Chapter 35: Miao Village

From the southern shore of Poyanghu, traveling west for six days, on the twelfth day of the seventh month, Cheng Yunqi crossed the Gan River.

On the twenty-eighth day of the seventh month, Cheng Yunqi passed Zhuzhou, climbed Mount Jiulang, looked north to Tanzhou, and south to Mount Heng. Tanzhou was rolling with red dust, the Xiang River passed through the city, and the Southern Peak responded to the balance, with peaks like swords pointing to the blue sky.

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, Cheng Yunqi arrived at Baoqing, watching the bright moon rise over the sea of clouds from the top of Mount Lang.

On the eighth day of the ninth month, Cheng Yunqi arrived at Wugang.

Standing west of Wugang County, what lay before Cheng Yunqi were continuous green mountains, not knowing where they started or where they ended. This mountain had no name and was at the junction of Sanxiang, Southern Wilderness, and Miao Border, overgrown with vegetation, with ancient trees and clouds and miasma blocking the sun.

Traveling over mountains and through water, specifically choosing the path of mountains and marshes, leaving Poyanghu when the lotus flowers were red, and now the osmanthus flowers were fragrant, Cheng Yunqi had been sleeping in the open for two months and finally arrived here.

Cheng Yunqi looked back at the Sanxiang Plain, then walked into the mountains without hesitation.

Walking through the mountains for two days, Cheng Yunqi came to a mountain gully, where a two-zhang-wide stream crossed in front of Cheng Yunqi. Cheng Yunqi came to the stream, the water was clear and flowing, the mountain stones at the bottom of the stream were washed into goose-egg shapes, and the small dark cyan fish were originally playing in the stream, but seeing someone standing on the shore, they fled away.

Cheng Yunqi squatted down, preparing to wash his face, but saw the soft, shallow whiskers growing on the chin of the boy in the water.

Cheng Yunqi calculated the days, and in ten days or so, it would be his birthday.

Cheng Yunqi's birthday, before the age of ten, was spent with his parents; from eleven to fourteen, with the neighbors; his fifteenth birthday was forgotten in Mount Sanqing because of meditation and absorbing Qi; his sixteenth birthday was in the southwest mountains.

Cheng Yunqi suddenly didn't want to hurry, wanting to find a village or wild village to rest for a while.

Since ancient times, there has always been cooking smoke where there is running water. Cheng Yunqi went up the mountain stream and walked about twenty miles, seeing a small village from afar.

He had never seen such a village. The village was built on the eastern slope of the mountain gully, with the back of the house against the mountain, and the front supported by wood, with the house hanging in the air. The houses were built one by one against the mountain, and many ladders were built between them, leading in all directions. The tiles on the houses seemed to be covered with moss due to the damp and foggy environment, making these houses look like Boston ivy attached to the hillside.

On the hillside opposite the village, there was a piece of farmland. It was the ninth month, and the field was golden. But Cheng Yunqi had never seen the appearance of this field either. It was layer by layer, chiseled against the mountain, and it was the same as the village next to it.

Thus, falling into Cheng Yunqi's eyes from afar, the village was level by level, like green Boston ivy, and the terraced fields were step by step, like stacked golden phoenix tree leaves, with a gurgling stream flowing through it, playing a brisk mountain song.

He was shocked by such scenery and couldn't speak. The shock brought to him by seeing this kind of scenery in the vast mountains was no less than the day he suddenly saw the wide and boundless Poyanghu.

He thought for a moment, then stored his "Autumn Water" sword into the cave stone at his waist. He took out a bundle from the stone, slung it over his shoulder, and, feigning the appearance of an ordinary Daoist priest, walked slowly toward the village. Along the way, he casually caught two plump mountain rabbits and carried them in his hand.

Before he got close to the village, dog barking sounded. After two or three sounds, seven or eight large white dogs gathered at the village entrance, barking wildly at Cheng Yunqi.

Cheng Yunqi didn't dare to go up, so he had to stand and wait.

