Youbao Chapter 56: Old Driver (1)
I was just feeling terrified when I heard the old Taoist priest say “hmm” and then unexpectedly he turned around and went up the mountain.
What? I was stunned because the little beauty was still standing there and the old Taoist didn't undo the magic.
The beautiful girl was obviously stunned and couldn't say a word. Seeing the old Taoist priest quickly disappearing on the mountain ladder, she immediately stared at me and said viciously: It's all your fault! Wait until I let you go, and see how I'll deal with you!
What does this have to do with me? I wanted to cry but I couldn't. I just shrunk my neck and turned around and ran away.
When I got back to the mountain, I asked the old Taoist who was standing there seemingly observing the view: She has already admitted her mistake, why don’t you let her go?
The old Taoist said: She has a fierce temper and cannot be cured overnight. In ancient times, Zhuge Kongming captured Meng Huo seven times and won people over with virtue. Even if she admits her mistakes, I will have to teach her a few more times.
So that's how it is... I muttered to myself: You are good at grinding. After you finish grinding her, she will come to grind me.
At this time, the old Taoist suddenly handed me something: Look.
I took it and saw that it was a piece of paper with the words "Gamu is in Jiuqiao Linglong Mountain" written on it.
Who gave this to you? I asked.
I saw it when I was climbing up the mountain. It landed at the entrance of the Taoist temple, but I didn't catch it. The old Taoist looked calmly at the endless mountain scenery ahead.
Jiuqiao Linglong Mountain? What is that place?
Kaiyuan was once the place where nine dragons emerged from the mountains, a supreme place, the old Taoist priest replied.
Is this news true?
I don't think it's fake. The old Taoist said: There's no need for you to lie to me. Although the Five Elements Taoist Temple is protected by Taoist magic, it's not difficult to break in. I can't defend it alone. Gamu didn't come to me for a long time, I'm afraid he thought I was powerless to destroy his plan.
What are you going to do then? I asked again.
The old Taoist looked straight ahead and said calmly: Find the Zhou family and go to Linglong Mountain to kill Gamu.
Will it be enough for the Zhou family and us alone...? I asked worriedly.
It is indeed not enough. The old Taoist nodded: So I plan to ask someone to help. With him alone, he can be worth an entire lineage.
Who is so powerful? I was a little surprised. No matter which of the three branches of the Heavenly Corpse, they are all ridiculously strong in my opinion. The weakest one now should be the Wei family. Most of the family members died in Jiuyin Mountain. Even the top copper armored corpse was left with an arm by the "ghost messenger", and its combat power was greatly reduced. But even so, the Wei family should not be underestimated. After all, its core strength is still there.
That person was from the thirteen branches of Zhuyou. The old Taoist priest said with some nostalgia: He was already famous before I was born. When I was an adult, his only disciple defeated the Nine Desolate Demons with the Chenzhou Talisman and became famous all over the world. In the chaos in Xiangxi in 1954, many practitioners were involved and many died. He was one of the survivors. However, judging by his age, there are probably not many people of the same age as him. Among the thirteen branches of Zhuyou, he is the leader. If he can be invited, it will not be a problem to involve two of the Heavenly Corpse branches.
I was even more surprised. Although I didn't know what the Nine Desolate Demons were, nor what the so-called turmoil of practitioners in Xiangxi in 1954 was, the person the old Taoist admired so much must be extraordinary. Because I rarely saw him admire others, even the Zhou family, who conquered demons, was not considered a big shot in his eyes.
Where is he now?
Yuanling County, Hunan Province.
Although he knew the other party's whereabouts, the old Taoist did not go there immediately.
Because that person has a strange temper, many rules, and is a person who adheres to the ancient tradition. Moreover, he is very old. The old Taoist said that no one knows how old he is, but roughly estimated that he is now over a hundred years old.
100 years old? I imagine an old man who is as strong as Gamu, but with wrinkles on his face like tree bark, smiling at me cheerfully while leaning on a cane. Can such a person help us? I'm afraid he may have trouble walking.
The old Taoist priest didn't seem to worry about this. He took me out of the Five Elements Taoist Temple and bought a hundred-year-old wild ginseng and some homemade grain wine in an unknown town.
I rarely see him so cautiously visit someone. When he first went to the Wei family , he was carefree and treated them like family members. But now, I just see an old man over a hundred years old, buying ginseng and wine.
I suddenly became extremely curious about the old man whom I had never met. What kind of person could make the old Taoist priest of the Five Elements Pulse respect him so much?
After buying the things, the old Taoist put one hand into his sleeve and said to me: Don't talk nonsense when you get there. The senior likes quietness now, so don't make him unhappy.
