Chapter 432: Flowing East into the Sea

"What is it?" Lin Jue smiled and lowered his head, looking at the fox at his feet. "Are you reluctant to part with the hole you dug in the mountain?"

"Eh? How did you know!" The fox was greatly astonished.

"I saw it."

"How did you see it?"

"I just saw it."

"I don't believe it! You must have guessed!"

"Forget it if you don't believe me."

"I believe it again!" The fox said seriously to him, "It must be that you saw it secretly!"

"..."

"My hole was dug well! This is the best hole I've ever dug! Even a person could live in it!" The fox said to him, "Let's go! I'll take you to live in my hole for a few days!"

"Then during this time, besides digging holes, have you neglected your lessons and practice?"

"I haven't neglected my practice!"

"What about your lessons?"

"I haven't neglected my practice!"

"Hmm?"

Lin Jue shook his head helplessly and could only say: "Then let's go, let's go see the hole you dug."

The fox became happy immediately.

Lin Jue took out another Dharma seal.

"Chen Niu, Chen Niu."

A small ghost in brown clothes appeared out of thin air, with a serious face.

"You must remember, this is Nanshan; picking Nanshan stone is right here."

"Found it!"

The small ghost in brown clothes disappeared out of thin air.

As time went on, even if the villagers at the foot of the mountain were dull and worried about their livelihood, they gradually discovered something was wrong.

They knew that many young and middle-aged people in the village had gone up the mountain to become bandits; this was almost in every household. There was no way; after the harsh taxes and levies, the village simply couldn't support so many people, and if they didn't become bandits, they would face the imperial court's complicated military and labor services. They also knew that an Immortal had arrived in the mountain last year, and all the bandits on the mountain had gone down the mountain.

They also knew that the only scholar in the village, Lu, would go up Nanshan every day to offer food and water to that Immortal, regardless of wind or rain, cold or heat.

This could not be hidden from people.

But as time went on, everyone discovered that the body of the scholar Lu, who had originally been weak and sickly, had visibly improved. So some people guessed that it was because he sent food and water to the Immortal every day, and the Immortal, seeing him weak and pitiful since childhood, had casually bestowed upon him miraculous medicine, which was why he was like this.

Otherwise, how could it be explained?

Climbing the mountain is tempering, but there must be something to temper.

In this day and age when every household couldn't eat their fill, never mind climbing Nanshan every day, even doing simple farm work made one feel that the food in one's stomach didn't have enough strength. If there were no other strangeness, a strong man who ate chaff and grass and went up Nanshan once every day, regardless of wind or rain, would have become skin and bones.

But this scholar Lu was the opposite!

Who couldn't send food and water?

Although Nanshan is high, who couldn't climb it?

Who doesn't yearn for the affairs of Immortals?

The villagers gradually had the idea of going up Nanshan to seek Immortals.

Never mind being gifted such miraculous medicine and from then on being healthy and free from illness and pain; even just seeing an Immortal once was a yearning engraved in the bones of the people on this land.

But they were also afraid that the Immortal would punish them for having been bandits.

After struggling for a period of time, everyone chose to go up the mountain together after a heavy rain.

After the mountain rain was thick mountain fog, as if white clouds had fallen. As the mountain wind blew, the mountain fog spread at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if it were going to sweep and swallow the entire world.

Yet they had not expected that during that period of struggle, when they went to the mountain again, the Immortal had already left.

The person who walked the fastest did see the figure of the Immortal at the highest point of Nanshan, accompanied by clouds and mist, level with the flying birds, but just as the mountain wind blew, the Immortal's figure dissipated with the wind and mist.

Some sighed, saying that their immortal fate was insufficient, so although the Immortal practiced on the mountain for a year, they didn't even get to see him once; some blamed themselves, saying that they had once been bandits and committed evil deeds, so the Immortal was not willing to see them; others said that this kind of immortal likes cleanliness and seclusion and does not often see mortals.

It was just that two days later, someone passed through the village and asked for two newly ripened pears to eat.

Until a few days later, suddenly a local god came in a dream, saying that there was a *Zhenren* who had prayed for favorable weather for them in this place.

He also said that there were money and treasures buried by ancient greenwood bandits somewhere in the mountain, telling them to dig them out and return all the money they could find to the people who had been robbed by them, and use the rest to maintain their livelihood for these few years.

Everyone compared notes, and many people in the village had this dream.

Following the dream to search, they actually found the wealth.

Everyone was greatly astonished, ashamed, and regretful, almost falling to the ground and crying bitterly, only feeling that it was a true Immortal.

When this matter spread along Nanshan, while making many people recite it one after another, it also made many people sigh for it.

"A small boat obtains the ambition of being carefree. Let it go east or west, without a fixed stop, not discussing whether the world is awake or drunk."

Lin Jue sat at the bow of the small boat, shaking his head and chanting. Below the boat, the clear water wound, and the green hills on both banks became shadows.

Compared to the chaos in the capital at this time, or the fighting and demon-subduing in Qinzhou before, the comfort of riding a small boat flowing east toward the sea was more suitable for a Daoist, and also more liked by Lin Jue.

The fox also stood by the side of the boat, looking down at the fish at the bottom of the water.

Having taken the Nanshan stone, it was time to go to the East Sea.

