Chang'an City is still the same Chang'an City, no different from when he left a few months ago, or in other words, this ancient city is no different from when he first came here. The guards at the city gate have changed one batch after another, and even the people on the dragon chair in the palace have changed. However, this Chang'an City has never changed and will always stand here.
The old man stood outside the city gate, looking at the towering and majestic city wall in a trance. He recalled all the past events like clouds and smoke, and his eyes blurred for a while, and then became clear again.
Are you really 'old'? Why did he become so sentimental after this trip south? The old man smiled mockingly, then turned and walked east.
He is indeed old, and very, very old. He is seventy years old, and now he is older than two "ancients", so much so that he can no longer remember how "old" he is.
One after another, the past events came to mind, and the faces appeared before our eyes. The poor people in the world regarded them as their faith, the people in the Central Plains regarded them as their beacons, and the people in the Northern Barbarians regarded them as their nemesis... Many people came and left, many People leave and come back, but no matter who is there or who is not there, he... is always there.
Those childhood friends have long since returned to the earth, and those comrades who fought against the barbarians have also passed away. After living such a long life, shouldn't you feel lonely? What keeps you going? What makes you still have the remaining enthusiasm? Is it reluctance? Is it greed? Or the fear of death?
In his life, he has seen through people's hearts, through heaven and earth, through everything, through everything. Otherwise, his civil and military achievements would not be so unfathomable, but at this time, he is somewhat unable to see through...
The old man's eyes full of vicissitudes of life wandered between the mountains and rivers, and he rarely fell into a fugue, trying to find the corresponding answer among all things in the world...
Suddenly, an old scalper appeared in his sight. The old scalper seemed to have a premonition that the old man would appear here today. He went down the mountain early yesterday to wait here. There was a white puppy lying on the old scalper's back, with a look in his eyes. Looking at the old man with curiosity.
Seeing the old scalper "mooing" at him affectionately a few times, the old man gradually showed a smile. Those things that confused him and couldn't see through were suddenly clear. All doubts disappeared, and his mood was like a sunny day after the rain. At this moment, he didn't want to think about it anymore, and he didn't want to go into details about why he felt so happy all of a sudden. Maybe it was because he had lived too clearly in his life, and sometimes being 'muddleheaded'... was pretty good. He rode on the old ox, held the puppy in his arms, and wandered toward the mountains.
...
The sky in Qianniu Mountain has been cloudy for several days, and it is rare for it to clear up today.
The warm sunshine in early winter was so comfortable that Ye Changshan and Yingping stayed in the yard to bask in the sun for a while after completing their daily exercises.
Huahua never appeared again after leaving the yard yesterday. Ye Changshan called around the neighborhood several times but couldn't find the puppy. He, who had always been calm, couldn't help but feel a little anxious. After many days of companionship, the little white dog has become one of his loyal companions. If he is lost here, he will definitely feel uncomfortable.
After returning to the yard, the senior sister asked Ye Changshan with concern when she saw that Ye Changshan was uneasy. After learning what Ye Changshan was thinking, she grabbed Ji Yang who was passing by and asked him to help and keep an eye on it while collecting herbs, but the third senior brother was determined. He said that he saw the little white dog and the big ox together, and he would definitely not lose them, which made Ye Changshan feel at ease.
Although he didn't know why the third senior brother was so sure, Ye Changshan's mind was really at peace, because in his opinion, what the third senior brother said was always so convincing.
Ye Changshan was recalling yesterday's conversation in front of the stove. Seeing that half a day had passed and there was still no sign of the little white dog, he felt a little uneasy again.
'Woof woof——'
Suddenly, he heard a barking sound coming from the door. Ye Changshan was overjoyed when he heard the sound. He quickly put down the spoon in his hand and ran out of the kitchen. He saw the little white dog obediently standing at the door and shaking it towards him. Tail.
"Huahua——"
Ye Changshan shouted at the little white dog, expecting it to run to him. But the strange thing is that on weekdays, even if the little white dog hears his voice, even if he sees him, he will run over and act like a spoiled brat, but today he is sitting firmly at the door, turning around and looking at him from time to time. Heading out the door, as if waiting for something.
Ye Changshan felt strange and walked forward to see if the little white dog was frightened.
He walked up to the little white dog, knelt down and touched its head. Then he lowered his head and carefully inspected its body, and found that there was nothing unusual except for being a little gray.
Could it be that it is in a low mood today?
Ye Changshan continued to stroke the little white dog's body, trying to bring it back to its former happiness.
Suddenly, Ye Changshan felt a darkness in front of him, as if the sun was blocked by something huge. At this moment, the little white dog suddenly returned to his usual liveliness. He quickly stood up and barked a few words, wagging his tail extraordinarily. Cheerful.
