Zhang Hao said that the files of Zhang Daoling sealing the mountain king from the Longhushan Library had been brought down the mountain to Quanzhou and sent to the museum, but Wei Yuan waited for a long time but the second wave of action team members did not come.
It was getting dark outside.
The setting sun was like fire, shining on this old street.
Then the sky gradually darkened, and the originally fiery sunset light also had a hint of darkness, until the last piece of darkness, only a trace of rosy clouds fell on the earth, day and night began to alternate, and the ghosts and monsters began to gradually wake up and start to move in places unknown to people.
In Sakurajima, this is called the time of the devil.
And Shenzhou also has various legends after nightfall.
In the West, there is a saying that after nightfall, it turns into a werewolf, vampire, and demon.
The alternation of yin and yang will naturally cause strange things.
However, Wei Yuan didn't think that those evil ghosts and monsters dared to walk on this old street. Not to mention other things, the Overlord Spear had the remaining evil spirit of the first person in the Shenzhou Army. Which evil ghost dared to approach without opening his eyes?
Wei Yuan looked at the time and estimated that he couldn't come today.
He got up and prepared to pack up and cook.
But just as he got up, Wei Yuan's steps paused slightly. He heard footsteps, and then the door of the museum was pushed open. Wei Yuan saw an old man with gray hair walking in. He had a kind face and wrinkles left by the years. He looked like an old man that could be seen everywhere.
But he was wearing a gray and simple robe, with a jade pendant hanging around his waist and a round crown. Wei Yuan recognized that it was a sorcerer's crown from the Han Dynasty. The old man asked politely: "Young sir, are you the shopkeeper of this store?"
Shopkeeper?
Wei Yuan was surprised and nodded, "I am the one who opened this shop now."
"Old man, you are..."
The old man bowed slightly and smiled, "I am a traveler who lost his way after a long journey. I want to ask you for a cup of water to moisten my throat and rest my feet. Will I disturb you..."
Wei Yuan looked at him deeply and smiled, "Of course not."
"Since you have opened a shop, you must welcome guests from all directions. Please take a seat, old man."
Wei Yuan invited the old man in.
The old man sat on the sofa for entertaining guests, and Wei Yuan also sat opposite the old man. The water ghost covered his dead face and took the water honestly. The old man looked around the things in the museum and asked with a smile: "Young sir, what business do you do here?"
Wei Yuan didn't know what the old man was planning. He was touched and replied:
"Collect some antiques, listen to some stories, and leave some traces of people."
The old man smiled and said: "So that's it, it's an elegant business."
He paused and said:
"I'm sorry to come to your door. I also have a story here, so I'll take it as a reward."
"I don't know if you like it, young sir."
Wei Yuan stretched out his hand and said, "Please speak."
The old man seemed to have sorted out his thoughts, and then slowly said: "Since you are doing the business of collecting antiques and stories, you should know a lot of things. The saying that the tiger is the king of the mountain and the lord of the mountain is known to you, but do you know where this saying comes from?"
Wei Yuan replied: "Because there is a tiger on its forehead "Wang."
The old man nodded and sighed: "Yes."
"But young sir, do you know that the tiger's forehead was not Wang at first, but San. Later, by chance, someone added a stroke, and it became Wang. This is the story I want to tell you."
He stretched out his hand, and his palm was filled with a phantom air, and said: "Young sir, you have magical powers."
"How about you watch while the old man talks?"
Wei Yuan glanced at the old man, and asked the water ghosts who were quietly behind and the soldier souls who were drawing their swords to retreat and be quiet. Then he stretched out his finger and pressed it on the old man's wrist like taking a pulse. His magical power moved freely, but he could still control it and break free at any time. The old man raised his cup with his other hand and drank a sip of water, saying:
"The story starts from the end of the Western Han Dynasty."
"This has nothing to do with any history books. There are no so-called kings, princes, generals, and ministers. At the beginning, there was just a young man who was chased and killed in a panic, and there was a tiger who was named a mountain god during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han."
......
The earth god was born with the fate of the country and lived with the country.
It will also lose its magic power as the fate of the country declines.
The tiger no longer remembers what his initial experience was like, but he remembers that he was once respected and worshipped by the people under the mountain. He got their benefits and stopped hurting people. He even missed that little bit of affection and occasionally helped to worship his own residents and kill those beasts that endangered their lives.
So during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, he was named a mountain god by the state.
That day, the people at the foot of the mountain built a temple for him, and carried a stone-carved tiger statue from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain in one breath. A grand sacrificial ceremony was held, which made him very happy. Moreover, this time he had two subordinates, one was the young Boqi, and the other was the jinyu bird that communicated with the king of Qin when he died.
The tiger, who had always been alone, suddenly felt that this was not bad.
Then the years passed slowly, and the people continued to worship him. He also protected the peace of the place and slayed demons.
He usually drank with the jinyu bird, talked about dreams with Boqi, and visited friends in other mountains and rivers.
As for meat, the wild beasts in the mountains were rich enough and their blood was vigorous enough.
