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The sixteenth day of the first lunar month.

The heavy rain that swept across Liangzhou last night didn't stop until dawn in the middle of the night. When I opened the door early in the morning, I was greeted by waves of earthy fragrance, fresh and delicious.

The poor boy Chu Yuanxiao got up at dawn, or he actually didn't sleep much the whole night last night.

I have lived for more than ten years, which is not too long but not too short. For the first time, I know that my life is all calculated by others, and I think that there may be a pair of eyes not far or near at this moment. Staring at him from all over the place, still planning how to make him die of cold and hunger, the young man felt his scalp numb.

The sun has not yet risen on the hills to the east, and the first rooster crow in the town has not yet begun. A poor 13-year-old boy has already stepped out of the courtyard gate on his worn-out cloth shoes and went to the old locust tree at the entrance of the town. He squatted down and stared straight at the door of the shabby thatched hut across the road.

He's going to start waiting for someone.

The pair of rag shoes on his feet were not worn out by the old drunkard during his lifetime. His family was poor, and he was not willing to throw them away after the old man died. He mended them and could wear them again, although he was not old enough and the shoes were worn on his feet. There is a lot of wandering around, but after all, people are poor and have short ambitions, so they can still make do with it.

In the hut opposite, the slovenly man Hou Junchen, lying on the broken bed with a layer of hay, was a little irritated. He didn't need to open the door to know that there was a little bastard squatting under the old elm tree opposite!
The man pulled up the tattered quilt and covered his head more tightly, while muttering and cursing, "You damn little bastard! You won't let anyone calm down so early in the morning! You're damn safe. One night, I had to go to the streets and alleys of the town to bang clappers in the middle of the night under heavy rain!"

The unforgiving Hou Junchen finally couldn't resist the persistent gaze of the little bastard outside the house who was staring at his shabby hut that was leaking both wind and rain. He tossed and turned and finally could only get up from the bed and suddenly pulled away. The door opened and he yelled curses to the other side.

"You little bastard, why are you freaking out here so early in the morning?! It's not like you are the one urging the Lord of Hell to kill you! Can't you wait until I wake up before you come back?"

The young man squatting opposite raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't expect that he was just squatting here. The man could clearly understand this method even if he stayed in the room without even opening the door...

He couldn't help but become more curious about the so-called cultivators.

Hou Junchen yawned, pulled up a chair and cursed, and left the hut. He placed the chair outside the door and sat on it. He waved to the young man opposite, "If you have any questions, ask them immediately. After you ask them, get out of here and leave him alone." Damn it, you’re delaying me from getting back to sleep!”

The young man got up from under the tree and walked to the other side of the road. Before the dazed and slovenly man could fall asleep again, he stood by the chair and asked his first question: "Where is Fengxue Tower? "

The lazy man who always stayed up until midnight had never gotten up so early before. He was so sleepy that he didn't even open his eyes after vaguely hearing the boy's question. He just mumbled and answered vaguely: "A guy who seems to be The Jianghu forces who know a little bit about everything and can kill anyone are not considered immortal sects or wealthy families, but they are not just anyone who dares to mess with them."

"Then what are the conditions for asking them to kill someone?" The young man asked the second question.

The young man in red said before he left last night that the people who wanted his life had gone to great lengths to invite Fengxue Tower to show they were running out of patience, so he wanted to know how to invite Fengxue Tower?

This question is not just a curiosity, it itself can explain a lot of problems.

More importantly, why did that person come to kill someone who was clearly entrusted by someone else, and then left casually?
The young man had never heard of anyone doing business so casually. Does this mean that the person who wanted to kill him was at least no better than Fengxuelou?
Hou Junchen, a sloppy man, paused slightly when he heard the young man's question. He opened his eyes in a daze and looked at the young man next to him. He closed his eyes again and continued to mutter: "Fengxue Tower does not charge money. Every landlord of them After taking over, a batch of tokens of varying numbers will be randomly released to the Jianghu. If you want to ask Fengxuelou to do something, you have to bring at least one of these tokens before you can go to the door. As for whether this matter will be done or not, it depends on Fengxuelou. Snow Tower’s mood.”

