Chapter 18 [Bacon with Village Brew]
After seeing off the mountain god, Fang Chang put his hands behind his back and walked slowly along the valley.
This is not the road He and Lin Hai took when they came here. After the mountain **** dredged, the spring water became stronger. He was going to see if the creek that resumed its flow would flow along the previous waterway.
The two sides of the valley are very difficult to walk, with dense vegetation, but occasionally there is a small open space, which is a paradise for wild animals. They often come here to drink water in an orderly manner, and even tacitly avoid preying on each other in the open space by the stream.
Many times, Fang Chang can only move forward in the stream.
Fortunately, he has recently improved his cultivation, walking in the water without getting his shoes wet. Along the way, even if he was dressed in coarse linen, he still had the appearance of a fairy family who was free and unrestrained. Unfortunately, no one could see this appearance in the barren hills.
With his hands behind his back, he walked all the way to Linxi Village, confirming that the stream was still traveling along the original route.
Then at the entrance of the village, he met people waiting for him here.
"Fang Xianchang!"
Lin Hai supported an old man, came forward, and shouted first.
Behind them is a group of villagers who have been waiting here for a long time. After the stream resumed, everyone refused to leave and insisted on waiting here.
"The water is flowing." Fang Chang smiled at Lin Hai.
"Yes, Immortal Fang, the water is flowing, thanks to your boundless magic power, you have subdued the monster." Lin Hai responded gratefully.
At this time, the old man next to him added: "Please enter the village, Immortal Elder. Everyone wants to treat you well and express our gratitude."
"No need, it's just a little effort." Fang Chang shook his hand, "I'm just checking the condition of the stream, and I stopped by to have a look—the current is much stronger."
"From here, a few miles down is the Baigou River. This mountain stream goes directly to the river, and there is no village in the middle." Lin Hai said.
Fang Chang nodded: "That's good. Now that things are in order, you can live a good life. I want to go back to the cliff and continue to practice. If you want to, don't get too close. I like to be clean."
"Don't dare to disturb the Shangxian!"
The old man said loudly, then raised his forehead with his hand, bowed his body and bowed and said: "This time, the immortal head will save the lives of the whole village. Linxi Village is willing to build a temple for Fang Xianzhang, and sacrifice it at four o'clock."
"No way!"
"This matter is even more unacceptable."
The tone was aggravated, and Fang Chang stopped it.
Poverty in mountain villages, this kind of waste of people's efforts will inevitably involve evil karma, and it will be extremely harmful to practice.
"I don't use incense to become a god. Building a temple is useless to my practice, and I don't need people to worship. Let me say one more thing, if there is no disaster, don't ask God. You must know that a good life still depends on your hands."
"The local Zhangshan God contributed a lot to the relief of the disaster. You can go to the mountain temple to worship during the slack season. If you have the conditions, you can simply repair it. It can also be regarded as repaying the mountain god's favor of dredging the water."
During the slack season, mountain village sacrifices are not labor-intensive, just consume some homemade incense candles, and the offerings will not affect food after worshiping. Therefore, Fang Chang is not worried about this, and Zhang Shanshen has contributed a lot this time, and he really needs incense supplements divine form.
Everyone present saluted one after another, even saying that it was worthwhile.
Seeing that Fang Chang was about to leave, the old man hurriedly pushed Lin Hai away, stepped forward two steps to call Fang Chang, and then asked the villagers to bring up the prepared gifts.
The villagers quickly returned to their homes, carrying or hugging them, taking out the precious things that had been hidden at home for a long time, and piled them up in the open space at the entrance of the village.
Looking at the busy villagers, the old man said to Fang Chang: "I heard from Lin Hai that the life of the Immortal Elder is very simple. Everyone specially prepared these, hoping to make the Immortal Elder Fang more comfortable."
Fang Chang frowned and looked, and saw that the bags and loads were all good things that the villagers were not willing to eat and save, such as rice noodles, bacon, dried fruits from the mountains, tools and cloth, oil, salt and tea bricks, dried vegetables and wine jars, and even some Brand new dinner plates, bowls and chopsticks, pots and kettles furniture.
"Everyone has a heart, but it's really unnecessary. That's the method of practice I chose to be in harmony with nature."
"Since I have achieved a small achievement, I don't feel hunger, cold and heat don't invade, I don't need these."
Thinking that I have nothing to ask for, it will make the simple mountain people feel uneasy, Fang Chang said to everyone:
"These are enough, I choose."
Calling everyone to stop, he looked down at the field ahead, then stretched out his hand, chopped off a small piece of bacon the size of a palm, then took off the bamboo tube tied around his waist with rattan, pulled off the stopper made of wood, opened the wine jar and reached out. With one finger, a wisp of wine flew into the bamboo tube and plugged it with a stopper.
After receiving the sorghum wine in a small bamboo tube, he took a fresh melon that is very common in the countryside on the burden of melons and fruits, and said with a smile:
"These are enough."
The villagers in front of them watched this scene quietly, and the technique of using magic to get the wine from the wine jar shocked everyone.
There was also the villager who was chosen by the head of the fairy to thank him, who was overjoyed and proud.
Hanging the bamboo tube on his waist again, Fang Chang bowed his hands to the crowd and said, "Thank you for your kindness. From now on, the two sides will not owe each other. I wish you all a happy life and peace." Then, while the villagers were still in a daze, he turned and drifted away. In a few breaths, it has gone far.
Seeing that the elder was just thinking about it, the old man still sighed there, feeling quite uneasy.
Lin Hai, who was supporting him beside him, said: "Uncle, I said before that the immortal head is a true master of the world, so naturally he looks down on us vulgar things."
"In other words, we in Linxi Village don't have anything that can be used in front of Immortal Elder Fang. Meeting Immortal Elder is our blessing. Being too formal will only make it difficult for Immortal Elder."
If Fang Chang heard these words, he would definitely praise Lin Hai. He was the villager who understood Fang Chang's true intentions.
...
…
With the respect of the mountain people, Fang Chang searched for the way from the mountains and returned to Xianqi Cliff.
In the process of subduing demons and saving people, he doesn't care about the little merits that are fed back. If you don't follow this path in your own practice, it won't be of great benefit, but it can be regarded as a little positive effect, which is not a bad thing.
The sun is setting to the west.
Going back to my own site, I saw that the bamboo bed and quilt I had been lying on before were still lying on the open space.
Fang Chang turned around and looked towards Linxi Village down the mountain.
After the water source problem was solved, the cloud above Linxi Village regained its vitality. He smiled easily, never expecting that he was the vitality of Linxi Village.
After sighing, he moved the outer bed board back into the house.
The firepit had already been extinguished, and the ashes in the middle were no longer warm. He took out the fire bow and fiddled with it for a while, then lit the firepit again. Fang Chang found a smooth stone and washed it in, ready to heat it up.
He took off the bamboo tube around his waist, untied the cane, and put it on the fire to warm it. Then he washed the bacon donated by the villagers, took out a small straight-backed jade knife, and cut it into thin slices.
While waiting for the stone to heat up, Fang Chang ate the melon in the bag first.
Melon fragrance is overflowing, sweet and crisp.
What a good melon!
Take out the seeds without throwing them away, put them in the bamboo tubes that are split open and cold, and dry them in the open space of the house. When the weather is good, they can be planted.
Next, Fang Chang is going to roast the bacon and enjoy it with Natongshan Village's homemade sorghum wine for dinner.
(end of this chapter)