The old Taoist priest was so cautious that I became nervous as well, like a new bride going to meet her parents-in-law.
Using the technique of shrinking the earth, the old Taoist priest took me out of the Five Elements Taoist Temple and headed straight for Hunan.
I have never been to Hunan. The only city I know is Changsha, because there is a famous entertainment program there. As for the small counties below, there are so many of them that only a knowledgeable person like the old Taoist priest can see the place name and immediately know where it is.
When we arrived at Yuanling, it was already noon. The old Taoist stopped to rest for a while, and only took me on the journey after he regained his spirits.
Although this is a county town, the motherland is developing very fast, and the county town is comparable to the small city in the past. From a distance, you can see the beautiful county government. The old Taoist priest and I walked through the prosperous main street of the county town and headed towards the suburbs.
The development speed here is faster than that of my city, and it is rare to see old houses with ancient style. On the old road, I said with emotion that when I came here decades ago, I could still feel the atmosphere of ethnic minorities. Now it has changed a lot, and the ancient scenery of the past can no longer be seen, which is a pity.
Now that the place has been transformed by urban renewal, can you still find him? I asked.
The old Taoist said: Even if this place becomes like Beijing and Shanghai, the place where he is will never change.
Before reaching the suburbs, the old Taoist priest suddenly stopped on a street.
What happened? I thought he saw something strange again.
We've arrived. He gave me a brief reply and led me to turn right.
This street is one of the few places in Yuanling County that has maintained its ancient style. Surrounded by tall buildings, this is the only place that still has a hint of rural atmosphere. Several shops are open for business, with small tables set up. I saw many people holding bowls and eating something like noodles. It was red and white, and looked very beautiful.
It's not a big deal to look at this, but it made my stomach growl. I've been eating buns for a long time and I almost vomited.
The old Taoist priest stopped again and stuffed a banknote into my hand: Go and fill your stomach.
I knew he was afraid that I would lose face in front of that master, so he laughed and ran to ask the boss to make a bowl of snacks.
The boss was a middle-aged man in his forties, plump and very enthusiastic. After the rice bowl was served, he said to me cheerfully: Are you here for tourism?
Um, oh... yes, I'm here to look for someone. I was wolfing down the food in the bowl, still mumbling incoherently. This thing is pointed at both ends and round in the middle, like a farmer's rolling pin, and it tastes slippery. It tastes sour and spicy, very refreshing. I haven't eaten something with such a refreshing taste for a long time, and I finished a bowl in no time. I felt my stomach and found that I was not full, so I ordered another bowl. I didn't pay until I was full.
Seeing me running back with a big smile on my face, the old Taoist didn't say much and continued walking forward.
I followed him for about twenty meters and then stopped again. The old Taoist priest was standing in front of a house and turned towards the gate.
This house is the most quaint on the street. There is a black plaque on the door. It seems to have been painted black, and the original words are no longer visible. What surprised me most was that there was a thick wooden pillar standing at the door, with a rope next to it, which seemed to be used to raise the flag. But the wooden pillar was bare, with nothing on it.
The old Taoist priest brushed off the almost invisible dust on his body, straightened his clothes, then walked up and knocked on the door twice.
After the door was knocked, he stepped back and stood there motionless. After a while, the door opened with a creak, and a man in his thirties or forties came out and looked at the old Taoist priest: Who are you looking for?
This tone is neither good nor bad, but as an old Taoist priest, everyone who saw him before would call him "master". Now he was only replied with three words, "Who are you looking for?" Not to mention "you", not even "you".
Unexpectedly, the old Taoist priest did not get angry, but said calmly: Five Elements Pulse, come to meet Mr. Li.
It turned out to be the Five Elements Pulse. The man laughed and said: This place is far away from there. Although I heard my father mention it, I have never seen it. I am sorry.
The old Taoist bowed, and the man continued: "Master is too old now, it is not convenient for him to receive too many people. Please wait here for a moment, I will go back and ask."
The old Taoist priest bowed again: Thank you for your help.
You're welcome. The man returned the greeting, smiled at us, and then quietly closed the door.
After the man's shadow disappeared from the crack in the door , I moved closer to the old Taoist and whispered: There are too many rules. After all, we are guests too.
Don't talk nonsense. The old Taoist priest rebuked me in a low voice: If someone is willing to see you, it's a courtesy. If they are unwilling to see you, you can't be rude. Watch your mouth.
What’s the matter… I muttered to myself, and seeing the old Taoist’s face darken, I immediately shrank my neck and dared not speak anymore.
In terms of seniority, even my master is lower than him. This lineage has a very high seniority, no lower than you, Ba Suo. If you keep talking nonsense, I will punish you and put you at the door as a pillar. The old Taoist priest said with a threatening look.