Such a life was almost as good as that of a god.
But the earth gods are different from the gods after all. As time passed, the Han Dynasty began to decline, and the tiger's own magic power began to weaken. However, he was originally a beast and a demon, and he could still maintain his existence and not die.
But other friends who were originally mortals and were named mountain gods and land gods by the country because of their merits kept dying. Just like people die at the end of their lives, the earth gods will also die one day. The tiger did not care about this kind of thing until one day, the dragon veins of the Han Dynasty changed dramatically, the luck shifted, and the world changed drastically.
The earth gods ushered in the end.
......
Because of the death of another good friend, the tiger was drunk all night, but was awakened by a noisy sound. When he went out to see, he saw a group of elite soldiers chasing a young man, and the young man actually had the Yanhan luck that he was familiar with.
As a mountain god and martial god who had been supported by the Han Dynasty, the tiger showed up without hesitation.
He easily dispersed the elites who caused the change in the destiny of heaven and earth and saved the young man.
Everyone was shocked by the tiger's might and collapsed to the ground.
The tiger kept the creed of the earth god and never killed anyone.
He just rolled up the young man with his tail and threw him on his back, then roared and carried the young man over the mountains and ridges to a safe enough place. The young man was pale, but still had a big voice. After thanking the tiger, he swore that he would repay him in the future and make him the king of all beasts.
The tiger was disdainful, but because of the destiny of the young man.
He took care of the young man for a while and even taught him military tactics and martial arts.
The dragon vein of the Han Dynasty shifted, and the nest was overturned, and the eggs were all broken. Some of the gods were in a panic, while others were bold and unrestrained, still singing and drinking all day long. The tiger and many gods protected the young man, so that the latter was never discovered by the pursuers.
Although the young man had a very girly name, his character was extremely bold and unrestrained.
He talked about brothers with many gods and called the tiger his brother.
The young man's name was Liu Xiu.
He left after his injuries healed.
After that, the tiger and other gods were still in the mountains and rivers where they were originally sealed, but no matter how open-minded they were, they could only look at their own life and death. When they saw their friends and old friends were weak and almost lost their souls, the tiger was also upset and howled to the sky from time to time.
After that, the person who caused the shift of Yanhan's luck found him.
The man was called Wang Jujun, whose name was Wang Mang.
Wang Jujun and the black-armored man transformed by the tiger talked for seven days and seven nights, explaining what kind of world they hoped for. Although the tiger was a beast, he also felt that if such a world could be achieved, it would seem much better than the previous rotten state. At least the people who worshipped him would live better.
But it was very difficult to do what he said, almost against the will of heaven.
At this time, Wang Jujun threw out an offer that the tiger could not refuse.
He was willing to re-establish the worship of the earth gods, so that the tiger would not have to watch his old friend of hundreds of years disappear. The man in black stretched out his hand to him and smiled calmly:
"How about it? Do you want to open up a new world with me? It will be called the New Dynasty."
The tiger agreed.
So Wang Jujun kept his promise and offered sacrifices to the gods of the earth again, allowing many of Menghu's friends to survive. Menghu also told Wang Jujun all the military tactics and martial arts he knew. The two sides regarded each other as confidants. In order to repay Wang Jujun's kindness, Menghu personally trained for him and accepted nine disciples, all of whom were brave and were appointed as the Nine Tiger Generals by Wang Mang.
Menghu stabilized the world for him.
But he never expected that his brother Liu Xiu would stand in the enemy camp of Wang Mang.
Wang Mang opened his heart to Menghu, saved his life, and saved many of his friends.
And the young man once regarded Menghu as his brother, and they were brothers.
The tiger didn't want to see the two killing each other, so he went to find the young man, hoping that the latter would stop. The tiger was willing to guarantee him with his life to ensure that he would be safe...
......
The old man drank a sip of water and paused. Wei Yuan already knew the direction of the story and didn't speak. The water ghost listened in a trance and asked subconsciously: "Did the young man agree?"
The old man sighed:
"How could he agree?"
He paused and said: "But not long after the tiger went back, Liu Xiu found Jinyu Bird and promised Jinyu Bird various rewards, asking Jinyu Bird to Bring Menghu alone, and say that after thinking about it, he decided to agree to the eldest brother's proposal. "
The water ghost was stunned for a moment, and then said firmly: "This must be a trick!"
"Did Menghu go?"
The old man's face showed a little complexity, and said: "He went, why didn't he go?"
"At the banquet, Liu Xiu persuaded each other to drink, and they were overjoyed."
"Menghu drank several jars of fine wine that day."
"He could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, but that time, he was drunk."
"When he was drunk, Wang Mang's army was defeated, and all the disciples and generals he taught died in battle. He was once The famous general Jiuhu General of the time did not even have his name recorded in history, and Wang Mang eventually died, the Xin Dynasty died in an instant, and then Liu Xiu also died. He fulfilled his promise and added a vertical line to the tiger's forehead, thus becoming a mountain king. "
The water ghost couldn't help but smack his lips and said:
"How long did he have to be drunk?"
