NOVEL FULL

Strange Stories

Chapter 86: Rules of the Forest

Chapter 86: Rules of the Forest The leaves are turning yellow, and the mountains and rivers are already autumn. Three figures stood at the entrance of the Taoist temple, all wearing Taoist robes. The one in the front looked to be in his thirties, and the two behind him were young Taoist priests in their teens. Behind them stood a donkey with a bamboo basket on its back. There is also a fox on the ground looking out. The second senior brother took a few small porcelain bottles and handed them to Lin Jue and the younger junior sister. "Remember, the green bottle contains the Shenxing Pill, and the white bottle contains the Huxin Pill. After taking them, you will not be easily confused and deceived by miasma, demonic energy, or ghost energy. The green bottle contains the Shatang Pill. After taking it, you will not drown if you fall into the water, and you can move freely. The red bottle contains the Huiguang Pill, which can stop bleeding and heal injuries. If you are seriously injured and cannot walk, you can take it and walk to the clinic." The junior sister looked serious and tried hard to remember. Lin Jue also took note of it. "Brother Donkey has some elixirs and natural treasures on his back. Let's see if we can exchange them for something useful at the Taoist meeting. Your third brother is unreliable. You must remember that although the elixirs are sealed and the natural treasures have been treated, they can be exposed to rain but cannot fall into the water. If you encounter a rainstorm, you need to avoid it just in case." The eldest brother gave the two of them instructions again, just like what Taoist Yunhe had given them when they first went down the mountain with the third brother to fight monsters.

The third senior brother didn't mind what he heard, he just stood aside and laughed. "When you get to Mingzhuo Mountain, listen more to your third brother, but don't listen to everything. There are all kinds of people at the fasting and offering sacrifices. In addition to the Taoist temples of the talisman school and the formal Taoist temples of the spiritual school, there are also many independent people and strange people in the world. It is difficult to predict the behavior and character of these people. There are people who are better than you, and there are many magics in the world, which are treacherous and unpredictable. Don't conflict with others easily." "take note of it." "take note of it!" They both said solemnly. "Brother, please remember what I said. Cook the dried spareribs and rice into porridge without adding anything else. It can be used as breakfast. Dice the salted vegetables and bacon, fry them with lard, and it can be used as a side dish for dinner. Remember, soak the bacon in water for two hours first." "remembered." The eldest brother waved his hand. "Go." The little fox could understand human language. When it heard the voice, it turned around and looked at Lin Jue. Seeing Lin Jue shook the book behind him and took a step forward, it jumped forward. There is a flight of stairs ahead. The little fox jumped lightly, and in one swift motion it jumped over the twelve stone steps and landed on the flat ground below. He turned around and looked at Lin Jue again. The three of them also walked down slowly. "Your eldest and second brothers are very nagging. If they worry about this and that, they will be exhausted." The third brother said as he walked, and then laughed, "Junior brother, you are almost there. But I think it's useless for you to remind them. Those ribs and bacon can't be eaten for a few days. After you leave, some people in the temple will still have to suffer for their mouths and stomachs." Someone behind me had a bitter look on his face. Lin Jue, carrying his schoolbag and holding his stick, soon reached the path in the forest. The ground was covered with fallen leaves, and the mountains were full of autumn scenery. There were three swords stuck on the donkey's back. Two iron swords from the Taoist temple and a good sword given by a martial artist who came from the mountain late at night in the snow.

