Sword of Coming

Chen Pingan and Ning Yao parted ways at the Twelve-foot Archway. Chen Pingan went to Mubo Alley, knocked on the door and shouted, "Song Jixin, are you at home?"

The girl who was scooping up a ladle of water with a gourd in the kitchen hiccupped one after another. After drinking the water, she felt much refreshed. She put down the spoon, walked out of the kitchen, ran to open the courtyard door, and felt a little strange. Still replying sternly: "My young master is not here. Chen Pingan, why did you knock on the door? Didn't you always stand in your yard and chat with us?"

Chen Ping'an said through a courtyard gate: "Something happened."

After Zhigui opened the door, he joked: "It's a rare visitor."

She glanced at Chen Pingan's face and asked: "What are you doing with my young master? If you are not in a hurry, I can help you with a message later. If you are in a hurry, you will probably have to go to the Manufacturing Supervision Office to find someone. Before you I also saw with my own eyes that my young master has a good relationship with the new superintendent, Mr. Song."

She found that Chen Ping'an was motionless as if his feet were rooted to the ground, and rolled her eyes and said, "Come in anyway, what are you doing standing there?! My house is like a dragon's den and a tiger's den, or do I have to charge you a tael of silver for coming in for a drink?"

At this point, the girl covered her mouth and smiled coquettishly, "For you, the latter is definitely more terrifying."

Chen Pingan twitched the corner of his mouth, smiled forcefully, and said softly: "Actually, I came to see you. I shouted like that before because I was afraid that Song Jixin would misunderstand."

Zhigui smiled knowingly and asked: "Let's talk about it, what's the matter? The ugly words come first. Neighbors are neighbors, and friendships are friendships. But after all, I am just a little maid who lives under someone's roof in Mubo Alley. I can't lift my shoulders or lift my hands. Yes, it won’t be of much help. But if Chen Pingan borrows money, you can solve the problem with money. You are lucky, I have a little trick. "

Chen Ping'an smiled bitterly and said: "It's not really about money. Let me tell you straight. Liu Xianyang was severely injured on the covered bridge. The old shopkeeper of Yang's shop went to see him, but there was nothing he could do."

Zhigui looked confused, "Why haven't I heard about this? Who did Liu Xianyang mess with?"

Chen Pingan said helplessly: "He is a foreigner from a place called Zhengyang Mountain."

Zhigui asked tentatively: "Then you want to use your connections to find a feng shui treasure for Liu Xianyang to bury? It's not difficult. I can ask my young master to speak to the superintendent, and then the government office will The steward and concierge will come forward and go to Taoye Lane to ask that old man Wei to find a place. As long as they don't occupy a hilltop in a place banned by the imperial court, it won't be difficult."

Chen Pingan's already dark face became even darker.

Mo Zhigui also realized that she had gone astray. She bared her teeth habitually, showing her bright and straight teeth. She leaned against the Spring Festival couplets on the wall, tilted her head, smiled playfully, and asked: "Chen Pingan, do you want me?" To repay your life-saving grace? But I am just a maid, and even the old shopkeeper of Yang’s shop can’t do anything about it, so what can I do?”

After a battle between heaven and man, Chen Pingan said slowly: "Wang Zhu, I know you are not an ordinary person. When I saw you at the door of my house that snowy day, I knew that you were different from us. Later, you were also the first to see People who are unusual in snake gallstones, looking back now, the way you looked at us neighbors back then is essentially the same as the way foreigners look at us now."

The girl grinned, "Actually, there is."

Not only do I look down upon you ordinary people, but I also look down upon those immortal monks.

However, Zhigui did not say these words.

Some truths, on her side, are natural and logical, but on other people's side, they become arrogant and unruly.

Chen Ping'an asked: "I'm looking for you to ask you whether it's possible to rescue Liu Xianyang. I used a locust leaf and could only barely hold Liu Xianyang's last breath. Although it was not very useful, it was at least They are useful, so I want to ask, do you have any locust leaves here, especially extra locust leaves?"

The girl pointed to her nose and asked: "Are you asking my young master Song Jixin if he has locust leaves, or me, a little maid with no father or mother?"

Chen Ping'an stared at the girl and said bluntly: "Even if Song Jixian had it, he wouldn't give it to me. I'm asking you, Wang Zhu. If you have it, are you willing to lend it to me? If you don't have it, do you know Don’t you know any other way to save Liu Xianyang?”

