After dealing with the Luoshui Mountain matter, Chen Chao was still in no hurry to leave Danxiao City. Although the night was dark and most of the people had dispersed and slept in their own beds, the streets were still brightly lit with all kinds of paper lanterns.
In this way, it is quite a sight.
Chen Chao walked alone at night, walking slowly on the almost deserted streets, like a tourist who had been away from home alone for more than ten years.
Somewhat lonely.
Chen Chao walked around and looked at the paper lanterns above his head with great interest. In fact, they were no different from the paper lanterns in other places in Daliang Chao. The only difference was that there would be paintings on them of the man who founded Danxiao City.
He can paint portraits of great Taoist masters of the Taoist sect, or he can paint portraits of Taoist ancestors.
Some paper lanterns have both.
However, the demands of the common people are the same. Whether it is the Taoist ancestor or the first city lord in the history of Danxiao City, painting them naturally prays for peace and no illness or disaster.
The needs of the common people are never many. They can have enough to eat, live a down-to-earth life, and no one will bully them, that's all.
In fact, Chen Chao could understand the previous rumors and even the situation of Danxiao City. At that time, there was no imperial court. Even if there was a imperial court, it did not protect the people, but sucked their blood.
Therefore, the people naturally placed their good expectations on the Taoist Master who was born in the Taoist Sect. Apart from anything else, the imperial court did not dare to do anything in Danxiao City just with the Taoist Master around.
As for those paper boats?
That one is even simpler. Today's court is not the same as before, especially in the past twenty years. The people of Danxiao City should understand what the world is like if they take a look outside the city.
So it's not surprising that there is such a thing.
Chen Chao came to the upper reaches. Before it was too late, at least a dozen letter writers would set up a stall and write blessings on the paper boats for the illiterate people.
.
Now the night is dark, the people have dispersed, and the gentlemen have closed their stalls long ago. Now there is only the last gentleman left here. His things have been packed long ago, but he is not in a hurry to leave. Instead, he pours out a cup from the gourd he carries with him.
A small bowl of wine, sitting by the river, drinking alone.
Seeing Chen Chao coming from a distance, Mr. Letter even though he saw it, he didn't pay attention to it. He just wiped his goatee and took another sip of the cheap drink. He felt that if he continued to live like this in his life, it would be a waste.
enough.
However, in Mr. Letter's blurry vision, the young man walked towards him impartially and arrived in front of his stall in a few steps.
This moment made Mr. Letter a little irritable, but he still managed to put on a smile and laughed twice, "Sir, I'm late, I've closed my stall."
I thought that this would make the young man ask for trouble and leave, but who knew, he seemed not to hear him at all, but sat directly in front of him, smiled and said: "The stall is closed, can you ask the old gentleman for a drink?"
?”
Seeing that the other party was not here to write letters for him and the one who wrote on the paper boat, Mr. Letter's face looked much better. He looked at the young man in front of him with some suspicion, then took out an old wine bowl and put the gourd on his waist.
When I untied it and poured the wine, I originally planned to pour only a small sip, but in the end I thought about it and added a lot more. This time, it was at least two ounces.
Mr. Letter had a look of pain on his face. After putting away the gourd, he said, "If you don't like it, it's just these two taels. There's not much more."
Chen Chao took a look at the wine in the wine bowl. Judging from the hops alone, he knew it was ordinary. As for the wine bowl, it looked a little old, but he didn't dislike it. He picked up the wine bowl and took a sip.
Then he smacked his lips and said, "This wine is powerful."
Mr. Letter was a little regretful at first, but when he heard that the young man in front of him could say these words, he immediately became energetic and said with a smile: "The drink is not expensive, but it is strong. I am not bragging. This Danxiao City,
Not many people can bear it."
Chen Chao nodded matter-of-factly, and then said regretfully: "I just drank wine without ordering any food, so I feel like it's almost boring."
As soon as he said these words, Mr. Letter was very angry, "You kid, you just cheated and drank, but you still want to push yourself to the limit, this..."
Before he finished speaking, Mr. Letter saw the young man opposite placing a bag of soy beef on the table. The young man smiled and said, "I bought it for my wife before, but after drinking the old man's wine,
Taking it out to serve the old gentleman with wine is like reciprocating the favor."
