"Thinking"
Don't lose hope (3)
"That's it."
A voice from heaven rang in their ears , it was like the sound of nature to Right Bank, but he happened to faint and was not sure if it was his hallucination.
Zhang Jie turned his head in shock.
As a result, I saw a shiny and ethereal Mr. Xu.
The latter smiled and said nothing.
Zhang Jie’s eyes returned to their determination, and the five fingers of his right hand never let go.
Xu Liang was neither annoyed at being treated as a donkey with good intentions, nor was he relieved as if he saw a man who could be made. He just waved his sleeves gently towards the straw-shoe boy, as if "fishing" for something. Item in hand.
The Confucian sage opened his palms and looked at them, and burst into laughter.
A mass of filth like ink stains.
It turns out that the intention someone planted in the boy was dim and had clearly died long ago.
Looking up at the young Zhang Jie again, Xu Liang felt a little regretful and said with emotion: "No wonder Sir said that those who achieve great things in the world, extraordinary talent is only second, perseverance is the most important. Zhang Jie , you have taught me another lesson, sir. It’s a pity that I, Xu Liang, no longer have the opportunity to recruit disciples.”
After saying this, the Confucian scholar laughed at himself. Liang's disciple, what is valuable? There was a room full of elementary school children, each of whom received a stipend, which was only 300 pence a year. Some children from poor families only received three strips of bacon.
Xu Liang looked at the young man who insisted on his opinion and refused to let go, and asked: "Deep in your heart, you are actually unwilling to kill him, but the problem is that this person seems to want to kill you no matter what, so it is Kill him completely and save your own life for the time being. Or do you hope that the matter will be settled and the big thing will be reduced to a trivial matter? "
Is that right? The young man blurted out: "Why do you teach me, sir?" I must give you an explanation."
Zhang Jie hesitated for a moment, and after releasing the five fingers of his right hand, he suddenly found that there was no movement on the right bank. His eyes, hair, and breathing were all still.
After Zhang Jie operated the formation, the town returned to its original state.
Xu Liang whispered: "Follow my footsteps and try not to go more than ten steps."
The middle-aged Confucian scholar with fluttering clothes and ethereal body took the lead in walking towards the small At the end of the alley, Zhang Jie followed closely. During this period, he lowered his head and glanced at the palm of his left hand. The flesh and blood were blurred and the bones were visible, but the blood visible to the naked eye was no longer flowing.
Xu Liang walked in front and asked with a smile: "Zhang Jie, do you believe that there are gods, spirits, demons and ghosts in this world?"
Zhang Jie nodded, "Believe it or not?" Yes, my mother often told old stories when I was a child, asking me to believe that good will be rewarded with good and evil will be punished with evil. My mother said this most often, so I remember it very clearly. Others, such as those dragging children in the creek, Water Ghost, over at the broken ancestral hall in the north of the city, there is an underworld official who specializes in interrogating cases at night. He also said that the door god we posted will actually come to life at night and help us protect the house. I didn't really believe this before. , but... now, I think it's mostly true."
Xu Liang said softly: "Some of what she said is true and some are false. As for the saying that good will be rewarded with good and evil will be punished with evil. It is difficult to draw a conclusion, because the common people, emperors, generals, and immortals all have different definitions of good and evil, so the conclusions they draw will be very different."
Zhang Jie hid the porcelain piece, quickened his pace, walked side by side with the Confucian scholar, raised his head and asked, "Mr. Xu, can I ask a question?"
Xu Liang seemed to have read the young man's thoughts and said calmly: "This small town is the burial place and burial place of the last true dragon in the world. Countless dragons in the world believe that this place has the best luck and is destined to 'emerge' one day. , in fact, for three thousand years, the emergence of the dragon has been delayed, but the children born in this town are indeed far better than their peers in the outside world in terms of character, temperament, and opportunities. Many famous immortal houses in the East Aquarius Continent Taoist couple, the offspring born from their union are nothing more than that. Of course, not every child in the town has an amazing talent."
Xu Liang smiled and ignored the matter. He explained in depth, probably because he was afraid of hurting the child's heart, so he changed the topic, "Almost all the senior monks who participated in the dragon-slaying catastrophe were seriously injured. Many of them settled here and practiced cultivation. It can be said that they went calmly. Even after death, there are Taoist couples who both survive by luck, and there are also couples who naturally form a good relationship after fighting side by side.
After more than three thousand years of reproduction, the town has reached its present scale. On the territory of the Dali Dynasty, this place was first called Daze Township, and later was changed to Longyuan by a saint himself. The word "Yuan" of the Great Li emperor has been modified again..."
