The immortal is beside me

Chapter 34: Snakes and Rat Save the King of Qin

"Li Shimin?" Zhou Wuqing looked at the young man snoring against the tree. "He's a general at such a young age. He's certainly capable."

He made this comment casually, not taking the name "Li Shimin" too seriously. He had seen countless mortal heroes in the centuries of turmoil, often fading like shooting stars, vanishing so quickly they barely had time to leave their names behind.

The two chatted casually for a few words and were about to leave when they heard a strange noise.

The sound of horse hooves hitting the ground was faint and difficult for mortals to hear, but as cultivators, the two could hear it clearly.

Moonlight filtered through the trees, revealing the shadows moving silently in the twilight. They were a cavalry unit, numbering several hundred men. Their armor was clearly different from the two men's; they must be the enemy's "bandits."

They had apparently spotted the two men on the mound, and the team dispersed, surrounding them and pressing towards the valley where they were. In just a few breaths, the distance between the two sides was reduced to less than a hundred steps.

Zhou Wuqing glanced at the two figures on the mountain. They were completely unaware and were still in a deep sleep.

If this continues, in a dozen breaths at most, the enemy will surround them and chop them into meat paste without them realizing it.

On a whim, he casually pointed towards where the two were.

Wherever his finger pointed, the nearby grass suddenly trembled, and a gray-haired mouse squeaked out from it, followed by a viper with black spots on its body.

A snake and a rat scurried past the two men, touching the armor of the attendant. The attendant awoke with a start, breaking out in a cold sweat the moment he opened his eyes. He hurried forward to shake the young man awake, and the two men quickly mounted their horses in panic.

"I didn't expect Brother Zhou to come to the rescue." Seeing the two horses rushing out, Ye Qiansheng in the air couldn't help but sigh.

"Just do it casually." Zhou Wuqing retracted his hand and said, "With so many enemy troops surrounding them, it's their own ability that they were able to escape."

He turned and flew towards the sect, seemingly uninterested in seeing the end of this desperate chase. Ye Qiansheng said nothing more, following behind him as they rode away on the clouds.

Miles away, the rapid clatter of horses' hooves raced forward. Where the bandits pointed, the young man on horseback suddenly turned, his longbow drawn to a full moon, and in the blink of an eye, several feathered arrows shot out!

"what!"

In the twilight, screams of people shot by arrows were heard, and the leading general fell off his horse. The muffled sound was like a blow from a club, which gave the pursuers on all sides a pause for a moment.

The young man shoved his horse's flank and spurred it on, shaking off his pursuers. As he drew his bow, he habitually looked up to see the wind. He saw the moon hanging high in the sky, its radiant light faintly outlining the silhouette of a man, his crimson robes fluttering in the night.

"Your Highness. Your Highness?"

The servant's urgent voice woke him up. In the blink of an eye, there was no red-clothed figure in the sky. Only a lonely moon was hanging in the sky, reflecting the thin clouds.

His many years of experience as a military commander helped him regain his composure quickly. He immediately turned around and rode his horse with all his might. His movements were skillful and heroic, but they could not hide the trace of contemplation that remained on his face.

"I just seemed to see an immortal appear in the sky."

"Immortal?" The attendant was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "I was just awakened by a pair of snakes and rats. Could it be that the immortal saw that Your Highness the Prince of Qin had a destiny and offered his help?"

Having said this, he immediately turned around and said, "Let's not talk about this for now. The bandits may have more pursuers. Your Highness, we should hurry back to the camp first."

The young man known as the King of Qin nodded in agreement and said nothing more. He only lowered his eyes in a thoughtful expression, as if he had sensed something.

The immortal under the moon, wearing red clothes and holding a long sword.
He savored the scene of that moment carefully, memorizing it firmly in his mind, and galloped off into the deep night.

In November, during the Jimao period, Qin Wang Shimin led his troops from Longmen, crossing the river on the frozen surface, and stationed at Baibi, where they engaged Song Jingang in a standoff. The army held their ground and refused to fight, and as a result, the enemy's power gradually weakened.

Shimin once led a light cavalry scout to scout the enemy. The cavalry scattered, and Shimin and a single armored soldier climbed a hill and went to sleep. Suddenly, the enemy troops surrounded them. At first, they were unaware, but a snake chasing a rat brushed against the armored soldier's face, startling him awake. He informed Shimin, and they all mounted their horses and galloped over a hundred paces. They were overtaken by the enemy, and Shimin shot and killed their brave general with a large-feathered arrow, causing the enemy cavalry to retreat.

