Mr. Wu was silent for a long time, then slowly let go of his hand on Bai Gumai, "What did the guy in your alley say?"
"Grandpa Liu only said that there were internal injuries in my body, which affected the internal organs, meridians and acupuncture points, but it didn't matter to ordinary people like me, so he didn't say anything."
Bai Gu knew that Mr. Wu was talking about Lao Liutou, but why did this title sound weird?
"Huh, you're right." Mr. Wu sneered, then pointed at Bai Gu's chest, "Your injury can be serious or not, it depends on the situation."
"For example?" Bai Gu suddenly became energetic.
"What you injured is the meridians and acupoints. Ordinary people don't rely much on these, so the impact will naturally be small." Mr. Wu paused, "Those who need to move the meridians through the acupoints are very human, common things, and common things."
"Is he the kind of peerless strong man mentioned in the book who can fly into the sky and escape from the earth?" Bai Gu's eyes lit up.
Mr. Wu was noncommittal, "Those who open up their own bodies and create palaces, absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and imprint the laws of the world are cultivators."
"Isn't this kind of person a very powerful person?"
"Not all. Those who are famous and spread around the world are all the best among them. There are many who are unknown and die in depression." Mr. Wu still wanted to drink water, but found that the tea cup was already empty, so he had to I called Xiao Xi to come in and add some water.
"Mr. Wu, do you practice cultivation? Are you the kind of big shot who can fly into the sky and escape from the earth?" Bai Gu looked expectant.
Hearing this, Mr. Wu just smiled and waved his hand, "Not really. I wasn't very good at it at first and only learned a little bit. Now I just use it as a means to strengthen my body and practice occasionally."
Bai Gu's eyes were a little disappointed, but then he thought of someone, "Where's the old guy? He should be a cultivator, right? He boasted to me before that he was very good-looking and carefree back then, and he was friends with some swordsman or sage. , countless nymphs and fairies chased him, he drank a lot of wine, and traveled all over the world. Anyway, you can brag no matter how powerful you are, Mr. Wu, you and the old guy must have known each other for a long time, is it true? "
"He, that's right. He was really okay before. He was barely a person, but his personality was a little mixed up." When Mr. Wu thought of that old guy, he couldn't help but have a headache.
That damned one, he is so generous, I must give him a good beating when he comes back!
"What about him now? He was okay before, but isn't he even better now?"
"Now? My Taoism is acceptable, my skills are average, and I'm barely among the best." With a smile in his eyes, Mr. Wu picked up the tea cup and took a sip.
"Ah? Why are they getting weaker? Aren't the people in the book getting stronger and stronger?"
"Haha, those people are the one-in-a-million, rare-to-come-in-a-century people, the chosen ones. The old guy is just mediocre, how can he compare with those people? Besides, how old is he? People, always You have to serve the old."
"Then, what does cultivation have to do with my internal injuries?" Bai Gu drank the slightly cold tea in the cup in one breath, and asked Xiao Xi to add some water in a somewhat embarrassed manner.
Mr. Wu stretched out his hand to pull the curtain lower. The wind and snow outside the window became stronger, and some snowflakes drifted in.
"The relationship between this is up to you."
"Me?" Bai Gu frowned, looking innocent.
"If you continue to be an ordinary person like you are now, everything will be fine. I just checked your pulse. Although your pulse is weak, it is not a problem to live for another twenty years. In addition, I have just checked your pulse. With the money you have now, it is more than enough to live a prosperous life." Old Wu lightly touched the table with his index finger and thought for a moment, "The old guy told me that you are very envious of people who practice spiritual practice and you also yearn for them. life, right?”
Bai Gu nodded frantically, "Yes, yes, the book says that cultivators can fly into the sky and escape from the earth, come and go freely, and are omnipotent. Isn't this a god? Who doesn't want to live the life of a god! Free and easy, maybe even better To be famous, to be written down in books. What’s that word called? Oh, yes! Famous for all eternity! I’m excited just thinking about it!”
Mr. Wu chuckled and pointed out the window, "It's snowing heavily outside."
"Well, there are snow plows starting to clear the snow on the streets." Bai Gu glanced out the window in confusion, seeing a vast expanse of white.
"For example, ordinary people are just like a grain of dust. There are so many things in the world, small and inconspicuous, but they are everywhere. They are fragile but strong. They can build tall buildings, but they can easily cause the world to collapse. People who practice Buddhism are just like that. This snowflake in the sky is fluttering in the wind and is extremely gorgeous, but it only comes into being in the cold season. The snowflakes are floating in the sky and look gorgeous, but in fact they will die when they fall to the ground."