The young man who had been holding his words in his stomach finally couldn't help it anymore. He interrupted Xu Liang's words softly and clenched his hands into fists, full of desire. and looking forward to, "Sir, the question I want to ask is actually about my parents...what kind of people are they..."
Xu Liang fell into deep thought, "Since the Yuanyou Taoist has already known about You have revealed the secret, and I can follow the opening he made and tell you something. In my memory, your father is a simple and gentle man with mediocre talents. He is not worthy of being taken away from the town. Naturally, he has become a worthless person in the eyes of some people and is regarded as a loss-making business. Perhaps out of anger. Maybe it was because life was really difficult. In short, a porcelain buyer from outside the town tampered with your father's "born porcelain". After that, not only did he suffer a terrible fate, but he also suffered hardships for you and your mother. Later, for some unknown reason, he accidentally learned the secret of Benming Porcelain. Knowing that once he was taken away from the town after opening the kiln, he would become a marionette for the rest of his life, so he secretly smashed the Benming Porcelain that belonged to you. If I If I remember correctly, it should be a porcelain paperweight. "
Xu Liang said in a deep voice: "You have to know that every baby born in the town has a code name that is stored in a secret file. There are also people in the town who can extract the secret files using unique secret techniques. A drop of hard work is poured into the natal porcelain that will be fired in the future. The girl's natal porcelain will be fired for six years, and the boy's will be even longer. The kiln fire cannot be cut off for one day and continues to burn for nine years. The talent of a child is like the appearance of porcelain from an ordinary kiln. You can only leave it to fate and luck, but the price of "betting on porcelain" after placing a bet is very high. Although your qualifications are equally mediocre now, when your father resolutely smashed that porcelain paperweight, you can imagine the anger of the porcelain buyer from outside the town. "
"As for your mother, she is a woman with a quiet temperament. "
When Xu Liang said this, he suddenly laughed, "When your mother married your father, many people of the same age in the town were very depressed. But to be honest, it would be difficult for me to tell you the details of your parents’ life when they were still alive. After coming here, besides teaching, I still have a lot of things to do. ”
The young man hummed, turned his head slightly, and wiped his face randomly with his hands. The young man probably forgot about the bad condition of his left hand. His face was covered with blood, and he really couldn’t bear to wipe it with his sleeve.
The two passed by the Twelve-foot Archway
Xu Liang did not look at him, but opened the skylight and told the young man, "When the real dragon fell here, the four saints showed up in person. The contract was made, stipulating that every sixty years, a different person would sit here to help take care of the remaining energy left after the death of the real dragon. In fact, it was not without disputes whether to eradicate the roots at that time... But let me tell you these ulterior secrets, It will harm you. Generally speaking, people from the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, plus a military strategist, are mainly from the four directions. The rest of the various schools of Dongbaopingzhou, Dongtian Paradise, Xianjia family, powerful clans, etc. all have certain shares and opportunities. , to share the benefits here. It's funny to say that whether there is a quota for 'purchasing porcelain' within a hundred years has almost become a symbol of whether a sect or a family has a first-class status. ”
Zhang Jie said: “I don’t understand what Mr. said, but I have written it all down. But today I know that my parents are good people, and I am satisfied. "
Xu Liang smiled and said: "I don't expect you to understand it now. It's just some foreshadowing. Otherwise, if I simply advise you not to kill You'an, you will definitely not listen. The reason why I ask you not to kill people is not because I, Xu Liangwu, hurt others, and the rabbit dies and the fox is sad, and it is not because I am grateful to Hope, you bank and Laolongcheng for this, so that I can get some benefits in the future, it is not like this. In fact, it's just the opposite. I, a disciple of Confucianism, admire the world, and am most resistant to the unscrupulous practices of practitioners. The two sides have been fighting openly and secretly for countless years. If I, Xu Liang, were at the age when I just went to Shanya Academy to study as a teacher, then the True Lord of Jiejiang, Liu Zhimao, would also be Okay, old Dragon City Young City Lord Right Bank, if there is any chance of survival now, I would have beaten him to ashes with a slap. ”
The young man discovered that Mr. Xu at this time, although his tone of voice was still gentle and his walking posture was equally elegant, he gave people the impression that they were completely different.
Just like a master drinking wine When he got drunk, he said that the silver porcelain we fired was for the emperor. Who can compare?
Mr. Xu said that when someone was beaten to ashes with a slap, he was just like the old master at that time. The tone was different, but the look was exactly the same.
