At the beginning of my stay, I felt that everything in front of me was dark and chaotic. As time went by, light emerged from the darkness. The light became brighter and brighter, and finally surrounded the whole person.
Until he was forty-three years old, something very important seemed to have happened, but he couldn't remember it clearly. However, from then on, he gradually felt that a void replaced the light.
That kind of emptiness was very comfortable, as if it had completely gotten rid of the body and blended into the surrounding space. He guessed that it might be "qingan".
Unfortunately, no one can tell him anymore.
The masters have passed away long ago. If senior brother Yan Kong is still alive, he must be very old, right?
"Red leaves."
He called to the roof and waited for a moment, but no one answered.
He didn't want to guess where Hongye went, as he would definitely come back anyway.
Yun Kong then walked out of the room and went to the water storage bucket next to the woodshed to get some water, intending to make a pot of tea and read a book.
This is where he stayed overnight when he traveled to this town and met a Taoist priest named Chen Xiang'er.
Chen Xiang'er was a scholar who was tired of his official career and turned to Taoism. He had many books at home, which was exactly what Yun Kong wanted. He hadn't read any books properly for many years.
He opened the door, made good tea, faced the night breeze, held a copy of Wei Boyang's "Book of Changes" in his hand, and was fascinated by it.
At some point, Hongye walked in the door and sat on the stool next to Yunkong, swaying his feet.
Yun Kong looked at her and asked, "What's wrong?"
"fine."
Nothing means nothing.
Yunkong looked at Hongye to see if she was depressed. The little girl often lost her temper, but Hongye didn't look unhappy, but her eyes were a little lonely, and her mind was wandering somewhere.
"Is it really okay?"
"fine."
Hongye smiled at him, wanting him to feel reassured.
So gentle, something must be wrong!
But Yunkong knew that Hongye wouldn't say it, so he just waited until she wanted to say it.
Yun Kong took a small cup and poured tea for Hongye.
The hot white mist from the tea swayed on Hongye's black hair for a while, then became thin and dispersed.
※※※
Hong Ye opened her eyes wide and ran across rooftops one after another at extremely fast speeds.
She waited under the dark night, and sure enough she saw the man again.
This time she had to keep a distance to prevent the man from discovering her, but at the same time she activated the "qi" in her whole body, so that she could still catch the man's traces even in the darkness.
One after another roof tiles passed under her feet, and she felt a curious joy in her heart, like a little girl who hadn't played for a long time.
The man was indeed as agile as an ape, and the high and low roofs did not trouble him at all.
Hongye was thinking: "The direction is different tonight."
The man's route tonight was opposite to last night's.
Hongye chased him for a long time last night, and the man finally jumped into a yard and never came out again. I guess he didn't go to steal, maybe that was where he lived.
Hongye was unwilling to give in. He became interested in that person, so she made up her mind to find out where he came from tonight.
She came to the roof early, walked under the stars, and waited near the yard where the man disappeared last night, listening to the slightest movement in the air.
Time passed slowly, and the lights in one house after another went out, and the sounds gradually became thinner. In the silence, there were occasional panicked footsteps of mice running past, and they seemed to have accidentally stepped on a small puddle of water.
Hongye held her breath and waited, not feeling that time was wasted at all. She had lived for a long time, and it seemed that she would live for a longer time, so she was not anxious at all.
Finally, the lights in the yard were extinguished, the house fell into silence, and the surrounding noise gradually faded away, leaving only the faint sound of insects and some unknown sounds.
Sure enough, at this moment, the man quietly appeared from the yard. The soles of his feet were softer than a cat. If it weren't for Hongye's "Qi" based on observation, it would be difficult to hear his voice.
Hong Ye hid her Qi, her eyes were glued to the person's back, and she locked on the frequency of that person's Qi.
She also wrapped a layer of Qi around her body so that her toes would not touch the roof tiles or make any noise, and she could run over lightly.
In just a few seconds, Hongye was ready, jumped up, and chased after the man.
The man was still dexterous, leaping over rooftops one after another like a wild cat, but the red leaves were lighter, like fallen leaves blown by the breeze. They seemed to be floating unintentionally, but they had a certain trajectory.
Finally, the man slowed down and stopped on the roof of a courtyard, looking down.
