Chapter 179: Seeking Immortality (6k)

Yang Chang was stunned by the question. They had stayed in Cizhou, Hejian and other places along the way, and had never been deliberately questioned like this.

This is so despicable, is he trying to ask for a bribe?
He didn't want to be tripped up by a small pawn, nor did he want to make any noise, so he took out two pieces of silver from his pocket and handed them out with a smile.

"We are travelers from the Central Plains, coming to Jizhou to see the mountains and rivers. Please give us some convenience."

"Ok?"

The military leader took the small change but did not let them go. Instead, he said sarcastically, "We work hard for the Han people, but you are just traveling around. You are the same people but have different fates."

"Good job"

Yang Chang responded with a smile, then pulled Zhao Fujin out.

Although Zhao Fujin was wearing a mask, it was difficult to conceal her charming figure, which attracted the soldiers' attention.

"stop!"

"Anything else?"

"You, take off your mask! It's broad daylight, why are you wearing a mask?"

"My wife is ugly, so I wear a mask."

Yang Chang's tone became stiff. He didn't want to cause trouble, but the other party was looking for death, so he didn't intend to give him a good face. Zhao Fujin was so scared that she hid behind him.

"How ugly can it be? Take off your mask and let me examine it. There are still many Liao spies in Jizhou. I have been ordered to investigate thoroughly!"

"is it?"

Yang Chang was annoyed by this soldier and stretched out his right hand with a fake smile.

"Look what's in my hand?"

"what?"

The military leader mistakenly thought that there was more bribery, so he leaned forward and stuck his head out, only to see that the palm was empty.

"What is it?"

"The Sorrowful Palm!"

Yang Chang opened his five fingers and slapped the military leader in the face, causing him to stagger and fall to the side. Several teeth on the left side of his face flew out of his mouth along with blood.

"Get up, hurry up!"

"okay."

After receiving the reminder, Zhao Fujin hurriedly made hand gestures and chanted an incantation to conjure up two wheels of wind and fire.

The other guards realized they didn't understand and ordered their men to draw their swords and rush over to support, but they were all knocked away by Yang Chang's punches.

"you."

"There are traitors!"

The gatekeepers were in a panic, some were running away and some were shouting, but Yang Chang had already hugged Zhao Fujin and was speeding away on his wind-fire wheel.

The sentry on the city wall opened his eyes wide, and he rubbed his eyes hastily, thinking that he had gotten up too fast today. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a small black dot getting farther and farther away.

Soon, the commander of Yuyang arrived with reinforcements and saw that seven or eight people had fallen under the city, and no Liao people took advantage of the chaos to seize the city.

"Can anyone tell me what happened here?"

"Someone just broke into the city gate and injured Luo Yazheng."

"how many people?"

"two."

"Only two?"

After hearing this, the guard repeated it with his finger and looked at Luo Yazheng who was covering his face with an incredible expression.

"Are you trash?"

"General, they are not human."

"What did you say?"

"These two people can fly in the air, maybe they are gods."

Zhao Fujin had mastered the magic flying technique and in a blink of an eye he flew dozens of miles away and stopped by a small river.

"Which way is Erxian Mountain?"

"Jizhou is open on three sides, with only the mountains in the north forming a continuous area. If you go further east, you will reach Pingzhou."

"Oh"

After hearing Yang Chang's reminder, Zhao Fujin's ears instantly turned red. She had read some books in the palace and had a rough understanding of the area around Yanjing, but she was confused in practice.

It was also because she was too anxious just now that she had no time to think about the problem. At this time, she responded awkwardly: "Since Yang Lang knew the direction, he should have reminded me just now."

"It's okay. Princess, you are already familiar with the magic of walking. It doesn't matter if you take a detour. I don't know the exact location. I will have to stop and ask for directions when I meet someone on the way."

"understood"

Seeing that Yang Chang was not in a hurry, Zhao Fujin did not rush to leave, but squatted by the river to wash his hands first.

As a noble princess, she has lived in a clean environment all year round, and she has not yet gotten used to being exposed to the wind and dew for such a long time.

