You cultivate immortality, I cultivate merit

When winter came, Wanyu and Master Qicheng returned to the sect.

The top of the mountain now only has three residences, making it seem much emptier.

While Master Qi Yuan was in seclusion, Shi Zelan and Xia Yu went to the forest again and picked a lot of leaves.

Shi Zelan and Xia Yu would meet early in the morning to discuss the day's plans, and sometimes they would take a walk in the mountains.

But most of the time, the two of them sat peacefully on the top of the mountain meditating and practicing.

Shi Zelan's cultivation progress stagnated, but Xia Yu could feel that his own cultivation was slowly improving.

Xia Yu asked Shi Zelan with concern: "How can I help you?
Shall I accompany you to Yangzhou Prefecture?"

Shi Zelan shook her head to Xia Yu and said, “For me, this is a normal thing.

You are making progress in your cultivation now, so don't worry about my affairs."

"Sister Lan, do you want to contact Xiaoliu?"

Shi Zelan still shook his head: "If the matter in Beihuang has been resolved, he will send you the news."

Xia Yu thought for a moment and looked at Shi Zelan: "Sister Lan, if there is anything I can do to help you, just speak up."

Shi Zelan smiled and said, "I want to go around the neighborhood. You don't have to come with me. I promise I will be able to go back and forth safely."

Xia Yu listened to Shi Zelan's words, thought about it, nodded and said: "I won't enter the room when you are outside."

Shi Zelan knew Xia Yu's worry, and said with a smile: "Okay, it's up to you.

When I get used to going out, you can be completely assured of me."

Shi Zelan went from the back mountain to the nearby mountain, and then stood on the canyon. Someone was talking at the bottom of the valley.

Shi Zelan listened for a while out of curiosity and found out that they were herbalists nearby who were taking a temporary rest at the bottom of the valley.

Shi Zelan put on an invisibility talisman and went down the mountain directly.

At the bottom of the foggy valley, six people were sorting the herbs they had dug from the mountain.

When Shi Zelan reached the bottom of the valley, he just happened to hear them say, "Now the government has let us go into the mountains to dig herbs again.

In the second half of the year, there are many more medicinal herbs on the mountain than in previous years.
Before you left, did you tell your family how many days you would be back? "

"My home is in a nearby village. I will be back soon. I will bring you food tomorrow."

"My family and I agreed to return in five days at the latest. What about you?"

"I have three days. But depending on the situation, I can come back two days later."

Shi Zelan turned out from the small path and stood in the tea shed beside the official road.

The weather has turned cold, and the tea business in the tea shed has closed down.

The two soldiers guarding the mountain road were also standing in the tea shed at this time.

Shi Zelan stood there for a while, and when he saw that there were no vehicles passing on the official road, he lost interest.

She was about to leave the tea stall when she heard the younger one speak.

"Brother, we have been guarding the mountain road for almost a year, but we haven't made any achievements.

I heard that the mine is almost dug through this area, do we still need to guard this path in and out?"

"Guard it. If we don't guard it here, we will guard it somewhere else."

“Brother, you are right.

The last time I went back, my wife said she wanted me to find another job so she could be at home waiting for me every day.

"I like being with my brothers. Unless one day I can't do it anymore, I will think of other ways out."

“I’ve been thinking about it these days and I think the woman in my family is a little short-sighted.

I am too straightforward and I can’t change it for the time being. I don’t want to be a bodyguard in the future.” “Then you should talk to your sister-in-law and let’s get used to the current life.

If I change to another way of living, it might not be what these women want. "

Shi Zelan left quietly, and the two officers stopped at the same time. They left the tea shed and looked around carefully.

The two entered the tea shed, and the younger one whispered, "Brother, I just had that feeling, what about you?"

After thinking it over carefully, the older man patted the younger man’s arm and said, “Maybe we are just too sensitive.

We didn’t feel anything bad about it.”

The younger one agreed with the older one and breathed a sigh of relief, "They say there are gods and fairies on this mountain. Do you believe it?"

The older one looked at the younger one and smiled and said, "I heard someone say that he almost slipped down the mountain, but a gust of wind lifted him up."

Shi Zelan had already arrived at the nearest village at this time. Seeing people sitting under a tree basking in the sun, she went over and stood on the other side to listen to their gossip.

"A few days ago, a store in town caught fire and the owner's wife was burned to death."

"It wasn't the boss's wife who was burned to death, it was the boss's concubine who was burned to death."

"It's not a good idea to be a concubine instead of a legitimate wife."

"I heard from the relatives of the cousin of the daughter-in-law of the village head that the government went to investigate the case and said that the eldest wife plotted against the younger wife."

“Hey, I heard that when the accident happened, there was a happy event in the eldest wife’s family, so she went back to her parents’ home for a few days.

It was the concubine who was cooking something delicious for the master, and she got angry and set the kitchen on fire. "

After listening to them, Shi Zelan learned that such an incident had happened in the town not long ago.

She turned back to the top of the mountain and said to Xia Yu, "I'll go to the town tomorrow."

"You don't believe what those people say?"

"Believe half of it."

After noon on the second day, Shi Zelan went out of the back mountain and arrived in the town at 3 p.m.

Shi Zelan, dressed in a green robe, went directly to the shop in the town.

When he arrived at the place, Shi Zelan was still surprised to see that only a few walls of the shop were left after being burned down.

Then the waiter at the shop on the left saw Shi Zelan and waved enthusiastically, saying, "Young man, do you want to come to my shop for a meal?

The host is in a good mood today and the dishes he cooked are delicious.”

Shi Zelan looked at the hospitable waiter, shook her head at him and said, "I heard someone recommend this shop to stay for one night.

But this shop was set on fire?"

The waiter looked at Shi Zelan's expression, thought for a moment and said, "Do you want to go into the store and have a glass of water?"

Shi Zelan finally obeyed the waiter's kindness, entered the store, and said to the waiter: "Brother, do you have rice cakes at home?"

"Yes, my boss is very good at making rice cakes. People who have eaten at the vegetarian restaurant in Yangzhou Prefecture all say that the rice cakes made by my boss taste good."

"Then I want a portion of rice cakes and a bowl of tea."

The waiter went to the backyard to pass on the message to the owner, muttering, "He is a stranger from out of town. He wanted to stay the night next door after hearing someone recommend him to stay there."

"Alas, if Lao Zhang wasn't lustful, his family wouldn't be ruined now."

"Boss, should I recommend that he stay at another hotel in town for one night?"

“That family has evil hearts, don’t do unnecessary things.

Take the rice cakes out and let the young man eat them, then go to Yangzhou Prefecture and stay for one night."

After Shi Zelan ate two bites of rice cakes, he said to the waiter, "Hey, do you have any rice cakes left?
I want to pack some for the road." (End of this chapter)