While Mr. Letter was saying that this was not good, he had already taken out two pairs of bamboo chopsticks and handed them to Chen Chao. He had already picked up a piece of beef with soy sauce, put it in his mouth and chewed it, mixing it with the aroma of wine in his mouth.
Mr. Letter began to feel a little melancholy.
I used to think that having a sip of wine every day was the best day, but now that I can eat meat, the best days are when I can have both wine and meat.
Human hearts are not enough!
Mr. Letter sighed with emotion, but he forgot about it in the blink of an eye. Regardless of whether it was present or not, let’s finish the meal first.
Don't think too much about things, the more you think about them, the more troubled they will become.
The two chatted while eating meat and drinking wine, and they were somewhat harmonious. However, when Chen Chao finished the last sip of wine in the bowl and then raised his head to look at Mr. Letter, the latter had a look of pain on his face.
"Old sir, don't be reluctant to take a few sips of wine."
Chen Chao picked up a chopstick and threw the beef in sauce into his mouth, chewing it carefully.
Mr. Letter sighed helplessly, took out the wine gourd, and simply poured out all the wine inside, half for each person, and then said casually: "That's it, it's enough for a few days, and I'll finish it in one day!"
"
Mr. Letter glanced at Chen Chao and said, "You still have a very old temper."
Before drinking, you can still call me "Young Master", but after drinking, you won't mention these things anymore.
My dear, there is no difference.
Chen Chao took a sip of wine and asked casually with a smile: "Did the setting of paper boats on the Bitter Wood Festival only start this year?"
Mr. Letter shook his head, "It's been about three or five years, but the scale was not big before. It can't be compared with the lantern festival here. But since last year, it has become quite powerful. This year, it is even more powerful than the lantern festival. It's probably
In a few years, the lantern festival will be commonplace, and the paper boats will be the big one."
Chen Chao smiled and said, "The people can do whatever they want, and no one can stop them."
Mr. Letters glanced at Chen Chao in surprise and asked, "Isn't there any encouragement from the imperial court?"
"Where do I know where to go?"
Chen Chao held the wine bowl, shook the wine, and kept talking, "I am just an alcoholic who drinks too much."
Mr. Letter didn't say anything, just minding his own business.
But soon Chen Chao smiled and said: "Maybe it's because of the war in the north that this year is like this. I can't say what will happen in the future, but there's no need to think about it. I saw a piece of paper with "Beijing" written on it today.
The situation is difficult, I have worked hard to write these words, and I suddenly want to see what kind of person the person who wrote these words is, these eight words are really sincere."
Mr. Letter was surprised and said: "Did you know that those words were written by an old man, so that's why you said this?"
He remembered clearly that it was a woman who lived on Furong Street who asked him to write two messages. She had a distant nephew who was in the north at the moment. At that time, Mr. Letter asked her what his nephew's name was, but the woman took the
Zhichuan shook his head and said there was no need for it. If I wanted to write this, I would like to wish all the young people over there well.
So Mr. Letter thought for a while before he came up with those eight words.
Chen Chao's eyes lit up and he said with a smile: "That old gentleman is just a ghostwriter of letters, so he is underachieving."
Mr. Letters laughed and scolded: "Don't make fun of me. This little literary talent of me means I can make a living by doing this all my life."
He then changed the topic and said: "On the contrary, you are the young master. He doesn't look like an ordinary person no matter how you look at him. There must be something special about him."
Chen Chaoshu nodded, "Yes, my wife is very beautiful."
Mr. Letter was startled, and then he said with a meaningful smile: "That young master must have something extraordinary."
Chen Chao laughed loudly, "Just what the old gentleman said, it should be obvious!"
…
…
After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.
A chance encounter seems to be coming to an end.
Mr. Letter was drunk and said softly: "I have been in Danxiao City for most of my life, and I have seen this city all over. In the early years, this city seemed to be the same every day. In recent years, it has gradually become more and more different."
After seeing some differences, the old man was wondering what the difference was. Then he looked at those paper lanterns, looked at those portraits, looked at those paper boats, and looked at the various goods that have been shipped in from outside in recent years.
Only then did I understand.”
Chen Chao smiled and asked: "Old sir, could you please tell me a little bit?"
"If you have anything to say, it's nothing more than a sentence. Some people can't give you any good things even if you ask for them. Some people are afraid that you won't live well even if you don't ask for them."