I was questioned at the city gate just now and my palms were sweating with nervousness. But after that, I walked as fast as I could and the sweat turned into mud on my palms.

"Yang Lang, the Ever-Victorious Army is so arrogant and unpopular in Yan. I really don't understand why father treats them so well. Is it because they are good at fighting?"

"What else? If there is no Ever-Victorious Army, Yanjing will probably not be taken back. The Northern Expedition Army is fighting against Liao, and only they can win the battle. Your Majesty will naturally value them, but..."

"But what?"

"The Ever-Victorious Army is mainly made up of Liao and Xi people, who have no sense of belonging to our Great Song. I heard that according to the alliance between Song and Jin, the 'legacy' of Liao should belong to Jin, and Guo Yaoshi and his troops should also belong to Jin. In order to keep this force, Tong Guan used 30,000 wealthy households under the jurisdiction of Yanshan Prefecture to exchange with Jin. They all had a family property worth more than 150 guan."

After Yang Chang finished speaking, he let out a long sigh. He had heard these stories from Han Shizhong. Since they could be widely circulated among the Song army, he thought that someone must have spread rumors about Tong Guan.

Zhao Fujin was stunned after hearing this, and after a while he asked in surprise: "In addition to buying Yanjing, even the Ever-Victorious Army was bought? Wouldn't this chill the hearts of the people in Yandi? And the Ever-Victorious Army's bullying here doesn't seem to be a permanent solution. Yang Lang should write a letter to persuade them to remonstrate with him."

"I?"

Yang Changxian pointed at himself, then shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Even the princess can see it, how can the ministers in the court and His Majesty not know it? Why should a fifth-rank official like me get involved? Whether it is bought back or conquered is not important, what is important is the achievement of recovering the homeland. It was achieved in their hands, and it can be recorded in history books."

"It would be fine if they could sincerely serve the Song Dynasty. I always feel that these people are unreliable."

"Haha, I was just a small soldier when I first arrived at Liangshan, do you know why I was able to stand out?"

When Zhao Fujin was deep in thought, he saw Yang Chang raised his fist and added meaningfully: "This is what is recognized in the martial arts world. If you can fight well, you can win respect. If you want to win the hearts of the Ever-Victorious Army, you have to be stronger than them!"

"Yang Lang is right. The power that is borrowed temporarily is not your own after all."

"Yeah, let's go."

"it is good."

Although Zhao Fujin was sighing about the Ever-Victorious Army, Yang Chang subconsciously put himself in his shoes. He became rich by virtue of his fate as a "corpse picker" and all his skills were picked up.

In other words, these are also borrowed powers. Will they disappear one day?
Thinking of this possibility, Yang became uneasy and hurriedly called for the princess to hurry up.

Zhao Fujin summoned the Wind Fire Wheel and turned north to look for Erxian Mountain. On the way, he was guided by several villagers and arrived at the foot of the mountain just after noon.

Erxian Mountain is hidden among the mountains. From a distance, it is neither majestic nor unique, and it is difficult to associate it with a fairy mountain.

Yang Chang was amazed at how fast the magic was. If he had come to look for the immortal on horseback, asking while walking, it might have taken him two days, but now it only took two hours.

The mountain path was narrow, and Zhao Fujin's magic of flight did not work here. Yang Chang did not want her to show off her magic here, so the two of them walked slowly along the mountain path under the sun.

August is already autumn, but the heat is at its peak.

Fortunately, the mountain is covered with lush vegetation, with green pines and cypresses everywhere. From time to time, there is a breeze blowing over the hill, so I didn't even sweat when I reached halfway up the mountain.

Halfway up the mountain, you will come to a fork in the road, a small path up the mountain and a small path in the pine forest.

Based on his experience, Yang Chang abandoned the vast mountain path and turned to a small path under the pine forest.

As the saying goes, "Peach and plum trees speak without saying a word, but people will find their way to them." The Zixu Temple is hidden in the pine forest ahead, and a path through the forest has been trampled out by people's activities.

In a flash, they arrived in front of the temple, and a boy appeared from behind the door and blocked their way.

