Penglai delusion

"But it doesn't matter." Jiang Tan looked at Xi Mo, unexpectedly he was silent for a moment, but then said, "How does the elder manage to be far away from others without yielding, and to be separated from the world without restraint?"

Jiang Tan thought for a while, "It's good to get used to it."

"How can I get used to this." Xi Mo's tears were about to fall again, "The elder has been here alone for so long, but I can't do it."

Jiang Tan nodded and filled both cups, "Drink tea."

Xi Mo cried while drinking, "Elder, I am suffering, not only in my heart, but everywhere."

Jiang Tan swallowed a sip of tea, "Bitterness can soothe the mind and improve eyesight."

Xi Mo won't cry, dare you know that this tea is going through the heart of the earth? !

"I see that your words and deeds are different today, why?" Jiang Tan looked into his eyes, and found that his eyebrows and eyelashes were frosted, so he got up to find a scarf.After only two steps, Xi Mo said in a low voice, "I'm here today, and I actually want to invite you to try my new recipe." After a pause, "But it's already so late, let's talk about it tomorrow."

He stared at Jiang Tan's back, and found that his black hair was like a waterfall, which seemed to have covered his waist.

...Mother's long hair should not reach her waist...

Thinking of this, he suddenly heard Jiang Tan say "Today is fine", and he couldn't help but cheer up, "Elder!"

"I haven't eaten yet." Jiang Tan handed over a towel, "The kitchen is on the next floor, come with me."

Xi Mo wiped his face, and found that this cliff mansion seemed simple, but it was actually quite hidden.The two went down a stone ladder to a more open space.Half of the place is secluded, with a stove and a few shelves, and a small natural cave behind it as a storage room; A few clumps of pine tops shelter against the wind, and few snowflakes drift in.

Xi Mo took a look and liked it very much. He tiptoed to grab a handful of snow from the top of a tree, held it into a ball of crystal balls in his hand, and smiled at Jiangtan.

He smiled so happily, like the moonlight shining in through the wind and snow, dripping all over the ground.

"Elder, do you use this snow to make tea?"

"Yes."

Xi Mo took the snow pill into his mouth, and then licked it with the tip of his tongue a few times, "It really is good snow, soaked in the smell of pine needles, and has a slightly bitter fragrance."

As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes slightly, "I have loved snow since I was a child, and I often eat snow from flowers as jelly beans." Then he said, "The elder should be from Yangzhou, I heard that it doesn't snow much there... "

"...I like it too."

Hearing this, Xi Mo's smile deepened, so he pulled the package on his shoulder and began to unload the goods, "Elder, this time the dried pepper tastes good, and you are satisfied with the storage!" He then proposed a stone carp and a pine tree Chicken, "I just called today."

Jiang Tan nodded, and then heard the child say, "Go up first, I'll call you when I'm done."

He left.Sitting back on the low table again, he slowly cooked bitter tea, while flipping through a roll of pictures, feeling at peace for no reason.

Over there, Xi Mo was secretly surprised, because when he went to the small cave to draw water, he found that the room was full of raw rice and lettuce, and there was no other storage.

He went back to the stove and glanced at the almost empty shelf, only a box of tableware and a few jars of salt.

... What does this person eat every day? !

While Xi Mo was glad that he had brought a full set, he was also very curious.It stands to reason that if Jiang Tan has long been bigu like the old man, eating and drinking only to satisfy his appetite and not to be trapped by hunger and fullness, then he should choose some good ingredients to comfort his tongue.And if there is no inedia, it is even more necessary to collect various materials, otherwise, how can we be full with just those two kinds of rice, vegetables and salt?

Compared with before arriving in Penglai, Xi Mo's knife skills have greatly improved.But if you want to cut the ingredients evenly and thinly, you still need to stabilize the spine of the knife and align it one by one.He hadn't warmed up before, and he had just washed his hands in the extremely cold mountain spring, so he could only move the knife more slowly.

But he was not in a hurry, he just lowered his eyes and carefully sliced ​​the fish meat into thin slices as clear as flying snow.

Today is worth commemorating, and it’s okay to go slowly.

After finishing reading Jiang Tan's album, when he was about to take it down, he saw Xi Mo smiling at himself on the stairs, "Elder, dinner is ready."

A dish of salamander fish and a dish of chopped chicken are arranged in a Tai Chi pattern, with a bowl of fragrant chicken noodle soup on each side, and a trembling poached egg floating on the green onion and garlic sprouts.

Jiang Tan sat at the table, looked at the Yangchun noodles for a while, and then said, "Today is..."

"Yes, it's my disciple's birthday." Xi Mo said, "From now on, I'm one year older, and I'm a man who can be my own."

Jiang Tan paused for a while, nodded and said "Congratulations", seeing that the child was still staring at him and smiling, "Elder, if you taste the fish, it's still to your liking."

Xi Mo saw the fish with chopsticks in his mouth, chewed it carefully and said, "It's very good." He thought that his taste was really not accurate, this time the dried peppers were obviously half less than last time, but he still got a sentence " very good".

Xueyi couldn't stop eating this meal until early in the morning.Jiang Tan led him to the inner room, pointed to the only narrow couch, "You sleep here tonight."

"It's good for disciples to lay the floor."

"No need. You're tired too, go to sleep." Jiang Tan lifted the curtain and motioned him to lie down.

Xi Mo looked at the white brocade quilt that covered the bed like goose feather snow, his knees went numb, and he couldn't refuse anymore, so he sat on the couch and said hesitantly, "Then you..."

