Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 155 Interesting People and Interesting Things at the Foot of the Mountain

The area around the North Gate was bustling with people, comparable to a busy market.

Chen Xu and the others lined up at the back, not in a hurry, only hearing the commotion and discussions among the crowd.

"Red smoke emanating from the Hundred Hearings Stele? What does this mean?"

"This is the Hundred Tales Monument Drunk. Just like someone who gets drunk from drinking, the Hundred Tales Monument has heard too many good stories today, so it's drunk too."

"What are you talking about? The Hundred Tales Monument can get drunk? That's a stone..."

"This stone listens to stories, so how come it doesn't get drunk?"

The words were funny, and a burst of laughter immediately erupted from the crowd.

But someone couldn't help but ask, "So what does it have to do with you being drunk on the Hundred Tales Stele, and how can you easily climb the mountain?"

The person who first mentioned the red smoke emanating from the Hundred Tales Stele immediately said smugly, "The Hundred Tales Stele is drunk, so it naturally relaxes its requirements. No matter what story I tell, it will definitely let me up the mountain."

Hehe, I said I'd get two red envelopes today, and I've definitely got two!

"What if you can't get it?"

"If I can't get it, I'll break a boulder on my chest for everyone to see..."

"Tch, who wants to see you break rocks?"

The crowd laughed and chatted, while the sun gradually rose higher.

Chen Xu and Master Wu and the others queued for nearly half an hour before finally passing under the North Gate.

As we walked along the mountain road, we saw a constant stream of pedestrians, all clearly heading to Qihe Mountain to join in the fun.

When we reached the foot of the mountain, it was even more spectacular. There were two rows of vendors, and all sorts of hawking calls were coming from all directions. It was as lively as a temple fair.

"Selling fruit! Crispy, sweet fruit, one bite and it's so delicious!"

"We sell tea, all pre-rain tea, it's very thirst-quenching."

"Don't miss out! Fans are only ten coins each, they can both fan you and block the sun, young master, why don't you take one..."

Seeing the bustling market, Wang Xin was stunned and muttered, "They're so good at business! How can people be so good at business that they even think of going to a market?"

But then Master Yao chuckled and said, "If you were poor for a year or two, you'd be just as good at business."

Wang Xin was immediately rendered speechless.

Yao Qing usually keeps a low profile, but sometimes his words can be quite sharp.

After passing through this market spontaneously formed by vendors, you will suddenly see a giant stele that is at least ten feet tall.

Although the towering stone tablet stands at the foot of the mountain and is surrounded by people, it has a desolate and aloof air about it, as if it were isolated from the world.

The bluish-gray monument stands silently at the foot of the majestic mountain, bearing the marks of wind and rain.

When the sunlight shines on it, a faint red glow appears on the stone tablet, like smoke or mist. At first glance, the light and shadow sway, making it seem as if the stone tablet is emitting red smoke, as if it were drunk.

The group of people felt a dizzying sensation, as if their souls had been illuminated by a bright light. Wu Zheng stopped in his tracks and exclaimed in surprise, "This stele is indeed spiritual!"

Below the stone tablet, there were ordinary people in coarse linen clothes, wealthy people in fine clothes, and scholars dressed as gentlemen...

Everyone, regardless of status, gathered around and told their stories, some loudly and some softly.

It doesn't matter whether the people around listen or not; as long as the stone tablet is willing to listen, that's enough.

After someone finished telling the story, a hazy, clear light suddenly rose from their body, and they were overjoyed: "I have also obtained the clear light of the stone tablet! I can go up the mountain now! Please keep me company a while! Hahaha..."

Then, only a few people, surrounded by a halo of light, emerged from under the stone tablet and walked up the mountain with their heads held high.

Under the sunlight, although these people were in the mortal world, they appeared to have attained the grace of immortals from afar because they were surrounded by a pure light.

Wang Xin was stunned, and a thought suddenly occurred to him: "If I could also bask in this pure light, wouldn't I feel as if I could possess the grace of an immortal?"

Thinking of this, I was suddenly filled with intense emotion.

How could he possibly hold back now? He strode towards the stone tablet. The group then approached.

