The sun was shining brightly, shining on the steep cliff plank road, and the mountain wind was howling, making the clothes of the three people rustle. Further up the plank road is the famous "Turn Back Stone" on the North Peak. A huge piece of granite lies across the mountain road, dividing the originally narrow path into two narrow forks. Pedestrians can only bend down and pass sideways.
It is said that if you feel timid when you come here, you can turn around and go back. As you go up, the mountain road becomes more and more steep, so you can only hold on to the iron chain and climb up step by step carefully. Above the head is a screen-like cliff, which seems to be about to topple down at any moment.
The three of them crossed the plank road and passed the turning stone. The stone steps in front led directly to the top of the mountain. After several twists and turns, a stone yurt house located on the top of the mountain can be vaguely seen. Outside the yard in front of the yurt, a huge cypress tree stands on the cliff, which is particularly lush and eye-catching.
The three of them had climbed dozens of stone steps and arrived at the second Yatou Pass, which was less than a hundred meters away from the peak. The mountain wind was getting stronger and stronger, making everyone's clothes and hair messy. Xu Ziyi pointed at the peak. He walked up to the rectangular yurt and said, "Brother Liu, that yurt is where the master and I live. The old cypress tree on the cliff was planted by the master himself when he went to Huashan. It has been almost twenty years."
Liu Ruyan stared at the small yard and murmured: "Uncle, is it really you? After all these years, can you still recognize your nephew?" He seemed to be unable to remember his uncle's appearance clearly, but At this moment, my heart was filled with excitement and even a hint of hesitation.
With the yurt in sight, the three of them couldn't help but quicken their pace. Xu Ziyi was at the front, followed closely by Xu Feng and Liu Ruyan. After a while, they had climbed over the third cliff and were only a few dozen meters away from the yurt. A winding mountain road leads directly to the entrance of the small courtyard on the cliff in front.
Liu Ruyan's eyes shone as she carefully looked at the small courtyard of the yurt. It was an old and simple stone house with a small courtyard surrounded by a human-height wooden fence in front of the door. There was actually a row of colorful plants planted under the courtyard wall. There were flowers, the yurt door was closed, and two large red lanterns swayed in the wind under the eaves. There was no one in sight in front of and behind the house, only the rustle of the treetops in the mountain wind.
Everyone looked at each other, and Xu Ziyi wondered in his heart: "The door is closed, has the master gone out?" Just as he was thinking, he said to the two of them, "Please, please, let's go in and take a look. Maybe the master has gone out."
He looked around at the situation around him. His eyes fell on a rope for drying clothes under the eaves. Two gray robes were still hanging on it. Obviously, the master had washed the clothes. His mind was slightly calm. He hurriedly reached out and pushed the door, only to find that it was locked. Xu Ziyi glanced at the window, turned back and said to the two of them: "The master is not at home. He may have gone to the vegetable field in the back mountain. I will go and look behind him." "You two, please wait here!" He said, cupping his fists and saluting the two of them.
Xu Feng nodded and said with a smile: "Go and have a look."
Liu Ruyan looked around. Xu Ziyi had just turned around and walked a few steps when Liu Ruyan suddenly said: "Brother Xu, let me go with you!"
"Brother Liu, we have traveled such a long way and you are tired. Just wait at home. I will come back after looking for the master." Xu Ziyi grabbed the sword and smiled at the two of them and nodded.
"It's okay, I'm not tired, let's go together!" Liu Ruyan smiled slightly and stepped forward quickly. He was full of expectations and his excitement was palpable. He just wanted to see his uncle as soon as possible, but at the same time he was worried about his uncle's safety.
Xu Feng smiled and said, "Let Nephew Liu Xian accompany you! Their uncle and nephew reunited after a long absence, and they must have a lot to say." He was also very tired from walking today, so he took advantage of the situation and sat on a bamboo bench under the eaves. Watching the two young men gradually disappear into the pine forest behind the house.
Xu Ziyi took Liu Ruyan into the pine forest and headed straight for the back mountain along the path in the forest. The pine forest was sparse, the sunlight cast a crystal light in the forest, and the air exuded a strong and spicy scent of rosin. The wind made the pine forest rustle, and the alert and sensitive squirrels heard the noise and disappeared on the pine branches in a flash.
Liu Ruyan looked around, taking stock of the surroundings. The back mountain was open and flat, completely missing the steepness of the front mountain. The pine forest was not big, with only a row of green swaying in the mountain wind, and a few huge cypress trees standing on the edge of the cliff. The criss-crossing thick roots are embedded in the rock crevices, and the grip is very firm, which cannot be shaken by wind, frost, rain or snow.
Xu Ziyi said: "Master, he is an old man who is idle.
Even though his legs and feet are inconvenient, he gets up early every day and exercises in the yard. The master's best skills are hard qigong, Vajra Cloud Hand, and Liuhe Xingyiquan, which are the special skills of the outer sect. Unfortunately, he is now seriously ill. He has long lost the charm of his youth. His temperament has become much calmer after his illness, and he is no longer as angry as he was in his early years. The long years of illness have wiped out his fighting spirit. In recent years, he has become obsessed with growing vegetables and flowers. As long as the weather is fine, he can grow vegetables and flowers. I always go to the vegetable plot to weed and look at the vegetables and fruits. Come on, let's go look for him in the vegetable field. Maybe he is really busy in the field. ” He led Liu Ruyan through the pine forest and came to a land full of vegetables and fruits, but there was no one in the green land.
