The day set for Guan Luoyang is on the 15th.

But since the afternoon before, there has been some unusual atmosphere around Tuoshan.

Ordinary rebel soldiers, and even most of the leaders of the Twenty-Eight Villages in Qingzhou, may not be able to detect this change, but for Fang La, he can clearly feel every unique aura passing by from the surrounding area.

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It must be that the rebel masters from other places were surveying the terrain in advance to see if there was any ambush.

Some people only came once, and seemed to feel Fang La's presence, so they completely hid themselves. Some people kept wandering around, apparently deliberately testing the attitude of the locals.

Of course, no matter whether they were cautious or pretentious, releasing their momentum to provoke, none of the dozen or so waves of people showed up openly and honestly.

Until the crescent moon rose and gradually moved towards the west in the sky, there was finally the sound of horse hooves that was not concealed, and it slowly approached the Thousand Buddhas Cave.

Both horses are tall maroon horses with fine fur and sturdy builds. The saddles are equipped with a bird's wing ring and a winning hook on one side.

Qiongying's Qionghua broken jade white tassel gun, the tail end is pierced through the bird's wing ring, and the front end is hung on the victory hook. When the horse's hooves sound, the gun tassel is slightly floated by the wind, which matches her apricot-colored body.

The elegant outfit and silver-white cape complement each other.

As for Lu Junyi's horse, in addition to a large gun hanging on one side, there is also a carved bow and quiver on the other side. He is dressed in an ocher red military robe, his beard and hair are dyed like ink, and he has a majestic and unstoppable aura.

"The eight scenic spots in Qingzhou are famous all over the world. I have seen them one by one in the past, and I still have a deep memory of Tuoling Qianxun. Between the Thousand Buddha Grottoes, there is a flow of people, and the smoke is stained with the rocks. It can be smelled from miles away.

The smell of sandalwood floating in front of the Buddha does look very different now."

Lu Junyi held the reins with one hand and stroked his beard with the other, looking at the scenery on the mountain. Suddenly he put his legs under the horse's belly and walked around the foot of the mountain to the southeast.

Although there are stone statues everywhere on Qianfo Ridge, the ones on the cliffs in the southeast are the most numerous.

The southeast face of this mountain is extremely steep. At a glance, it looks like a giant spirit is chopping the mountain, creating a smooth high wall with miraculous craftsmanship. The ancients dug caves on this cliff and carved the huge rocks in the cave into statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

From the top of the cliff to near the foot of the mountain, the large Buddha statues are more than ten feet tall and the smaller ones are about a foot tall, totaling about six hundred statues.

When the wind blows over this cliff, it becomes slow and solemn, and the sound of the wind is high and low, just like ancient Buddhist music and continuous Zen singing.

Lu Junyi pointed to the heights with a smile and said: "Look, the second Buddha statue in the highest row from the right was originally a statue of Guanyin holding a basket. Because it was in disrepair and the stone basket was damaged, I personally knitted a bamboo basket and sent it to replace it.

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The stone of the Guanyin statue at the top is gray and white, and the basket in its hand is also gray and white. But if you look closely, you can find that there is some bamboo texture in it, and it is indeed made of woven bamboo.

However, Lu Junyi must have poured a lot of magic power into the bamboo basket, making the material of bamboo and wood stronger and more stable than ordinary iron and stone. After wind, frost, rain and snow, the texture is still clear, not only has it not been worn or deformed,

Not even a trace of mold or moss.

Qiongying looked up and shook her head secretly.

Her adoptive father could suddenly be a little leisurely and elegant at any time.

After receiving Guan Luoyang's letter, it was Lu Junyi who took the initiative to attend the meeting alone.

The reason why Qiongying decided to follow him was, firstly, to show her sincerity, and secondly because she was worried about Lu Junyi's temperament.

But anyway, the official time was after sunrise, it was still early, and Qiong Ying didn't interrupt Lu Junyi's interest.

They walked around the foot of the mountain again, and after admiring the Thousand Buddha Ridge from all directions, they found a gentle slope to go up the mountain.

"Three miles to the east, under a stream in a dense forest, there is a master who practices demonic skills. He is covered in coldness and responds to water vapor."

On the way up the mountain, Lu Junyi suddenly spoke, with a calm tone and a little joy, just like when he commented on the scenery before.

But this time, what he named were all the masters hidden around him.

Not only did he roughly circle the hiding places of those people and tell Qiong Ying about them, he also pointed out the characteristics of these people's techniques.

"Five miles east by south, on the low hill...next to the small waterfall in the south and the deep pool...inside the mountain village in the far southwest..."

Qiongying was also paying attention to her surroundings, but she was far from being as knowledgeable as the palm of her hand. Listening to Lu Junyi's words, she realized that Lu Junyi had not forgotten the business while admiring the scenery along the road.

She couldn't help but smile, and with some thought, she said: "The man from Zhengdong should be Gaotuoshan in the south of the Yangtze River. It is said that all the sailors under his command have broken hair and tattoos. They are the sailors inherited from the pre-Qin, Wu and Yue periods."

It is a combat magic, so it has a distinct aura, with characteristics that are almost wild and rough."

"The others I can guess include Shi Sheng, Wu Hu, Liu Dagu, and Prince Li. When they rebelled, the methods they displayed were all unique and easy to identify. I can't guess the others."

As soon as Qiong Ying finished speaking, she saw that Lu Junyi's face became much more serious.

"These are just some of them. The most noteworthy one is the one in the Haotian Palace to the north."

Lu Junyi emphasized his tone and said, "That person's aura is like light and dust, mixed with the moonlight and night wind. It is thick enough to cover the mountains, but it is difficult for people to detect it."

Qiongying turned to look at Haotian Palace. Even though she had been reminded, she still couldn't see anything strange. It was obvious that the person in Haotian Palace was far stronger than herself.

