Chapter 48: Driving Corpses on Water
As soon as Tan Xiao opened the door, Kong Xuan popped out. He didn't want to stay in the suitcase anymore. He crossed his arms and asked angrily, "Have you never seen a bird?"
"I'm just being polite. The master said it was the first in the country." Tan Xiao hypocritically defended himself, remembering that he had looked up information to compile the entry for Kong Xuan. What did that say? Peacocks love their tails and are jealous. Peacocks would definitely not be happy to be told that other birds are beautiful in front of him. Thinking back to when Tan Xiao didn't recognize Kong Xuan, Kong Xuan was hurt badly.
"What is Guoyi?" Kong Xuan had no idea what it was, and he felt that Tan Xiao's previous praise was very sincere.
"It's rare, a national first-class protected animal." Tan Xiao said, remembering that he couldn't expand on this topic, "Of course, the green peacock is also a national first-class protected animal."
"Who made the comment? Humans? How can black and white be so rare that it can be on par with the green peacock?" Kong Xuan asked three questions in a row, as if he didn't believe that there are people who love black and white more than the five colors.
"Classmate Tan Xiao, are you here yet..." Liu Qingquan emerged from underground and saw that the scene was tense. Kong Xuan was furious. He closed his mouth and slowly sank down, trying to pretend that he had never been there.
"Teacher Liu is here!" Tan Xiao took a step forward, grabbed Liu Qingquan, and pulled him up like pulling a carrot.
Kong Xuan looked at Liu Qingquan coldly.
Liu Qingquan: “…”
Ah, why bother dragging me into this war.
"Teacher Liu, should we take a taxi there this afternoon?" Tan Xiao changed the subject immediately. "I looked at the map and the posts online. After we get to the shore, we still have to drive to the middle of the lake for an hour or two."
"Yes, okay, good!" Liu Qingquan didn't want to say more.
In the end, after only saying three words, Liu Qingquan was given a sidelong look by the great god Kong Xuan.
He died unjustly. You two had a quarrel, and when I came out, you glared at me instead of him. What's the logic? Can you cherish the deceased worker Lao Liu? Isn't it said that the dead are the greatest?
Liu Qingquan also asked himself three questions about death in his heart.
However, it is physically different from Kong Xuan’s three questions of death.
At noon, he had some takeout at the hotel. In the afternoon, Tan Xiao carried his luggage in a backpack, took a taxi, and told him that he was going to the mysterious rune place that was very popular on the Internet recently. The driver was very happy when he heard it, as he made a lot of money from the taxi fare.
"Are you also a live streamer? You must bring a drone with you. There were a lot of local live streamers broadcasting there some time ago, but now it's not that popular, and everyone is going there to watch the birds." The driver enthusiastically recommended him, "How many days do you want to spend in Yunmeng alone? How about you hire my car, and I'll take you to see the ruins, and then take you to watch the birds tomorrow. I'll show you the whole route and let you know Yunmeng clearly."
Watching the birds, Tan Xiao glanced at Kong Xuan. He and Liu Qingquan were both sitting in the car, but the driver couldn't see them. "Well, I won't watch it anymore. I'm not very interested."
The driver gave up after trying twice but failed. However, when he saw a tourist carrying a bag who seemed to be taking a taxi, he became curious again. He rolled down the window and asked where the tourist was going. When he heard that the tourist was also going to a scenic spot, he asked Tan Xiao: "Young man, can we take this with us? I'll give you a small discount on the fare."
He thought that Tan Xiao was alone anyway, so it would be nice if he could pick up another order along the way.
"No, Master." Tan Xiao refused. Where would the next person sit? Should he sit on Teacher Liu's lap?
The driver drove on angrily, and when he got to the front, he saw another person, this time not far away on the road, "Can you give me a ride? He's not far away."
"No, Master, I'll rent your car." Tan Xiao said firmly. Anyway, the journey today is long, so just rent the whole car.
"Why?" The driver glanced at Tan Xiao in the rearview mirror and thought he was trying to avoid carpooling with others.
Tan Xiao said faintly: "It's too crowded."
driver:"……"
This joke is...
The driver also understood how determined Tan Xiao was, okay.
However, he saw from the rearview mirror that Tan Xiao's backpack was always placed on his legs, and he refused to put it on the seat next to him... It was as if it was really a bit crowded. The driver was startled by his own thoughts and quickly said to himself, "It's not strange, it's not strange."