The young man strained his ears to finally hear the lazy man's vague mumbling, and then couldn't help but twitch his lips. Why did Fengxuelou sound like it wasn't very reliable?But it seems to make people feel that there is some kind of overbearing that is hard to describe!

The sleepy Hou Junchen couldn't hear the young man ask the third question for a long time. For the first time, he opened his eyes and looked at the young man. He frowned and said calmly: "The world's forces, including the rivers and lakes under the mountain and the immortal sect on the mountain, almost all the forces with some ability. They are all included. They are divided into nine ranks according to their ability. Each rank is divided into upper and lower levels, similar to the distinction between the first rank and the first rank in the court official system. In Jiuzhou, there is only one super rank, Linyuan Academy. In addition to not being within the ninth rank and being in charge of the promotion of ranks, the three religions are the only three first ranks. The next two ranks to the ninth rank have their own positions. The Fengxue Tower in front of you is on the third rank, but in Jianghu There is a widely circulated theory in private that that weird and mysterious wooden building actually has the ability to enter the second level, but for some reason they have never mentioned to Linyuan Academy that they want to upgrade to the second level."

The young man standing on the side listened carefully and very keenly. After listening to this explanation, he accurately grasped two words: "Almost?"

"Those who are not in the ninth rank are not in the mainstream. Those who are neither not in the flow nor want to be in the ninth rank..." The sloppy man paused, opened his eyes and looked at the young man, and said: "It's not convenient for me to tell you clearly. Anyway, not too much, no more than one hand.”

Hou Junchen didn't know whether it was due to scruples or some other reason, but he didn't explicitly mention the names of certain mountain gates. After passing by them, he closed his eyes again, and the topic returned to Fengxue Tower.

"Fengxuelou's token is hard to find in the world outside! Since the person who wants your life can ask Fengxuelou, it already shows that the skills of that group of people are definitely not too low! In addition, although yesterday The person who came late said that the person who entrusted them with the errand had committed suicide on the spot, but I guess they still knew more or less what was going on behind the scenes, and it seemed that the person who entrusted them with the errand was not weak, even if he wasn't. It’s not much better than Fengxue Tower…it’s still a matter of debate as to which one is higher or which one is lower!”

"Fengxuelou is famous in the world for having very good ears and very good means, but a large part of the reason for this "spirit" is to allow them to take action without hindrance, to ensure that the words "very high means", In this way, this business can last longer.”

The man glanced at the young man and said, "You have to think about the logic in this."

"So if you want to guard against someone coming to take your life, it's best to start thinking of ways to practice now and increase your strength to prepare means of self-protection. A better way is to find a backer who is tall and heavy enough, otherwise you will It’s not far away from the time to meet the real Lord of Hell.”

The young man stared at the man who was dozing off with his eyes closed but hesitated to speak.

The lazy man Hou Junchen didn't even open his eyes this time, and waved his hands lazily, "Don't take advantage of me, I'm just a country watchman who just wants to survive. I don't have that much ability to be in the hands of such a person." I can’t protect you, and I can’t teach you anything!”

As he spoke, he stood up from the bamboo chair and prepared to go back to the house to catch up on his sleep. After entering the door, he suddenly stopped and stuck his head out of the door: "You can wait for another two days. I guess it will take a few days." There will be foreigners coming to the town to recruit disciples, you can poke around when the time comes, and if you are lucky enough, you may not get a chance, but remember not to be blind when the time comes."

After saying that, the man was about to close the door, but suddenly paused, then opened his eyes wide and stared at the young man and cursed: "Get out of here! If you dare to disturb my peace again, they don't have to come to take your life. I'll give you your stupid head first." Unscrew it!”

With a bang, Hou Junchen immediately closed the hut door after finishing speaking.

Almost the next moment, the young man heard a loud sound of a heavy object hitting the bed board. He grinned. Why wasn't this old bachelor afraid that he would collapse the shaky thatched hut?

