A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

In spring and summer, a man, a horse, and a desolate wilderness.

The river rages.

The yellow sand blew over, passed through the Taoist's hand, and then, looking at the wide river with its rolling waves, he shouted loudly to the other side, "Boatman, we're crossing!"

The sound carried on the wind, and it seemed that the person on the other side heard it and shouted back from afar.

"We can't cross, the current is too strong."

There were two boatmen, an older one and a young, strong man, who were shirtless even in spring and summer.

"Just come over here, the water is very calm. I'll give you extra money! Two taels of silver."

The Taoist priest held up two fingers high.

"No, the water flow is too...slow?"

The elderly boatman suddenly spoke to the burly man who was rowing the boat.

The burly man was also strange.

"Yes, why did the water flow suddenly slow down? How about... we give it a try? That guy paid an extra two taels of silver!"

The two were very tempted by the extra two taels of silver.

Finally, the elderly boatman shouted back, "Alright, we'll take you over. But let's make this clear first, the extra two taels of silver can't be less!"

The Taoist priest shouted, "You won't be shortchanged!"

So, seeing the boatman and strong man on the opposite bank in the distance, they began to slowly steer the boat towards them.

The white dragon horse turned to look at Zhang Zhengdao and sighed, "Daoist, I just don't understand why you can get to the other side with just a thought. Even if you're too lazy to move, I can reveal my true form and carry you across."

Zhang Zhengdao glanced at it.

“What do you know? Those who cultivate the Tao cultivate their hearts. I travel thousands of miles to different places, see people and things I’ve never seen before, and observe the mountains and rivers of different places and seasons. By seeing nature, I can also attain nature. Once my mind is clear, I will do what I want to do.”

The white dragon horse couldn't understand.

After a long silence, he finally asked, "Have you achieved clarity of thought?"

Zhang Zhengdao said, "It will be soon, it will be open soon."

The white dragon horse remained silent for a while, thinking to itself, "Isn't it because his wife ran away that he's wandering around aimlessly? To put it nicely, he says that only by seeing nature can one attain nature."

Haha, you did meet Lu Xiaohua, but did you end up with her?

They ran away!

But I can't say that, or the Taoist priest might have to eat dragon meat tonight. I need to keep my mouth shut; I can't let my thoughts slip out while I'm sleeping, or all the beating I got last time will be for nothing.

The ship arrived at the dock.

Zhang Zhengdao led his horse onto the boat.

"Master, lead the horse properly, we're off!" the boatman called out. "Yo-ho, let's go!"

The bow of the boat hit the river water, making a splashing sound.

"How come this boat is rowing so smoothly!" the burly man said, turning to the boatman. "Even with one person and one horse on board, it's still going much faster than before. I don't have to exert any effort at all."

The old boatman glared at him.

"Stop your nonsense, you're making a racket, can't you shut your mouth?"

The burly man remained silent, focusing solely on rowing the boat.

Before long, they crossed the river. Zhang Zhengdao disembarked, took out a piece of silver, and handed it to the boatman.

The boatman held it tightly in his hand, so tightly that he was sweating.

"gone!"

As Zhang Zhengdao spoke, he mounted his horse, and the white dragon horse reared up and slowly galloped away, leaving the great river far behind.

The burly man asked the boatman, "Why didn't you let me speak just now?"

The boatman glared and said in a low voice, "What do you know? This man and the horse are both weird. When I'm steering, the horse keeps looking at me and even smiles at me."

The burly man asked in disbelief, "Impossible, right?"

The boatman angrily retorted, "Would I lie to you about something like this? I've been sailing this river for so many years, and I've seen all sorts of strange people and things, but I've never seen anything like this. Do you know why the boat is so light?"

The burly man nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, when I was rowing the boat just now, it was so light, even lighter than an empty boat, it's really strange!"

The old boatman continued to lower his voice mysteriously, and the burly man bent over and leaned closer.

“Every year, countless people drown on this river. Once they become powerful enough, they can appear in broad daylight, just like ordinary people. But ghosts have no weight; they are very light, which is why you can feel like you are on an empty boat.”

The burly man was terrified; his face turned pale.

Thinking back on what had just happened, he felt increasingly uneasy, staring intently at the river.

The old boatman was puzzled and turned to look at the river.