Taoist robe, black donkey and sword. There is actually a bit of gangster spirit in it. "You can listen to some of what your senior brother says, but not all of it." As the third brother walked, he repeated what the eldest brother said, as if he was contradicting him: “If you encounter those random people on Mingzhu Mountain, you really shouldn’t easily conflict with them, but if someone comes to you to provoke you, don’t be afraid. After all, we are representing Yishan, the orthodox Lingfa School, and the name and Taoism of our ancestors. "Besides, those Taoists who practice talismans, haha, they can summon gods to exorcise demons and monsters, and they are good at it. But if they fight against humans, how much Taoist skills do they have? “We at Fuqiu Temple have a wide network of contacts. "Most importantly - “People in the martial arts world are supposed to be free and easy. If you are too cautious, it may be difficult to make friends with others! "..." Lin Jue and his junior sister looked at each other. What the eldest brother said was reasonable, but what the third brother said was also reasonable. It was just that they had different personalities and attitudes. How to choose and how much points each would get was up to them. "Won't the gods help the Taoist friends of the Fulu Sect to fight?" the little sister asked curiously as they walked. "Of course! The reason why talisman sects are flourishing everywhere is that, besides the simplicity of practice, isn't it because they pose no threat to humans?" said the third brother. "The gods can help them exorcise demons and monsters, but when it comes to human affairs, the court will take care of it. If the gods help with everything, even helping to deal with humans, how can the court allow them to build temples and preach?" "Yes..." The junior sister nodded, thinking it made sense. At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the forest: "That's not entirely true! The so-called etiquette and laws are mostly in prosperous times. The gods don't interfere in human affairs. This is the etiquette of the gods. But there are chaotic times in the human world. Are there no chaotic times above the nine heavens?" The voice was strange and it was obvious that it was not a human voice. Lin Jue was already very familiar with it. Not only the voice, but even the tone of speech and the wording of rebuttal became familiar. In the past year or so, he had gone up and down the mountain more than a dozen times. Every time he passed by this place, he often called out to his predecessors in the mountains. Sometimes he would get a response, sometimes not, and sometimes the other party would speak before he even called out. As time went by, even though we had never met and didn't know each other's names, it seemed like we had developed some kind of friendship. After hearing this, the third senior brother just nodded. He and Lin Jue went down the mountain to buy things several times, and gradually got to know this monster. This person is probably lonely and bored, and probably also because of his personality. Every time a Taoist passes by here, if there is anything wrong in the conversation, he will definitely jump out to correct it. It is very knowledgeable and most of what it says makes sense. Just like this time—— In troubled times, there is a lack of moral principles and etiquette. The same is true for gods. "Your life span is much longer than ours, so you've naturally seen more than us." The third brother used polite words, but his expression was very casual. He casually bowed and said, "I wonder when the chaos in the Nine Heavens will end?"

"How can you ask such a simple question?" "I am not well educated." "Heh! Just a few months ago, you helped the mountain spirits build a temple and stabilize the position of the gods at the foot of the next mountain. Don't you know how most of the gods came from? Don't you know where the gods' power comes from? How many times have the main gods in the nine heavens changed before? When did they change? Haven't you read the history books and the Book of Gods?" "how to say?" "How stupid!" the forest spirit sighed, as if reminding people of the scene where it shook its head in frustration, "The chaos in the human world is the chaos in the gods!" “That makes sense…” The third brother nodded and sighed. Its voice came out from the forest again: "Where are you going? You are carrying so many things. It doesn't look like you are going to the village or the city down the mountain to exchange and buy things." The third senior brother did not answer, but turned to look at Lin Jue beside him. He knew that this person only loved to argue and seldom chatted with others, and he had no friendship with this person, so this question was obviously not asked to him. "Let's go to Mingzhao Mountain to participate in the grand ceremony." Lin Jue replied. "Another grand ceremony is being held!" "Yes." "The road ahead is not peaceful, especially in Huizhou. There are more demons and ghosts, and the younger they are, the more unruly they are. We must be careful." "Thank you, senior." The voice no longer sounded. Lin Jue and his companions also continued walking. It can be said that the pace has never stopped. Just as Taoist Yunhe said at the beginning, "It would be great if you could meet such a monster", so after encountering it many times, Lin Jue was no longer surprised, but instead regarded it as fun. "Brother, where are we going today?" "How should I know? Just go wherever you go." "Hmm? Brother, don't you know which way to go?" "The world is so big, Mingzhu Mountain is so far away, and I have never been there. I only know how to get there in the first two days and know the general direction, so I will just walk and ask as I go." "Where will we stay on the road? What will we eat?" "Didn't you bring some tart kueh? I ate one last night while it was still hot. It was delicious and had lots of meat filling!" The third brother walked forward with a smile, looking relaxed and carefree: "We cultivators are close to heaven and earth. We are not blown down by the wind or damaged by the rain. So naturally, if we find an inn, we stay there. If there is no inn, we can sit in a hotel. If there is no hotel, we can eat custard cakes. When a car reaches the mountain, there will be a road. When a boat reaches the bridge, it will go straight. “Why worry so much? "It just adds to the worry." Lin Jue seemed to be infected by him and smiled.

