August 13, Pingyang City, late autumn.
It started to rain in the afternoon. It was light rain at first and then turned to heavy rain in the evening. There were few pedestrians on the road.
Although it was not the time to turn on the lamps, because the sky was too dark, the light of candles gradually appeared in the city. The light was mainly concentrated in the dozen or so miles of the east city, where the government office was located and where wealthy people lived.
Most of the people living in Xicheng are civilians, and there are not many people who hold lamps. However, there is a light in the northwest of Xicheng. This light is much brighter than ordinary candles. The light is swaying and shaking.
The place where the light shines is a small temple. This temple is very dilapidated. The courtyard wall and the east and west wings have collapsed. At this time, only the main hall where the statue of the god was originally worshiped is left.
There is a statue of a god sitting on the altar in the main hall. Since there is no temple priest to take care of and maintain it, the statue is seriously damaged. The paint is peeled off and the mud is exposed. It is no longer possible to tell which deity it belongs to.
Even the couplets on the left and right of the statue are only left hanging crookedly on the wall, and only the first two characters can be vaguely distinguished from the words on it.
There is a bonfire in the middle of the hall, and around the bonfire are a few beggars in ragged clothes. These beggars are not very old, the oldest is only thirteen or fourteen years old, and the youngest is only eight or nine years old.
The oldest one, with a slightly bulging chest, must be a woman, thirteen or fourteen years old, with big eyes and a layer of oil on her face. She was holding a bowl of potion and talking to her companion who was lying in front of the statue.
The beggar lying on the straw was about twelve or thirteen years old. He was a boy, very thin and with a handsome face. It's just that he has not recovered from a serious illness, and his face is extremely pale, but his eyes are very bright and clear, not like a child, but like an adult.
At this moment, he just listened carefully, his lips moved slightly, but he didn't make any sound.
In addition to these two people, there are two other people in the temple, a boy who is cooking. The so-called cooking is nothing more than sorting the food from begging and pouring it into two clay pots hanging over the fire.
Although this man is also a beggar, he is not as thin as his companions. He is very white and fat.
The other is a girl, eight or nine years old, chopping firewood. This girl has big eyes. She has never spoken and only uses gestures to communicate with others. She must be mute.
After the girl finished feeding the medicine, she helped the young man lie down to rest and asked the fat man, "Where is Zhao Qing? Have you seen Zhao Qing?"
"I haven't seen anyone, I haven't seen anyone all day long," the fat man shook his head, "It's raining so hard today and there aren't many people on the street. I'm afraid I won't be able to get anything.
Sister Yuqing, the meal is almost ready. How about I go find him? "
"It's too late, I'd better go!" The girl waved her hand.
While the two were talking, there were rapid footsteps outside the door. The footsteps came from far to near. After a while, a beggar rushed in from outside. He was about thirteen or fourteen years old, shirtless and bare-backed, with a tattered gown covering his head. .
"My ancestors, I was soaked to death." He took off the tattered gown on his head, his face was dark and thin.
"Zhao Qing, what are you hiding in your waist?" asked the fat man cooking.
"What do you think?" the thin black boy smiled evilly, "Hurry up and eat, I have something big to talk about later. I have to go out again after dinner!"
"Okay, everyone is here, let's eat! Zheng Xu, please share the food and give more to Yang Jin." Yu Qing waved.
The fat man distributed the food in the earthen jars to everyone. While the fat man was sharing the meal, Zhao Qing walked up to the statue, took out a wine bottle from the bag on his waist, and secretly gave it to the lying beggar, "Ajin, here, good stuff!"
Ajin silently took the wine bottle, her lips moved slightly, as if thanking her, but she made no sound.
The fat man divided the food in the earthen pot into four portions, and in the end only some soup was left. He combined the soup from the two pots and drank the soup directly from the pot.
There were rats in the ruined temple. A rat smelled the smell of food and ran out of the darkness. It came close to the mute. The mute didn't beat it, but instead pinched the food and fed it.
When Zheng Xu saw the mouse, he was a little disgusted. He beat the mouse to death with a wooden stick under his feet and threw it beside the bonfire.
"Sister Yuqing, Zhao Qing stole wine and gave it to Changle." Zheng Xu complained.
Xue Qing turned her head when she heard the sound and waved her hand to Zheng Xu, "Yang Jin has just recovered from a serious illness and can't stand the cold, so he drinks to drive away the cold.
Zhao Qing, where did you get this wine? "
Zhao Qing picked up a bone with chopsticks, gnawed on it, and gave half of the remaining rice to the fat man and the mute.
The two of them knew that Zhao Qing always had a way to get food, so they didn't refuse and just started eating.
"Sister Jiang, something big happened in Pingyang City today. Many people from the Jianghu came all of a sudden, carrying knives and holding swords. They seemed to be fighting for some martial arts treasure, a secret book called "The Secret of the Golden Chamber" .
