The Devil's Tribulation

After getting the necessary herbs, including the beardless grass, Pan Chengfeng left the pharmacy and headed for the blacksmith shop. Along the way, Pan Chengfeng felt that someone was staring at him, which was really annoying. In fact, Pan Chengfeng felt that someone was staring at him as soon as he entered the city. But he couldn't get angry, so he had to take the things back quickly, otherwise he was afraid that he would not be able to resist and beat someone up!

The sound of iron hammering could be heard from a distance. Before Pan Chengfeng got close, the middle-aged blacksmith saw him and shouted from a distance: "Sir, you are finally here? I was worried that you couldn't come today." Pan Chengfeng asked in confusion: "What's wrong? What happened?" The middle-aged uncle smiled bitterly and said: "Your tripod is so big, and the copper material alone is very valuable. The longer it is left for one day, the more I worry about it." Pan Chengfeng's eyes lit up: "Is the tripod done?" The blacksmith said proudly: "My two apprentices and I worked overtime and finally finished it this morning. We are waiting for you to come to inspect and pick up the goods." Pan Chengfeng couldn't wait to ask: "Where is it? Take me to see!" The blacksmith said with a smile: "In the yard, follow me."

As the blacksmith uncle entered a small yard, Pan Chengfeng saw the big tripod in the middle of the yard at a glance. It was more than two meters high, one and a half meters wide, with three legs and two ears, and the whole body was golden. Pan Chengfeng liked it very much at first sight! He couldn't help but praise: "Good tripod! Uncle has great craftsmanship!" The blacksmith uncle was also smiling. This tripod was also one of his rare masterpieces! Pan Chengfeng hurriedly approached to appreciate it, and saw that there was a big tiger on the big tripod, which basically covered the left side of the copper tripod. It looked like a tiger coming down the mountain. There was also a green dragon on the right, which looked like a picture of a green dragon flying in the clouds. Pan Chengfeng touched this side and that side excitedly, and kept saying, "Good, good, good." Seeing that the customer liked it so much, the blacksmith uncle was also very happy and said, "This dragon and tiger are my own ideas. I hope the customer doesn't mind." Pan Chengfeng wouldn't mind at all. He didn't understand these things originally. He just asked someone to make a tripod. There were requirements for the size. He didn't care about anything else. Now seeing the pattern on the tripod, he also liked it very much. The dragon and the tiger were the five auspicious beasts from Pan Chengfeng's previous life. Now they appeared on this tripod, and Pan Chengfeng was very happy.

Pan Chengfeng was very satisfied and could not let go of the tripod: "Uncle, please help me call a cart to transport the tripod to the inn." After that, he threw another hundred taels of silver to the blacksmith. The blacksmith quickly refused: "No, no! You have already given enough before, and there is still some copper left. If you give more, I would be greedy." Pan Chengfeng happily patted the blacksmith's shoulder and said, "It's okay! I am very satisfied with this tripod, I am very satisfied. This is what you deserve. Don't feel psychologically burdened! ~" When he walked to the gate of the courtyard, he turned around and took another look at the tripod. He was very satisfied.

Pan Chengfeng came all the way to the inn. The shopkeeper came up to him immediately when he saw him: "We are honored to have such a distinguished guest here!" Pan Chengfeng waved his hand helplessly and said: "Stay in the hotel. My things will be delivered to the party. Just ask them to put them in the yard first." The shopkeeper replied immediately: "Okay, sir. Waiter, take the distinguished guest to the upper room to rest, and then serve a table of good wine and food!" The wine and food came up soon. Looking at the chicken, duck, fish and meat on the table, Pan Chengfeng sighed: "Since I'm used to eating monster meat, other meats don't taste good. Only this wine is okay to drink a few sips." Having said that, Pan Chengfeng still finished all the wine and food. In the past, he would get drunk after one pot of wine. Now that he is so strong, it's okay to drink a few more pots. What's more, the so-called good wine here is only a dozen degrees: "If I have a chance, I will make some distilled liquor myself. This is easy."

Just after dark, a carriage was seen parked outside the inn. Eight strong men were carrying something covered with black cloth on four thick wooden poles, and they came to the door of the inn with a groan. The shopkeeper was shocked when he saw it: "What is this thing? It's so heavy?" But he immediately asked those men to take the thing to the yard. Then he went to the guest room and said to Pan Chengfeng: "Dear guest, your things have arrived. They are in the yard." Pan Chengfeng nodded. Seeing that Pan Chengfeng didn't say anything, the shopkeeper consciously left. Pan Chengfeng stood up and looked at the big tripod in the yard, thinking: "It's so big and so heavy. I'm afraid it won't be possible to take it out openly. I can only think of a way to secretly transport it out at night."

