Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 79 The New Mountain God! (Thanks to the generous patron, Anlanlan!)
The Taoist priest left in a hurry; we should ask him to inscribe this couplet.

Does that mean I should change my name to "Yi Yuanzi"?
Well, this is really too strange.

Zhou Yi found it amusing and handed the little girl in his arms to Lü Degui to look after.

Baihe Village is situated on a plain along the river. It is a relatively large village. As the sun sets, farmers are returning home with their hoes, and many villagers gather at the village entrance.

This is quite a spectacle.

Although powerful forces are frequently seen in the county town, most of them are only heard of.

A group of tall, imposing men walked in unison, and the onlookers involuntarily made way for them.

The burly man with leopard eyes, in particular, was the most eye-catching.

Firstly, because of his fierce appearance, and secondly, because he was carrying a terrifying demonic monk.

The monk's face was as black as ink, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Despite his frantic struggles, he could not break free from the iron grip of the leopard-eyed giant, his throat gurgling like the howls of a trapped beast.

Such a scene was already horrifying, but these guests from afar headed straight for Lü Degui's courtyard gate.

Before the rustling bamboo forest, a grove of gnarled and twisted trees suddenly took root.

"Guanzhu!"

The group of Han soldiers strode forward, clasped their fists, and shouted in unison, their voices echoing across the fields.

They had been waiting for this moment, their eyes fixed intently on the young man in black standing by the earthen wall.

After many days apart, I had only heard of him but never met him in person.

Upon this reunion, I felt that my Taiping leader was even more charismatic than before.

The stories of the Central Plains and the Jianghu, the misty waters stretching from Yongqiu to Nanyang, the anecdotes and legends in teahouses and taverns, are all vividly present before our eyes.

The joy and excitement in my heart almost burst forth.

The group of burly men wished they could lift the millstone in Lü Degui's courtyard a hundred times or even break a boulder on their chests to satisfy their urges.

Zhou Yi and Shan Xiongxin exchanged a smile.

His gaze swept over Zhang San, Feng Si, Dou Kui, and other former members of the Taoist temple.

As familiar faces appeared, a warm feeling welled up in my heart.

Xia Shu and Yan Qiu, the two young Taoist disciples, stepped forward, their eyes brimming with tears.

Zhou Yi stepped forward with a smile, ruffled the two children's hair with his fingers, but the two children obediently stayed still and whispered "Senior Brother" in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

Zhou Yi put his arms around them on either side, gestured to Lao Dan, and nodded to all the monks in the temple.

“Take the corpses from over there and return to observe.”

"Order!"

The echoes of agreement thundered across the crowd, and the group set off.

Master Yi

Lu Degui hesitated, stealing glances at the group of Taiping Dao soldiers.

He felt that his eyesight was failing due to old age.

This young Taoist priest is probably even more influential than the Crow Taoist.

No wonder he's of such a high generation.

Zhou Yi gently comforted him:

"Don't worry, old man. This mad monk wasn't coming for you. If you encounter someone like him in the future, remember to stay far away and don't provoke him. If he appears around Wolonggang, come to the temple to find me as soon as possible."

Lu Degui was just an old farmer in the fields, with no particular ideas of his own.

All I know is that the Taoist priest was saying it for their own good.

He had initially intended to invite Master Yi to stay for dinner, but upon hearing these words, his emotions were in turmoil, and he didn't know how to respond.

While he was deep in thought, Zhou Yi had already turned and left.

Lu Degui staggered a few steps and shouted, "Master Yi, next year I will brew you the finest mulberry wine."

"it is good--"

A long, drawn-out echo lingered in the twilight. Lü Degui gently stroked his granddaughter's hair, the worry fading from his wrinkles and replaced by a simple, honest smile.

"Uncle Gui, who exactly is this person?"

The men who had been knocked over by the mad monk gathered around, rubbing their sore spots. One of them was still touching his swollen buttocks.

"Master Ya has gone on a pilgrimage; this is the new abbot of Wuzhuang Temple."

The man rubbing her buttocks clicked his tongue in amazement:
“That evil monk is really strong. We tried to knock him down with cedar wood like we were ramming a city gate, but we still couldn’t. The abbot is even more formidable.”

"As fast as a swallow under the eaves, the demonic monk was paralyzed after taking a flying kick from him."

He gestured a backward stepping motion, utterly astonished:
"With such strength, there's probably no need to use oxen for plowing fields."

Although his words were rough, everyone could understand his reasoning.

Suddenly, an old man with a cane came shakily, his face full of worry and frown.

The local official had no idea what was going on here.

In short, something terrible has happened, hence the deep sorrow.

But after asking Lü Degui, the old village head's face, which had been "cloudy and about to rain," suddenly turned cloudy, and then sunny.

The departure of the Crow Taoist from Wolonggang was an extremely bad thing for Baihe Village.

To the villagers, he was like a "mountain god of Crow Mountain".

With him around, everyone feels more at ease.

"Degui, explain in detail!"

As the old man pressed for details, Lü Degui began by recounting the smoke rising from the chimneys, continuing until he recounted the story of the group of people who climbed the hill.

"Okay, okay."

Old Li was so excited that he pounded the ground with his cane: "Thank God, this Master Yi is a very kind-hearted person."

"Thanks to you, old codger, you've been spared a life. I must prepare gifts and climb the mountain to express my gratitude."

"Definitely, definitely."

Old Li was looking around at everyone:
"Everyone, please take some food and drink. We've got such a distinguished guest at Wolonggang; let's add a little something for good luck. From now on, when you see him, treat him with the same respect you would show to Master Ya." "In this world, those willing to protect us common folk are few and far between!"