Ye Changshan raised his head and found a tall man standing in front of him. Looking up from below, he felt like he was looking up at a mountain. And because of Xiang Guang, Ye Changshan couldn't see the person's face clearly for a while, but he just felt that the temperament was vaguely familiar.
Ye Changshan slowly stood up and covered his eyes. Only then did he realize that this tall man was a energetic old man. The old man's eyebrows were extremely thick, just like the brush that the second senior brother used to write. Same. His body shape and eyebrows are so distinctive, but strangely, such a strange appearance gives Ye Changshan a feeling of familiarity.
Ye Changshan looked at the old man in confusion, and the old man looked at him kindly, but no matter how he recalled it, he could not remember where he had seen this person.
Could it be that I had the illusion of 'déjà vu'? Ye Changshan looked up at the old man and couldn't help but feel a little lost in thought. He even forgot to speak.
"Well, this food smells so good. It seems that the person holding the spoon is no longer a monarch." Smoke drifted from the stove, and the old man sniffed the smell floating in the air and said.
Ye Changshan couldn't help but be a little surprised, how could this person be so sharp? And he seems to know the mountain gate well?
Feeling the change in Ye Changshan's expression, the old man observed the remaining stains on his collar, smiled slightly and continued: "Haha, it seems that the person who cleans the clothes is not Yuyin anymore."
Ye Changshan looked at the person in front of him with increasing surprise. Thousands of guesses flashed through his mind, but he did not dare to guess at that person.
Who is this person? Why does it look so familiar? How come he knows so much about the mountain gate? Could it be that he is really...
"Excuse me, do you always..."
Ye Changshan did not dare to make any mistakes and asked the old man's identity cautiously.
But the old man ignored his question and looked at Ye Changshan carefully, the smile on his face becoming more kind and kind.
Why does this scene look so familiar? It seemed that at some point in the past, Ye Changshan was stared at by the same gaze, as if everything about him was exposed to this profound gaze.
Where is it? It seems like it was not long ago, but I can't remember it. Strangely enough, Ye Changshan's memory has always been good, but this time he felt a little out of his depth.
Ye Changshan recalled all the experiences along the way in his mind, from Panxian Village to Chang'an City to Qianniu Mountain, trying to recall every node. When he recalled Yongcheng, he suddenly realized it!
"You...you...you old man are..."
"His old man is the one you've been talking about!"
Wen Junchen's excited voice came from behind, and he saw the old man standing at the door. He, who had always been calm, was walking from the back room with quick little steps.
"Teacher! You are back!"
When the word 'teacher' came out of the second senior brother's mouth, Ye Changshan's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. How many days and nights had he imagined the arrival of this moment, imagining countless scenes of meeting the old man, either grand or formal, in a humble room, or in a library... But he never imagined that it would be like this - So casual, so relaxed, just like the idle life in the village in the past.
After Wen Junchen bowed devoutly, he looked at the dazed Ye Changshan, patted the young junior brother on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "What are you doing standing there in a daze? Come and meet the teacher!"
"Ah?" Ye Changshan came back to his senses and bowed deeply to the kind old man in front of him: "Teacher, please bow to my disciple Ye Changshan!"
"Haha, okay - okay -" The gentleman looked at this closed disciple with a look of care in his eyes.
Yingping and several other disciples from the humble family heard the sound and came one after another. They all bowed deeply in front of the teacher and bowed as disciples.
Yingping wanted to kneel down and salute, but Wen Junchen quickly stopped him and explained: "Your master doesn't like these red tapes."
After hearing this, Yingping also bowed like all his masters and uncles, and said obediently: "Master, I am here, I will bow to you from my disciples."
"well--"
The gentleman looked at his disciples and grandsons, his smile became more and more cheerful, and he kept saying good things.
Except for being taller and having thicker eyebrows, he looks just like the old men in the village, Ye Changshan thought to himself. It turned out that this old man who was looked up to by the Central Plains was so ordinary and easy-going, and the nervousness in his heart gradually relaxed.
The poor families from top to bottom, from old to young, are finally all here.
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At night, in a shabby room.
The dim candlelight stretched the three figures apart, but the three people in the room didn't care about the dim light, chatting and laughing, and seemed to be in a good mood.
"Teacher, the two little guys always wanted to see you when they first started..."
"Teacher, the number of participants for this cold exam is unprecedented..."
"Teacher, I really didn't expect that this mysterious formation could really be broken by my junior brother..."
"teacher......"
Wen Junchen became talkative at this time, constantly introducing various aspects of the Han Examination and the daily life in the mountain gate over the past few months.
