Shi Tieqiao stopped talking here, and Yang Hui was fascinated by what he heard.
"Is there really such a person with such skill?" He still didn't seem to believe it.
"Why did I lie to you? To tell you the truth, I didn't come to you this time to drink and eat meat."
"Then what do you want to do?"
"I plan to go to Wuyi Mountain to find Zimeizhen Zimei and learn martial arts from him."
"Are you crazy? How old are we? Are we still studying? Don't you plan to get married and have children or build a career? We have been studying for fifteen years. That's enough."
"It's not enough. After fifteen years of hard study, can we still receive someone's hand?"
"Then tell me, if you go to Wuyi Mountain to learn martial arts from that purple-browed master, what will your father do? Do you want him to starve to death alone?"
"I have decided to take my father with me. I plan to sell the house in the city, pack some useful things, and throw away the other useless things, and then take my father into Wuyi Mountain. I will build a house in the mountain. There are a few huts, and I usually grow some fruits and vegetables, hunt some game, and collect some herbs, while looking for Zimei Zhenren in Wuyi Mountain. If I don't do this, I will have to go to Wuyi Mountain in ten days and a half. If I want to find Zimei Zhenren, I'm afraid it will be a dream. . Besides, since I sincerely want to be my teacher, I have to show some sincerity. My family is poor and I don’t have much money, so I can only let him see my sincerity and my beating heart for learning martial arts."
"You are really stubborn. When the time comes, you can't find him, or if you find him, he won't accept you. You will be older, your years will be wasted, and your future will be delayed. You will regret it."
"No, I won't regret it. I'm not learning martial arts to get promoted and get rich, but to see the highest realm of martial arts. Brother Hui, that's it for now. I'm going back soon. Please take care of yourself."
This is how Yang Hui and Shi Tieqiao separated twenty years ago.
After that, as he said, Shi Tieqiao first chose an open space in the mountains in Wuyi Mountain and built three huts. Then he went down the mountain and sold his ancestral house in the city. He packed up some useful items and went to live with his father. Lived in the mountains.
Shi Tieqiao knew from the beginning that it would not be easy for Zimei Zhenren to accept him as his disciple. Therefore, he was not in a hurry. He cleared the land in front of and behind the hut, planted vegetables, grains, and fruits. When he was hungry, he went into the mountains to catch some game. Even if he was injured or sick, it didn't matter. , he was originally a talented person who practiced both martial arts and medicine, and minor injuries and illnesses were not a problem for him. Wuyi Mountain was also full of medicinal herbs, which were inexhaustible. In short, it was not a problem for the father and son to live a good life.
Time passed slowly like this. In addition to raising a family, Shi Tieqiao spent more than a year climbing mountains and wading rivers, crossing mountains and ridges, to look for traces of Zimei Zhenren. Unfortunately, every time he set out with full hope, he always failed. Return with regret. When I asked every hunter and medicine collector who entered the mountain, they all said that they had never seen such a famous person as Zimei Zhenren.
In that year, a big event happened in Qianshan County, Guangxin Prefecture, Jiangxi Province. The reason was that Rong Jiu, a gang of ruthless bandits from Guangdong, was dispersed by officers and soldiers, and the rest, about a hundred people, fled into Jiangxi. They found a hilltop in Qianshan County, settled there again, and resumed their old business, causing harm to the local area.
Since Rongjiu and his gang were all extremely vicious, and Qianshan County could not surrender, Guangxin Mansion took advantage of Rongjiu's unstable foothold and led 300 soldiers and civilians into the mountain to suppress the bandits. However, he was defeated by Rong Jiu and returned in disgrace. The Chief Secretary of Jiangxi Province was furious. Li Renbao, the prefect of Guangxin, had no choice but to issue a "military order" and threatened to regroup and capture Rongjiu alive.
This time, Li Renbao made full preparations, united with the Guangxin Qianhu Office, mobilized thousands of people, equipped with a variety of firearms, went up the mountain for the second time, and beat Rong Jiu and his gang to pieces, leaving their corpses hanging all the way.
The officers and soldiers were powerful and Rong Jiu could not resist, so he abandoned his troops and fled alone. The officers and soldiers pursued him all the way to no avail, and he fled into the Wuyi Mountains and disappeared.
