Chapter 4: Red Gold Coins
"Snow paper from Songzhu Xuan? This is made after dozens of procedures, a hundred sheets at least 20 taels of silver, equivalent to my monthly allowance for half a year. Purple stone inkstone is also a top grade, the stone is delicate and lubricated, there is a warmth, winter ink grinding will not freeze. Musk ink, is the best pine smoke mixed with gold foil, musk, pounded into the writing, smooth, font spirit, with refreshing fragrance. Pen is also a good pen, pure fox hair. This set of four treasures, at least hundreds of taels. This small Li Guo Gong Jing Yu Xing is really generous, I heard that this person is courteous, righteousness, but also often relief of poor readers, in the Yujing City in the reputation is very good. But I see that his ambition is not small ......."
Hong Yi carried a bag on his back and hiked on the road to the western mountains outside of Yujing City.
He was preparing to take the imperial examination, and was too lazy to be aggravated in the middle of the Marquis' residence, so he simply went to the West Mountain to live there for a while, and he could also guard his mother's grave.
Hong Yi's mother's grave is in the west mountain, a lonely one, his mother's status, after death is not able to enter the Hong family's clan temple ancestral hall.
West Mountain is a big mountain outside the Yujing City, almost a hundred miles in circumference, although not majestic, but also dense jungle, complex terrain, the hill is very much, there are flowing springs and waterfalls, there are also rocky mountains and forests.
The mountain more fox irrigation jackals and beasts, every winter, there will be some princes and nobles into the mountain hunting tour.
While traveling, Hong Yi while thinking about yesterday's small Li Guo Gong Jing Yuxing asked people to gift his four treasures, the heart speculation.
When it was dark, Hong Yi arrived at the foot of the western mountain, cleaned his mother's grave, put on incense, and then stayed in a small temple not far from the foot of the mountain.
This temple is called the Autumn Moon Temple is a dilapidated Buddhist temple, the temple inside a common old monk guard, Hong Yi every year will live here for a while, one is to give his mother's grave, two is to figure a clean.
Gave the old monk a few strings of incense money, ate a bowl of mushroom noodles, then stayed in the side of the temple to rest, lighted the lamp, burned the charcoal fire, ready to read at night.
The north wind howling, blowing the four walls click click click.
Inside the courtyard of the temple's side hall, the fluff was full of dead grass, which was swept up by the wind.
"This temple is getting more and more dilapidated every year. But the Da Qian Dynasty doesn't emphasize Buddhist temples, so it's good to build Taoist temples. It's no wonder." Hong Yi looked at such a bleak and dilapidated temple, although his heart felt emotional, he felt much more refreshed than in the middle of the marquis' residence, and his heart was soothed.
"Mother, if you have a spirit in heaven, bless me to win the first subject and right your name."
Eyes staring at the vegetable oil bean-sized lamp flower, Hong Yi silently prayed.
Bang!
The lamp flower exploded into a flower.
Wooooooo! Wooooooo!
Deep in the mountains in the distance, came a few mournful howls, like a wolf like a fox, mixed in the night wind, and like a night lord.
Deep mountains, ancient temples, north wind, wolves and foxes laughing, all of this is a horrifying scene.
But Hong Yi heart is no fear, one is he thought he never did anything wrong, two is familiar with the fox ghost notes, inside the readers are as long as the heart is upright, fearless, ghosts and ghosts can not get close to the body.
Wrapping up his clothes tightly, Hong Yi opened the door of his room and walked inside the courtyard.
"Eh? What is that?"
As soon as Hong Yi arrived inside the courtyard, he discovered several points of fist-sized green fire floating up and down in the valley about a few miles away in the distance, very strange.
"This kind of ghost fire is emanated from amongst human skeletons, often seen in chaotic graveyards, it's not really spooky." Facing the ghost fire floating up and down, Hong Yi smiled and muttered to himself.
Suddenly, a mournful cry came out from the deep mountains in the distance, a black shadow flew up in the midst of the ghost fire and went up to the sky in the twinkling of an eye, reminiscent of an old demon coming out at night and sucking out the hearts of the people. The average person would already be creeped out if they saw such a scene.
However, Hong Yi listened to the sound and knew that it was a night owl in the mountains.
Suddenly, he came to be a bit poetic and read aloud, "A hundred year old owl becomes a wood chimera, laughing from the nest of blue fire."