We drove to the dried-up waters of Yunmengze, got off the shore, and drove onto the exposed cracked riverbed. It took another hour or so to reach the area we had seen on the Internet.
Just as the driver said, this place is now very desolate and not many people come here to watch the fun.
When Tan Xiao arrived at the scene, he found that these patterns looked only slightly uneven. If you were not looking down at them, it would be difficult to notice the abnormality.
"Let me tell you, this area has collapsed. It was the courtyard of the Dragon Palace in the past." The driver also got out of the car and said while smoking.
Tan Xiao said smoothly: "Really?"
"Well, if you're a broadcaster, then it's real." The driver said, "If you're just here to explore, let me tell you, don't bother, this is man-made. Don't listen to what people say about the ancient tomb on the Internet. Think about it, this used to be the center of Yunmeng Lake, who would build an ancient tomb under the water?"
Tan Xiao smiled and said nothing.
After watching for a while, Tan Xiao said, "Master, you can get in the car and rest. I'll take a look around here and come back later."
"Okay, call me when you're about to leave. Don't take too long." The pattern was several hundred meters long and wide. The driver saw Tan Xiao walking away along the pattern.
Liu Qingquan sensed the atmosphere here, took out a mirror, and drew talismans on the empty space on the mirror, trying to restore the scene.
But the scene was empty, with only traces of lake water.
"Drawing water from a distance, with such control ability, he must be from the water creatures." Liu Qingquan tried to trace the source again, but he was exhausted. It was beyond his ability. He could feel that the other party's cultivation level exceeded his, so it was difficult to track him. Therefore, it was also difficult for them to find out the other party's identity through WeChat.
Just like if he wanted to calculate Kong Xuan's fate at this moment, he would definitely not be able to do so.
Tan Xiao squatted down and dug up the soil with the tools he brought. "Kong Xuan, look at this soil. Do you remember geography class..."
Kong Xuan was so alert that he almost jumped up. He felt that Tan Xiao looked like he was going to give him a question!
"Just take a look." Tan Xiao said speechlessly.
Kong Xuan approached carefully, and suddenly remembered that he and Tan Xiao had also observed the soil in Qiyunling. He asked tentatively: "This patterned soil has snails in it, and the color is lighter and the texture is softer. Is it different from the original sedimentary soil?"
Tan Xiao clapped his hands vigorously; the knowledge washed through his brain and still left some traces.
Kong Xuan couldn't help but curl his lips and smile, it's just geographical knowledge!
"That actually means it's not a 'relic'. The other party brought water to bring new soil, and these runes were newly formed. Most likely, it came from the water where it lives now..." This place is dry, it can't be where it lives, it's just a place to post notices," Liu Qingquan touched his chin, his eyes lit up and said, "Spirit Master, since there is a snail inside, can you summon its soul and ask where its hometown is?"
Tan Xiao nodded, "That makes sense. Although this guy is good at hiding his whereabouts, the snail cannot cover it up. Let's see which specific water area it lived in before." Otherwise, the Yunmeng Lake is extremely vast, and it is impossible to conduct a carpet search. Otherwise, how did the 404 office get stuck after discovering this pattern?
However, compared to summoning spirits, Tan Xiao has a better way.
Tan Xiao picked up a few snails from the soil, walked to the riverbed next to him. Although the riverbed was dry, there were still some puddles, so he squatted down.
"Are you going to use the Pai Jiao technique?" Kong Xuan asked. The Pai Jiao technique basically cannot be separated from water. Tan Xiao is most likely going to use the Pai Jiao technique to get water. However, Kong Xuan couldn't think of what Tan Xiao was going to use.
Liu Qingquan was also curious. He didn't even know that Tan Xiao had learned Paijiao magic. Liu Qingquan himself was an orthodox mage and had only heard of Paijiao magic, which was considered a niche after all.
Tan Xiao threw the snail into the puddle and chanted a curse: "If you send a dragon, you must make it go into the water. If you send a tiger, you must make it return to the mountain. If you send a ghost, you must make the ghost go out..."
He wrote a talisman on the water and shouted, "Rise!"
I saw the snail slowly standing up at the bottom of the puddle, vibrating and spinning slowly in place, as if its butt was looking for direction.
Kong Xuan: “…”
Liu Qingquan: “…”
Liu Qingquan was confused, "Could it be that the spiritual master wants to... drive the corpse?"