Mr. Letters said calmly: "What can a blessing from the Taoist Patriarch do? What can a lifeless portrait accomplish? It would be better to issue a decree from the capital city to reduce taxes by 10%. That would be a real favor."
"Besides, isn't the imperial court responsible for eradicating the demon troubles in Qingshan Prefecture these years?"
At this point, Mr. Letters exhaled a breath, "Belief is useless. It's better to kowtow to the Emperor of Daliang and the garrison of Daliang a few more times, then it will be useful."
After listening to the words, Chen Chao lowered his head and looked at the wine bowl. It was already empty. He said regretfully: "Based on what the old gentleman said, I should have drank. What a pity, what a pity!"
Mr. Letter shook his head, "It's not a pity. When you meet a speculator, he will drink thousands of words and drink them as wine. If you don't speculate, no matter how good the wine is, it will be difficult to swallow."
As he spoke, Mr. Letter took out a paper boat from under the table with a smile, and took out all the pen and ink, and said: "Although the young master is not a local, since he is here, he must be here to put a paper boat. It just so happens."
, I still have one here, there is still half an hour left, after that it will be Zi’s hour. Isn’t it too much to ask for a piece of gold from the young master?”
Chen Chao looked shocked, "The old gentleman seems to be a scholar, why is he so disgusting now?"
Mr. Letter shook the gourd on his waist, which was empty, and sighed: "It's not easy to make ends meet, and life is not easy these days, so I have to put my conscience aside for now."
Chen Chao took out a piece of heavenly money from his arms, held it between his two fingers, but never put it down.
"I always feel it's a bit expensive. You know, my salary has been paid for so many years, but I haven't seen any trace of it. Speaking of which, I am also a poor man."
Chen Chao smiled and asked, "Can we negotiate the price?"
Mr. Letter nodded and said: "Okay."
Chen Chao suddenly placed the heavenly coin on the table, shook his head and said, "Just one heavenly coin will buy a paper boat, and I will write the words myself."
Mr. Letter said: "There is no extra charge for ghostwriting. Do you really want to do it yourself?"
Chen Chao shook his head, "Some things should be done by oneself and should not be troublesome to others."
Mr. Letter smiled, said nothing, and just made a gesture of invitation.
Chen Chao held the pen in one hand and the paper boat in the other. He was silent for a moment and then wrote a line of words.
Mr. Letter took a look but said nothing.
Chen Chao stood up, squatted down by the river, and then put the paper boat down.
Then he watched the paper boat flow down the river until it was out of sight.
Chen Chao turned around and looked at Mr. Letter. The latter also packed up and said with a smile, "Young master, those words are well written and are more powerful than wine. You should be a high official!"
Chen Chao smiled and asked: "Is it possible that the old gentleman knew that I was an official, so he said this?"
Mr. Letter laughed and said, "Only a high-ranking official can buy a paper boat for a small amount of money without frowning. Otherwise, he must be a businessman. But judging from the young master, he doesn't have the slightest hint of a merchant."
Chen Chao half-jokingly said: "Forget it, I always negotiate business with others."
Mr. Letter smiled and did not comment.
"We met by chance. I'll have a great time drinking tonight. See you later, sir."
Chen Chao smiled and spoke, but he was beaten by a Taoist inspector.
Mr. Letter laughed it off.
…
…
After saying goodbye to Mr. Letter, Chen Chao had no intention of staying in Danxiao City anymore. He wanted to leave the city overnight.
Just when he was approaching the city gate, the young guard stopped, waited for a moment, and then said with a smile to himself: "If you don't come out yet, I will really leave."
As soon as he said these words, a man poked his head out from around the corner and smiled sheepishly, "Sir, the guardian envoy, we meet again."
This person is not a stranger. He has met him once before. It is the junior sister Liu Yefu from Songxi Mountain. In fact, he has heard something about this junior sister from Songxi Mountain before. It is said that this person is very suitable for cultivation.
The skills of the Qi Refiner lineage are progressing very quickly, and he is known as a person who is expected to become the leader of the Qi Refiner lineage in the future.
However, the road to spiritual practice is long, and Yanagi Yefu can only walk up it. No one can say how long it will take to reach that high point.
Chen Chao didn't bother to expose Liu Yefu in front of him, he just smiled and asked: "What's the matter?"
Yanagi Yefu laughed dryly. He had already made preparations before and typed the draft again and again, but he didn't expect that when he was actually in front of the guardian envoy in front of him, he was still a little nervous and speechless.