"It's you?"

"You are."

"Forgotten, my good man? Centipede Ridge, the Tomb Temple."

"It turns out to be"

Yang Chang finally remembered that when Wu Song transformed into Shura, he stopped the killing at Centipede Ridge, and the little Taoist boy he saved by coincidence actually appeared here.

It only took a few years for him to grow taller, and Yang Chang did not recognize him at first. He thought that fate was a wonderful thing. If he had not had this good result back then, wouldn't he have to waste a lot of time talking to him today?
Becoming a disciple is a matter of stability.

Yang Chang bowed to the Taoist boy, smiled and said in an approachable manner: "Why are you here, fairy boy? I remember you said you wanted to go back to your hometown."

"You should forget that I am in Jizhou."

"So that's how it is, you are in this Zixu Temple"

"When I returned to my hometown, my parents and brothers had all passed away. I found this Zixu Temple by chance and became a guard boy."

"That's it"

Yang Chang thought to himself that you were able to guard the door for the big boss, which was a blessing that no outsider could ask for, and then he said: "I am friends with Gongsun Yiqing and Qiao Daoqing. I passed by here today and came to visit them. By the way, I would like to ask Master Luo for guidance."

"So that's how it is. The Grandmaster should be in Chaozhen right now. Please go inside and wait. I'll go and tell the two uncles."

After the boy finished speaking, he bowed his head and disappeared like a gust of wind.

"Yang Lang really has a wide range of friends. He even knows the boy here."

"Haha, it's also because of fate that we met before and have accumulated some friendship."

"Well, this Zixu Temple."

Zhao Fujin started looking around before he finished speaking.

This place is not as majestic as the Shenxiao Palace, and no one has cleaned the moss on the tiles. Instead, it appears antique and otherworldly, forming a sharp contrast with the Taoist temple built by Zhao Ji.

"This place is quiet and peaceful, maybe it's the right place for practicing Taoism. My father is too particular about form, he should come and take a look"

"Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, only Emperor Taizong has led troops to Yandi, but unfortunately he was defeated at Gaoliang River."

"If Emperor Taizong could really recover Yanyun, there wouldn't be so many problems now."

"There is no if in history. By the way, Gaoliang River is in Jizhou"

Before Yang Chang finished his words, he suddenly saw the Taoist boy leading Qiao Daoqing towards him in the corridor diagonally in front of him. He immediately went forward with Zhao Fujin to greet them.

"Mr. Qiao."

"Mr. Joe"

"Yang Guancha, Madam Yang, you actually came to Erxian Mountain. I will lead you to see my master."

Seeing Qiao Daoqing making a gesture of guidance, Yang Chang immediately motioned Zhao Fujin to follow. On the way, he curiously asked, "I just heard that the Immortal is praying to the Immortal. Will it disturb him if we go there now?"

"Master has finished his meditation and is now recuperating on his cloud bed."

"That incident before"

"I have boldly mentioned this before, but Master has not given me an answer. It all depends on observing fate."

"Okay, is Mr. Yiqing here?"

"He and Ma Ling are both in the pavilion now. Please come this way."

Yang Changyue was nervous about getting close to Luo Zhenren. He kept asking Qiao Daoqing for advice along the way, hoping to relieve his inner pressure through questioning. However, before he could get a clear answer, he was led into Songhexuan.

On the cloud bed, Luo Zhenren, with his hair and beard all white, was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, resting, with Gongsun Sheng and Ma Ling standing on his left and right.

When Yang Chang saw the seated statue, the words "immortal style and Taoist aura" flashed through his mind, and then he bowed with Zhao Fujin.

"Where are these two from?"

"I once told my master that this friend Yang Chang from Qinzhou has long admired my master's name as an immortal and wanted to go to the temple to listen to his teachings. Today, I passed by Jizhou and went to the mountain to pay my respects."

"Oh?"

Master Luo’s eyes were kind, not as deep as those of Elder Zhizhen, and gave Yang Chang a sense of intimacy.

"You are Yang Chang? Then who is next to you?"

