Thousands of miles away, the spring sun is shining brightly in Changzhou City, but in Qianzhou, located in the southwest of the Central Plains, it has been rainy for several consecutive months. People here have almost forgotten the feeling of the sun shining on their bodies. It will be rainy in March. This is true in Qianzhou.
Qianzhou has many high mountains and dense forests, the terrain is dangerous and rugged, the clouds are thick, and the continuous drizzle is even colder to the bones. At this moment, on a muddy path among the high mountains in Qianzhou, there was a skinny horse and two figures walking with difficulty with staggering steps.
The horse had become so thin that it was just skin and bones. It would be no exaggeration to say that it was skinny, but it was actually a good horse, at least that could be seen from its limbs and skeleton.
But the two people were one old and one young, both wearing bamboo hats and raincoats. However, their shoes and trouser legs had already been soaked with mud and water, and they were shivering from the cold.
"Master, how long do we have to go before we get out of the mountain?" The young man suddenly spoke. He looked about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a skinny body. Although his face and eyebrows were well-shaped and had a hint of aura, he was still the same. She was so skinny that she didn't even have a ounce of meat, and she looked completely malnourished. He took off his bamboo hat and looked up at the towering mountains. His slightly childish face was filled with helplessness and exhaustion.
"Did you remember the wrong way? We have been walking for two days in a row and still haven't left these mountains. It's so wet and cold. My feet are almost broken." He muttered and added, Deliberately showing his dissatisfaction.
"Mingchuan, I told you yesterday that when someone is given a great task from heaven, he must first strain his mind, strain his muscles and bones, and starve his body. How much tiredness can it be before you can't bear it?"
The old man who spoke was about sixty years old, and he was also thin and thin. He wore a shabby Qingbu Confucian shirt under his raincoat. Although his face under the bamboo hat had long left traces of time, he had the quiet look of a scholar. Judging from the outline of his appearance, the old man must have been a handsome young man with considerable talent when he was young.
When the skinny young man named Mingchuan heard this, he immediately became angry. He turned around and glared at the old man angrily, and said loudly: "I work my bones and muscles, starve my body and skin, and deplete my body. What you taught me I can recite these principles by heart while sleeping, but there is another sentence at the end, which is called chaos. Look at what we are like now, it really corresponds to this sentence. "
He stepped hard on the muddy road and continued angrily: "I told you that you are old and have a bad memory, so you shouldn't wander into the mountains casually, but you don't believe it. There are clean roads. Let’s go, we’re fine now. We’ve been walking for two days and haven’t seen a way out. I think we’ll starve to death in these deep mountains and wild forests even if we don’t die from the cold.”
The more he talked, the angrier he became. Regardless of the muddy road, he simply sat down on the roadside and refused to walk away, squinting at the old man with a pair of bright eyes.
"Oh, you can still apply what you have learned. You have made great progress. From this point of view, my teachings to you are not in vain." The old man stopped the skinny horse and looked at it with a smile. Holding the boy.
Mingchuan rolled his eyes, looking helpless. He pointed at the skinny horse and shouted: "There is also this horse. I get angry when I see it. Do you think it is still a horse? It even struggles to walk. In addition to wasting our energy, it also has What's the use? I've told you to sell it a long time ago, wouldn't it be better to keep it for a few bucks? You just don't listen. Look at what it looks like, it only has a few kilograms of meat if you kill it, it's just a burden."
The old man seemed to have been accustomed to this young man's temper. He didn't care. He just patted the thin horse beside him and said with emotion: "This old man has been following us for several years. He has worked hard even if he has no credit. Don't do it." You despise it. Last time you were sick, it carried you for several days. Don’t you have any feelings for it?"
Mingchuan couldn't help but rolled his eyelids again, sneered, and said: "Then why didn't you tell me about the last time you rode it and it almost threw you to the bottom of the mountain? If it weren't for my quick eyesight and quick hands, you would It rolled down the mountain and died a long time ago. Didn’t you say that one day you would kill it and eat its meat to replenish my body?”
The old man immediately laughed to cover up his embarrassed expression, and said: "I said those words out of anger, how can I take them seriously? Besides, we should not be as knowledgeable as animals, we should be gentlemen who are magnanimous and have a mind that can support a boat. Even that time I If I was really thrown to death by it, that would be my destiny, so I can’t blame it.”
It turns out that the old man's name is Shang Yixing.
If there are other knowledgeable people present now, especially those in the martial arts world, they will definitely be shocked if they hear the name "Shang Yixing".
But the young Mingchuan only knew that the old man in blue and Confucian shirts was named Shang Yixing, but he had no idea what this name meant. In his eyes, his master was just a poor old man who always liked to preach to him with some big principles that he didn't quite understand. He was really poor and sour, and he was also a liar.