This time Li Renbao was dumbfounded. Wuyi Mountain was too big. If Rong Jiu entered the mountain, it would be like a dragon swimming in the sea. How could he capture it? But he also promised the Chief Secretary that he would capture Rong Jiu alive. How can this be done?
At this time, Li Renbao's subordinates reminded him: "Sir, look at the depths of the dense forest in front of you. There seems to be a fire flashing out. I wonder if it is that boy Rong Jiu."
Li Renbao's eyes lit up and he decisively led the way forward. However, the result disappointed him. The fire had nothing to do with Rong Jiu, it was just a candle lit by a family in the mountains.
This family is of course Shi Tieqiao and his father. Unfortunately, Shi Tieqiao was not at home that night. He went to set a trap on another mountain to catch a leopard.
Father Shi was old and decrepit, so naturally he didn't notice anything strange around him.
Rong Jiu really ran away, and Li Renbao had to accept this fact. But he was unwilling to give in, so he sent his confidants to check what was going on in the Shitieqiao hut. The confidant came back, approached Li Renbao and reported, "Sir, there is only one person in the house, and he is an old man."
Li Renbao also said softly: "Old man, are you blind? It's obviously Rong Jiu who is hiding there."
The subordinates immediately understood what Li Renbao meant and said loudly: "Sir, Rongjiu hid in the hut, what should we do?"
Li Renbao also replied loudly: "Rongjiu is fierce. I'm afraid he will set up an ambush in the house. Don't act rashly. I think it's better to attack with fire."
In this way, Li Renbao ordered the fire to the thatched cottage and burned Shi Tieqiao's father alive in the thatched cottage.
Shi Tieqiao saw the fire coming from the direction of his home and ran all the way. When he was about to reach home, he was stopped by Li Renbao's confidants, saying that someone was setting the fire and committing murder. The government was putting out the fire and no one else could interfere. Shi Tieqiao said that he was the owner of the hut, and there was an old man waiting to be rescued in the hut... But before he finished speaking, Li Renbao's confidant gave him a stick unexpectedly, and he fainted and fell unconscious.
After the fire was extinguished, Li Renbao ordered people to take out Father Shi's bones from the fire, and said to his subordinates: "Although I have issued a military order to the chief envoy Zhang, saying that Rong Jiu will be captured alive, Rong Jiu is cunning and cannot be taken by force. Burning them with fire is really a helpless move. Now that the bandits have been wiped out and their bodies are all there, everyone who participated in the battle has their own merits and should go down the mountain first. After returning home, I will discuss the merits and reward them."
So the officers and soldiers were all happy and returned in triumph.
That night, Li Renbao also wrote a statement to the chief envoy Zhang Xianzhang, detailing the suppression of bandits. Although Rong Jiu was not captured alive, after all, Li Renbao had eliminated harm for the people, and his hard work was considered a great achievement. Master Zhang forgave him for his previous mistakes and still praised his achievements.
When Shi Tieqiao woke up, the officers and soldiers had already disappeared without a trace. There was no fire or hut in sight. In the dim light of the morning, he could only see a piece of scorched earth with some white smoke still rising.
Shi Tieqiao ignored his headache and dizziness, and ran to the hot scorched earth like crazy, poking, looking, and searching, trying to find his father's bones, but even this poor hope was in vain.
The bones would not be burned so cleanly. At that time, he felt that the government must have taken them away and used them to solve the case, because he vaguely remembered that before he passed out, someone from the government told him that someone had set the fire and committed a murder. He thought it must be There was some murderer who heard the news somewhere that he sold his ancestral home and lived in Wuyi Mountain. So, while he was out, he killed his father, stole the money, and then set fire to destroy the body and destroy all traces. I think that's what happened.
However, when he entered Guangxin Mansion the next day, the people along the way were talking about it, but that was not the case. All kinds of information were collected bit by bit, allowing him to slowly see the whole picture of the matter. This is not an arson attack. This is the government's "Li Daitao Zombie" plan. His poor old father died on behalf of Rongjiu.
Shi Tieqiao was angry, his face was red with anger, and his veins were bulging, but he, an ordinary citizen, couldn't even get into the prefect's yamen. He tried to force his way in, but dozens of yamen came out of it. Although they were fighting alone, none of them were Shi Tieqiao's opponent, but twenty or so people working together caught up, and Shi Tieqiao had no power to fight back. Not only that, if he hadn't run fast, he would have been beaten to death by them.