The girl who was always called Wang Zhu rubbed her chin with one hand and patted her abdomen gently with the other hand. She shook her head and said: "No, no, no. I'm not going to lie to you. If you had come earlier, maybe there would be a few left." Zhang Huaiye. As for other methods, of course there is no one. I am not a god. How can I know how to bring people back to life and make flesh from bones, right? Chen Ping'an, you can't force others to do anything. Alas, I really misjudged you. I thought you were with They are all different, they are not the kind of guys who ask for favors in return."

Chen Ping'an still refused to give up, "Really? No matter if I can do it or not, you can tell me."

Zhigui shook his head and said resolutely: "I don't have it anyway!"

Chen Pingan smiled and said, "I understand."

The young man turned around and left, and his thin figure quickly disappeared into Mud Bottle Alley.

The girl stood in the alley in front of her house, looking at the boy's retreating back. Her expression was complicated, with a hint of regret for her misfortune and anger. She said angrily: "You squandered the locust leaves that you finally got. ?Then you can die with Liu Xianyang. Anyway, you will die early and be born early. If you are lucky, you can continue to be brothers in trouble in the next life. It is better than those poor people who don't even have the next life. "

The girl walked back to the yard and when she crossed the threshold, she accidentally burped again and said with a smile: "It's a bit full."

Without warning, she quickened her steps and rushed forward, stomping down hard, then slowly squatted down, staring at the khaki four-legged snake with horns on its head, and reprimanded: "It's not difficult to borrow again if you borrow it, you five You little beast, if you dare to default on credit in the future, I’ll make you skinny and stewed in a pot!"

The four-legged snake under the maid's feet struggled hard and neighed slightly, seeming to beg for mercy.

After Chen Ping'an left Mu Bottle Alley, he ran all the way to the school. He was told by an old man in charge of cleaning the school that Mr. Qi had gone to the mountains outside the town with three foreign guests yesterday, saying that he wanted to explore the mountains. , a round trip takes at least three days. Chen Ping'an was filled with disappointment and when he turned to leave, the old man holding the broom suddenly remembered something, stopped the young man and said, "By the way, Mr. Qi told me before he went that if anyone is looking for him in Mud Bottle Lane, he should tell him That young man, he has already said the truth, whether he is in the school today or not, it will not change the outcome."

The young man seemed to have known such a result for a long time, his eyes were dull and dull.

The stagnant water is slightly rippled and lifeless.

But the young man still bent down to thank him and said: "Thank you, old gentleman."

The old man quickly moved a few steps away, stood aside, waved his hand and said with a smile, "I can't bear the word 'sir'."

The old man saw the young man leaving slowly. After walking for a while, he seemed to raise his arm and wipe his eyes.

The old man shook his head gently, thinking of the other two students of the same age, Song Jixin and Zhao Yao, who were also about the same age. Looking at this one again, their life experiences were very different.

It's true that some people are very proud of themselves, while others are troubled.

Chen Ping'an went to Clay Vase Lane, picked up the last bag of copper coins hidden in a clay pot, and walked into Fulu Street with three bags of money to find the Kiln Supervisor's Office.

The concierge was a little confused after hearing the introduction. Song Jixin's neighbor in Mubo Alley wants to find Song Jixin and the superintendent Song?

Chen Ping'an secretly handed him a gold and copper coin that he had prepared long ago without saying a word. The concierge lowered his head, weighed it, and rubbed it with his fingers. He understood it but was not in a hurry to express his opinion. The young man quickly handed over another golden coin. The concierge smiled, but did not take it. He said, "Since you are a sensible person, I will feel free to introduce you to you. Otherwise, I will really be taken advantage of because you lost this job." Okay. Keep this copper coin in your hand for now. If the steward agrees to let you enter the government office, give it to me before it's too late. If you don't agree, I won't be able to help you. Just treat this copper coin as if it has nothing to do with me. What do you think? "

Chen Pingan nodded vigorously.

Not long after, the old steward and the concierge arrived together. The concierge winked at the young man and hinted that he must not take out a copper coin at this time and openly accept bribes. The crime was not a small one. Fortunately, the young man did not do anything stupid and just followed the steward to the back hall of the government office.

The concierge sighed, a little strange, why the steward nodded in agreement when he heard it was a young man named Chen from Mubo Lane. When did the threshold for government offices become so low?

The concierge felt a little guilty. In fact, he had just met the steward. In his words, he advised the steward to do more than to do less and not to let the young man enter the government office. However, he did not say it directly. He believed that the old steward was practicing in Gongmen. After so many years of profound Taoism, I must know it well.

The young concierge's original plan was, of course, to get a copper coin for free without taking risks, and to get it with peace of mind.

Now he just hoped that the poor boy wouldn't be a troublemaker.