"Junior, you are not very old, but you are an elegant person. Laughter rose from the nest of blue fire ......"
Suddenly, a clear and sweet voice came from behind.
Hong Yi's shock was extraordinary! Cold sweat broke out all over his body. Hurriedly turned around, and saw his room inside, under the lamp, stood a dressed in pink ladies dress, pavilion, graceful young girl, age in eighteen or nineteen years old or so, gorgeous beyond description, looks a breathtaking beauty.
The beauty under the lamp was an absolutely beautiful sight.
But Hong Yi did not have the heart to appreciate the beauty at all. Thinking about it, a deep mountain temple, a woman suddenly appeared for no reason, either a ghost or a demon.
"Are you a ghost or a demon?"
Hong Yi pinched his fingers and calmed his mind.
"Oh, how do you know whether I am a ghost or a demon?"
This suddenly appeared woman looked at Hong Yi with a smiling face.
"It's very simple, your clothes are light and thin, the deep mountains are cold, normal people can't stand it at all. Secondly, there aren't any homes in this ten mile radius, how could you, a single woman, appear in an ancient temple late at night?" Hong Yi said, his feet suddenly felt a bit sour and numb.
"Not bad, I am a ghost." The woman suddenly changed color, her tone was cold and her face was ironic, as if she was about to pounce and eat someone at any time.
"I consciously did not do anything wrong in this life, I came to the ancient temple to study also to guard my mother's grave, what are you doing here looking for me, if you are a flirtatious female ghost, wanting to find a scholar for a night of flirtation, then I'll tell you, you're looking for the wrong person. I, Hong Yi, have been studying since I was young, and although I am far from being upright and smart, I still keep my reasoning and modesty. You hurry up and get out."
Hong Yi snapped his fingers and bulged his eyes, looking over fiercely.
"I don't have those Taoist priests' Taoist methods of driving away gods and ghosts, and I don't have any power in my hands, I don't know martial arts, and my hands are powerless. When I encountered a ghost, I can only rely on my own qi ...... not to show weakness, once I show weakness, the other party will infringe over. The idea should be rigid and firm."
When Hong Yi fiercely glared at the woman under the lamp, he gave himself a boost in his heart and firmly believed.
Against demons and ghosts, Hong Yi firmly believed that first and foremost, he should be vigorous.
"Hee hee, hee hee. Junior, you are so funny."
Suddenly, the woman let out a cheeky laugh and beckoned, "I was only joking with you just now, I'm not a ghost, ghosts don't have shadows under the lamp, come over here, you should feel the qi and blood on my body, are there any such ghosts? If there is a ghost with qi and blood, then it is not called a ghost, but a Yang Shen Tian Xian in the Taoist family."
"Oh?"
When Hong Yi heard this woman's words, he raised his head and looked at the silhouette under the lamp, and sure enough, there was a shadow of this woman under the lamplight.
After hesitating for a while, Hong Yi still stepped inside the house.
Sure enough, he was able to feel that this woman was a living person with fragrant exhale between her words.
"Well, you are not in the category of demons and ghosts. Demons and ghosts are all transformed by invisible thoughts, even if their power is deep and they can manifest, they will be nothing more than a cold and icy mass, and will not have the feeling of flesh and blood. You are not a demon or ghost, yet you are not an ordinary person, so you must be a first class Sword Immortal chivalrous person who lives in the mountains?"
Hong Yi tapped his brow with his finger.
"Oh? You seem to know a lot about demons and ghosts and the like, readers don't say that strange power messes with God, you are not an ordinary reader." The woman looked at Hong Yi with a hint of doubt inside her eyes.
"That is merely someone who reads dead books, my generation of readers, store the great righteousness, understand the six, know the demons and ghosts, and reach the gods. That's what is grimoires." Knowing that the other party is not the category of demons and ghosts, Hong Yi's mind calmed down and turned flexible.
"Hee hee, I came to the Western Mountain today to see my relatives, but I never expected to meet an interesting youngster like you." The woman in red muttered to herself, "A scholar, hmm, not bad not bad. It just so happens that amongst my relatives, there are also small children who need to read, and I want to hire you as a teacher to give them a lecture, I don't know if you're going to go or not, the honorarium is ten taels of red gold for a month."
