Old Man Ling saw that everyone thought this was nothing strange, and the questions he had hidden in his heart for more than ten years seemed to have answers, so he picked up the wooden box and said to Ling Yun: "Yun'er, grandpa is getting old. I'm afraid I won't remember, but there is another pill in this box. I'll leave it to you to keep now. If you encounter this situation again in the future, you can take it out and eat it!" After a pause, he said to several other people: "If Yun'er is unconscious, please help you feed him!"
Li Dongming and others agreed, Ling Yun took the wooden box, and Old Man Ling said: "Take it and hide it quickly, don't lose it!"
Ling Yun said: "Okay, grandpa, I'll put it away right now!" After saying that, he took the box and got up, walked out of the kitchen and walked into the house.
When he came to the house, he was thinking about where to hide it that was safe and easy to find. He bent down and looked under the bed, where the treasures and swords he brought back from Juelong Ridge were hidden. Then, he stood up and thought to himself: "This thing is hidden. What if I make that strange mistake again and no one is around when I am unconscious, or they are not at home? I'd better keep it with me!"
So he opened the box, took out the pill, and held it in his hand. He looked at the hard pill in his hand, which was a little bigger than a cherry, and suddenly wondered how he swallowed it. He put the pill to his mouth, opened his mouth slightly, put the pill in his mouth and gestured.
This gesture didn't matter, maybe he opened his mouth for too long. He took a deep breath, but he couldn't hold the pill in his hand and fell straight into his mouth, sliding down his throat and into his stomach.
When the pill passed through Ling Yun's throat, it felt soft and soft, unlike the hard feeling before.
Ling Yun thought to himself, this is bad, he had taken the pill in advance. He dug his throat hard with his hands and tried to vomit the pill out, but he just retched for a while without any effect.
When he tried his best to vomit out the pill, an extremely weak blue light quickly flew out from the animal tooth pendant in the box and entered his body in an instant.
Li Dongming and others heard Ling Yun's retching sound, and asked loudly from a distance: "Ling Yun, what's wrong with you?" Ling Yun wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, and found that there was nothing he could do, so he answered loudly outside the house. : "I'm fine!" He said, covering the box, climbed into bed, hid the box behind the pillow, then went out, closed the door, returned to the kitchen, and continued eating with everyone.
After having breakfast and clearing away the dishes, Li Dongming and his wife saw that Ling Yun was fine, so they took Xiao Hei and Laifu back to their home. After being delayed for many days, it was time to go back and tidy up at home. As for Li Haoyang, he didn't want to go back and insisted on staying. He said he was worried about Ling Yun's situation and could help him in time. In fact, he was thinking about the agreement he had made with Ling Yun at Juelong Ridge.
Li Haoyang and Ling Yun lay side by side on the bed to rest. After the tossing of the past few days, Old Ling had already fallen asleep in the back room. Ling Yun was also very sleepy because he had not slept all night, yawning all day long. But somehow, after taking the last pill by mistake, I suddenly became energetic and didn't feel sleepy at all.
Li Haoyang asked: "Ling Yun, do you still remember our secret plan?" Ling Yun was excited, sat up, and asked: "You mean..." Li Haoyang said: "If something hadn't happened to you, we would have been It’s in Jinling City!”
Ling Yun said: "You can't rely on me, do you think I want to?" He lay down again, and then said: "By the way, we have to go to Uncle Tiezhu to make two identical swords for us first. , otherwise it will be difficult to explain if someone catches you!"
Li Haoyang said, "Where have you hidden those two treasures?" Ling Yun put his hand on the back of his head and pointed under the bed without saying anything. Li Haoyang asked: "When are we going to find Uncle Tiezhu?" Ling Yun stretched out his hand to make a silent gesture, pointed to the inner room, and said softly: "We will wait until my grandpa goes out."
The two of them chatted about other topics without realizing it. Half an hour passed before they knew it. Old man Ling had already gotten up. Seeing Li Haoyang and Ling Yun chatting happily in the outer room, he said to them: " What are you two talking about? I don't know how to have a good rest!" Li Haoyang replied: "No, it's nothing, just chat casually!" Old Man Ling was not interested in their chat, so he continued: "You two, don't run around at home. , I’ll go to the market!”
