In an emergency, just crush it." Luo Seng took the five bottles and felt a little confused. Lin Jue smiled beside him. The junior sister explained in more detail: "The green bottle, you should remember it as a breeze. After taking the magic pill, it will be like a breeze. The green bottle, you should remember it as green water. The golden bottle, of course, is golden light. The red bottle, you should remember it as stopping bleeding and healing wounds. The white bottle, you should remember it as white mist of miasma!" "rational." After hearing this, Luo Seng nodded repeatedly, touching his lips constantly, as if he was reciting something in a low voice. At the same time, I couldn't help but feel surprised—— There are so many elixirs in this world! Especially the Divine Speed ​​Pill and the Golden Light Pill, one can make a warrior who is already ferocious and good at fighting move like the wind, and the other can bring golden light to protect the body, as if they were not prepared for monks, but for warriors. If he had enough of these pills, he would have the courage to fight any ferocious monster or even god in the world. On the way, Luo Seng went to see his friends and discussed some arrangements. Then he came back and told Lin Jue and the other two that everything had been arranged, and went to the river ferry with them. Sure enough, no one dared to sail these days. Fortunately, Luo Seng had earned so much silver and money some time ago that he had more than he could spend, so he bought a covered boat and some wine, meat, and cakes, creating a very leisurely mood. The three of them and the fox sat on the boat and drifted downstream. It was a beautiful spring day, the sky was overcast and about to rain, and the Weishui River was like a jade belt, passing between two mountains. A long song came from somewhere on the shore: "There are crows in the south mountain, and the north is busy; "Now that the crows have flown high, what can Luo do?" The three of them hardly rowed the boat, and the boat went as fast as the water current. They were just sitting in the cabin, with a few plates of mutton, chicken and pastries, moving their chopsticks, like two traveling Taoist priests, who came to this paradise with a guard to have fun. Hearing the singing, Lin Jue turned his head. "Who's singing?" "Who knows? We are not yet at the point where boats capsize or people are swept away by the waves. Maybe it is someone who is just relaxing on the shore." Luo Seng replied, "If we continue drifting like this, we will probably reach the cave of the Alligator Dragon King tomorrow." "That's perfect." Lin Jue's words were full of longing. "I wonder how lively the birthday party of the demon king here will be?" "You'll know after you see it." "Just don't get kicked out." "I wonder what kind of personality that Alligator King has." The junior sister held a roast chicken wing and fed it to Fuyao, while quietly watching the two people beside her. On the way they agreed -

From the moment they boarded the boat, they were the elegant people who came here to attend the birthday banquet of the Monster King because of the excitement and the desire to broaden their horizons. I don’t know whether the weather was good or not, but it didn’t take long before it started raining in the mountains. At first the rain was light, and the river water below seemed neither blue nor green. When hit by raindrops, ripples formed, disturbing the spring water in the river. Then the raindrops quickly became heavier. Bai Yu jumped into the boat in disorder. "Tuk tuk tuk..." There was a series of noises coming from the top of the boat. Fuyao couldn't help but look up. Before it knew it, another chicken wing was handed to its mouth. Fuyao turned her head, glanced at her, and then looked away. "It doesn't like chicken wings, it likes meat." Lin Jue said to the junior sister beside him. "what?" The junior sister was a little surprised. Her favorite food was chicken wings, so she gave them to the fox, but she didn't expect the fox didn't like it. The monk Luo on the side was leaning on the railing and gazing into the distance. At this time, the river and the river bank were all covered with mist. The originally calm river surface was thrown into a mess, but between the rain mist on the river bank and the woods, there was a small temple. He suddenly remembered something and picked up a few pieces of cake and threw them into the river. Then he picked up a glass of wine and poured it into the river as well. Seeing this, Lin Jue asked in confusion: "Why is this happening, Mr. Luo?" "Oh, you don't know, there was a woman here, with a strong temper. Because her parents did not agree with her to marry her lover, they made her marry someone else. She was unwilling at the time, but had no other choice, so she jumped into the river and committed suicide. It is said that in order to commemorate her, later generations built a small temple for her by the river. It is also said that her soul is still in this river today, unwilling to reincarnate, and turned into a god. Later, people who passed by here by water would throw some cakes or gifts down to give to her, to establish a good relationship, and hope that they can find peace when walking in this section of the river." Luo Seng said, smiling casually: "It is said to be very effective." “There aren’t many people like this.” Lin Jue smiled, picked up a piece of cake and threw it into the river. There was mist between the raindrops, and once the cakes entered the river, they could no longer be seen and sank into the water in a hazy state. A glass of wine was poured and instantly merged with the river water. "The rain is going to continue until the evening. Fortunately, the boat Mr. Luo bought is big enough to withstand the rain." "Yes." As we talked, the rain got heavier. The river was covered with mist, and there was only light in the sky above. A lonely covered boat was moving slowly on the river. The mist and light, the shadows of the mountains and forests, the world seemed to be only black and white, like a painting splashed with ink.

Just as Lin Jue said, the rain stopped at night. At this time, the river was extremely quiet, the sky and the earth were pitch black, and only the sailing boats were shaking and creating slight ripples. But there was a lamp lit on the river. The light was bright yellow, standing abruptly in the middle of the water, and its reflection was rippling in the water. "Ok?" Luo Seng was a little surprised. Lin Jue and his junior sister also looked in that direction, but only the fox was lying on the edge of the boat, looking at the bottom of the water. Suddenly, a woman's voice came from somewhere: "Are you going to attend the birthday banquet of the Alligator King?" Lin Jue was not frightened, but just asked: "Who are you, and why are you lighting a lamp in the middle of the water? Are you a demon or ghost in the river?" The voice still came from nowhere and answered: "Since you already know, why ask more?" "We met by chance, why not ask?" "Didn't you give me some cakes and two glasses of wine today?" the voice asked, "How come you forgot?" "It turns out to be you." The three of them looked at each other, all of them showing a look of realization. No one was afraid. (End of this chapter)