……

In the next few days, Chu Yuanxiao, a young man, was advised to sit under the old locust tree at the entrance of the town whenever he had free time every day. He would look at people when they passed by, and when no one passed by, he would raise his head to study the mouth hanging on the branch of the tree all year round. The big bronze bell.

He liked to sit under the clock since he was a child, and he made a discovery that he never dared to tell others, that is, there were words inside the copper bell, and it seemed that every time he came over to look at it, he would find that the words engraved on the clock were different.

Although the boy was illiterate and couldn't even write his own name, he could tell the difference.

The young man was a little shocked when he discovered the secret at first. Later, he took a closer look at the others, but it seemed that they didn't have any special reaction when they sat under the clock and looked up occasionally. I don't know if they didn't notice the word. There are changes, but I still find them and don’t think there is any problem...

It's just that the young man sometimes thinks secretly, is there anything wrong with calling this thing?

About three or four days after the young man finished questioning the sloppy man, the young man, who was sitting under the clock every day when he had free time, finally saw many outsiders coming one after another, detouring from the official road at the foot of the Hidden Dragon Bei Mountain in the east. Came over and entered their Yanguan Town.

Of course, almost all outsiders who enter the town will immediately see the huge old locust tree at the entrance of the town, as well as the old bell and the young man under the bell.

Some people would take the initiative to talk to him, while others ignored the boy's existence and walked straight through the intersection into the town to go to their respective destinations.

There were about a hundred people in total. The young man always had a good memory and could basically remember them at a glance, but there were probably only three or four groups of people that really impressed him.

The first of this group to enter Yanguan Town was a group of three people. When passing by the old locust tree and the young man from the town sitting under the tree, they all walked far away from the other side of the wide official road.

The beautiful middle-aged woman in the lead looked like a pampered rich lady with fine makeup and rich clothes. The young man walking next to her was also dressed in rich and noble clothes. Judging from his appearance, he should be about the same age as the poor young man. This freshman The two young people must be a mother and son, and they seem to be talking about something.

When passing by the young man from the official side of the road, the rich young man looked at the poor young man in an understatement, his eyes were indifferent, neither looking high nor looking down.

The poor boy inexplicably felt that in his eyes, he was no more than a stone on the roadside...

Behind the mother and son was an old woman who was hunched over. When she looked at the mother and son, her face was warm. When she turned to look at the young man carrying the pole, there was a look of contempt in her eyes.

The poor young man who lowered his head and looked at the tips of his shoes did not dare to raise his head to observe these wealthy pedestrians carefully. He just silently estimated in his heart that the old woman was probably a servant brought out by the wealthy mother and son when they went on a long trip, just like the townspeople. The wealthy people who live in wealthy families behave the same way when they go out.

After the three foreigners who entered first, he was also impressed by a group of three people.

A tall, thin old man with white hair and a long robe and long sleeves walked first, followed by a man and a woman who looked to be no more than 20 years old. They had outstanding looks, wore long robes, and were very heroic.

The young man had a sheathed tasselless long sword hanging on his waist. One hand naturally held the hilt of the sword. He walked tall and straight, without squinting.

The girl who was following the old man on the other side walked in the exact opposite way to the man. She was dressed in red and had a long sword behind her back, with a pair of scarlet sword spikes attached to the sword's head. This girl looked extremely beautiful. Her lips are reddish-red, her brows are dark, and her white jade is flawless. When she walks, she bounces, and the sword spikes hanging behind her will sway back and forth. They are lively and lively, complementing each other.

When the old man walked not far in front of the young man in the town, he suddenly stopped. He turned his head and glanced at the young man who was also looking at them. He smiled first, and then took the initiative to talk to the young man in Hexi dialect: "Dare you ask me, little brother? Is this Yanguan Town?"

The poor young man did not expect that these strangers would talk to him, and he did not expect that the old man's dialect was so authentic. He looked up at the old man with some surprise, and then looked at the pair of young men and women behind the old man who were also sizing him up. , nodded somewhat shyly but said nothing.