In the main hall at the back of the government office, a tall man wearing a white robe was sitting on the main seat and drinking tea.

Song Jixin sat on the guest chair on the left, playing with a bamboo folding fan with one hand, opening and closing it constantly, and looked at the straw-shoe boy who was brought in with a smile.

The black chair and the snow-white robe are a sharp contrast.

The steward retreated, and the man at the head table put down his teacup and smiled at the young man: "Chen Ping'an, sit down wherever you want. We have actually met before in Mud Bottle Alley, but I didn't recognize you at the time, otherwise I should have said hello long ago. of."

Song Jixin found it a bit funny. Only he knew that this man was obviously a bit difficult to pronounce when calling himself "I".

The young man sat on the chair opposite Song Jixin.

The man asked straight to the point: "Chen Pingan, why are you here about Liu Xianyang being injured?"

The young man stood up and said: "I hope Lord Song can severely punish the murderer of Zhengyang Mountain instead of just deporting him."

The man smiled and said, "Actually, this side of the town is a 'lawless place', which means that there are no dynastic laws here. Originally, the supervisor was more embarrassed and had no right to interfere with local affairs. Besides, the town is In Bian, it has always been the people's policy that officials should not be punished. Whether it was a maid or a slave beaten to death in a large household, or a fight in a small household that injured someone, there was no custom of coming to the manufacturing supervision office to beat drums and complain about injustice. Therefore, Chen Ping An, you went to the wrong temple carrying the pig's head and worshiped the wrong Bodhisattva."

The man's words and deeds were pleasant, and there was no hint of arrogance or arrogance about him.

Chen Pingan took out three bags of copper coins and placed them on the high stool next to the chair. Then he said to the man with a calm expression: "Master Song, I know you are very powerful. I want to know if you can save Liu Xianyang. Even if you can't, Can you give him justice and prevent the murderer from killing people? As long as he leaves the town, it will seem like nothing will happen."

The man laughed and said: "I'm very powerful? Is that the girl in black from your family who told you? Well, it can be seen that her martial arts talent is extremely good, even better than your friend named Liu Xianyang. I'll tell you the truth. , I only know how to kill people, but I’m really not good at saving people. Besides, why should I break the thousand-year-old rules here for a boy I only met once? "

When the man said this, he pointed to the three bags of copper coins, "Liu Xianyang's life is not worth so much money without the Treasure Armor Sword Manual. As for buying my favor, the money is far from enough. I, Dali, broke up with Zhengyang Mountain just for three bags of money? Absolutely impossible. If word spread, it will be a joke to the entire Dongbaopingzhou. Chen Pingan, you may not understand these words for the time being, but if there is any in the future Chances are, if you go out and take a walk, you will realize that this is the truth.”

Chen Pingan gritted his teeth and said: "Master Song, can you tell me how to take action? Even if you think I can't do it even if I die, Master Song can tell me."

The man didn't feel that he had revealed any clues. There was a look of surprise in the eyes of the powerful vassal king, and he smiled and said: "Chen Ping'an, I'm not looking down on you or deliberately making things difficult for you. On the contrary, I think you are an interesting person. I’m willing to take the time to reason with you calmly and do business, do you understand?”

Chen Pingan nodded.

Song Jixin's posture was inelegant, sitting cross-legged on a chair and gently tapping his knees with a folding fan.

Watching the fire from the other side, it doesn't matter who you are.

Song Changjing didn't care about the irregularity of Song Ji's salary. In the small town, the vassal king had more information than Qi Jingchun. He finally revealed the secret: "Chen Pingan, you don't have to feel too guilty. Your friend died because of you, because Liu Xianyang has long been in a dead end. As long as this young man refuses to hand over the sword scripture, it can only be a dead end, because Zhengyang Mountain will definitely kill him. Whether it is Qi Jingchun or Ruan Master, no one can stop him. It’s not that no one has ever beaten the old ape, but the price he needs to pay is too high and it’s not worth it.”

The man took a sip of tea and said leisurely: "Chen Ping'an, have you ever thought about why even you, who least deserved the ancestral blessing, got a locust leaf, but Liu Xianyang was so talented that he didn't get it? A locust leaf, have you ever thought about this problem?"

Chen Ping'an said: "I'm disturbing Mr. Song."

The straw-shoe boy put away three bags of copper coins, said goodbye to the supervisor in front of him, and left.

Although Song Changjing did not persuade him to stay, he actually stood up to see him off in person. Song Jixin was about to stand up reluctantly, but saw the uncle shaking his head slightly, and sat back down, leaning comfortably on the back of the chair.

