The snow is falling in Wuling City.
The snow seems to have been falling for a long time, and it seems to have just begun.
At noon.
Chu Yueshan hurriedly ran out of the wine shop and came to the foot of the big tree in the middle of the street.
He quickly untied his belt, grabbed his pants with one hand, and pulled up his shirt with the other.
Accompanied by the rustling sound of water falling, Chu Yueshan's bearded face showed a look of comfort.
He had been holding his urine for half an hour. However, there were glasses of wine on the wine table and he had something to ask for, so it was difficult to leave.
The liquid with some temperature fell on the snow, and bursts of mist rose.
Chu Yueshan shook his body, then pulled up his trousers, and was about to put on his belt, but found that the belt made of hemp rope was probably unable to withstand his increasingly wider waist, and it had broken at this time.
He looked at his feet again and saw that there were a few water stains on the newly purchased cotton shoes that he had just accidentally bought in order to be able to meet people decently today.
He sighed.
After all, I am still getting old.
When I was young, I lost my majesty when facing the wind. Now I can get my shoes wet even when the wind is blowing against me.
In the past, I and my companions liked to argue over who was the best in the world.
Now that I think about it, it's all bullshit.
Time is the most powerful thing in the world.
Yellow rouge noodles.
Rusty hero sword.
It also smoothed my original intention...
Chu Yueshan put away his sighs, tied a knot in his broken belt, and hid it in his loose coat to maintain his dignity.
He himself knew that such dignity was only superficial, but for a middle-aged man who had accomplished nothing.
That was the only thing he had left.
He sighed and looked up at the big tree in front of him. The tall trunk was bare.
Snowflakes fell from the dome and dripped into his eyes.
He suddenly fell into a trance and whispered something inexplicably.
"The peach blossoms in Wuling City haven't bloomed for a long time."
…
Wuling City is famous for its peach blossoms. There is a towering peach tree ten feet high in the city, which is called the sacred tree by the people in the city.
According to legend, this tree was inspired by a god to protect Wuling City, located on the southern border of Xinjiang, from being eroded by the dark realm of the Black Abyss.
The truth of this story has long been unverifiable, but the people of Wuling City love peach trees deeply.
Almost every household has one or two peach trees planted in their yard. Every spring, Wuling City is filled with peach blossoms, burning like fire.
It's just that this winter is long, and Chu Yueshan has not seen the scene of flowers blooming like fire for a long time.
He staggered as he walked on the road. The streets were bustling with pedestrians, many of whom he knew well, but most of them deliberately avoided him, and they didn't forget to point fingers behind his back.
"Isn't that Mr. Chu? Do you still want to hang out at this time?"
"Walking around? That's not just hanging out. Today I heard someone say that he hosted a banquet for fairies at Baihe Zhai, and the drunken flying cranes came to the three altars more than once."
"Hmph, it looks like a lot of money has been spent."
"That's not true. After all, his son did something like that. It's not easy to settle it."
"Master Zhu is a good official. Since he came to our Wuling City, he has opened schools, exempted and exempted taxes, and distributed food every few days."
"You see, there is not a single beggar on the street in Wuling City now. That is not entirely due to Lord Zhu."
"I don't know why his bastard son got so mad that he dared to hurt Mr. Zhu..."
"Either he is possessed by evil spirits, or he is so evil that he cannot allow us ordinary people to live a good life!"
Chu Yueshan listened to the gossip in his ears and cursed secretly, but he didn't dare to respond, so he could only keep his head down and go on his way.
Soon he arrived in front of his courtyard.
The courtyard gate is small and inconspicuous, but even in this weather with a foot of snow piled up on the street, the courtyard gate is still clean.
A skinny man squatted in front of the door. As soon as he saw Chu Yueshan, he hurriedly came over: "Old Chu!"
Chu Yueshan looked strange: "Sun Kuan? I don't have any money to lend you to gamble!"
Sun Kuan is Chu Yueshan's brother-in-law. He is addicted to gambling and idles around every day. He has lost all his fortune. He is a detestable person in Wuling City.
"Look what you said, I am Qing Xiao's uncle after all. If something like this happens to him, how can I have the slightest intention to do that?" Sun Kuan said quite dissatisfied.
After hearing this, Chu Yueshan's displeased face softened slightly, but he still said cautiously: "Then what are you going to do?"
Sun Kuan grinned and mysteriously handed over a piece of paper and said, "Open it and take a look."
Chu Yueshan was a little confused, but he still unfolded the note in his hand and saw an address written on it - No. Dingxu, Huashui Street, west of the city.
"There is a semi-immortal living here who is an accurate fortune teller. I heard he can exorcise evil spirits and catch demons. Let Qing Xiao go and have a look when you tell him." Sun Kuan said nervously.
But after hearing this, Chu Yueshan's face became a little ugly, but he still suppressed his anger and said: "I know Qingxiao's matter, you don't need to worry about it."
