I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

Chapter 194 First Stop

Above the Cloud Mountain, the clouds and mist are dense and linger all year round. Only the Sword Peak breaks through the clouds and rises to the sky alone.

"What a beautiful fairy mountain!"

At the entrance of Luojia Town, a tea shop clerk was bored and looked at the towering green mountains in the distance with awe and admiration in his eyes.

Luojia Town, which is adjacent to Yunshan Town, can also be considered at the foot of Yunshan Mountain. It is the only way for people around Yunshan to go north.

The guy raised one leg and put it on the bench, and said lazily:

"Why do you think there are always clouds on Yunshan Mountain? Could it be the legendary fairy air? Are all fairy places like this? What is it called... fairy weather!"

"Are you stupid? Why do you think Yunshan is called Yunshan? The county annals record that Yunshan was named after its clouds and fog."

Dr. Tea on the side said disdainfully:

"But later, the Yunshan Sword Sect was established here and many practitioners emerged. This shows that there is a lot of spiritual energy on Yunshan. This cloud and mist may be the condensation of spiritual energy."

Dr. Tea obviously only had a half-understanding. Although there was abundant spiritual energy on Yunshan Mountain, if the clouds were all spiritual energy, it would not be called a spiritual place but a blessed land.

"Spiritual energy... doesn't sound as powerful as immortal energy."

The guy curled his lips.

He sat on the table, squinting his eyes, watching a few people coming over on the official road ahead, and he perked up:
"We have a visitor!"

Five young men in white came closer, and the waiter glared at them, then immediately smiled in a respectful and flattering manner:
"It turns out that the Sword Sect master is here! Please take a seat!"

The tea shop was located at the entrance of Luojia Town, and the waiter was very discerning in his reception and seeing off customers. He would never mistake the white clothes of the Yunshan Sword Sect disciple.

Xie Yuan and his group of five came down from Yunshan Mountain and walked to the entrance of Luojia Town. When they saw this shop, they didn't care whether to rest there or not.

With their minimum level 3 equipment, they were not too tired from walking here; but seeing the waiter's warm hospitality, they decided to stop for a cup of tea.

"Please make me a pot of hot tea and fill my water bag."

The leading young man said with a slightly cold tone.

The young man was dressed in white with two cloud patterns embroidered on his cuffs and lapels, and had a long sword on his back. He had a calm expression with a hint of arrogance, but he did not show off his talents. He was the direct disciple of Lupe, the master of Bamboo Sword Peak, and an old acquaintance of Xie Yuan, Huang Zifeng.

The Yunshan Sword Sect naturally would not let the rookies go down the mountain by themselves. As a rule, there would be an inner sect senior brother who would serve as the team leader and referee, responsible for recording the trial performance and providing assistance at critical moments.

Therefore, this time in addition to Xie Yuan and the other four, there was also an inner sect disciple. By some coincidence, Huang Zifeng followed them.

"I'm afraid this guy didn't volunteer."

Xie Yuan guessed secretly.

Huang Zifeng was no longer as arrogant as he was the last time he saw him. Although he was still a little arrogant, he had restrained himself a lot and was no longer capricious in his dealings with others. It seemed that he had grown a lot after being hit by him.

However, he was naturally cold and arrogant, and he couldn't change that. He was very quiet to Xie Yuan and the other three, perfectly showing the bystander attributes of the referee leader. But when it came to Lin Zhenshi...

“Junior Sister Lin, although Luojia Town is not far from Yunshan, and I have drunk tea from this tea shop several times, the necessary homework cannot be missed, just like this.”

Huang Zifeng took out a silver needle and probed it into the teapot, then took it out and looked at it in the sun for a while. Seeing that it did not change color, he said:
"This way it is non-toxic and can be drunk."

Lin Zhen showed a shy smile:

"Brother Huang, you are so patient."

"No, this is your first time going down the mountain for a trial. Teaching you...teaching you is my duty as the leader."

Huang Zifeng was halfway through his speech when he finally remembered that he had several fellow apprentices and changed his words slightly.

"How can a team leader teach? These common senses of the martial arts world have been taught by the outsiders. The team leader should not care about anything and is here to evaluate the results. How can he teach patiently and in detail? Why not just teach them step by step..."

Xie Yuan laughed to himself.

He glanced over and saw that Lin Cheng and Pei Yu had similar looks in their eyes, and knew that they were also complaining in their hearts.

Since it is your responsibility to teach us, why don’t you talk to us too? His eyes were almost growing on Lin Zhen’s face.

Although Lin Cheng is the elder brother, Huang Zifeng is the direct disciple of Zhu Jianfeng, whose status is higher than that of ordinary inner court disciples. He is only a little enthusiastic, so he has not expressed his opinion on this matter that has not yet been decided. He does not support or oppose it.

