Chapter 623

The mountains were quiet and the forests were secluded.

A stiff, dead snake lay halfway along the path, motionless.

Sharp claws picked it up.

Whoosh, it was tossed into the jungle, breaking several dead branches and falling to the ground wrapped in fallen leaves.

The little river otter stood upright, leading the way, carrying a wooden stick on its shoulder with a small cloth bag hanging from the end, swaying as it walked. Beasts, insects, rats, and ants all gave way.

The remaining little river otters stopped and went, scattering all around, digging and excavating whenever they found a hole.

Curled-up snakes, hibernating toads...

A faint almond scent wafted through the air.

A little river otter straightened out a millipede, sniffed it, and ran over to present it to Liang Qu like a treasure.

Liang Qu took the millipede and, while the little river otter was looking back, raised his hand and tossed it away.

"Whoo, it's freezing in the mountains."

Xu Zishuai breathed out a white mist, as thick as in the dead of winter, even though it wasn't that cold at the foot of the mountain.

It wasn't that he couldn't stand it.

Wolf Smoke Martial Artists don't fear wind and frost, but they are more sensitive to cold and heat; if they wear too little, they feel uncomfortable.

"You lords are newcomers, so there's a lot you don't know. Our Mount Lushan is a world-famous summer resort. Spring is late, summer is short, autumn is early, and winter is long. A few days ago, it was the beginning of winter at the foot of the mountain, but up here, it's at least the weather of the 'Minor and Major Snow' period. It's cold enough to make people shiver."

"That's right, Master, Madam, and young masters, if you stay on the mountain for a few more days, if you're lucky, you might see the snow-capped peaks! If you wait until the 'Minor and Major Cold' in January, it's even more incredible—the waterfalls can freeze!"

Two strong men carrying "touring equipment" talked eloquently, explaining to everyone.

Xu Zishuai was eager to try: "Pingyang Prefecture has few mountains and little snow; I really haven't seen snow-capped peaks much."

Xiang Fang Su shook his head: "The Imperial Capital has snow every year. It's beautiful, but you have to stay at home, eating hot pot and basking in the heat to be comfortable. If you go out in the snow to work or do things, you're left with nothing but disgust, wishing there were a few more suns in the sky."

Yang Xu joked: "If Junior Brother Xu wants to see snow, come with me to Heyuan Prefecture in December. You don't need any luck. I bet that even today, some of the pools in Heyuan Prefecture are already frozen, and some roofs are covered with a thick layer of snow."

"No, no." Xu Zishuai shook his head repeatedly. "Looking at mountains and snow is just for the novelty. Senior Brother, don't try to trick me into being your cannon fodder."

"Hahaha, you're a Wolf Smoke Martial Artist; how could it be your turn to be cannon fodder? If you come, I'll immediately go to Grandmaster Kou and suggest promoting you to a Centurion! Work hard for two years, and then you can be promoted another level!"

Everyone was lively and bustling.

Liang Qu looked back at the mountain road.

It was pitch black and deep.

Beginning of Winter.

The evergreen broad-leaved trees were dark green, the weeds on the ground were withered and dry, and occasionally they passed withered trees, their residual branches cutting the sunlight into fragments.

It's different. Bored playing this game

Bored playing this game, it's really satisfying!

Really satisfying.

"Start Game"

"Start Game"

Even though Mount Lushan is a famous mountain.

Except for the villages and small towns at the foot of the mountain, once you climb half a mile higher, it's desolate and uninhabited.

This situation is normal.

When going out for sightseeing, a single "official travel permit" to go to another place can stop ordinary people. If you say your blood relative died, you might have a chance, but if you say you want to go mountain climbing, the local government office won't issue you a permit at all.

People from other places can't come, and locals wouldn't look for trouble themselves.

Except for hunters, herb farmers, and monks, the crops in the fields haven't been tended to yet; who has the leisure to go mountain climbing?

Fortunately, there's the liveliness of many people and the leisure of few.

The whole mountain was toured by them alone, and the experience was very comfortable.

Laughing loudly, talking loudly.

Besides, there are few tourists, but many people working.

Half an hour ago, when the group arrived at the foot of Mount Lushan, more than a dozen strong men came forward to solicit business and help guide the way. Each of them had cultivation, and even if they weren't very powerful, they were at least at the first or second level.

High places are where the earth's energy rises and the yang energy descends. Climbing to high places can absorb yang energy and strengthen the body.

