Sword of Coming

At the end of winter, the sky was cold and green, and the mountains were frozen and the clouds were not moving. Chen Pingan looked around and saw that as far as he could see, there was silence.

This is the color of the human world. On the Xianjia ferry boat, overlooking thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, there is absolutely no such feeling. Therefore, when practicing on the mountain, one does not know the cold or heat in the world.

The hiking stick in Chen Pingan's hand that was refined with Biyou Palace Immortal Technique has a green color, making the veins of the thunder pool more like the material of a bamboo whip. Otherwise, the gold color would be too conspicuous. However, as long as a restriction is removed, this stick temporarily belongs to Xiao Lian. The rough embryo of the ghost-fighting whip can restore its original appearance.

There is one good thing about Luzhou in Beiju. As long as you can speak the elegant dialect of one continent, you don't have to worry about talking like a chicken. In Baopingzhou and Tongyezhou, there are countless Mandarin and local dialects from various countries, which will be very troublesome when traveling around.

Chen Ping'an walked to the foot of the mountain, but there was still no one around. He gently twisted a Yang Qi Lantern Talisman, and it burned at a normal speed. This meant that the possibility of demons causing trouble in the county town was even smaller, and it was most likely a golden elixir. The second situation mentioned by Song Lanqiao is that a certain mountain and water god around the county has reached a catastrophe, and the golden body is about to collapse, thus affecting the feng shui of the place, and natural disasters will occur.

But nothing is certain. Chen Pingan planned to take it one step at a time, holding the talisman, and walked slowly until he encountered an ox cart filled with charcoal in the distance. A muscular man in shabby clothes, with a pair of hands full of The children with frostbite went to the county town together. Chen Pingan put out the talisman and walked quickly. The eyes of the two children were full of curiosity, but the country children were so shy that they shrank towards their father. The man saw the young man carrying a suitcase and a staff, but said nothing.

In the cold winter, the mud roads are hard, and the bullock carts are bumpy. Men are increasingly afraid to drive the cows too fast. Once the charcoal is broken, the price will not be high. The rich men in the city have a vicious look. The most provocative and harsh words are more heart-wrenching than the cold wind that has nowhere to hide. Just this delay will cause the two children to suffer from the cold. This makes the man feel a little depressed. He has already told them not to join in the fun. There is nothing interesting in the city, but the stone lion at the door of the house is scary. The painted door gods are bigger, and if you look at them too much, that's all. If this cart of charcoal is really sold for a good price, I will bring back some scraps for them to eat, and there will be no shortage of new year's goods to buy.

The outline of the county wall was vaguely visible, and the man breathed a sigh of relief. The city was lively and popular, and it was warmer than outside the city. As long as the two children were happy, they would probably forget about whether it was cold or not.

It's just that the young man wearing a bamboo hat, walking neither fast nor slow, just following the cow body, made the man a little worried.

Chen Ping'an quickened his pace slightly and asked with a smile: "Brother, I am a stranger from afar. I don't know what this county is called? Is there any place worth visiting?"

The man was a boring gourd, but he didn't dare to pretend to be deaf and dumb. He put on a smile and said in a hoarse voice: "Returning to the master, the front is called Suijia City. It is said that the emperor was walking south and accidentally caught the wind and cold. He stayed there for a while , gave it such a name. I only know about the Chenghuang Temple in the north of the city and the Fire God Temple in the south of the city. They are usually the most crowded, so you can go and have a look."

"Okay, then when I enter the city, I will go to these two places to have a look."

Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile, stretched out his hand to gently hold down the ox cart, "We happened to be on the way, I'm not in a hurry, let's go into the city together, and by the way, I'll ask my brother more about things in the city."

Although the man looked uneasy, when he looked up, he saw that the ox cart was getting closer and closer to the city gate. He always felt that nothing could go wrong. He seemed to feel a little more at ease, so he tried his best to imitate the people in the city and talked more. Say something nice: "Then I'll tell you what I know. It's best if I can help you a little. I haven't read a book and can't speak. If I say something wrong, please bear with me."