Ling Yun turned over and sat up and said: "Grandpa, do you need my help?" Old Ling said angrily: "You are in good health, how can you help? Just rest at home, ah!" After that, Old Ling stood up from the wall He took a coat and put it on his body, then turned around and said to them: "By the way, I heard from people in the town a few days ago that two big bugs appeared near our village. These have never appeared near this village before. You two have to worry a lot when going out these days." Ling Yun and Li Haoyang said, "I know, Grandpa!" They agreed, but didn't take it seriously. After speaking, Old Ling turned around. Went out.
Li Haoyang had also sat up at this time. He bumped Ling Yun's arm with his elbow and asked, "Do you really want to follow and help your grandfather?" Ling Yun smiled mischievously at him and said, "What do you think? ?”
Li Haoyang pretended to be disdainful and said: "You guy, Third Grandpa is so old, and you still let him go alone!" Ling Yun was not polite and said with disdain: "Come on, Brother Yang, stop pretending. , aren’t you also thinking of finding Uncle Tiezhu while my grandpa is not at home? Besides, Uncle Lu will definitely help grandpa deliver things to his house! "
Seeing that he had seen through it, Li Haoyang laughed and said, "Then what are you waiting for? Let's go!" After saying that, he stood up and started to walk out.
Ling Yun hurriedly grabbed him and said: "Hey, hey, you go to Uncle Tiezhu like this, how does he know what kind of sword you want to fight?" Li Haoyang asked: "What do you mean?" Ling Yun stood up and bent He got under the bed at the waist and took out the sword that he had hidden before. He handed the sword to Li Haoyang, then took out the sword from the scabbard and put it on the bed. He used his hands to trace the length and width of the sword's blade and hilt, and roughly noted the patterns engraved on the hilt and scabbard.
Seeing this, Li Haoyang imitated his example and wrote down the appearance of the sword. Then, Ling Yun put the sword away again and hid it in the most hidden place under the bed.
The two of them had a conversation, made sure they remembered clearly, and felt that nothing had been missed. They got up and walked out of the house, closed the door, and walked straight towards a hillside in the south. On the back of the hillside was Blacksmith Wang who lived in Baiyun Village.
Li Haoyang and Ling Yun walked for about half an hour before arriving at the door of Blacksmith Wang's house. The yard of Blacksmith Wang's house was surrounded by an earthen wall. The wall was as high as half a person. There was a door opened towards the intersection. On the door A thatched roof was built to keep out the rain. The door frame and door leaves are made of wood. The door panel is inlaid with a grinning animal head, with a copper ring in its mouth.
Li Haoyang reached out and pushed, but the door was locked from the inside and could not be pushed open, so he shouted inside: "Uncle Tiezhu!"
Ling Yun stepped forward, reached out and grasped the iron ring on the door, and buckled it several times. The iron ring made a "ding, ding, ding" sound.
After a while, a middle-aged man's voice came from the yard and asked: "Who is it?" Li Haoyang hurriedly replied: "Uncle Tiezhu, it's me, Haoyang!"
The courtyard door opened with a creak. The person who opened the door was an unshaven middle-aged man. He was wearing a pair of worn-out cloth shoes and a dark gray thin coat. Seeing the two people standing outside the house, he was a little surprised and asked: "Hey, why are you two free to come to my place today?" After a pause, he asked again: "Ling Yun? What are you not? Oh, bah Bah bah, look at my mouth, are you okay now?"
Li Haoyang smiled and said: "Uncle Tiezhu, Ling Yun is fine. We are here this time to ask you to help us pack some things!" After saying that, he was about to go into the yard, and Blacksmith Wang grabbed him and said, "Hey, hey. Hey, wait a minute, you asked me to shoot arrows last time and you haven’t given me what you promised me yet, what do you want to do this time?”
Li Haoyang pushed his hand away and said with a smile: "No, Uncle Tiezhu, I will definitely get you what you want, but where did the big snake come from just after spring started? Just wait a little longer, ah?" When summer comes, I will go into the mountains to look for you right away!"
After hearing this, Blacksmith Wang made way for them to enter the courtyard, and Ling Yun followed him across the courtyard gate and into the courtyard.
Entering the yard, what appeared in front of them was a house with a mixed structure of blue bricks and adobe bricks, with a roof covered with blue tiles. This is the main house of Blacksmith Wang's family. Next to the main house is a small house made of mud bricks and bamboo. The roof is covered with thatch, and a black clay chimney is exposed. This must be the kitchen room.