The old man smiled and nodded his thanks, looked at the young man carefully, and then walked towards the center of the town, followed by the young men and women behind him.

The poor boy heard from a distance that the beautiful girl among the three people walking away said something, probably asking the old man something. Then the young man said something again, and then the old man said something with a smile, just The three people were no longer speaking in Hexi dialect, so the boy didn't know what they were talking about.

Then there was a young girl in white clothes, white boots, and a bright red cloak. She was also very good-looking. The rich red cloak did not overshadow the girl's delicate appearance at all. On the contrary, they complemented each other and made her more beautiful than a flower.

The girl carries a long sword on her back, and hangs a milky-white fish-dragon jade pendant on her waist. She has fair skin, picturesque eyebrows, and heroic appearance. The most memorable thing is her pair of big round eyes, which are black and bright, as bright as the stars.

When the girl passed by the young man in the town, she turned her head and glanced at him. After a moment of hesitation, she suddenly stopped and opened her mouth to say something.

The young man in the small town only heard a series of words coming out of the girl's mouth. The sound was as pleasant as silver bells, but he didn't understand what she said at all, and he looked confused.

The girl frowned slightly, and after a moment of silence, when she spoke again, she switched to the somewhat awkward Kasai dialect that she was not very proficient in.

After careful analysis for a long time, the young man realized that she was asking about the direction of a family named Li in the town.
There are less than [-] households in Yanguan Town. Since they first came from all over the world, their surnames are very mixed.

The boy has been hanging out in the small town since he was a child, so he knows most of the families. Although the threshold of some families is too high for someone like him to step in, he basically knows the surnames of those high-ranking families.

You can tell by her attire that this girl is not a relative of an ordinary family. Although there are many families with the surname Li in the town, there is only one Li from a wealthy family, Liu Zhu Chen Li.

Speaking of which, Yanguan Town is originally built in a square shape, and the two main streets squarely divide the town into four smaller pieces. The four surnames of Liu, Zhu, Chen, and Li each occupy one piece, as if they had agreed upon it. The other small families around are not as wealthy as these four families.

During the three years when the boy was seven to ten years old, he followed Lao Liangtou to the streets every night. When he had nothing to do, the old man would walk forward with a lantern while telling the boy some anecdotes about the town. anecdote.

It is said that the wealthy Liu family, whose house is located in the center of the northwest block of the town, is a wealthy businessman who does big business in Liangzhou, the county town. He has a large number of restaurants and restaurants, and a lot of various shops, and his business is booming. , bright red and purple.

The Liu family's ancestors made their fortune by doing business. The current head of the family, Liu Yuanxiang, has been running his own business in Liangzhou County all year round. Only a pair of children are left to live with the old man of the Liu family in Jianyou in Yanguan Town all year round. In the old house of Liu's ancestral hall, this was decided by the old man Liu himself.

Located in the center of the southwest part of the town, the Zhu family has lived in Yanguan Town for generations. Their ancestors have been landlords and squires in the town for generations.

Most of the salt fields around Yanguan Town are government-owned salt fields that are not suitable for growing crops. The few remaining acres that can grow some food are mostly owned by the Zhu family, so many families in the town are tenants of the Zhu family. The big landowners here are very wealthy.

The third family, the Chen family, is said to be from a scholarly family, which probably means that their family has been scholars for generations. The rural school located in the center of the northeastern part of the town is right next door to the Chen family's mansion.

It is said that one of the ancestors of the Chen family once had a son who served as a high official in the imperial court called "Shang Shu Pu She". Although the ignorant townspeople in the town did not know how big an official that "Shang Shu Pu She" was, they all I heard that there are still a large number of Chen family's children living in the capital. The Chen family's big house in Yanguan Town, like the Liu family, is also an old house dedicated to family incense.

The Li family that the girl inquired about was an official. In the salt official office not far from Wufang Pavilion in the center of Yanguan Town, every salt official from ancient times to the present has been a member of the Li family. Just like hereditary ones, they have never changed their surnames.