Another outstanding outer sect disciple, Pei Yu, was said to be from a wealthy family living at the foot of the mountain. He was a rich young man, so rich that even the Yunshan Sword Sect could not ignore him. He had a good talent for cultivation, and his temperament was as cold and arrogant as Huang Zifeng, and he did not meddle in other people's business.

Xie Yuanze just watched the excitement. Huang Zifeng's admiration for Lin Zhen seemed to come from the time when he beat him up, right? The conflict started because he was dissatisfied with me for leading people blindly, but it turned out like this. Now he probably has to thank me. Fate, wonderful.

Lin Zhen thanked Huang Zifeng politely, and then said:
"Brother Huang, where should we go this time?"

Huang Zifeng pondered for a moment:
"I haven't heard of any banditry around here recently. The foot of Yunshan Mountain has always been peaceful. If we want to eliminate the evil, we can either go to the northern part of Yunzhou or go west out of Hulukou. There are evil people everywhere in the Western Desert. If we find a few to practice with, we can complete the trial quickly."

"That's it..."

Lin Zhen pondered for a moment, and seeing that several male disciples were silent and staring at her silently, her pretty face blushed slightly.

However, she knew that she had become the one who made the decision for no reason, so she did not refuse and turned to ask Xie Yuan:
"Junior Brother Zhang, you live in the lower part of Jinshan County. If we go west, isn't it close to your home? Why don't you go home and visit Junior Sister Chen as well? Anyway, there is no time limit, so a little out of the way is not bad."

Huang Zifeng frowned slightly:
"Junior Sister Lin, this..."

"Brother Huang, is this okay?"

Lin Zhen blinked her big watery eyes and looked at Huang Zifeng intently.

Huang Zifeng's heart trembled, and he quickly changed his words, his words becoming a little stammering:
"Of course, there is no problem. There is indeed no set time limit."

Xie Yuan watched coldly, thinking:
"This girl has something."

But why do you still think about Mu Chaoyun?

This time I came out without asking a single question. I thought I should have forgotten about your Junior Sister Chen long ago, but it turns out you are still thinking about her.

But you definitely can't go. When the real and fake Zhang Shan meet, it's no joke.

Xie Yuan shook his head:
"Sister Lin, I don't need to go home. Our mission is more important."

When Lin Zhen heard this, he pursed his lips slightly. Huang Zifeng saw this and immediately said:

"Junior Brother Zhang, I agree that you can go home. It won't be a problem on the way."

This Huang Zifeng, is he so flexible? Why didn't I hear you call him Junior Brother Zhang before?
Xie Yuan cursed inwardly, but said seriously, "No, Senior Brother Huang, the instructor said that the trial should be given priority."

Why is Junior Brother Zhang so stubborn?
Huang Zifeng cursed inwardly, and said coldly:

"My sect has always valued filial piety. How can one be filial to one's teachers if one is not filial to one's parents? Junior Brother Zhang, the opportunity to return home is rare. You should think about it carefully."

"..."

When Xie Yuan heard him bring up this big hat, he gave the licking dog a thumbs up in his heart and could only use the word "delay" to say:
"I am thinking about the trial now, and I feel uneasy staying at home. After the trial is over, if it is convenient, I will consider going home!"

Hearing his well-reasoned words, Huang Zifeng and Lin Zhen said no more and nodded:
"That's it."

Huang Zifeng saw that no one was talking, and Lin Zhen still respected his opinion, so he pondered for a moment and said:
"Everyone, instead of going to other places to look for bandits and catch robbers, why not go to the Western Desert? It's faster there. There are countless evil men and bandits in the Western Desert, and all of them have blood on their hands. It's a perfect place for you to test your swords. As a disciple of the Yunshan Sword Sect, we should take it as our responsibility to uphold justice and eliminate violence. When we travel around the world, we must punish evil and promote good. We must not refuse. You must remember this."

"Yes, Senior Brother Huang!"

The four outer disciples bowed in response at the same time.

The five people stopped for a while in the tea shop, filled their water bags, paid the bill and left.

Dr. Tea wanted to be polite and not charge the Sword Sect disciples for tea. After all, the Yunshan Sword Sect was here, and the town and county at the foot of Yunshan Mountain had always been peaceful. The Sword Sect disciples often went down the mountain to do good deeds, so their reputation was very high and the common people respected them.

However, Huang Zifeng would naturally not take advantage of this, and Dr. Tea also knew the ethics of the Sword Sect, so after two rounds of politeness, he collected the tea money and watched them leave along the official road.

Yunshan is located in the southwest of Yunzhou, not far from the border gate. After walking for a few days, the five of them saw Hulukou between the two mountains.

I saw the majestic pass in front of me, with cliffs thousands of feet high on both sides and only a small path in the middle that could be passed. It was truly a situation where one man could block the passage of ten thousand.