"Could it be..."

Qiongying guessed, "Is that the big leader of Liangshan?"

"That's Fang La!"

A gentle breeze blows from the mountains. Wherever the wind blows, the grass is clear and green, and thousands of dewdrops instantly become turbid, flying up in the air, turning into curls of smoke, and steaming up to the sky.

A yellow-robed Taoist priest with thorny hair, carrying a wooden staff, walked to the foot of the mountain, followed by five strong men carrying bamboo baskets on their backs.

Wherever they walked, the grass and leaves seemed to have been cleaned, and the air was extremely fresh and pleasant. Some fist-sized stone statues of Bodhisattvas and Arhats, which had been hidden by weeds and covered in mud, were now washed away from dust.

, revealing his true face.

Lu Junyi looked back, his face immediately changed, and he praised: "The wind and smoke are all clear, the grass is new, and the heart of heaven is clear and dew, how can you practice left-handed magic to such a vibrant state? This brother is really a master.

Unparalleled talent."

Jingji Taoist priest responded with a smile: "I am a poor Taoist, Zhang Wanxian, could you please give me your names?"

After registering her number, Qiong Ying asked: "Just now, the Taoist priest said that the one on the mountain to the north is Fang La. Is it the same Fang La who called himself Holy Duke in Muzhou, failed in his conspiracy, and fought against all the Taoist officials?"

"Exactly this person."

Zhang Wanxian said, "When I traveled around the world, I once heard about this man's reputation in Muzhou and had a conversation with him. I will never be wrong about the artistic conception of his Heart Sutra of Precious Sun and Moon Luck."

"There are rumors in the world that he has died at the hands of Wang Laozhi, but today it seems that his cultivation level is much higher than back then."

Qiong Ying drew inferences and said: "So, at this time, those who arrange the gathering seats on the top of Qianfo Mountain are not necessarily people from Liangshan, but people from Fang La."

Lu Junyi said: "You'll know if you go up and take a look."

Several people went up the mountain together, and sure enough they saw hundreds of men wearing coarse cloth and narrow sleeves waiting at the top of the peak. Seats on wooden and stone tables, melon and fruit kettles, wine cups and cakes, etc., had all been arranged.

The view here is wide. If you come here during the day, you will feel empty and far away, and you can relax your emotions. However, if you come at night, it will feel windy, wet and cold.

However, when they set foot on the top of the peak, they found that the strong wind in the mountains suddenly calmed down here, and the breeze came slowly, dry and refreshing, without any moisture from the night.

Zhang Wanxian and the others could see that these hundreds of people all had a certain level of magic cultivation. At the same time, they silently used magic spells to slightly change the climate on the peak.

However, when they saw them coming up the mountain, about twenty people among the hundreds of people immediately bowed to them and saluted, and then they quickly jumped and went down the mountain.

Zhang Wanxian smiled and said: "It seems that this is to avoid suspicion, so as not to be thought that these people are here to ambush us. Fang La's methods of doing things are slightly different from those back then."

Lu Junyi said loudly: "We came early, and they prepared it early, so just take a seat early."

Zhang Wanxian nodded in agreement, and they each found their seats, not far apart, and sat down safely.

It was still quiet on the top of the mountain.

Everyone here, whether it is a girl under twenty like Qiongying, an old Jianghu like Lu Junyi, or the five followers around Zhang Wanxian, all have enough concentration to calm down and taste a little water and wine.

Enjoying the wind and the moon, you won’t feel bored at all.

Their behavior made others a little restless.

Not long after, a heavy fog filled the dense forest to the east. Gao Tuoshan, wearing dark gold armor, led people to the mountain.

Breastplate, shoulder armor, wrist guards, cloak, and golden boots were all in stock. He just took off his helmet, and with this armor on, he sat down on the floor, found a low table, and considered himself.

Not long after, people from all over the mountains and fields showed up and arrived at Qianfo Ridge.

Shi Sheng, the leader of the rebels on the Liangzhe Road, is a young man who looks young, but has rough hands and feet, like a farmer in the fields.

Tao Zongwang, the "nine-tailed turtle" following him, looked like an older farmer and even held a square-headed shovel in his hand.

Although the two of them also occupied a seat, their faces were tense and they refused to touch the things on the table. In this kind of situation, they showed a bit of embarrassment.

Wu Hu from Guangnan Road has a hooked nose, pale complexion, and a somewhat majestic appearance. He holds a wine jar in one hand and walks while drinking.

He came together with Liu Dagu, another rebel leader who was also on Guangnan Road. They each brought many entourages, and they found a seat in an area to sit down.

After that, several groups of people rushed up the mountain one after another. With each group of people coming, a group of the men who were originally responsible for preparing seats at the top of the mountain would leave.

Soon all those people were gone, but from all sides of the wilderness, rebels were still arriving one after another.

A rough count of the current rebel forces in the Song Dynasty is close to thirty groups. Even if some of them received Liangshan's letter, they did not come due to various concerns.

Even so, at the top of the Thousand Buddhas Cave, a gathering of heroes and a social atmosphere quickly gathered.

When there are more people, the silence cannot be maintained. The voices of each other chatting and discussing are like a swarm of bees, circulating between the venues.

Time passed by, and the crescent moon was still hanging high on the top of the mountains in the west, but the sky was slowly getting brighter.

There were more calls of birds in the forest, and they were suddenly disturbed by the sound of a gong, and they flapped their wings and flew away.

"The prince has arrived!"

The people who were ringing the gongs were shouting at the top of their lungs, and at the bottom of the mountain they saw gongs and drums, trumpets and shengs, some riding horses, some riding tigers and leopards, and eight people carrying an apricot-yellow soft sedan, coming up the mountain.
To be continued...