Where the wind chimes sound, there is a god

Chapter 9: The Umbrella Taker

The pure white moonlight shone faintly on the black water-like body of the python. An ordinary person would struggle desperately when seeing this scene, because the huge snake head above his head might fall and swallow him up at the next moment.

However, Chen Beimo did not feel the fatal suffocation when his body was entangled by the giant python. Instead, he could feel the excitement of the giant python. It raised its head and spit out its stick-like tongue towards the moon. A little bit of silver light gathered in the snake's mouth and was swallowed by it.

Then the giant python's body fell down weakly like noodles, and in the blink of an eye it turned into a thin, short snake, only one foot long like a ground dragon.

Chen Beimo was so shocked that he didn't even dare to lift his feet, for fear that he would accidentally step on Xiao Hei to death.

Xiao Hei twisted his body and turned back into his original half-meter-long shape, rubbing his head against his master's calf. Although the snake head has no face, one can always feel that this guy is showing off.

Chen Beimo squatted down and touched Xiao Hei's head with his hand, muttering: "My goodness, have you become a demon?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hei actually shook his head left and right, just like a human.

Seeing this scene, Chen Beimo was stunned and asked: "Can you understand what I'm saying?"

Xiao Hei spit out his tongue and nodded proudly.

"No way?" Chen Beimo asked in surprise: "You still say you are not a monster? You have intelligence!"

Xiao Hei shook his head again, then stretched out his tongue and licked his hand, a feeling of grievance emanating from him.

Chen Beimo looked at Xiao Hei in amazement. This guy was really smart! He could inexplicably know some of the thoughts in this guy's mind.

Although Xiao Hei was very intelligent before, he was only as smart as a cat or a dog. But now he looks almost the same as a human child!

Chen Beimo suppressed his shock and said to him, "Okay, okay, okay. Xiao Hei, you are not a demon, but an immortal, okay?"

The snake was obviously happy after hearing this, and kept rubbing its lower jaw against its owner's trouser leg, just like it was acting like a spoiled child.

"Since your intelligence is no different from that of a human, I can't call you by any name.

It's time to give you a name, what should I call you?" Chen Beimo thought carefully, and when he saw Xiao Hei pointing his head at the Big Dipper in the sky, he suddenly said, "You can swallow the Big Dipper and gain spiritual power, so how about calling you Beichen Jun?
As soon as I heard it, I knew it wasn't a monster, it was a god!"

Hearing this, the little black snake's tail excitedly lifted up and swayed behind him unconsciously, and its head kept nodding, obviously it liked this name very much.

"Your tail moved!" Chen Beimo suddenly pointed behind it.

Beichen Jun quickly turned his head to look at his tail, and then the slender snake tail stopped.

Chen Beimo couldn't help but laugh when he saw its appearance, "How stupid."

"Snapped!"

Beichen twisted his snake tail and actually hit his calf. Although he didn't feel any pain, it felt even funnier.

Chen Beimo ignored him, stood up and stretched. His slender waist matched with his green shirt, and his body was so soft as if he had no bones. If he was in the Red Mansion, he would definitely arouse people's imagination.

He took a long breath and looked at the moon, which had already risen to the middle of the sky. "It's time to go to bed. Today's training ends here."

Then he turned around and walked towards the attic, with Beichen Jun following silently behind him.

Suddenly he turned around and stopped, and the snake also stopped.

"I'm going to sleep. I didn't say you can sleep. Go and fix yours."

Beichen Jun's head paused for a moment, then he shook his head in protest, and even twisted his body and crawled up to the attic faster than a cat, and curled up in his own little nest.

Chen Beimo was amazed. This speed was probably beyond the reach of ordinary cats and dogs. This body shape alone could easily defeat several cats and dogs. If it turned into a giant python, ordinary people would have no choice but to run for their lives.

I have had a powerful bodyguard for some time, but this bodyguard is too smart.

Chen Beimo then went up to the attic, calmed his excited heart and fell into a deep sleep.

In his current state, after practicing this technique for one cycle, he would already be mentally exhausted after passing the thirty-six acupoints. If he continued to practice, he would probably feel dizzy. So cultivation is not about blindly practicing hard. His foundation is shallow, so he can only proceed slowly. If he rushes, there will be endless disasters.

……

On the sixth day of March, the sky was overcast and gloomy as if it was going to rain. Chen Beimo got up early in the morning, washed up, and went out to eat at the noodle shop next door owned by Grandma San.

He sat at a small table, listening carefully to the gossip of workers and vendors at nearby tables.

"I heard that another person from Fuzi Village was bitten to death by the Colorful-Belly Poison King from Sanshan!"

"It's this kind of beast again. This kind of thing always happens every spring when we plant seedlings. Sigh, I can only say that I have a miserable life."

