Chapter 23: Traveling Together

The opponent said "Heh" and raised the stick again. Liu Xiaolou rolled out a zhang in the blink of an eye, flicked his wrist, and the Illusory Fragrant Tendon revealed its end, preparing to fight back to the death.

Seeing Liu Xiaolou escape, the opponent freed his right hand and changed it into a palm. In the dark night, his single palm was faintly shaking, emitting a group of light. The light was like a crane, spreading its wings and wanting to fly.

"Hit you, you dark and blind thing!"

Just then, he heard Zuo Gaofeng, who was hanging in the net, shout loudly: "Tan the Eighth!"

This loud shout instantly interrupted the fierce fight. Liu Xiaolou froze instantly, staring at the person. The person also froze, jumped away three steps, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Liu Xiaolou and Zuo Gaofeng hanging in the net.

"It's me, Zuo Gaofeng! You hit Brother Liu, Liu Xiaolou of the Three Mystical Sect!"

"Oh my!" The man patted his forehead, dropped the steel rod, tore off the black cloth covering his face, rushed over, and put down the hanging net, muttering incessantly: "Offense, offense, the water rushed into the Dragon King Temple!"

Once he tore off the black cloth, Liu Xiaolou also saw clearly. Wasn't this Tan Bazhang, whom he had met once?

Speaking of which, this meeting was also due to Wei Hongqing. This person was also a victim of Wei Hongqing's wandering the world. Everyone had cursed together on Ghost Gate Cliff that day!

Zuo Gaofeng came out of the hanging net and asked curiously: "Brother Tan, why are you in this Wuling Mountain?"

Tan Bazhang was very embarrassed: "I originally planned to go on a long trip, but I met a thief on the way, and my travel expenses were lost inexplicably. I thought that this mountain was a good place to do business. Who would have thought that I would meet two brothers on the first order? Oh, offense, offense!"

Saying this, he came over to apologize to Liu Xiaolou: "Brother, be generous, don't mind my recklessness!"

Liu Xiaolou could only smile bitterly: "No problem, no problem."

Tan Bazhang gave a thumbs up again: "Brother has good skills. The stick of my lifelong cultivation was actually easily blocked by Brother. Admire, admire!"

Liu Xiaolou's wrist was still shaking, so it couldn't be called "easy," but he wasn't familiar with Tan Bazhang and didn't dare to show weakness, just saying lightly: "Overpraised, overpraised!"

Zuo Gaofeng was slightly more familiar with Tan the Eighth, chatted idly with a smile, and asked where he was going. Tan the Eighth said that several of his cousins in Yuanling had something to summon him, and he was going to meet them. As for what it was, it was family business, so Zuo Gaofeng couldn't ask more.

But since Tan Bazhang lost his travel expenses, there was a sense of mutual help among fellow practitioners, so he took out ten taels of silver to give him. Tan Bazhang didn't refuse and put it into his bosom.

Zuo Gaofeng said: "There are too many insects, snakes, and fierce beasts in the mountain, and there are thieves blocking the road. It's really not a proper way for Brother Tan to be alone. Why not travel together out of the mountain?"

Tan Bazhang nodded immediately: "Damn, there are too many thieves on this road. Being able to travel with the two brothers is naturally what I want."

So the three laughed and traveled together, crossing mountains and ridges. By noon the next day, they were out of the Wuling Mountain boundary.

There is no banquet that doesn't end. Everyone had different destinations, so they had to part ways here. This section of Wuling Mountain road was short, but they had formed a deep friendship, reluctant to part, and exchanged farewells.

"You and I are brothers, meeting in Wuling Mountain is fate. In the future, if there is anything, you can come to Half-Acre Gorge to find me, Zuo! I will definitely not refuse!"

"Brother Zuo's words are true. Since it is fate, there will be a day to meet again. When the time comes, I will drink and have fun with Brother Zuo and Brother Liu again!"

"Junior thanks the two brothers. When we meet again, we will not stop until we are drunk!"

