Chapter 436 You Need to Pay for Flowers "Master, look at this pagoda. This is Mirage County. It's not far ahead and it's right into the sea. You can hear the sound of the waves!" Lin Jue listened carefully. The night was cool, with a faint humming sound; it was hard to tell whether it was the sound of the wind blowing through the treetops or the sound of the waves lapping against the shore in the distance. "There is a ferry here. It's too late to go any further. I heard that the waves are very strong near the sea. My little boat can't go into the sea. I'm also afraid that it will be dark and I won't be able to see clearly. I can only send you here." The boatman said to him, "Many people who come to Mirage County also get off the boat here. This temple is just outside Mirage County. You can't see it now, but when it gets light, you can see the county town along the road along the shore." "Thank you for your hard work, boatman." "It's not hard, it's not like the Taoist priest didn't pay." The boatman said, pointing to the lighted pagoda on the shore, "Any pagoda or temple on the river bank can be used as a place to stay. The Taoist priest can stay in a temple. If you feel that the Taoist priest is a Taoist and it's not convenient, you can stay with me on the boat for another night." "It's not inconvenient. Just treat me as a traveler and give me some money." Lin Jue said with a smile, "I've been on the boat for so long, I really want to go ashore." "Alright!" The boatman smiled and agreed, and then said to him: "Master, please be careful. Although we haven't heard of any war here, the world is in turmoil right now, and people's hearts are also in turmoil. You should be more careful in your daily life."

"We are just here to see the seaside scenery." "Hey!" The boatman laughed. us? Does that include the fox? In today's world, why travel thousands of miles from Qinzhou to Luzhou just to see the seaside scenery? This Taoist priest is truly extraordinary. After being on the boat for so long, he was not at all as irritable and bored as the previous guests. On weekdays, he either meditated at the bow and watched the scenery, or carved wood by himself, or talked to the white fox he brought with him like a human. The white fox would also respond to him, as if both sides could understand each other. And the wood was strange, too. The Taoist priest did not use a carving knife to carve a small piece of wood, but instead used a delicate little sword to scrape it off bit by bit, and only scraped off some wood powder at most each time. It would be fine if the sword was dull, but he had seen it once by accident, and it was clearly sharp enough to cut iron like mud. The boatman shook his head and said to him, "Master Taoist, please go slowly and be careful when you get off the boat." "Thank you." "I don't deserve your thanks." The boatman watched Lin Jue get off the boat. The boat floated left and right on the water, creating ripples that shattered the moonlight, with a slight splash of water. The white fox looked back at him, and also jumped lightly towards the shore in the moonlight, as if it had no weight, and floated onto the shore. He hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't help but speak to that party: "I have always wanted to ask, but I didn't dare to. Now that I am here, I can't help but feel itchy... The Taoist priest came from Qinzhou and brought a white fox with him. Is he the Master Lin that is rumored in the capital?" The fox stopped and turned to look at him. The Taoist turned around and smiled at him and said: "I heard that in recent years, all Taoists, even charlatans dressed as Taoists, have been carrying a white fox with them in Beijing. This has made Qinzhou's white foxes extremely expensive to find. So what's so strange about me carrying a white fox? Besides, the Taoist cultivation mentioned by the boatman is not even good enough, so how can he be called a 'real person'?" After hearing this, the boatman said, "Oh," and realized that it was not the case. The Taoist bowed to him and went ashore. The fox also withdrew his gaze and hopped away along the path.

The path beside the river was thickly covered with reeds and was pitch black at night, but the Taoist priest was wearing a grayish-white robe, which had become whiter with age and was clearly visible in the moonlight. The fox's body was even whiter, reflecting the bright moon. The night wind blew for a few times, and the boat shook for a moment. The boatman suddenly frowned and suddenly came to his senses. However, on the steps of the riverside path, under the moonlight, the man and the fox were walking higher and higher. The boatman shook his head and still didn't chase after him. Just lying down in the rocking boat, looking at the bright moon, feeling the river breeze, without any distracting thoughts, this old man also becomes a god for a moment. …… Monks are indeed better at doing business than Taoists. Monks built temples in downtown areas to leave space for people to set up stalls; built them next to official roads to give people free water; built them on both sides of canals to use pagodas to guide passing ships. This not only made things convenient for others but also for themselves, and they could also earn money from incense offerings and accommodation. The Taoist's business acumen is not as good as his. Nowadays, it is rare that the monks of this temple still have some kindness. Seeing that Lin Jue is also a practitioner and came here in the middle of the night, they did not charge him any money, gave him a quiet place to stay, and provided him breakfast the next morning. After he finished eating, a monk even walked him to the door, pointed to the path ahead and said to him: "Master, just keep going along this road for about four miles and you will reach Mirage County. But don't go down the mountain, or you will be back to the river. If you want to go into the city first, just go in. If you want to go to the beach first, there is a three-way fork at the city gate, just go to the right." “Where is the best place to see the sea?” "Where is the best place to see the sea? That depends on whether you are far away or near." The monk replied, "If you are near, Wenbi Village is the closest village to the sea and you can stay overnight. Horseshoe Bay has the finest sand, but there have been monsters in the sea recently, so the people in Wenbi Village have moved away and few people dare to go to Horseshoe Bay. If you are far away, Etou Mountain is the highest and has the widest view. I suggest that you go there. No matter how rampant the monsters are, they can't climb up the mountain to harm you." "Thank you, Master." Lin Jue even had the same feeling as when he first left Shu Village and encountered the temple on the roadside. I wonder what the temple is like now. If I have the chance in the future, I should go back and have a look. "Amitabha." The two sides bowed to each other and parted ways. Lin Jue summoned the paper donkey and walked forward along the mountain path. The fox followed him in small steps: "Are we going to the beach to look for the sunrise?" "Yes. But we have to go to the city first to buy some food and a bottle to hold the sunrise." Lin Jue said, "Then we will go to the beach and wait for the most magnificent sunrise." The fox smacked its lips, said nothing, and just followed him, shaking its head. I stopped inadvertently and looked down the mountain. The riverside was empty, and the boatman had left at some point. Just as the monk had said, after walking along this road for a while, we saw an old town. Maybe it’s because the war did not affect this place. Although the city is old, the entrance is bustling.