Hearing this, Bai Gu couldn't help frowning and couldn't help but interrupt Mr. Wu, "No way? You will die as soon as you hit the ground? Isn't it that exaggerated? Aren't the gods in those books and stories awesome? Not so Fragile, right?”
Mr. Wu shook his head, "Then you are wrong. Practitioners are indeed better than ordinary people. They can use magic to kill evil and nourish themselves, use spells to suppress demons and bring peace to the country, and use utensils to kill demons and cultivate virtue. They each have their own methods. They all have their own methods. It is a fact that people have great abilities and live much longer than ordinary people. But how can a practitioner be that simple? Not everyone can practice, otherwise they would be all over the streets now. A practitioner must first have excellent bones. The orifice pulse is ethereal, otherwise it will be useless to practice. Many people who practice are depressed and end up depressed because of this. Secondly, there is understanding. If the understanding is not clear, you can't read the magic and spiritual records, how to practice? Furthermore, practice is a It’s a money-consuming thing. What kind of skills, elixirs, talismans, and weapons don’t require money? Any person who has achieved a little bit of cultivation will never be poor no matter where he goes.”
"You want...a lot of money?" Bai Gu's voice became softer.
"Well, the 30,000 taels of gold you have now are not even enough for the most basic way of attracting spirits into the body. Of course, except for those with extraordinary talents, those are simply monsters, let alone mentioning them." Mr. Wu took a sip of tea and continued He said, "Of all the things in the world, this is the only one that costs money. Those who just want to practice hard and don't want to spend money are often the first to die, and they can't achieve anything famous in their practice."
As he said that, Mr. Wu gave Bai Gu a meaningful look.
Bai Gu could only laugh a few times.
"The other thing is, character." Mr. Wu pointed to his chest.
"What? What is this?"
"You can understand it as...persistence, stick to your original intention, stick to your dreams, and not be swayed by other temptations on the road of spiritual practice. One wrong step, one wrong step after another. Sometimes a small mistake may lead to the collapse of the road and the body. Death is over." Mr. Wu raised his head and looked at the sky outside the window with complicated eyes.
Bai Gu thought for a while, "Is it like the Great Ancestor Teng Yuan?"
"Oh? Have you heard this guy's story?" Mr. Wu was a little surprised.
Bai Gu scratched his head in embarrassment, rarely blushing, "I sneaked to the Ant Hall once, and Bai listened to a storyteller, and that time it happened to be the Great Ancestor Teng Yuan."
"I later went to make up the ticket." Bai Gu quickly added.
Mr. Wu laughed dumbly, "It's okay, it's a good thing that you like to listen to books. You should talk to Mr. Tang about making up for the ticket."
"Mr. Wu also knows Mr. Tang?" This time, Bai Gu was surprised.
"Who in the city doesn't know the sign of Yunshui City's No. 1 Storytelling Hall? Besides, the Yitang Hall is not far from Changzhou Pharmacy. I occasionally go there to listen to Mr. Tang's storytelling."
Bai Gu suddenly realized that this was the case.
"Mr. Tang is a very nice person, and he is also a great storyteller. He must have read a lot of books and seen a lot of things. He is a very powerful person!"
Mr. Wu nodded, "Absolutely. He is a very bookish scholar, very gentle, and one glance makes people want to get closer to him."
Mr. Wu changed the subject, "The road of spiritual practice is like walking on thin ice, walking on ropes over cliffs. There are countless ups and downs, difficulties, and tests on the road. If you are not careful, you will be doomed and extremely dangerous. On the outside, you are free and unrestrained. You have powerful means and are better than ordinary people." A long life is indeed desirable. However, it is very common for people to work hard, spend money, often not get rewarded for their efforts, and fail to improve even one cent after hard work. Ordinary people may not live for more than a hundred years, but they can still Live peacefully and down-to-earth. It is different for cultivators. The taller the building, the more shaky it is. They have to fly and float in the air to show the world. Do you think it will happen when they fall to the ground? Time, what’s the reason? I don’t have the strength to fly anymore.”
"But doesn't it say in the book that every time you are at the end of the road, you will survive? And then you will start to create miracles?"
"The end is just a turning point, a time when the cold wind takes a break. When a cold wind blows, won't the snowflakes start flying again?" Mr. Wu laughed, picked up the teacup and took another sip, "What I mean by landing is The dead end on the path of spiritual practice is when one foot has already stepped into the territory of death. Snowflakes fall to the ground, and people are about to die. How can there be so many cold wild geese in the world, blowing up thousands of falling snow?"
"In other words, those gods are indeed more fragile than ordinary people?"
"To a certain extent, that's true. There are many cultivators who die young."