"Yes," Tan Xiao said as a matter of course, "Instead of summoning its soul, trying hard to communicate with it, and then going to unfamiliar places to find that body of water, it is better to summon its soul and let it lead the way."
“…Okay, that makes sense, but is it okay if only the shells are left?!” However, it was the first time in Liu Qingquan’s life that he drove the snail’s corpse back to its hometown.
This is probably the only snail in the world that was driven away. Its success this time means the snail has returned to its hometown.
At this moment, the snail was seen turning around for a while, as if it had determined the direction, and then moved towards one place, much faster than when it was alive. It seems that the loss of the snail meat does not prevent the shell from being a part of its body.
The puddles here were connected, but they were finally dry. Tan Xiao just confirmed that it was feasible, looked at the direction, and immediately fished it out and put it in the mineral water bottle he brought with him: "Location successful! Go west, and put down water to drive away the corpse when you get there."
Just in case, he fished out a few more snails from the soil as backup... no, he took a few more home.
The driver was playing with his phone out of boredom in the car. When he saw the boy get off the car, he walked around for a few circles. He didn't live broadcast, didn't take pictures, and didn't even take out his phone. He just stood there for a while, and then he actually found a puddle and squatted down... to play in the water?
What is this? ?
After a while, he saw the young man stand up and walk back, "Master, let's go to the west bank of the river, where there is water."
The driver took a look and saw a snail in the mineral water bottle in the boy's hand, which might have been picked up just now.
"Snails spread schistosomiasis," the driver reminded carefully.
"Oh, it's dead." Tan Xiao replied after a moment of silence.
The driver didn't understand what he meant. He just went to the place to play in the water and touch the shells, and then left? When he drove west to the waterside, he saw Tan Xiao got off the car and went to "play in the water" again.
"Hey, classmate, are you doing a scientific investigation?" The driver shouted, feeling that he had finally figured out the answer. So he refused to put down his bag in the car, as there might be important instruments inside.
The driver felt like he had figured it out.
"Oh, yes." Tan Xiao pointed at the water and asked, "Do you know if there are boats for rent here?"
"There are no cruise ships here!" The driver looked at him in surprise. "The cruise ships can't go down there either. There are swamps and shallow waters nearby. They will definitely run aground. If you want to take a cruise ship, you have to find another area. I'll take you to find one."
"Oh, no... I want to go in the middle." Tan Xiao stared at the snail, which was spinning in the water, with the tip of its shell pointing west-southwest. He was eager to go in that direction, but because Tan Xiao was still here, he seemed to be pulled back invisibly.
This is already a continuous wetland, and waterfowl can be seen foraging for food leisurely, seemingly defenseless against humans.
——Tan Xiao couldn’t tell what kind of waterfowl these were, but under Kong Xuan’s watchful gaze, he tried his best not to look away.
There are deeper waters further in, but one must pass through this large swampy, shallow area.
"Do you want to go in and investigate? Then wait a minute, I'll help you find a solution." The driver was a local and knew much more about what could be done than Tan Xiao. He took Tan Xiao in the car, and as soon as the car started, the seemingly leisurely waterfowl immediately flew away vigilantly.
Tan Xiao also discovered that whenever their cars or themselves got close to a certain distance, the birds would immediately fly away and retreat to a safe area.
The driver drove for a while and found the farmers here.
"Look, we can use their propeller boats to enter the swamp. After crossing the swamp, we can use the wooden boats." The driver pointed to a strange-looking vehicle suitable for wetlands. It had huge propeller wheels and a small wooden boat was pulled by a rope at the back.
The driver spoke to the farmer in the local dialect and pointed at Tan Xiao. Then the driver came over and asked, "He asked you where you were going specifically. If you rent his boat, you have to listen to him after you get on board."
Tan Xiao hesitated for a moment.
He knew that the farmers were doing this for safety reasons and that the swamps were dangerous, for example, they had to listen to the guide, but he came here for a different purpose, so he paused.
"Okay." Tan Xiao thought to himself that he should agree first and then talk about it.
"That's fine." The farmer put down his work and said, "Student, come with me."
"Classmate, I'll still wait for you in the car." The driver continued to watch short videos happily. After all, it was a chartered car, and he would be charged for a day's money whether he worked or not.
The farmer's name was Qian Ping'an, and he had lived by the Yunmeng Lake for generations, relying on the water for his livelihood. He often took on the job of guiding tourists, researchers, and reporters through the wetland, and he started the machine with ease.