"My wife is Ms. Zhao." Yang Chang did not dare to lie in front of the Taoist priest. After he answered, he saw Taoist priest Luo stroking his beard and nodding.

"Good good."

"I have been studying Taoism for a long time. I hope I can become a disciple of a real person one day. Every day..."

"You're not suitable."

"Uh"

Luo Zhenren's resolute answer made Yang Chang stunned. He immediately adjusted his mood and continued to fight: "Xiao Ke may not be suitable now. After I finish the things at hand, I should..."

"You are really not suitable. Apart from this Madam Zhao, there should be two more?"

“Ah yes, they also have a heart for Taoism.”

"There are many people who have the heart to follow the Way, but not all of them need to become monks to practice. You and I are not destined to be a master and disciple, so please leave the mountain now."

Thinking that Luo Zhenren was going to refuse by offering to marry a wife, he was just about to use the Taoist teachings of the Heavenly Master to argue that he could marry a wife, but unexpectedly the other party directly brought up the concept of fate, which left him with no way to respond.

Having come all the way here, Yang Chang did not want to be dismissed, so he boldly asked: "When I was in Liangshan, I listened to the teachings of Master Yiqing, and I admired him. I dare to ask what fate is? How can I establish a bond with him?"

Gongsun Sheng hurriedly bowed his head, thinking to himself that Yang Chang had not changed, and was still as bold as he was in Liangshan. Aren't you afraid of angering my teacher? Li Kui had suffered a lot in the past.

"It's fate. Your destiny has been changed. How can you avoid it?"

When Master Luo was halfway through his words, he deliberately glanced at Gongsun Sheng, stroked his beard and said leisurely: "Since you mentioned Liangshan and your friendship with this inferior disciple, there must be some cause and effect. Then I will give you a chance?"

"Thank you, Master. Thank you, Master."

After hearing the first half of the sentence, Yang Chang felt like he was running naked, as if his entire background had been seen through by others. He sighed in his heart for Master Luo, but the second half of the sentence gave him hope.

After hearing this, he was overjoyed and wanted to perform a great ceremony immediately.

"Don't be in a hurry to bow."

"I"

Yang Chang wanted to move but couldn't, his whole body suddenly froze.

Immobilization technique? That's amazing!
"I have a condition."

"Please tell me, real person."

When Master Luo spoke again, Yang Chang's body returned to normal and he dared not shout rashly anymore.

"Speaking of Liangshan Marsh, I heard that if someone wants to join the gang, they need to submit a letter of surrender. If you want to become my disciple, how about submitting a letter of surrender as well?"

"install?"

This request made by Master Luo not only shocked Yang Chang so much that he couldn't close his mouth, but also made several disciples look at each other in bewilderment, wondering how could it involve the ways of the underworld?

One dares to ask, the other dares to answer.

Yang Chang was stunned for a moment, then he bowed and asked solemnly, "What token of surrender do you want, Master?"

"Ten miles southwest of the mountain, a group of Jizhou soldiers will pass by at noon tomorrow. They may kidnap the children of the people and occupy their fields and houses. You, nicknamed Guangming Tianzun, can go and rescue the people of that village."

"Ah this."

"Go ahead, do this first, and then talk about it later."

After saying this, Master Luo closed his eyes again and rested.

Qiao Daoqing glanced at Gongsun Sheng, then took the initiative to lead Yang Chang out of the house, and Ma Ling followed closely behind.

When they reached the corridor in front of the palace, Yang Chang finally couldn't help himself and pulled the two men aside to ask, "What does the Immortal Master mean? Do you want me to rescue the people and take them to another place, or drive away the Jizhou soldiers?"

"Master, I don't know what you mean. Please make your own decision."

Qiao Daoqing glanced at Ma Ling, stroked his beard and shook his head. Neither of them knew what Master Luo was thinking.

Ma Ling reminded them, "It's still early. Madam Yang has learned my magic speed. You can go and have a look first. Maybe you'll know what's going on when you get there."

"That makes sense. I'll take my leave now."

Yang Chang immediately said goodbye to Qiao and Ma, and said goodbye to his old friend the Taoist boy at the door. Then he and Zhao Fujin walked out of the pine forest side by side, and walked down the mountain along the mountain path they came from.

