Volume 4: Shu Zhong - Orthodox and Heterodox Chapter 1: Green Lotus Waiting for the Moon, Immortal Mountain for a Thousand Years

  Shu has many sacred mountains, but none can match Emei's grandeur.

  More than 600 years ago, the reputation of Li Taibai, the poet fairy, has been passed down to this day. Mount Emei is a sacred place that has attracted tourists from all over the world since ancient times. Therefore, although it is already deep autumn, tourists in Mount Emei are still endless.

  There is a small town called Qinglian, located ten miles west of Mount Emei's back mountain, and it is not considered the main route up Mount Emei.

  When tourists travel to Emei, they all start from the first temple at the foot of Mount Emei - Baoguo Temple. Baoguo Temple is the entrance to Emei Mountain. After leaving Baoguo Temple, there are two mountain roads on both sides. The left line passes through Fotou Temple and Qingyin Pavilion directly to Jinding, or takes the right line via Wannian Temple to Jinding. When you come to Emei, you must go to Jinding. The Buddha's light and sea of clouds at Jinding are known to all.

  Decades ago, few people walked the Emei Mountain via Qinglian Town's off-the-beaten path, but now, as Emei's fame spreads far and wide, more and more tourists flock to it. Especially in today's peaceful times, with good weather and prosperity, the past thirty years have been a golden age of peace and stability for the nation. The main road up the mountain is crowded with tourists, and the stone-paved path is often congested, so many adventurers opt to take the Qinglian Town route up Emei Mountain instead.

  As a result, this small town of Qinglian, which should be quiet and peaceful, is now also bustling with activity!

  "It was not until noon that a ordinary horse carriage stopped in front of the main gate of 'Wait Moon Inn', the largest and oldest inn in Qinglian Town."

  The shopkeeper had already run out with a bow and was ready to greet the guests, shouting: "Welcome, sir! Welcome!"

  The old servant who was driving the carriage and the young man in black face got down from their horses, the young man slowly opened the curtain of the carriage, and the old servant said respectfully: "Madam, Master, we have arrived, please get some rest!"

  "Alright, we know!" The shopkeeper only heard a woman's voice coming from the carriage, low and steady.

  The carriage curtains were parted from the inside, and the people in the inn and on the street only felt a flash of light before their eyes. The shopkeeper's eyes widened with envy, staring straight at the young man inside, exclaiming to himself: Is there such a refined and elegant youth in this world?

  Everyone in the inn felt ashamed and looked down, not saying a word. In the silence, the shopkeeper behind the counter in the main hall suddenly raised his head and looked over, seeing only a young noble with clear eyebrows and red lips supporting a majestic and elegant middle-aged woman as they got out of the carriage.

  This is indeed Wu Gou, Chang Lao, Wan Dao Furen and Chu Jiu, Lin Ming Er and the four of them.

  Although the four of them were neatly dressed, their faces were all tired. In these seven or eight days, they had been walking in circles on the road for three or four days, and they couldn't shake off the pursuit of the four major sects of Wudang, Kunlun, Diancang, and Kongtong from behind.

  Five days ago, on the ninth day of the month, Qi Guai asked Madame Wan Dao: "Madam, it seems like they have been following us from behind?"

  Madam Wan Dao nodded and said, "That's right. The people of the four factions probably only stopped briefly in the Tiankeng Dige and then rushed to Shu to chase after us four."

  Wu Gou's face turned gloomy and he said: "Indeed, there is a traitor within our Holy Sect!"

  Lin Meng'er smiled and said, "Big sister, they still can't figure out how many of us there are!" She paused for a moment, then asked, "We deliberately took so many detours and circled around so many times, why couldn't we shake them off?"

  Wu Gou and Madame Yan Dao were also shaking their heads, bewildered. No matter how they turned and twisted, they couldn't shake off the people following them from behind.

  Madam Wan Dao sat in the carriage, deep in thought for half a day, finally lifted her head and smiled: "I know!"

  "Old lady, what's wrong?" asked Lin Meng'er hastily.

  "Ah, I suddenly remembered that the Kunlun Sect's 'Flying Flower Sword Guest' had once raised a rare and extraordinary bird, the 'Samadhi Divine Eagle', which was skilled at tracking by scent. We four must have been in the Heaven's Pit Earth Crack when the black sandalwood box was unearthed, and there must still be some residual sandalwood fragrance left in the valley. It must have been detected by the Samadhi Divine Eagle, and that's why all four major sects have been following its scent all along, never giving up, and never being misled by our attempts to throw them off track. They've been speeding up their pursuit, refusing to abandon it!"