"I still have something to do, you rest." After saying that, he left.

Xi Mo: ...Is it because I occupy the bed so I don't plan to sleep?

He felt a little guilty in his heart, and was suddenly swallowed by the sudden rush of exhaustion. He rolled up in the soft quilt, and his hands and feet were all soft. In a trance, he felt that he was covered with snow, and his heart was like a cloud .

The stone couch looked icy cold, but it was like a piece of warm jade, warming his body and mind.

This sleep made Xi Mo almost unable to wake up.It wasn't until mid-sun that Jiangtan thought something had happened to the child, so he called him through the curtain.

Xi Mo opened his eyes and didn't know where he was for a moment, but his bones were so brittle, as if they had rotted on the couch.He simply closed his eyes again and let out a lazy snort.

Jiang Tan lifted the curtain, saw him wrapping himself up like a sheep, and said, "Get up?"

"Sleep a little longer." Xi Mo murmured, "I want to eat rice porridge."

Jiang Tan thought for a moment, then put down the tent and left quietly.And Xi Mo hugged the quilt in his arms, and smiled sincerely.

Smiling like this, he smelled a faint fragrance, "Xi Mo, here is the porridge, you can eat it." He was startled, he didn't expect Jiang Tan to bring it to him, and when he stood up, he was gone In the outer room, only a bowl of soft glutinous white porridge and a plate of emerald green mixed lettuce are placed on the low cabinet beside the couch.

Only then did he realize that he was already panicking with hunger, but he was enduring his hunger, holding the porridge bowl in his hand and staring at it, feeling a little reluctant to eat for a moment.

Xi Mo swallowed the porridge slowly, chewing the crisp lettuce in his mouth without making any sound.When he finished eating and licked the tip of his lips to taste the aftertaste, Jiang Tan said, "The snow has stopped."

Xi Mo said "Yes", "Elder, the porridge you make is very delicious."

There was a silence outside, and he said again, "Come out when you're done eating, and I'll take you back."

Xi Mo dawdled, "I'm not full yet, can I have another bowl?"

"Go." Jiang Tan said again, "It's better to hurry up, the road is frozen and you can't get out."

After hearing this, Xi Mo couldn't be any quicker, not only drank the crock porridge upside down with a shy face, but also accidentally fell and rolled down the stone ladder.

He lay on the ground moaning and chirping, Jiangtan came to hear the sound, arranged the people, and rolled up his sleeves to check.

"I didn't hurt any viscera...the bones probably weren't broken either." Jiang Tan pressed down inch by inch, with unfamiliar techniques, so Xi Mo wanted to laugh and had to hold back desperately, then frowned and said weakly, "I don't know where I hurt , I probably twisted my waist."

"……it is good."

Immediately, two dog-skin plasters were applied, and he was swept out of the house.It was also because of the bad weather, he dragged on for such a long time, the snow on the road was still soft and not frozen.

"Elder...

...Can I visit more often in the future? "Xi Mo limped with a sincere attitude.

"No need."

Xi Mo couldn't believe his ears, "Elder..."

"The first snow will close the mountain soon, and stone puppets are patrolling at night, so it is not suitable to travel." Jiang Tan said indifferently, "Don't go out of the firewood garden between the second watch and the fifth watch."

Xi Mo was silent for a long time, "Isn't it okay for the rest of the time?"

"No." Jiang Tan held Xi Mo with one arm, looking like he was carrying a dead dog from a distance.He sent Xi Mo to the gate of the garden and left in a leisurely manner, leaving the child alone, leaning against the gate and sighing.

After Xi Mo could no longer see Jiang Tan's shadow, he simply sat down in front of the courtyard, propped his jaw, and looked deeply.Now in this situation, he is not sure whether to recognize the old man or Jiang Tan as his teacher, which one is easier to achieve.

He scratched his face, took out the design drawing of the spirit puppet that he had just asked Jiangtan to ask for from his bosom, unfolded it and read it several times, but found that he couldn't understand it.Including many notations, he could read the words but not understand them.I can't help thinking, I don't know when and where I will meet next time, I should have asked someone to ask for advice on the spot.

I went back and looked through the unread classics, searched according to the bibliography, and found some relevant explanations.

Plant spirit puppets are generally based on various spiritual plants, shaped and rooted by the maker, and then repeat certain actions within a certain period of time according to the circuit set as the "brain".

Xi Mo was startled, why, the root bones can still be shaped by people?

After thinking about it, he looked at the stone puppet's blueprint, and found a page about the root bone in it.

After looking at it, Xi Mo seemed to be frozen.Theoretically speaking, the spiritual orifice is the basis for mobilizing the spiritual energy.Lingzhi originally has holes for absorbing spiritual energy, and when it is molded into a spirit puppet, it still needs to grasp the location of the holes.Metal and stone, which are not spiritual things, do not have such holes.Jiangtan's approach is to use the "Stone Book" as a basis, draw its spiritual orifice according to the lines on the stone, and then open it.It is equivalent to creating something out of nothing.

But...Xi Mo's expression was firm, but his heart was beating wildly. He thought, but, can my Wupin root be equated with this "nothing"?

In an instant, it suddenly became clear.

He stood on the spot, his breathing gradually accelerated, as if he was going to be out of breath.But he felt that his head was getting heavier and heavier, as if he couldn't bear this shocking idea anymore, he wished he could go away and hold Jiangtan back to ask what happened.