In the simple residence, all kinds of farm tools and sundries are arranged in a somewhat messy manner. The people in the village have always lived a poor and informal life. Uncle Sheng just waved his hand and greeted Tianjihong to sit on the crooked bench and did a simple job for him. Got a glass of water. Tianjihong was also used to the temperament of the villagers and didn't care about it. "Sorry, Uncle Sheng! I came here today because you said yesterday that you wanted to give something to my brothers. I don't know what it is?"
"Haha, don't be anxious, don't be anxious. Let's talk about your brothers first. How are your lives lately? You two little kids are alone without an adult to take care of you. If you encounter any difficulties on weekdays, remember to tell your uncle in time. Uncle Let’s help you get it done.”
"Thank you, Uncle Sheng, for your concern. Thanks to you, the two of us are living well these days, but... there is still no news about my parents." Tian Jihong said.
"Well, uncle also asked the boy from the Lin family for help. He really still hasn't found out the whereabouts of your parents." The boy from the Lin family that Mo Sheng mentioned is the messenger in the village, responsible for the communication between the village and Dongsheng Town not far away. He is the most well-informed person in Donglin Village by sending letters from time to time and constantly bringing in a lot of information from the outside world. As early as two months after his mother left, Tian Jihong asked him to help find out the whereabouts of his parents, but there was no result.
"Don't be discouraged, kid," Mo Sheng patted Tian Jihong's shoulder and consoled him, "What parents worry about most is their children. Look at your uncle Sheng Sheng, my son has been wandering outside for many years and still doesn't know how to go home. Look at his father, uncle, all I have been thinking about all day is this brat. Listen to uncle, as long as your two brothers take care of themselves and don't let your parents worry, they will naturally come back to reunite with you. .”
"Oh, by the way, what I'm going to tell you today happens to have something to do with your parents." Mo Sheng suddenly said, turning around and taking out a delicate wooden box from the cabinet, "This thing was entrusted to me by your Aunt Yan. , let me find a suitable time to hand it over to you, saying that it seems that your mother left it with her before she left."
"What?!" Tian Jihong immediately became excited. Aunt Yan is also one of the first kind-hearted people the family met when they came here, and she has many contacts with the brothers on weekdays. I heard news a few days ago that Aunt Yan decided to move away, but I never heard her mention the artifacts left by her mother. "My mother left something else before she left? Why didn't I hear about it until today?"
Mo Sheng's face became a little more serious, "This is what your Aunt Yan specially ordered. According to her, this thing should actually be returned to you on your twelfth birthday. This is what your mother did before she left." I have repeatedly warned you that the words I gave you in advance will do you more harm than good."
"As you know, Uncle Sheng, I can't hide things." Mo Sheng continued to explain, with a hint of helplessness in his tone, "Uncle, I can't hide such an important matter in front of you. I see that you have become more mature in the past two years, and you are more prudent in your daily work. I believe that even if there is something dangerous in the box, you will not act recklessly. In addition, it is not many days since the time mentioned. Oh my god, I’m just going to give this to you in advance today.”
Tian Jihong took the wooden box tremblingly. He hadn't received any news from his parents for such a long time, and today he suddenly received something left by his mother. His inner excitement was hard to conceal. "Thank you, Uncle Sheng. Since my mother has arranged it this way, I will definitely be careful. Please rest assured."
"Haha, that's good, that's good. Looking at you like this, you can't wait, right? Then open it and take a look!" Mo Sheng said with a smile.
"No," although the joy in his heart was beyond words, Tianjihong was not dazzled, "Although my mother told me to leave this thing to me, now that she has been away for several years, Xiaofei's longing for her is no longer with me. Next, there is something like this that you should go back and open with Xiao Fei."
In fact, Tian Jihong had other reasons in his heart that he didn't say out loud. This thing was obviously a private property of his own family. Although the people in the village were simple and honest and wouldn't care about it, it would be inappropriate if he opened it in front of outsiders. He wasn't worried that Uncle Shanda would do it. He covets the secrets of his family, but is worried that if he knows too much, he will be involved in the grudges between his and his enemies, which will eventually lead to disaster.
"Well, if you can say this, it means that you have indeed matured a lot and are more stable in doing things. I'm relieved, uncle." Mo Sheng touched his beard and said approvingly, "The weather is hot now, uncle. Let’s sit down and take a rest at home, and then go back after an hour or two.”
