Sword of Coming

Liu Xianyang quickly ran back with a basket on his back. Chen Pingan was watching the well digging and earth moving by the well. Liu Xianyang kicked Chen Pingan on the butt, so hard that the straw-shoe boy almost ate his shit. When he turned around and saw that it was a tall boy, he No worries. Liu Xianyang said carelessly: "It's done. Master Ruan told me not to run around here these days. I dig wells during the day and forge iron at night. After ten and a half days, I will be his first in this town." Apprentice, what is your name? I'll bring you a basket and help you feel for the stones. Start from the blacksmith shop to the covered bridge. We agreed in advance that the stone will be on the back of the green ox. Puddle, I can't help you anymore, Master Ruan said he would break my legs if I dare to cross half a step to the north or west of the covered bridge these days."

Liu Xianyang hugged the straw-shoe boy's neck and whispered: "Master Ruan said that things will not be lost in the small town. He also said that those outsiders abide by a very strange rule and the merchants who do fair business also do the same. A liar who cheats and kidnaps can even be a beggar who picks up rags, but he can't be a sneaky thief. Here, God doesn't take a nap or close his eyes. He just stares at us. You say it's scary. It’s not scary, I’m scared to death anyway.”

Liu Xianyang suddenly threatened: "Chen, you can continue to live in my house, but don't wait for me to go back. You have already sold my precious armor!"

Chen Pingan punched Liu Xianyang in the chest, causing the tall boy to quickly let go. He rubbed it hard for a few times before regaining his breath, and cursed: "How can a thin monkey like a bamboo pole have such strength! Is it possible that he is three years away from Old Man Yao?" Cha Wu can walk a hundred miles of mountain road, or spend a few months in the mountains chopping firewood and burning charcoal, and he can gain strength to the point of death?"

Chen Pingan smiled and said: "Anyway, I can run back to the town before you with a basket of stones on my back."

Liu Xianyang squinted and said, "Then let's see who can hold his breath underwater longer?"

Nearing the stream, Chen Ping'an bent over and rolled up his trousers, and said casually: "I won't do anything that's just a matter of breath."

Before going into the water, Chen Ping'an pulled out a lot of spring grass from the stream and put it in the basket. He also said that after picking up twenty stones, he would put more grass on it. Liu Xianyang was so annoyed that he wanted to throw the basket behind his back to Chen Pingan, but the latter refused and said that if he had to carry the basket himself, Liu Xianyang would definitely throw stones directly into the basket, which would make him feel distressed. Liu Xianyang almost gave up his choice on the spot. These colorful stones have been worthless for thousands of years. How come you, Chen Ping'an, have become so squeamish? Do you still dare to think that Uncle Liu's methods are not gentle enough?

But in the end, the tall young man was still reluctant to dig into the water, and Chen Pingan joined him, planning to sweep the creek completely. The water in the stream here is still mostly at knee level, and in some slightly higher places, the water level reaches waist level. Occasionally, there are small puddles as high as a person's height, mostly where boulders gather. At these places, it's time for Liu Xianyang to show off his talents. First he took off the basket and handed it to the straw-shoe boy squatting on the boulder. Then he dived to the bottom of the water and took out the snake gallstone he wanted from the gaps in the huge rocks and even the layers of rocks.

Of course Chen Ping'an can do it, but it will be very hard and far more time-consuming and labor-intensive than Liu Xianyang.

Before touching the covered bridge, the basket was seven to eight points full. There was a piece of dark green snake gallstone in it. Liu Xianyang touched it three times at the bottom of a deep pit before finally pulling it out. It was as big as the palm of his hand, mixed with golden stones. There are dots of stars, with water-like lines. The stone is hard and thin, and it is very heavy to hold. When Chen Pingan touches it with his hand, it feels like it is sparkling and splashing with sharp edges.

Anyone who is not blind would know that this stone is extraordinary.

In the end, the two teenagers sat side by side on a huge rock in the stream. Liu Xianyang put his hands on the stone, looked at the slowly flowing stream, and asked: "Chen Pingan, have you ever thought about leaving the town in the future?"