The boy knew that the girl couldn't understand his dialect very well, so he could only tell her by gesturing with his hands while talking, go in from the east entrance of the town, go west to the second intersection, then turn left and go south to the second intersection. You can see the tall compound gate of the Li family at the intersection.

The girl watched the small town boy gesture and describe for a long time. She probably finally understood what he meant. After thinking for a moment, she smiled at him.

For a moment, the young man seemed to see a blooming peach blossom, and after shaking his head, he blushed slightly.

The girl didn't care. She said "thank you" in an unskilled dialect and turned around to leave.

The boy watched the girl walk away and finally disappeared. When he turned back, he found an old man with white hair standing not far from him, smiling and waiting for him to come to his senses.

The young man scratched his head in embarrassment and opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated because he didn't know if the old man could understand the dialect.

The old man who was hunched over and carrying a crooked cane with a sparrow head smiled and spoke first: "Little brother, do you know where the rural school in this town is?"

The young man nodded and was about to give the old man directions just like he explained to the girl before. Unexpectedly, the old man waved his hand slightly and said, "There's no rush."

The boy was a little confused.

The old man glanced at the young man, and after a moment he smiled and asked, "Does my little brother have a three-foot-long sword at home that looks a bit old?"

The young man's face became a little tense for a moment. He suddenly thought of the long straight-edged knife that the old drunkard would take out and clean from time to time when he was still alive. But from the old drunkard to the young man becoming his own master, they never Take that weapon, which is a sharp weapon in the military according to regulations, out of your home and show it to others.

But the old man in front of him actually just looked at the young man and screamed?Is this also an immortal method?
"Can you sell it to me?" The old man looked at the young man's expression and asked with a smile before he could answer.The young man looked a little solemn, but he still shook his head out of politeness.

The old man brushed his beard and nodded with a smile, "Then, little brother, would you like to listen to my advice?"

The boy nodded again.

"If I am not mistaken, the knife in your home has some origins. If it is not necessary, it is best not to let others see it, especially outsiders like us."

The poor young man was startled when he heard this. The old man's words sounded like something worth pondering, so not everyone could see it?

The old man seemed to be able to see some of the young man's thoughts, so he smiled and said no more, and was ready to go to the school after listening to the young man's directions.

The young man glanced at the old man's hunched figure, hesitated for a moment and then took the initiative to help the old man's arm.

The old man turned back to look at the young man with a sincere face, nodded with a smile, and let the young man help him to go to the village school.

When he arrived at the gate of the school, the young man raised his head and glanced at the main entrance of the rural school, which was not too luxurious but had a high threshold. He stopped consciously and carefully let go of the old man's arm.

The old man looked back at the young man and smiled and said: "Little brother, aren't you going to help me go in? This threshold looks a bit embarrassing for the old man."

The young man looked at the old man, then at the threshold, and scratched the back of his head unconsciously, looking a little embarrassed.

The old man didn't say anything, and waited for the young man to think with a smile.

Chu Yuanxiao finally stepped forward and supported the old man with a cloth, helping him cross the threshold, but the young man's feet always stood outside the threshold. Although it was a little awkward, he never crossed the threshold.

After the old man passed by, the young man took another step back and bowed to the old man to say goodbye.

The old man slowly turned around and saw the young man bowing and saluting without stopping him. After he straightened up, he smiled and said: "Isn't my little brother studying in a school? I have some relationship with the gentleman in this country school. If you If you are willing, I can ask Xiang Yier for you to let you come here to study."

Halfway through the words, the old man looked at the young man again, and then added: "You don't have to pay the tuition fee, which is what you often call tuition."

The young man standing a little embarrassed outside the threshold heard the old man's words. He raised his head and glanced at the old man in surprise. However, the light in his eyes quickly extinguished in just a moment. He scratched the back of his head again, grinned and thanked the old man. : "Thank you for your kindness, but my family is relatively poor. I still can't afford to study without paying tuition. I have to find a way to fill my stomach first."

