"Then you've been losing money like this for twenty years?" He Qizhou didn't believe it.
"Actually, I didn't lose much." The shopkeeper smiled mysteriously and said:
"If it was just such a trivial matter, why would we have the nerve to ask guests to pay for drinks? About two months after the old man came, the Mountain God Temple suddenly became prosperous.
It turned out that there was a man who lost an ox that was used to farm the land. He couldn't find it no matter how hard he looked, so he went to ask the mountain god. Unexpectedly, the old ox ran back by himself the next day;
Some people were bullied by the village bully, so they went to ask the mountain god to bring bad luck to the village bully. Unexpectedly, the village bully was walking on the road the next day, but maybe because of loose stones on the roadside, he slipped down the hillside and broke one of his legs.
After these two things spread, the mountain god temple suddenly became lively. People praying for rain, healing, high school, and getting rich all went there. Of course, not many people could fulfill their wishes, but those who made wishes to the mountain god
All the money comes to me, sometimes more than two ounces a day.
Later, I found that the mountain god was not so spiritual, so people went to the mountain god temple less often, and the village boss began to act arrogant again. The next thing happened again made everyone believe that the mountain god has a spirit!
There was a young man from a neighboring village who went to Huashan Mountain to learn martial arts and prepare to become an official. However, his family spent everything they had and learned nothing. Maybe the master in the mountain thought that his family was poor and uneducated, so he often beat and scolded him at will.
One time, his hand was actually broken, and then he falsely claimed that it was the child who accidentally practiced Kung Fu. He also said that the child was not the material and drove him down the mountain. The family went to the mountain god temple for help. In fact, there were already many people in the village.
It is rumored that the elders of Beifeng will find ways to drive away the children from poor families when they see that there is no more money to be squeezed.
A few days later, shocking news came. While the Beifeng elder who beat people was practicing martial arts on the cliff, the rocks broke apart and the elder fell to his death! The reputation of the mountain god spread again, and the old man living in the cave also
He is called the old god by everyone."
He Qizhou's heart moved. Isn't this too much of a coincidence? Then he asked again: "Is this related to the old man?"
"Of course it's related. It was only after the old immortal moved in that the mountain god began to appear. Let me tell you, the greatest magical power of our mountain god is to eliminate evil! This type of prayer is the most fulfilled. Later, the village boss and his family were frightened.
Everyone has moved, so our place has been peaceful for more than twenty years. If it can stay this peaceful, even if the old god keeps eating for nothing, I will be willing!" said the shopkeeper.
"You can't lose much. Don't we all want to invest some copper coins in the mountain god!" The villagers at the same table laughed.
"Yes, yes, what I mean is that even if you don't give it, I, Old Liu, am still willing to raise him." The shopkeeper said proudly, and then said to He Qizhou mysteriously: "That old man may really be possessed by a god!
"
"Ah?" He Qizhou didn't believe in gods at all.
"Listen to me, there are many times when the villagers have finished praying and will take a look into the cave. The old man is sleeping most of the time, but sometimes he doesn't see anyone for a long time, but he always comes to my shop morning and night.
Come on, do you think it's strange?"
"Also, there seems to be something wrong with the old man's memory. He used to be able to remember things for ten days, but now he forgets them all in two days at most!" the shopkeeper said again.
"How did you calculate this?" He Qizhou asked.
"Because my shop is small, there are only a few dishes here and there. In the past, when the old man got tired of eating, he would yell for some fresh dishes to try. What else would he call this braised radish at the beginning? He ate it six times in half a month.
But ten years later, as long as the same thing doesn't happen the same way for five days, he won't bark. Now, it's better, as long as it doesn't happen the same way for two days, he won't bark! But sometimes the waiter forgets to serve yesterday's food again.
The old man can still call, do you think there is something wrong with his memory? Also, he used to be proud for several days when he got too much money from the mountain god, but now he can't even remember how much he gave him the day before yesterday." said the shopkeeper.
"Well, it looks like he is really old!" He Qizhou thought to himself that the old man must be in his eighties or nineties at least.
"Oh, it's really like this. Since he came, I haven't dared to close the door for a day. Even if I am sick, I still ask the waiter to help take care of the business." The shopkeeper said.
He Qizhou felt warm in his heart. There are really a lot of good people in this world. After having a good meal and wine, he gave the shopkeeper two taels of silver, which was considered as two days of food and lodging. Although one tael was enough, with his current salary, it was not enough to support him.
A few servants are not a problem. These small coins have long been ignored. Of course, if you give more, it will be a sign of wealth.
When he went downstairs early the next morning, he saw the old man sitting in the corner, drinking and eating alone. He Qizhou thought of going up the mountain early and ate breakfast in a hurry, so he was led up the mountain by the waiter. The mud path on the hillside could be
There were many people walking on it, so it was solid and not too steep. After walking up a hundred steps, I saw a cave beside the mud path. At the entrance of the cave was a four-foot-high stone niche, and in the stone niche sat a three-foot-tall stone niche.
Tall idol.
It may be due to its age. Stones have peeled off in many places on the stone statue, and the face cannot be seen clearly. The cave behind the stone niche is about two feet deep. There is a bed, a wooden cabinet, and a thin line on the side of the cave.