Lin Jue saw many merchants and peddlers coming and going, and also saw many men in tattered clothes or even shirtless gathering at the city gate. If someone came into the city and did not look poor, they would immediately surround him and ask if he needed a guide, a place to rent, or help with moving. There were also many peddlers carrying baskets on their backs, who would simply surround people at the city gate to sell their goods. “It’s not easy to make a living here…” Although Lin Jue was wearing an old Taoist robe, it had no patches on it and was clean without any dirt. In addition, he had a fair complexion and did not look like someone from a poor family, so some people gathered around him. "Master, would you like to lead the way?" "Where are you going, Taoist priest? Do you need any help?" "Would you like to take a bamboo sedan?" "Would you like to buy some pancakes? Freshly made pancakes." "No help! I made it myself! Want to buy one?" "Would you like to have some wine? It's cheaper than in the city!" The crowd surrounded him and he could hardly move. Lin Jue knew that if he spent money here, he would be more likely to be harassed by other people and would be even more unable to move. However, seeing that these people were ragged, pale and thin, and he happened to be in need, he was willing to spend money on them, so he pointed to a short and thin woman carrying a basket and asked: "How much are the cakes?" "It's four cents each, big and soft, with dried shrimps in it, so delicious!" "Ten please." Lin Jue took out two small strings of money and handed them to her. Then he pointed to an idle man and asked him to help lead the way. This can help you save time and energy, and avoid being cheated by unscrupulous businessmen. As expected, when everyone saw that he had spent money, knew that he was rich and even knew that he was kind, those who had already surrounded him were even more reluctant to leave, and more people gathered around him. But Lin Jue no longer needed it, so he had to bow to them and advise them not to waste their time with him. "Go, go, go! Everyone, go! Didn't the Taoist priest tell you? There's nothing left to buy! Why don't you go and greet other distinguished guests?" Although the idle man was thin, he had a certain aura and elegance. After taking Lin Jue's money, he led the way and also helped him drive away the people around him. There were soon fewer people around me. After walking a hundred steps, only one person was left pestering Lin Jue. This man was also pale, thin and malnourished. He carried a backpack full of scratchers, and his nickname was Buqiuren. "Master, you are kind-hearted! You don't need to ask for help to buy one, right? This is made by my father himself, and it is very useful! Master, please take pity on me and buy one for me, right?" "Go away! Your father didn't make these. They were all bought from the shop in the south of the city." The idle man waved his hands to coax him. "Do you know the rules? The Taoist priest is with me today, why are you still pestering me? If you keep doing this, how can we do things in the future?" "Master, you are kind-hearted! Just buy one! I haven't opened the pot at home for a long time!" "..." Lin Jue shook his head helplessly.

This thing is of no use to him, but it can be used to amuse the fox. "how much is it?" "Only ten cents!" Before Lin Jue could speak, the idle man's eyes widened: "Ten coins!? It's just a piece of bamboo. The shop in the south of the city only sells it for a few coins. Why don't you go and rob it?" "Don't I earn a little money for food?" "Master, don't buy it! This guy thinks you are kind and easy to bully! If you want to buy it, I will take you to the south of the city!" "Taoist Priest!" Seeing that Lin Jue really didn’t want to buy, the vendor glared at him and simply stuffed the sword into Lin Jue’s arms, saying, “Master, you’ve already bought it. Since you’ve bought it, you have to pay for it! There’s no reason in this world to buy something without paying!” “Where did I buy it?” "They are all in the Taoist's hands, why didn't you buy them?" "..." Lin Jue actually understood the boatman's reminder last night. But he didn't care. He just smiled, lowered his head, took out ten cents from his pocket and handed it to the vendor. The vendor took the money, smiled happily, and was about to leave. Unexpectedly, at this moment, the Taoist in front of him called him and asked him, "You bought my flowers, why didn't you pay for them?" "Nonsense! Where did I buy your flowers?" As the peddler said this, he discovered that the idle man next to the Taoist had his eyes wide open in surprise. The vendor had a bad feeling in his heart. "Look behind you." "This……" The peddler looked back and discovered that all the bamboo ticklers in the basket on his back had blossomed. They were colorful and beautiful, but he was frightened. (End of this chapter)