But the result was not much better. Although he was not beaten to death on the spot, Li Renbao had already spoken, saying that Shi Tieqiao was a remnant of the gangsters and a member of Rong Jiu's group. Now that he saw Rong Jiu being killed, he was so heartbroken that he came to the prefect's Yamen to assassinate him. Lord Magistrate, this crime cannot be punished. Therefore, in order to avoid being pursued by the government, Shi Tieqiao, like Rong Jiu, fled into the Wuyi Mountains for refuge.
He was beaten all over, and his father died tragically. There was no way to avenge his great revenge. The hut and all the belongings in the hut had been burned down. His family was ruined and there was no way out. He couldn't help but feel sad and cried bitterly in the mountains.
"Why should a man cry like a woman?" Someone unknown in the mountains roared like a lion. Although it was said as usual, it made all beasts solemn and resounded in all the valleys.
"Who are you? How dare you speak such arrogant words? You don't know the sadness in my heart, so why are you talking nonsense?" Shi Tieqiao answered, shaking his head and looking around, only to see a huge boulder in the distance slowly leaving the ground and floating in the air. After a while, the boulder moved ten feet to the left, landed with a "bang", and firmly planted on the ground.
Without the obstruction of the boulder, Shi Tieqiao could see clearly that the person who spoke was standing behind the boulder. It was the Zimei Zhenren he had been looking for for a long time.
But at this time, Shi Tieqiao couldn't be happy. Although the direct cause of his father's death was Li Renbao's indiscriminate killing, if Shi Tieqiao hadn't been determined to come to Wuyi Mountain to learn martial arts from Zimei Zhenren, then his father would have lived his remaining years in the city. Therefore, Shi Tieqiao blamed himself for his father's death, and he also somewhat complained about Zimei Zhenren's avoidance, because if Zimei Zhenren had been willing to accept him as his disciple earlier, I am afraid his father would not have died.
However, he still complained about what happened in the past year to Master Zimei. Master Zimei said: "It's all your fault. Although you and I met in Wuyi Mountain, I never said that I You must have practiced in Wuyi Mountain? I have always been at home in the world and wandering around. Wuyi Mountain is just a place to visit when I have nothing to do. It would be better for you to make your home in Wuyi Mountain without authorization and try to find me in the mountain. Isn't this just asking for fish by chance? ?”
Only then did Shi Tieqiao understand why he had been searching for the reason in the mountains for a year without success. He blamed himself for being reckless and careless, and had no complaints against Master Zimei.
Master Zimei remembered his painstaking efforts and suffered the pain of his deceased father, so he finally agreed to accept Shi Tieqiao as his disciple. This made Shi Tieqiao's desperate heart glow with a glimmer of brilliance and warmth.
"Do you know the limitations of the hard kung fu you have practiced for fifteen years?" Master Zimei asked.
Shi Tieqiao thought for a while and said: "This encounter has made me realize a lot. I feel that hard skills have great limitations. For example, in one-on-one competition, I have defeated masters from all over the southeast, but a group of three-legged people in the Yamen There were more than ten or twenty government officials from Mao Kung Fu, but I could only run away. This is one, and the other is that I am also afraid of weapons. Even if there are only three or five government officials, as long as they carry weapons, whether swords or bows and arrows, , I was afraid to move forward. Thirdly, I was also afraid of ferocious beasts. This time my father was burned, but I was not at home. The reason was that a leopard appeared nearby. In order to get rid of it, I had to go to other mountains to set up Trap. How sad. I have worked hard for more than ten years to practice martial arts, but I can't defeat a leopard, let alone a tiger or a bear. I can only run away if I encounter it. If I can't run away, I will be eaten like ordinary people."
Master Zimei said: "It is a kind of progress for you to realize the limitations of the martial arts you have learned. Let me ask you again, what is the purpose of learning martial arts?"
Shi Tieqiao thought for a moment and said, "To keep fit?"
Master Zimei said: "No."
Shi Tieqiao said: "To eliminate violence and bring peace to society?"
Master Zimei said: "No."
"To break through and perfect yourself?"
"No." Master Zimei still shook his head.
Shi Tieqiao couldn't think of any other answer, so he knelt down and said, "My disciple is stupid, please ask my teacher for enlightenment."
Zimeizhen said: "For freedom."