The river became unusually turbulent again, flowing even faster than before.

Where is there any semblance of calm and tranquility anymore?

Even though the old boatman was experienced and knowledgeable, his legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground.

"Look, look! The silver he gave us, could it be paper silver ingots?" the burly man urged the old boatman anxiously.

The old boatman took out some loose silver coins, squeezed them in his hand, and confirmed they were genuine.

I bit it again with my teeth, and it was still real.

Don't you understand?

Is it now fashionable to use real gold and silver in the underworld? Should I bury some copper coins for my ancestors during the Ghost Festival tomorrow?

An old man and a young man stood on the shore, facing the direction where the Taoist priest had disappeared, speechless for a long time.

The further west you go, the more desolate it becomes.

In the distance, you can see a city.

As the man and horse approached, dark figures began to fall from the trees in the distance, then desperately ran towards the city gate. Another dark figure drew a gleaming longsword and charged towards Zhang Zhengdao.

The white dragon horse sneezed from afar.

"Chirp chirp—"

A loud snort exploded in the air like a thunderclap.

Suddenly, the dust in front of the white dragon horse seemed to be awakened, rising up as if it had come to life, and rushing towards the several black figures that were rushing towards it.

"Puff puff……"

The sound continued incessantly, and then the group of men in black were sent flying backward through the air, landing motionless on the ground.

No one dared to come any closer.

Zhang Zhengdao rode his horse slowly toward the city gate.

The city gate creaked shut with a sickening thud, then slammed shut with a loud bang. The sound of the lock clicking on the gate could also be heard.

"Master, Yunzhou City!"

The white dragon horse recited a sentence.

"I can read!!"

Zhang Zhengdao emphasized one point.

The white dragon horse, having been rebuffed, simply fell silent, standing there letting the Taoist priest stand like a fool at the city gate. Good deeds go unrewarded, huh?

Zhang Zhengdao cursed, "You beast, can't I even speak to you?"

The white dragon horse complained, "Daoist, we've been wandering around for over a year now, from spring when the flowers were in full bloom until early summer is almost here. When can we go back into the gourd?"

"It'll be here soon! Don't be impatient."

As soon as Zhang Zhengdao finished speaking, he saw countless figures in black suddenly appear on the city wall. Their expressions were stiff, and their eyes gleamed with ferocity.

"Who is coming?"

The leader of the men in black shouted at Zhang Zhengdao.

"I've been having some troubles lately, so I've come to you!" Zhang Zhengdao said loudly, looking up at the man. "Could you do me a favor and open the door?"

The leader felt that Zhang Zhengdao was not someone to be trifled with, and... he seemed to resemble the Taoist priest in the rumors of the martial arts world, so he was unsure of himself.

"If you do not explain the reason, I regret that I cannot comply."

I refused cleanly and decisively.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than the city gate suddenly creaked, making a slow, clanging sound as if its hinges were turning, which greatly alarmed the leader.

"Who...who opened the city gate?"

"It wasn't me, it really wasn't me, the door opened by itself, really, come and see for yourself!"

The man in black at the city gate grew anxious and shouted loudly at his leader.

"I can't hold him back... Ouch, he's stepping on my foot..."

Amidst pitiful screams, the leader of the men in black led a large group of men in black as they floated down from the city wall.

Amidst the screams of the men in black at the city gate, Zhang Zhengdao rode his horse slowly toward the gate.

"Ghost Hand!"

The leader of the men in black didn't land at the city gate; instead, he reached out and grabbed at Zhang Zhengdao with a claw. His figure moved like a ghost, instantly turning into a wisp of green smoke.

There was no one in sight, nor any sound of something breaking through the air.

The wisp of green smoke reached Zhang Zhengdao.

The green smoke seemed to appear suddenly from the sky, and then Zhang Zhengdao and the white dragon horse both saw a skinny claw emerge from the green smoke.

Its claws, as if made of steel and iron, were covered by a layer of human skin. Its sharp nails, like blades, gleamed with a cold light as they reached for Zhang Zhengdao's throat.

This series of actions happened in just a moment.

It only takes the blink of an eye.

The white dragon horse's mouth only tilted slightly for a moment.

A very soft sound suddenly appeared in the air, as if it came out at the same time as the claws were extended.

"Certainly!"

252 chapter