It is said that the Cat Immortal Tan Taoist in those days traveled around since he secluded himself from the world. One year he returned to his hometown in Lingzhou and actually saw his birth shrine in the city. He thought to himself that he was so virtuous and capable that he dared to deserve such incense. Before leaving, he hid all the outfits he used back then under the shrine in the temple.
This is all the past events of many dynasties and generations, but I don’t know how the old ghost in the forest knows all about it. Zhang Xiaopian'er only thought that this old man must be a special person, and he was lucky to have met a true immortal. He was like a treasure from poverty, like a lamp from darkness, and he hurriedly asked for advice on how to deal with the divine mastiff in Desolate Burial Ridge. If you can really achieve this feat, why worry about not being proud and prosperous in the future? It is precisely "without a strong enemy to distinguish between life and death, how can one's whereabouts be revealed? When he becomes famous all over the world, he will turn out to be a man."
The old ghost in the forest let Zhang Xiaopian'er wear the cat fairy's night clothes, and took out a mask from the bottom of the box. The pattern on the mask is shaped like a cat's face, with two cat ears embedded on the top of the head, and the tentacles are very soft. The old ghost in the forest said: "This thing is called a cat's face. It comes from the far west of Persia. It can cover the breath of strangers. As long as you wear this mask, the foxes, rabbits and wild dogs in the deep mountains and old forests will only see you." Treat you like a wild cat passing by." After saying that, he put the cat mask on Zhang Xiaobian'er, and gave him a clever strategy, letting him take the black cat alone to the Desolate Burial Ridge to capture the divine mastiff, and then gave him many instructions. He was told to remember where he was going in the future.
Zhang Xiaopian'er felt that the old ghost in the forest's plan was extremely unbelievable and might not really be possible. Just as he was about to ask again, he heard the thunderous sound of drums outside. He hurried out of the temple to listen, and was surprised and said: "Oh, this is Lingzhou City beating drums to gather troops. I think a big battle is about to happen." When he turned back, the old ghost in the forest had disappeared. Only the wild cats in the hall were frightened by the sound of war drums and were hiding in all directions.
Zhang Xiaopian'er stood there stunned for a long time. He looked down at the black clothes he was wearing and knew that what just happened was definitely not a dream. He thought to himself that the army was approaching the city now. Although Lingzhou City had many soldiers and sufficient food, it had been left alone and helpless. He didn't know how long it could hold out. Anyway, if the city was broken, he would be dead. It would be better to follow what the old ghost in the forest said and risk his life. Prosperity and wealth abound.
As the saying goes: "Ever since I was deceived by profiteers selling sugar, I will never trust anyone who talks sweet words." However, Zhang Xiaobian'er has a short-sighted mind and has never learned anything from the experience. However, he feels: "Anyway, except for The third master's own little life has no other external things. If he succeeds in taking advantage of the good fortune, it will be a huge bargain." It is really a lack of people's hearts. Before he can reach Long, he has already looked forward to Shu. From then on, he made up his mind, no longer confused about the ups and downs of mountains and rivers, and after tidying up, he took Yueying, the black-eyed golden cat with him and hurried back to Yazhong Dianmao.
On the way, he saw Sun Mazi coming to Han Xin and said that the fox must die . Zhang Xiaobian had suffered a big loss in the Huaiyuan treasury, so he did not dare to publicize it this time, and briefly told him the reason for his departure. The two of them directly asked to see Mr. Ma, and asked him face to face to kill the wild dogs in the deserted ridge and eliminate the great harm to the place.
Although Ma Tianxi is a civilian official, over the past year or so, he has recruited troops to defend the city. The emperor has issued a decree to reward him. It is said that he may be promoted to an official soon. Therefore, the military, political and defense of the area are under his sole control, and he is directly under the command of the emperor. It is under the jurisdiction of the Governor-General of Liangjiang. At this time, the Guangdong invaders were approaching the city . Han Xin said that the fox would die , and they might attack the city early tomorrow morning. Ma Tianxi was naturally very busy, constantly mobilizing regiments, distributing firearms, and temporarily putting other things aside.
It's just that Admiral Tuhai couldn't let go of the matter. He was frightened to death by the Mastiff at the execution ground during the day. Although there were many Cantonese invaders coming to attack the city, after all, they were blocked by the city walls and trenches, so it would be difficult to measure the rabble. But the evil dogs in the Deserted Burial Ridge were like ghosts. They might sneak into the city at some point and bite people unprepared. Thinking again of the tragic scene where Mr. Liu Wu was disemboweled, he couldn't help but feel frightened. He couldn't sit still for a moment and couldn't help but urge Mr. Ma to think of countermeasures.
