In a humble room, there is a solitary lamp and two cups of crude tea.
Under the weak residual light, two long figures were reflected on the ground. At the table, the two men were chatting happily. They seemed not to be disturbed at all by the humble room, the solitary lamp, and the coarse tea.
The strong smell of bitter tea filled the whole room. After some pleasantries, the older scholar filled the teapot again. He smiled and said: "Young Master is a man who flies with flying dragons, but now he has traveled thousands of miles to come from Daliang. Taking part in the cold exam just for a sip of bitter and coarse tea? It really offends me."
The young master has an extraordinary bearing, and he looks like a noble person at first glance, but he is very happy with this cup of bitter tea, saying: "Brother, what are you talking about? We are old friends. It has been more than ten years since we were separated from each other in Daliang, and I still feel... My brother gave me everything he had to teach me back then!”
The scholar shook his head and waved his hands, saying: "Young Master, you are serious! You have been talented and intelligent since you were young. Brother Yu just likes to chat with you, so how can you talk about 'teaching each other'? Brother Yu always feels that the master treats his subordinates politely, regardless of high or low. Back then, Brother Yu was just a member of the family, but he was favored by the young master and became a distinguished guest. This feeling will be unforgettable for the whole life of the emperor and his ministers."
The young master sighed softly, as if he felt deep regret for the past, and said: "I originally wanted to worship my elder brother as my teacher, but my elder brother insisted on being a brother. I deserve this kind of flattery!"
"Young Master has already become famous far and wide at a young age. Everyone in the Central Plains respects and admires him. How dare you, foolish brother, be a teacher?"
"I deeply regret that I was unable to retain my brother..." The young master changed the topic and revealed full regret in his tone.
"Haha, it's Brother Yu's decision to leave Daliang. No one else can persuade him. Even if the general comes in person, I'm afraid he won't be able to change Brother Yu's mind. Don't say anything, Master."
The young master smiled with relief and said, "That's right. If not, how could my brother be so lucky to be in a poor family?"
The older scholar smiled slightly but said nothing.
At the mention of a poor family, the young master inadvertently showed a look of yearning and envy, and said: "I can practice in a poor family, live in the same school with all the proud people, and listen to the teachings of my husband. If I can do this, what else can I ask for?"
"Quietness is rare, but peace of mind is the most important thing."
"Yeah, it's rare to have peace and quiet."
Perhaps because he has lived in fine clothes and good food for a long time, the young master seems to be envious of this rough life. Seeing the young master's expression, the scholar asked doubtfully: "Master, why don't you take the exam again? With the nature of the master, you will never give up when you face difficulties."
The young master sighed heavily, and then said with a wry smile: "Dreams and loyalty and filial piety, what a dilemma!"
The scholar nodded, expressing that he fully understood the young master's situation and thoughts.
We drank silently, the evening wind shook our shadows.
After a long time, the young master seemed to remember something. He changed from his previous calm expression, his expression became a little unbelievable, and his tone became suspicious, saying: "Brother, do you really want to use that formation this time?"
"Yes," the scholar responded calmly.
The young master was startled for a moment, and then asked: "If no one can break it, then..."
The scholar slowly closed his eyes and did not answer.
Seeing the scholar's reaction, the young master asked again: "Are you sure, sir? There must be someone among these thirty people who can break the formation?"
The scholar still shook his head and said nothing.
The young master seemed to still be unwilling to accept it, and said: "Mr. Ji... have you ever tried to join the battle?"
The scholar suddenly raised his head, with a slightly strange look in his eyes, and asked: "So what if I get in? So what if I don't get in?"
The young master was startled again, then lowered his head and said, "Yes, foolish brother, I have to ask too much..."
When it came to 'Mr. Ji', the young master seemed to be more interested than in 'formation'. He leaned forward slightly and asked, "I wonder if my brother can recommend...?"
Seeing that the young master was seeking something from him for the first time, the scholar felt it was quite strange and said, "Oh? Why is the master so interested in the third child?"
The young master smiled sheepishly and said, "Mr. Ji is wild but not arrogant, proud but not arrogant. My brother and Mr. Ji have been close friends for a long time. It is a pity that we cannot meet each other."
"A close friend? I have never heard the third child mention the young master. Why is the young master so sure?"
The young man smiled and said nothing.
Seeing that the young master was silent, the scholar sighed softly and said: "The third child doesn't like the troubles in the world. If I introduce him forcefully, I'm afraid he will be displeased. Maybe... there will be a chance in the future!"