No wonder in history, when the Western Regions wanted to invade the Central Plains, they all passed through Yanzhou and rarely attacked Yunzhou, because there was only Hulukou, a natural pass, across the Beidu Mountains. But with this terrain, even if they spent a hundred times more troops, they probably couldn't capture the pass with a thousand people stationed there.

The Western Regions barbarians could not invade, but the Central Plains dynasty could leave. Therefore, when the two tribes were at war, the Central Plains would often deploy heavy troops in Yanzhou and station a light cavalry in Xiguan, ready to harass the Western Regions at any time, thus containing tens of thousands of Western Regions barbarians.

With Yan and Yun states under its control, the Central Plains was almost invincible in the face of the Western Hu. Over the past thousand years, the Western Hu had driven them into the interior of the country only a handful of times.

"Outside is the Western Desert. I've been there once, and I can only say that the reputation there is well-deserved. Be careful, you'll have to rely on yourselves from now on."

Huang Zifeng pointed at the majestic Xiguan and said lightly that he finally remembered his identity.

But after saying this, he immediately said to Lin Zhen:
"Junior Sister Lin, don't be nervous. With your strength, the trial will be easy for you, and you will be able to enter the inner gate soon."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Huang. I dare not slack off until the trial is over."

Lin Zhen bowed slightly.

"Natural, natural."

Huang Zifeng nodded repeatedly.

After checking their pass documents at Xiguan and revealing their identities as disciples of Yunshan Sword Sect, they were able to pass through the pass smoothly. Soon they saw endless yellow sand.

The sight of the desert immediately shocked the disciples who had just arrived. Lin Cheng murmured:
"The smoke rises straight up over the desert, the sun sets over the long river, so this is what it is like."

"Damn, there's so much sand."

Pei Yu, who had been silent all the way, couldn't help but curse.

For people who have always lived inland, seeing the desert for the first time has almost the same effect as seeing the sea for the first time.

Although Xie Yuan had never been here, he had seen it in his previous life, and he was better than the other three. However, in this era when it is inconvenient for ordinary people to travel by car, they probably had never traveled far before practicing. It is normal for them to have many emotions as they are leaving the territory of Dali Dynasty for the first time.

Huang Zifeng and the others admired it for a while before saying calmly:

"You'll have something to watch later. Not far ahead is the first episode of the Western Desert, the Wind and Sand Episode."

Lin Cheng nodded:
"Let's go there first and get some information."

Xie Yuan, Pei Yu and Lin Zhen all nodded slightly, and Huang Zifeng also nodded secretly.

Xie Yuan did not express much opinion along the way. Firstly, "Zhang Shan" was just that kind of person. Secondly, with his experience in the martial arts world, if Huang Zifeng wanted to show off, then he would not have to say anything. He had to give others a chance to practice.
Thirdly, he doesn't mind going anywhere, and in this respect, he is more confident than Huang Zifeng.

Although Huang Zifeng entered the Qi and Blood Transformation Realm not long after fighting him that time, in terms of strength, if he lost to Xie Yuan once, there would be no need to compete again. The Nine Forms of Cloud Dragon, I believe that the Grandmaster's disciples cannot learn it even in the First Transformation Realm.

Several people entered Fengshaji, an important place between Xiguan and the nearest Oasis City. Although it was not big, it gathered merchants from the Central Plains of Xihu, the three religions and all walks of life. The forces were so complex that there was no other place like it in Yunzhou.

As soon as the few people who had disguised themselves as merchants entered the market, they were silently watched by eyes in the houses and streets. This made the inexperienced Lin siblings and Pei Yu feel uneasy, and Huang Zifeng also became cautious.

Xie Yuan secretly glanced around and saw that everyone had slowly stopped walking. He shook his head slightly and said in a muffled voice:
"There's a restaurant in front."

In front of it was a yellow, tattered flag with the words "The First Family in the Western Desert" written on it.

After being reminded, several people suddenly realized what was going on and quickened their pace to move forward.

Huang Zifeng glanced at him and followed silently.

As soon as I entered the restaurant, a waiter came up to me with a flattering smile:

"Where are you coming from? Are you here for a meal or to stay overnight?"

"We started from..."

"Bring a few plates of your signature dishes and a jug of sake."

"okay."

Huang Zifeng interrupted Pei Yu, causing him to suddenly realize something and sweat broke out on his forehead.

Pei Yu and the Lin siblings looked around. The store was run-down and old, with tables and chairs covered in sand. Several tables of customers were sitting scattered around, staring at them silently. A proprietress with a pale face was sitting behind the counter, looking them up and down with interest.

The three of them felt nervous and couldn't help but get closer to each other.

The eager customers, the waiter with a fake smile on his face, the proprietress looking at her like she was her prey...

This is clearly a shady shop!
“It’s a classic.”

Xie Yuan swept the sand with his hands, sat down on the bench, and looked around with interest:

"The first stop in the Western Desert is the Dragon Gate Inn."

(End of this chapter)