While Pan Chengfeng was thinking about how to get the tripod back, Sun Dutou was a little restless. Several soldiers knelt in front of Sun Dutou and reported something. Sun Dutou frowned and wondered: "Where else did he go?" The soldier reported: "Dutou, he went to the jewelry store, the pharmacy, the blacksmith shop, and finally returned to the inn to rest." Sun Dutou asked again: "Are you sure he came in from the west gate? He didn't ride a horse?" The soldier replied: "The brothers at the west gate saw it clearly and swore by his wife!" After saying that, the soldier laughed. Sun Dutou said seriously: "What are you laughing at? This matter is very important and there can't be any mistakes! Go and confirm it again!" The soldier clasped his fist helplessly and said: "Yes!"

After the soldiers left, Sun Dutou began to mutter, "It would take at least three days to go to Fancheng by horse, which means six days for a round trip. I haven't tried walking, but it would take at least a month for a round trip. He went back and forth in seven days without riding a horse? A normal person can't do that... unless..." Thinking of "unless", Sun Dutou stood up at once, "Unless it's an immortal!" Sun Dutou is different from Shopkeeper Yao. Shopkeeper Yao has only heard about it, but he has seen those immortals who can fly into the sky and hide in the ground with his own eyes! In the past, when there were wars, immortals appeared in the camps of the two countries. Sun Dutou was fortunate enough to see an immortal descending from the sky once, and from then on he believed in the legend of gods and ghosts! Sun Dutou paced back and forth in the hall, and finally gritted his teeth, "The opportunity cannot be missed! If the immortal is happy and gives one or half an elixir, it will be a blessing that can only be earned in eight lifetimes!"

After Pan Chengfeng had casually taken care of a group of people, Sun Dutou had some doubts after returning home and calming down. Although he was not a master, he had seen many masters in the army. There was a master who could kill dozens of people, and there was also a strongman who was so powerful that he could lift a thousand-jin tripod, but no mortal could do what Pan Chengfeng did, knocking down twenty of his personal soldiers in one or two seconds.

Thinking of this, Sun Dutou was shocked and immediately shouted: "Come on! Hurry up and withdraw those people! Go! Go!" The soldiers felt puzzled. Just now they wished that their eyes were on that person, but now they asked everyone to come back? What's going on? However, as a soldier, he can only follow orders. The more Sun Dutou thought about it, the more scared he became: "If it is really an immortal, he will definitely know if he has so many people staring at him. Will he be unhappy? No, I have to apologize quickly! Apologize!! What can I use to apologize? He exchanged silver for copper coins before, so he must have no shortage of silver. It seems that he is no longer exchanging copper coins. What can I use to apologize?" Sun Dutou was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot. Suddenly he thought: "In the military camp before, those immortals seemed to be more interested in medicinal herbs. Since they are all immortals, their hobbies should be the same, and they can use medicinal herbs to refine elixirs! Right, right! Medicinal herbs, that is, medicinal herbs!" He was about to ask someone to go to the pharmacy to buy medicinal herbs, but then he calmed down: "Ordinary medicinal herbs will definitely not be in the eyes of immortals. Where can I find good medicinal herbs?" Sun Dutou's mind began to become active, and his eyes slowly lit up: "I heard that a few months ago, County Magistrate Wu seemed to have obtained a very old medicinal herb, but this County Magistrate Wu is greedier than me. If I want to take food from him, I will bleed profusely!"

Magistrate Wu, who was being thought of by Sun Dutou, was at home hugging his concubine and listening to singing and dancing. He was as fat as the fat housekeeper of Master Pan's house, with a round face and eyes that were almost squeezed out by fat. He even had two mustaches. A young man was sitting next to him, talking to Magistrate Wu. Magistrate Wu waved his hand, and the singing and dancing and the concubine left. Then he asked, "Are you saying that the old man is unwilling to sell the medicinal materials to me? I have paid ten taels of silver, which is not a small amount. He is asking for more." The young man was naturally Magistrate Wu's beloved son, Wu Tianliang.

Young Master Wu said, "Father, why don't you just let someone rob it? Why give me money?" Magistrate Wu took a look at his son. Although he looked good, he didn't have a brain and valued money more than his father. Magistrate Wu shook his head and began to teach, "I am a local official. I have an inspection of my political performance every three years. Although Li County is far away from the capital, it is also a prefecture under the jurisdiction of the Great Zhou. There may be secret visits from officials from the capital. When the time comes, the spit of the people will drown me. Over the years, I have been very low-key. I let Sun Erleng do everything. I took the bribes behind the scenes. If something really happened, it would be Sun Erleng's business and it has nothing to do with us. If it weren't for the fact that the medicinal material was needed by Lu Xianchang of Fancheng, I wouldn't have asked you to do this. This matter must not be known to Sun Erleng. He came from the army and naturally knew the influence of those immortals! As long as we curry favor with Lu Xianchang, glory and wealth are just a matter of a word from Lu Xianchang."

Master Wu nodded, but it was unknown whether he had heard it or not. Then he asked, "So you don't want the herbs anymore?" Magistrate Wu knocked on his son's head with a fan: "Use your brain when you do things. Doesn't he run a pharmacy? Just find a reason to close his store and put him in jail. Are you afraid that he won't hand over the herbs?" Master Wu slapped his thigh and said, "Father is smart. As long as he is in jail, are you afraid that he won't obey? I'll do it right away!"