People came and went under the stone tablet, but their arrival did not attract much attention from others.

Chen Xu lagged half a step behind Wu Zhengze, standing under the stone tablet and looking up, his heart also surging with emotion.

I only feel that the world is so vast and wonderful. If I don't measure it myself or see it with my own eyes, and only rely on my imagination, I will never be able to fully appreciate its wonders.

Beside him, Wang Xin was already excitedly telling his story: "I...I have a story, about a scholar who spent the night in a dilapidated temple..."

Actually, this wasn't his own story, but rather a strange tale from a storybook he had read before.

It's nothing more than a scholar, a beautiful ghost, or a strange romance.

How could young Wang Xin resist the stories told among scholars?

Poor Wang Xin didn't notice that while he was telling this story, Master Wu next to him was glancing at him every now and then, his eyes gradually turning cold.

Chen Xu was not in a hurry. He looked up and saw that the stone tablet in front of him was tall and majestic.

Looking down again, I was surprised to find something strange.

Moss grows thickly beneath the stone tablet, and wild grasses grow in abundance.

The tall ones could reach a person's calves, but by then most of them had been trampled and knocked down by the crowd.

There are also a few small flowers growing in the crevices along the edge of the stone tablet, climbing and scattering with the moss, which is pretty and interesting.

The most interesting thing is that this little flower even has an entry!
Stone moss flower, a small flower that grows under the Hundred Tales Stele due to the vicissitudes of life. When picked, it can be used to make Stone Heart Tea. Humans, ghosts, demons and spirits who drink it all have a certain chance of being exonerated.

Note: If one can compose a poem about this flower before picking it, the efficacy of the Stone Heart Tea may be enhanced.

This... can only be described as a little flower growing under the Hundred Tales Stele. The Hundred Tales Stele loves to listen to stories, while this stone moss flower loves to listen to poems?

Chen Xu was pondering whether to tell a story first or recite a poem first when he suddenly heard Master Wu call out from the side, "Xu Zhi?"

It turned out that Wu Zhengze had noticed that he had been silent for a long time, so he called out to him.

Chen Xu snapped out of his reverie and replied, "Master, I will now tell you the story of Brother Xu."

He kept his promise to Xu Wenyuan from the previous day and recounted Xu's ordinary yet extraordinary deeds at the foot of the Hundred Stories Stele.

This story is short, yet it seems very long, because it has no ending yet and there are endless possibilities.

As Chen Xu slowly recounted his story beneath this stele, he was unaware that dozens, even hundreds, of people were already sitting scattered around the Listening to the Waves Pavilion on Qihe Mountain.

Among them, the one who was most eagerly anticipating it was Ding Qian, the prefect of Yunjiang.

However, he was dressed in casual clothes and had deliberately used a secret method to slightly blur his face, so that none of the scholars and common people on the mountain recognized him.

Everyone thought he was just an ordinary wealthy man of unknown origin, but sitting next to Mr. Shuyun made him seem somewhat mysterious.

He also had a particularly good appetite. A winding stream flowed down beside the Listening to the Waves Pavilion, encircling the lush green grass and a few oddly shaped rocks, forming a large floating wine cup pool.

The group sat on the ground beside the winding stream. Upstream, Mr. Shuyun's servants would occasionally put snacks and fruit platters into the water, along with fine wines, which would then float downstream.

Others, perhaps reserved, would not take it excessively.

Ding Qian, the only one with a plump build, kept eating and munching. He not only ate, but also commented from time to time: "The fruit is too sweet, too cloyingly sweet. It's no good, it's not grown well enough."

"The wine is mellow, but somehow it has lost its clarity. Alas, it still needs improvement..."

Goodness, it's one thing for you to eat it, but you also keep criticizing it.

How could you be so shameless?
However, Mr. Shuyun sat with him without criticizing him in the slightest.

Out of respect for Mr. Shuyun, people had to be more tolerant.

But then he asked a gray-clad man standing beside him, "Ah Chang, have any interesting people come down the mountain now? Have any interesting things happened?"

The man in gray, Ah Chang, holding a bronze mirror, replied, "Sir, someone is offering wine in front of the stone tablet down the mountain."

(End of this chapter)