When he reached the threshold, Song Changjing said without warning: "There are two things that I can do but cannot do. So as long as you can do one of them, I can consider helping you teach that old ape a lesson."

The young man quickly stopped and turned around, his face full of solemnity.

The man said calmly: "One thing is to find an opportunity to kidnap the little girl from Zhengyang Mountain next to the old ape, disrupt her will, and force the old ape to stay in the town. The other thing is to secretly cut down the old locust tree at night , and then pull out the iron chain from the iron lock well. You can do both things, or you can only do one thing. Once one thing is done, I will help you seriously injure the murderer, and both things will be done at the same time. If you don't, I will kill the old ape from Zhengyang Mountain for you."

Song Changjing smiled and promised: "Once you make a promise, you will never break it!"

Then the powerful King of the Great Li clan said an inexplicable word, "Chen Pingan, I believe you can feel the truth or falsehood of a sentence."

The young man left silently.

Instead of seeing and hearing the young man's boastful words as he slapped his chest, Song Changjing thought it was normal. He stood at the door with his back to Song Jixin in the room and asked, "You are familiar with him, do you think he will do it?"

Song Jixin shook his head and said, "It's hard to say. Under normal circumstances, it would be very difficult to ask him to do something against his will, but for Liu Xianyang, it's probably a bit uncertain."

The man stood with his hands behind his hands, looked at the sky, and asked: "Suppose the young man really brings unexpected joy to others, and I take this opportunity to intervene. Whether it is making friends with Zhengyang Mountain or forming an alliance with Fenglei Garden, naturally I can only choose which one." First, it is even inevitable to have a grudge with the other party. Compared with me, sitting idly by and letting Da Li and these two forces remain indifferent and never interact with each other until death, for me, Da Li, which one do you think? The result is better?"

Song Jixin stood up, slapped the palm of his other hand with a folding fan, walked slowly, and after thinking about it, he said: "In peaceful times, choose the latter, but in troubled times, choose the former."

Then the young man smiled and said: "No matter whether the world outside the town is prosperous or troubled, it seems that at least uncle you have made your own choice."

Song Changjing sneered: "What are we, warriors on the battlefield, doing in the peaceful and prosperous times? Becoming a peace dog to guard the homes and courtyards of scholars?"

Song Changjing turned to look at the stiff-looking boy, "I have already seen that this boy is the real knot in your heart, and it will be difficult for you to untie it in a short time. Once you leave this knot and leave the town, this will It will not be conducive to the following practice. So you can see with your own eyes how a simple boy with a pure heart has become violent and vulgar. By then, you will feel that it is very pointless to be angry with such a person. mean."

Song Jixin opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't refute anything, and finally fell into deep thought.

The man walked back to the room, sat on the main seat, raised his head and drank the tea in the cup in one sip, "The most important thing is that I, in addition to finding a lame reason to fish in troubled waters, want to play this boring little trick." You understand the truth, on the road of cultivation that you are going to take next, anyone may be your enemy...for example, your uncle, I, Song Changjing."

The young man was stunned.

Song Changjing sneered and said: "Because of the evil knot in my heart, if I don't pull it out with my own hands, there will be endless troubles, just like weeds in the wilderness, they will grow again when the spring breeze blows."

Song Changjing sarcastically said: "Song Jixin, who is about to become His Royal Highness Prince Da Li, are you full of grief and anger, but what can you do now? So you think you are better than Chen Ping'an, who is being toyed with by applause? Where to go?"

Song Jixin stared at this man with a calm face. The young man grabbed the five fingers of the folding fan, his muscles and bones exposed.

The man was sitting on the chair, his eyes were deep, looking out of the room, as if he was saying to himself: "The more people you see in the future, you will find an interesting thing, about good deeds and evil deeds being rewarded, gratification and grudges, ordinary people." Blood splatters three feet in anger. Talents, beauties, and lovers eventually get married. These are all imagined by trash to please people. So, your own fist must be strong. Rely on me? Rely on your biological parents? I advise you. Give up this idea as soon as possible, otherwise taking you out of the town is tantamount to taking your body to a mass grave. The home of the emperor is not self-sufficient in life and death."

The young man was sweating profusely and sat slumped on the chair.

Although the young man hid his complacency deeply after learning his true identity, and treated people in the government office no differently, but in the eyes of the feudal lord Song Changjing, it was as if he was holding a demon mirror and saw a head that had just transformed into a human form. of charm. Therefore, it can disappear in the middle of talking and laughing.