"Freedom?" Shi Tieqiao had never heard such a statement before, saying that learning martial arts was for freedom.
Zimei Zhenren continued: "When you encounter a fierce beast, you can only run away, which is not free. When you encounter a lot of people, you can only run away, which is not free. When you see weapons, you can only run away. This is not free. When it comes to The magistrate's yamen, but you can't enter, this is not free. Your family is broken, and the great revenge has not been avenged, but you can only cry, this is not free. If it were me, all these unfreedoms of yours would not exist."
Master Zimei's views on martial arts were like an enlightenment, and like thunder in the middle of the night, Shi Tieqiao suddenly woke up like a man in a dream. At that moment, he felt that the past fifteen years were all a dream. At that moment, he felt that he was reborn from the ashes, and in an instant he understood the highest realm and true meaning of martial arts.
"But the most urgent task is not to learn martial arts," Master Zimei said again, "You must first avenge the murder of your father."
Shi Tieqiao said: "I also want to retaliate, but my disciple is incompetent. He can't even enter the magistrate's office, let alone see Li Renbao's face."
Master Zimei said: "I have a method that allows you to avenge your father's murder without having to see Li Renbao."
Shi Tieqiao said: "What method is this? It's so magical. Please show me, Master."
"You come with me."
Master Zimei and Shi Tieqiao walked towards the peak one after the other. In front of a cave on the top of the peak, Master Zimei stopped and said to Shi Tieqiao: "This is a place where I often practice. I named it Tianfu Cave."
Shi Tieqiao looked inside and saw that the cave was extremely dry and bright. It was equipped with stone tables, chairs, and beds. Direct sunlight could shine into the cave entrance, which was about half a foot deep.
"In Wuyi Mountain, there are two caves where I always live. The other one is called Difu Cave. It is on another peak. I haven't been there for a long time. I'm afraid it will be abandoned."
"Master, do you want your disciple to practice here?"
"No, I want you to meet someone first."
After saying that, Master Zimei led Shi Tieqiao into the cave. Deep in the cave, Shi Tieqiao saw a gagged, tied-up, bearded man.
"Who is this person?" Shi Tieqiao asked.
Master Zimei said: "This person is Rong Jiu."
"Rong Jiu?" Shi Tieqiao asked in surprise, "Could it be that the ruthless bandit Rong Jiu who fled into Wuyi Mountain was caught by Master?"
"Yes, this is the person Li Renbao should arrest. On the day Li Renbao burned down the hut, I just came back from wandering outside. I didn't see you at that time. I just saw the hut that was burned to ashes. In the year since you lived in Wuyi Mountain, I have actually I also know your existence, but I come and go without a trace and have no intention of taking a disciple, so I have never met you. But that day, when I saw your hut burned down, but no one knew where you were, and no bones were found in the ashes, I became suspicious. , went down the mountain to inquire about the incident, and found out that the government had entered Wuyi Mountain at night to capture the gangster Rong Jiu. I also heard that Rong Jiu had sneaked into Wuyi Mountain, hid in a hut, and was burned to death by the government. I was shocked and felt that the hut was burned. , fearing that it was the official Li Daitao's plan. He returned to Wuyi Mountain, flew between the peaks, leaned down, and patrolled the lower realms like a goshawk. Finally, he found Rong Jiu who was still hiding in the mountain, and went down to capture him. I brought you to Tianfu Cave, and then I heard you crying in the mountains."
Shi Tieqiao sighed: "I see. I know what Master means. You, the old man, must have wanted me to take Rong Jiu to see the Chief Envoy and ask him to punish Li Renbao for concealing the truth and disregarding human life, right?"
"Yes, Zhang Xian, the governor of Jiangxi Province, is an old friend of mine, and we have a deep friendship. If it were not so, I would not let you take Rong Jiu to see him easily. If the officials come to protect each other, it will be detrimental to you. But fortunately Zhang Xian and I know each other well, and he is an open-minded person, so you might as well make the trip and bring Rong Jiu to see him, I believe Zhang Xian has his own reasons."
Shi Tieqiao also thought it was appropriate, so he thanked his master, untied the hemp rope tied to Rong Jiu's legs, and tied it all to Rong Jiu's hands. Master Zimei also wrote a letter and asked Shi Tieqiao to give it to Zhang Xian for review. Shi Tieqiao took the letter and pushed Rong Jiu down the mountain.
