Chapter 34 Miao Village
Chapter 34 Miao Village
From the south bank of Poyang Lake, we traveled west for six days. On July 12, clouds crossed the Ganjiang River.
On July 28, clouds passed over Qizhou, and I climbed Jiulang Mountain, looking north to Tanzhou and south to Hengshan. Tanzhou was bustling with people, the Xiangjiang River passed through the city, the Nanyue Mountain changed into Jiheng, and the peaks were like swords pointing to the sky.
On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, when the clouds reach Baoqing, one can watch the bright moon rising over the sea of clouds at night on the top of Mount Longshan.
On the eighth day of September, the clouds arrived in Wugang.
Standing in the west of Wugang County, stretching in front of the clouds are endless green mountains, with no idea where they start and end. This mountain is nameless, located at the junction of Sanxiang, Nanhuang and Miaojiang, with overgrown vegetation and ancient trees covering the sky with clouds and miasma.
We have traveled through mountains and rivers, and only chosen the roads through mountains and deep swamps. We left Poyang Lake when the lotus flowers were red. Now, with the sweet-scented osmanthus in the air, we have finally arrived here after two months of sleeping in the open air and eating in the clouds.
Yunqi looked back at the Sanxiang Plain, then walked into the mountains without hesitation.
After two days of traveling in the mountains, Yunqi came to a ravine. In the ravine, there was a two-meter-wide stream across the front of Yunqi. Yunqi came to the stream. The water was clear and gurgling. The rocks at the bottom of the stream were washed into the shape of goose eggs. The dark blue fish were playing in the stream. When they saw someone stopping at the shore, they suddenly went away.
Yunqi squatted down and prepared to wash his face, but saw that the young man in the lake had grown a soft and hairy beard on his chin.
Yunqi calculated the days and found that in about ten days, it would be his birthday.
Yunqi celebrated his birthday with his parents before he was ten years old. He celebrated his birthday with his neighbors from the age of eleven to fourteen. He forgot his fifteenth birthday because he entered into a state of meditation through eating air at Mount Sanqing. At the age of sixteen, he was far away in the mountains of the southwest.
Yunqi suddenly didn't want to continue on his journey and wanted to find a rural village to rest for a while.
Since ancient times, there has always been smoke from cooking where there is running water. The clouds go up the mountain stream. After walking for about twenty miles, I saw a small village in the distance.
He had never seen such a village before. The village was built on the east slope of the ravine. The back of the house was against the mountain, and the front was supported by wood. The bottom of the house was suspended in the air. The houses were built one by one against the mountain, and there were many ladders between them. The tiles on the roof seemed to be covered with moss because of the dampness and fog, making the houses look like creepers clinging to the hillside.
On the hillside opposite the village, there is a field. It is September now, and the field is golden. However, the field looks like nothing I have ever seen before. It is layer upon layer, carved into the mountain, exactly the same as the village next to it.
So, from afar in the eyes of the clouds, the villages, one level after another, look like green ivy, the terraces, one level after another, look like stacked golden sycamore leaves, and a gurgling stream flows through them, playing a cheerful folk song.
He was so shocked by the scenery that he was speechless. The shock he felt from suddenly seeing such scenery in the vast mountains was no less than that from suddenly seeing the vast Poyang Lake that day.
He thought for a moment, put the "Autumn Water" on his waist into the cave stone, took out the bag from the cave stone and put it on his back, pretending to be an ordinary Taoist priest, and slowly walked towards the village. While walking, he also caught two fat mountain rabbits and held them in his hands.
Before approaching the village, the sound of dogs barking was heard. After three or two barks, seven or eight large white dogs gathered at the entrance of the village, barking wildly at the clouds.
The cloud didn't dare to go up, so it had to stand and wait.
The barking of dogs broke the tranquility of the village, and many people came out of the village, all wearing similar clothes, almost all indigo-colored clothes. Some men were in the fields, and when they heard the barking of dogs and saw a stranger standing in front of the village, they were also walking back.
The people in the village kept silent, just watching the clouds quietly. Only the white dogs were barking.
"My fellow villagers, I am a wandering Taoist priest, and I hope you can stay with me for one night. I have killed two rabbits, and I have some copper coins on me, which I can give to you."
The cloud said loudly.
No one spoke, they just looked at him, and the white dogs were still barking.
Yunqi had never seen such a scene before, and his scalp felt tingling, so he wanted to leave.
"Ouch-oh-oh!"
Suddenly, a rooster crowed, instantly drowning out the barking of the white dogs.
A large rooster with a red crown, golden claws and colorful feathers stood on the roof of a house at some point, crowing with its head held high, attracting everyone's attention.
The white dogs hummed and stopped barking. The big rooster looked at Yunqi, and Yunqi felt that the rooster was very spiritual and was really looking at him.
"oh----!"
After a long crow, the big rooster flew down from the roof and quickly disappeared into the village.
The village seemed to come alive all of a sudden. People walked out of the village and came to Yunqi with warm smiles on their faces. However, they talked at the same time and Yunqi could not understand what they were saying.
"Little Taoist Master."
A voice in Jiangnan Mandarin caught Yunqi's attention. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a short, dark but lean and strong old man with a black scarf on his head. His temples and the back of his head were bald, with a few gray hairs growing randomly.
"Old man, can you speak Mandarin?"
The skinny old man grinned, but he had few teeth. "Young Taoist priest, I can understand what you say, and I can speak some Mandarin. When I was young, I went to Qizhou!"
Yunqi also smiled and bowed, "Hello, old man. I am a Taoist priest from the east, traveling around. Today I want to stay in the village. Please give me some convenience!"
Yunqi lifted the rabbit in his hand.
The old man smiled and nodded, "Those who come from afar are distinguished guests. The Miao village will not refuse guests."
The old man took Yunqi's hand and walked into the village. Several jumping children took the two rabbits from Yunqi's hands.
"Old man, what happened just now?"
Yunqi couldn't help but ask, the situation just now was really too weird.
The old man smiled and replied, "Bai Long'er is the gatekeeper. If there is anything spying on the village, Bai Long'er will be the first to know."
The old man pointed at the white dogs surrounding the two men and said.
Yunqi looked at the white dogs. Each of them had shiny fur and was as white as jade. He didn't know how they could be so clean in this mountain valley.
These dogs have big round heads, leopard eyes and sharp teeth, and look ferocious, but their muzzles are wide and square, and their noses, mouths and areas around their eyes are rosy red. They have strong limbs, deep and round chests, and their tails are straight and pointing upwards, wagging their tails non-stop. They look very cute, and there is no sign of their horrific barking just now.
Yunqi smiled and reached out to touch the head of the dog beside him tentatively. The dog was not afraid at all and stretched its neck and put its head close to him. Yunqi scratched it twice and the dog immediately hummed in comfort.
Bai Long'er is a domineering and strange name.
"But Bai Long'er has great hearing, but he can't tell good from bad, so everyone didn't dare to talk to you at first, for fear of losing their souls."
The old man added, "Master Red Crown can tell good from bad, so when Master Red Crown calls us, we know you are not a thief, a monster, or a dead person, so we dare to let you in."
Yunqi was curious, "Master Red Crown is...?"
Yunqi pointed to the place where the big rooster had just been.
The old man nodded. "The call from Master Red Crown was a long one, not a short one or a few times. This is Master Red Crown telling us that you are a very good guest and can bring us light."
Chapter 2 is here. Please vote and recommend. Comments and messages are welcome!
(End of this chapter)