Chen Ping'an held a hiking stick in one hand and supported the ox cart with the other, saying: "It's a good idea, big brother, just speak openly."

After the man's introduction, Chen Ping'an learned that this accompanying city was in the Yinping Kingdom. It was not a small city. There had been a prime minister in history, so the Kuixing Tower next to the City God's Temple was very popular, and the Fire God Temple was very popular. It is also noisy. It is said that seeking wealth is very effective. Rich people who do big business in the city like to go there to burn incense, so the man pulls the ox cart to the market near the Fire God Temple and sells a cart of charcoal. I bought New Year's goods at a nearby store and went home.

The two children had been secretly sizing up Chen Pingan, but as soon as Chen Pingan smiled at them, they immediately turned their heads, feeling a little embarrassed.

Unknowingly, the ox cart arrived at the city gate. Since it was still early, we had to queue up to enter the city. There were some breakfast stalls nearby. Chen Pingan bought a bowl of millet porridge and a burrito, took off his bamboo hat, and sat at the table to eat. When they got up, the two children not far away swallowed their saliva. The man hesitated and took out a small handful of copper coins and handed them to his daughter. After receiving the money, the two children ran to the stall happily and bought a bowl of millet porridge and a dog. The daughter brought the burrito to her father with the fragrance of eggs. The man just took a bite and tore the remaining burrito in half and gave it back to his daughter. The little girl ran back to the table and handed it to her. Give half to the younger brother, and then they eat the bowl of porridge together. The man protects the ox cart, wipes his mouth and grins.

The stall's business was good, and the two children were sitting opposite Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an was accustomed to eating slowly and thinking about things.

The previous trip to the Ghost Valley, the intrigues with the scholar, and the fight with the golden eagle spirit in Jixiao Mountain were not really dangerous.

But the journey between Tongshou City and Qinglu Town, or to be precise, from getting off the Pima Sect cross-continental ferry, and then escaping to Muyi Mountain with the Sword Immortal breaking the curtain of the sky, Chen Ping'an is still a little nervous now, and afterwards After reviewing the chess games several times, I felt that life and death were on the line, but when I thought about the final harvest, it was full and full. I earned a lot of fairy money and received a lot of rare objects. There was nothing to complain about. The only regret was that I didn't fight enough. No. No matter how painful it is, it's not even as good as the fist-feeding from the down-and-out Shanzhulou. It's not fun enough. If the monster from Jixiao Mountain joins forces with the great sage who can move mountains, and assuming there's no upper-level fifth-level heroic spirit like Gao Cheng secretly coveting it in the north, maybe It will be a little more relaxing.

After that, he rested in Muyishan Mansion and learned a lot of new things about Beiju Luzhou through a stack of Xianjia Mansion newspapers that he asked someone to bring to read.

The most unexpected one was, of course, Huang Ting, the female champion of Taiping Mountain, who lost to the young handsome man named Liu Jinglong in the life-and-death battle on Pili Mountain. You must know that Huang Ting came to Beiju Luzhou in order to break the bottleneck of Yuanying. , although she is a new Yuanying, there is no doubt that Huang Ting's swordsmanship is high, and above Liu Jinglong, who is roughly the same age and cultivation level as Huang Ting, there are two people with higher cultivation level, talent, and blessed background. The more outstanding "young monks", as for the seven proud men after Liu Jinglong, Chen Pingan did not dare to look down upon them just by looking at the skills and character of Yang Ningxing of Yunxiao Palace.

In addition to this, there is another place in Tuli Mountain that Chen Pingan is very curious about.