Chen Ping'an replied: "I haven't thought about it yet. You have to have money to travel far away. And what will happen to the house after you leave? There is no one to help clean it up. What if it collapses one day? And where are my parents' graves?" , and it also requires me to pull weeds frequently.”

Liu Xianyang said helplessly: "Why do you always think about so many useless things? It's boring. No wonder Song Jixin said that you are destined to fight against the wall. You will wander around in such a big ass place and never get out for the rest of your life."

Chen Pingan turned around and asked with a smile: "Do you remember what I told you last time, that tree."

Liu Xianyang said angrily: "There is a tree growing on the grave, is it worth making a fuss about? Besides, it is also the grave of another ancestor of the Chen family, and it has nothing to do with you Chen Ping'an!"

Chen Pingan sat cross-legged and sighed softly: "I wonder if there are many people named Chen outside the small town."

Liu Xianyang broke the news and said: "I don't know about people outside the small town. I only know that in the small town, there are only three or two kittens and puppies surnamed Chen, and except for you, they all seem to be children of families with four surnames and ten clans. The funny thing is that these people have been slaves for generations. They are treated like cattle and horses in the house, bowing their heads. But as soon as they leave those big houses, they immediately change their faces when they see everyone. They like to look down on others. So Old Man Yao You're right, if you, Chen Ping'an, go to serve as their successor one day, then your entire Chen family that has not moved out of the town will be wiped out."

According to Old Man Yao, there were two branches of people named Chen in the town, but one of them moved out very early. The Chen Pingan branch was also prosperous in the past, but this "before" was too long ago. , even old man Yao couldn't tell whether it was hundreds of years, five hundred years, or eight hundred years? Or a thousand years? Later, it was divided into several houses, and the number of people became increasingly scarce. Their luck was probably taken away by those who moved out. The incense was often cut off, so that many tombs were gradually left unattended, and most of the tombs were located on the top of the hill. , the supervisors sent by the imperial court one after another ordered the mountains to be sealed off.

Old Man Yao took Chen Pingan into the mountains for the last time. When he passed one of the mountains, he pointed out a place to him and said that it was the burial place of another ancestor of the Chen family. The tomb was on that mountain and the feng shui was very good. As for Chen Ping'an's branch, old man Yao said that the gods can't be found. In recent hundreds of years, the descendants of this branch of Chen have not made any progress. Being a servant is useless.

Chen Ping'an once secretly looked for the tomb of the ancestor of the Chen family. When he got there, he found only weeds and many foxes and rabbits, but he didn't see the tomb. Among them was a tree that the straw-shoe boy could not recognize. It was not tall. , much shorter than the old locust trees in the town.

Overgrown with weeds, infested by foxes and rabbits, we are all alone, with only one luxuriant tree.

Chen Pingan shook his head and said: "Before my mother left, she made me swear that I could be a beggar. Even if I starve to death, I would not be allowed to be a heir to those wealthy families."

Liu Xianyang blurted out: "Then before your mother died, didn't you make an oath that you would never go to the Long Kiln as an apprentice?"

The boy in straw sandals had a sad expression on his face. He did not retort, nor did he become angry after being exposed.

Liu Xianyang felt a little guilty, and he was not the kind of person who was willing to say "I'm sorry" after doing something wrong, so he had to pretend that nothing happened, stood up and said, "Let's go and dig a well. By the way, I'll talk to Master Ruan again." Give it a try and try to get you to come here as a part-time apprentice. Then it will be easy to touch the rocks."

Chen Pingan said: "Don't worry, wait until those two groups give up and leave the town. During this time, I will help you look after your house."

Liu Xianyang asked curiously: "Why do you think I was able to escape this disaster by studying with Master Ruan?"

Chen Pingan thought for a while and said uncertainly: "It's like it rains suddenly. You have to find a roof to hide, right?"

Liu Xianyang turned to look at the Sword Furnace Iron Shop, "Who do you think Master Ruan is? He doesn't look like a very powerful person. Can he suppress those two groups of people?"

Chen Ping'an comforted: "People should not be judged by their appearance."