  Wu Gou Long Lao was driving a horse carriage, while Chu Jiu rode outside on horseback. The curved knife lady's words were heard by all of them. Chu Jiu smiled and said: "Shi Mei, we have all played with the 'Samadhi Divine Eagle' before, it looked so ordinary, but it turned out to be this powerful!"

  Lin Meng'er also smiled slightly, but was worried and asked: "Yes, how did I not think of this 'Three-eyed Eagle'?! Now, what should we do, Big Sister?"

  "This is nothing, now that I know about it, there's a way to deal with it!" Madame Curved Blade smiled after figuring it out, and had her own plan in mind.

  She got off the car for a while when passing through Shunqing Prefecture in northeastern Sichuan, and soon came back. Lin Man'er asked her what she did, but she just smiled mysteriously. It turned out that she had paid someone to take a black sandalwood box directly north, all the way to Sword Gate Pass, while she and her husband took the things from the box with them on their journey westward, intending to reach Mount Emei.

  Shunqing Prefecture is the hub of northern Shu, east to the Daba Mountains, west to Emei and Qingcheng, south to the Yangtze River, and north to Jianmen. The four roads converge here, making it easy to change direction and throw off pursuers!

  At the beginning of the ninth day, Lin Ming'er and Chu Jiu were not intentionally sneaking a peek, but they still caught a glimpse of the object in the black sandalwood box when Madame Wan Dao took it out and put it in her chest. In that instant, their eyes met, and they saw that the demonic sect's sacred object seemed small and pitiful, only about the size of a jade block. It was really depressing. How could this be the demonic sect's treasure? How could it make the fire-type beast with six legs and four wings see it as an arch-nemesis and flee in terror?

  On that day, Wu Gou didn't see the "soul flying and dispersing, Xuan Qing Liu Yang Huan" on Chu Jiu's body, so he didn't tell Wan Dao Furen either!

  Along the way, Wu Gou and Madame Yan Dang treated Lin Ming'er and Chu Jiu with great favor and care. Every meal was a must-try for the two to taste all the delicious local snacks in Shu, which were renowned as the best under heaven. Chu Jiu and Lin Ming'er truly had a feast of flavors.

  In Shu, there are beautiful landscapes everywhere, majestic mountains and secluded valleys, with beauty that cannot be exhausted. Madame Wan Jian is even more so, hand in hand with Lin Meng'er, admiring the scenery, encountering famous mountains and great rivers, and meeting Jianghu figures, all of whom patiently explain to Chu Jiu and Lin Meng'er, as if treating them like their own children. Therefore, Chu Jiu and Lin Meng'er also do not dare to ask about that small object being the treasure of the Demon Sect.

  Lady Wan Dao in Shunqing Prefecture, this move "to switch the package" was indeed effective, three days ago, they had already shaken off the four major sects of Wudang, Kunlun, Diancang and Kongtong behind them. The four of them were still rushing westward without stopping, now, finally arrived at the Qinglian Town in the back mountain of Emei.

  These past few days, although there were no more pursuers behind them, and Wu Gou and Madame Wan Dao took good care of them, the journey was still long and arduous, with mountains and rivers stretching far and wide. Chu Jiu and Lin Meng'er were both exhausted, and Chu Jiu had only just recovered from his injuries. Wu Gou and Madame Wan Dao were also recovering from the internal energy they had expended to help Chu Jiu unblock his meridians. The four of them followed the innkeeper's servant up to the second floor of the guesthouse, where they sat down by the window, ordering food, tea, and water.

  Lin Meng'er was being pursued all the way, running day and night, getting thinner by the day, but she also felt stimulated. Being chased for thousands of miles like this was something she couldn't have imagined when she was on Mount Diancang before, so her spirit wasn't depressed.

  Just now, on the ninth day, I instructed the shopkeeper to take care of the horse carriage. As we went upstairs, Wu Gou asked in a low voice, "Madam, are we going to Mount Emei?" Lin Meng'er didn't wait for Madam Wan's response and said, "The scenery of Mount Emei is unparalleled in the world, of course, we must go for a visit!"