The old man smiled, waved his hand and said, "What's the problem? I can tell the teacher to take care of your food as well."

This time, the young man was even a little frightened. He quickly waved his hand and took a step back. He bowed deeply to the old man and thanked him: "Old man, I just helped you walk a few steps. It didn't take any effort at all. How can you deserve such a great favor?"

As he spoke, he bowed to the old man again, then said goodbye and hurried away, as if he was afraid that the old man would make any suggestions that would make him unfavorable.

The old man stood just inside the threshold, holding a cane in one hand and stroking his beard with the other. He smiled as he watched the young man outside the threshold gradually run away without saying a word or trying to stop him.

……

As soon as Chu Yuanxiao returned to the old locust tree at the east entrance of the town, the slovenly man in the hut opposite stuck his head out. He first looked in the direction of the rural school in the town, then called the young man to him and asked: "Delivered?"

The young man nodded absently.

Hou Junchen looked at the young man's expression and teased: "Didn't you ask for a reward? For example, let you go to a rural school to study and become literate or something?"

The young man glanced at the slovenly man and rolled his eyes without any scruples, "I just helped the old man walk for a while, and you want to be paid for it? Do you want face?"

The sloppy man laughed loudly when he heard this. After a while, he stopped when the young man looked at him like an idiot, and then told the young man: "You don't need to read the rest."

The boy didn't know why.

Hou Junchen was a little helpless, "Aren't you afraid that if you stay at the entrance of the town like this every day, one day the group of people who want your life will find a dead man to come up and give you a sudden sword? They won't even bother to design a plan to lure you into the game?"

Hearing this, the young man was at a loss for a moment.

The man said expressionlessly and said something that made him even more shocked: "Also, even if the group of people I mentioned before want to kill you, they will only act in the dark, but you have seen these people who have been sent to the town these days. It's different for outsiders. If someone among them covets the knife in your hand, they will definitely make you die on the spot in the blink of an eye!"

Hou Junchen didn't wait for the young man's reaction, and said calmly: "What the old gentleman said just now is right. You may not understand the saying 'It's a crime to have a jade', but to use an analogy, it is when the weather is cold and the ground is freezing. You are standing in the wilderness with a young sheep in your arms, and there are a group of hungry wild wolves around you. Do you think you will die first or the sheep will be eaten first?"

The man sighed a little and turned his head to look at the west side of the town, which was gradually becoming lively. He only glanced at it and then looked back at the young man in front of him, his expression solemn and thoughtful.

"Of course, Yanguan Town is a special place and there will be some restrictions. They can't blatantly kill people and seize treasures. But there are so many ways for practitioners to kill people, and not everyone will be stubborn. It’s such a big circle to seek a specific result, so if you want to survive, you’d better keep your eyes open and be smart.”

-

Small town country school.

Early this morning, the young girls in the small town who were of the right age and could afford to study began to enter the rural school one after another. The middle-aged teacher in the school who was responsible for teaching everyone to read had been standing at the door of the rural school for a long time. , with a gentle smile, he watched each student salute and say hello to him, watched them cross the threshold of the rural school, then walked around the slightly huge four-legged square tripod in the courtyard, walked on the stone road through a bamboo forest and entered the school behind. .

This middle-aged private school teacher in a blue shirt, surnamed Cui, is recognized as the most knowledgeable scholar in the town. Even the Chen family next door to the rural school, who is known as the heir of poetry and calligraphy, has no objection to this statement.

More than ten years ago, this scholar also entered the town passing by the foot of Hidden Dragon Bei Mountain outside the east entrance of the town. He happened to meet the former teacher of the private school who resigned from the post of teacher at the salt administration office, so this Cui Jue, a new Confucian scholar, became the new rural school teacher.

For more than ten years, this scholar has rarely left the rural school. Most of the time, he is either lecturing to the teenagers in the school or sitting under the pavilion in the backyard of the rural school, watching chess and scores, reading and studying, quietly, peacefully and indifferently. , work conscientiously.