There is a mountain outside the mountain, where there are constant battles. There is a Baiquan Mountain nearby, which is most suitable for watching the battle. There are more than a hundred spiritual springs on the mountain, full of spiritual energy. It is an innate treasure land. There are more than a thousand large and small fairy mansions built on the mountain. Amidst the green mountains and green waters, with deep courtyards and pleasant scenery, it is also a first-class place of cultivation. These Baiquan Mountain mansions are only for rent, not for sale. They were all carefully built by the Qionglin Sect hiring experts from the Yin-Yang family and Mohist craftsmen. You can rent for a long time, but the longer the term, the more expensive it is.

Relying on this long-term business with huge financial resources, the Qionglin Sect, which has a good way of making money, just relied on the immortal money to raise a half-hearted Jade Pure Realm enshrinement, and the sect was able to obtain the suffix of the sect.

This sect in Luzhou, Beiju, has never had a good reputation. It only cares about money and never talks about friendship, but it does not hinder people's daily income.

Therefore, the Qionglin Sect is both jealous of the monks and despised by the people on the mountain. There is a popular sarcastic saying spread throughout the north and south: the five realms are on the embroidered pillow, and the Qionglin Sect has the breeze on its sleeves.

Chen Pingan put down his chopsticks and looked towards the city gate. There was a formation of horse hooves in the distance in the city. Instead, one by one rode their horses and whipped their whips, causing a commotion at the gate of the city. The people who were coming in and out of the city at this moment clung to the wall to hide. The people outside the city seemed to be accustomed to strange things and experienced them. Together with the man's ox cart Inside, he quickly and steadily approached the roads on both sides, instantly giving way to an empty and spacious road.

This happens everywhere.

The group of dandy boys in bright clothes and angry horses sat high on their horses and galloped out of the city. A series of rapid horse hooves were like a string of firecrackers. Those powerful boys with arrogant looks roared past on horseback. Everyone was wearing expensive mink furs. , holding a splendid horse whip, carrying a sword and a bow, and a powerful servant carrying an eagle cage. How majestic it is to chase the wind and lightning.

However, Chen Pingan's attention is focused more on the two young people sitting at a stall in the distance, a man and a woman, dressed simply but cleanly, both carrying long swords. Their appearance is not outstanding, but they have a certain bearing. They each ate a bowl of wontons with indifferent expressions. When the man saw the group of accompanying city boys galloping on horseback, he frowned. The woman put down her chopsticks and shook her head gently at the man.

Chen Pingan understood clearly.

He should be a practitioner who came with the vision in Jacheng.

However, the cultivation level of the young men and women was not high. Chen Pingan observed the subtle signs of spiritual energy circulation and found that they were two qi practitioners who had not yet entered the cave. Although they carried swords, they were definitely not sword practitioners.

When the woman with the sword turned around and looked around, she saw only a young man who was paying the bill with the stall owner. He was holding a bamboo whip hat and a green bamboo hiking stick. The man's expression was normal and his momentum was ordinary, just like those wandering knights. , the woman sighed. If she accidentally bumped into the Jianghu people in Suijia City, she would be unlucky. If she was the same as them, she came specifically for the disaster that was imminent in Suijia City and at the same time, a strange treasure was born. , That’s really ridiculous. Don’t you know that this rare treasure has already been secretly ordered by the two most established immortal families in dozens of countries. Except for some wild cultivators who don’t know how to live or die, who else dares to get their hands on it? For example, she and her fellow disciple next to her, in addition to completing the secret order of their master, it was more of an experience full of crises.

This is a real fight between gods and immortals. If a mortal master gets involved a little bit, if he accidentally blocks the path of any great immortal master, he will end up turning into ashes.

The woman was lost in thought.

She herself was regarded as a leading monk among the younger generation of other countries including the Silver Screen Kingdom, but compared to those two, she knew that they were far behind. A young man who was only fifteen years old had already reached the cave realm the year before last. A woman in her early twenties, with continuous opportunities, smooth cultivation, and valuable treasures at her side. If the two top sects were not mortal enemies, they would be a golden boy and girl made in heaven.