At this time, Zhang Xiaobian'er came to ask for orders. Ma Tianxi was overjoyed and praised: "Finally, I saw the right person. Zhang Paitou is a really strong man. I don't know how to do it. How many people will he bring?" Zhang Xiaobian'er said: " I have been grateful for the kindness and love, but I have never been able to repay it. If I have the opportunity to help Master Ma, I will not dare to refuse, even if it means mountains of swords and fire. This time, I don’t need to use any soldiers. I just ask Sun Mazi to stay at the top of the city to take care of him. But, the villain has his own ability to deal with the wild dogs in Desolate Burial Ridge."
Lord Ma saw that although his words were slippery, his expression showed that he knew what he was talking about. He also used people without suspicion and did not use doubters, so he nodded and said: "It is extremely difficult to do this without courage and wisdom. It seems that beautiful jade has always been hidden in hard rocks. If you choose people based on their clothes, appearance, and family background, , wouldn’t you miss the wise men in the world? This card head is indeed not something that can be taken lightly. According to your words, I will dispatch a group of servants to the city to take care of you. Once the job is completed, there will be a heavy reward." After saying this, he ordered people to take it. There was a short sword, which was Cunqing passed down by executioners in ancient times. It was taken into the official treasury after Liu Wuye's death. At this time, he gave Zhang Xiaopian'er to carry for self-defense, and also gave him a waist badge for entering and exiting the city defense, so that he could use it. He acted cheaply.
But the other officials and staff, as well as the bannerman Admiral Tuhai, all felt that Zhang Xiaobian'er had some real tricks, but he was just a bit naughty and courageous. This was not easy. It was like asking for a fragile bone from a tiger's mouth. Pulling out a tooth from an elephant's mouth is not something to be trifled with. Even if you act bravely, your life will be in vain.
It was already dark by this time, so Zhang Xiaobianer said goodbye, called Sun Mazi and a group of businessmen, and went to Nancheng together. With a powerful enemy outside the city, the city gates would never be opened, so people had to be hung from the top of the city with large bamboo baskets.
Zhang Xiaowei'er saw that there were densely packed people standing on the top of the city. They were all Lingzhou regiment warriors. They were continuously carrying wood, rolling stones, gray bottles, bows and arrows. They also laid out many mortars and firearms, mountain-splitting cannons and rows of them. Countless people raised their guns. It can be said that "the murderous aura bewildered the sky and the universe was dark, and the whole world was conquered by clouds and the universe was dark." He had never seen such a battle before, and he couldn't help but feel frightened secretly, his feet felt weak, and he felt a little regretful for showing off his strength in front of the officials just now, but now it was too late to retreat, so he had to pack his whole body compactly and prepare for it. After it gets completely dark, he will go out of the city to do business. Only then will he "enter the tiger's den and take risks to explore the jackals."
Zhang Xiaowei'er thought to himself: If you are too timid, you can't be a general. If you don't want to give up your children, you can't lure the wolf. Who told us that we have been without wealth and power since we were born? We have no ability to do other things for a living, and we are not willing to work hard to survive. If you are no longer willing to risk your own life as capital, how can you get ahead? Thinking of this, I made up my mind, tightened my night clothes, put leggings on my legs with green straps, and put on a pair of multi-eared hemp shoes. I also packed water, food and a small bag of lime with me, and put the green belt on my legs. With the short knife stuck on his waist, he had a feast with the black cat on the top of the city.
Sun Mazi admired Zhang Xiaobian'er's behavior so much that he deliberately wanted to go with him so that if anything happened, the two of them would be able to take care of him. Zhang Xiaobian'er stopped him and said, "Look at the situation, the Cantonese invaders will come to attack the city at dawn tomorrow. If you don't stay on top of the city with your big face, who will pick me up when you come back?" Sun Mazi nodded and said yes. He told Zhang Xiaobian'er to come back before dawn, otherwise he would be trapped by the Cantonese invaders attacking the city and die among the rebels.
At this moment, black clouds covered the bright moon, which was a good opportunity to sneak in. Zhang Xiaowei sat in the hanging basket and went down to the city. He raised his eyes and looked around, then put the black cat in his arms and looked at it with the help of a few dim stars. , and headed straight to the Deserted Burial Ridge in the south of the city.