Liu Xianyang turned around and said, "You, Chen Pingan, look like a poor person, so are you a poor person?"

Chen Pingan grinned and had nothing to say.

Liu Xianyang stood up and asked, "Would you like to help you carry me to the covered bridge?"

Chen Pingan shook his head and said, "No, it's not heavy."

"Remember to return the basket to me next time."

After Liu Xianyang said this, he jumped off the boulder and walked quickly in the stream, making countless splashes.

Chen Pingan carried the basket on his back and carefully got off the boulder. After landing, he slowly walked towards the covered bridge.

After Chen Pingan walked for a while, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Liu Xianyang.

Under the warm sunshine of early spring, the tall boy snatched the basket from the straw-shoe boy and carried it on his own. He turned around and said sarcastically: "From a distance, you look like a little grasshopper carrying a big stone. It's so pitiful that I get mad." Shanxin, I’ll help you carry it to the covered bridge.”

In the spring breeze, two teenagers walked together.

"Chen, if I succeed in my studies in the future, I will definitely go out to explore, marry a wife who is more beautiful than Zhigui, drink the most expensive wine, live in the biggest house, and ride the fastest horse. !”

"I want to see mountains as high as the sky and rivers that are countless bigger than our creek."

"In short, I, Liu Xianyang, will never stay here and wait to die."

In the spring breeze, the tall boy is looking forward to the future, and the straw-shoe boy is chewing the grass roots, one is talking and the other is listening.

Chen Ping'an carried the basket of stones back to Liu Xianyang's yard. He still picked out the few stones he liked most and took them to the side room, leaving the rest in the kitchen. After locking the door of the house and the courtyard, he ran towards the Mud Bottle Lane and arrived in his yard. He saw the girl in black sitting in the yard basking in the sun. After Chen Pingan said hello, he started to cook the medicine.

The sound of chopping kept coming from the yard next door. This was very strange. Although Song Jixin lived a life without a father or a mother in the eyes of outsiders, he had always had enough food and clothing for so many years, and even had plenty of money. He dare not say that he was better than the young master in the house with the fourth surname. Living a good life, compared to the direct descendants of the ten clans, he had four treasures in the study, elegant toys on the desk, clean supplies in the study, and many luxury items that Chen Ping'an had never seen or heard of. Every once in a while, they went to Song Jixin's house. Move inside. In fact, Song Jixin never had any real dirty or physical work. The pickles were too smelly, and Song Jixin did not allow his maid Zhigui to do them. Chopping firewood was too tiring, so Song Jixin just bought bundles of them every year. Burn matches and bags of fine charcoal.

When Chen Pingan brought the medicinal soup to the girl in black, firewood was still being chopped intermittently in the yard next door. While Miss Ning was drinking medicine, Chen Pingan couldn't help but walk to the courtyard wall, tiptoed to look, and found that Zhi Gui was carrying The kitchen knife used to chop down "a person" is an embryo made of wood. Chen Pingan has been making porcelain for many years. He has seen a lot of good things and cut down countless trees, so he can tell the rough depth at a glance. The wood was as bright as jade, so it must be a very old object, and the puppet's body was covered with dense red and black spots. The puppet had been hacked and chopped into many pieces by Zhigui.

The girl suddenly turned her head and discovered Chen Pingan. With her face covered in sweat and stains, she raised her arm, wiped her face, and said with a forced smile: "You are back. I wanted to borrow a hatchet from you earlier, but... That guest of yours is unwilling to open the door for me."

Chen Ping'an was stunned for a moment, "I'm going to get you a hatchet. Don't use too much force at the beginning. The hatchet is no better than a kitchen knife. It's easy to slip. Don't hurt yourself."

The girl sat on the small bench, exhausted, and waved her hand: "I know, hurry up and get it."

Chen Pingan retrieved the hatchet. The girl was already standing on the side of the courtyard wall and asked with a smile: "Do you know what that is?"

Chen Pingan shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Zhigui didn't give an answer, turned around and continued to sit on the small bench, chopping hard.