The territories of more than ten countries, from the mountains to the mountains, seemed to be watching the growth and competition between the two of them.

Every time they meet, there will be a talk that makes people talk about it.

She would actually be envious.

Because that precocious young man who was destined to be the center of attention from birth was indeed born with the skin of an immortal, with a gentle temperament, and was proficient in all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She couldn't understand how there could be such a thing in the world that women could forget. A vulgar boy?

When the young man saw his senior sister in a daze, he thought it was because he was worried about the rest of the journey and comforted him: "Senior sister, if we are not sure, we can just find the child and leave, regardless of this inevitable disaster. Master said, We cultivators must know that destiny is in accordance with the situation, and since Suijia City has enjoyed hundreds of years of blessings from the gods, it deserves to suffer this destined natural disaster."

The woman nodded, and then reminded: "Be careful, the walls have ears."

The man smiled and said: "If you say that the city is full of fish and dragons, and strange people gather together, I believe it, but if you say that you can meet outsiders at the gate of the city... I don't believe it. We are not a small sect anymore. On the mountain Among the old gods and little immortal masters, which one is not a familiar face? Could it be that the monkey trick is a hidden god? Or is the young ranger wearing a bamboo hat actually a great master of the world?"

The woman's expression changed slightly, "Have you forgotten your master's teachings? When traveling down the mountain, be careful what you say and do!"

As she said this, the woman's eyes quickly glanced at the old man with a monkey squatting on his shoulder, and the young man who walked near a bullock cart, and then she was shocked in her heart. The latter was fine, and was still ignorant of the offensive words of her junior brother. , but the old man who was feeding the little monkey on his shoulder turned his head and looked at her, twitching the corners of his mouth with a bad expression. The woman stood up and clasped her fists in apology.

The old man was not very grateful. His eyes wandered and he looked at her from head to toe. Then he sneered and stopped looking at her. He seemed to dislike her beauty and figure.

The woman didn't take it too seriously, but her junior brother almost exploded with anger. How dare this old immortal guy dare to be so humiliating! He was about to take a step forward, but the senior sister gently pulled his sleeves and shook his head at him, "We were rude first."

The young man gave the old monkey-playing man a sharp look and kept his face in his mind. He entered Suijia City. When the time comes, the treasure hunt will begin. The forces of all parties are entangled and there will be chaos. As soon as there is an opportunity, there will be chaos. If this old immortal guy can't eat enough, he has to walk around.

Chen Ping'an actually took all this in his eyes and felt a little emotional. The two parties who had become enemies for no reason really had bad tempers.

In fact, the dozen or so countries surrounding the Yinping Kingdom are barren areas with weak spiritual energy and unsuitable for spiritual practice. Most of them are run by martial arts warriors. Song Lanqiao from Chunlu Pu Ferry said that the practitioners here are like a group of frogs in the well, and they like to lie down in small ponds. Inside and outside, the real Taoist monks outside don’t care about the petty profits. The monks inside are also happy that there are no dragons crossing the river to cause trouble, and they are domineering behind closed doors. The two realms headed by the two rival sects are in a state of disgrace. The golden elixir monks each led a group of minions to fight back and forth. It is said that the confrontation has lasted for hundreds of years.

However, Song Lanqiao spoke lightly and casually, while Chen Ping'an was still accustomed to being cautious when navigating the rivers and lakes, and sailing the boat with great care.

The monks on the mountain have thousands of strange and strange spells. Once they fight, their level of realm, and even the quality of their magical instruments, cannot be accurate. The five elements are in conflict, the weather and the right place, the change of luck, and the conspiracy are all variables.

After entering the city, in order to prevent the charcoal seller from mistakenly thinking that he had evil intentions, Chen Pingan did not follow him to the Fire God Temple Market, but went to the City God Temple first.