"Master, why do I always think you are a bit hypocritical?" Mingchuan sighed, shook his head and said in disappointment: "When I first met you, you said that by following you, I could live well, drink well, and get three taels of silver every month. How could I know that by following you, In the past few years, I have been either growing vegetables or carrying water every day on the mountain. I haven't even seen any oil or meat, let alone any money. I am so blinded by lard that I would worship you, an old and sour scholar, as my teacher. I am really not a kind person. "
The old man in green shirt simply followed and sat next to Mingchuan. He reached out and gave the young man a slap on the head, feigning anger and said: "Those are external things, how can you be so young and greedy? You must learn to be upright and cultivate virtue, and don't think about gains and losses. What's wrong with growing vegetables and carrying water? At least you won't starve to death by relying on your own efforts. Besides, didn't I teach you the "Haoran Mingjuan"? Then But I am too lazy to teach other people who want to learn the things that I have learned from others, so you can’t be ungrateful."
Mingchuan let out an ouch when he knocked him, and reached out to hold his head. He bared his teeth and shouted: "Stop bringing me books. I get a headache when I see those words. Besides, what's the use of the principles you taught me? There are only two of us. Where can I go to quote and confirm those principles?" ?”
"Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles." Shang Yixing raised his head and looked at the gloomy sky, "Shouldn't I take you out to gain experience?"
"Is this what you call a long experience?" Mingchuan's eyes widened, and he made gestures with his hands from head to toe, making a gesture to show his whole body, and then spread his hands towards the old poor man, "I became this miserable after you. Do you call this gaining knowledge? If I had known that this was knowledge, I would rather stay in the mountains and grow vegetables. Speaking of which, when I left, the sprouts in the two fields at the door had just sprouted. Now that they have been out for a few months, they are still growing. I wonder how they look." He suddenly slapped his thigh and said suddenly: "Oh, why didn't you remind me to take care of those pesky birds on the mountain before I left? It's okay now, my two pieces The vegetable patch has definitely made them cheaper." He cursed as he spoke, looking annoyed.
Seeing how anxious he looked, Shang Yixing couldn't help but laugh a little. His eyes when looking at Mingchuan became gentle, and he said softly: "You won't even forget the food at home, so why are you willing to lose this old horse? The so-called acquaintance between people is the most valuable thing. The most valuable thing about knowing each other is knowing the heart. Although you may have sharp teeth and a sharp mouth, how can you not know what kind of teacher you are in your heart? The principles of life and life that I have taught you are not for you to tell others, but for you. You understand it yourself. No matter how great and many truths you explain to others, if you don’t understand it and can’t do it yourself, then it becomes the most ridiculous and unreasonable thing.” He suddenly lowered his head and seemed to sigh secretly, saying: "I will take you out. This road is a bit hard, but it is not without its benefits. You don't understand it very well now, but when you are older, you will naturally understand."
If he had to talk like a poor old man like he usually does, Mingchuan would have jumped up and used all kinds of rogue excuses to confront him. But now Mingchuan could clearly feel the profound meaning in the old man's tone, so for the first time he did not refute, only curled his lips.
Shang Yixing looked at the endless mountains in the distance and murmured: "Mingchuan, you can be lazy with the other books I asked you to read, but you must read "Haoran Mingjuan" with your heart every day, while I can still breathe. If you are angry for a few days, if you don’t understand anything, I can still give you some guidance. You have a good talent, but don’t waste your talent indiscriminately.”
Mingchuan winked and said: "Master, there is a question I have wanted to ask for a long time, and I have to ask it today. You taught me how to read and read the books of saints and sages so that I could understand the principles of life. I understand this. But you said that " "Haoran Mingjuan" is a martial arts mental method. I don't understand this. I'm not one of those martial arts people. What's the use of learning this kind of thing? You said "Haoran Mingjuan" is the most righteous martial arts in the world. How can you learn it? Will you be able to get twice the result with half the effort when planting vegetables in the future?”
When Shang Yixing heard the words, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. He stretched out his hand again, ready to give the boy a slap in the face, but stopped midway. He sighed slightly, put his palm on the young man's shoulder, and said softly: "I teach you the sage's book, just to make you sensible and moral, and to uphold your spirit; to let you practice martial arts, I want to strengthen your body and establish the ability to face unknown difficulties alone in the future. Courage. As the saying goes, a gentleman strives for self-improvement." He paused, his expression gradually became more solemn, and continued: "For martial arts, it is not exclusive to people in the martial arts world. In ancient times, the saints The first master taught the Six Arts of the Gentleman with the courage of a gentleman, including the way of 'control' and 'shooting'. Therefore, it is normal for even scholars to practice martial arts."