I didn't do anything today, I just ran errands for a few sword-wielding martial arts men. They rewarded me with some wine and meat at noon. I didn't want to drink the wine, so I brought it back to Ajin. "
Zhao Qing didn't hide anything, he told everything.
Zheng Xu asked first: "How could there be any martial arts treasure in such a remote place as Pingyang City?
Besides, it was fine yesterday and there was no news at all. Why do so many people know about it today and come here together? "
He seemed to want to ask a lot of questions. Without waiting for Zhao Qing to answer, he asked again: "And what is the secret book of the martial arts treasure "The Secret of the Golden Chamber"? Have they found it?"
"I couldn't find it! I don't know what "Secrets of the Golden Chamber" is, but I just mentioned it when they were chatting, as if it was very precious.
There are many martial arts people in the city today, and they all seem to be here for this thing.
It's just strange that the news about the martial arts treasure "The Secret of the Golden Chamber" seemed to spread from the city all at once, and those in the martial arts community heard the news nearby and came here.
But when I listened to the few people in the world who hired me talk privately, they seemed to have known about the "Secrets of the Golden Chamber" for a long time, and several of them seemed to have come to Pingyang City specifically for this matter. "
"Don't talk about things that have little to do with us!
Zhao Qing, you said you were going out soon. Why are you going out so late?
Besides, there are so many Jianghu people in the city, how dangerous it is! "Jiang Yuqing asked Zhao Qing worriedly.
"It's okay, it's not dangerous. They are all here for that martial arts treasure, and they won't embarrass us beggars.
Not only that, they are also very generous!
You don't know, but the people I'm serving today are very generous.
Among them was Mr. He from the Hanshan Sword Sect of the Northern Wei Dynasty. He saw my cleverness and liked my service very much. He was the one who rewarded me with the wine and meat at noon today, and also gave me three coins! "
He excitedly took out a dime of silver from the sole of his shoe and handed it to Jiang Xueqing.
"Okay then, pay attention to safety when you go out." Jiang Xueqing took the silver and warned.
"You, you go out so late, do you want to secretly meet Mr. He?"
Yang Jin, who had been silent all this time, asked slowly while leaning on the altar table.
His tone was a little weird, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time.
Unexpectedly, Yang Jin, who had always been timid and taciturn, would guess his purpose of going out tonight. Zhao Qing was a little surprised and did not speak for a while.
But his expression already showed that Yang Jin had guessed correctly.
Jiang Yuqing was a little confused and asked Zhao Qing: "It's so late, why are you looking for Mr. He?
If you have something to do, you can't go to him tomorrow. Since they want to find some martial arts treasure but haven't found it, they shouldn't leave Pingyang City for a while.
You can go tomorrow. It's too late today and it's still raining heavily outside. It's not safe! "
"No! I must go tonight! No matter how heavy the rain is, I must go!"
"Why?"
"Because...because Mr. He may have promised him to take him out of Pingyang City!"
The person who spoke was Yang Jin. Although he still spoke very slowly and in a strange tone, the people in the temple did not care about his speaking problem, but were shocked by the content of his words.
"What? That Mr. He wants to take you away? Could he be lying to you?!"
Jiang Yuqing looked at Zhao Qing worriedly, "Zhao Qing, our Pingyang City is in Dong Qi. You said that Mr. He is from the Northern Wei Dynasty. The two are separated by thousands of miles and mountains. If you really go with him, , what if something happens?
Don't be fooled by him!
Come on, I'll give you the money. Don't go out tonight. You'll return the money to him tomorrow! "
Zhao Qing shook his head and said: "No! Mr. He said that he thought I was very smart and liked me very much. He would recommend me to join the Hanshan Sword Sect.
He asked me to come over tonight just because he wanted one of his elders to see with his own eyes what my martial arts qualifications are. If that senior agrees, Mr. He will take me with him when he leaves Pingyang City! "
"That Mr. He wants to lure you into the Hanshan Sword Sect to learn martial arts?"
Jiang Yuqing took the money and prepared to return it to Zhao Qing, asking Zhao Qing not to be greedy for petty advantages and to return it to Mr. He who gave him the money. He was a little surprised when he heard what Zhao Qing said.
She originally thought that Zhao Qing might have been bribed by a small favor and deceived, but she didn't expect that he was going to join the Hanshan Sword Sect.
"Yes, when Mr. He and the others were chatting in the afternoon, they said that Hanshan Sword Sect might recruit disciples recently.
I thought this was an opportunity to make a comeback, so I begged him privately to accept me.
He took a test of my bones and said that my qualifications were not bad, but I was a bit too old, so he couldn't say for sure whether I would succeed or not, and he had to let his elders say it.