The Pu Gun boat made a lot of noise and broke through the mud and water to move forward.
Tan Xiao was afraid that if he put down the snail at this time, he would not be able to see clearly in the mud and water, so when Qian Ping'an asked him where to go, he just said it was still west, without telling the specific direction, and said he would tell him when he reached the shallow water.
Qian Ping'an was puzzled and had no idea why he was so mysterious.
Only when we reached the shallow water did we remove the tow boat and replace it with a small wooden boat, while also parking the Pu gunboat.
"Master, can you just rent this boat? I have a few friends who want to come tomorrow, and we want to go in by ourselves." Tan Xiao asked tentatively. He was mainly exploring the way today, and now that the way was clear, it would be better to go in by ourselves.
"You can't just rent it casually. I'll be responsible if anything goes wrong." Qian Pingan looked at him in surprise. "What if there's no signal and something goes wrong? Who knows where you guys are rowing to?"
"Tietou said you were a researcher. Do you study birds or fish?" Qian Pingan lit a cigarette. The Tietou he was referring to should be the driver of the chartered car. He then asked Tan Xiao, "You don't look very old, do you?"
Tan Xiao smiled, not daring to say that he was underage, "Yeah, not big."
As a result, Qian Pingan himself became suspicious, "Let me see your ID card, you are not here for electrofishing, are you?"
Tan Xiao: "..."
Why are you still suspicious of this? Tan Xiao quickly denied it, "I...we are writers and want to find some inspiration." This sentence is not a lie, he just came to capture the inspiration for the sequel to "Classic of Mountains and Seas".
Qian Pingan really believed it, and muttered: "You should have said it earlier. Why do you want to start your own boat to do writing? You are asking for trouble just for writing something at such a young age..."
Tan Xiao and the two people who Qian Ping'an couldn't see looked at each other and thought, okay, it seems that we still have to ask the 404 Office to go through official channels and get a boat tomorrow. It's too late today.
While Qian Ping'an wasn't paying attention, Tan Xiao put the snail into the water and looked in the direction. He leaned over and saw a few words carved on the bow, and couldn't help but read them out: "Dried fish?"
"This is the name of my boat." Qian Ping'an said leisurely, "I asked an old boat maker in the village to make it. According to the old rules, the boat name should be given by the boat maker. My family provided meals when I was working. My family always makes fried dried fish with chili peppers, so he named my boat Dried Fish."
"This is quite cute." Tan Xiao couldn't help laughing. It turned out that this small wooden boat had its own name, Little Dried Fish.
"That's because life is better now. In the past, the boats were called things like Wo Wo Tou and Cabbage Soup." Qian Ping'an said with a sigh. Even if the names were ugly, the owners had to use them anyway, because people in the past didn't want to offend the craftsmen who worked for them.
Qian Ping'an has been in Yunmengze for many years and often receives bird watchers. He is very familiar with the birds here and can basically serve as a bird watching guide. He saw some birds at a glance and said, "Look, that's a bean goose over there."
After he finished speaking, Qian Pingan looked at Tan Xiao, only to see that Tan Xiao was looking in the opposite direction of what he said, and would never look at the bird. He reminded him curiously: "You are looking in the opposite direction."
"Oh, it's okay, there are also interesting things over there." Tan Xiao looked out. What a joke, bringing Sister Mu home requires the help of Peacock God, we can't make him angry at this time.
Qian Ping'an looked at the place where Tan Xiao was looking, and there were only some reeds.
I don't understand, literary youth like grass. It turns out that he is too free-spirited. Qian Pingan even suspects that what he writes is also stream of consciousness.
"Okay, where should we go next?" Qian Ping'an asked when he saw Tan Xiao tilt his head to look into the water.
Tan Xiao calmly and openly performed the corpse-driving technique, driving the corpse to continue to navigate for him.
The snail was successfully positioned and pointed firmly in a certain direction. It wanted to rush forward along the current, but because Tan Xiao was still sailing slowly, it restrained its forward force, a bit like a dog being pulled by a traction rope.
After reading it, Tan Xiao pointed Qian Pingan in a new direction.
"..." Qian Ping'an was very puzzled and stretched his head to look, but there was nothing but water plants and snails.
I have never seen this kind of tourists in my whole life of sailing. No, what on earth are they looking at? ?