……

It was nearly noon, and an elderly, hunched-over, white-haired old man, leaning on a crooked cane, asked a young man for directions at the east entrance of the town. Then he was supported by the young man and walked slowly through the streets and alleys. Taoli Street where the rural private school is located.

The old man who was swept across the threshold watched the young man run away and stood there for a long time. Finally, he sighed with regret, stepped across the threshold again, and looked back at the couplets on both sides of the door. .

The shabby room is filled with the quiet fragrance of books, and the mountains and rivers are filled with long lasting charm;

The Confucianism in the world is awe-inspiring, filling the heaven and earth with energy that rises to the sky for thousands of years.

The old man looked at the couplet and nodded. He seemed to think of something for a moment, and shook his head with some regret. Then he used the help of the crutch to lift his feet across the threshold and entered the yard with difficulty.

In the rural school, there were lush vegetation and winding paths. The old man finally found the outside of the school after twists and turns.

At this time, the sun was just right, so he took advantage of the situation and sat down on the steps in the corner outside the thatched cottage. He raised his hands and slowly beat his legs to relieve his fatigue, while listening to the gentleness of the teacher inside through the window above his head. The voice of the lecturer: "Confucius said, the Tao is not far away from people; people are not far away from people because of the Tao, but they cannot be the Tao..."

Just when the old man was drowsy from the sun and was about to lean on the low wall under the windowsill of the school, a gentle voice slowly came to his mind: "Thank you for your hard work, sir."

The old man didn't open his eyes when he heard the words. He leaned against the wall and asked in a soft and soothing voice, carrying some long-lost memories: "Are the students out of class?"

The Confucian scholar in blue shirt quietly sat beside the old man, leaning on the wall like the old man did, and said with a light smile: "Well, I took a rest for a long time and went home."

The old man still closed his eyes and nodded, quietly enjoying the warm sunshine. As people get older, they tend to lack Yang Qi, so they always like to bask in the sun to find some heat to make themselves more comfortable.

The spring was warm and the sun was shining brightly, but the master and apprentice didn't say anything anymore. They just sat quietly from the time the sun rose to the west until the sun set in the west.

The spring sleep in the thatched cottage is late, and butterflies fly at dusk on the high pillow.

When the middle-aged Confucian scholar opened his eyes again, the old man was no longer beside him. Instead, he was carrying a small water bottle and watering the flowers and plants that had just begun to sprout by the garden surrounded by fences in the courtyard.

It wasn't until the teacher woke up that the old man put down the shower in his hand, turned around and slowly walked to the steps and sat down again. Both of them seemed to have forgotten the cultural rules of bowing to greet each other and reminiscing about the past. The old man turned to look at the school teacher. The other side of the gate sighed and said slowly: "The threshold is still a bit high."

The middle-aged Confucian scholar nodded slightly: "Yes."

The old man felt a little regretful and sighed softly: "From the time when Master was still young to now, my Confucian heritage has been passed down for more than ten thousand years, and I have been tirelessly pursuing education without distinction and universal unity until now, but this threshold is still the same. It's so high that one can't help but sigh that it's good fortune that can trick people."

The old man seemed to be caught up in some long-lasting memories, and the student in green shirt beside him sat quietly with him without speaking.

After just a moment, the white-haired old man laughed again. After thinking about it for a moment, he looked sideways at the student beside him and said with a smile: "I saw a young man with a mixed breath at the entrance of the town. He seemed to be able to see." There are no less than four or five karmic catastrophes that come out, and they are complicated and confusing, which is very interesting."

The scholar in blue shirt smiled and nodded, "The origin of that child is a bit complicated, and what the involvement behind it means... It's not clear yet."

Hearing this tone, the old man turned his head and glanced at the student's expression, his expression slowly became serious, and he asked uncertainly: "Should you choose that child for the bet?"

The Confucian scholar looked in the direction outside the door of the rural school and nodded without denying it. "I have this idea for the time being, but it has not been decided yet. After all, this matter cannot be decided by the student alone."