"I heard that's not the case." A thin man in a gray robe whispered, "My wife's family is from Fuzi Village. I heard from her brother who went to the city to deliver firewood yesterday that the man was bitten to death by thousands of snakes!"

"Nonsense! Where did the ten thousand snakes piercing the heart come from?" someone immediately retorted.

"Don't disbelieve me. I heard that the man had dozens of snake bites on his body when he was found! Just imagine, dozens of snakes crawling all over your body, ugh!"

"If you keep saying that, you're not going to eat this noodle anymore!"

"Okay! Listen to me and continue. When the man was bitten to death by a snake, there was a child who witnessed the scene. He seemed to have lost his soul and kept mumbling "go home, go home, go home". He walked along the way and fainted when he saw his home.

Later, when he woke up, he started talking about snake fairy and things like, "I'm not a rapist or a thief, so don't eat him."

Just think about it, how could a village kid who can't even read a single word say such fancy yet bad words as rape and theft?

Now, people are talking about snake spirits, and the big snakes in the mountains have become spirits and are out to harm people!"

"Hi~"

Several people took a breath. It was obvious that these people were very taboo about things related to ghosts and evil spirits. Then they started talking about other things to change the subject.

"I heard that there is big news from the imperial court! All the four major banks in Jincheng are unable to lend money."

"What? You can't lend me money? That's bad!"

"What's wrong with that? This is great news! My brother-in-law, who works in the government office, said that our county magistrate has borrowed all the silver from the four major banks, and it seems that he is going to use it to start a large-scale construction project! Brothers, you should go to the government notice office more often recently, maybe there will be some good work to do!"

"Really? Oh, I said, our County Magistrate Fu is a great official!"...

Chen Beimo finished the last noodle in the bowl, put down his chopsticks, and without disturbing the busy Boss Wang, turned around and went back into the house.

He knew that if someone died in the wild in the mountains, the news would definitely be spread widely, but as long as the matter was related to mountain spirits or wild monsters, and there was a death, not many people would investigate it carefully.

After returning to his yard, Chen Beimo opened the water tank, in which were soaked several umbrellas that had been coated with tung oil. These three were almost finished.

There is a booklet in the store that records when and by whom paid how much deposit, what the requirements were, when to pick up the umbrella, etc.

Although Chen Beimo's craftsmanship is not as good as that of a master craftsman, it is not much different from that of an ordinary craftsman. As long as the umbrella is not too complicated, he can make it.

At noon, there were knocks on the front door, waking up Chen Beimo, who was sleeping in the corridor under an umbrella. It was only after Beichen pulled his clothes that he woke him up.

"Who?"

Chen Beimo lazily got up and walked into the main hall of the umbrella shop and asked as he walked.

"Shopkeeper, I'm here to pick up an umbrella!"

A young man's voice came.

Chen Beimo opened the front door and took a closer look. It was indeed a customer who came to get an umbrella, followed by a pretty girl.

"Oh, it's Brother Xu."

He recognized this man; he was the son of the rice shop owner on Baihui Street in Xifang, and he was almost twenty years old.

"Yes, little brother. Why don't I see your senior brother?" This Xu Zhi obviously seldom inquired about news. He had a simple and honest face and didn't know what was happening in the neighboring street.

Chen Beimo opened the door and invited him in, then replied: "My senior brother went on a long trip a few days ago, and it will take a while for him to come back."

As he spoke, he picked up the booklet, turned to the page with the record and said, "Brother Xu, it was said that the day to pick up the umbrella was March 13th. That's still a few days away, but is it urgent?"

Xu Zhi scratched his head a little embarrassedly and said, "Qiao'er will go to a poetry gathering with friends in a few days. It will probably rain, so I want to pick it up in advance."

Chen Beimo was sharp-eyed. He looked at the woman behind him and smiled, "Brother Xu prepared this for this sister, right? No wonder Brother Xu is so generous and willing to spend 800 coins to make a good umbrella. It's really a good umbrella for a beautiful woman."

The woman in green shirt and long hair couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. "This young man is always nice to hear. I am grateful to have received the love of Brother Xu. I just hope I can stand out at the poetry party on the lake and not waste Brother Xu's money in vain."

"So it's a poetry gathering on the lake. I can make it in time. The Qingluo Yuguang umbrella you wanted, Brother Xu, has been made, but it's still being dried in the sun. It will take another three to five days to be completed." Chen Beimo smiled and replied, "Why don't you come back in five days to pick up the umbrella, Brother Xu?"

"Five days? Why does it take so long?"

Before Xu Zhi could say anything, the woman in green shirt said with some dissatisfaction: "Why does it take so long? It's been more than a month."