"Got it, got it!"

The villagers had been ravaged by bandits and thugs; how could they not understand this principle?

The villagers of Baihe Village, gathered together, looked towards Wolonggang.

The group of people had disappeared from sight when Lu Degui's granddaughter, who was in his arms, came to her senses.

With a bewildered look in his eyes, he asked, "Grandpa, is that the mountain god you mentioned before?"

The mountain god that Lü Degui was referring to was naturally the "Crow Mountain God." When children misbehaved, he would always scare them by saying, "If you don't behave, the mountain god will catch you and lock you up on the mountain."

“Yes,” Lü Degui replied to his granddaughter sincerely.

"Grandpa is lying."

The little girl said, "Grandpa always says the mountain god is fierce and can scare away bad people, but this... this one isn't fierce."

"Some are very fierce, but this one isn't. I'll take you to see the Black-Faced Mountain God another day; he's the one who catches runaway kids!"

"No, no!" The little girl was so frightened that she kept burrowing into her clothes.

What was a bad thing turned into a good thing. The surrounding villagers chatted and laughed and then dispersed.

When it was time for dinner, the villagers, holding their rough porcelain bowls, gathered together to discuss the matter.

This day, Baihe Village suddenly had countless topics of conversation.

How did Master Yi kill the evil monk, and what is the background of this new abbot?

He spoke with great enthusiasm about the men who carried the log and crashed into the evil monk, as if he himself had become a chivalrous hero from a folk tale.

……

"Was the trip smooth?"

Inside the Wuzhuang Temple, Zhou Yi and Shan Xiongxin sat in front of the statue of Laozi.

Shan Xiong poured the water from the ceramic bowl down his throat, wiped the water droplets from his beard, and said, "It went smoothly, thanks in large part to the Cao family's help."

"We disguised ourselves as a caravan transporting medicinal herbs, paid some city gate taxes along the way, dealt with a few gangs of petty thieves, and arrived safely in Nanyang."

"Where are the people from the Cao family?"

"I said I would come to pay my respects at the mountain in a few days while I was in the county town."

Shan Xiongxin grinned: "Old Master Cao's insight is indeed far superior to that of his second son. He knew that Brother Zhou was a hidden dragon in the abyss, so he moved some of his businesses from Huaiyang County to Nanyang."

"However, the Cao family got a great deal this time, which is equivalent to making a profit without any investment."

"Oh?" Zhou Yi asked, somewhat curious.

"When Zhao Tuo, the governor of Huaiyang Commandery, died, his property was confiscated by General Zhenkou under Zhang Xutuo. The people were overjoyed. Zhao Tuo's followers scattered, and many of his medicine shops that supplied the governor's guests closed down and ran away. Some people sold their shops at a loss to make money for their travel."

"Old Master Cao took the opportunity to make a fortune, and now he's opening a branch in Nanyang with plenty of confidence."

“When we arrived in Wollongong, they had already been selecting stores in the city.”

"Old Master Cao asked me to tell you..."

Shan Xiongxin continued:

He said that the Cao family's roots were in Yanggu, and Nanyang was too far away to reach them. He wanted to give most of the profits in Nanyang to the Taoist temple in exchange for our help.

What do you think, brother?

Zhou Yi naturally understood what Old Master Cao meant.

Turning to look inside the hall, Xia Shu and Yan Qiu were directing the students who were busy with their tasks.

Suddenly, he asked, "How are they doing at the Cao residence?"

“Very good, Old Master Cao treats them almost like his own grandchildren.”

Zhou Yi nodded: "The Cao family's herbal medicine business will be of great use to us. The temple will need a lot of medicinal herbs in the future."

"The situation in Nanyang is complicated, so it is not advisable to make a lot of money through incense offerings. We need to find a legitimate way to make a living."

“I have some connections with the Ren family in Sheqi. They are in charge of the upstream distribution of medicinal herbs and know many mountain owners and old foremen who work in the mountains.”

Shan Xiongxin's eyes lit up: "That's perfect."

Zhou Yi smiled and asked, "Who is this General Zhenkou you just mentioned? I've never heard of him."

"Oh~~"

Shan Xiongxin said, "It's that You Hongda who ordered the fat duck in Fule City. This guy led people to hunt down Li Mi everywhere, and his reputation spread far and wide."

Yu Hongda?
Zhou Yi didn't expect it to be him.

During the conversation, Xie Jiyou came over carrying a basket full of fresh fish.

Thank you, Uncle Xie.

"Hey," the old man laughed and scolded, "I thought the River God was fair, but I didn't expect he was thinking of you all along."

"He knows you have old friends visiting, and these fish I caught are for these distinguished guests."

The old man was actually very happy.

Now Wolonggang is even more lively.

Zhou Yi did not refuse: "This is not a guest's gathering, but a family reunion. Please, Elder Xie, have a drink with us too."

Shan Xiongxin, standing to the side, rubbed his hands together and said, "I just heard that Uncle Xie has some good wine. Is it true?"

Old Xie readily agreed: "Really, I'll get the wine right away."

We waited very late for this meal.

But it just so happened that a bright moon appeared.
As night fell, Zhou Yi surveyed the crowd gathered in the temple, a long-lost sense of peace welling up within him.

He raised his wine cup, gazing at the moon in the sky:
"The moon over Wolong Mountain reflects the reunion of old friends; after wandering the ends of the earth, we are finally able to share this clear radiance."

"Gentlemen, drink to your heart's content!"

"Hahaha! Let's go!"

……

(End of this chapter)