The sky is slightly bright, the rooster has not yet crowed, the sun is shining like gold, and the moon is like silver, which can probably describe the scenery of the town in the morning and evening.
Xia Chengyi got up from the bed early in the morning, opened the door of the house, picked up the broom next to the door and started to clean the snow in the garden, piling them on the side of the yard. Then he brought a brazier and placed it in a small yard with soft soil. He lit three sticks of incense on it and bowed in three directions. This is also a part of worshiping the three gods. Xia Chengyi has always been in awe of ghosts and gods. When he was a child, his mother told him that there are not only ordinary people in this world, but also those who walk on the wind. The gods on the mountain and the ghosts and ghosts in the mountains.
After Xia Chengyi finished doing this, he started to practice pile walking facing the morning sun as usual. He learned this pile walking from Master Li in the blacksmith shop. Although he had not yet become a formal apprentice, Xia Chengyi still learned it from Master Li in the blacksmith shop. Master Li learned a lot secretly from there, and the young man's eyesight and memory were very good, so he could remember the steps of walking in his mind at just one glance.
The young man began to walk in the yard. About every quarter of an hour, the young man would stop and rest for a while. This cycle continued until he was sweating profusely and exhausted. If there were others watching here at this time, they would definitely be able to see the strangeness of the young man at this moment. The young man's steps were pouring down like a silver waterfall, with great force. There are traces of gold all around the body, like a golden body of Dharma.
Xia Chengyi wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, turned his head and looked into the room and found that Xia Yao had not gotten up yet. He looked away and put the backpack in the corner on his back. Jogging all the way to a stream in the southwest of the town, this stream was discovered by Xia Chengyi accidentally.
The water surface is crystal clear, and you can see the scene under the water at a glance. Herrings are swimming in the water. The creek bed is covered with pebbles of different colors, different sizes and shapes. If you hold them high against the sun, you can It was found that the stone was crystal clear, with stars dotted inside it, and golden threads like thin snakes, faintly appearing.
Xia Chengyi lifted up his trousers and stepped into the stream. The water level of the stream was not high, but the sharp and sharp water in winter still made the young man who was well prepared take a breath of cold air. He placed the basket on the bluestone by the stream, tied the fish basket around his waist, and bent down to look at the herrings swimming in the water attentively. This kind of fish, called herring, has tender meat and is an excellent ingredient for making soup. At the same time, because the fish meat does not have the grassy smell of other river fish, it is very popular among people in small towns.
Xia Chengyi had excellent eyesight, and soon he caught three palm-sized herrings. He made ropes out of reeds and foxtail grass picked from the shore, tied a knot on the three fish and threw them into the fish basket. Xia Chengyi carried the basket on his back and walked step by step towards the shore along the clear stream.
There was a rustling sound from the grass in the distance. Xia Chengyi pushed aside the grass and saw a white deer standing on the bluestone where he came from. The white deer's body was crystal clear, as smooth as fat, and its body was glowing. There are traces of white light, and the colors are dazzling, just like the pebbles at the bottom of the stream.
The white deer was lowering its head and drinking slowly from the stream. It didn't show any fear when Xia Chengyi appeared.
Xia Chengyi was not annoyed when he saw that the white deer ignored him. He was used to seeing wild birds in the forest in the mountains. He pointed to the other side of the stream, smiled at the white deer and said, "I'm going to the other side, and I don't mean to disturb you."
Bai Lu seemed to understand Xia Chengyi's words. He raised his spiritual eyes and glanced at him. He turned sideways and got out of the way, as if to say that you have to go there and hurry up.
Xia Chengyi was slightly startled. He didn't expect this deer to be so understanding of human nature. So I hurriedly ran up to the shore, put down my trouser legs that were lifted up high, and turned around to look for the white deer I just saw. Only then did I realize that the white deer I just saw had disappeared, leaving no trace behind, as if It's like it's never happened before.
Xia Chengyi scratched his head and said to himself: "Could it be that you hit a ghost?"
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Xia Chengyi carried a heavy basket on his back through the streets and alleys. On the way, he passed Grandma Sun's breakfast shop and bought a basket of six meat buns to go home.
Grandma Sun's meat buns have been famous for a long time when the boy was still young. At that time, due to the lack of money, the boy could only smell the aroma of meat from a distance every time he passed the breakfast shop. Every time Granny Sun sees the skinny black boy, she will smile and ask little Chengyi if he is hungry. Granny Sun still has a lot of freshly baked buns that cannot be sold, so take them home and share them with your sister. Bar. But every time the thin black boy just shook his head and smiled shyly, then turned around and ran away.
Xia Chengyi trotted all the way back to the house on West Street. Before he got close to the house, he saw a tall young man sitting in front of the threshold, leaning against the locked door, yawning boredly. When Zhong Quan saw Xia Chengyi, he stood up hurriedly, grabbed his arm and walked into the house. He didn't forget to take the largest meat bun from the cage of buns and stuff it into his mouth without stopping. He muttered: "I'm telling you, our third brother is definitely going to get rich this time!"
