The farmer seemed very satisfied with the young man's answer. He was stroking his beard and smiling in the pavilion. Before Lin Manliu could make any more moves, he started to move.
The farmer clasped his hands behind his back, then stepped out with one foot, leaping directly into the lotus leaf field between Lin Manliu and Lin Manliu. His figure actually took a few empty steps in the air, as if he was stepping on It landed on the lotus leaf, and then appeared five steps away in front of the boy in a short shirt. The sleeves and hem of his body were not stained with any dust.
When I was returning with Ye Dangting before, I had seen the old liar showing off his skills in front of me, but he was not as elegant and agile as the middle-aged man in front of me. I couldn't help but start to have some doubts in my heart. When I was returning with Ye Dangting, I have passed by Lotus Bay before, and even if I have never seen this person, I saw the pavilion here for the first time today.
The onlookers looked at the farmer with eyes and attitudes, as if they had known each other for a long time, and were full of admiration and praise. They did not look like strangers passing by, but more like people born and raised here. The young man in short shirt concluded that this man must have extraordinary martial arts. , just now I just drew the sword out of the sheath at will, and I was caught in his eyes. I still need to be careful about my words and deeds in the future.
Seeing the confused look on the young man's face, the smile on the farmer's face grew a little thicker. He coughed lightly and said, "Ahem... little friend, I don't know what to call you yet."
"Young man Lin Manliu, I have been traveling alone in the Shu area recently. I happened to pass by Hehua Bay today, and I happened to meet my senior here." Lin Manliu answered with cupped hands.
"There's no need to call me senior anymore. You can just call me Uncle Qing. I'm just a layman who just likes to leisurely play in the mountains and rivers here," the farmer said out loud.
"I've met Uncle Qing."
"Young man Manliu, are you rushing to Chengdu? Look at the direction of travel." Uncle Qing turned sideways and pushed forward with one hand, gesturing for the young man to go forward with him.
"Yes, I originally planned to enter Chengdu before sunset today, but I walked too much on the mountain road in the past few days. After entering Hehua Bay today, I realized that I was wearing clothes, which was really unsightly. I planned to enter Chengdu again tomorrow. Today We have to find a place to rest and tidy up first." Lin Manliu said about his arrangements, leading the thin yellow horse and walking with the farmers.
The two of them walked together on the country road. From time to time, village women picking up lotus leaves and men busy in the fields would greet Uncle Qing. The farmers would greet each other by their names one by one.
During the subsequent chat, Lin Manliu learned that this farmer, whom he called Uncle Qing, whose real name was Qinglan, was a northerner who had traveled southward over the years. He had been staying in Hehua Bay for more than a year and could not help. The folks in Hehua Bay have provided some planting methods and harvest suggestions, and the response has been particularly good. Naturally, the folks here are very happy to see this middle-aged man who has brought harvests to the entire Hehua Bay.
Under the leadership of Qing Lan, the young man came to a post station in Hehua Bay. Qing Lan chatted with the inn manager for a while, and then told Lin Manliu and the inn station to take care of it, so that the boy would not mind staying here today.
After Lin Manliu settled Xiao Huang, the two found a free table and chairs and sat down. Not long after, the owner of the inn came to their table with a plate of lotus seeds.
"Thanks to Uncle Qing's help, the lotuses will definitely bloom better this year than last year. This is a little bit of my gratitude, Lao Yang. I don't charge money," the manager of the post station said with a smile after putting down the lotus seeds.
"Thank you so much, shopkeeper Yang." Qinglan nodded to express her gratitude.
"Thank you, shopkeeper Yang." Lin Manliu also hurriedly followed up to express his thanks.
After the manager of the inn left, Qinglan pushed the plate of lotus seeds in front of the young man in a short shirt and said, "Little friend Manliu, if you try it, it will definitely be much fresher than the lotus seeds outside."
Lin Manliu picked up a lotus seed in his hand and did not rush to put it into his mouth. Instead, he began to look at it carefully and muttered that this was the first time he had seen a lotus seed. He had never said such words before. .
Qinglan guessed the young man's thoughts, so he picked up one and put it into his mouth, "Now, little friend Manliu, you can rest assured."
"Be careful when you go out, Uncle Qing, forgive me." Lin Manliu saw the farmer in front of him expressing his thoughts, so he had to apologize and said, and then put the lotus seeds in his hand into his mouth.
After the lotus seeds were put into the mouth, there was a slightly astringent taste at first, and then the sweetness of the lotus seeds was introduced into the mouth. When the lotus heart was bitten, it began to taste bitter, and the young man's face began to look strange.
Seeing this scene, Qing Lan laughed out loud: "It seems that the six little friends have never eaten lotus seeds. It must be true. Although the lotus seeds are bitter, they are also a good medicine. Don't spit them out..." After finishing speaking, Keep laughing.
It wasn't until Lin Manliu put the lotus seeds in his mouth into his stomach that the young man began to gasp, looking extremely embarrassed. Seeing Qing Lan laughing across the table, the young man could only look at the plate of lotus seeds on the table in embarrassment.
"Little friend Manliu, do you know why I want to be friends with you?" Seeing that the boy in a short shirt didn't speak, Qinglan began to ask, hoping to smooth things over as much as possible.