Xu Liang frowned and looked up at Chenni Alley, as if he was listening to someone else talking. Although he did not show any boredom, his eyes were filled with dissatisfaction. Yue, no secrets
He finally said coldly: "Leave quickly! "
Zhang Jie looked confused.
Qi Jingchun explained: "It's the storyteller. His real name is Liu Zhimao, and his Taoist name is Zhenjun Jiejiang. In fact, he is a Taoist from the side sect with a high level of cultivation. However, he has bad conduct. Most of the grievances between Ren Jian and You'an and you are caused by him. In the end, he planted a crooked talisman in your heart. It is a four-character mantra that will "one heart and one mind". The four words "seeking death" are secretly engraved in your heart, and the method is extremely vicious. ”
Zhang Jie silently remembered the name Liu Zhimao.
Xu Liang sighed and asked, "Aren't you curious, why didn't I take action?"
Zhang Jie shook his head.
Xu Liang thought to himself and said: "This world is like an old porcelain that has been exposed to the wind and sun for three thousand years. It is about to be broken into pieces. After all, you are outsiders and you have the support of a large formation. How to act, as long as you don't be too Too much is far from causing the porcelain to break, but I am the one holding the porcelain in my hand, and any action I take will involve cracks in the porcelain. In fact, no matter what I do, it will only increase the spread of those lines. If the porcelain is broken, that's it, but the fate of the five or six thousand people in this town, in this life and the next, is in my hands. How can I take it lightly? Mr. Xu spoke so quietly that Zhang Jie couldn't hear clearly even if he raised his ears.
Xu Liang looked at the young man who wiped his face with his right hand from time to time. The two of them had already reached the iron lock well in Xinghua Lane. There was a woman bending over to draw water. Xu Liang asked, "If there is any stranger, If a person falls into a well, he will die. Can you save him?" Zhang Jie thought for a while and asked, "I want to know, can you really save that person?"
Xu Liang did not answer the boy's question, but smiled and said: "Remember, a gentleman will not save you."
The boy was stunned and asked doubtfully: "A gentleman?"
Xu Liang hesitated for a moment, then knelt down and straightened the clothes of the straw-shoe boy first, then wiped off the blood with his hands, and said softly: "When encountering misfortune, you should first have compassion, but a gentleman is not pedantic. He can go to the well to save others, but he will never let himself die."
This question seemed to arouse his thoughts.
The young man asked seriously: "Sir, can I still live now? If so, how long can I live?"
Xu Liang thought carefully and slowly He stood up and said decisively: "If you are not afraid of the bumpy road ahead and the great hardships, you will definitely be able to survive."
The young man suddenly smiled brightly and said righteously: "I am not afraid of hardships!"
Xu Liang thought about the young man's calmness along the way, and felt relieved, "Let's go, I will take you to a place. Although I, Xu Liang, can't help you with anything, but the matter is over, let you get through it. This calamity is by no means a violation of the rules. In fact, I should have compensated you with a chance."
The young man was ignorant.
The two came to the old locust tree. For some reason, there was silence inside and outside the town. The only exception was this old locust tree, whose leaves were swaying slightly.
After Xu Liang stood still, his face was solemn. After bowing, he raised his head and asked, "Can Xu Liang ask you for a locust leaf so that the young man can leave the town safely in the future, at least within three years?" Suffer the disaster that comes back?"
The thousand-year-old locust tree is silent.
Xu Liang asked again: "Xu Liang has been here for fifty-nine years, and he has worked hard without any credit. How can he still not get a locust leaf? What's more, the young man is from your town. , Sirs, why are you so stingy?"
Lao Huai still didn't respond.
The silence at this moment was like silent sarcasm.
You, Xu Liang, have great supernatural powers, but after all, you are one of the circles of heaven and earth, and you are the poor person who presides over the hub of the formation. We just don’t want to give this incense and love in vain, what can we do to me?
Xu Liang's face was gloomy and uncertain, and in the end he could only sigh and look down, full of guilt.
The young man grinned and comforted him in turn: "Director Lu said that as long as I go to the south of the town and find a tailor and blacksmith named Du, and become his apprentice, I will have hope of living. Mr. Xu, without this ... Sophora japonica, I believe there will be no problem!"
Xu Liang asked with a smile: "True?"
The young man scratched his head and said shyly: "Fake. ”
Xu Liang smiled knowingly.
Suddenly.
A green and tender locust leaf fell from a very high place in the crown of the tree.
The young man just stretched out his palm, and the leaves fell on his palm.
On the leaves, there was a golden font that flashed away.