Xia Chengyi rolled his eyes, broke away from the clutches of the tall boy, put down his backpack and shouted towards the inner room: "Yaoyao, get up and eat!"
It took a while before Xia Yao's response came from inside the room.
Zhong Quan sat on Xia Chengyi's hard wooden bed, while Xia Chengyi moved a small stool and sat in front of him, asking curiously: "Why did you come to me so early in the morning? Where is Zuo Shuwen?" "
After the tall boy poured a bowl of water, he slowly said: "That boy Zuo Shuwen has gone somewhere. When he came, he knocked on his house but there was no response. I don't care about his business for now. I'm here. Let me tell you..."
The tall young man suddenly paused mid-sentence, looked around and then whispered: "The imperial court sent an official to our town to inspect, and I heard that the official hat was so big that it seemed to be called... …”
Xia Chengyi sat on a small stool and watched the tall young man waiting for the next sentence.
Zhong Quan scratched his head. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't remember what the official position was called, so he waved his hand, like a general commanding thousands of troops on the battlefield, and said boldly: "You only need to know that the official hat is big enough." Well, Lu Shengun over at the rural school has to call him "sir" when he sees him."
Xia Chengyi frowned slightly and said, "Mr. Lu is Mr. Lu. There is no magic stick but no magic stick. Please show some respect to Mr. Lu."
Zhong Quan curled his lips and murmured in a low voice: "Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu, are you his disciple? You are called more affectionate than anyone else."
Xia Chengyi fell silent. Xia Chengyi respected Lu Ran from the bottom of his heart, and it was thanks to Lu Ran that Xia Yao was able to enter the school.
The rural school in the small town was originally funded by several wealthy families on East Street. If we look at it as an ordinary school, the level of education is beyond the reach of an ordinary poor family like Xia Chengyi, but Lu Ran only charges It's just three strips of bacon for the boy. Lu Ran originally wanted the young man to attend the lectures, but Xia Chengyi hesitated. Firstly, as an apprentice in a blacksmith shop, he might not really have time to listen to Mr. Lu's lectures. Secondly, he felt that he could let Xia Yao sit in the lectures. The school level is enough. Although he has not read much, he also understands the principle of not worrying about scarcity but about inequality. Finally, the middle-aged Confucian scholar noticed the young man's hesitation and smiled and said that if he was free in the future, he could come over and listen. The young man quickly nodded and agreed.
Zhong Quan bent his elbows and exerted slight force. He supported the bed board with both hands and raised his buttocks high. With his feet off the ground, he continued to talk to Xia Chengyi: "I heard from the aunts in Hedong that the imperial court sent him here mainly to escort a group of people. The disciples from the Bixian family's mansion are sent down the mountain to practice."
Xia Chengyi was a little confused. What did sending people from the imperial court have to do with them?
Seeing that Xia Chengyi still looked like a fool, Zhong Quan said earnestly: "You have never thought that if we could be chosen by the people from the Immortal Family Mansion and become disciples, we would be able to rise to the top in the future. Is it in the sky?"
Xia Chengyi shook his head and said sternly: "It's not so easy to become an immortal on the mountain. It's better to be down-to-earth and guard your one-third of an acre."
The tall young man who had been maintaining that posture rolled his eyes and said, "No wonder you, Xia Chengyi, are said to be a person who can't keep his fortune. Even if you have money, your pocket will still leak."
Xia Chengyi said nothing.
The tall young man scratched his head, perhaps realizing that what he just said was a bit unpleasant. He got up and went to the ground, but he didn't say anything guilty. He used the Feng Mo Luan Wu fist in the room, patted his chest and said to Xia Chengyi: "I will come in later. After joining that wealthy sect, I promise to take you and Zuo Shuwen to eat well and drink spicy food. When the time comes, I will find you a cardigan girl with a figure of ten or eight, not to mention the figure of the little woman who carries water every day in the village. Even the courtesan in the brothel is inferior!"
At this time, Xia Yao opened the door curtain of the inner room and walked out. She was still wearing the shabby red coat. She looked at Zhong Quan with her long autumn eyes: "What is a cardigan girl?"
Just when Zhong Quan was about to explain to Xia Yao what a warm quilt girl is, he saw Xia Chengyi's entire face darken, and his already dark face looked even darker.
Xia Chengyi twitched the corner of his mouth and explained: "Nothing, it's just a kind of clothing worn by women. It's called Kaishan because it looks like armor."
Zhong Quan was dumbfounded, somewhat admiring Xia Chengyi's ability to tell lies.