There is a wooden shed opposite the kitchen. Inside is a stove made of blue bricks and an iron horse, which is where Blacksmith Wang eats. There is a long wooden table next to the stove, with a variety of iron tools on it, including sickles, hoes, hammers, kitchen knives, yard nails, etc. There are all the commonly used iron tools in the town.
It was the first time that Ling Yun came to Blacksmith Wang's house. When he saw such a large variety of iron tools, his eyes were wide open, but he soon discovered a problem. He raised his head and asked Blacksmith Wang: "Uncle Tiezhu, why are there all kitchen utensils, farm tools and fishing tools here, but no swords?"
When Blacksmith Wang saw this question, he was angry and amused. He picked up a horseshoe in front of him and said, "In this town, everyone makes a living by fishing, hunting and farming, so what's the use of that sword?" ?”
After hearing this, Ling Yun touched the back of his head and said with a smile: "You are right, but Brother Yang and I came to you today just to make a pair of swords. Uncle Tiezhu, can you do it here?"
Blacksmith Wang's face changed slightly, and he stared at him and said, "You kid, why do you want to play with swords?" Ling Yun was speechless for a moment and didn't know how to answer.
Li Haoyang stepped forward, hugged Blacksmith Wang's arm and said, "Oh, Uncle Tiezhu, don't be angry. We just want to make a pair of swords and take them to Jinling City to learn from those people in the world and show off their power." No? Besides, even if you take it with you to hunt in the mountains, if you encounter wild animals or something, you can still defend yourself, right?"
Blacksmith Wang turned to Li Haoyang and said, "This kid, what a mess, why are you defending yourself? Can't you just use a woodcutter and a dagger for self-defense? By the way, what did you just say? Are you going into the city?"
Li Haoyang replied: "Hey, we just want to see it. We have never been to the city before when we are so old!" When Wang Blacksmith was about to speak, Ling Yun said: "Uncle Tiezhu, don't you know how to do it? "
When Wang Tiejiang was asked like this, he didn't come back to his senses and asked: "What can't you do?" Seeing this, Li Haoyang hurriedly pushed Ling Yun aside and interrupted: "It's nothing, it's nothing, he hasn't been to Jinling either. city, so I want to ask you the way to the city!"
Blacksmith Wang said: "No, you just said that I can't? What? Are you saying that I can't make swords? Huh? You little kid, even if your grandfather came to my place, he wouldn't dare to doubt Tiezhu Damn my craftsmanship!"
Li Haoyang said flatteringly: "What's the matter, Uncle Tiezhu, don't get me wrong, how can we doubt your craftsmanship? You are the only blacksmith in our town. You have never made any rare things, how can you not know how to make them?" Where is the sword? Are you right?"
Blacksmith Wang smiled and said: "Hey! I like what you say, but come to think of it, I have been making iron tools for decades. Except for the kitchen knife for cutting vegetables and the hatchet for chopping firewood, I have rarely made any knives. Ah, swords and so on. However, our family has a ancestral craft, and we have been blacksmiths for generations. My ancestors left me a book, which records many weapons. It is said that they can be recorded in this book. None of the objects on it are made of ordinary iron. Let’s not talk about it. Even more than two hundred years ago, those people on Juelong Ridge also came to my ancestors to customize their weapons!"
After hearing this, Li Haoyang thought to himself: "After talking so much, I still haven't fought. It was not far away more than two hundred years ago?" Before he could speak, Ling Yun said first: "Uncle Tiezhu, what do you know? Nope?"
When Blacksmith Wang heard what Ling Yun said, his expression darkened instantly. But Li Haoyang and Ling Yun were both juniors after all, so it was difficult for them to have an attack, so they had to endure it. Seeing this, Li Haoyang hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over and said, "Uncle Tiezhu, don't mind. Ling Yun is not doubting your skills. What he means is that the sword we are going to fight is a bit complicated, and I'm afraid you won't know it for a while." My son is born with a hand and is not used to it!"
After hearing this, Blacksmith Wang's gloomy expression cleared up a little. He smiled and said to Ling Yun: "Ling Yun, if you think so, then you're looking down on your Uncle Tiezhu. In this case, come on, I'll take care of you today." You two little ones have learned a lot!" After saying that, he turned and walked towards the main house.
