Chapter 435: Flowing East into the Sea "What?" Lin Jue smiled and lowered his head, looking at the fox at his feet, "Are you reluctant to leave the hole you dug in the mountain?" "Huh? How did you know?" the fox was shocked. "I saw it." "How did you see that?" "I saw it." "I don't believe it! You must be guessing!" "believe or not." "I believe it again!" the fox said to him seriously, "You must have seen it secretly!" "..." "My cave is well dug! This is the best cave I have ever dug! It can accommodate anyone!" The fox said to him, "Come on! I will take you to live in my cave for a few days!"

"So, besides digging holes, have you neglected your studies and practice during this period?" "I haven't fallen behind in my practice!" "Homework?" "I haven't fallen behind in my practice!" "Ok?" Lin Jue shook his head helplessly and said, "Let's go and take a look at the hole you dug." The fox was immediately happy. Lin Jue took out another seal. "Chen Niu, Chen Niu." A little devil in brown clothes appeared out of nowhere, with a serious face. "You have to remember, this is Nanshan, and this is where you mine Nanshan stones." “Found it!” The little brown-clothed ghost disappeared out of thin air. …… As time went on, no matter how stupid the villagers were or how worried they were about their livelihoods, they gradually realized that something was wrong. They knew that many young and strong men in the village went up the mountain to become bandits. This was the case in almost every household. There was no other way. After heavy taxes and levies, the village could not support so many people. If they did not become bandits, they would also face complicated military service and labor service from the government. They also knew that a god had come to the mountain last year, and all the bandits on the mountain had come down. I also know that the only scholar in the village would go to Nanshan every day to offer food and water to the immortal, regardless of rain or shine, cold or heat. This cannot be hidden from anyone. But as time went on, everyone noticed that the originally frail Lu Shusheng had visibly improved. Some people began to speculate that it was because he delivered food and water to the immortal every day, and the immortal saw that he had been weak and pitiful since childhood, so they gave him a magic elixir. That was why this happened.

How else to explain it? Climbing a mountain is a test of one's character, but one also needs something to train oneself. In those days when every household was not well fed, let alone climbing up Nanshan Mountain every day, even doing simple farm work would make people feel that their stomachs were not full enough for strength. If there was nothing else strange, those who ate bran and grass would still go up Nanshan Mountain every day regardless of wind or rain, and even the fattest man would become skinny as a bag of bones. But this Lu Shusheng did the opposite! Who doesn’t know how to deliver food and water? Although Nanshan Mountain is high, who can’t climb it? Who doesn’t yearn for the things of gods? Gradually, the villagers also began to want to go to Nanshan to seek immortals. Not to mention being given a panacea that would make one healthy and free from disease and pain from now on, even just meeting a god is something that the people of this land yearn for deeply. But they were also afraid that the gods would punish them for being bandits. After hesitating for a while, everyone decided to go up the mountain together after a heavy rain. After the mountain rain, there was thick mountain fog, as if white clouds had fallen down. When the mountain wind blew, the mountain fog spread up at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if it was going to sweep up and swallow the entire world. But I never thought that because of the entanglement during that period of time, when I went to the mountain again, the immortal had already left. The person who walked the fastest saw the figure of a fairy. At the highest point of Nanshan Mountain, accompanied by clouds and mist, and level with flying birds, but as soon as the mountain breeze blew, the figure of the fairy was blown away by the wind and mist. Some people sighed and said that they did not have enough fate to become immortals, so after a year of cultivation in the mountains, they could not even see the immortals; some people blamed themselves, saying that they had become bandits and committed evil deeds, so the immortals were unwilling to meet them; others said that this kind of immortals liked to live in seclusion and did not often meet mortals. Two days later, someone passed by the village and asked for two ripe pears to eat. A few days later, the god of the earth came to them in a dream and said that a real person had prayed for good weather and harvest in this place. He also said that there were treasures buried by ancient bandits somewhere in the mountains, and asked them to dig them out and return all the money they had robbed that could be found to those who had been robbed. The extra money would be used to sustain their livelihood in the next few years. After everyone compared it, they found that many people in the village had this dream. Following the dream, I actually found the property. Everyone was shocked, feeling ashamed and regretful, and almost fell to the ground crying, thinking that it was a real immortal. When this story spread throughout Nanshan, many people not only recited it, but also felt deeply moved. …… "I enjoy my free and unfettered life in a small boat. I go east and west without a fixed stop, and I don't care about the people who are awake or drunk." Lin Jue sat at the bow of the boat, shaking his head and reciting. The clear water meandered beneath the boat, and the green mountains on both sides formed shadows. Compared with the hustle and bustle in the capital at this time, the battles and demon-slaying in Qinzhou in the past, or the leisure of riding a small boat eastward to the sea at this time, are more suitable for the Taoist, and are more popular with Lin Jue. The fox also stood by the boat, looking down at the fish at the bottom of the water. After getting the Nanshan Stone, it’s time to go to the East China Sea. The boatman's voice came from the stern: "Master, you have made a good choice. Nowadays, the land route is not only bumpy and difficult to travel, but also full of bandits and thieves. If you want to go to Jiangnan and the East China Sea, the best way is to take a boat and follow the Weishui River eastward to join the big river and then eastward to the sea." Nowadays, perhaps because business is bad, the boatmen’s attitude has become much better. “Is this road easy to walk on?”