——"Zizhi Tongjian·Tang Ji IV"

Qin Jiajia paused scrolling the mouse on the search screen, pondered for a moment, and highlighted the passage. Although there was no direct reference to the extraordinary, the phrase "snakes will chase away rats" caught her attention.

Li Shimin, then the Prince of Qin, was saved by a pair of snakes and rats at the critical moment of his life. This level of coincidence is so remarkable that it's hard not to suspect the influence of a cultivator. Furthermore, the setting coincides with the end of the Sui Dynasty, when warlords were vying for supremacy, and the founding of the Tang Dynasty, when the Prince of Qin was showing his power. The timing is also very consistent.

After marking this paragraph, she rubbed her sore neck, turned her head and looked out the window to relax her tired eyes.

Looking out the window, one can see that the sky outside is full of red clouds, and the red-gold clouds cover the entire city, as if there are flames burning above the clouds.

I don’t know what Zhou Qing is doing at this time. A bold idea suddenly popped up in her mind. Instead of searching so hard, why not just call him and ask him about the "Moon Fairy"?
In just a second or two, she suppressed the thought. It would be too hasty to make a judgment based on a seemingly accurate ancient painting. Even if she really wanted to ask, she should wait until she found solid evidence.

She stretched her body, sat back in front of the computer, and clicked on the next document.

"Give me a bowl of Pao Mo, regular mutton, with a plate of garlic."

"Okay, Thirteen, just scan the code here."

A clear voice message sounded from Alipay that 13 yuan had been deposited. Zhou Qing found a table and sat down. Through the glass counter, he watched the boss in a headscarf and apron busy at the stove. Rising steam floated up by the window, reflecting the golden glow outside the window, as if the fiery clouds in the sky were floating between the stoves.

"It's a beautiful day now, bright red."

There weren't many customers at the time, so the boss had some time to chat with him while busying himself: "According to what we say back home, this is the gods lighting the fire to burn away bad luck. You should go and pray to the gods now, it works very well."

"Then this immortal has quite a lot to do." Zhou Qing glanced at the crimson sky outside. "In my opinion, this has nothing to do with praying to the gods. It's just that people have a wish in their hearts and work hard, and eventually their wish will naturally be fulfilled."

"Well, isn't this just for peace of mind? It's a different era now, who would really believe in that kind of feudal superstition?"

The boss said, pushing a plate in front of him: "Here, the steamed buns and garlic are ready. The vinegar and chili are on the table. Just add them yourself."

He turned around and went to boil another pot of broth. Zhou Qing sat at the table next to him and peeled a clove of garlic. A tiny spark flashed from his fingertips, and the surface of the garlic skin instantly turned to ash, revealing the white clove inside, which exuded a faint aroma of cooked garlic.

He soaked the cooked garlic in a spoon and ate it with the soup and steamed bun. The cooked steamed bun absorbed the mutton soup. The aroma of meat filled the air with one bite, making people feel relaxed.

A rosy glow streamed in through the window, a crimson-gold light flowing slowly between the steamer and the vinegar dish. Through the energy contained in that light, he could sense the messages from heaven and earth pouring into his sea of ​​consciousness, and he could fully grasp the changes within the entire city.

Forty miles to the northeast, thirty miles to the west, and sixty miles to the southwest. There are a total of five places around Liangzhou City that are emitting strong spiritual fluctuations. It should be that a few hidden rats have been lured out and are fighting fiercely with the group of people from the Environmental Sanitation Bureau.

Unlike in the past, the common people today have acquired enough power to gain a foothold in this world. Even when faced with threats from monks, they are able to deal with them independently.

Since they already have their own means and systems, and Lu Zhenhai has previously made it clear that the Environmental Sanitation Bureau is responsible for this matter, he will not interfere too much, but will provide appropriate assistance and then let them do their best.

The phone on the table vibrated and a new WeChat message came in.

[Yishe Ankang: Brother Zhou, remember that antique market I told you about last time? They're planning a new event next weekend. Are you interested?]

This is the WeChat account of Wu Shi'an, son of Mr. Wu, the chess player. As expected of a busy businessman, he can still remember the contents of a single conversation.

Zhou Qing ate a steamed bun with one hand while slowly swiping the screen with the other. Although he had learned pinyin and Wubi, he was still more accustomed to handwriting input.

[Qing: Sure. Where?]

[Yi Shi An Kang: It's near Jiaotong University. I'll send you the location later. If you go, I'll give you a ticket directly as a thank you gift on behalf of my old man.]

A QR code link was sent to him, and it turned out to be an electronic version of the market ticket. He thought about it and clicked the image to save it.

I have nothing to do anyway. I'll go to the market next weekend.

(End of this chapter)