At the same time, there is a saying about avoiding disaster and changing luck. Those who can come and are interested in coming are all wealthy and noble people.

If the laborers do one job and run into a generous family, it's enough to eat for many months.

Yang Dongxiong looked into the distance: "Are there places to stay on the mountain?"

"Yes, yes, yes. On the mountain, halfway up, and at the foot, there are many temples and Daoist monasteries. You can choose wherever you want to go, Master."

"We know the Three Great Temples and Five Great Monasteries very well. There are the most people staying in midsummer. If you want to stay overnight, you need to discuss it with the abbot first. But now that winter is here, there are not so many rules. You can find empty rooms and good rooms wherever you go, my lords."

"What about on the mountain? Are there any good places?"

"On the mountain, the Wanshan Temple and the Dalin Temple are the highest, with unique scenery. Among them, Wanshan Temple is named after trees because there are ten thousand cedar trees planted around the temple, and there are two tree kings in the courtyard—a five-clawed camphor tree and a Buddhist pine.

I don't know if it's accurate, but I've heard from my grandfather's generation since I was a child that the five-clawed camphor tree is over 2,500 years old, and the Buddhist pine is over 1,800 years old. The two ancient trees together are over 4,000 years old, and the fruits they bear have become precious medicine. The canopy can cover an acre of land. Especially the fruits of the Buddhist pine; I heard they cost a tael of silver each outside.

If you lords want to go, I'll estimate the time for you and lead you there."

"Three Great Temples and Five Great Monasteries—why are there so many temples in Mount Lushan?" Xiang Zhangsong was surprised.

Xu Shi explained: "Because not far north of Huangzhou is Datong Prefecture, and the Hanging Temple in Datong Prefecture is one of the five great orthodox Buddhist holy sites. As it branches out, it's inevitable that the surrounding areas will be influenced."

Xiang Zhangsong suddenly realized.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Malice struck.

Everyone looked back.

In the forest.

A leopard as strong as a calf was lurking in the bushes, its eyes wide open, its knotted muscles extremely smooth; it already had the posture of a spirit monster.

The strong man leading the way pulled out a stick, but before he could show his power, he drove the leopard away.

Tatta Kai swung the cloth bag at the end of the stick, stepped out, and jumped out, one otter and one stick rushing forward to fight one-on-one.

The leopard failed to ambush and originally wanted to retreat, but seeing a river otter overestimating itself and taking the initiative to send itself to death, it was furious and pounced.

Unexpectedly, Tatta Kai attacked from a distance, swung its arms into a circle, made good use of ape boxing, stepped aside half a step, and whipped the stick onto its eye.

Awoo!

The leopard howled in pain and fell. Before it could turn over and stand up, its waist hurt again.

Tatta Kai twisted its waist and brought its arms, pointing the stick repeatedly like an ape stretching, shadows flickering—waist, abdomen, eyes, tail...

It didn't take long.

The leopard climbed up from the ground, tucked its tail, and fled in a panic.

What a sharp stick!

What a fierce otter!

The leading strong man held a short stick, his eyebrows and eyes straight.

When he saw the river otter before, he just thought it was a well-trained pet. Why does it look more powerful than a human now?

Xu Zishuai and the others were used to it.

Every time they went to Liang Qu's courtyard, they could always see this river otter standing on a stake and practicing hard, with better posture than the martial arts apprentices. It wouldn't be powerful if it didn't deserve this diligence.

"Let's go to Wanshan Temple to book rooms and settle down first."

"Spit, damn it, it can run!"

The bearded man looked at Mount Lushan and spat.

The four of them had traveled thousands of miles from Jianghuai to Huangzhou and came to the Xu family to find a servant to ask about the whereabouts of the Dragon Crossing the River.

Unexpectedly, Liang Qu came to Mount Lushan one after another, and they didn't even have time to catch their breath, so they had to turn around and follow again.

Facing the vast mountains, not knowing where the person was, they were at a loss.

The woman asked: "Such a big mountain, how do we find him?"

The middle-aged leader pondered for a moment.

"Mount Lushan is the most beautiful mountain in the world, with many wonders. To visit them all is not a matter of one or two days. They will definitely stay somewhere, and they will mostly stay on the top of the mountain.

There are only a few temples on the top of the mountain. We'll disguise ourselves as tourists, search them one by one, and act when the opportunity arises."