"Good luck! As long as you don't encounter bandits on the water!" The boatman said to him, "In the past two years, the Weishui River has had waves from time to time, but they are just a little bumpy and never capsize the boat. I have never heard of anyone losing their life because of this." "Really?" Lin Jue couldn't help but feel a little curious. "I heard, ah, I also heard from others that the original river god of Weishui River and other water gods were competing for the position of river god, so they often clashed, but no one was hurt." "Who said that?" "How would this old man know? He probably heard it from some experts who are good at fortune-telling." The boatman said to him, "The Taoist priest is obviously a Taoist master with great experience, so he must know it." "I have no idea……" Lin Jue also found out after hearing him say it. But this statement is reasonable. It was obviously not the work of a little demon to stir up waves in a flat river, but it did not hurt anyone. It could only be explained by a fight between gods or virtuous spirits and ghosts. Moreover, Lord Pan and Lady Wei were already fighting. In the past, the God of the Weishui River was harmed by the Alligator King, and he returned to the human world in the person of Lord Pan. It was inevitable that he suffered some damage, and his magical powers might have been lost. However, later he was affiliated with the Juxian Mansion and operated in the capital for a long time. He also accompanied Lin Jue to Jinping County and Baolin. Relying on his own hard work and Lin Jue's abilities, he gathered a lot of worshippers and people's hearts, and probably recovered. This could also explain why I rarely saw Mr. Pan in Beijing when I returned there last year, and he didn't even show up when I left. He was probably busy with that. Lin Jue nodded, but did not ask further. Instead, he continued, "Boatmen often sail on the water and must have heard the discussions of the guests. I wonder what is happening in the north and south? What is happening in the court?" "Master, have you just come down from the mountain?" "Exactly." "That's all guesswork." The boatman sighed. "It is said that last summer, the northern army once reached the gate of the capital, only 200 miles away from the capital. The emperor was so scared that he fled the capital, but he was stopped by a civil official and his troops." The boatman couldn't help but be amazed. "Then?" "Later, I heard that the country called Dazu in the north took advantage of this to send troops to invade our Dajiang. Although the commander of the northern military town rebelled against the court, he had to take care of his rear. Last time, someone said that no matter how much the northern military town and the court fought, it was our own business. If Dazu took the opportunity to intervene, it would be an alien race. They couldn't help it, so they were distracted there again." The boatman said, "Anyway, it was almost stable last year, but I don't know how long it will last." "Dazu..." "Yes. Last time I heard from a merchant from the north that Dazu had intended to invade us before, but when they arrived in the capital, they were frightened by a master named Lin Zhenren in the capital. The envoy of Dazu died before returning to his country. It is estimated that he was frightened to death, and then he gave up the idea of ​​invading us." The boatman replied, "But now we are in such a mess, how can they, a big country, be afraid of you? Taoist priest, don't you think so?" "rational." Lin Jue nodded with some emotion. "Ah, this world is becoming more and more restless. I don't know when the fire will burn me. I have to make more money while I can still move." The boatman said, "But I heard that the south is much more stable and the most peaceful." "Isn't there a war in the south?" "There were wars, but they were few and far between. It is said that the King of Yue also rebelled against the imperial court, but he did not take the initiative to send troops. Instead, he sat on the mountain and watched the tigers fight. The imperial court is now unable to cope with the north, so it can't do anything about him."

"The boatman has a lot of knowledge." "How can I say that I have broad horizons? At this time, those who still travel by boat are most likely not ordinary people. They are either brave merchants or high-ranking officials who have just taken office. They travel by water and sit on the boat for several days or half a month. They are bored and love to talk about these national affairs. It is hard not to hear them." As the boatman spoke, he could not help but stretch his neck and look over the awning at the Taoist priest. This Taoist priest was going from Qinzhou to Luzhou at this time. Although he was in Qinzhou, he seemed to know nothing about what had happened in recent years. The chaos in the world seemed to have no effect on him. He also brought a white fox with him. I wonder who he was. He does look a bit like the legendary "Master Lin". But Lin Jue didn't say anything else. The fox is watching the fish swimming in the water. He was looking at the fox by the boat. The cries of monkeys came from both sides of the river, unaware of the world's troubles, free and melodious. The green mountains on both sides and the white clouds in the water slowly moved backwards. The morning and evening scenes and the stars at night were also reflected in the water. The boat went downstream and it took about half a month to reach Linhai County of Luzhou. Maybe it was because of good luck that there were no troubles in between. A pagoda was built by the river, with lights on at night, serving as both a navigation and accommodation facility. Suddenly, a bell rang. A passenger ship has arrived. (End of this chapter)