"Alright." It seems that what the eldest senior brother said was right, what the master said was right, and the third senior brother was unreliable. Fortunately, Lin Jue didn't mind at all. Turn around and look at the junior sister. The junior sister also had a calm expression on her face. She would go out to repair roads even on snowy days, so naturally she didn't mind sleeping outdoors. And a little fox... Never mind, it's wild in itself. "What if there's a heavy rainstorm and the elixirs and treasures are all soaked?" "Then I, your senior brother, will be scolded..." "Ha ha!" The laughter spread throughout the mountains and attracted the fox to look back. He looked back and then continued forward. Lin Jue saw it running and jumping freely in front of him, like an elf in the world, jumping over streams, crossing bridges, and climbing over mountains and ridges. Only when it walked on the main road and there were many people around would it become more obedient and come to Lin Jue's side. The sun gradually rose higher and then set in the west. Before I knew it, it was dusk. As expected, dusk fell on the mountain road and the group could not see the inn in front or behind. "The autumn wind makes me sleepy, and the fallen leaves help me sleep. It's just right. This day is neither cold nor hot. Isn't it God's help that I can be at ease in the mountains?" The third brother found a flat ground under a tree and began to unload the bamboo basket from the donkey's back. He simply threw the three swords on the ground and into the pile of fallen leaves. Lin Jue also put down his books. I saw the third senior brother find some stones and larger branches, and build a square frame under the tree. The stones were the four corners, and the branches connected them into a line. The sword and the luggage were all in the frame. Only then did the third senior brother step in. "Senior brother, this is..." Seeing the two people's puzzled expressions, the third brother explained: "You don't know that humans have their own rules, fairies and ghosts have their own rules, and there are also rules between humans and fairies and ghosts. "Where there are roads and houses is the territory of humans, and where there are far from the roads is the world of spirits and monsters. Daytime is the time for human activities, and nighttime belongs to spirits and monsters. Humans will not spend the night in the wild casually, and sophisticated spirits and ghosts will not invade houses at will, so there are some spirits that trick people into opening the door, and some clever beasts do the same. “If you spend the night in the wild, you can build a box. Even if this happens to be the territory of a certain monster, it will not come to bother you if it sees you. “The world is in chaos nowadays, with many demons and ghosts. It’s easy to dodge an open attack but hard to guard against an arrow from the dark. Besides, even if you’re not afraid, it’s not good to be disturbed while sleeping. "Just to have some peace and quiet!"

The third brother has already sat cross-legged in the frame. The long sword was placed next to him. "So that's it." It seems that Third Senior Brother does have some experience in the martial arts world. Lin Jue and the other two followed him in. Sitting or lying down, listening to the wind blowing through the mountains and forests, watching the fallen leaves flying, although the weather today is average and the sun is not visible, I quietly wait for the sky to darken little by little, preparing to spend the night. But before the skylight completely disappeared, Lin Jue felt that the mountain wind seemed to have become stronger, and the sounds among the mountains and forests became louder, and he could even feel a little bit of moisture in the wind. Looking up at the sky, it was dark and turbid. Lin Jue couldn't help but frowned—— It looks like it's going to rain. (End of this chapter)