Xia Chengyi then pointed to the basket of meat buns he had just bought, and told Xia Yao to eat them while they were hot. They soon became cold. In winter, the steamed buns that had just come out of the basket would get cold very quickly. Xia Yao groaned, grabbed a small bench, took it over and sat on it, holding the hot bun in her hand and lowered her head to nibble on it.
When Zhong Quan saw that one of the siblings was munching on buns with his head down, and the other was sitting beside him like a dull gourd, he no longer wanted to brag and spank, so he used the Wind Demon Fist again before leaving with satisfaction.
Not long after Zhong Quan left, the town received the first rain of spring, which moistened everything silently and nourished everything.
The rain falls on the ordinary alleys, and the young buds of the trees dance in the spring breeze.
After Xia Yao finished disposing of the four remaining buns in the cage, she couldn't help but burped loudly. She quickly covered her mouth and looked sideways at Xia Chengyi. She saw that Xia Chengyi was wandering in his mind and didn't notice anything happening on Xia Yao's side. Then he breathed a sigh of relief.
After Xia Yao took the bowl of water and drank it, she asked curiously: "Brother, what are you thinking about?"
Xia Chengyi came back to his senses, smiled and joked: "I was wondering if I should buy you some more buns tomorrow."
Xia Yao suddenly blushed. It turned out that her brother Xia Chengyi had heard all the noise just now. She thought Xia Chengyi was in a daze and didn't notice.
Xia Chengyi turned his head and looked at the soft spring rain falling outside the house. Xia Chengyi was sitting at the door, thinking about an old saying spread in the town: People eat soil for a lifetime, and soil eats people for a lifetime, just as soon as their eyes are opened and closed. It's a matter of the next life.
In fact, Xia Chengyi heard a lot of rumors about the mountain gods from Zhong Quan. Zhong Quan was a man who liked to join in the fun. Whenever the old people in the town sat under the old elm trees and chatted about the mountain gods, the young man would be interested. Unintentionally squatting aside and eavesdropping. It is said that the cultivators on the mountain are collectively called Qi Refiners, but the Qi Refiners are divided into different camps. There are the pure martial artists who train their muscles, bones and skin in one breath and temper one breath of pure Qi; There are swordsmen who move with swords and can defeat all kinds of magic with one sword; there are also military talisman masters and Mohist machine masters. Among them, sword cultivators are the most deadly. There was a swordsman who split the East China Sea with his sword, blocking the sky for thousands of miles, leaving a chasm in the sky; there was also a sword cultivator who opened the sky with his sword and soared outside the sky.
At the same time, Qi practitioners each have fifteen realms. The first five realms are the Five Qi Palaces, which are the five apertures of the human body. Everyone who practices mountain climbing needs to draw Qi into the apertures before he can enter the ranks of cultivation. .
"The one who guides Qi is the spirit of heaven and earth. The Qi in the acupoints rushes and the Qi in the cave is filled."
What we are talking about is the Qi-entraining realm, the first realm of the Five Qi Palaces. The other four realms are Aperture Chong, House Opening, Soul Shaping, and Spirit Gathering. The names of the next ten realms are unknown.
As the saying goes, tall buildings rise from the ground. The more solid the foundation of these five realms is, the more solid the journey will be, which will only be of great benefit to future practice. But the first stage of entraining qi eliminated 80% of the people, not to mention the subsequent fourteen stages. Every step of practicing the fifteen stages was like climbing a mountain and crossing mountains, and it was difficult.
Zhong Quan always looked excited when he said this. Xia Chengyi didn't know why the tall boy was so excited. Later he found out that the tall boy felt that he was a good candidate for spiritual practice since he was born. He was not able to practice now just because God thought His talent is so astonishing that even at the age of fifteen, no disciple has taken him away.
The tall young man has always been very confident in his talent. In his words, he is the first-class genius in the world. There is more than a ravine separating Xia Chengyi and Zuo Shuwen from him. If compared with real objects, it is probably the border river. The difference between the Weijiang River and the Qingxi River in the town.
A muffled thunder sounded from the layers of dark clouds, like an armored golden god beating a drum in the clouds, making a muffled sound.
Xia Chengyi raised his head and looked at the thick clouds.
Xia Yao lowered her head and played with a piece of rusty iron piece. Her small and exquisite fingers rubbed the surface of the iron piece, and there was a faint golden light in Qiu Shui's long eyes.
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In the thatched cottage of a rural school in a small town.
Lu Ran, the teacher in the small town, finished his teaching early today and sat alone in the hut. In front of his desk was a landscape painting that he had just completed. The painting was full of small town street scenes, with children in the old man. There were chases and fights under the elm trees; there were men with their backs hunched over harvesting wheat in the crop fields; there were also women carrying heavy buckets from the wells.
After the scholar in blue shirt finished the last stroke of the painting, his tight brows relaxed. The serious teacher now had a smile on his face. He put down the brush in his hand, looked at the thin spring rain outside the window, and said with a smile :"Very good!"