On the way down the mountain, Yang Chang remained silent and Zhao Fujin didn't ask much.

When we reached the foot of the mountain, the sun had already set and there was still an hour before dark.

"Go over now?"

"Let's go."

"You show the way."

"it is good."

With the help of the magical speed method, ten miles can be reached in a moment.

Zhao Fujin took Yang Chang and rode the wind, and it took them about half an hour to find their destination.

Yang Chang used his [Eagle Vision and Owl Eyes] to look into the distance and found that it was a village nestled in the mountains and beside the water. Hundreds of houses were scattered among them like a chessboard, and the villagers were walking home from the fields after finishing their work.

Zhao Fujin collected the magic skills in advance, and walked to the inn at the entrance of the village with Yang Changxin, and ordered some wine and food in the inn to satisfy their hunger.

Through chatting with the shopkeeper, Yang Chang learned that the village was called Lujiazhuang, and that it was a branch of the Lu family that moved from Zhuozhou. Their ancestors could be traced back to the Tang Dynasty, but later declined under the rule of the Liao people.

The Lu family inn provided accommodation, so the two of them stayed there after having their meal.

Night fell in the blink of an eye. Yang Chang and Zhao Fujin were enjoying the cool air in the open space in front of the store. They saw the houses in the village flickering with dim lights and could faintly hear the crying of children and the barking of dogs. It was a picture of pastoral life.

"Will there really be government troops coming tomorrow?"

"Master Luo has profound Taoism. Since he has directed me here, there must be a reason for it."

"The Ever-Victorious Army is so arrogant in Yuyang, won't they be even more arrogant in the countryside? How do you plan to save them, Yang Lang?"

"Ah"

Yang Chang smiled bitterly and murmured, "There are only two options: take them away or repel the government troops. However, no matter which method is used, I think it will be very troublesome. Perhaps this is a test for me."

"It may not be realistic to take away all the hundreds of people in Lujiazhuang in such a hurry. Perhaps you should let them repel the government troops? These victorious soldiers are good for fighting. With Yang Lang's extraordinary martial arts, thirty or fifty people may not be your match."

"Thirty to fifty people? I didn't bring any weapons or horses, otherwise I wouldn't be afraid of three to five hundred or even a thousand. What's the point of just repelling them temporarily? I can't stay here forever, but the Ever-Victorious Army is stationed in Yanjing. If I hurt someone here, Lujiazhuang will not be just robbed."

"They will definitely retaliate. This is really a dilemma."

Zhao Fujin had never seen killing, but she knew the consequences would be serious. Seeing the bustling village in front of her, she really couldn't bear to see it destroyed.

She was feeling overwhelmed with maternal love, sentimentality and sadness when a large hand suddenly wrapped around her shoulders.

"Let's go, go back and rest, and we'll talk tomorrow."

"No, if you haven't thought it through, how can you sleep at night? Why don't we just ignore it and go back to Qinzhou tomorrow? We can't go to learn Taoism now."

"Princess, do you think that if I don't care, nothing will happen?"

"This"

Zhao Fujin was stunned at first, then asked, "But the world is so big, this kind of thing happens everywhere, can you handle it?"

"That's right. I have overstepped my authority. Your Majesty should be in charge of this matter."

“Neither can my father.”

During the seven or eight days of traveling north from Qinzhou, only the night they stayed at Lujiazhuang was the one when Yang Chang and Zhao Fujin were not in the mood, as they both had something on their minds.

The next morning, Yang Chang and Zhao Fujin woke up early, paid the room fee and left in a hurry.

He did not give up the mission, but planned to stop them halfway so that Lujiazhuang would not be implicated afterwards.

Zhao Fujin has the ability of miraculous flight, and Yang Chang has the [Eagle Vision and Owl Eyes]. The two of them work together to scout the enemy, which is equivalent to full-time radar tracking.

The couple went all the way south and came directly to the outskirts of Yuyang City, thirty miles away, to monitor whether the Ever-Victorious Army would leave the city.