The dog barking broke the tranquility of the village, and many people drilled out of the village, all in almost the same attire, almost all in indigo-blue clothes. Some men were in the fields, and hearing the dog barking and seeing a stranger standing in front of the village, they were also walking back.

The people in the village didn't speak, just looked at Cheng Yunqi straight, only the white dogs were barking.

"Fellow villagers, I am a traveling Daoist, hoping to borrow a place to stay for the night. I hit two rabbits and have some copper coins on me, all of which can be given to you."

Cheng Yunqi said loudly.

No one spoke, just looked at him straight, and the white dogs were still barking.

Cheng Yunqi had never seen such a scene, his scalp felt a bit numb, so he wanted to leave.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

Suddenly came a rooster crow, which immediately overwhelmed the wild barking of the white dogs.

A large rooster with a red crown, golden claws, and colorful feathers stood on the roof of a house at some point, crowing with its head held high, attracting everyone's attention.

The white dogs hummed and stopped barking. The large rooster looked at Cheng Yunqi, and Cheng Yunqi felt that the rooster was very spiritual, really sizing him up.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo————!"

After a long crow, the large rooster flew down from the roof and soon disappeared into the village.

And the village seemed to come alive all of a sudden. People walked out of the village one after another and came to Cheng Yunqi, their faces filled with enthusiastic smiles, but they were talking in a jumble, and Cheng Yunqi couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Little Daoist."

A Jiang Nan official dialect caught Cheng Yunqi's attention.

"Old man, can you speak the common tongue?"

The lean old man grinned, revealing a mouth with few teeth left. "Little Daoist, this old man can understand what you say, and I can speak some common tongue too. When I was young, I even went to Zhizhou!"

Cheng Yunqi also smiled and bowed. "Greetings, elder. I am a Daoist priest from the east, traveling about. I would like to stay in your village for the night; I hope you can grant me this convenience!"

Cheng Yunqi lifted the rabbits in his hand.

The old man nodded happily. "Those who come from afar are honored guests. The Miao village will never turn away a guest."

=9+Shu_ba

The old man took Cheng Yunqi by the hand and led him into the village, while several children came bounding over to take the two rabbits from Cheng Yunqi's hands.

"Elder, what was that about just now?"

Cheng Yunqi could not help but ask; the situation just now had been truly bizarre.

The old man answered with a smile: "The White Dragons are the gatekeepers. If anything is spying on the village, the White Dragons are the first to know."

The old man pointed to the white dogs circling at their feet as he spoke.

Cheng Yunqi looked at the white dogs; each one had a coat as bright and white as jade. He wondered how they could remain so clean in this mountain gully.

These dogs had round heads and large bodies, leopard-like eyes, and sharp teeth, giving them a fierce appearance. However, their muzzles were broad, square, and short, and their noses, mouths, and the rims of their eyes were a ruddy red. Their limbs were strong, their chests deep and round, and their tails stood straight up. At this moment, they were wagging their tails incessantly and looked quite adorable, showing none of the terrifying, barking demeanor they had displayed earlier.

Cheng Yunqi smiled and reached out to tentatively touch the head of a dog nearby. The dog was not afraid at all; it even stretched out its neck to nudge its head toward him. Cheng Yunqi scratched it twice, and the dog immediately let out a comfortable grunt.

White Dragon—a domineering yet peculiar name.

"However, while the White Dragons have keen ears, they cannot distinguish good from evil. That is why everyone was afraid to speak to you at first, fearing you might steal their souls."

The old man continued, "Lord Red-Crest can tell good from evil. So, once Lord Red-Crest called out, we knew you were no murderous thief, spirit, or walking dead, and we dared to let you in."

Cheng Yunqi asked curiously, "Lord Red-Crest is...?"

Cheng Yunqi pointed to the place where the large rooster had been standing earlier.

The old man nodded. "The call Lord Red-Crest made afterward was a long one—not a short one, nor a series of calls. This was Lord Red-Crest telling us that you are a top-tier guest who can bring us light."