Chapter 126 [Looking for a ferry along the Dongxu River]

   Fang Chang left Lizhou and headed south.

  From here to the south, the sky and the earth suddenly changed again, with no flat ground, high mountains and deep valleys, strange peaks and strange rocks without interruption, monkeys singing and birds singing endlessly.

  It is the cold winter, and the mountains and rivers are covered with vegetables.

  The large-scale snowfall a few days ago covered the vegetation, trees, mountains and rocks with silver makeup. The wind and snow rolled, and some depressions could accumulate several feet deep, which was really difficult for pedestrians and vehicles to walk.

   Fortunately, no one took a huge risk to challenge the mountain road, leaving this official road deserted.

  Fang Chang, carrying a package and an oil-paper umbrella, walked slowly along the official road alone among the high mountains.

  The depth of the snow had no effect on him. He stepped on the snow without leaving even a shallow mark, just like a man made of cotton.

  If anyone in the Jianghu sees it, their eyes will turn green with envy, and then they will bow down and hold their legs without letting go.

  At this time, he was watching the magnificent scene after the snow, and he was very interested. He sang loudly with a gourd in his hand, and his voice echoed in the mountains, scaring away many birds and beasts.

   It's just that the tone of the lyrics doesn't fit the scene, but they are some heroic ballads he liked in his previous life. Fortunately, no one heard them on the road.

  The matter of Lizhou is over.

  There was no disturbance on the road, Fang Chang and Gu Shan jointly escorted a long group of monsters to Yongjia Mansion, and then went to meet the magistrate Qinan first.

  The magistrate of Qi was very surprised to see these captives they had captured. At Fang Chang’s suggestion, the magistrate sent guards to clear the streets in front of the Temple of the City God, and then the three of them brought the bunch of monsters to visit the Temple of the City God.

   Knowing that they came to the door, Wen Chenghuang appeared to meet each other.

   Chenghuang was very pleased with the results of the two battles and spoke highly of them. And it is the first time to see the gods in person, Qi Zhixian is excited and grateful, needless to say.

  Including Guo Da on Gu Shan's back, the monsters were cut down into wild beasts by Gu Shan and Wen Chenghuang, and released back to the mountains, where they were left to fend for themselves as punishment for their evil deeds.

  Because of his key role in this incident, Wen Chenghuang gained more merit than Gu Shan and Fang Chang, and this directly benefited the cultivation of the gods.

  This profound merit made Wen Chenghuang the most powerful one among the gods Fang Chang had ever seen.

   Chenghuang told the three of them that he was preparing to communicate with his colleagues about this matter.

  Because there is no unified superior, and he cannot leave his post without permission, he can only send an official letter to inform the neighboring city gods and land mountain gods, so that everyone can be vigilant about this, and contact the practitioners in their respective territories in advance to prevent accidents.

  After they left from the City God together, Fang Chang warned the county magistrate Qi Nan:

   "Qizhi County, although this incident has passed, we must take precautions. We still need to allocate resources and strengthen the military equipment in the government to prevent the people from being disturbed after the chaos occurs."

  Hearing that the county magistrate pays homage:

   "Mr. Fang is right. The officials will be careful about this matter. I am going to see Zhizhou and discuss this matter with Zhizhou."

   "This peaceful scene in the mansion has condensed a lot of hard work. If anyone wants to destroy all this, he is the sworn enemy of the official!"

  Fang Chang nodded:

   "The next few years will not be very peaceful, Qizhi County should be more careful and take care."

  After leaving the Yamen of Yongjia Mansion, Fang Chang did not wait for Zhizhou's action, but directly bid farewell to Gu Shan.

  There is Gu Shan watching in the territory of Lizhou. She thinks that Lai Cainiang will not dare to come back after she escapes. Without the constraints of the monsters, Zhizhou's aftermath measures should also be implemented smoothly.

When    and Gu Shan parted ways, the other party told Fang Chang:

   "Mr. Fang, if you go back to Jingzhou next, why not go south from here, find a boat in Lianzhou, and follow the river and go down the river."

   "After going ashore, you can go back to Yunzhong Mountain from Xingqing Mansion. This will be much smoother than driving in the wind and snow."

  Fang Chang obeyed his words, and only then did he make this trip to the south.

  ...

  In Lianzhou, the scenery is different.

  The boundary of the wind and snow seems to be here. Although the surrounding mountains and rivers are gray, there are hints of greenery oozing out, full of vitality.

  The diet here is also different. Because it is close to the south and Shu, this place is already a land of rice, rice, soup and fish. The staple food is rice, and the fishery is developed.

  Fang Chang went to the tavern and refilled the gourd he drank.

  Rice wine is very cheap. The only pity is that the wine in this store is not steamed, the alcohol content is not high, and it tastes too fast.

   From far away, I could hear the sound of the river's waves rolling into my ears like low-pitched thunder. This big river that goes straight into the East China Sea does not have a uniform name, but each section is different.

   This part of the river in Lianzhou is named Dongxu River. It is very wide and passes just south of the city.

  However, when we walked to the south of the city, there was no passenger ship, but a group of cargo ships berthed here, and the boatmen and handymen were carrying large bags of goods up and down.

   Fang Chang was puzzled, he randomly dragged an idler beside him, and asked:

   "Brother, if I want to find a ferry, where should I go? Why is there no one here?"

  The other party saw that Fang Chang's face was familiar, and told him:

   "Is this guest coming from another place? But it's also a coincidence. During the year, every day when you come here, you can see many ferries picking up work, but not today."

   "This day is when the boatmen gather together to worship the **** of the river. Therefore, the docks tens of miles upstream and downstream are empty and deserted."

  Slightly arching his hands, Fang Chang said with a smile:

   "Thank you, brother, if it wasn't for what you said, I don't know what happened here... Besides, I don't know their sacrificial scene, are outsiders allowed to watch it?"

"Of course." The middle-aged man replied: "That's a lively place. There's nothing to do in the winter, and you're usually stuck in the house. When you encounter such a thing, of course you have to help the old and the young together. look."

"Every year today, the number of vendors on the market is reduced by half, but they all go to the Jiangshen Temple, coveting that there are many customers there, and they are willing to spend money. They can earn dozens of times the usual amount, but only this day, so the vendors People call this day 'Little Enrichment'."

   "Fortunately, every time the state and county attach great importance to it, they will send a large number of people to maintain order. Otherwise, if it looks like the inside, there will definitely be chaos..."

   While talking, he shook his head, as if he knew the situation in detail.

  Farewell to the stranger who showed the way, Fang Chang plans to go and have a look.

  After leaving the city, he unfolded his figure in the snow everywhere, and marched upwards at high speed.

  There is a large path leading directly to the Jiangshen Temple. From the conversations with people on the side road, I learned that this Jiangshen Temple is quite effective, and this road was built only after a big family made a wish.

   This road is very wide and smooth, and on both sides, there are not a few people who take the whole family to see the sacrificial scene.

   There is the sound of silk, bamboo and golden drums in the distance, a little rough, but a little novel.

  The ceremony was very grand. Due to the large number of boatmen, the boatmen got together and had a lot of money to organize this worship, so the conditions were not bad. At least all the ritual items are available, and the offerings are also very rich, and some learned people in the city are invited to write prayers.

  Fang Chang randomly found someone among the crowd and asked, "My old man, I don't know when this sacrifice will end?"

   Thank you for the reward from Drunken Dreams and Martial Arts Skull.

  

  

  (end of this chapter)