"What kind of wine is so strong? !"
Wei Yuan thought for a moment and said:
"Di Xi is from Zhongshan. He can make a thousand-day wine. Drink it and you will be drunk for a thousand days. Did Liu Xiu give him Zhongshan wine?"
The old man said: "Young master is very knowledgeable."
"That is indeed a thousand-day wine." Drunk, a normal person who drinks one cup of that wine can be drunk for a thousand days, not to mention drinking several jars. Even the mountain god was drunk for decades before waking up.
The old man took a sip of wine and said, "He went to sleep with the hope that his brothers would no longer fight, so in those decades of beautiful dreams, the scene he saw should be Wang Mang opening up a new dynasty, and he, Liu Xiu, and his friends on earth drinking and singing together, and the world was peaceful and harmonious."
"It's a pity that even a thousand-day drunk will sober up one day, not to mention a dream..."
He sighed and continued to narrate slowly.
......
The tiger slowly woke up.
The alcohol was too strong, and he seemed to have not recovered yet.
Just for some reason, I vaguely remember that Liu Xiu seemed to have become old all of a sudden.
The originally energetic young man became gloomy and majestic, and no longer looked like him.
He felt that he was drunk to death, and this dream was too long.
But no matter what, the matter has been resolved, and he no longer has to be caught between his brothers.
The tiger was overjoyed and planned to tell Wang Mang about this matter and guarantee Liu Xiu's safety with his life, but when he entered the mortal world, he found that everything had changed. He found that the things and people he was familiar with had disappeared. He learned that Wang Mang had died tragically, and he himself had drunk to death when his good friend and monarch needed him the most.
The tiger was almost crazy, and with red eyes he wanted to find Liu Xiu to ask for an explanation.
But then he knew that Liu Xiu was also dead.
Full of hatred, he suddenly didn't know where to vent. The tiger walked aimlessly and unknowingly went to the village where he was sheltered at the foot of the mountain. When he sobered up, he finally recalled the only picture he saw when he was drunk. He saw the emperor who was so old that he didn't look like a brother back then. The gloomy emperor stretched out his hand, and his expression and eyebrows could still vaguely see the vigor and vitality of the past, and his fingers slowly slid down his forehead.
"Sorry, big brother..."
"Even if you wake up and hate me, Ah Xiu will admit it."
The fate of the Eastern Han Dynasty gave him a title of earth deity, no longer a mountain god, but a mountain king.
A child ran over singing a ballad,
"There are three horizontal beams on the tiger's head, Liu Xiu added one in the middle. Save me, Han Liu Xiu this year, and next year you will be crowned the king of beasts."
"Big head, small ears, and a swaying tail, with golden hair all over the body. Teeth like steel saws and claws like knives, often showing off in the mountains. Pedestrians are frightened when they see it, and woodcutters are soul-destroying when they see it. It does not bite loyal ministers and filial sons, but treacherous ministers and thieves cannot escape."
When the tiger heard the last sentence, treacherous ministers and thieves cannot escape, suddenly an indescribable feeling emerged in his heart. He saw the familiar Wang Mang again, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, stood up suddenly, and strode away.
It was also this time that He opened the blood meal.
The old man sighed, looked at Wei Yuan, and said:
"If you were the young master, and you learned that the monarch died because of your drunkenness, and it was your brother who did all this. The person who saved your life eventually died tragically because of the person you saved, and most importantly, whether it was the benefactor or the enemy, or the monarch, or the brother, they are no longer in this world, what would you do?"
Wei Yuan did not answer.
The old man sighed, "He ended up alone, wearing the armor of Wang Mang's army, with the flag of Wang Mang's new dynasty tied to his back, and rushed into the army that wiped out the Nine Tigers that year, as if he was seeking death, without knowing whether to live or die, and fighting to exhaustion."
"He didn't avoid the attack, nor did he run away, and was finally captured. This was seeking death."
"He would have died if he attacked the military camp, but because of his relationship with Emperor Guangwu, and the word Wang on his forehead was closely related to the fate of the Han Dynasty, the generals and heavenly masters who finally captured him only sealed him, and imitated King Yu, exiling him and the mountain from the human world..."
"He is the beginning of all stories and legends, the original source."
"From then on, all tigers can call themselves the King of the Mountain."
"The title of the King of the Mountain had other explanations in ancient times, but since Emperor Guangwu, At the beginning, it was Him, and only Him. "
"I wonder what you think of this story, young master?"
Wei Yuan did not ask the old man about his true identity. He pondered for a moment and replied: "It is difficult to be both loyal and righteous. You cannot destroy the prosperity created by your brothers because of loyalty, and you have no face to live like this. Wearing armor, raising the flag, and rushing to death is the style of the Qin and Han dynasties. If it were me, I might make such a choice. I can understand Him in this regard."
The old man stared at him and said, "The mountain king..."
Wei Yuan said: "I have no right to interfere in the past grievances, and I can understand His choice."
"But in this era, He is no longer restrained, and has opened blood food and killed many people."
He paused and said calmly:
"He should be executed!"