Bai Gu was silent.
He originally yearned for the fairy-like life of cultivators because they lived longer, were more capable, and could protect themselves and others.
He has wanted to be this kind of person since he was a child, just because he wants to have the strength to protect his family, protect Old Mrs. Bai and Bai Xiaoxiao, protect Brother Peng, protect Old Liu Tou, and protect everyone he wants to protect.
Bai Gu doesn't have any big ideals, he just wants to have a good family.
That's all.
But now after listening to what Mr. Wu said, he seemed not to yearn for the spiritual life so much.
Extremely money-burning, prone to premature death, unrewarded efforts, demanding and complicated requirements.
These points accurately guessed Bai Gu's key points.
Then I now have thirty thousand taels of gold, which is enough to live a prosperous life in the city and have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of my life. That being the case, what else am I envious of? Wasn't this kind of life what I had longed for before?
Now we just need to wait for Bai Xiaoxiao to wake up, can't we live the life we once dreamed of?
But why do I always feel a sense of loss in my heart?
Bai Gu put his hands into his sleeves and lowered his head with a sad look on his face.
"The reason why I tell you so much is because the old guy told me before that you yearn for practice and are very envious of that kind of free life. But you have to know that the strong are never free. Those so-called freedoms , just compared to ordinary people. Lakes envy rivers for their long flowing water, rivers envy the vast ocean for its openness to hundreds of rivers, and the vast ocean envies the lake for its tranquility. Everyone has their own experiences and opinions, as well as their own yearnings. Ideals, Yearning and original intention, these three can be the same, or they can be three different things. But Xiaoyou Bai, you have to remember that it is a very happy thing to have a direction in your heart. It not only allows you to motivate yourself, Continuously working hard for it can illuminate the way forward when your life is gloomy and tired. It is an invisible but bright heart lamp."
Mr. Wu patted Bai Gu on the shoulder, with a smile as warm as spring, "There will be many disappointments in life, but as long as you have hope and direction in your heart, even the darkest night will eventually pass and usher in the morning sun."
Bai Gu didn't speak, just nodded silently.
Mr. Wu continued: "You are physically weak and want to protect your family. Practicing is actually a very suitable thing. It does not require high attainments. A small achievement is enough. It is enough in this Yunshui City. Use. But you have suffered an internal injury. This injury happened to damage the internal organs, meridians and acupoints between your chest and abdomen. If you practice forcibly, the meridians will be blocked and the acupoints will be blocked, and the spiritual energy introduced into the body will have nowhere to go. It can accumulate in the same place. It won't take long for you to explode and die. Even if you are lucky enough to escape, you will still be left with hidden dangers and your life will not be long. So in contrast, continuing to be an ordinary person will be the opposite. is a better choice.”
Bai Gu's hands in his sleeves were clenched into fists.
His eyes were constantly burning, and his upper and lower rows of back molars were almost crumpled into a row.
His lips also pursed into a white line.
Mr. Wu gently put his hand on Bai Gu's shoulder and said softly: "Let's go. Today is the beginning of winter. I'll treat you to a meal of dumplings. Once you're full, you won't think too much."
At this time, there was a knock on the door, followed by Xiao Xi's voice, "Mr. Wu, Mr. Jiang from the east of the city is here. He has something urgent to do with you."
Mr. Wu frowned suddenly and whispered softly: "Why is he here..."
Bai Gu took a deep breath, stood up immediately and said, "Since Mr. Wu still has guests, I won't bother you anymore. I'll come back tomorrow. No need to send them off."
After saying that, Bai Gu ran away.
Before Mr. Wu could say anything to stop him, Bai Gu had already disappeared.
He could only shake his head helplessly, "This kid..."
Immediately, Mr. Wu's expression changed and he put on a serious look, and said in a deep voice: "Which private room is he in?"
"Go back to Mr. Wu, Mr. Jiang is in the private room No. 57."
"Okay, you just stay here and take good care of Bai Xiaoxiao. I can go by myself." After saying that, Mr. Wu stood up and strode away without looking old at all.
Bai Gu ran out of Changzhou Pharmacy in one breath. The snow on the road was already up to his ankles, and the wind and snow were still there.
He stood blankly at the intersection of Liuxu Road, looking at the white streets and the few pedestrians. For a moment, he didn't know where he was going or what he was going to do.
What Mr. Wu had just said slowly came to mind, and Bai Gu's fists slowly clenched again.
Because Mrs. Bai once told him something similar.
"This person must know how to endure hardship, but not all the journey is bitter, that would be too boring. There must be sweetness, and with sweetness, even if you endure hardship, there is still hope, right?"