In fact, Chen Ping'an could tell that the man was a pure martial artist, probably at the peak of the Three Realms. After seeing his figure, the man deliberately breathed thickly and stepped lightly. He must be a martial artist in the world of Silver Screen. A martial artist from the Third Realm with a good foundation should have been somewhat famous. As for why he became a rural woodcutter and seller of charcoal, earning hard money for his family, he must have his own story. Chen Ping'an won't explore these things. Zi Feiyu An knows the joy of fish.

After both parties parted ways.

The man was holding the bullock cart, and the two children were still carefree and looking around. The man smiled, turned his head and looked at the retreating figure of the young ranger, and said to himself: "Even I am a charlatan. It can be seen that they should be the descendants of the second and third realms. Alas, why did they come to this muddy water? Those immortals who have practiced immortality on the mountain are not just dragon-like existences. Just wagging their tails will make them... How many people drowned?"

there.

Chen Pingan smiled.

The man was kind-hearted and deliberately mentioned it more, saying that Lingbao City in the north had more places worth seeing. It should be that he wanted to leave Suijia City, a place of right and wrong, as soon as possible.

Coincidentally, the old man who played the monkey and the young man and woman who carried the sword were all on the same journey, and like Chen Ping'an, they went to the City God's Temple first.

Chen Ping'an deliberately slowed down his pace and distanced himself from them, and then stopped at a calligraphy and painting shop halfway. He looked at a stick of incense and calligraphy and painting in the shop. Instead of buying calligraphy and painting, he spent a few taels of silver and bought a few books from the original shop. The booklet that comes as a supplement is dedicated to introducing the famous works of famous painters from all dynasties and generations in the Silver Screen Kingdom. The book is fairly well-engraved, but it is not a rare book, and the content is just pleasant.

After putting them in the bamboo box, I left the shop and saw that the old man and the man and woman were no longer there.

After approaching the City God's Temple, Chen Ping'an's face was a little solemn, and the incense was curling up. On the street outside the City God's Temple, you could smell the unique smell of the incense. But if you walk through many landscape temples, you will know how much or how light the incense is. It is not important, but in terms of pureness, whether it is an orthodox temple enshrined by the imperial court or a licentious temple created by ordinary people or monsters without authorization, it all depends on how many kilograms of incense essence there are. After Chen Ping'an looked at it intently, he saw this majestic and large-scale City God's Temple, with incense lingering, as if the City God had used a secret method to detain him and not leak out at all. This is an act of transgression. All the orthodox temples of the imperial court Temples, including the Landscape God Temple, the City God Temple and the Wenwu Temple, must feed back the landscape of the place, and will peel off part of the incense essence and disperse it into the surrounding world, thereby benefiting the people and protecting the people. Only in this way can a cycle be formed. It's not like the City God's Temple in front of you. It's all water-tight and it's all in your own pocket.

Chen Ping'an sighed softly. In fact, it is understandable that this is a self-saving move used by the golden god in the temple. At the moment, he can no longer care about anything else. It is a bit like drinking poison to quench thirst. Over time, the disaster will only continue to accumulate and become bigger.

Understanding the context of people and things in the world does not mean identification.

Chen Ping'an did not enter the City God's Temple, which is responsible for guarding the city according to the law. Although the charcoal seller wanted to hide his stupidity and deliberately did not speak truthfully, he probably came here in person to worship the gods and prayed sincerely. He didn't dare to speak carelessly, so Chen Ping'an roughly understood the immortal master enshrined in the front and back halls. The regulations of this Chenghuang Temple in Suijia City were similar to those in other places. In addition to the front and back halls and the Kuixing Tower, there were also regulations according to the local township. Folks like to build their own Wealth Temple, Yuanchen Temple, etc. However, Chen Ping'an still had a detailed inquiry with the old shopkeeper of an incense shop outside the Chenghuang Temple. The old shopkeeper was a warm and talkative person and told the origin of the Chenghuang Temple. It turned out that the front hall was dedicated to an ancient military commander who lived a thousand years ago. , was a meritorious figure of a great dynasty in the early years who was famous in history. The golden body of this heroic spirit in the temple is naturally elsewhere. The real city god here who "monitors blessings and misfortunes, patrols the bright light, and governs the souls of the dead" is the one enshrined in the back hall. A famous civil servant, he was a third-grade marquis conferred by the emperor of Yinping Kingdom.