Xu Ziyi raised his eyes and looked around. There were steep cliffs all around. Where was the master? His heart suddenly sank, and a trace of panic flashed across his face. I thought to myself: Where will the master go? His favorite place to go is this vegetable patch. Nothing will happen to him, right? He shouted anxiously at the top of his voice: "Master... Master... where are you?" The high-pitched shouts echoed in the mountains and fields. He turned back to Liu Ruyan and said, "Brother Liu, let's go look behind the cliff over there. It's strange. The master usually likes to work in the vegetable fields. Where on earth will he go?" He thought quickly in his head, and put the master Filter all the places you may be involved in.
The more he thought about it, the more worried and scared he became, and he couldn't help but think of even more terrifying situations - could his old man be in any danger? He just had the idea in a flash, and then denied it in an instant, because he knew very well that after the master went to Huashan, he no longer asked about the affairs of the world, and never interacted with anyone, almost living a life isolated from the world. Furthermore, he He didn't seem to have any grudge against anyone, and he was nowhere to be seen, which was really incredible.
Liu Ruyan frowned, glanced around, and asked, "Did uncle go down the mountain by himself?" He stared at Xu Ziyi with confusion on his face.
"Master has not been down the mountain for many years, and now his legs are so severe that he is in unspeakable pain, and it is impossible to walk too far." Xu Ziyi's eyes suddenly lit up, and he lost his voice and said, "Oh, by the way, I forgot a place, Taoxian Taoist Temple!" Yes, he must have been bored at home and went to talk to the Taoist priest."
Liu Ruyan asked in surprise: "Where is Taoxian Taoist Temple?"
Xu Ziyi said: "Just behind the cliff opposite, that is Wangyue Cliff. There is a thousand-year-old tree behind the cliff. The Taoxian Taoist Temple is under the ancient tree. Come on, let's go over and have a look!" He pointed to the opposite side ten feet away. A steep cliff shaped like a horse's head. A stone plank road is built along the cliff. From a distance, it looks like a big snake coiled on the mountainside. The two cliffs are connected by a stone bridge. If you go to Taoxian Taoist Temple, this stone bridge is the only way to pass.
Xu Ziyi led Liu Ruyan to the west along the stone plank road. Under his feet was a thousand-foot cliff. Walking on it felt like stepping on clouds. Xu Ziyi walked forward leisurely while Liu Ruyan followed behind but walked tremblingly.
Just when the two were about to reach the end of the plank road, suddenly, a thin young man with high bun stood on the corner of the cliff. The young man was holding a round bamboo basket in his hand, which was filled with vegetables and fruits. The young man looked very surprised when he saw two people approaching. He stared at them blankly for a long time. Xu Ziyi came closer and asked with a smile: "Excuse me, young master, is your Taoist priest in the temple?" Obviously, he recognized him. The boy in front of me.
The young man was about fifteen or sixteen years old. His angular face was still somewhat childish, and his dark eyes flashed with alertness. There was a long scar on the left side of his face, like a willow leaf. He was stunned. Looking at the two of them, he grasped the food basket in his hands tighter.
After being stunned for a long time, the young man finally said, "Brother Xu, long time no see?" His face was expressionless, and he just stared at Xu Ziyi blankly.
Xu Ziyi reached out and patted the young man's shoulder, and said with a smile: "Yushu, is your master in the temple?" It turned out that this young man's name was Yushu, and Xu Ziyi knew him.
Yushu's eyes flashed, he looked at Xu Ziyi and asked doubtfully: "Well, here I am, playing chess with Senior Gu!" His eyes fell on Liu Ruyan again and asked, "Brother Xu, who is this young master?" ?" He rolled his eyes and looked Liu Ruyan up and down, his eyes full of curiosity.
Xu Ziyi said: "This is my friend, Yushu, please call me Brother Liu!"
"Brother Liu!" Yushu smiled at Liu Ruyan. It turned out that he could also smile, but one of the front teeth exposed when he smiled was missing. He was afraid of others laughing. Maybe this was the reason for his seriousness in speech.
"Little brother, you just said that your master was playing chess with Senior Gu?" Liu Ruyan's eyes were bright and she spoke a little excitedly. He had already guessed that the old man Gu mentioned by the young man was his uncle Gu Zhi. It turned out that Gu Zhi had come to Taoxian Taoist Temple to find someone to practice chess skills with. His heart immediately relaxed, followed by a hint of excitement.
The young man Yushu nodded and said with a smile: "That's right. Senior Gu came here yesterday. The two of them stayed in the yard for a whole day, but they still couldn't tell the winner. Alas, I couldn't understand, so the master called I went out to pick vegetables, oh, by the way, I have to rush back to cook for them!"
Xu Ziyi reached out and touched Yu Shu's head and said, "Yes, take us to see your master quickly!" He turned to look at Liu Ruyan and smiled. The two of them followed the jade book and walked over the cliff towards Taoxian Taoist Temple.
Taoxian Taoist Temple is located in a mountain col behind a dangerous cliff. It is a simple and unique red Taoist temple. There is an oval incense burner in the open space in front of the Taoist temple. There are only a few wisps of green smoke rising from the stove, and the air is filled with a rich and spicy smell. There was the smell of incense, and a vermilion door was open. Behind the door was a small side room. Two old men were sitting in the yard outside the side room, concentrating on playing chess.