Chen Beimo could only explain: "Miss, oil-paper umbrellas are time-consuming and laborious. Each one has to go through hundreds of processes to be made. Brother Xu wants to make the most skilled Qingluo Yuguang umbrella. If it weren't for my master's superb craftsmanship, I'm afraid no one in the entire Jincheng would be able to make it."

"Then let's do it in three days, on March 9th. I'll come to pick up the umbrella." The woman in green glanced at Xu Zhi with some dissatisfaction, "Brother Xu, pay the remaining money, and I'll pick up the umbrella myself when the time comes."

"Qiao'er, let me come with you." Xu Zhi was obviously paying attention to this woman and didn't want to miss the opportunity to be with her.

"No need, Brother Xu. The rice shop is busy. If you accompany me out again, I'm afraid your father will scold you!" The woman in green laughed and bewitched him with her jokes.

So Brother Xu took out a piece of silver from his lapel and said, "This is half an ounce of silver, just enough for the remaining money. When Qiaomei comes to pick up the umbrella in three days, you just give it to her, brother Ermo."

Chen Beimo naturally would not refute. After taking the silver, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, Brother Xu. I will ask this young lady to come and pick up the umbrella in three days and check its quality on the spot."

The two of them then left Tingyu Pavilion and went to other places to play.

Chen Beimo pinched the half tael of silver and took it with great satisfaction. Since Brother Xu's family ran a rice shop, they were naturally rich, but they were just small-time merchants with no connections at the top, so they could only live in the West District. They were far from being comparable to Mr. Qi who lived in the East District and could rent a mountain.

He came to the small wooden rack in the backyard, where there were two umbrellas hanging. One was just an ordinary oil-paper umbrella, and the other was the Qingluo Yuguang umbrella that Xu Zhi wanted.

Just by hearing the name, I thought it was a magical tool for cultivating immortals, but it was actually an umbrella. This umbrella was not like ordinary umbrellas, as it was painted in a dim yellow color to prevent the oil paper from fading.

This umbrella is not only used to shelter from rain, but also to be appreciated.

The umbrella cover is made of blue and white rice paper, with beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains in the mist and rain painted on it. The umbrella cover is also covered with colored glaze sand. When it is turned, if there is sunlight shining on it, it will be refracted by the colored glaze sand and make it sparkle. When you walk among the boats on the lake with this umbrella, your face will look brighter and more beautiful under the light of the umbrella.

The craftsmanship involved in making such an umbrella is not something that a lazy person like Chen Beimo can make. Only his master who has practiced the craft for decades can make it.

There are more than a dozen of these skills that outsiders cannot learn. If we were to explain them in detail, it would take several hours to finish.

Don't underestimate an inconspicuous oil-paper umbrella. It is a craft that has been passed down for thousands of years. Countless craftsmen have passed down and innovated the craft from generation to generation. It is far beyond the reach of laymen.

Chen Beimo looked at the umbrella and wondered what level of antique it would be if it were passed down to future generations.

He turned the umbrella over and looked at the quality of the umbrellas soaked in the vat, paying attention to his craftsmanship so as not to ruin his reputation as a master.

It was not until the end of the Shen hour, which was almost five in the afternoon when the Yang energy sank and the Yin energy rose that Chen Beimo began to practice again.

This time, the Qi flowed through the thirty-six acupoints much more smoothly. When he completed a cycle of Qi circulation, it penetrated the Qi pill into his lower abdomen, and when he obtained another wisp of Qi, he became more sensitive to the wisp of Yin-Water Qi he had cultivated. Excluding the wisp from last night, he had only cultivated two wisps of Yin-Water.

However, this time, Beichen Jun was not moved at all. He just coiled lazily aside waiting for the night stars, as if that wisp of water vapor in the yin was a trigger that awakened Beichen Jun's mind and wisdom and made him start practicing, but it was useless afterwards.

This is because it cultivates the power of the stars, breathes in the light of the Big Dipper stars, and has the moonlight of the moon shining on its body.

When the moon came out and the stars twinkled, Beichen Jun would cross his body and look up at the moon, his mouth sometimes opening and sometimes closing. He looked towards the Big Dipper, but he could no longer see the bright light of yesterday. Only a little light could be seen flashing occasionally.

Chen Beimo squatted aside and watched for a while, but felt bored, so he went to the main hall to find a chair, lit a candle, and read the outline of the medical book he bought from Li's study.

Since I have nothing to do anyway, I might as well read some medical books and learn more about Chinese medicine pharmacology. It will always come in handy.

It's dark now and he doesn't dare to run around. Who knows if someone is waiting to set a trap for him.

This small courtyard is his world, unless a martial arts master takes action personally.

So although Chen Beimo seemed to be relaxed and indifferent, he always remembered to strengthen himself. Before he had achieved something famous, he would not go out at night easily.

(End of this chapter)