When Chen Chao was about to leave, Liu Yefu thought silently in his heart that he would just die, and then he said: "Sir, the guardian envoy, can you go to Songxi Mountain when you are free?"
Having said this, she gritted her teeth and said, "It's best to go as soon as possible."
Chen Chao looked at the inexperienced girl in front of him and asked: "The reason."
Liu Yefu took a deep breath and said: "Senior Sister Liang is not having an easy time in the mountains. She talks a lot about gossip. Sometimes words can kill people."
As a junior sister, Yanagi Yefu is not so heartless. In fact, she can clearly feel that her senior sister's energy and energy have been declining day by day.
It's nothing else, just some words in the ear, which can also affect a person very much.
Chen Chao thought for a moment and did not give his answer. Instead, he asked Yanagi Yefu a question, "Can you be sure that my trip to Songxi Mountain will be useful for this matter?"
Liu Yefu frowned. She had never thought about things in this way. Chen Chao's question made her a little confused.
Chen Chao said: "If I go there once, I can temporarily stop the rumors, but what if I go to Songxi Mountain just once in this life? Is it useful?"
Liu Yefu was a little confused.
Chen Chao looked at her and said patiently: "Your senior sister Liang has been chatting with me for a long time, but she has never brought up such a thing. Some of the reasons are that she doesn't want to trouble me, but more importantly, it's her
Knowing that such a thing will make no difference whether you do it or not."
Liu Yefu didn't understand, but she was a little sad. She knew that Chen Chao was unwilling to go to Songxi Mountain, so those rumors would always exist.
Chen Chao noticed her sadness, thought for a moment, and said, "I will write a letter and have someone send it to Songxi Mountain."
Yanagye Fu said: "I brought my pen and ink!"
Chen Chao was helpless, "Some things will have different effects if done by different people."
The same letter was sent back to Songxi Mountain by Yanagi Yefu, and was sent to Songxi Mountain by military attachés from the garrison envoy lineage, which are two different things.
Liu Yefu let out an ooh, then looked at Chen Chao suspiciously, and said with some uncertainty: "Lord Guardian, you won't lie to me, right?"
Chen Chao became more and more helpless. What happened to this little girl that she dared to speak to him, the guardian envoy, so directly?
Chen Chao looked at her, shook his head and said, "I don't lie to others."
After all, Yanagi Yefu is still a little girl at heart. When Chen Chao said this, she immediately took it seriously. She nodded repeatedly and happily thanked Chen Chao.
Chen Chao looked at the little girl and smiled sincerely: "You are a good junior sister."
Yanagi Yefu chuckled, then looked at the sky and said that she had to go back quickly. She had sneaked out secretly. If the senior sisters found out that she was missing later, they would definitely be anxious.
Chen Chao stood there and watched Liu Yefu walking towards the distance. When she turned her head, Chen Chao waved to her with a smile on his face.
Yanagi Yefu stood in the distance, thought for a while and then shouted: "Lord Guardian, I still really want to see you in Songxi Mountain!"
Chen Chao responded: "There will be a chance."
…
…
Mr. Letter, who had closed the stall, walked upstream along the river. About half an hour later, he passed by a huge palace.
This was built by the people to commemorate the first and last Danxiao City Lord after he emerged. After several expansions, the scale has actually become quite terrifying.
Mr. Letter passed by here without even taking a second look. He just continued walking forward, walking through two long streets, and finally stopped in front of a small Taoist temple whose incense had obviously faded.
The Taoist temple is dilapidated, with only the word "See" written on the plaque.
The people of Danxiao City often talk about the word "See" and think that time has erased the other half, so only the word "See" remains.
But in fact, only a very small number of people know that this plaque has only the word "see" from the very beginning.
Observe half of the words.
This Taoist temple is actually called Banzi Temple.
The Taoist master of the Taoist sect was originally named Tongxuan, and later changed it to Banshan.
But even fewer people know that when the great Taoist master of the Taoist sect wanted to leave the Tao of Immortality and switch to the Tao of Taiping, he first built this Taoist temple and practiced hard here.
It can be said that this Taoist temple existed before Danxiao City existed.
Mr. Shu Xin stayed in front of the Taoist temple for a moment, then pushed the door open and entered, as if he were returning home.
"I guess there will be another chapter later. This chapter is quite long. Please vote for me monthly."