Xu Liang was a little shocked. After a moment, he said in a deep voice: "This is Yao, Zhang Jie. Are you willing to repay the kindness of the Yao family, no matter life or death?! To be honest, even without this leaf, You may not have a chance of survival, I can tell you this clearly, so you must think clearly!"
The young man asked: "Is it the Yao character of the master?"
Xu Liang nodded, "Exactly."
The young man put his hands together, gently held the locust leaves in his palms, raised his head and said loudly: "As long as I live for one day, as long as it has something to do with you, As Mr. Xu said before, even if he falls into a well and will die trying to save others, I, Zhang Jie, will save him."
The silence of nature.
Xu Liang smiled and said: "Let's go."
As he led the young man away, he quietly turned his head and looked at the highest point of the locust tree, with a sarcastic look on his face.
It’s not that there are no locust leaves with the surname Zhang. In fact, there are more than one or two. But in the end, knowing that this place is about to collapse, they would rather find another host. Even if the surname is not Zhang, it doesn’t matter. He is a boy with straw sandals who doesn't have any support from his ancestors and is willing to take a fancy to Chenni Alley.
Xu Liang turned back, touched the young man's head, and joked: "If people like Wei Wen, Zhao Yi, and Gu Can had such great ambitions as you did before, maybe it would lead to The world is screaming."
The young man smiled brightly, "I can't care about that, I just do my own thing."
Xu Liang asked again: "This. Are you telling the truth?"
The young man smiled: "Yes!"
————
Walking to an alley, Xu Liang said to Zhang Jie : "Let me handle Ren Jian and You'an. Now that you have this piece of ancestral locust leaf, don't underestimate life and death. Living well is the greatest reward for your parents. As for the future of Yunxia Mountain, Lao I dare not say that the three forces of Longcheng and Zhenjun Jiejiang will never come to trouble you, but they will definitely not come to trouble you in ten years. If you are lucky, you will always be a commoner and be safe and sound for thirty years. "
Xu Liang said with a smile: "There is no need to be jealous of the town. In the future...it won't be long before there will be no more calculations. If you want to live a stable life for twenty or thirty years, You might as well find a girl here to marry and start a family. If you want to go outside the small town and see the real world, reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles is what we scholars must do. Things, you will find out later that it is difficult to study in a small town and easy to walk. When you go outside, many scholars find it easy to buy, read and collect books. However, they just don’t like to walk long distances and find it difficult to bear hardships. The so-called study tour with a burden , It’s just an outing by car.”
The young man asked in surprise: “Mr. , I just say that I am fine around you. Have you ever seen a few people of your age in Fulu Street and Taoye Lane running around like you?"
The young man nodded and said: "That's true."
p>Xu Liang thought for a while, reached out and pulled out a jade hairpin inserted in his bun, bent down and handed it to the poor boy, "Just think of it as a parting gift. It's not a valuable object, let alone an immortal. Please feel free to accept the items. In fact, I was just like you. I was once a boy from a back alley. I studied hard and went through many hardships and ups and downs. Of course, I also had various encounters. Then I entered the Cliff Academy and became a student. That period was my Xu Liang. In the happiest years of my life, when my husband came out of the mountain, he gave me this hairpin as a kind of expectation and entrustment to me. Unfortunately, looking back now, I have not done well over the years. I believe if If the husband were alive, he would definitely be disappointed."
How dare the young man accept this gift.
This jade hairpin seems to contain the master-disciple relationship between Mr. Xu and his husband. Needless to say, the affection is important, not to mention the courtesy.
The young man has never seen anything. After all, he is also a person with a background in silver-burning royal porcelain. He still has some appreciation for the quality of an item.
Xu Liang said warmly: "If you stay here, my teacher's relics will be buried with me, so why not give them to you. Besides, you are actually receiving no reward for nothing. I stayed in the town for nearly For sixty years, I have always had a knot that I could not untie. Unfortunately, my mentor has passed away. I originally thought that I would never get the answer in this life. But you unintentionally helped me solve my doubts, so I will give you this hairpin as a gift. It's both reasonable and polite. Zhang Jie can only help you get a locust leaf, but I can't give you any more opportunities."
The young man took the ordinary jade hairpin with both hands. He raised his head and said sincerely: "Sir, you have already done a lot."
Xu Liang laughed it off. Seeing that the young man was persuaded by him to accept the hairpin, he felt relieved. The hairpin was indeed ordinary, but after all it was a relic of his mentor. , it’s great to be able to give it to a young man who lives up to the inscription on the hosta.
So Xu Liang finally warned: "Zhang Jie, remember, no matter what you encounter in the future, don't lose hope in this world.