Pawn Crossing the River

After Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu left Jinguan Mansion, they decided to speed up their journey because they were taking the Kuanguan Road. Qi Xuansu didn't want to waste the spiritual energy of the armored horses in vain, so he spent ten peace coins to buy two horses and waited until they arrived at Baidi City. , and if you sell it at a discount, you will probably lose one to two peace dollars.

However, Qi Xuansu is now very wealthy and has a savings of 400 Taiping, so he doesn't care about this little money.

The two of them rode horses and galloped, and there were no further incidents along the way, which was quite smooth.

On this day, as it was getting dusk, the two of them left the road and found a sheltered place to spend the night.

After all, the two of them are not heavenly beings, and they do not have the ability to stay awake, and the horses also need to rest. Qi Xuansu took a marching pill to satisfy his hunger, and then took out the grass to feed the horses.

Zhang Yuelu went to collect some firewood and prepared to light a fire to keep warm. After all, it is the cold winter season, and it is still a bit uncomfortable to spend the night in the wild without a tent.

After a while, Zhang Yuelu came back with a small handful of dead branches and threw them on the ground.

"Why so little?" Qi Xuansu said, "This is not enough."

"There is movement over there, keep your voice down." Zhang Yuelu motioned to Qi Xuansu to follow him.

Qi Xuansu calmed down, walked lightly, and followed Zhang Yuelu all the way south. After walking for two miles, he came to the bottom of a stone cliff, about seven or eight feet high. They stood at the bottom and could see the top, but the If people don't lower their heads, it's hard to spot them.

Zhang Yuelu made a silent gesture to Qi Xuansu and pointed upward.

Qi Xuansu looked up and saw a pair of young men and women on the cliff through the moonlight and stars. The man was handsome and the woman was beautiful. They stood together, making them a perfect match. Anyone who saw them would praise them as "a perfect match". To be honest, the man and woman above are much prettier than the two of them. Zhang Yuelu has good looks, but he is not top-notch. The main reason is his beautiful appearance and noble aura. The key is his temperament.

The man and woman were not wearing ordinary Taoist robes, but were wearing formal clothes with crane cloaks. Their clothes were fluttering, like characters walking out of the painting, who would be gone with the wind the next moment.

Not far from the two of them, there was another person, a gentle and elegant Taoist. He did not wear a crane cloak, but wore a Taoist uniform, sitting on a large smooth bluestone drinking wine.

Three people are talking.

To be precise, it was the immortal couple who persuaded the middle-aged Taoist to ask him to see their master. Judging from the title, this middle-aged Taoist was the uncle of the immortal couple.

However, the middle-aged Taoist neither agreed nor refused, and just drank.

The two talked for a long time, but when they saw that their uncle was indifferent, they were both a little discouraged.

The bright moon rises in the west.

The middle-aged Taoist drank a bottle of wine in his hand and threw the bottle away, which happened to fall on Qi Xuansu's head. Then he stood up slowly and recited: "I'm drunk and want to sleep, please go..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged Taoist took one step out of the cliff. He was hanging on the cliff without falling. Instead, he was crossing the sky, climbing up step by step like climbing a building, towards the bright moon in the sky.

Qi Xuansu covered his head that was hit by the wine bottle, and was shocked: "Heavenly man."

At this moment, the middle-aged man looked back at Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu below, smiled slightly, and continued to "walk" upward, getting higher and higher.

The immortal couple on the high cliff could only look up at their uncle's back getting further and further away, and sighed helplessly.

After the middle-aged Taoist disappeared completely, the two of them turned around and left the cliff. From the beginning to the end, neither of them glanced at the cliff at their feet. Naturally, they did not notice Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu.

After the two of them walked away, Qi Xuansu just said: "That heavenly being discovered us. I'm sure he hit me with the jug on purpose."

"Indeed." Zhang Yuelu nodded in agreement.

Qi Xuansu said depressedly: "Why don't I hit you?"

"Luck." Zhang Yuelu said.

Qi Xuansu stopped asking for trouble and said instead: "Who are those men and women? They look more like immortals than you."

Zhang Yuelu said calmly: "Not all the young talents in the Taoist sect are in Yujing, and there are also powerful figures in the local Taoist government. Besides, the ancestral court is so big, you know me as a banished immortal, right?"

Qi Xuansu said: "Who made you famous?"

"My fame is not because I am a banished immortal, but because of the Jiangnan case. But in this way, the world mistakenly thinks that I am as talented and beautiful as the Eastern Emperor." Zhang Yuelu shook his head and said, "If There are about a dozen people in Yujing who are similar to me, but they are not in Tiangang Hall."

"Then where are they?" Qi Xuansu asked curiously.

Zhang Yuelu said: "Of course it's Ziwei Hall, the first of the nine halls. Isn't it better than Tiangang Hall? The second is Beichen Hall. Because it has the power and responsibility to detect lawlessness, it is a higher level to meet people. It is also a place where many people are willing to go. Although Tiangang Hall Promotions are quick, but casualties are also heavy. Generally speaking, few people come to Tiangang Hall for training, and the ancestral court will not put outstanding young people in Tiangang Hall. More experienced and experienced people are recruited from the local government. Elite Taoist priests, like Xu Kou. Moreover, the key to Tiangang Hall is not the Taoist priests, but the direct control of one-third of the spiritual officials of the ancestral court."