Just after the hour of Chen, they saw a team of fifty infantrymen holding military flags and heading towards the two of them. They were most likely heading to Lujiazhuang.

"We hide to the side and avoid their sight."

"Oh."

Zhao Fujin couldn't see clearly, so he could only follow Yang Chang's arrangements.

After moving to a hidden location, Zhao Fujin withdrew his magic and curiously asked, "Where is Yang Lang going to attack?"

"No hurry, find a place where there's no one."

"I'll do whatever you say, but Master Luo's strange request doesn't seem like that of a great master. I hope he can keep his word."

"Hmm? I think so."

Yang Chang was touched by Zhao Fujin's unintentional words. He couldn't help but doubt Luo Zhenren's motives. He thought, isn't religion all about persuading people to be good? How can you learn from a good man to surrender?
Gongsun Sheng knows his own methods, so it would be easy for him to deal with dozens of minions. What exactly does Lao Luo want to test?
The more he thought about it, the more hesitant he became. He and Zhao Fujin followed and monitored until they were only eight miles away from Lujiazhuang, but they still hadn't decided whether to take action.

Just then, a voice called from behind.

"Hey man, is that you?"

"Who?"

Yang Chang and Zhao Fujin turned around suddenly and saw that it was the Taoist boy who had appeared in front of Zixu Temple yesterday, the one he had rescued at Centipede Ridge.

The Taoist boy approached silently, and before Yang Chang had time to think about the reason, the other party had already walked up to him quickly.

"You are the real ones. There is nothing to see nearby. Why are you staying here?"

"Yes." Yang Chang had no one to explain his doubts, so he pointed to the left and opened his heart to the Taoist boy: "There is a group of government troops not far away over there, and they are going to do evil in Lujia Village in the north. Master Luo asked me to save the village, and then he might accept me as a disciple."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"Monks are generally kind and compassionate. I was afraid that he didn't really want me to hurt or kill anyone, but was testing me for something else, so I was hesitant."

"Oh."

The Taoist boy nodded naively, and then added: "I think you shouldn't think too much. It's always right to eliminate evil and promote good."

"But they haven't done anything evil yet. If I take action now."

"Are you afraid that the master will deceive you?"

Seeing that Yang Chang was hesitant to speak, the Taoist boy actually revealed his thoughts and asked curiously: "I heard from my uncles that you are now a high-ranking official in the court. Is it inconvenient for you to take action against the government troops?"

"That's not the case. The Ever-Victorious Army has a bad reputation, so I didn't take it into consideration when I taught them a lesson."

"If that's the case, why do you want to become Master's disciple? Isn't it good to be rich and noble in the world?"

The Taoist boy's response was so overwhelming that Yang Chang was a little overwhelmed, and he couldn't help but marvel at it.

"How can wealth and honor last forever? I don't care about fame, fortune or wealth, so I want to learn how to live forever."

"So you want to become my disciple in order to achieve immortality? Your purpose is not simple."

"If you do things without a purpose, they lose their meaning. Hey, why am I saying this? The fairy boy is not in the Taoist temple, so why is he here?"

"Here, this book is for you."

The Taoist boy took out a book, handed it to Yang Chang and said, "The master said that he could not teach you, and also said, 'The world is full of Tao, why bother to seek the door to Tao?' There are his comments in the book, please experience it for yourself."

"So you are from Luo Zhenren's sect, eh? This isn't..."

Yang Chang took the book in surprise and found that it was the "Feng Shui Kanyu" that he had used as an excuse to give to Gongsun Sheng, and now it was back in his hands.

"By the way, Lujiazhuang is in danger, please help rescue it."

"What does Master Luo mean?"

"No, it's my personal request. My name is Lu. Bye."

"Oh, bye."

Yang Chang simply bowed and couldn't wait to open the cover.

First page, no changes.

The second page, no change.

How strange! Where are the annotations?

Is it Luo Zhenren who is kidding? Or is it Lu Daotong who is talking nonsense?

It was not until he turned to the third page that a golden light suddenly shone from the book and then penetrated into his forehead.

(End of this chapter)