He looked at Mingchuan again and said: "Although I am indeed a poor and poor scholar, my mind is not pedantic. I don't want my apprentice to be a powerless nerd in the future."
A cold wind suddenly came from the mountains, making Mingchuan's skinny body shiver. Mingchuan wiped his nose, shrunk and said, "We can live a good life farming in the mountains. As long as we don't travel around the world, there will be no trouble. If there is no trouble, there is no need to practice martial arts. Master, don't you often Do you want to convince others with virtue?"
"Convince people with virtue. That's right." Shang Yixing murmured: "Who doesn't hope that everyone can be virtuous and reasonable? But in this world, there are too many things that cannot be solved with reason. Discord You have reasoned with too many people. Hence the chaotic world today." He smiled bitterly at Mingchuan and said, "Are you too naive to think that there will be no trouble in the mountains? In fact, as long as we still As long as you are alive, you are already in the world."
He lowered his head, looked at the muddy road under his feet, and sighed in a low voice with a rather helpless tone: "And some troubles are not the troubles of one person."
He seemed to fall into silence suddenly, and seemed to be remembering something.
Mingchuan looked at the old poor man with strange eyes, sniffed and said, "Master, you seem to be a little abnormal today."
Shang Yixing came to his senses and said something without beginning or end: "This world is not normal, let alone a human being?"
Mingchuan was too lazy to think about these inexplicable things anymore. He touched his belly and said with a bitter face: "Master, no matter how many principles you have, you still need to have strength and fill your stomach. You see, there is no village or store here. If I go down further, I will starve to death."
As soon as he finished speaking, his stomach really growled.
Shang Yixing also frowned and said, "You are hungry, and I am empty too. Didn't there be a few steamed buns yesterday?"
Mingchuan reached out and groped in his arms for a while, and took out a steamed bun that was already hard from the cold.
"This is the only one left." Mingchuan suddenly rolled his eyes. He handed the steamed bun to Shang Yixing and said, "I am your apprentice, so I respect the old and love the young, and give it to you."
Shang Yixing chuckled and reached out to take the bun. He was secretly happy and said casually that you have a conscience.
But before he finished speaking, Mingchuan stared at his face and said, "I already respect the elderly. Master, will you love the young?"
Shang Yixing almost lost his temper.
He rolled his eyes, pushed the bun into Mingchuan's hand, and looked at the skinny boy with contempt, "Okay, let's eat it for you, I love children, right? Anyway, I won't starve to death if I don't take this bite." When he said this, he didn't have the elegance of a scholar at all.
Mingchuan chuckled, but he split the steamed bun into two and gave half of it to Lao Qiongsu.
He gnawed on the cold steamed buns and said to Shang Yixing: "Master, when you give me all the money you owe me, I will definitely treat you to a nice meal. Let me calculate, I have followed you four times. Years, four years are forty-eight months, and with three taels of silver per month, there will be one hundred and forty-four taels in those four years. When the time comes, you can give me one hundred and fifty taels to make up the whole number, and the extra five taels will be treated as this It’s been four years of interest. After all, we are just masters and apprentices, so we don’t need much interest.” He squinted his eyes, chewed the steamed bun in his mouth, and said with a strange smile: “Look, I’m not good to you at all. To rip you off..."
"puff……"
Shang Yixing laughed so hard that he almost vomited out half of the steamed bun. He sighed and shook his head: "You stinky boy, you look so honest, but you have so many messy intestines in your stomach. You are really a bad person." Appearance. I don’t know who is being unkind to someone else.”
The poor old man stood up and said, "For your one hundred and fifty taels of silver, it seems I have to live a few more years."
When he stood up, something over three feet long wrapped in black oilcloth was revealed from the raincoat on his back and he didn't know what was inside.
"Let's go on our way." Shang Yixing patted his butt and walked to lead the horse.
On one side of the horse's back, there was also a strip wrapped in oilcloth. When the horse moved, one end of the oilcloth shook out to reveal the handle of a sword.
The hilt of the sword was quaint in style, and seemed to have a quiet and bookish air to it.
Mingchuan also stood up, swallowed the steamed buns in his mouth and put on the hat again. He looked at what the poor old man was carrying, and suddenly said: "Master, what kind of treasure is that on your back? You haven't put it down since you went out. How about I help you carry it?"
Although the two had been together for many years, the young man obviously didn't know what the old poor man was carrying on his back.
Shang Yixing glanced at him, and suddenly showed an indescribable expression. He walked a few steps crookedly, and then said: "You don't have to carry it now, but sooner or later you will be asked to carry it. At that time, even if you don't want to carry it, , I have to carry it. So I still hope that I can carry it for a little longer."
The voice behind him got lower and lower, and Mingchuan almost didn't hear what he said clearly.
The rain was still falling heavily, and an old man, a young man, and an old horse continued to walk on the muddy road lightly and heavily, looking very embarrassed.
