You don't know how far the rivers and lakes are before you've set foot in the mountains, this is what Taijizi once said.

And when Li Yi stepped out of the mountains, he realized that there were more than just rivers and lakes outside the mountains.

After leaving the mountains, the world transitioned from lush green to decaying yellow.

What Li Yi saw was basically yellow, occasionally mixed with some dull gray and a little pitiful green.

These very few greens look wilted and sluggish, with no sign of life at all.

At this time, Li Yi and Liu Yu were walking on the dry river bed.

Most of the weeping willows by the river have lost all their leaves, the sparse branches will fall off when touched, and the bark on the trunks has disappeared.

The river bed under my feet was as dry as if it had been cut with countless cuts, but there was not a trace of moisture in the wounds.

When your feet step on it, it will make a clicking sound.

In the very center of the river, there is a very small stream of water that keeps flowing like a stubborn child.

Li Yi saw fish bones very easily in the river.

"It's a murderous intention from heaven. There have been droughts and monsters in recent years. I don't know how many people will starve to death this year."

Liu Yu tightened his knapsack hands and kneaded the magic formula, and quietly recited the "Taiyi Sutra of Saving Suffering and Saving People" in a low voice.

"I haven't been out of the mountains for several years, and I never thought that the land in the south of the Yangtze River would be tortured by drought to such a state."

Li Yi shook his head and lamented that there was nothing he could do about this natural disaster.

"It's getting late. Let's continue on our way. Duliang County is 20 miles ahead. We have to enter the county before the city gate closes."

Liu Yu looked up at the sun and urged.

This time Liu Yu went to Duliang County to visit an old man on his father's order, and Li Yi would part ways with Liu Yu here to explore the world alone.

It was already sunset when the thirsty two arrived at Duliang County.

Fortunately, the soldiers guarding the gate had not completely closed the city gate, so the two of them were able to enter the city without having to spend the night outside the city.

After entering the city, the two of them stayed at an inn in the city.

After eating something hastily, Li Yi climbed to the second floor of the inn and looked at the entire county.

The county today is very different from what he remembered before this year.

In my past memories, although there was a curfew in most county towns at night, before the street drum was beaten, there were always many vendors and hawkers setting up stalls on the city streets, and customers were coming and going.

But nowadays, there are basically no salesmen and hawkers on the streets of Liangcheng, and even pedestrians are sparse and not popular at all.

Looking into the distance, most of the entire county is dark, with occasionally a few lights flickering in the darkness, making it look lonely and lonely.

Li Yi inquired with the waiter at the inn and found out that many people had fled Chuzhou because of the drought.

Many people who were unable to escape died of starvation at home. The clerk also told Li Yi that in this county, hungry people were carried out of the city gate every day.

Li Yi and Liu Yu were both silent after hearing the store clerk's description.

The two of them no longer wanted to watch the night view anymore, and they quickly went back to their rooms to rest.

Early the next morning, Liu Yu took Li Yi to visit an old man in Duliang City.

It is said that this old man was the cousin of a powerful eunuch in the Yu Dynasty palace.

When the two came to the door of the house, Li Yi looked up and saw a high-walled courtyard with servants on guard at all times.

Several servants at the gate were patrolling the surroundings of the mansion.

Li Yi saw that the vermilion door was closed tightly, and the gold-plated plaque of Qiao Mansion on the door was shining brightly.

After Liu Yu described the purpose of his visit in detail and handed over the invitation, the two were allowed to enter the mansion through the side door.

Li Yi's eyes lit up as soon as he entered the Qiao family's mansion.

Compared with the desolate county that lacks vitality, Qiao Mansion appears to be full of vitality.

Because the first thing you see after entering Qiao Mansion is the vast green vegetation.

The vast expanse of green grass, various green plants and clusters of lush green ornamental bamboos all made Li Yi feel alive.

Surrounded by this greenery is a small lake, dazzling like a gem dotted in the green.

This small lake is covered with various Taihu rocks in strange shapes, but they blend in seamlessly with the surrounding environment.

In the middle of the small lake is an octagonal pavilion. A couplet on the pavilion caught Li Yi's attention.

"The water is clear and the fish read the moon, and the mountains are quiet and the birds chat about the sky."

Li Yi couldn't help but marvel at the elegance of this home.

Following the stone path in the middle of the grass, the two of them were led by the servants to the edge of the small lake.

Li Yi looked down and saw that the fruits in the lake were really clear.