Qi Xuansu remembered: "You were originally from Beichen Hall, and later you were transferred to Tiangang Hall, but it can't be considered as experience, and you are already the deputy hall leader."

Zhang Yuelu did not deny it: "Many people similar to me are now fourth-grade wine priests, but I am the only one who can reach the level of deputy hall master for the time being, so I say that I have a good life."

Qi Xuansu picked up the wine bottle again, looked at it carefully, and after confirming that it was not a treasure, he threw it aside: "In the future, I'd better not join in the fun. This time, they just hit me with the wine bottle. If I have a bad temper, Yes, the outcome is unpredictable.”

Zhang Yuelu did not refute, but followed the good example: "I'm just curious, I won't do it next time."

The two of them picked up some dead sticks and firewood along the way, returned to the place where they had chosen to spend the night, and lit a fire.

The two sat next to the fire, looking at each other across the fire.

Zhang Yuelu said: "This time it's your turn to watch the first half of the night, and it's my turn to watch the second half of the night."

As we all know, the first half of the night is always more comfortable, and you can sleep until dawn, but the second half of the night, when you wake up halfway, is torture. Zhang Yuelu is not overly strong, but he is not squeamish either. He does not push all the hard work to others, nor does he take it all on himself. Whoever belongs to him belongs to him.

After getting along with each other for a long time, Qi Xuansu also understood Zhang Yuelu's temperament, so he said directly: "I'll sleep with you."

Zhang Yuelu said no more, gathered up his cloak, hugged his knees with his hands, rested his forehead on his knees, and fell asleep directly.

Qi Xuansu was fiddling with the bonfire out of boredom, and the scene of the heavenly being flying away in the air always appeared in his mind.

This was the first time he had seen a celestial being. According to the legend, celestial beings have the ability to fly into the sky and escape from the earth, and it was indeed true.

I just don’t know when I will reach such a state.

Just by practicing slowly, it may take decades, and that's with good luck. Most people get stuck at a certain threshold and can no longer move forward.

Qi Xuansu knew that his qualifications were not as good as Zhang Yuelu's, and the further he went, the harder it would be. Now, in his twenties, he could barely keep up with Zhang Yuelu, but in another twenty years, he might not be able to keep up.

As the two of them drifted apart, their relationship would not be as close as it is today. At that time, Qi Xuansu was probably just an old friend in Zhang Yuelu's memory. He would think of it occasionally, sigh with emotion, and then put it aside.

This is also human nature.

Fortunately, Qi Xuansu discovered a path, which was "Xuanyu". After stimulating "Xuanyu" with divine power, he could actually improve his cultivation and obtain various supernatural powers. If he can get another piece of "Xuan Jade", will he be able to return to his true form? If the "Xuanyu" is enough, can he go one step further and reach the legendary level of heaven and man?

By that time, no one can look down on him. Not only can he rise to the top, but he might also be able to fake the relationship between the two.

Qi Xuansu then thought of another question. He knew the benefits of "Xuanyu". Taiping Dao and Qingpinghui also knew the benefits of "Xuanyu". Taipingdao directly killed people and wiped out families for "Xuanyu". It was obviously inevitable that they would win. Qingpinghui also Needless to say, he is where he is today all because of Qingpinghui. If you want to seize food from these two families, you have to think carefully.

As for picking up leaks at the Bon Temple like last time, it all depends on luck.

Qi Xuansu couldn't help but sigh.

"Why are you sighing, little brother?" A voice suddenly sounded.

Qi Xuansu was startled and looked out, only to see someone not far away from him. It was the middle-aged Taoist he had seen before.

At this time, he was sitting on a dead tree trunk, holding a wine gourd, and drinking slowly.

That's all. Zhang Yuelu didn't seem to notice at all and was still sleeping lightly.

In other words, there was an invisible barrier between the two of them and Zhang Yuelu.

It can be seen that this middle-aged Taoist has extremely high cultivation level.

Qi Xuansu secretly complained in his heart.

You are really burning incense to attract ghosts and asking for trouble.

But now that the matter was over, Qi Xuansu could only force himself to calm down, hold his breath and concentrate, and prepare for any eventuality.

"I don't mean any harm." The middle-aged Taoist took a sip of wine and said slowly.

Qi Xuansu forced a smile and said, "I wonder if you have any advice, senior?"

"Don't be nervous." The middle-aged Taoist said with a smile, "I'm just bored late at night, and my two nephews are too noisy. I want to chat with my little brothers."

Qi Xuansu calmed down and said: "I, Qi Xuansu, would like to take the liberty of asking my senior for his surname."

The middle-aged Taoist said: "My surname is Ji. I am currently employed in the Shuzhou Taoist Office and I am also a member of the Taoist sect."

Qi Xuansu calmed down and made some calculations at the same time. Since this person is a genuine heavenly being and claims to be working in Shuzhou Taoist Mansion, he should not be the master of Shuzhou Taoist Mansion. He is probably one of the many deputy masters. . The local Taoist mansion is similar to Jiutang. There is only one palace master and hall master, but there is no fixed number of deputy hall masters and deputy palace masters, ranging from two to more than a dozen people. Some deputy governors are powerful and can sit in a state, such as the chief deputy governors of the Western Region Daofu, Liaodong Daofu, and Jiangnan Daofu. Some deputy governors are only in name and have no real power.

The person in front of me looks like a carefree person, probably the latter type.