Ling Yun and Li Haoyang looked at Blacksmith Wang's back and thought, "Look what good stuff he has hidden!" So they followed closely.
Arriving inside the house, Blacksmith Wang pulled out a large wooden box from under the bed, took out an iron key from the wall, inserted it into the large iron lock hanging on the wooden box, and twisted it gently, only to hear "pop". "With a sound, the lock opened.
Blacksmith Wang opened the lid of the box and revealed a layer of cotton cloth inside. He opened the cotton cloth and saw a large knife underneath with a thick layer of straw under the blade.
Blacksmith Wang took out his broadsword, swung it casually, and held the blade up across his chest. The knife was six feet long, and the snow-white blade shone with a cold light. When Li Haoyang and Ling Yun saw it, they couldn't help but praise: "What a knife!"
Li Haoyang reached out and touched it. The blade felt delicate and smooth, with no unevenness or rust at all. There were vaguely staggered arc-shaped dark lines on the blade. Although Li Haoyang and Ling Yun didn't know much about weapons, they could clearly feel that Blacksmith Wang's skills were quite impressive.
Seeing the two people's eyes widening, Blacksmith Wang felt secretly proud and said with a smile: "How is it? Is your uncle Tiezhu's craftsmanship good?"
Li Haoyang gave a thumbs up and said with a smile: "Okay! Uncle Tiezhu, your skills are really good! We were also planning to ask you to give us a pair of such good swords, but..." As he said that, Li Haoyang hesitated. After a moment, Blacksmith Wang asked doubtfully: "But what?"
Li Haoyang continued: "Uncle Tiezhu, don't worry, we don't ask for it in vain. It's just that we don't have any money at the moment. Can we... owe you a few days until we come back from Jinling City?"
Blacksmith Wang smiled and said: "How many days do you owe? It will take a month to travel back and forth to Jinling City. You two go to Jinling City and you will be rich when you come back?"
Seeing that Blacksmith Wang didn't believe it, and they couldn't tell how they would be rich after returning from Jinling City, they had no choice but to remain silent.
When Blacksmith Wang saw that the two of them were silent, he said to Li Haoyang: "Yangyang, if I trust you again for now, why don't I just buy a pair of swords? I don't want your money, but you two have to promise me two things." Something!" When Li Haoyang heard this, he was secretly happy, hey, there's something going on! He hurriedly asked with a smile: "Hey, uncle, what's the matter? Just tell me!"
Blacksmith Wang put away the knife and locked the wooden box, and said: "This is the first place. What you owe me, double what you owe me, this is the second place!" He glanced at Ling Yun, and then said "Go and find me some more monkey ginger plants." After hearing this, Li Haoyang and Ling Yun couldn't believe that this was all Blacksmith Wang's request. They both blurted out in unison: "That's it?" Neither did Blacksmith Wang. Thinking that they would react like this, he asked: "What?" Ling Yun waved his hands hurriedly: "No, it's nothing!" Li Haoyang also said hurriedly: "No problem, no problem, I will listen to you!"
Seeing that they all agreed, Blacksmith Wang continued: "Since there is no problem, let's see what kind of swords you want to fight!" After that, Li Haoyang and Ling Yun described their sword styles to Blacksmith Wang in detail. Once, he also drew a rough outline on the ground with branches. After hearing this, Blacksmith Wang frowned slightly and said, "You two, I'll get it from here in three days!" Li Haoyang was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Uncle Tiezhu! Then I will We both went back first."
After saying goodbye to Blacksmith Wang, the two of them were walking back. Ling Yun asked, "Brother Yang, what good thing do you owe Uncle Tiezhu? Why did he agree so readily?"
Li Haoyang stopped and said, "I find it strange too, so I promised to get him some snake gallbladders. It's not a difficult task. When summer comes, we can just catch snakes. I also want to ask you, What kind of treasure is that monkey ginger? Although two swords are not a rare item, they can't be exchanged for a few snake gallbladders and a few weeds, right?" Ling Yun thought for a while and said: "Hey, never mind, since he He promised us, then let's go and get it for him, lest he regrets it later and misses our business!" With that said, the two of them continued walking towards Ling Yun's house.