So Zuo Gaofeng set off to the northeast, Tan the Eighth went to the southeast, and Liu Xiaolou stepped on the road to the east. The three brothers almost shed tears.

After Liu Xiaolou traveled ten miles to the east, he began to turn south, traveled twenty miles, and then turned west. This toss and turn added a full twenty or thirty miles of road. But fortunately, he arrived at Tianmen Mountain before dark.

Tianmen Mountain had two main peaks, each a hundred zhang high. The peaks were connected by a natural stone beam, like a door to heaven, and the scene was extremely spectacular, hence the name Tianmen Mountain.

Liu Xiaolou was also visiting this place for the first time. Seeing this majestic Tianmen, he felt greatly shocked, looked up for a long time, and secretly thought: This kind of craftsmanship, it wouldn't be wrong to say it was done by gods. Are there really immortals in heaven? I don't know if the place where immortals live is like this?

For a time, he became more enthusiastic about seeking immortals and cultivating the Dao.

Under this Heavenly Gate, a market had sprung up from no one knew what year. There were dozens of sects and major families stationed there, and rogue cultivators from all over the Jingxiang land came and went all year round. Shops selling spiritual materials, spiritual flowers and herbs, spiritual pills and medicines, magic treasures and talismans were all available. Wine shops, tea houses, brothels, gambling houses, inns, and horse shops were lined up, prosperous beyond measure.

A market was ten times better than Wuchao Town.

Liu Xiaolou walked in the bustling market, looking at this shop and that shop, truly dazzled.

Dai the Third said that he met Wei Hongqing at Hongji Restaurant at the east end of Heavenly Gate Market. This sworn brother had always liked wine, so the first choice for finding him was naturally Hongji Restaurant. Well, they all had the word "Hong," so this must be the one.

Walking and looking, he finally discovered Hongji Restaurant at the east end of the market.

The three-story restaurant was quite imposing. It was dusk, and there were many guests coming in and out. The waiters in the restaurant were shouting slogans he couldn't understand, carrying trays, lifting pots, and carrying wine, shuttling constantly.

The top floor was full, so Liu Xiaolou chose the second floor. The table by the window was also gone, so he just found a single table in the corner, ordered three small dishes, served rice and wine, and ate with his stomach open.

Hongji Restaurant had a solid background and strong strength. There were more than a dozen kinds of spiritual birds and beasts to choose from in the dishes, but the price was ridiculously expensive. Liu Xiaolou didn't dare to order them. The three small dishes he ordered were all ordinary dishes. Only the bowl of rice was spirit rice, and he ordered a small pot of spirit wine. This alone cost five taels of silver. Ordinary people really couldn't afford it.

Even Liu Xiaolou only dared to be extravagant occasionally.

The food and drink were not mentioned. The spirit wine tasted light, and the spiritual energy was slightly insufficient, much worse than the spirit wine he drank at Jinping Manor that day. But for spirit wine that cost five taels of silver a pot, he couldn't ask for anything. The waiter recommended the best bamboo leaf green, which cost dozens or hundreds of taels of silver, or simply spirit stones, which he couldn't afford either.

He ate and drank slowly for half an hour, but didn't see Wei Hongqing. Just as he was thinking about finding a waiter to ask, someone threw out the curtain from the row of private rooms inside and shouted at the waiter: "Another pot of bamboo leaf green!"

Liu Xiaolou couldn't help but be happy. Good you, Wei Hongqing, you are really here!

When the two met, Wei Hongqing gave him a bear hug, and Liu Xiaolou was almost strangled to death.

After finally letting go, Wei Hongqing patted his shoulder and said: "Xiaolou, I knew you would come, haha!"

Liu Xiaolou muttered: "That old mountain ginseng..."

Wei Hongqing laughed: "It's really good stuff, worthy of being a spirit ginseng grown on Shouyang Mountain. I soaked a jar of wine, guess what? Soaked for three months, finished drinking in three days, cultivation greatly improved, haha!"

Liu Xiaolou sighed helplessly and was pulled by Wei Hongqing into that private room: "Come, come, come, introduce you to a good friend!" ===== CHAPTER 24 =====