A bunch of plump and colorful koi carps were wandering slowly in the water. When they heard someone approaching, they all swam towards the shore.

The two of them followed the covered bridge on the lake to the pavilion in the lake.

I saw an old man with gray beard and hair sitting cross-legged in the middle of the pavilion.

There was a desk in front of him. Li Yi judged from the wood and pattern that it should be a valuable sandalwood desk.

There are several things placed on the desk, including a whisk, an incense burner, a book and a gourd.

Li Yi took a closer look and found that the whisk was made of excellent material. The handle of the whisk was made of fine golden nanmu, and the tail of the whisk was pure white and not long.

Therefore, Li Yi judged that the tail was not made from horse tail, but from the more precious deer tail.

The incense burner has a simple shape and is the style of the Boshan incense burner that Taijizi once mentioned to him.

Wisps of white smoke emerge from the top of the incense burner, imbuing the pattern of the incense burner with a dynamic feeling, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.

As for the book, Li Yi recognized it as the Taoist classic "Chongxu Zhenjing" just at a glance.

The gourd is obviously made from lacquerware. Although it is not big, you can tell the complexity of its craftsmanship by looking at the complicated black and red patterns on the gourd.

Look at the old man who is sitting cross-legged without moving. His gray hair is tied up in a bun, and a jade hairpin is inserted into the bun.

Although the hairpins do not have any complicated carvings, Li Yi knows that good hairpins are all ingenuity but not workmanship.

The old man's beard and hair are all white, but his complexion is rosy and there is not a trace of wrinkles on his skin. He can be called a child with white hair.

The two long eyebrows have drooped, and although his eyes are closed, he looks compassionate towards all living beings.

"Young man Liu Yu brings his father's disciples to pay homage to Qiao Shibo."

Liu Yu walked up to the old man and paid homage to the old man with the courtesy of a junior. Li Yi followed Liu Yu's example and paid homage to the old man.

"It turns out he is Xiaoyu's nephew. I haven't seen him for several years. I never thought he would look so outstanding now."

The old man opened his eyes, looked at the two of them, and then said with a smile.

"This little brother is the disciple of Taijizi Immortal? As expected, he is so talented that he is the best among people!"

"Shibo is so complimentary. I and my brother-in-law are both wild boys and dare not be praised by Shibo like that."

Liu Yu hurriedly handed over his hand modestly, but Li Yi was a little uncomfortable with this.

"My good nephew is not too humble. This time my good nephew comes down from the mountain, does Immortal Taijizi have anything to say to me?"

The old man surnamed Qiao picked up the fly whisk on the desk and made a hand gesture.

On the way here, Liu Yu told Li Yi about the past between Mr. Qiao and Taijizi.

The name of Mr. Qiao was Qiao Fugong. The Qiao family was a prominent family in Duliang County and had been in Duliang County for more than ten generations.

But twelve years ago, when Taijizi was passing through Duliang County, he happened to encounter the Qiao family and was retaliated by his enemies. Dozens of bandits broke into the Qiao family.

For a time, the Qiao family was in a bloody storm, with corpses strewn everywhere.

Seeing how ferocious the group of bandits were, Taiji took action decisively. He danced a ring-headed knife so airtight that he could kill the bandits in the narrow corridor, making them cry for father and mother.

Just a few breathing Taijis killed five or six people.

Seeing how fierce Taijizi was, the bandits were so frightened that they didn't dare to do anything again. Finally, they all fled away due to Taijizi's power.

At that time, Qiao Fugong and his servants had already made up their minds to die with the bandits, but unexpectedly, a Tajizi suddenly appeared on the way.

Qiao Fugong and others who were lucky enough to be rescued immediately kowtowed and thanked Taijizi.

Taijizi also appreciated their courage to protect their families and treated their injuries one by one.

Many people suffered serious injuries, but their lives were saved by Taijizi's skillful hands.

This includes Qiao Fugong and his younger brother.

And his younger brother injured his lower body due to an accident, and finally had no choice but to enter the palace and become a eunuch.

While treating their injuries, Yang Fugong heard that Taijizi was proficient in the art of divination, so he begged Taijizi to divine a hexagram for their family.

At that time, Taijizi discovered that the Qiao family had the aura of wealth and honor through the art of observing Qi, so he made a divination for them.

The result of the hexagram indicates that the Qiao family will have good fortune and good fortune in the coming century.

After coming up with this hexagram, Taijizi was extremely surprised because it was not easy for an average family's fortune to last for one or two years, let alone for a family's fortune to last for a century.
To be continued...