"You have invited so many doctors, but no results. Listen to me and try this one!" Sun Kuan obviously did not feel Chu Yueshan's attitude and kept preaching.
"He has gotten much better." Chu Yueshan lowered his voice and said.
"Much better? So much better that you can do such a thing?" Sun Kuan obviously did not agree with Chu Yueshan's words, and his voice was a little louder.
"In the past, forget about the Zhuyin siege and the Xizhou sword armor."
"He goes crazy on his own, but after all he can't hinder others."
"But now he dares to attack the court official, saying that he is some kind of Zhuyin witch Zhu, and almost beat Master Zhu who was sent by the court to death at the lantern festival. If this continues, if he can't protect himself, someday he will cause some big trouble. , if this affects me..."
Before he finished speaking, the cold gaze from Chu Yueshan made Sun Kuan tremble, and he swallowed back the words that came to his lips.
"That's my son. Even if something happens, it won't affect you!"
"roll!"
After Chu Yueshan said this, he did not give Sun Kuan a chance to say anything more. He issued an order to expel the guests, and then turned around and walked towards the gate of his own courtyard.
…
The Chu family’s yard is not big.
It can even be said to be small.
There is an old well that has been unable to pump out water for a long time, a peach tree with a crooked neck that is standard in the homes of ordinary people in Wuling City, and a stone table.
Three things make this courtyard seem quite crowded.
But he is a yard after all.
For the government officials in Wuling City, having a courtyard in front of their house is a source of conversation, a sign of dignity, and a stepping stone for interacting with others.
After all, he is still half an official, so he must be distinguished from ordinary people.
At this moment, there was a young man sitting at the stone table in the small courtyard. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes. He couldn't be said to be handsome, but he was still pretty.
It's just that the young man's face was slightly pale, he was wearing a single coat, looking at a manuscript, his brows furrowed.
The pages of the manuscript were yellowed and looked old. The bottom page had four words written crookedly on it - Letters from the Gucheng.
The pages seemed to have been read many times, the footers were badly worn, and the yellowed pages were filled with various annotations.
Chu Yueshan was furious when he saw this thing.
He was about to get angry, but before the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.
"You little bastard, you don't know how to wear more clothes in such a cold weather!"
As he said this, he hurried to the back room to find a piece of clothing and put it on the young man.
The young man also looked up at his father at this moment: "Dad."
He whispered, then lowered his head and focused on the manuscript.
Chu Yueshan's brows furrowed. He thought about what he had asked Mr. Luo of the academy before, and sat down suppressing his anger: "How do you see it?"
"The content above is extremely incomplete, and many key contents are missing."
"How did Zhuyin destroy the city? Where did the remaining Xizhou Sword Armor go? Why did the old Taoist priest disappear? All these contents are gone..." the young man responded in a low voice.
But as soon as the words came out, he felt something was wrong. He turned to look at his father and said with some surprise: "Dad! Do you believe what I say?"
Chu Qingxiao's eyes were filled with surprise and expectation.
With the burning desire to be recognized after being misunderstood for a long time.
When Chu Yueshan looked at his son like this, the expression on his face relaxed for a moment, and even tended to collapse.
But he still suppressed the emotion that had been suppressed for a long time. He whispered: "Today, I had a meal with the county magistrate, and he promised me to go and beg for mercy for that gentleman..."
"This matter is over..."
"Little bastard, promise dad you won't think about this anymore, okay?"
Chu Yueshan's tone was gentle, but it had a hint of begging.
Growing up, Chu Qingxiao rarely heard his father speak to him in such a tone.
The light in his eyes dimmed at that moment.
"But dad...the scenes in my mind are really..."
He didn't want to give up and wanted to say something else.
"In the past few days, take a look at what you want to take away from home and pack it up. We will move to the west of the city in two days." Chu Yueshan did not give him a chance to continue.
Chu Qingxiao was stunned for a moment, but came to his senses the next moment.
The county magistrate of Wuling City was notoriously greedy and lustful, and he had never been kind to his father. Naturally, he could not suddenly help because of the warm heart of the ancient road.
What's more, it doesn't matter whether it's a big deal or a small matter.
If you want to take good care of the county magistrate, or even the adult from the court, it is not a problem that can be solved with a meal.
Chu Qingxiao looked at the yard, which was not spacious, thinking about how complacent his father was when he bought it.
His nose suddenly became sore and his eyes were a little red: "Dad, it's all my fault..."
"At that time, I didn't know what was wrong with me. When I saw that adult, I lost my mind. I...I didn't want to be like this."
Chu Yueshan smiled, reached out and touched Chu Qingxiao's head, and said gently: "Silly boy, I am only your son. This house will still be yours in the future. If I don't give you flowers, why don't you keep them and take them downstairs? "
"Dad can make money without it, but you...have to live well."
Chu Qingxiao lowered his head, he did not speak, his hands tightly grasped the corners of his clothes, for a long time, for a long time...
Then, he finally let go of his hand like a compromise and nodded heavily.