"Of course it's not because I draw my sword quickly," Lin Manliu replied casually.
"Indeed, what makes me really want to get to know Little Friend Manliu is your reaction after you drew the sword. After you realized that the method you used was ill-considered, you didn't just retreat or continue to cause trouble for that man, but I want to apologize to the villagers around me." Qinglan twisted another lotus seed and put it into her mouth.
"We travel in the mountains, rivers and countryside, and we are surrounded by these unarmed poor people. If we have something in our hands that can threaten others or bring benefits to ourselves, we don't know how to protect the former. Instead, we use our own strengths. To oppress the former, what is the meaning of these weapons in hand?" Lin Manliu also twisted a lotus seed, but did not put it into his mouth.
"Soldiers can bring peace to the world when times are in turmoil, and they can protect rivers and mountains when the country is stable. Although we are just idle passers-by in this prosperous age, we must never forget our origins with the weapons in our hands, and we must never turn one side of the blade towards ourselves. To the weak who managed to survive through troubled times." Qinglan tapped the table and said loudly.
"What Uncle Qing said is what Manliu thought," the boy in a short shirt responded, and after finishing speaking, he put the lotus seeds he just twisted into his mouth.
"What little friend Manliu said is very different from mine. It's really rare to be at such a young age. I guess there must be a great scholar teaching me in my hometown," Qinglan said, stroking her beard with one hand.
"Well... I haven't read much of the lessons in Manliu Academy. These principles are what the master said on daily basis, and a general in Chengdu told me." Lin Manliu scratched his head awkwardly and said, the young man started to smile a little when he talked about the master. .
"When the teacher is teaching the skills to the six children, he can also explain these principles to the children. He must be a good teacher. I will get to know such a noble and upright person in the future," Qinglan said with emotion.
"My master is indeed like this. Before I met my master, I was just a child who wandered around the market all day long. Even if I knew about these things, I would not use them to restrain myself," Lin Manliu said out loud.
"Even if the master can teach, the disciple still needs to want to learn. There is no need for you to be humble when you reach the age of six!" Qing Lan raised her hand and knocked on the table again, and said with a smile.
"Uncle Qing is so complimentary..." Lin Manliu chewed the lotus seeds. His praise of Qing Lan made the boy feel a little unnatural, because for the boy, these things had never happened to him before. Some of the people and things he lived through were only done under the influence of the master and the old liar. Not everything was based on these principles.
"Have you heard about the evil killings in Lingnan area, my dear Manliu?" Suddenly Qinglan's voice lowered a little, but the young man could still hear his words.
Lin Manliu was stunned for a moment when the farmer in front of him suddenly mentioned the Slaughter of Evil Sect. After debating whether to tell him his thoughts, and after analyzing it with the old liar on the way, he could still see that the Slaughter of Evil Sect Some clues.
Seeing the young man in a short shirt in front of him deep in thought, Qing Lan understood that the young man must know about this, so he began to eat lotus seeds and wait for the young man's reply.
"I heard Master mentioned a little bit about Lingnan," Lin Manliu replied. In order to reduce unnecessary trouble, the young man planned to hide some things he knew.
"A few days ago, the Evil Slaughter Sect suddenly appeared in the Yuezhou area at the beginning of summer, and started its first fight with the Fengxue Grand View Tower..." Qinglan began to speak.
"I only heard about this matter after I left home. The evil-slaughtering sect's behavior is really weird. Master told me earlier that there was no such possibility in the future, but I received the news just a few days after I left home." Lin Manliu responded. Ye Dangting secretly informed him about the first battle against the Tue Evil Sect in Fengxue Grand View Tower before going out, and he even gave a rough description of the situation and date of the encounter with the enemy. It would be inconvenient for him to elaborate further with Qinglan.
Pretending to be ignorant and concealing his knowledge of this matter will definitely be known to the farmer in front of him, and the other party's trust in him will probably be reduced accordingly. After weighing it again and again, Lin Manliu could only say this, which was really helpless.
"Little friend Manliu, what do you think these people are doing? Are they really killing evil and doing good deeds?" Qinglan asked directly.
"According to the rumors, all the crimes committed by the Slaughter Sect were informed to the local area, and there is a lot of evidence to explain the truth of the matter. However, this trip is tantamount to using violence to fight violence and killing to stop killing. After all, it is not the best policy, and it is not even the middle policy. Not really." Lin Manliu replied after thinking for a moment.
"Indeed, although the Tue Evil Sect's move was to kill some local sects in Cholera, the place did not become better because of the scattering of those sects afterwards. Instead, it caused greater hidden dangers. If it were not for the follow-up If the government intervenes, it is inevitable that the people will be in dire straits," Qinglan said.
"The martial arts sects in the southern world are dominated by these martial arts sects. The Fengxue Grand View Tower is the first to bear the brunt. Now they are also at war with the Evil Slaughter Sect. The world will not be peaceful for long..." Before Lin Manliu could respond, Qing Lan Then he continued to speak.
"Since before the unification of mountains and rivers, the southern rivers and lakes have had a pattern. How can such a hundred years of accumulation be overthrown by a sudden force..." Lin Manliu was a little confused about Qing Lan's words and began to murmur.
"Alas...this world is getting old," Qinglan sighed and said, then turned to look at the scenery outside the inn.