"Ten taels of red gold a month?" Hong Yi was shocked. Qian dynasty gold and silver is a pair of fifteen, ten taels of red gold is one hundred and fifty taels of silver a month, is considered to be a huge amount.
Hong Yi in the Marquis House, only four taels of silver a month. Don't look at only four taels, but one silver exchange copper is one thousand, and one copper can buy a big cake. One tael of silver was enough for a small family of three to live for a month.
Like Jing Yu Xing gave Hong Yi hundreds of taels worth of literary treasures in one go just because of a poem, even a rich woman from a marquis family like Hong Xuejiao was surprised.
"Don't you believe it? I can pay a deposit in advance." The woman laughed, her hand shook and waved on the table.
Ding dong, ding dong, a row of small shiny gold cakes were placed on the table.
Hong Yi could tell at a glance that this was money made by the Da Qian Dynasty, and like the small cakes, it was also called "gold cake" by the folk, and "gold coin" by the official. One or two a piece.
"The color of this gold. It's not ordinary gold. Only the palace has this kind of money inside." Hong Yi was stunned in his heart after looking at this money, it turned out that the color of this gold coin was ruddy.
Seventy percent of gold was cyan, eighty percent of gold was yellow, ninety percent of gold was purple, and only ten percent of gold was red in color.
As the saying goes, "No gold is red enough, no one is perfect." Meaning, full red color gold, the world simply do not have.
However, the Taoist alchemists can burn out, this red-colored gold, also known as "medicine gold", is the Taoist practice lead burning mercury, practice Jin Dan of a medicine.
This red gold, and printed into coins, only the Imperial Palace.
It is usually rewarded by the emperor, the empress to civil and military ministers, or concubines in the harem.
"This woman seems to be mysterious, in fact, her mind lacks some subtlety, easily revealing her identity, inside the palace, the palace maid is not like a palace maid, what is the point of coming to the western mountain late at night?" Hong Yi heart question flashed after saying: "Gentlemen love money, take it, you want to ask the teaching teacher actually out of ten two gold a month, visible students are also not so simple to teach. You put the money away, it's better to find a time to go and take a look."
Although he wanted this money very much, but today's things were too strange, Hong Yi had to be careful: "Not greedy for women, not greedy for money, what demon or ghost can't help me."
"That's for sure, let's go, it's really hard to find a teacher nowadays, it's rare to come across you, a scholar who understands, although a little bit younger, but not afraid of ghosts and demons, it's rare, it's you." The woman said to herself, standing up.
"Leaving now?" Hong Yi's eyes glared for a moment.
"Of course." The woman smiled cheekily again, "It's still about sixty miles from here, but with your foot strength you won't be able to walk by dawn, it's better for me to lead you."
"Men and women are not clear, besides it's so late, you can come back tomorrow during the day." Hong Yi of course tried his best to push back, at night deep in the mountains and ancient temples, suddenly following a mysterious woman out would definitely be a misfortune rather than a blessing.
"I'm going back at dawn, what man and woman are not clear, it's not like anyone saw it." The woman looked up at the sky, a hint of majesty that could not be explained between her eyebrows, suddenly reached out a hand to grab Hong Yi's arm, and the whole person leaped, directly to the outside of the temple's courtyard.
This leap, as if shrinking the ground, directly is the distance of twenty steps of an ordinary person, Hong Yi only felt the clouds and fog.
"Earth Shrinking Art?"
"What Earth Shrinking Art? This is nothing more than the 'vertical ape lifting body' footwork."
The sound of whistling wind and the woman's voice pierced through his ears, Hong Yi only saw a large tree far away, while he seemed to be a kite being flown, the wind was all over the inside of his ears and mouth, and his eyes couldn't even open.
"This woman is faster than a horse." Hong Yi simply closed his eyes.
About two or three columns of incense, Hong Yi suddenly felt an abrupt stop and opened his eyes, in front of him was a dark valley, in the center of the valley, there was a vague fire.
"What is that!"
Hong Yi saw a scene he would never forget.
A large bonfire was burning in the middle of the valley, and beside the bonfire, there were dozens of foxes with snow-white fur sitting around it.
These foxes, half-squatting, half-sitting, seemed to be like people, especially they, one by one, were holding books, making strange and strange noises, as if they were chanting, as if they were small children reading inside a private school.
A group of foxes, reading like people!
