Chapter 366 Anqi Island

Liu Hongxun of Changshan, known as Liu Zhongtang, went to North Korea with the military attache. I heard that there is an Anqi Island here. There are immortals living on the island and want to visit by boat. The king said, "For the time being, I have to wait for Xiao Zhang to come back." It turns out that Anqi Island does not have contact with the world. Only his disciple Xiao Zhang can visit once or twice a year. If someone wants to land on the island, he must get Xiao Zhang's approval, otherwise if he goes alone, he will be hit by a hurricane and the boat will be destroyed.

After a day or two, the king was summoned. When Liu Hongxun went to the court meeting, he saw a man in his thirties, wearing a bamboo hat, a long sword on his waist, and a handsome face. When he inquired, it turned out that he was Xiao Zhang. Liu Hongxun told him his intention to land on the island. Xiao Zhang agreed and said, "Your excellency can go, but the deputy envoy can't go with him. Although you have many servants, only two of you are qualified to go to the island. Come with me."

A group of people came to the seaside and boarded a flat boat. The boat traveled fast, like driving clouds and fog. If they couldn't pass, they had arrived at Anqi Island. It was the middle of winter, and the weather was cold, but the island was as warm as spring, and the valley was full of flowers. Xiao Zhang took him into a cave. There were three old men sitting in the cave. The old man in the middle got up to welcome the guests, bowed his hands, and invited Liu to take a seat. The two old men next to him closed their eyes and were indifferent.

The old man who welcomed the guest patted his hands, and a child walked into the cave. The old man said, "Why don't you pour tea for the hospitality?" Tong'er took the order and went away. She carried a tea cup in her hand and came to the stone wall outside the cave. There was an iron cone inserted on the stone wall. Tong'er reached out and pulled out the iron cone. The water in the stone wall poured out and injected it into the tea cup one after another. After a while, the tea cup was overflowing, and the child inserted the iron cone again. Turn around and go into the hole and dedicate the tea to Liu.

Liu took the tea and saw that the color was green. He took a sip. It was cold to the bone, and his teeth trembled. He shook his head and dared not drink it again. The old man smiled and said to Tong'er, "The guests are afraid of the cold, so change a cup." Tong'er nodded, drank the tea left in the cup, and turned away. Still return to the stone wall, pull out the iron cone, fill it with a cup of tea again, and return to the cave.

This bowl of tea is fragrant and steaming. Obviously, it has just been cooked. Liu Hongxun was overjoyed. After drinking three or two sips, he asked the old man about his fate. The old man smiled and said, "Old man, you can't even tell the years. How can you know what fate?" Liu Hongxun asked about the way of immortality again. The old man said, "Your excellency is a rich minister, and the art of immortality is not something you can know."

Liu Hongxun touched the soft nail twice in a row, and he was not happy. He said goodbye and left. Xiao Zhang got up to see him off and sent him back to North Korea. After going back, he mentioned this matter to the king. The king sighed, "It's a pity that you didn't drink that cup of herbal tea. This is innate jade liquid. Drinking it can increase your life for a hundred years."

Soon after, Liu Hongxun set out to return to China. The king gave him a gift, wrapped in pieces of cloth, and told him, "This thing cannot be opened by the sea." Liu Hongxun was perfunctory and didn't pay attention to it. After going ashore, I was impatient to take out the package to check. The cloth was superimposed and stacked, with more than 100 layers. It was not easy to untie it. There was a bronze mirror in the cloth. At a glance, the scenery inside the mirror was extraordinary, and the dragon palace and the aquarium were vivid. While staring, the waves on the sea were turbulent, and the waves a hundred feet high hit him. Liu Hongxun was shocked and ran away. The waves chased all the way, as fast as a storm. He was about to die here. Liu Hongxun was so afraid and quickly put the bronze mirror into the sea, and the tide immediately retreated.