Faced with the scholar's polite refusal, the young master did not show any anger or displeasure. Instead, he sighed softly and said, "Maybe... I just hope that when we meet, we can be as close to each other as you and I are."
"I hope so."
Seeing that the scholar was still frank and sincere, the young master no longer concealed anything. He said: "Brother, my original intention was to go south on this trip, but since my husband has gone south, I will no longer make such unreasonable thoughts. This trip I came to Chang'an specifically to meet my brother, whom I have missed for many years. Now that I see that my brother is well, my wish has been fulfilled. I should take my leave and say goodbye today. I don’t know when we will see you again. I hope you will take care of yourself, brother..."
"Young Master is grateful for your help, and Brother Yu is flattered."
The scholar's reply was as calm as water, but the young master didn't take it seriously at all. He just clasped his hands together and then bowed deeply.
Facing the young master's great gift, the scholar also clasped his hands and bowed in return.
Afterwards, the young master no longer stayed, and the scholar no longer wanted to stay, and the two said goodbye. The night is getting dark, and I don't know where the young master is going.
The friendship between gentlemen is as light as water and as thick as tea.
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
I don't know whether it was a deliberate arrangement, but Yingping and Ye Changshan were assigned to a carriage alone. Compared with other vehicles that seemed a bit crowded, this treatment was considered a small consideration, so the two brothers felt very at ease in the carriage.
Along the way, Yingping looked around and was extremely excited, because in his opinion, after tomorrow he would become Mr.'s personal disciple. As for whether there would be lucky people who would become his senior brothers, that was not what he worried about.
The road to Hanmen was very long. The carriage left the east gate and headed eastward along the Weishui River. The scenery outside the window has been changing. First, there is the prosperous Chang'an East City, then the east gate with high walls, and then the Wei River flowing eastward. Gradually, the direction of the carriage turns to the north. The population becomes increasingly sparse, and the mountains, rivers and woods gradually... The number of cars increased, the mountains and tunnels piled up, and the winding paths led to secluded places... I don’t know how many detours we took and how far we walked. The people in the car only felt that the carriage was getting more and more bumpy. When they arrived, they were still chatting and laughing, but now , they could only hold the edge of the window tightly with their hands. As the car shook violently, everyone gradually lost their mood to appreciate the scenery outside the window.
Fortunately, after shaking, the road seemed to be as smooth as before. Feeling that the carriage gradually stabilized, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. I was afraid that if the shaking continued like this, the lunch meal would pop out of their stomachs. Everyone tidied up their clothes, opened the curtains of their cars in unison, stretched out their heads and looked around, and found that the main peak of Qianniu Mountain was clearly visible in front of them. It is Shenshi now, the sun is setting in the west, and Qianniu Mountain is towering into the clouds. Although I have heard about how majestic this mountain is, I still feel oppressive when I am there. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, I can't reach the top. I have always lamented the magnificence of nature and the insignificance of mortals throughout my life.
After walking for a while, just before the sun set completely, an ordinary courtyard suddenly appeared in everyone's field of vision. Arriving at the gate of the compound, the motorcade slowly stopped. After getting off the bus, all the students stretched themselves, stretched their muscles and bones, breathed in and absorbed some fresh mountain air. Some candidates felt a little hungry when they touched their stomachs. After all, coming here by car is also a physical exercise. live'. After driving for most of the day, it was so comfortable to have this opportunity to relax. Later, all the students took advantage of the afterglow of the setting sun to look around at the beautiful scenery in the mountains, and sighed that the power of nature is so magical and wonderful, creating such a fairyland. It is no wonder that the gentleman would set up the humble gate here.
Everyone felt the short-lived beauty, and for a moment they forgot that they were here to take the test. While everyone was standing at the door of the courtyard relaxing, they heard a "squeak" sound, and the door of the courtyard opened. The scraping sound of the wooden door was particularly harsh, and everyone's attention was immediately drawn to it. Seeing that the door of the courtyard was open, everyone unconsciously walked into the courtyard.
Although the courtyard door was opened, no one came out of the courtyard. Everyone was puzzled and curiously walked up the steps and entered the gate. Then, they saw a young man sweeping up fallen leaves in the courtyard with a broom.
This man was dressed as a young man, with a few patches on his plain clothes. The boots he wore looked a little worn, except for a piece of beautiful jade around his waist. It was smooth in color and carefully crafted, which was incompatible with this simple and even shabby outfit. .