The old man was a little impatient for the first time, "That young man is involved in so many causes and effects, and your bet is related to the inheritance of Jiuzhou culture for thousands of years. Do you really want to take such a risk? If you die in the middle, wouldn't our cultural and educational tradition be in danger?"

Hearing this, the middle-aged Confucian scholar looked helplessly at his husband and said with a smile: "Teacher, how can you call it a gambling game if you can see the whole thing at a glance? Wouldn't the result of a chaotic situation that no one can control explain the problem more clearly? ?”

The old man's frown was not relieved by the student's explanation, and he still looked at him with disapproval.

The two looked at each other for a moment, refusing to admit defeat. Finally, the middle-aged Confucian scholar looked away helplessly and said softly: "About three or four days ago, someone came here looking for someone from Fengxue Tower, just to find that person. children's."

The old man was stunned for a moment. He looked at the student beside him and asked, "Did you interfere?"

The Confucian scholar shook his head slowly, "No, the Red Lotus Sacrificial Winemaker only stayed for a moment and then left on his own."

"Red Lotus Sacrifice Wine..." The old man chewed these four words carefully, "Although I don't care much about Jianghu affairs, I have occasionally heard that the third-ranked Red Lotus Sacrifice Wine in Fengxue Tower has a weird personality. If you decide to come here to kill people, you will never come back empty-handed, so why did you just stay for a moment?"

The Confucian scholar in green shirt still shook his head, "As soon as he arrived, he used the red lotus hairpin in his hand to briefly cover up the secret. I didn't forcefully investigate, so I don't know exactly what they talked about."

The old man was a little startled and seemed to have forgotten that he was just talking about the bet.

The middle-aged scholar quietly turned his head and glanced at the gentleman. Seeing that he had not yet come to his senses, he couldn't help but curl up his lips. Then he quietly revealed another more eye-catching news: "The bronze bell at the east entrance of Zhendong has been in recent years. There’s something strange.”

After these words, the old man woke up from his sluggish state almost instantly, his eyes began to widen slightly, and he denied without hesitation: "This is impossible!"

After that, he looked at his student's serious expression for a while and then asked cautiously: "Is it because of that boy?"

The Confucian scholar nodded, "It has been silent for thousands of years and has never seen any abnormalities. It is obvious that there is no one or thing that interests him here, but in the past three years, he seems to have only been interested in that young man." The look and feel has changed a bit..."

Even though the old man had extraordinary experience, he still had trouble recovering. In the past thousands of years, the seemingly ordinary town under their feet had actually seen too many people go out, just because the secret changed every 60 years. , except for a few people who stay here, almost no one remembers that anyone left here to go to other places, so this place can always be so peaceful.

During such long and almost endless years, the big bronze bell at the east entrance of the town has been hanging there, watching the young people from the town walking out to stir up wind and thunder outside, but it has never been there. Any particular reaction.

The territory of Jiuzhou in the world is more than tens of thousands of miles, and there are countless people who practice it. However, there are only a handful of people who have never heard of Yanguan Town, because some of the young people who have left here for generations have now grown up to be a member of the Taoist sect. Jun, there are also people who have become the sect masters of the rivers and lakes, and there are still people who have conquered a continent for hundreds of thousands of years... There are countless heroes and countless talents, but the bronze bell has never treated any of them the slightest bit differently.

Unfortunately, I encountered one today. This change... was unexpected, with mixed blessings and sorrows.

As soon as the middle-aged Confucian scholar finished speaking, he looked a little amused at the fact that his upright gentleman, who had been cultivating himself for many years, seemed to suddenly return to a distant past...

The old man did not hesitate to scratch his silver hair, which had been carefully taken care of, and shouted as if he was giving up on himself: "Is there any more Wang Fa Tianli?"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly turned his head and looked at his student. He smiled like an old fox and said something that made even the middle-aged Confucian scholar who claimed to be an expert at nourishing qi twitch his eyes: "Xiao Cui, You haven’t accepted an apprentice yet, right? Otherwise, sir, I’ll find you a younger junior brother?”

……