The water like water falls from the mountain, passes through a small pool, and then flows to the foot of the mountain.
He Qizhou saw that the old man was quite clean. He must have washed himself every day. It was indeed not easy for him to take care of himself at such an age.
He Qizhou didn't stop for too long and continued to go up. After a few steps, he turned right into the mountain. The mountain road was built along the valley between the two peaks. The mud path turned into a stone path. It was said to be a road, but He Qizhou was careful.
A closer look shows that most of them are naturally formed steep slopes, and only a few places where it is difficult to settle have been slightly dug manually.
He Qizhou followed the innkeeper and climbed dozens of feet upwards. The stone path in front of him suddenly became steeper, almost perpendicular to the mountain wall.
The waiter said: "Sir, this stone wall is the steepest section of the mountain. If you can climb it, you can see the Huashan sect's house on the mountainside of Beifeng. There is still about an hour's journey ahead. If you can't climb it,
How about we go back here?"
Of course, this stone wall cannot stop He Qizhou, but what He Qizhou really wants to go to is not the house on the mountainside, but to see the Zhenwu Palace on the top of the mountain and the place where Yang Zheng practices martial arts in the deep valley behind the mountain. Lu Baogen told him that Yang
Zheng and He Qingshan both practiced martial arts with Master Wan Yi in the Beifeng Mountain Col. Because it was difficult to get there, they had almost no contact with other disciples of the Huashan Sect.
"Brother, I should be able to climb up. Do you know how to climb to the top after reaching the house on the mountainside of Beifeng?" He Qizhou asked.
The waiter replied enthusiastically: "The North Peak is called Yuntai. It has three cliffs. To get to the top of the peak, you must first go to the middle peak and then go around. However, you may not be able to reach it even in the dark. You want to see the top of the peak."
Zhenwu Palace, I advise you not to go there, I heard that no one is there for a long time."
He Qizhou thanked him and easily climbed up the cliff of more than ten feet. When the waiter below saw that He Qizhou could indeed climb the mountain, he left with peace of mind.
He Qizhou then let go of his hands and feet and climbed up quickly. He was already good at climbing, and now his light skills have improved by leaps and bounds. Although the mountain road in Huashan is indeed extremely steep, He Qizhou still walked quickly and reached the temple on the mountainside in less than half an hour.
There.
There is a rare flat land on the mountainside. There are several tall tile-roofed houses built on it, and sporadic shouts can be heard from inside.
He Qizhou climbed up one side of the mountain wall and saw more than ten people practicing martial arts loosely in the atrium of the wall. The three courtyards in front and back were backed by a cliff that reached into the sky. There was another mountain path going down in front of the courtyard, which should lead to the southeast.
The middle peak in the direction. There is a protruding stone platform on the west side of the courtyard, facing the village where He Qizhou went up the mountain.
He Qizhou quietly slid down the cliff, walked to the stone platform and looked down. It was when the sun rose in the morning, and clouds and mist were rising from the mountain. He Qizhou felt that even though this place was only on the mountainside, it seemed to be already bigger than Qi
The top of the mountain is getting higher. This Mount Huashan is really majestic!
The small inn where we stayed last night was still in the shadow of the mountain. It felt like it was only about the size of a finger. The fertile fields a little further away were like a large green carpet dyed with the golden morning sun, which made us feel relaxed and happy.
He Qizhou deliberately approached the edge of the stone platform. Below was a vertical stone wall like a knife, and there was indeed a two-foot-wide fracture on the edge of the stone platform that rose slightly toward the cliff.
The cracked surface that has been weathered by years of wind and rain is very different. It seems that the elder who the shopkeeper said fell from here is indeed true.
He Qizhou's destination was the valley behind the North Peak, but he didn't want to go around the middle peak. Firstly, the route was too far, and secondly, he didn't want to meet the annoying Huashan disciples, so he lightly jumped onto the roof close to the mountain wall and raised his head carefully.
Looking up at the mountains, I found that except for a few places that are nearly vertical, most of them still have some slopes. In addition, there are many small cracks in the rocks. If the quality of the rocks does not change much, climbing up is not a big problem. The only problem is here
We were still at least two hundred feet away from the top of the mountain, and the situation on the top mountain wall was really hard to see clearly.
He Qizhou didn't hesitate too much and immediately climbed up using his hands and feet. After passing the first 40 to 50 feet of steep wall, there was a platform with several pine trees growing on it. There was a slope that could be easily climbed up. Follow the slope and go up again.
After walking five or sixty feet, we can finally see the top of the mountain. From the end of the slope to the top of the mountain is a complete stone wall. It is much flatter than the stone wall just coming up from the mountainside. At a rough look, it is a hundred feet high.
He Qizhou took a breath of air and thought about retreating.
Suddenly, he saw a depression on the mountain wall at the top of the slope, which seemed to have been carved into stone niches. He Qizhou climbed closer and saw that it was indeed a small hole that was two feet high and two feet deep, just enough for one person to sit cross-legged.
He Qizhou, who was hesitant since then, sat down in the stone niche and faced the west. He saw that the view here was wider, with white clouds rising and mountains in the distance.