He waited for a while, seemingly hesitant, and then called down softly: "Gayang...Gayang..."
It seems to be calling someone's name, but I can't understand the language.
Suddenly, a woman's figure burst out from the darkness of the yard, her steps staggering a little. Hongye felt that the person's mood suddenly became high, and the "qi" emitted suddenly surged, and he called the woman a few more times.
However, the woman didn't answer, she just kept shaking her head.
wrong!
Hongye sensed something was wrong. The yard was dark and quiet, but it was by no means empty!
There are still many turbid smells hiding in every corner!
Hongye took out a few thin needles and was about to jump over to stop the man. The man had already jumped off the roof and jumped into the yard, holding the woman's hand.
In an instant, the courtyard lit up with light, dozens of torches were raised high, and the same number of wooden sticks, daggers and other weapons also appeared.
"Hehe, it turns out that this guy is the one who comes here for trysts every night!" A man with a sinister face stepped out of the crowd, with a hungry look on his face, "Heimaozi, you did a good job."
Only then did Hongye see clearly that the woman's mouth was sealed, her hands were tied, and her pair of big and deep eyes were particularly bright under her dark brown skin.
The man's skin was also very dark, and his body was slightly shorter but very strong. The two of them looked shocked, with their four legs stuck to the ground, not knowing where to step next.
The man with a sinister face was extremely proud, and his laughter was full of killing intent: "Pull her aside!"
Someone came out to pull the black woman away. The man immediately looked nervous and got into a posture, ready to attack.
"Are you going to take action?" The man with a sinister face approached him, "I, Liu San, will accompany you!"
Hongye held her breath and waited for the next scene.
※※※
"Is Taoist Master still reading at night?" someone asked quietly outside the door.
Yun Kong knew it was his master Chen Xiang'er, so he went to open the door: "Master Chen hasn't rested yet?"
Chen Xiang'er walked in, carrying a pot of hot tea in one hand: "I saw there was a light in the Taoist leader's room, so I came over to have a chat."
Yun Kong said with a smile: "I don't usually study much, but when I see that my husband has a rich collection of books, he is studying hard without choosing what to eat."
It turned out that the other party was a bookworm. The two looked at each other and smiled.
"I live in the countryside, and all I see are illiterate people. When I read and enjoy my studies, there is no one to talk to. It is rare that I have the chance to meet a Taoist priest."
Chen Xiang'er poured a cup of tea and handed it to Yun Kong: "This is plum tea."
Yun Kong took a look, and sure enough, there was a soaked prune in the cup. It was round and full, which was really beautiful.
"I don't dare. I haven't seen a book in decades. Suddenly I saw so many books, and I felt really panicked."
Chen Xiang'er pondered for a while and said, "To be honest, I came here with a strange book that I would like to have the Taoist priest identify."
"I don't dare to say it's an appraisal," Yun Kong smiled politely, "What book is it?"
Chen Xiang'er smiled mysteriously: "It has something to do with my name."
"Daochang Chen's name is 'Xiang'er', but is his real name?"
"Of course not." Chen Xiang'er said, "Does the Taoist priest have any impression of these two words?"
"Think about it, think about it..." Yun Kong murmured, "I think I've heard this before, is it... also a book?"
"Exactly."
"Want to bet?"
Yun Kong held a trace of expectation.
"correct."
Chen Xiang'er smiled, took out a book from his sleeve, and carefully placed it on the table.
The book has some beetles and some yellow marks on the edges, exuding a sour smell of wisdom.
Yun Kong couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"Xiang'er Commentary" is one of the annotations of "Laozi". The name "Xiang'er" is actually the annotation circulated by Zhang Tianshi's "Tianshi Dao" line in the Han Dynasty, and it was written by Zhang Daoling, the first generation of Tianshi. Note.
Because "Xiang'er Zhu" contains the idea of "Fangzhongshu" and disparaging words about Confucius, it is not only rejected by scholars, but also the Tao of the Heavenly Master is kept secret, and outsiders have no chance to see it.
Therefore, "Xiang'er Notes" is very precious. I don't know where there is a copy in the world. Yun Kong only heard of its name and never thought of seeing this book in person.
"Daozhang Chen, may I ask where this book came from?"
Yun Kong couldn't help but be very curious.