His senior from the sect went out on business today and might not come back until tonight, so he asked me to go find him tonight. "Zhao Qing didn't hide anything.
Everyone in the temple was silent for a while, digesting the news that Zhao Qing just said.
"If it's really what you said, go ahead!
You are the smartest among us. Since you believe what Young Master He said, I guess that Young Master He is not lying to you.
You are right, this is an opportunity to turn around. If you become a disciple of Hanshan Sword Sect and become prosperous in the future, you can come back and help us. "
Jiang Yuqing gave Zhao Qing a broken umbrella with almost only the paratrooper's ribs left.
Zhao Qing lowered his head and took the umbrella, not daring to look at the crowd. He turned around and walked a few steps, then suddenly came back and said to everyone: "Why don't we all go and give it a try? Mr. He is a very nice person. Very talkative.
When I arrived, I begged him and the senior who was in charge of the Hanshan Sword Sect. Maybe they would be merciful and accept us all because they saw how pitiful we were! "
Jiang Yuqing and Zheng Xu were both a little moved, but when they looked at Yang Jin who was leaning on the altar table and the little mute Su Rou who was writing and drawing with branches on the ground, they were hesitant.
They really want to go, but if all three of them leave, Yang Jin and Su Rou will be more miserable in the future. The five of them can still occupy this ruined temple.
In this way, they lived a bleak life with only one meal to eat. The two of them were afraid that they would freeze to death and starve to death if they were left alone.
But having the opportunity to join the Hanshan Sword Sect is a great opportunity that only comes once in a century for them.
If you miss it, you may never have such an opportunity again in this life.
It's rare for a martial arts sect to recruit a disciple, and it's even rarer to find Master He who treats Zhao Qing well and let him give it a try.
Otherwise, with their status as beggars, joining a martial arts sect to learn martial arts is just a daydream and wishful thinking!
"Zhao Qing, Zheng Xu, and Sister Yuqing, this is a rare opportunity, you should go together, and take Xiaorou with you.
It doesn't matter to me. I'm almost completely cured of my illness, but I'm just a little weak. "
Yang Jin saw the difficulty of the three of them, started slowly, and began to persuade, "Besides, you are not leaving tomorrow.
If the "Secrets of the Golden Chamber" were not found, the people of Hanshan Sword Sect would not go back so early. If you can join the Hanshan Sword Sect, and you can help me put in a good word, I might be able to do the same in the future.
Such a rare opportunity comes only once in a century, so don't miss it. go quickly! "
Seeing that he was struggling, the mute Xiaorou quickly helped him up.
Yang Jin's voice was unhurried and clear.
Although the tone is still a bit weird, it is indeed much stronger than before and no longer so obvious.
"Xiao Rou? Su Rou is going too? She can't speak. I'm afraid she can't do it, right?"
Zheng Xu was a little puzzled that Yang Jin asked Su Rou to come with him.
Yang Jin said: "It doesn't matter, there's no harm in taking her to give it a try, what if it works?
There's nothing to lose if you say no, it's always good to give it a try.
In my opinion, Xiaorou is not born unable to speak, it should be acquired.
I heard that most martial arts sects have some very powerful elixirs that might even be able to cure her. "
"How do you know Xiaorou was not born mute?"
Zheng Xu was a little confused. They were together every day and never heard Su Rou say a word. The same was true for Yang Jin. How could he see that Su Rou was not born deaf and mute.
"Xiao Rou can write," Yang Jin pointed to the place where Su Rou had just written and drawn, and said, "She should be deaf, not mute.
It's just that she has been unable to hear sounds, has not spoken for a long time, and is too young, so she slowly forgot how to speak, and over time she became mute. "
Zhao Qing glanced at where Yang Jin was pointing, shook his head and said, "What she wrote was not words, she was just drawing and playing."
Although Zhao Qing is illiterate, he runs on the street every day. He has seen many shop signs on the street and knows what the characters look like. Su Rou's writing does not look like characters, it is crooked and curved, like ghost drawings.
Jiang Yuqing read it carefully, pointed to one of the characters, and said: "No! She wrote characters, but they are not the characters we often see. There are many kinds of characters. She should have written rare characters.
Look at this word, it should be the word "gold" or "spirit". Do you think this word doesn't look familiar? "
"It looks familiar, like I've seen it somewhere. Sister Jiang, how do you recognize this word? I remember you can't read either."
Zhao Qing glanced carefully at the word Jiang Yuqing pointed at, which was a little strange.
He knew that Jiang Yuqing was illiterate. Not only Jiang Yuqing, but all five of them seemed illiterate. If I could read, I would have stopped being a beggar long ago.
If you can read and write, and can write and do math, you can easily become an apprentice or a handyman in a shop on the street.
Now they are too young to do heavy work, and no one wants to work as coolies.