  "Why didn't we enter Mount Emei from the main gate, but instead came to this back mountain?" Chu Jiu still didn't understand and continued to ask. He had already observed that although Qinglian Town was also prosperous, it was just a small town at the back of Mount Emei.

  Lin Meng'er was unaware, and the two of them looked at Wan Dao Fu Ren, who smiled and said: "My foolish husband and I have some matters to attend to in the valley behind the mountain. If everything goes smoothly, we will naturally accompany Miss Lin and Xiao Jiu Shao Xia on a trip to Emei!"

  Suddenly she remembered that she and her husband had the sacred object of the Demon Sect in their chests, and they had come all the way to the back mountain of Emei, naturally there must be something important to do!

  It's possible that there is a great figure in the demonic sect who makes the righteous way tremble with fear nearby Emei!

  As soon as Lin Meng'er sat down, she had previously seen that the name of this inn was "Waiting for the Moon Inn". Now, seeing that the decoration of the inn is simple yet elegant, with a two-story wine building in front and a large number of guest rooms behind, the wine building now has windows on three sides, with the lake at its back. Occasionally, a gentle breeze blows through the window, making her feel comfortable. The second floor is spacious and bright, she's in a great mood, and can't help but praise: "What a good name, what a good layout! I didn't expect that this small town would have such an elegant name, such a simple yet comfortable layout, it's really rare!"

  On the ninth day, Xiu Xiu smiled and looked at Lin Meng'er. Lin Meng'er continued to say: "Shixiong, you said that, but I don't know what meaning the two words 'wait for the moon' have, or are they just attached to elegance?"

  "Haha, Meng'er girl, you don't know this, but this small town is located behind the peak of Emei, and Emei's height far surpasses that of the Five Great Mountains. Therefore, when the moon first rises, the town can't see it, only when the moon reaches its midpoint in the sky can the town see the moon. And the rooftop of this inn, coincidentally, is the first place in all of Qinglian Town where you can see the moon, so it's called 'Waiting for the Moon Inn'!" Chuyi didn't know how to respond, but Madame Yudao had already explained everything in detail.

  Her words were so clear and reasonable, and the tone she used to speak to Lin Meng'er was as if she was patiently explaining things to her own younger brother or sister. Both Chu Jiu and Lin Meng'er looked at her in surprise, never having thought that she would know so clearly.

  "Hasn't the old lady been stuck in the mountains for over a decade? How does she still know the customs of this place?" Lin Meng'er asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

  Madam Wan Dao smiled, her face as lovely as a flower: "Young Master Shi, Miss Meng doesn't know this, but although I haven't left the Heavenly Pit and Earthly Crack for sixteen years, I have been to this side before. This Qinglian Town is named after the Qinglian Hermit Li Taibai who came here on a trip many years ago!"

  Before this, the former Sheng Tang Qinglian resident Li Taibai, grew up in Sichuan from a young age, traveled to Emei several times, and had many excellent works passed down through the ages. Although he wasn't proficient in literature at first, he also knew that more than half of what Madame Wan Jian said was correct!

  Mrs. Wan Dao saw that Lin Ming'er still had a hint of distrust on her face, so she nudged Wu Gou Long Lao beside her and said, "Old man, you say, is it really like this?" Lin Ming'er was well-versed in Taibai's poetry, naturally knowing Taibai's masterpieces, but she also doubted whether the two Qinglian were truly related.

  As soon as Wu Gou entered the town, he looked troubled. After entering the inn and going upstairs, his expression became even more desolate, and he didn't say much. When Mrs. Wan Dao asked him like this, he unconsciously said: "What Xiao Wan said is naturally correct. This Qinglian Town, how can we not be familiar with it? Even the two characters 'Wait for the Moon' in the name of this inn were given by our Holy Sect's previous leader more than a few decades ago!"

  "Volume 3 of 'Jiuxuan' - Shu Zhong. Zheng Xie Volume 1st Collection: Waiting for the Moon. The sky is dark and the earth is dim, this volume marks the first ** of 'Jiuxuan', finally a Boss-level person has made a move, Ting Yu is also full of anticipation... Thank you for your support of Huanjian, Ting Yu and 'Jiuxuan'. Please click to put it on your bookshelf for convenience later. Thank you everyone! Ting Yu bows:)"