Everyone thought for a while and thought that this man must be the one who opened the door. However, after opening the door, he seemed not to see anyone. He was just cleaning there by himself. He was very dedicated and serious in cleaning, as if everything in the world had nothing to do with him. , only the broom in his hand is in his eyes, and all he cares about is sweeping the floor.
For a moment, everyone was a little at a loss, and they all stayed on the spot and looked at the young man quietly.
Jiang Changming looked the young man up and down. Although this man seemed simple and strange, the jade pendant around his waist was not ordinary. Jiang Changming has seen countless gold and silver jewelry since he was a child, but there are very few jade pendants as fine as this man's waist. This shows that this man's identity is by no means as ordinary as his appearance. Look at this man's hands again. He holds the bamboo handle with his right hand and uses his left hand to clean. It seems that this man is left-handed. A closer look shows that although this man's right hand is also rough, compared with the calluses in the palm of his left hand, it is obviously much different. Finally, take a closer look at the thick calluses on the palms. Compared with the calluses on Jiang Changming's hands left by years of sword practice, they are even worse -
Is this a practitioner holding a sword in his left hand?
After further observation, Jiang Changming secretly analyzed in his heart. But he was not sure of his own judgment, why? Because Jiang Changming couldn't feel any fluctuations of the 'breath of heaven and earth' on the young man's body at this moment. It stands to reason that as long as he is a cultivator of Kaiyang, with Jiang Changming's keen perception, he can detect any slight fluctuation of breath, but this person... is really hard to see through and guess...
Could it be that he comes from a poor family?
Jiang Changming frowned slightly, and unconsciously compared the characteristics of several disciples from Han Clan that he had heard about earlier in his mind. Although he had heard various rumors about the poor people, he had never seen these people in person, including Ji Yang and...
Unlike Jiang Changming, everyone else focused on this courtyard. After all, this was the rumored Humble Clan. Even if he could not be accepted as a disciple by his master, it would still be a worthwhile trip if he could come to the Humble Clan to find out in person. . I don't know whether it was because of the careful cleaning by this young man or because there was less dust in the mountains, but this old courtyard house looked extremely clean. Everyone happily accepted to stay here for a night.
As for Yingping, he was different from everyone else. After entering the compound, he felt as if he had returned to his future home. He held on to Ye Changshan and walked around swaggering, and even directly 'selected' his favorite room.
After everyone stopped to watch, they finally returned to the most practical issue at hand - how to arrange tonight. Seeing that there was no one else in the courtyard except the boy, Wang Qing, the elder brother of the Wang brothers, politely stepped forward and asked, saying -
"This... uh... this little brother, I'm here to re-examine at Hanmen. I wonder what your plans are. Can we stay here tonight?"
The young man didn't even raise his head and continued to focus on sweeping the floor. He just nodded to indicate that this was the case.
The two Wang brothers looked at each other, and then the younger brother Wang Yuan asked: "May I ask...where can we eat tonight?"
The young man still didn't raise his head, but pointed to a small hut next to him, indicating that it was the kitchen.
"Then how can I rest tonight?"
The man stretched out his hand again and pointed around the courtyard, indicating that all living beings would live in each house tonight.
The Wang brothers looked around and made a rough calculation. The houses here are indeed enough for all living beings to live in.
The two brothers wanted to turn around and ask the man again, but when they turned around, they found that the man was no longer in front of them. Turning around and looking around, I found that the man had silently run to the second floor, not knowing what he was doing.
Isn't this person too strange? Ever since I met him, I have been working without saying a word. Even when I asked questions, I just nodded and shook my head. The Wang brothers looked at each other speechlessly, and then shook their heads helplessly.
After working hard for a long time, everyone was exhausted, and their stomachs were already hungry, so they were not in the mood to study this strange boy. As the two older brothers among the thirty students, the Wang brothers were about to greet everyone to choose their rooms to settle down, when a voice came into everyone's ears——
"Your room assignments are all written down on paper tonight."
Everyone turned around in surprise and found that the boy returned to the courtyard with a piece of paper with his name written on it. Before anyone could react, the man said again——
"There is a path to the south of the courtyard. If you walk a few miles along the path, you will see a shabby room. Starting from the courtyard at 9 o'clock tomorrow, the first person to arrive at the shabby room will be deemed to have passed the reexamination."