The voice of the boatman came from the stern:

"Daoist, you chose really well. In this day and age, not to mention that the land route is bumpy and hard to walk, it is also full of thieves and outlaws. To go to Jiangnan and the East Sea, the best way is to take a boat, along this Wei Shui River all the way east to merge into the Great River, and then flow east into the sea."

In this day and age, the business was probably not good, and the boatman's attitude was much better.

"Is this road easy to walk?"

"Easy to walk! As long as you don't encounter water bandits!" The boatman said to him, "It's just that for the past two years, the Wei Shui River has occasionally had waves, but they are only a bit bumpy and will never capsize the boat. This old man has never heard of anyone losing their life because of this."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Lin Jue could not help but have some curiosity.

"I heard, ah, it is also what I heard from others, that it is the original river god of the Wei Shui River and another water god fighting for the position of river god, so they often clash, but they don't harm people."

!

"Who did you hear that from?"

"How would this old man know? It probably came from those high people who can calculate." The boatman said to him, "Daoist, you look like a high-level cultivator with Daoist practice; you must know."

"I don't know..."

Lin Jue only knew after hearing him say it.

However, this explanation was reasonable.

Being able to stir up waves in a flat river is clearly not the work of a small *yaoguai*, but not harming people can only be explained by the fighting of gods or *yaoguai* and ghosts with virtue.

And Pan Gong and the Wei woman were already fighting.

Previously, the Wei Shui River God was harmed by the *Tuolong Wang*, and entrusted himself to Pan Gong to return to the human world, inevitably suffering damage, and his magical powers and abilities might also have been lost. However, later he hung onto the *Ju Xian Fu* (Gathering Immortals Mansion), managed in the capital for a long time, and accompanied Lin Jue to Jinping County and the Leopard Forest. Relying on his own diligence and Lin Jue's abilities, he gathered a lot of incense and human hearts, and probably also recovered.

This also just happens to explain why he didn't see Pan Gong much in the capital when he returned to the capital last year, and even when he left, he didn't appear.

He was probably busy with this matter.

Lin Jue nodded and did not pursue it, but continued to ask: "The boatman often runs the boat on the water, so you must often hear guests coming and going discussing and talking. I don't know how the affairs of the north and south are now? How is the imperial court?"

"Daoist, did you just come down from the mountain?"

"Exactly."

"I guessed it was." The boatman sighed, "It is said that last summer, the northern army once fought to the gate of the capital, only two hundred *li* away from the capital. The Emperor was so scared that he fled the capital, but was stubbornly blocked by a civil official leading troops."

The boatman could not help but click his tongue.

"And then?"

"After that, I heard that the northern country called Dazu took advantage of this to send troops to harass our Great Jiang. Although the commander of the northern military town rebelled against the imperial court, he had to manage his rear. Last time, someone said that no matter how the northern military town and the imperial court fight, it is our own business, but that Dazu took the opportunity to intervene, which is a foreign race. They couldn't help it, so they were distracted there again." The boatman said, "Anyway, it was almost stabilized last year, but I don't know how long it can be stabilized."

"Dazu, ah..."

"Yes. Last time I heard a merchant from the north say that Dazu had intended to invade before, but when they reached the capital, they were scared by a high person in the capital called Lin *Zhenren*. The Dazu envoy died before he even returned to his own country; it is estimated he was scared to death, and after that, they gave up the idea of invading us." The boatman replied, "But now we are in such chaos ourselves, how could a big country be afraid of you? Daoist, don't you think so?"

"Reasonable."

Lin Jue nodded, somewhat sighing.

"Oh, this world, it is becoming more and more uneasy. I don't know when this fire will burn to myself. I can only take advantage of being able to move to earn more money." The boatman said, "However, this old man heard that the south is much more stable; it is the most peaceful."

"Is there no war in the south?"

"There is war, but there is little fighting. It is said that the King of Yue also rebelled against the imperial court, but he does not take the initiative to send troops, but rather sits on the mountain and watches the tigers fight. The imperial court is currently unable to deal with the north, so it cannot manage him."

"The boatman has broad knowledge."

"How is it that this old man has broad knowledge? It is because at this time, people who still take boats to run around are nine times out of ten not ordinary people. They are either bold merchants or high officials going to take up their posts. They take this water route and sit on the boat for days or half a month. Bored, they love to chat about these major national affairs. It is hard not to hear them."

The boatman said, but could not help stretching his neck, looking over the boat canopy at this Daoist.

This Daoist went from Qinzhou to Luzhou at this time. Although he was in Qinzhou, he seemed to know nothing about the events of recent years. The world was in chaos, but it seemed to have no influence on him. He also brought a white fox. I don't know who he is.

He actually somewhat resembled that legendary "Lin *Zhenren*."

But Lin Jue did not speak again.

The fox was looking at the fish swimming in the water.

He was looking at the fox beside the boat.

The sound of apes came from both banks, not knowing the chaos of the world, free and melodious. The green hills on both banks and the white clouds in the water slowly moved backward. The morning and dusk scenery and the stars at night were all reflected in the water. The small boat flowed downstream, spending about half a month, and arrived at Linhai County in Luzhou.

Perhaps it was good luck; there were no waves or ripples in the middle.

A pagoda was built by the river, with lights on at night, serving as both navigation and accommodation.

Suddenly, the sound of a bell rang.

It was a passenger boat arriving at the shore.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 433 =====