Her unfamiliar and sluggish movements, as well as all the thankless wrong postures, made Chen Pingan very anxious. However, since she didn't ask for help, Chen Pingan stopped being sentimental. When he turned around, he found that Miss Ning was no longer in the yard. , Chen Pingan remembered something, walked quickly to the room, put something on the table, and placed it opposite the girl in black.

It was a piece of snake gallstone that could fit in the palm of one hand. It was like a piece of frozen honey, with a fine texture and a very true color.

Ning Yao was a little strange.

Chen Pingan smiled and said: "Miss Ning, this is for you."

The girl in black who never left her body suddenly asked: "This is your favorite?"

Chen Ping'an felt a little embarrassed, "This piece... probably ranks fourth. I have hidden the three best pieces."

Only then did she put the stone away, twist it between her fingers, and raise it above her head. The light entered the house through the window and reflected on the stone.

She raised her head, squinted her eyes, and carefully observed the subtle lines of the stone.

She looked at the stone.

The boy looked at her.

Late at night, a young man sneaked into the Mud Bottle Alley, silently like a wild cat traveling at night, and quietly came to the yard of Gu Can's house. He found the large water tank placed in the corner of the yard. After squatting down, he found that the water tank had been piled up. The neatly arranged snake gallstones had been rummaged through by someone, as if this person knew the value of the stones earlier than Chen Pingan. Gu Can is the only geek in the town who likes to collect snake gallstones. No matter how many he finds in the creek, he only takes one piece home at a time. The child only picks the most pleasing stone. Over time, he saves fifty or sixty yuan. A stone was used by him to cover the gap at the bottom of the water tank.

After Chen Pingan removed many of the dried snake gallstones, he was relieved when he saw that there were no signs of digging at the bottom of the water tank.

He began to dig the soil bit by bit with his right hand. When he finally touched the butter paper, he was shocked and slowed down.

Finally, he took out an object wrapped in butter paper, which looked like a book.

After hiding it in his arms, Chen Pingan filled the soil back in and looked at the snake gallstones carefully. The remaining stones were all "dead". Compared with the stones Chen Pingan picked up from the creek these two times, , no matter in color, texture or weight, they are completely different. The stones in front of him are like lifeless old people, while the ones picked up by Chen Pingan are like newborn babies, full of vitality.

Chen Ping'an thought for a while and planned to leave Mu Bottle Lane from the direction of his house.

When he walked to the door of Song Jixin's house, he heard a creak and the door opened. Chen Pingan had to pretend to knock on his door and shouted: "Miss Ning, are you asleep? I'll come back to get something."

The lights in the house soon came on, and the girl in black opened the door to Chen Ping'an.

Next door, the maid Zhi Gui slowly walked out of the house. When she arrived in the yard, she saw Chen Ping'an's figure, holding a large yellowed book in her arms. She shook her head and clicked her tongue, as if she happened to catch it. A couple of dogs and men.

She walked alone in Mud Bottle Alley, jumping up and down.

Her golden eyes looked particularly cold and sacred in the night alley.

The slender and graceful girl is like a dragon wandering in the narrow stone crevices. It seems that as soon as she walks out of the alley, she will transform into a dragon.

Although Ning Yao let Chen Ping'an into the yard and even into the house, her face was very ugly. She sat at the table with one arm leaning on the scabbard and tapping the handle of the knife lightly with her fingers.

After Chen Pingan confirmed that Zhigui had walked into the alley, he explained awkwardly: "I went to Gu Can's house to get something, but she was about to go out, so I had to come here to hide. Miss Ning, please don't Think more.”

She asked: "What?"

Chen Pingan hesitated for a moment, then took out the butter paper bag, "I don't know now."

She turned around and said, "Open it yourself first and then decide whether to let me know."

Chen Pingan nodded, sat across from her table, and opened layers of butter paper. Mud crumbs kept falling on the table, and finally an ancient book was indeed revealed.

There are only two characters on the cover of the ancient book, and Chen Pingan only recognizes one of them, mountain.

He put the ancient book on the table, turned around, pushed it towards the girl in black, and asked curiously: "Miss Ning, what does this character read?"

The girl turned around again, glanced down, and said, "Shake."

The title of the book shakes the mountain.