Not far away, Mingchuan began to complain again: "Master, did you remember the wrong way? I am getting more and more unsure."
"It shouldn't be wrong."
Shang Yixing set up a pergola and looked around, saying: "I remember that I took this road more than 20 years ago, so I am sure that I am right."
"More than twenty years ago?" Mingchuan almost dropped his chin on the dirt. He glared at Shang Yixing angrily again and cried out: "You have only walked this road once, and it was more than twenty years ago. Something about?"
"It's been more than twenty years, and I remember it very clearly." Shang Yixing looked ahead firmly and said, "Because many people who have walked this road with me will never have the chance to come back."
His eyes were firm, but his expression was extremely sentimental.
"Okay, I'll believe you again."
Mingchuan also saw something strange about his master and stopped complaining.
"I remember that after leaving this mountain, there is a river, which the locals call Yingchou Stream. There is a suspension bridge on it. After crossing the bridge and crossing two mountains, we can enter the realm of Xiangchu." Shang Yixing Visiting the old place again, ripples appeared in his heart. As he walked, he continued: "The reason why I chose this mountain road is because from here you can enter Xiangchu two days earlier, which reduces the distance by half compared to the main road. Besides, now There is a lot of chaos in Qianzhou, so if you take the main road, you will inevitably encounter some troubles and delay your trip. Haven't you noticed that as soon as we entered Qianzhou, many refugees appeared?"
Mingchuan thought for a while, nodded and said: "Master, I really remembered it when you mentioned it. I wonder what happened here, why are there so many refugees?"
"Hmph. I told you that reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. When you stop, you either eat or sleep. It's strange that you gain knowledge this way." Shang Yixing snorted twice and slapped him on the back of the head. , said: "I heard from the refugees that before spring, there was a heavy snowfall here that was rare in ten years. It was freezing cold for nearly two months. The snow finally melted, and it rained for several months. . Who can withstand such a natural disaster? So the situation in Qianzhou is very complicated now, and there are chaos and trouble everywhere."
When Mingchuan heard this, he couldn't help but glance at Shang Yixing and said, "No wonder Master insists on taking a small road. In addition to saving time, he is also afraid of encountering robbers and bandits, right?"
"If there is a natural disaster, there will be a man-made disaster. Aren't you also afraid of trouble? This is not good." Shang Yixing said casually.
Mingchuan raised his eyebrows, glanced at the sword wrapped in oilcloth hanging on the horse, and said, "I'm afraid. But master, didn't you want me to practice "Haoran Mingjuan"? Since you said it is very powerful If you have martial arts skills, then you should also be able to do martial arts? Otherwise, why would you hang a broken sword? If you don’t use a big sword to bluff people, wouldn’t it be more effective?"
Hearing this, Shang Yixing also took a few glances at the sword, suddenly curled his lips and smiled, and said, "My broken sword has indeed not fooled anyone in more than twenty years."
Mingchuan shook his head, feeling that his master was quite unreliable.
But Shang Yixing once again looked up at the gloomy sky and murmured to himself: "Natural disasters are unstoppable, but man-made disasters have to be stopped by someone."
Laoqiongsuan's words were obviously not meant for Mingchuan.
But Mingchuan really felt that Master was indeed unusual today.
Man-made disaster? Are they the refugees who became bandits because they couldn't survive?
The two of them continued to move forward on the mountain road. Mingchuan suddenly asked again: "Master, are you going to meet someone when you suddenly come down the mountain this time?"
Shang Yixing suddenly slipped and almost fell into the muddy water. He groaned, held his waist, grinned and exhaled, apparently reaching his waist.
"It's just to see some old friends, or to say goodbye to them." Shang Yixing rubbed his waist, "I injured my waist at the right time. I haven't had that person give me comfort for many years. His muscles and bones are gone. His technique is still unforgettable to me, and I don’t know where he learned it.”
He thought to himself that not only was the road difficult to walk this time, but his waist was also difficult to use.
Mingchuan couldn't stand it any longer, so he had no choice but to help the old poor man stagger while walking, and then said helplessly: "I don't understand, what are you doing with your old bones?"
Shang Yixing looked sideways at his apprentice, with the corners of his mouth raised slightly.
toss? Yes, why bother? But if we don’t work hard, I’m afraid the bones of this world will be gone soon, right?
If one day Mingchuan told others that thirty years ago, the Shang Yi Guild, which had been at the top of the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and was known as the "Gentleman's Biography" that Confucianism was eager to do, had slipped away on the mountain path, then others would definitely I thought he was talking drunkenly.
Lian Po is old, can he still make a living? In the Jianghu, there was once a man who used people as books and swords as pens to write the biography of a gentleman through the ages.