When talking about this appointment, the old shopkeeper smiled and asked: "Young man, are you wondering why you are only a third-rank marquis? This civil servant was a second-rank minister during his lifetime."

Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "It's a little strange. I was just going to ask the old shopkeeper, do you have an explanation?"

If there are many ancestral temples in the world that have strict rules, Chen Ping'an has actually been clear about it for a long time. It's just that if you want to do as the locals do when you enter the country, you should naturally ask the customs before entering the country.

The old shopkeeper smiled and said nothing.

Chen Pingan quickly bought a stick of incense from the incense shop.

Get on the road.

The old shopkeeper laughed loudly, and then started to talk about the knowledge inside, "Young man, you look like a gangster at first glance, so you don't know this officialdom. It's normal. The title and official rank in the officialdom are different. , not to mention that the ranks of these immortal men who are worshiped by incense are also different. Why, are you confused?"

Chen Pingan nodded and said with a smile: "It's a bit complicated."

The old shopkeeper began to show off his knowledge, shook his head and said: "Our City God, in fact, was granted the title of fourth-grade uncle in the hands of the founding emperor earlier, but it has always been effective. After the new emperor ascended the throne a few years ago, he became a fourth-grade uncle. An imperial edict was issued to posthumously confer the title of Marquis of the Third Rank to our City God. It was a grand occasion. The Master of the Ministry of Rites left the capital in person. Such an important official personally brought the imperial edict to our accompanying city. After entering the city, Another auspicious day was chosen. Did you see the street outside the shop? Before dawn that day, a large team of government officials sprinkled water and cleaned it from beginning to end. No outsiders were allowed to watch. I came here to watch the excitement. I just slept in the shop all night, and then I got to see the Master of the Book of History, tsk tsk, he really deserves to be the Wenquxing descended to earth, even if we look at him from a distance, we all feel noble."

The old shopkeeper said proudly, "Although we are just a county town, the treatment of the city god in front of us is already equivalent to that of the city god in the prefecture. Except for the city god temple in the capital and the capital city god temple in the capital, there are no more orders. It's high. Young man, when you invite incense, you must pay more respects and kowtow when you go to the temple. Although this City God's Temple has always been for scholars to seek better literary fortune, our City God has a high official position and great ability. I think you only need to come here. If you are more sincere, you will be able to protect yourself."

Chen Pingan asked some more civil and military officials in the City God's Temple, and it turned out that he was still worthy of two judges, six divisions of the City God, two wandering gods of day and night, and a general of shackles. These subordinate officials who assisted the City God each had their own origins. The old shopkeeper was very familiar with them and spoke eloquently. However, when Chen Pingan asked if he had ever seen the City God appear with his own eyes, the old shopkeeper was speechless. , his face was a little unnatural, and he replied that we common people, how could we see the true form of the City God, even if we stood in front of us, we wouldn't recognize him.

Chen Pingan smiled and said: "It should be so. As the old saying goes, a real person is not a real person if he doesn't show his face. This must be especially true for these gods."

The old shopkeeper's expression improved.

The etiquette system of Yinping Guocheng God is roughly the same as that of Aquarius Island, but there are still some differences, such as rank and service.

However, the issue of the title of emperor of Yinping Kingdom is somewhat unusual. He must have noticed the strangeness of the golden body of the city god here, so he did not hesitate to confer a royal title on a county and city god.

After Chen Ping'an left the incense shop, he stood on the bustling street and glanced at the Chenghuang Temple.

I would rather sleep in a tomb than in a ruined temple.

That's the truth.