The teacher just listened to the disciple's chatter and kept nodding.
Next to him, Ji Yangyu didn't interrupt, he just nodded along with his teacher, looking like an ordinary person chatting after dinner.
"My lord, my craftsmanship is much better than yours."
The husband didn't seem to be interested in the studies and practice of the two little guys at all, and he didn't want to ask about the situation of the cold examination. He was somewhat interested in Ye Changshan's craftsmanship. In the past, he always ate in his own room and rarely went to the courtyard. Today, it was rare for him to stay in the courtyard to dine with his disciples. Naturally, he was deeply impressed by this difference.
"Yes, my junior brother is indeed better at cooking than my second senior brother. He is also diligent and always changes his cooking style."
"Who is cleaning everyone's clothes every day now?"
"It's Yingping, what's wrong?"
The teacher looked at Wen Junchen's clothes and smiled without saying a word. Wen Junchen followed the teacher's gaze and looked down at his clothes. With the faint light, he found that there were still some unwashed areas on his cuffs and collar, and he immediately understood.
"This is a disciple who is not teaching well. I will definitely teach you more in the future."
The husband nodded, feeling very satisfied. This disciple of mine may seem dull, but in fact he is very smart. Many things can be understood with just a few words without him having to say much.
Ji Yangyu also seemed to appreciate the second senior brother's 'spirituality' and couldn't help but nod along with the teacher.
"The ancients said, 'How can you sweep the world if you don't sweep one house?' Junchen, as a teacher, you have a long way to go." The gentleman looked at Wen Junchen and said seriously.
"Disciple has learned!"
At this time, Ji Yangyu nodded even faster.
Perhaps it was because Ji Yang and his nodding movements were too big, but the flickering movements of his shadow caught Wen Junchen's attention. Wen Junchen then turned to the third junior brother and said: "Third junior brother, do you have nothing to report to the teacher? How are the two of you practicing?"
Ji Yangyu came back to his senses and looked at his second senior brother and then his teacher, and said: "The two of them are practicing according to the plan, and the results are satisfactory. They are working hard."
Ji Yang and the general briefly talked about their practice status and then stopped talking. However, after a moment of silence, they spoke again: "Teacher, I still don't understand something, please clarify my doubts."
"Um?"
"Why do you value junior brother so much? Why did you say that junior brother... he is the most promising to become our junior brother before the cold exam?"
Mentioning his little disciple, Mr. stood up and walked slowly to the door. He turned his back to the two disciples in the room, looked at the gray sky, and sighed softly: "Because he has the advantages of all of you... …Including that person…”
Wen Junchen and Ji Yang were startled, and then looked at each other with confusion in their eyes - that man was so amazing and talented, even Ji Yang and Ji Yang didn't dare to call themselves geniuses in front of him, how could the teacher... ..
Mentioning that person, the husband seemed to fall into deep memories, and the two of them also fell into thinking.
After a while, Ji Yang couldn't hold back after all and asked, "Junior brother is just an ordinary person. His talent for cultivation can be said to be... it can be said to be extremely mediocre. How can he compare with that person's genius?"
Faced with such doubts, the gentleman smiled softly and said: "If he is mediocre, how did he break through the 'Butterfly Dream Realm'?"
This answer was exactly the same as the answer given by the blacksmith in the iron hut that day, and the two disciples seemed to have the same reaction as the blacksmith.
The two tried to understand the teacher's words, but after thinking about it, they still couldn't understand it.
After a period of silence, Wen Junchen smiled and shook his head, thinking: Haha, never mind! Teacher's words will naturally be proved by facts in the future, and it is useless to think too much.
Then, Wenjun changed the subject and asked, "Teacher, did your trip south go well?"
The teacher naturally saw through this disciple's mind and knew that the disciple was afraid that he would recall the 'unhappiness' of the past. He was a free and easy person, but he felt somewhat comforted when he saw his disciple being so attentive, so he nodded in response.
Suddenly, the gentleman seemed to have thought of something interesting, and his voice was a little higher.
"Not only did I return to my hometown during this trip, I also prepared a gift for your junior brother." The gentleman stroked his gray beard and seemed to be looking forward to this 'gift'. Then, he showed the look of an ordinary grandfather trying to please his grandson and said with a smile: "Hey, I hope he likes it..."
"The teacher is so attentive, my junior brother will definitely like it." Ji Yangyu added.
"Everyone in the world says that when you get older, you will prefer the younger ones. Junchen didn't believe it at first, but I didn't expect that you, teacher, are not exempt from the vulgarity!" Wen Junchen said jokingly.
Then, a burst of hearty laughter came from the room, piercing the quiet sky.