Song Changjing looked into the distance, as if his sight had reached the southernmost tip of East Aquarius Continent, to the distant Old Dragon City.

For some reason, the vassal king remembered a saying, "The human heart is like a mirror. The cleaner and spotless it is, the less it can withstand scrutiny and temptation."

Song Changjing felt that although the scholars in the temple talked about the hatred of gods and ghosts, they sometimes said great truths that they, warriors with swords, would never be able to explain in a thousand years.

Song Changjing put away his thoughts and pointed towards the south, as if holding a spear and halberd, showing off his sharp edge, "Song Jixin, if you think what I said today is wrong, you can, but bear with it, we will only change places when we come to Old Dragon City in the future. Sit down, and then I will consider whether to listen attentively!"

Prince Song Jixin of Dali has returned to normal and said with a smile: "We'll see."

At the door of the government office, the straw-shoe boy handed the concierge the second copper coin as promised.

At the Twelve-foot Archway Building, Chen Pingan saw the figure of the girl in black and ran quickly.

Ning Yao stood under the plaque of "Angry Bullfighting" and asked, "How is it?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head and said: "Three people have been looking for it. Two of them met. Mr. Qi didn't see it, but I knew the answer from the beginning."

A gentleman will not save you.

Mr. Qi has indeed said this before.

Ning Yao frowned and said nothing.

Chen Ping'an then told the girl to be careful and began to run away.

First, we went to the Yang's shop and used a gold and copper coin to buy a lot of medicine bottles, ointments and medicinal materials for treating bruises and internal injuries from an old man who knew everything about them. Firing porcelain in a kiln is a job that requires a living, and there are often various accidents. Although old man Yao doesn't like Chen Ping'an, who can only be regarded as a half-disciple, he has to admit that this young man has nimble legs and feet, and he has no big heart, so many Chen Pingan was asked to do all the errands and spending money, such as buying and decoction medicine for the injured at the entrance of the kiln.

Chen Ping'an returned to his ancestral home in Niping Lane. After closing the door, he first began to boil the medicine, which was a prescription for treating internal injuries. While waiting for the fire to heat up, he spread out a washed white but still clean clothes on the table. , tore it into strips. The straw-shoe boy, who was known for being stingy and stingy, did not feel any distress at this time. Then, in addition to tying the pressing knife that Ning Yao lent him to his arm, the boy also tied it between his calf and wrist. On top, they are all tied up with layers of thin strips of cotton.

Chen Pingan took off the homemade wooden bow on the wall, hesitated for a moment, and gave up carrying it for the time being. Instead, he retrieved the slingshot and a bag of stones from the window sill.

The reason why he did something he knew he couldn't do but still didn't regret it even after hitting the wall three times in a row is the unique tenacity of a young man.

The young man would not be willing to give it a try, just like the young man at the blacksmith shop, begging the old shopkeeper to try again for the last time, it is the same reason.

He first went to Zhigui, who had an eccentric identity, in the hope of giving Liu Xianyang a chance to survive. I went to Mr. Qi again because I was lucky and hoped that he could uphold justice. Finally, I went to Mr. Song, the so-called martial arts master and superintendent of Ning Yao, because I had made it clear that I was going to lose all my money to make a deal.

The boy had thought clearly from the beginning, so he was very disappointed at this time, but he didn't feel too heartbroken.

In fact, the vassal king Song Changjing and his neighbor Song Jixin did not understand Chen Ping'an at all.

There are some things that you have to do even if you die. But there are some things that even death cannot do.

The young man squatted in the corner, quietly waiting for the medicinal soup to come out. This jar of medicine was very strange. It had no other use than to relieve pain. Once there was a man at the entrance of the Long Kiln who suffered from a strange disease and was suffering from it in bed. For a long time, he was half dead. The key was that his whole face and limbs were twisted in pain. Later, Yang's shop gave such a prescription. In the end, the man died quickly, but he didn't walk away very well. In pain, he even had the strength to sit up. After giving his last words, he took a last look at the kiln entrance with the help of old man Yao.

Chen Pingan felt that he should also need it.

Seeing that there were some rags on the table, the young man took off his worn-out straw sandals, took out a pair of brand-new shoes that he had always been reluctant to wear, brought in a clay pot, and took out the broken pieces of porcelain.

About half an hour later, the young man who had finished everything opened the door and quietly walked out of Mud Bottle Alley.

It was approaching dusk, the sun was no longer dazzling, and there were layers of burning clouds on the horizon, which were extremely gorgeous.

The straw-shoe boy walked towards Fulu Street.

There are no passers-by on the bluestone street, and the young man is walking alone.