"No need, Uncle Sheng, this temperature is nothing. Xiaofei is still waiting for me at home and no one is taking care of me. He will be worried if I delay for too long. I will leave today!" Where is Tianjihong at this time? I just wanted to rest, and I just wanted to go back and see Feidi with my mother to see what my mother had left behind.
"Okay then, uncle, I won't keep you much longer. Please pay attention to safety on the way back." Mo Sheng also saw Tianjihong's thoughts, so he said, "In the past few days, there have been a few more merchants coming from the Dongyun Mountains in the north. Team, it is said that this time they seemed to have encountered bandits or something on the way. Although most of them were heading to Dongsheng Town in the south, there were some stragglers among them who would take the road to the village to rest. You see The inn at your uncle Lin's house is almost full. The village has been crowded recently, and strangers in strange clothes often appear on the road. In addition, there are rumors about bandits. You, a child, must be careful outside. Don’t let the bad guys fool you.”
"Well, I will pay attention. Thank you, Uncle Sheng, for reminding me!" Tian Jihong has lived in the village for a while, and he also knows that every few months, there will be caravans from Dongyun City in the north crossing the mountains to do business nearby. He was already used to it. Since beasts are rampant in the Dongyun Mountains, and there are even a few beasts who know some cultivation methods and have magical powers, the mountains are full of dangers. People in the village usually dare not go deep into the mountains to hunt, and caravans crossing the mountains often hire Some martial arts masters or practitioners serve as bodyguards to prevent attacks by wild beasts and spirits in the mountains.
However, this was the first time he had heard about the caravan being hijacked by bandits. You must know that ordinary people who have not yet embarked on the path of spiritual practice, even if they swarm forward with sharp blades, cannot do anything to the monks who have cultivated spiritual power. This shows that there must be masters who know how to practice among the bandits; but let alone Tianjihong, even the villagers who have lived here for a long time have never heard of such a powerful desperado nearby.
The scorching sun outside was still dazzling, steam was rising from the treetops beside the road, and the branches and leaves were drooping feebly as if they had been drained of moisture. Under the continuous high temperature, the village was still empty; Tianjihong looked towards the overcrowded inn mentioned by Uncle Sheng, but except for some horses and cargo boxes outside the inn, he still didn't see any people around. I think most of the people were there. It is to huddle in the house and not want to come out and suffer.
However, just when Tian Jihong was about to retract his gaze, a sudden figure at the edge of his field of vision caught his attention. From a long distance away, Tianjihong could not clearly see this person's face; but judging from his body shape and behavior, Tianjihong knew in his heart that this person must be an outsider and not a resident of the village. What interested him the most was that this man was naked from the waist up, showing off his strong muscles. He was practicing martial arts with a sword outside the woods beside the road to the inn. The ground around him was wet with sweat like rain, and in the lingering warmth of noon There is a faint white mist below. The sword technique was so fierce and powerful that it seemed to have the power to split gold and stone; the wooden stake in front of it was instantly cut into several sections like tofu under the blade, leaving a smooth cut; even though it was so far apart, Tianjihong could feel the strength of this person and the strength of his sword skills.
"Looking at this, this person must be a cultivator, and his strength is obviously far superior to the mediocre martial arts masters in the village. I just don't know what his cultivation level is." Tian Jihong muttered in his heart. Tian Jihong also had some admiration for people who could persist in practicing martial arts in such a temperature, and couldn't help but want to get acquainted with him; but now he still has important things to attend to, and he doesn't Knowing the other party's identity, he finally had to give up such thoughts and turned around to go home.
Half an hour later, Tian Jihong finally stepped into the house despite the scorching heat. After a short rest and changing clothes, Tianjihong hurriedly told his brother everything about this, which made him really excited for a long time. So, in the impatient eyes of the two brothers, Tianjihong slowly opened the wooden box left by his mother.
There were not many things in the wooden box, only three things: an inconspicuous brown sachet, a dim octahedral crystal, and a letter pressed on the bottom. The two brothers put the sachet and crystal aside in a tacit understanding. What they wanted to see most at this moment was naturally the few words left by their parents. The envelope looked well sealed. It seems that neither Aunt Yan nor Uncle Sheng consciously opened the letter. Unexpectedly, the two of them guessed that this letter was probably a request from their mother. However, the moment he opened the envelope, Tianji Fei, who had loved reading and literacy since childhood, recognized it at a glance and exclaimed: "This letter is father's handwriting, and it was left to you, Brother Hong!"
