Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 134: Searching for Peach Blossom Spring

In the inn, Ren Yuan looked at the obviously human innkeeper and asked in confusion: "How do you know I'm here to find the Peach Blossom Spring?"

"Who would come all the way here during the New Year if not to find the Peach Blossom Spring?" The shopkeeper put the copper coins into the cabinet and said with a smile, "To be honest, sir, there are at least 800 foreigners who come here every year to look for the Peach Blossom Spring, if not a thousand. That's why I asked this question."

"Then do you know where the Peach Blossom Spring is?" Ren Yuan asked again.

"Sir, you have finally asked the right person. Others may not know, but I know for sure, because Mr. Tao Yuanming wrote that article in our store after returning from Peach Blossom Spring, drinking our homemade red yeast rice wine." The shopkeeper proudly pointed to the black words on the white wall opposite and said:

"Look, that's Mr. Tao Yuanming's calligraphy. If he drank less than one bowl, he wouldn't be able to write about the flavor..."

"Really?" Ren Yuan looked back. He didn't need his third eye to see that those words had been written on the wall no more than two years ago.

But he did not expose the other party, and followed the shopkeeper's words and said: "Then please tell me exactly where the Peach Blossom Spring is, so that we can go and look for it."

"That place is deep in the mountains. Without someone to lead you, you can't find it even if I tell you." The shopkeeper said mysteriously, "And you can't just go there casually."

"Why? Is there anything else to pay attention to?" Ren Yuan asked.

"Didn't you read what the article says? 'Not worth telling outsiders'. The people in Taohuayuan live in seclusion there, just to be quiet and undisturbed." The shopkeeper said as if it was a matter of course, "If there were no restrictions, it would be noisy all day long like a market, who could stand it? It was only for Mr. Tao Yuanming's sake that they allowed our shop to bring in one person per month for sightseeing."

"Really? Only once a month?" Ren Yuan thought it sounded so familiar, but he didn't point it out to him.

"Yes, many customers stay in the store for a month, waiting for this day." The shopkeeper laughed and said, "Young Master, your luck is not good."

"How to say?"

"Because today is the day you can go in, but the quota is full." The shopkeeper sighed and said, "They only give us five quotas every month, and the previous guests have already paid. How about you stay here for a month? I guarantee you'll be able to go in next month."

"Give me two more places." Ren Yuan banged out a whole string of copper coins, saying that he was just a fool with a lot of money. "If I can't get one, I'll go ask someone else."

"Sir, you are so sincere. I will give you more even if I can't." The shopkeeper quickly pulled the coin into the counter. Fearing that he would regret it, he said with a smile on his face: "Sir, go and have a rest first. When the time comes, the waiter will take you there. I guarantee that your trip will be worthwhile."

"It's a deal." Ren Yuan also nodded with a smile. Just as he was about to go in with the clerk, he seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, boss, why are there white papers pasted on every house outside, and no one is on the street?"

"Oh, different places have different customs." The shopkeeper didn't want to elaborate, so he said vaguely: "We celebrate the New Year here by putting up white paper, sleeping during the day and going out to play at night."

"Oh, I see." Ren Yuan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

~~
Even the senior sister noticed something was wrong. When she entered the guest room and saw that there were no outsiders around, she couldn't help but say:

"A Yuan, he seems to be a liar. There are so many typos in the article on the wall..."

"Let's go and have a look." Ren Yuan smiled and said, "There are no clues anyway, maybe a blind cat can catch a dead mouse."

"Yes, yes." Su Xiaoxiao said excitedly, "I can't wait to see how they make up this lie."

A few people were taking a lunch break in the guest room until late at night when the waiter knocked on the door: "Sir, you can leave now."

"Okay." Ren Yuan responded and prepared to set off with A Yao.

Su Xiaoxiao hid under the umbrella, which saved one person's money...

As for the civet cat, it had already gone out to walk the streets and socialize with the local cats.

When the two came out with umbrellas, they saw five well-dressed guests also walked out of their rooms. It seemed that they were the companions of this group. Everyone got on a carriage with a tight tarpaulin, and the waiter drove out of the inn. After leaving the city from the south gate, they first walked on a flat official road and then went up the mountain.

After bumping along in the mountains for more than ten miles, and causing several passengers to vomit, the carriage finally stopped.

After everyone got off the car, they saw three carriages parked in front, and there were about twenty guests with the same destination as them... They should have been brought here from other inns.

They waited for another meal and finally eight carriages arrived. Now there were nearly a hundred people looking for the Peach Blossom Spring, which would be a large tour group in later generations.

"Excuse me for waiting, my dear guests." At this time, a middle-aged man holding a bamboo tube megaphone said, "Follow me, let's go to find the Peach Blossom Spring!"

The guests followed him, forming a long line, and walked down a winding path into the valley.

The sun can no longer be seen in the valley. The light is reflected back from the mountain walls, and the light is dim, which seems to be something otherworldly.

After reaching the bottom of the valley, everyone heard the sound of gurgling water, and the middle-aged man said, "The stream ahead is the one the Wuling fisherman encountered."

"Really?!" The tourists immediately became interested and forgot the unpleasantness of waiting for a long time.

They quickened their pace and came to the stream. After walking a short distance along the stream, they saw a large peach forest before them.

"Suddenly we came across a peach blossom forest!" someone shouted excitedly. The tourists were also very excited and felt that they had made the right decision.

The middle-aged man said with regret: "It's a pity that you all came too early. If you had stayed for another month, you would have been able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of 'fresh grass and colorful fallen petals'."

"No problem, I'll stay for another month." The tourists who were not short of money said directly, "If you don't come to the Peach Blossom Spring in this life, it's useless to enjoy all the splendor!"

After continuing to walk forward, they arrived at the end of the peach forest and saw a mountain wall in front of them. There was a small cave on the mountain and there seemed to be a little light in the cave.

“When the forest ends and the water source is reached, there is a mountain with a small opening, as if there is light!” The guests are now completely immersed in it and do not need a tour guide.

They entered the cave with great interest, and it was indeed "extremely narrow at first, but only wide enough for one person to pass through. After walking a few dozen steps, it suddenly became open."

When I came out of the cave, I saw a vast expanse of land in front of me. The land was flat and spacious, and there were neat houses, fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, bamboos, and other things. The roads were connected, and the chickens and dogs could be heard.

The magical thing is that it was dark outside, but it was still daytime inside.

There were farmers in the fields, "moving back and forth, planting, men and women dressed like outsiders. The old and the young were all happy and contented..."

Seeing a large group of outsiders coming in, the old men with yellow hair all stood up to greet them, and then they wanted to go home, set up wine and kill chickens for food.

Of course, there were too many tourists for one family to entertain them all, so they dispersed the guests throughout the village, with each family offering wine and food and warmly entertaining them.

Stop for a few days and resign.

An old man with yellow hair escorted them to the cave entrance and said, "Please promise one thing."

"Yes." The guests said in unison, "It is not something that can be told to outsiders."

"Hehehe... yes." The old man nodded with satisfaction.

(End of this chapter)