While talking, we stayed away from the river.
Zhang Jingqing conjured up a white horse, and the master and disciple rode away on it.
It was drizzling and the sky was getting dark, but the master and disciple were still on the road.
Traveling is indeed very mentally taxing... Zhang Zhiwei thought so.
He glanced at Zhang Jingqing who was walking in front. The rain had wet his hair, and his originally sword-like eyebrows and curly beard were covered with water droplets.
At first glance, he doesn't look like the usually majestic Taoist master at all, but rather like a sloppy and unruly Taoist priest.
Zhang Zhiwei was deeply touched.
Master treats me very well!
But soon, an emergency occurred ahead.
I saw a dead body lying on the side of the road not far away.
Without Zhang Jingqing's reminder, Zhang Zhiwei stopped his horse and went to check, and a mutilated body came into view.
Half of the body was broken, revealing the white bones. The internal organs were hollowed out and half of the head was eaten away. Next to the corpse, there was a load of bundled firewood lying on the ground.
"It looks like they were attacked by wild beasts!"
Zhang Zhiwei reached out and touched the bones of the corpse.
They found many small scratches on the bones, as if someone had brushed them with a sharp steel brush.
A steel brush... something like a steel brush on the beast... except for the barbs on its tongue, there seems to be nothing else. A tongue full of barbs.
Is it a blind bear or a tiger?
It was most likely a tiger, and a tiger with some skills at that. The tongue of an ordinary beast is not so powerful. The woodcutter was probably unlucky and encountered it.
Based on the tragic condition of the corpse, Zhang Zhiwei quickly simulated the previous scene.
A woodcutter was carrying firewood down the mountain when he was attacked from behind by a tiger. The tiger bit off half of his head in one bite and killed him instantly.
Then the tiger ate up his brain, internal organs and fatty parts of his body, leaving only some skin and bones.
The scratches on the bones are the marks left by the tiger's barbed tongue licking the bones and scraping the flesh.
"With just one roll of its tongue, it left such a deep scratch on the bone. I'm afraid it has already begun to cultivate its Qi and is about to become a spirit!"
Zhang Zhiwei turned around and reported the situation to his master.
Zhang Jingqing listened and said, "All things possess Qi. Unlike humans, few animals can sense Qi. However, once they sense Qi, their minds are simple, so they improve quickly. If they eat humans, they must be dealt with quickly, otherwise they will cause trouble to the people!"
Zhang Zhiwei said, "But in these desolate mountains and wilderness, the rain has diluted the scent. Where can we find it?"
"You only regret not having learned enough when you need it, and you don't know the difficulty of things until you experience them!" Zhang Jingqing scolded, "I told you to learn more about talismans, but you didn't listen. You only know the Chonglong Jade Talisman, and when it rains, you're at a loss as soon as you enter the water!"
Zhang Zhiwei remained silent. The Tianshi Mansion on Mount Longhu, the Shangqing Sect on Mount Mao, and the Lingbao Sect on Mount Gezhao were collectively known as the Three Sects of Talismans. They were the three sects in Taoism that were best at drawing talismans.
Although he is a direct descendant of the Heavenly Master, he is not very good at talismans and is indeed not very good at it.
However, in Zhang Zhiwei's opinion, the most important thing in practicing Taoism is the cultivation of life and nature. These side skills can be put aside for the time being, and it is sufficient to have a rough understanding of them for the time being.
So he only knows some crude methods, such as talisman tracking methods, and he only knows the most basic Chonglong Jade Talisman.
The Chonglong Jade Talisman was derived from the Taiwei Three Divisions, Eight Scenes and Twenty-Four True Talismans. The so-called "scenes" refer to the gods corresponding to the parts of the body.
The Chonglong Jade is for the nose, and the purpose of this talisman is to deify the nose, gaining an unparalleled sense of smell that can be used for tracking.
In short, it is an enhanced version of the dog's nose.
It was raining now, so Zhang Zhiwei's dog nose naturally wasn't working very well, so Zhang Jingqing said he was groping in the dark.
"Master is very wise. I will study the art of talismans when I go back!" said Zhang Zhiwei.
This wasn't lip service. He really intended to study hard. After all, he had encountered a bottleneck in thunder magic, and drawing talismans was something that really honed the mind. It would be beneficial to learn it.
"It's good that you know. Clean up the body and we'll find a place to stay!" Zhang Jingqing arranged.
Zhang Zhiwei immediately picked up the body, wrapped it up with the tattered clothes on the ground, found a relatively flat place on the side of the road, dug a hole in the earth, and buried the body.
After burying the body, Zhang Zhiwei mounted his horse and continued on his journey with Zhang Jingqing.
In fact, for the two of them, there was nothing wrong with staying overnight in the wild.
But the purpose of this trip is to travel and experience. If you rely on your cultivation and just go with the flow, what is the difference between that and practicing hard in the mountains?
Fortunately, the master and disciple found a place to stay not long after they started walking.
Beside the official road ahead, there is a small stone temple in the vast mountains and fields.
The stone temple is simple and ordinary, made of bluestone. It has been there for so many years that the stone surface has become gray and dull.
At this moment, there was a faint flicker of fire inside the stone temple, and it looked like there was someone inside.
"Although it's simple, it's at least a place to shelter from the wind and rain."
Approaching the stone temple, Zhang Jingqing made a hand gesture, and the white horse suddenly seemed to lose air and turned into two palm-sized pieces of talisman paper that burned.
Immediately, the two men pushed open the wooden door and walked into the stone temple.
At this moment, in the stone temple, several villagers who went up the mountain to chop firewood had to take shelter here because the rain was getting heavier and the sky was getting darker.
The villagers built a fire in the stone temple, used local materials and rainwater to boil several pots of hot soup, which they were drinking.
Seeing Zhang Zhiwei and Zhang Jingqing come in, several people tightened their hatchets and looked alert.
The world is in a bad state now, with banditry rampant, so they have no choice but to be careful.
"It's raining heavily outside, sorry to bother you all!"
Zhang Jingqing said something politely, and seeing the villagers' nervousness, he took Zhang Zhiwei to meditate in a corner.
In front of the fire, several villagers whispered.
"Aren't you cold? I see these two Taoists are wearing very thin clothes!"
"These two Taoist priests are tall and strong. I think they have real kung fu and are not afraid of the cold!"
"Real kung fu? The Boxer kind?"
"Shh, shh, be careful with your words, be careful with your words!"
Seeing the two Taoists being so polite, one of the older men quickly said to the young man behind him:
One of the older men quickly said to the young man behind him:
"Ergou, don't just stand there. Pour a bowl of hot soup for the two Taoist priests to warm up."
"Uh, okay, okay!"
The young man named Ergou immediately scooped two bowls of soup from the broken pot and was about to hand it over, but the old man stood up first, took the soup and handed it over personally.
"Masters, have a cup of hot water to warm yourself up! It's raining, and you're wearing thin clothes, so be careful not to catch a cold. We're all from nearby villages, and winter is coming soon. We can't afford coal for heating, so we have to go up the mountain and chop firewood to get by!"
The old man had a flattering smile on his face and explained the situation while serving the soup.
What this means is that we are just ordinary villagers, we can't even afford to buy coal, we can't squeeze out any oil, and there is no point.