Although this mountain pass is close to the city, the ravines in the mountain are very deep and it is a very wild place. Except for the civilians who dump the corpses, few people approach it. The Taiping Army would not go through the valley. In the past few times, they had just detoured from both sides.
Not long after Zhang Xiaobian'er walked, he had already arrived at the front of the valley. He had always slept in the grass and in the open, so he didn't think much of walking alone in the barren mountains late at night. But I saw that the surrounding grass grew taller than people, and there were many mounds and graves among the weeds and wild vines. Wild dogs roamed among the graves and mounds from time to time. He followed the instructions of the old ghost in the forest and put the mask on his face. Sure enough, he didn't encounter anything evil. He found the direction and passed through the large barren graves. He went down to the depths of the valley and found that there were bones of the dead under his feet, and there were masses of people around him. The phosphorus fire flickered on and off, and the moonlight leaked through the gaps in the red clouds, illuminating the huge rocks on both sides. It looked like a barren ridge. It is really like "no guest from all directions, few people travel in all seasons". Walking in it is like surrendering to the underworld.
Even though Zhang Xiaowei was brave, he couldn't help but feel more and more nervous, so he had to talk to the black cat while walking to strengthen his courage: "I often heard that the domestic cats in Lingzhou are no better than wild cats. They hate the poor and love the rich, and are lazy, greedy and slippery. But." This time we go into the mountains to capture and kill Tatar dogs, and we have to rely entirely on your ability, Brother Cat. As long as it becomes a big deal, I will buy you fresh fish every day to satisfy your craving. Don’t look at how poor your third master is now, think about the time in Huaiyin Before he met Hou Hanxin, he had been humiliated by his crotch. Before Lu Mengzheng in the Northern Song Dynasty became the prime minister, didn't he spend the night in a ruined temple like Mr. Zhang? Therefore, in life, one is destined to be poor or rich. Seeing the head, what is in front of you doesn’t count, you can’t look down on others with a cat’s eye…”
Zhang Xiaozhen chatted for a long time, and kept most of the words to himself. He walked along the deep valley and unknowingly came to the bottom of a cliff. Through the moonlight, he saw two large characters carved on the root of the mountain. The strokes looked like they were in the water. Curved like a tadpole. Although he knew some pen and ink, he was not familiar with ancient seal script. He just heard from an old ghost in the forest that the Valley of Ten Thousand Corpses in the Deserted Burial Ridge was where swords were made in ancient times. There were two words "Sword Furnace" engraved at the bottom of the valley. This is the place to be.
It turns out that there were many famous swords in ancient times, which are not comparable to ordinary swords today. The sharp ones among them can cut off dragons at the bottom of the water, and can cut apart rhinoceros and elephants on land. The more famous ones such as He Tai'a, Longquan, Baihong, Zidian, Ganjiang, Laoqiao, Yuchang, Jique, etc. all have their own origins and deeds.
This mountain has produced the essence of hardware since ancient times. It was indeed the place where swordsmen forged sharp blades during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. After the precious swords were forged, the essence of the mountain disappeared and it became a filthy and dark place. Next to the mountain wall with the word "Sword Furnace" engraved on it, there is a cave, which is the historical site of the stone furnace where swords were made. Zhang Xiaowei'er found the entrance to the cave, blew out the fire tube he brought with him, and illuminated the road in front of him. He walked along the stone wall for more than ten steps, and saw a large stone temple sandwiched between the cliffs of the valley, with a section of the bottom sagging. Half embedded in the rock roots of the mountain wall, a piece of stone is exposed in the valley.
This stone hall is extremely tall and wide. From back to front, it is divided into three entrances based on heaven, earth, and people. Inside the stone door is a huge brick oven with half of its wall collapsed, which is half the size of a private house. Zhang Xiaowei'er thought to himself: "This is a sword-making furnace. Although the herringbone furnace wall is narrow, it is quite spacious inside. Let's get in and hide for a while. We will worry about it after the Tatar dog comes." Unexpectedly, as soon as I squeezed half of my body in, I saw a hanged man hanging in the furnace. The dead man's face was pale and he stared and stuck out his tongue. His feet were dangling in the air, dangling in front of him, with his pigtails open. I was unprepared, and when I first saw this swing thing, I couldn't help being surprised, and I was frightened half to death.
This is exactly: "Wealth and glory are envied by everyone, but who knows the secrets of life and death?" If you want to know what adventures Zhang Xiaobian'er had in the sword furnace, and whether he could plan to capture the divine mastiff, listen to the next chapter of "The Beast in the Golden Coffin" explain.