"This character is exactly the same as the first character in the couplet over there. It should be pronounced "金" or "spirit".
"The golden body remains forever, the spiritual light lasts forever." I have heard people say before that this temple was built by the Great Zhou Dynasty four to five hundred years ago, and the couplets next to the statues in the temple built by the Great Zhou Dynasty all have these eight characters. "
Jiang Yuqing pointed to the couplets on the wall and said.
"Hey! Don't tell me, it's just a word! No wonder it looks familiar to me, as if I've seen it before somewhere. I don't see this every day!"
The fat man Zheng Xu nodded at the side, and then asked Yang Jin with some confusion, "But, I see this character every day, and I can write it according to the painting. How can this be regarded as literacy?"
Yang Jin explained: "Because she can write! If everyone can write a few characters according to the painting, but no one has taught and practiced calligraphy, the order of writing strokes will be wrong.
This is not the case with Xiaorou. She has obviously been taught by others and practiced calligraphy. "
Jiang Yuqing stared at Yang Jin in surprise. She felt familiar yet unfamiliar with Yang Jin's performance today.
The familiar one is Yang Jin or that person, but the unfamiliar one is that Yang Jin's speech and expression today are very different from before he fell ill.
And Jiang Yuqing didn't understand how he knew the key to writing.
In her impression, Yang Jin has always been timid and afraid of getting into trouble, usually reticent and even a little cowardly.
Otherwise, Zhang Yuanwai's vicious dog would not have chased her for two streets before they rescued her. Even so, she was so frightened that she became seriously ill and was in a coma for two days. She just woke up this afternoon.
Moreover, Yang Jin was usually very taciturn, and rarely spoke in such a coherent manner as today.
Besides, he couldn't read, so how could he know whether the technique of holding a pen and the strokes of writing were correct?
But there were too many things that surprised her today. First, Zhao Qing released the news that he hoped to join the Hanshan Sword Sect to learn martial arts.
Later, she asked herself and Zheng Xu to take advantage of this opportunity, and then Yang Jin said that Su Rou was deaf but not mute and could also write.
The impact of these things together was quite large for her, and it was difficult to digest them.
Although she felt that Yang Jin's behavior was different from the past just now, it was only now that she suddenly noticed something strange about Yang Jin.
Seeing Jiang Yuqing staring at her with a strange look, Yang Jin knew that her behavior just now was a bit abrupt, and he did not allow her to ask questions, so she urged: "It's getting late, you go quickly! Don't delay any more, take advantage of the moment When the rain stops, go and return quickly. If you have anything to say, I’ll tell you when I come back!”
Jiang Yuqing was interrupted by Yang Jin and thought so. When she saw that it was getting late and the rain seemed to have stopped, she let Zhao Qing lead the way and led Su Rou and Zheng Xu out of the ruined temple.
After everyone left, Yang Jin struggled to stand up slowly. His body was a little too weak and thin, and even this simple movement was done slowly.
Slowly walking to the bonfire, sitting down cross-legged, looking at the red flames, Yang Jin's eyes were a little dazed, and his expression was a little weird, a little unbelievable, a little eager to try, and mixed with excitement.
"I am reborn. Listening to the conversation between Zhao Qing and the others just now, this is still a martial arts world with martial arts sects and martial arts secrets.
However, I don’t know if the martial arts in this world are the same as those in martial arts novels, where one can fly to the sky and escape from the ground, and the sword energy is everywhere. "
Yang Jin looked at the bonfire and his slender hands, unable to believe that he had really traveled through time and was reborn.
In his previous life, he was forty years old and had accomplished nothing for half his life. He graduated from the chemistry department of a third-rate university and found a job to make ends meet.
Later, as I got older, I got married and was forced to buy a house before marriage. Later, I got divorced. Life can be said to be a complete mess.
Life is a mess and career is not going well. The mortgage was like a huge mountain, weighing him down, and his days in the company were like years, living in a muddle. His boss was harsh and always made trouble, but he didn't dare to resign and could only endure it.
People are poor but have short ambitions, and horses are skinny and hairy. For the sake of a few taels of silver, they can only endure hardship.
Helplessly, a car accident finally ended it all.
Everything in the past life is like a big dream, gradually fading away and becoming more and more blurred. High-rise buildings, computers, televisions, airplanes and cars are no longer within reach.
Suddenly it started to rain again outside, in drizzles, sometimes heavy and sometimes light.
Yang Jin felt cold and huddled up. I don’t know how long I have been in a daze, but the bonfire has been extinguished.
Suddenly, amid the sound of rain, there was a sound of kicking footsteps, walking towards the ruined temple. The man trampled on the mud, his steps were very heavy, but he walked very fast.
Yang Jin was startled. This was not the sound of footsteps he was familiar with. Hearing that the man was getting closer and closer, he quickly stood up and shrank behind the shrine.
